7 Nov 2025

Episode 6.15 -
The “Hideous Heart:” Poe's Aesthetic of Accountability
 

There really isn't that much to say about Poe, is there? He's just creepy. But wait. What if we could explain the supposed madness in all these stories?  We look at the narrators of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Imp of Perversity," and "The Cask of Amontillado." Along the way we consult several of his essays of the aesthetic, of literary craft, in order to understand what he may be up to.

Poe's Works Discussed:

* "The Tell-Tale Heart"  (Read aloud in a recent episode)
* "The Imp of Perversity" (Read aloud in a recent episode)
* "The Cask of Amontillado"
* "Review of Twice-Told Tales"
* "The Philosophy of Composition"
* "Review of Night and Morning"
* "The Poetic Principle"
* "Eureka"

Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

CHAPTERS

00:00     Peeking In
07:54     Opening Theme
08:28     The Moral Door; The Vulture Eye
16:00     Structure, Confession, and Control
27:08     Accountability & The Aesthetic of Betrayal
37:12     Sanity Defense
44:39     And If We Object?
50:45     Closing Credits

===

New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we're all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 

Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-15-hideous-heart

===

Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, and LinkedIn:  @ Waywords Studio

CREDITS:

Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

USING THIS WORK:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

MLA CITATION:

Chisnell, Steve.

 

31 October 2025
Waypoint - "The Imp of Perversity" (1845) by Edgar Allan Poe
https://waywordsstudio.com

Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords-podcast/

Another Halloween treat from Poe, a reading of this lesser-known tale which bears some comparison to "The Tell-Tale Heart."

American pioneer of many literary traditions including the Gothic tradition, detective fiction, and science fiction, Poe was also a literary critic who well understood the goals of his art, to articulate the truth of beauty, focused on a single particular notion or idea.

Chapters

00:00     Intro
02:08     Title
02:26     Reading: "The Imp of the Perverse"
20:54     Outro

Transcript:

TRANSCRIPT: https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/waypoint-reading-of-the-imp-of-perversity

Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material frequently, with deep-dive examinations of literature surrounded by smaller episodes which explore related texts, topics, and strategies for thinking.

Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

Social Media: @WaywordsStudio

YouTube: Waywords Studio

CREDITS:

Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

USING THIS WORK:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

MLA CITATION:

Chisnell, Steve. “Reading of ‘The Imp of Perversity’,” Waywords Studio, 31 October 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/project/waypoints/.

 

28 October 2025
Waypoint - "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe
https://waywordsstudio.com

Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords-podcast/

American pioneer of many literary traditions including the Gothic tradition, detective fiction, and science fiction, Poe was also a literary critic who well understood the goals of his art, to articulate the truth of beauty, focused on a single particular notion or idea. This story, a quintessential Poe classic, is perfect not only for its conception of the psychology of horror, but for our larger discussion in Le Guin's Journey 6.

Chapters

00:00     Intro
00:14     Title
00:32     Reading: "The Tell-Tale Heart"
18:58     Outro

Transcript:

TRANSCRIPT: https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/waypoint-reading-of-the-tell-tale-heart

Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material frequently, with deep-dive examinations of literature surrounded by smaller episodes which explore related texts, topics, and strategies for thinking.

Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

Social Media: @WaywordsStudio

YouTube: Waywords Studio

CREDITS:

Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

USING THIS WORK:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

MLA CITATION:

Chisnell, Steve. “Reading of ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ by Edgar Allan Poe’” Waywords Studio, 28 October 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/project/waypoints/.

 

10 Oct 2025

Episode 0.3 - Literary Nomads for Teachers
 

What is this podcast? I recommend you start here, with this introduction to Literary Nomads and get a taste of what the larger series offers!

And, to be sure I've sold you, we'll offer some fresh approaches to the most-taught poem in the US, Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken." Listen and find out how we're doing a different kind of reading and learning from everybody else. And you know why? "That's just the way it is."

