Best Better The Bookshelf Podcasts (2024)

1
The Nightmare of Assassinations 35:31

2h ago35:31

35:31

The tragedy of this past weekend in which Corey Comperatore was killed, and former President Trump nearly so, illustrates that assassinations are again with us. This is a brief history of assassinations, motivations and how it applies to war.By Bel Aves

1
Workshop with Elana Gomel: What to do if your Hero is a Girl? 36:01

3d ago36:01

36:01

Send us a Text Message. In response to Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousands Faces, aka The Hero's Journey, folklorists and academics (many of them female) countered some of the major steps and archetypes that Campbell claimed were universal. In today's workshop we explore the some of the ideas of The Heroine's Journey with author and academic, E…

1
Should Have Been Better: Historical Movies that Fell Flat 1:03:02

21h ago1:03:02

1:03:02

Joined by my brother Chris, we look at Unbroken, The Longest Day, and Napoleon. We also look at a few others including Dune and Opperheimer.By Bel Aves

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The Mentor Behind Every Great Hero 55:57

11d ago55:57

55:57

Send us a Text Message. The Mentor -- Arguably the second most identified archetype from The Hero's Journey (after the eponymous hero). In his book, The Writer's Journey, Christopher Vogler has a lot to say about the mentor: why are they important, what do they do, what kinds of mentors are there, and do you actually need one in your story (okay, t…

1
The American Revolution Was Exceptional 31:34

11d ago31:34

31:34

We look at four different aspects of four different revolutions (American, French, Chinese, Russian) to learn what makes the American Revolution exceptional.By Bel Aves

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Workshop: Renee Creates a Monster-Hero 49:43

19d ago49:43

49:43

Send us a Text Message. Last episode we explored the concept of the hero archetype as presented in Christopher Volger's The Writer's Journey. But analysis is one thing. We wanted to see if we could use the ideas to create/develop an actual protagonist. Renee's has a Frankenstein story idea that she so badly wants to read that she's willing to write…

1
The Purpose of the American Revolution 32:01

23d ago32:01

32:01

We explore what is, and what is not, the purpose of the American Revolution. We here from Henry, Paine, Washington and Jefferson.By Bel Aves

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What Makes a Hero 52:40

26d ago52:40

52:40

Send us a Text Message. Whether every protagonist is a hero is open to debate (and debate it we do in this episode) but it we can agree that the vast majority of protagonists in genre fiction are heroes (if not always heroic). In today’s episode we go deep into Christopher Volger’s chapter on the hero archetype from his book, The Writer’s Journey. …

1
The British Go South: A Story of the American War for Independence 31:03

1M ago31:03

31:03

We look at the later years of the American Revolution including the British Southern Strategy.By Bel Aves

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Workshop: Mapping Kim's Novel to the Hero's Journey 26:39

1M ago26:39

26:39

Send us a Text Message. Last episode we mapped all 12 steps of Christopher Volger's Hero's Journey (as presented in his book, The Writer's Journey) to J.R.R. Tolkien The Hobbit. As you can see from Renee's show notes, they lined up pretty well. But what about a story not written by a British scholar steeped in mythology and folklore? For this works…

1
Seven Reasons to Keep the Electoral College 42:10

1M ago42:10

42:10

It is a presidental election year so once again the Electoral College is under fire. We explore the reasons to keep the college, and the true motivations behind those who wish to remove it.By Bel Aves

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Mapping the Hero's Journey 1:04:41

1M ago1:04:41

1:04:41

Send us a Text Message. We've officially started our new book, Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey. And boy is there a lot in the first two chapters! First (or first after Kim's rant) is an overview of the Hero's Journey, yes, dear listener, we cover all twelve steps. And as examples for those steps we turn to... The Hobbit (the OG book versi…

1
Conservative Bookshelf - Volume 2 46:20

1M ago46:20

46:20

From Cahill to Tuchman, from McCullough to Roberts we provide a series of authors and books to fill your bookshelves, and your minds, with great history.By Bel Aves

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Flags of our (Founding) Fathers 29:54

2M ago29:54

29:54

We provide a brief history of flags including ones from the Revolution, their symbolism, and why a Supreme Court Justice flag controversy is about a lot more than flags.By Bel Aves

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The Writer's Journey. Let's Do This. 1:03:50

2M ago1:03:50

1:03:50

Send us a Text Message. We're on the last chapter of Judith Barrington's book, Writing Your Memoir: practical advice on critique groups, plus the dos and don't of giving and getting feedback. It's practical and useful and everything thing we've come to expect from Barrington. And before we close the book on memoir, we give our final takes on the bo…

