A show where two literary critics go through all of Kurt Vonnegut, and then Chinua Achebe, novel by novel, periodically interrupted by talking about The Sopranos.
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The Naples Writers' Workshop presents lessons from successful writing
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Dr. Anika Prather herself, over many years, has engaged the fire and light that the classics have brought to African American throughout the history of America. She is uniquely gifted and trained to help us reclaim the canon that has been a source of liberty and humanity. As a scholar of the black intellectual tradition, she passionately argues for bringing the best that has been thought and said to African Americans and all Americans.
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The From Cork With Love podcast is produced in Cork Ireland by poet Paul O'Mahony. It is an eclectic mix of topics - mainly about culture and society.
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Meeting You Where You Are, is BTST Services' podcast designed to shed light on how Behavioral Health issues impact everyday life. It will also focus on highlighting other services and agencies providing good work, upcoming events, current topics impacting the urban community and more.
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The University of Oxford is one of the world's leading centres for the study of Africa. In every Faculty and Division across the University there are active research programmes focused on the continent. The African Studies Centre, within the School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies, acts as a focal point for graduate level work and faculty research on Africa. Alongside the vibrant doctoral programmes, the MSc in African Studies, inaugurated in 2006, is already recognised as Europe's most pre ...
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Looking for a good book? Let host Cornelius Peter and a rotating group of comedians, authors, and entertainers recommend the next ‘page turner’ that you NEED to have on your night stand.! !!! Each week your host Cornelius Peter interviews an ever changing group of comedians, authors, and entertainers and asks each to bring in a book recommendation to share with our audience. It can be any book, any genre, anything at all, so long as it’s a book that they LIKED. We don’t review ‘em, we just r ...
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Jeffty is Five” by Harlan Ellison. What can we learn from this nostalgic story? How does the ending wrap up the arc of the story? How can we tell which char…
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner. What can we learn from this richly voiced story? How can we develop a stream-of-consciousness voice for a story? How can …
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Episode 08: When We Were Together and When We Were Not
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In this episode, Anika shares how everything that unites us is deeper than what separates us as she continues her invitation to attend the Redefining Classics gathering at Catholic University on June 15th. Learn more and register at Redefining Classics!By Dr. Anika Prather (TrueNorth.fm)
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Separating” by John Updike. What can we learn from this vivid and careful short story? Can we say anything about the voice of this story? How does a story c…
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Episode 07: Invitation to Redefining Classics at Catholic University on June 15th
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In this episode, hear Anika's introduction and welcome for Redefining Classics at Catholic University on June 15th. Learn more and register for this gathering at Redefining Classics!By Dr. Anika Prather (TrueNorth.fm)
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TOASTMASTERS, "You need friends" - a speech given by Paul O'Mahony to the Anglo-Irish meeting at the annual conference of District 71 (Ireland & UK north) in Portlaoise on Thursday 9th May 2024.By Paul O'Mahony
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128: “It’s Such a Beautiful Day” by Isaac Asimov
27:39
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “It’s Such a Beautiful Day” by Isaac Asimov. What can we learn from this classic science fiction story? How can a single imagined technology inform a fiction…
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The pen is always heavy, when it’s months since you lifted it. The weight of the space left behind undressed, unaddressed. Time without colour, days without commas, seconds stripped asunder, drunk on the spirit of everlasting full stops. ——— This pen has a cough, the sign of an infected life lived as if there was no editor round the corner waiting.…
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Frog King” by Garth Greenwell. What can we learn from this quiet portrait of a human relationship? Is there conflict in this story? Does a story need co…
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Destructors” by Graham Greene. What can we learn from this quick but complex story? How can group dynamics be quickly introduced in a story? How can the…
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125: “Button, Button” by Richard Matheson
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Button, Button” by Richard Matheson. What can we learn from this deceptively simple story? What does it mean that a story’s ending should be surprising yet …
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S202401 Ep11: Barkley Marathons - Survivors
32:42
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By Paul O'Mahony
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S202401 Ep10: "60 Hours of Hell: The Story of the Barkley Marathons" with Roger Overall
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Photo Credit : Welcome to Hell. (Photo: Howie Stern)By Paul O'Mahony
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Civil Peace” by Chinua Achebe. What can we learn from this own-voice story? How can a story use a refrain or leitmotif? How can a theme or exploration of a …
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Sluggish Dawn Waking is such sweet joy, my friend, Crumpled sheets and well-worn pillows The body warm and snug. A gentle lift-off with a push A right-hand palm, the door to a well-known pit, into the landscape of a fragile core. Nostalgia for the sweet touch of night Gone the face of slumbered satisfaction. Welcome back marauded morn Enough, enoug…
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Woman at Exhibition” by E. Lily Yu. What can we learn from this brief story? How can real-life, historical people be incorporated into speculative fiction? …
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122: “Car Crash While Hitchhiking” by Denis Johnson
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Car Crash While Hitchhiking” by Denis Johnson. What can we learn from this great little story? What is a writer’s “eye”? How does sentence structure help de…
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121: “When Stars Collide” by Ottessa Moshfegh
25:05
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “When Stars Collide” by Ottessa Moshfegh. What can we learn from this work of Flash Fiction? How do specific actions and details help define a character? How…
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Dead” by James Joyce. What can we learn from the story T. S. Eliot called “one of the greatest short stories ever written”? What can we learn […]…
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119: “The Bear Came Over the Mountain” by Alice Munro
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Bear Came Over the Mountain” by Alice Munro. What can we learn from this story with an unexpected but inevitable ending? How does the structure function…