Bruce Hornsby's "The Road Not Taken":  www. youtube.com/watch?v=C555rExz4ds

CHAPTERS

00:00     Hornsby Meets Frost Meets Us
04:13     Opening Theme
04:47     Frost a la Mode
13:05     Reading - Frost: "The Road Not Taken"
14:20     The Basics, Wrong and Less Wrong
22:46     Unresolved Tension
32:12     Aporia
39:41     Darker Cynicism
45:19     Over My Abjections
51:13     Critical Shifts
54:47     Closing Credits

===

New to Literary Nomads? You may also want to check out episode 5.00 to find out what we're all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 

Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/0-2-literary-nomads-for-students

===

Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, and LinkedIn:  @ Waywords Studio

CREDITS:

Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

USING THIS WORK:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

MLA CITATION:

Chisnell, Steve. “Literary Nomads for Teachers,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 10 Oct 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords-podcast/

 

3 Oct 2025

Episode 0.2 - Literary Nomads for Students
 

What is this podcast? I recommend you start here, with this introduction to Literary Nomads and get a taste of what the larger series offers!

And, to be sure I've sold you, we're looking at one of the lamest choices for literary discussion, the much-overtaught "The Road Not Taken," by Robert Frost. And even though you just winced at the choice, I know that this moment is a node in the universe which cannot be altered. Now listen. And while you do, here's something about the poem you may not have considered . . .

 

CHAPTERS

00:00     Wrecking Our Choices
07:35     Opening Theme
08:09     Promises, BTS, and Lame Beginnings
13:30     Reading Frost: "The Road Not Taken"
14:51     The Basics, Wrong and Less Wrong
23:04     Ego-Maniacs
30:28     Philosophy On the Road
35:04     Other Routes
39:57     Critical Shifts
44:25     Closing Credits

===

New to Literary Nomads? You may also want to check out episode 5.00 to find out what we're all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 

Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/0-2-literary-nomads-for-students

===

Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, and LinkedIn:  @ Waywords Studio

CREDITS:

Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

USING THIS WORK:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

MLA CITATION:

Chisnell, Steve. “Literary Nomads for Students,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 3 Oct 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords-podcast/

 

26 Sept 2025

Episode 0.1 - Literary Nomads for Readers
 

What is this podcast? I recommend you start here, with this introduction to Literary Nomads and get a taste of what the larger series offers!

And, to be sure I've sold you, we're looking at one of the lamest choices for literary discussion, the much-overtaught "The Road Not Taken," by Robert Frost. And if that's not a reason for you to move on quickly . . . but wait! Here's something you may not have considered . . .

 

CHAPTERS

00:00     Introduction
01:02     On Pipes and Mirrors
08:33     Opening Theme
09:07     A Lame Beginning
16:32     Reading: Frost - "The Road Not Taken"
17:51     The School Interpretation
25:36     A Bit Further Than School
35:14     Reading the Road
41:12     How to Read with Literary Nomads
45:02     Closing Credits
45:21     Y Puns
47:09     Closing Credits Again

===

New to Literary Nomads? You may also want to check out episode 5.00 to find out what we're all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 

Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/0-1-literary-nomads-for-readers

===

Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, and LinkedIn:  @ Waywords Studio

CREDITS:

Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

USING THIS WORK:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

MLA CITATION:

Chisnell, Steve. “Literary Nomads for Readers,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 26 Sept 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords-podcast/

 

19 Sept 2025

Episode 6.14 - Le Guin - What I Carry With Me
 

Now that we've wrestled in and with Omelas for a bit, what questions remain for us to take forward on our journey? We're walking away from Omelas, but let's have an idea where we're going.

 

Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

CHAPTERS

00:00     Re-Packing for What's Ahead
06:28     Opening Theme
07:01     Trails and Tools
15:27     Six More Lousy Questions
16:38     1. What's Wrong with the Andrews Family?
20:04     2. How Should I Use My Otium?
22:36     3. What Responsibilities for Reading & Writing?
25:00     4. How Can I Tell If I'm Morally Disengaged?
27:58     5. Are There Gradations of Accountability?
30:06     6. What Choices Do I Make in the Now?
33:00     Questions, Directions, and What We Do
38:33     Closing Credits

===

New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we're all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 

Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-14-le-guin-what-i-carry-with-me

===

Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, and LinkedIn:  @ Waywords Studio

CREDITS:

Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

USING THIS WORK:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

MLA CITATION:

Chisnell, Steve. “Le Guin - What I Carry With Me,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 19 Sept 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/.