1
Memorial Day 14:08

2M ago14:08

14:08

Posted annually on this critical day, we explore the meaning of Memorial Day and here from those who gave "the last full measure of devotion" so that we can enjoy our lives.By Bel Aves

1
Congressional Kerfuffles, Catholicism, and the Kansas City Kicker 30:56

2M ago30:56

30:56

What do fights between members of Congress and Kansas City Kickers have in common? We explore the arguments of the roles of women in our society.By Bel Aves

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Remembering the Day When... 1:11:14

2M ago1:11:14

1:11:14

Send us a Text Message. Your memoir is about you (obviously) but it’s not just about you. In this episode we cover Judith Barrington’s chapter on how (and why) to bring events from the real world into your memoir. And in our writing exercise we try it out by remembering our own lives during a moment in history. Then it’s on to the penultimate chapt…

1
Settler Colonialism Through History 32:17

2M ago32:17

32:17

A significant part of the protests roiling our campuses, and university history courses involve Settler Colonialism. We explore the history of this concept and see how it fits into today's discourse.By Bel Aves

1
Bonfire of the Academies 32:34

2M ago32:34

32:34

Five problems with our colleges and how to fix them.By Bel Aves

1
The Historian and Hardihood Books: A Discussion with Ben Connelly About Non-Fiction and Fiction Writing 56:33

2M ago56:33

56:33

Ben Connelly, founder, publisher and writer for Hardihood Books joins the podcast to discuss non-fiction, science fiction and many other writings.By Bel Aves

1
Workshop: Naming Names in your Memoir 19:55

2M ago19:55

19:55

Send us a Text Message. For this week's workshop episode, Renee wrote about the brief time she spent as a child in Pacific Grove, CA, taking care to identify specific streets and locations as recommended by Judith Barrington in her book Writing the Memoir. We discuss and analysis this technique to see how it can improve our memoir writing. Remember…

1
Let's Not Get Sued (for Writing a Memoir) 47:15

3M ago47:15

47:15

Send us a Text Message. Writing (and publishing) a memoir can be nerve wracking. What if the people you’re writing about don’t like your portrayal of them? What if they hate it? What if they decide to sue? In this episode we discuss the chapter (and appendix) that cover this memoirist’s fear in Judith Barrington’s book, Writing the Memoir — both fr…

1
The Spider King: Successful Foreign Policy 24:36

3M ago24:36

24:36

We look at the incomparable Louis XI of France to see what an energetic, focused, comprehensive foreign policy looks like.By Bel Aves

1
Protests, Freedom of Speech and History 35:23

3M ago35:23

35:23

We have been hit by a wave of protests in the past few years. Some vandalize works of art and others block key roadways. We look at the history of some protests, and ask, what is the price of Free Speech.By Bel Aves

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The Secret to Getting Your Short Stories Published 1:06:45

3M ago1:06:45

1:06:45

Send us a Text Message. Okay, maybe that's a bit of hyperbole, but not by much. In this stand alone episode we talk with Erik Klass, the entrepreneurial editor behind the submission service Submitit about what literary journals are looking for in short stories and creative non-fiction. He also discusses how his company evaluates and chooses particu…

1
The Fourteen Most Pivotal Moments in Early American History 34:36

3M ago34:36

34:36

A look at American History through the 14 most crucial moments from 1763 - 1859. We focus on Independence, the Constitution and the formidable Andrew Jackson.By Bel Aves

1
Civil Wars in History and Today 36:38

4M ago36:38

36:38

We look at Civil Wars in Ancient Rome, modern Russia, China, and Spain and briefly at our own Civil War. We also address the question: is a 2nd American Civil War in the offing?By Bel Aves

1
"Workshop: Analyzing How Time Works in Memoir 36:36

4M ago36:36

36:36

Send us a Text Message. Last week we covered time in memoir, specifically how the writer can jump back and forth in time and the reader can follow along easily. In this episode, we identify signposts and time jumps in two short memoir pieces. One by one of Kim' s favorite science writers, Rebecca Skloot. Remember, we have a Writers Process/Writing …

1
Ghosts of World War I 28:27

4M ago28:27

28:27

World War I caused the deaths 20 Million including 9.7 military fatalities involved in a war that could have been avoided, and one that changed civilization forever.By Bel Aves

1
Time Travel in Memoir 48:40

4M ago48:40

48:40

Send us a Text Message. Memoirs are rarely straight chronological narratives, what with the musing we talked about last episode, and they almost always jump forwards and backwards in time. We discuss Judith Barrington take the mental Time Machine from her book Writing the Memoir, specifically the idea of the “Now” and how with a little signposting,…

1
Rebel Yelling: The State of Adults in America 35:09

4M ago35:09

35:09

Have you noticed a certain childishness on the part of our leaders, and many fellow Americans? Explore this trend and look for its causes.By Bel Aves

