Best Not Jack Vera Podcasts (2024)

1
In August We Bribe 5:30

2d ago5:30

5:30

By Not Jack Vera

1
615 Nicholson Baker | My Last Book with Vera Kutizinski and Anthony Reed 1:19:59

3d ago1:19:59

1:19:59

What a treat! First, Jacke talks to Nicholson Baker, an author he's been reading for the past three decades, about Finding a Likeness: How I Got Somewhat Better at Art, Baker's deeply personal account of his journey learning how to paint for the first time, and a meditation on the power of art in times of crisis. Then Vera Kutizinski and Anthony Re…

1
614 Family Matters (with Bill Eville) | Fatherhood in Three Poems | Storytime with Jacke 1:23:41

7d ago1:23:41

1:23:41

Families can provide wonderful material for a writer, but they can also be tricky to navigate. How do you make your stories of home interesting to other people? What's too personal? What's not personal enough? In this episode, Jacke talks to author Bill Eville (Washed Ashore: Family, Fatherhood, and Finding Home on Martha's Vineyard) about his pers…

1
In July I saw a Duck 5:57

9d ago5:57

5:57

By Not Jack Vera

1
613 Celebrating the Book-Makers (with Adam Smyth) | My Last Book with Christopher de Hamel 1:01:57

10d ago1:01:57

1:01:57

Books are beloved objects, earning lots of praise as amazing pieces of technology and essential contributors to a civilized society. And yet, we often take these cultural miracles for granted. Who's been making these things for the last several centuries? How have they influenced what we've been reading? In this episode, Jacke talks to author Adam …

1
612 Finding Margaret Fuller (with Allison Pataki) | My Last Book with James Marcus 57:16

17d ago57:16

57:16

Fearless and fiercely intelligent, the nineteenth-century American feminist Margaret Fuller was "the radiant genius and fiery heart" of the Transcendentalists, the group of New Englanders who helped launch a fledgling nation onto the world's cultural and literary stage. In this episode, bestselling historical novelist Allison Pataki, author of the …

1
June and Sequels 5:43

18d ago5:43

5:43

By Not Jack Vera

1
611 John Buchan (with Ursula Buchan) | My Last Book with Marsha Gordon | A Hemingway Letter 1:06:47

22d ago1:06:47

1:06:47

Scottish writer John Buchan is perhaps best known for his pioneering thriller The Thirty-Nine Steps, the source material for one of Alfred Hitchcock's first great films. But as his biographer (and granddaughter) Ursula Buchan tells Jacke, Buchan was far from a one-hit wonder. John Buchan wrote more than a hundred books of fiction and non-fiction an…

1
610 How to Become Famous (with Cass Sunstein) | My Last Book with James MacManus 1:15:41

25d ago1:15:41

1:15:41

Why do we read John Keats and not one of his well-regarded peers? Why do some authors disappear into the sands of time - while others, virtually unknown in their day, become posthumous household names? In this episode, Jacke talks to Harvard law professor Cass Sunstein (How to Become Famous: Lost Einsteins, Forgotten Superstars, and How the Beatles…

1
May and the Sugar Industry 5:22

25d ago5:22

5:22

By Not Jack Vera

1
609 Swimming in Paris (with Colombe Schneck) | My Last Book with Pardis Dabashi 1:16:37

1M ago1:16:37

1:16:37

Dear listeners: What kind of life are you living? What's your relationship between your body, mind, and soul? And what can you learn about your deepest self as you get older? In this episode, Jacke talks to award-winning French novelist Colombe Schneck about her new book, Swimming in Paris: A Life in Three Stories, in which she dives into her past …

1
April and Pigeons 5:25

1M ago5:25

5:25

By Not Jack Vera

1
608 The Encyclopedia of the Dog (with Jose Vergara) | My Last Book with Gareth Russell 56:46

1M ago56:46

56:46

First published in 1980, Between Dog and Wolf by Sasha Sokolov is one of the most acclaimed Russian novels of the twentieth century. But the book, with its dazzling wordplay, shifting-sand narration, and other literary pyrotechnics, has been tough for English-speaking audiences to appreciate. In this episode, Jacke talks to Jose Vergara about his n…

1
607 Upton Sinclair and the Muckraking Novelist (with Adelle Waldman) | My Last Book with Edward Chamberlin 1:02:25

1M ago1:02:25

1:02:25

Can novelists make a difference in the world? Of course we know they can - we've seen plenty of examples. But how does it happen? And what are the challenges a twenty-first century novelist might face when hoping to bring about social change? In this episode, Jacke looks at the example of Upton Sinclair, whose famous novel The Jungle shone a spotli…

