The Fast and the Fictitious

Jaycie and Audrey talk about "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver. In addition tot he story, they discuss topics such as why we judge books by their cover, how we are naturallyu attracted to empathetic people, how often we are unaware how we treat people, where empathy comes from, how we appreciate things more when they are taken away, how we can learn to be more grateful, whether or not people a...

I join Trent for this episode about "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl. In addition to the story, we talk about why we are so attracted to anti-heros, what makes a person capable of horrific acts of violence, what it feels like to be wronged, the usefulness of the "bad guy" in literature and art to allow us to acknowledge the darker parts of our psyche, the insanity of Bat-Man,...

In this episode, Scotti and Violet talk about Ernest Hemingway's "Cat in the Rain." The pair discuss topics such as the role of fate in our lives, whether we are predestined to have the things we have, whether people always know what they need, what is the best way to communicate what we need, how much unhapiness in life is normal, whether or not the little things really make us happ,...

In this episode, Christian and I discuss “The Life You save May Be Your Own” by Flannry O’Connor. Among the topics we discuss are why we repeatedly do things even if we know they are the wrong things to do, what is the source of guilt, to what degree does potential guilt play into our decision making,   hypocracy, why we are quick to judge others, why we expect others to behave a certain way when...

Jaycie and Trent discuss "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" by Joyce Carol Oates. In addition to the story, they talk about topics such as the good and bad of parental control, how we can become more appreciative of people in our lives, the dangers of social media, why we compare ourselves to others, false internet idols and the effects on our mental health, lucid reaming, the amou...

In this epsidoe, Khyler and Shine discuss Chinua Achebe’s short story “The Sacrificial Egg." In addition to the story, they talk about tradition vs change, tradition as community, cultural identity, being torn between two cultures, how we lose tradition over time, the importance of family in maintaining cultural identity, how material goods replaced abstract ideas as something significantly cu...

Kahlia and Jordan discuss David Foster Wallace’s “Good People,” a short story about a young couple facing a huge decision. Along with some insightful analysis of the story, the pair also hit on topics such as how can we tell if others... or ourselves... are good people, how much guilt factors into our decision making, how to define selflesness, is guilt a necessary evil, the utility of considering...

Scotti and Katelyn talk about Raymond Carver’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.  The story raises questions about the nature of love and whether or not it can truly be defined. In addition to the story itself, Scotti and Katelyn discuss topics such as...   What is love, Is there a wrong way to love, Toxicity masquerading as love, How the media puts pressure on people to find love, Obses...

High school seniors Katelyn and Daylin have a chat about Hemingway's "A Clean Well Lighted Place." They discuss topics such as the conflict between generations, the dangers of becoming too comfortable with a routine, how we gain empathy for others, the nature of Happiness, how the low points of life shine a new light on the high points, why we emotionally or socially shut down, whether...

High School Seniors Daylin and Luke chat about Kate Chopin, irony within her stories "Story of an Hour" and "Desiree's Baby" and the comparison of the demise of the heroine in each. The guys also delve into other topics such as why we like stories in the first place,   how much a person take before reaching their limit, when it's ok to laugh at tragedy, real life coping mec...

High school seniors Bryce and Jordan discuss Charlotte Perkins Gilman's icononc short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" and talk about topics such as gaslighting in the 1890s vs modern times, the negativity of the internet, how a person's internal struggles might not be manifested outwardly, how people often create a false reality to hide from what's really going on,why people don&#...

High school students Kahlia and Kyler discuss Franz Kafka's story "A Hunger Artist" by questioning why we put so much stock in the value of social media. They also address falling prey to trends, the importance of perspective when it comes to social media, feeding our brains on background noise, the epidemic of low attention spans, how trends influence our perceptions and cheapen the v...