1
Dune and the Most Influential Man in History 24:18

4M ago24:18

24:18

We compare the book and movie Dune with a certain 7th century historical figure who uniquely founded a great religion and a world empire.By Bel Aves

1
Musing: Memoir's Secret Ingredient 57:01

4M ago57:01

57:01

Send us a Text Message. We’ve gotten to the part of Judith Barrington’s Writing the Memoir where she covers the actual writing of in a memoir, the words on the page. In addition to scenes, which we’ve covered in our fiction writing podcasts, Barrington says memoirs contain summaries and musings. In this episode, we discuss all three (with examples!…

1
Party Crashings 29:05

5M ago29:05

29:05

We explore the shifts in the party system from the early Republic to the Progressive Era and ask: Are we seeing a significant party shift in real time?By Bel Aves

1
Rank Rankings: Something Smells Bad About APSA"s Latest Presidential Survey 29:08

5M ago29:08

29:08

The latest academic ranking of presidents is out. I discuss the bias inherent in these rankings and propose a better way to look at our presidents.By Bel Aves

1
You CAN handle the truth (in your memoir) 59:56

5M ago59:56

59:56

Send us a Text Message. Readers seek out memoirs because they want true stories. But the truth, according to Judith Barrington in her book Writing the Memoir, is more than using Google to fact check. There are also emotional truths, which are harder than factual truths due of our imperfect memories, because they might offend our friends, families a…

1
Politics, Parenting and History 52:42

5M ago52:42

52:42

Jeff Mayhugh of the Politics and Parenting Podcast joins to discuss some of his key historical influencers including Truman, Madison and Lincoln. We also discuss some contemporary politics through the prism of history.By Bel Aves

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Movies from 2023 (and a few from 2024) 53:00

5M ago53:00

53:00

My brother CL and I discuss movies from 2023 including the Oscar nominees. We go from Barbie to Oppenheimer, from Napoleon to The Holdovers with many movie stops along the way.

1
Finding Your Memoir's Form 52:11

5M ago52:11

52:11

Send us a Text Message. Chronological, essays, skipping through time, interspersed non-fiction — there are so many forms that memoir can take. Judith Barrington covers several in her book, Writing the Memoir, and in this episode we discuss the options, and why you might choose one for your memoir. As a bonus, Renee shares an exercise she’s come up …

1
The Rot in Our Institutions - Part Four: Life and Liberty 29:57

5M ago29:57

29:57

We explore necessary government institutions such as the Army, the FBI and the IRS to see the challenges they face today, and possible fixes.By Bel Aves

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The Rot in Our Institutions – Part Three: My Time With the AMA 43:10

6M ago43:10

43:10

I spent nearly 2 years with the AMA, an organization that should be vital to medicine but is too focused on leftist issues.By Bel Aves

1
Making Your Memoir Matter 54:34

6M ago54:34

54:34

Send us a Text Message. Baring one's soul in a memoir is hard work. Convincing others to care, to engage in your life story may be even harder. In her book, Writing the Memoir, Judith Barrington says the first step is getting ourselves to care about our memoir. In this podcast we discuss both her philosophical reasoning and practical advice. In thi…

1
The Rot in Our Institutions – Part Two: Fixing the Academy 45:36

6M ago45:36

45:36

We explore the influence of 1960s radicals, federal student loans and the administrative bloat on the academy. We then provide seven ways to fix what ails our university system.By Bel Aves

1
The Rot in Our Institutions - Part One: The Academy 51:55

6M ago51:55

51:55

We begin this four part series with a look at the rot of the academy through the prism of the Claudine Gay scandal.By Bel Aves

1
Taiwan: Flashpoint in the East 28:16

6M ago28:16

28:16

We provide a history of Taiwan, the Chinese Civil War, and the the state of the island today.By Bel Aves

1
Form Without Substance: Tojo, Trump, Biden and The Squire of Gothos 26:29

7M ago26:29

26:29

We go to ancient Japan, Star Trek and our two current presidential leads for 2024 to explore the concept of form without substance.By Bel Aves

1
The Dates of Christmas 12:35

7M ago12:35

12:35

In this episode we explore the date of Jesus' birth and what keeping Christmas means.By Bel Aves

1
Haley Won't Be Running With Trump 23:03

7M ago23:03

23:03

We take a look through early VP's and then breakdown why Trump chose Pence, and will not be choosing Haley as his 2024 running mate.

1
Why are Historical Bio Pics Seldom Historical 27:17

7M ago27:17

27:17

We look at movies ranging from Lincoln to Elizabeth to Napoleon to find out why so many historical movie biographies are not historically accurate.By Bel Aves

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