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118: “The Library of Babel” by Jorge Luis Borges
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Library of Babel” by Jorge Luis Borges. What can we learn from this work of Philosophical Fiction? How can a speculative story be built upon a philosoph…
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Drive My Car” by Haruki Murakami. What can we learn from this quietly contemplative story? What kind of structure can we find in a relatively structureless …
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116: “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut. What can we learn from this classic of speculative fiction? How does its cartoonishness impact its humanity? How import…
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115: “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees” by E. Lily Yu
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees” by E. Lily Yu. What can we learn from this fanciful story? How does language help create the mood of the […]…
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114: “The Man Who Lost the Sea” by Theodore Sturgeon
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Man Who Lost the Sea” by Theodore Sturgeon. What can we learn from this dreamlike science fiction story? How versatile and variable is point of view? Ho…
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113: “And of Clay Are We Created” by Isabel Allende
22:27
22:27
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “And of Clay Are We Created” by Isabel Allende. What can we learn from this story based on real events? How does point of view help define the […]…
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112: “Spring in Fialta” by Vladimir Nabokov
31:11
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Spring in Fialta” by Vladimir Nabokov. What can we learn from Nabokov and his ability to capture moments? How can detailed moments build up a story? How can…
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Paper Menagerie” by Ken Liu. What can we learn from this affecting story with a touch of magic to it? How can we use a bit of […]…
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110: “This Way for the Gas Ladies and Gentlemen” by Tadeusz Borowski
30:08
30:08
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen” by Tadeusz Borowski. What can we learn from this devastating account of prisoners at Auschwitz? How can a stark,…
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Happy Endings” by Margaret Atwood. What can we learn from this playful bit of metafiction? How can we be playful and experimental when writing a story? How …
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108: “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
22:40
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe. What can we learn from this classic horror story? How much is needed to create the main effect of the […]…
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107: “How to Eat Chicken Wings” by Kristen Arnett
17:36
17:36
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “How to Eat Chicken Wings” by Kristen Arnett. What can we learn from this fun little piece? Are chicken wings a metaphor? Can a metaphor change through a […]…
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Frog Prince” by Robert Coover. What can we learn from this retelling of a classic fairy-tale trope? Should we take a story like this literally? What doe…
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Milkwishes” by Kristen Roupenian. What can we learn from this story that happens so much in the character’s thoughts? How can memories be the main focus of …
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Redemption” by John Gardner. What can we learn from this story based on true events from the author’s childhood? How important is it that depictions feel re…
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103: “A Temporary Matter” by Jhumpa Lahiri
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “A Temporary Matter” by Jhumpa Lahiri. What can we learn from this story with such a simple premise? How can memory inform a story? How does memory differ [……
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Episode 06: Dr. Prather Discusses the Relevance of Chinua Achebe to Classical Education
31:04
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By Dr. Anika Prather (TrueNorth.fm)
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102: “The Worshipful Society of Glovers” by Mary Robinette Kowal
22:53
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Worshipful Society of Glovers” by Mary Robinette Kowal. What can we learn from this historical fantasy story? Do fantasy stories have a steep learning c…
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “To Build a Fire” by Jack London. What can we learn from this classic, straightforward story? How can immediacy drive a story? How can the story’s setting be…
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S202303 Ep8: The Children of the Poor King & the Mean Queen
9:28
9:28
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A story for grandchildrenBy Paul O'Mahony
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Reading from "Things Fall Apart" (1958) - with big thanks to my friend Ken Essien.By Paul O'Mahony
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100: “The Lady with the Pet Dog” by Joyce Carol Oates
27:02
27:02
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In our one-hundredth episode, we discuss “The Lady with the Pet Dog” by Joyce Carol Oates. What can we learn from this retelling of Anton Chekhov’s story “The Lady with the Little Dog”?…
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099: “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl
19:40
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl. What can we learn from this classic story? How versatile can a story’s point of view be? How can subtle shifts […]…
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “The Father” by Raymond Carver. What can we learn from this very short story? How much needs to be explained? How do we know where to end a […]…
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S2023 Ep7: Sexual Violence - looking for herons while dog-walking
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By Paul O'Mahony
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097: “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes
19:29
19:29
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes. What can we learn from this classic science-fiction story? What happens when a story is driven by plot over character…
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Recorded while Paul O'Mahony walks down & up the steep Church Hill in an effort to recover from winter vomiting bug. You also hear cars passing - and a brief exchange of sounds with a passer-by.By Paul O'Mahony
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By Paul O'Mahony
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096: “Incarnations of Burned Children” by David Foster Wallace
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “Incarnations of Burned Children” by David Foster Wallace. What can we learn from this work of flash fiction by a master writer? Does it matter what “really”…
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095: “On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning” by Haruki Murakami
24:22
24:22
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If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast In this episode, we discuss “On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning” by Haruki Murakami. What can we learn from this simple tale? How can a story be driven by […]…
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