1
606 Love, Loss, and Literature (with Sophie Ratcliffe) 59:16

2M ago59:16

59:16

Why do we fall in love? Why do we fall out of love? And how can literature shape the way we travel these emotional and romantic landscapes? In this episode, Jacke talks to University of Oxford professor Sophie Ratcliffe about her work of creative criticism, Loss, A Love Story: Imagined Histories and Brief Encounters. Help support the show at patreo…

1
605 Tove Jansson, Creator of the Moomins (with Boel Westin) 47:51

2M ago47:51

47:51

She's been called Scandinavia's best loved author - but "author" only begins to describe Tove Jansson's genius. Famous worldwide as the creator of the Moomin stories, she balanced her talents as a painter, cartoonist, illustrator, and writer with an unusual lifestyle and an insistence on personal freedom. In this episode, Jacke talks to biographer …

1
604 How Russian Literature Became Great (with Rolf Hellebust) | My Last Book with Valeria Sobol 1:04:18

2M ago1:04:18

1:04:18

Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov... the familiar Russian names are at the pinnacle of world literature. How did this happen? Was it merely a happy accident? Did events conspire to bring it about? In this episode, Jacke talks to Rolf Hellebust, author of How Russian Literature Became Great, about a golden age of historiography and nation-building - and …

1
603 Rethinking Ralph Waldo Emerson (with James Marcus) 1:12:33

2M ago1:12:33

1:12:33

Born more than two centuries ago, Ralph Waldo Emerson has long been recognized as a giant of nineteenth-century American letters. But what can he offer readers today? In this episode, Jacke talks to author James Marcus, author of the new book Glad to the Brink of Fear: A Portrait of Ralph Waldo Emerson, which reconsiders Emerson's reputation as a "…

1
602 Thomas Hardy's "Spellbound Palace," The Birthplace of the King James Bible, and a Royal Setting for Shakespeare and His Plays (with Gareth Russell) | My Last Book with Jess Cotton 1:19:28

2M ago1:19:28

1:19:28

We humans imprint ourselves on our surroundings - and they, in turn, have the power to affect us. In this episode, Jacke talks to Gareth Russell (The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of History at Hampton Court) about the building that Thomas Hardy famously called a "Spellbound Palace" in one of his finest poems. We'll hear about …

1
601 Thomas Hardy (with Margot Livesey) 1:01:06

2M ago1:01:06

1:01:06

It's the start of a new hundred episodes! Fresh off her tour for her new novel The Road from Belhaven, superguest Margot Livesey joins Jacke for a discussion of mistakes in the novels of Thomas Hardy. Then Jacke tells Margot the heartrending story of Hardy's fraught relationship with his first wife Emma - and how Emma's death unlocked some of his g…

1
March is about the Underdog 6:25

2M ago6:25

6:25

By Not Jack Vera

1
600 Doctor Johnson! (with Phil Jones) | A Very Special My Last Book (with Rupert Holmes) 1:05:56

2M ago1:05:56

1:05:56

It's another milestone for the History of Literature Podcast! Jacke celebrates the six hundredth episode of the podcast with a return to one of his old favorites, the "harmless drudge" himself, Dr. Johnson, with the help of Johnsonian expert Phil Jones (Reading Samuel Johnson: Reception and Representation, 1750-1970). PLUS Rupert Holmes (Murder You…

1
599 Alejandro Jodorowsky, Filmmaker and Philosopher (with William Egginton) | My Last Book with David Sterling Brown 1:15:47

3M ago1:15:47

1:15:47

While avant-garde filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky might be most famous for the wildly ambitious version of Dune that never got made - in spite of having actors and artists like Orson Welles, Salvador Dalí, Mick Jagger, Pink Floyd, H.R. Giger, and Mœbius attached to the project - he was also the creative force behind several dynamic and influential f…

1
February and Child Birth 4:02

3M ago4:02

4:02

By Not Jack Vera

1
598 Forgotten Women of Literature 8 - Charmian Kittredge London (with Iris Jamahl Dunkle) | What's Great About Christopher Isherwood (with Mike Palindrome) | My Last Book with Duncan Yoon 1:02:52

3M ago1:02:52

1:02:52

Charmian Kittredge London (1871-1955) may be best known as the wife of the famous American writer Jack London, but she was herself a literary trailblazer - and the epitome of a modern woman. In this episode, Jacke talks to biographer Iris Jamahl Dunkle (Charmian Kittredge London: Trailblazer, Author, Adventurer) about the intriguing life and inspir…

1
597 Karl Ove Knausgaard (with Bob Blaisdell) | My Last Book with Nicholas Dames 1:03:32

3M ago1:03:32

1:03:32

Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgaard (b. 1968) became known in his home country - or at least its literary circles - when he put out two well-received novels in the late 1990s. But it was the publication of his six-volume autobiographical series Min Kamp, or My Struggle, that turned him into a household name - and when the books were translated int…

1
596 The Power of Stories (with J Edward Chamberlin) | Taylor Swift and Emily Dickinson | Flannery O'Connor (with Mike Palindrome) | My Last Book with Shin Yu Pai 1:13:04

3M ago1:13:04

1:13:04

It's a literary smorgasbord! First, Jacke dives into the recent news of the surprising connection between Taylor Swift and Emily Dickinson. Next, he welcomes Mike Palindrome, President of the Literature Supporters Club, for a discussion of why Mike has been reading Flannery O'Connor for so many years. Then storytelling expert J. Edward Chamberlin s…

1
595 Machiavelli (with Gabriele Pedulla) | My Last Book with Sarah Ruden 55:29

3M ago55:29

55:29

For centuries, Machiavelli has been viewed as everything from an insightful pragmatist to the mouthpiece of Satan. In this episode, Jacke talks to Italian scholar Gabriele Pedullà about his book On Niccolò Machiavelli: The Bonds of Politics, which offers a surprising new take on a 500-year-old literary and political giant. PLUS Vergil translator an…

1
594 Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1:12:13

4M ago1:12:13

1:12:13

The Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) has been called the last person to have read everything. He is also one of the greatest poet-critics in the history of literature, known for works like "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," "Kubla Khan," "Frost at Midnight," and the Biographia Literaria. In this episode, Jacke takes a look at the l…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Not Jack Vera Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Free Information

Not Jack Vera

1
The History of Literature

Jacke Wilson / The Podglomerate

1
In August We Bribe 5:30

1
615 Nicholson Baker | My Last Book with Vera Kutizinski and Anthony Reed 1:19:59

1
614 Family Matters (with Bill Eville) | Fatherhood in Three Poems | Storytime with Jacke 1:23:41

1
In July I saw a Duck 5:57

1
613 Celebrating the Book-Makers (with Adam Smyth) | My Last Book with Christopher de Hamel 1:01:57

1
612 Finding Margaret Fuller (with Allison Pataki) | My Last Book with James Marcus 57:16

1
June and Sequels 5:43

1
611 John Buchan (with Ursula Buchan) | My Last Book with Marsha Gordon | A Hemingway Letter 1:06:47

1
610 How to Become Famous (with Cass Sunstein) | My Last Book with James MacManus 1:15:41

1
May and the Sugar Industry 5:22

1
609 Swimming in Paris (with Colombe Schneck) | My Last Book with Pardis Dabashi 1:16:37

1
April and Pigeons 5:25

1
608 The Encyclopedia of the Dog (with Jose Vergara) | My Last Book with Gareth Russell 56:46

1
607 Upton Sinclair and the Muckraking Novelist (with Adelle Waldman) | My Last Book with Edward Chamberlin 1:02:25

1
606 Love, Loss, and Literature (with Sophie Ratcliffe) 59:16

1
605 Tove Jansson, Creator of the Moomins (with Boel Westin) 47:51

1
604 How Russian Literature Became Great (with Rolf Hellebust) | My Last Book with Valeria Sobol 1:04:18

1
603 Rethinking Ralph Waldo Emerson (with James Marcus) 1:12:33

1
602 Thomas Hardy's "Spellbound Palace," The Birthplace of the King James Bible, and a Royal Setting for Shakespeare and His Plays (with Gareth Russell) | My Last Book with Jess Cotton 1:19:28

1
601 Thomas Hardy (with Margot Livesey) 1:01:06

1
March is about the Underdog 6:25

1
600 Doctor Johnson! (with Phil Jones) | A Very Special My Last Book (with Rupert Holmes) 1:05:56

1
599 Alejandro Jodorowsky, Filmmaker and Philosopher (with William Egginton) | My Last Book with David Sterling Brown 1:15:47

1
February and Child Birth 4:02

1
598 Forgotten Women of Literature 8 - Charmian Kittredge London (with Iris Jamahl Dunkle) | What's Great About Christopher Isherwood (with Mike Palindrome) | My Last Book with Duncan Yoon 1:02:52

1
597 Karl Ove Knausgaard (with Bob Blaisdell) | My Last Book with Nicholas Dames 1:03:32

1
596 The Power of Stories (with J Edward Chamberlin) | Taylor Swift and Emily Dickinson | Flannery O'Connor (with Mike Palindrome) | My Last Book with Shin Yu Pai 1:13:04

1
595 Machiavelli (with Gabriele Pedulla) | My Last Book with Sarah Ruden 55:29

1
594 Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1:12:13

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