12 Sept 2025
Episode 6.13 - Le Guin Part 5: Q&A
Listeners offer their questions from narrator trust to activism to teaching controversy. I rant--or respond--back.

Important Links Mentioned:

* Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 
* Literary Nomads, Journey 5, "Dorian Gray and Difficult Conversations": https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/transcript-5-08-dorian-gray-and-difficult-conversations/

Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

CHAPTERS

00:00     Better a Q & R
02:04     Opening Theme
02:43     Getting Questions
04:03     Is the narrator in 'Omelas' unreliable?
10:45     Some examples of subverting fantasy tropes?
16:29     How do I keep contradictions in my head?
21:10     How am I supposed to take action in uncertainty?
27:35     How do I find the 'main idea' of the story?
32:08     How can we teach controversy without triggering?
41:32     How about some teaching strategies?
50:49     Literary Nomads Model
53:51     Closing Credits

===

New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we're all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-13-le-guin-part-5

===

Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, and LinkedIn:  @ Waywords Studio

CREDITS:

Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

USING THIS WORK:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

MLA CITATION:

Chisnell, Steve. “Le Guin Part 5: Q&A,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 12 Sept 2025, https://waywords...

5 Sept 2025
Episode 6.12 - Le Guin Part 4: The Ones Who Stay - N. K. Jemisin
Can we pull this utopia dilemma together? Or will we add even more levels of complication? When we wrestle with Le Guin, take solace knowing that others have, too, and so we enter into the dialogue of building utopia, together with its responsibilities!

As we explore today, we add Mikhail Bakhtin and George Bataille into the mix together with writers Sadoeuphemist and N. K. Jemisin!

Our Main Texts:

* Ursula K. Le Guin: "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas": https://archive.org/download/the-ones-who-walk-away-from-omelas-ursula-k-leguin/The%20Ones%20Who%20Walk%20Away%20from%20Omelas%20-%20Ursula%20K%20LeGuin.pdf 
* Jemisin, N. K.: "The Ones Who Stay and Fight": https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/the-ones-who-stay-and-fight/

Important Links Mentioned:

* Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 
* Sadoeuphemist: "What Else, What Else, in the Joyous City?": https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/what-else-what-else-in-the-joyous-city/
* Literary Nomads, Journey 5, "Reading and Living in Uncertainty": https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/reading-and-living-in-uncertainty/ 

Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

CHAPTERS

00:00.00     When a Place Is Not a Place
00:04:22     Opening Theme
00:04:55     From Complicity to Resolve
00:11:30     Counter-Narrative and Dialogics
00:20:05     Jemisin's "The Ones Who Stay and Fight"
00:34:03     Narratives of Power and Normalization
00:43:55     The Ambiguity of Moral Action: Bataille
00:51:28     A Call to Ethical Attentiveness
00:54:57     Book Clubs & Classroom Engagements
01:00:40     Where We Haven't Explored
01:08:51     Closing Credits

===

New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we're all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-12-le-guin-part-4

===

Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced,

29 Aug 2025
Episode 6.11 - Le Guin Part 3: The Reader's Labyrinth
Sure, the Omelas dilemma is tough, but at least we have our narrator as ally, right? Right? Perhaps the real horror in Omelas has less to do with the child at its center.

We also discuss how the relationship between culture and the individual, narrator rhetoric, broader allegories, reader psychology, and the alienation effect.

Our Main Text:

* Ursula K. Le Guin: "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas": https://archive.org/download/the-ones-who-walk-away-from-omelas-ursula-k-leguin/The%20Ones%20Who%20Walk%20Away%20from%20Omelas%20-%20Ursula%20K%20LeGuin.pdf

Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

CHAPTERS

00:00     Into a Land UnLike Our Own
05:34     Opening Theme
06:14     The Narrator's Rhetorical Toolkit
20:04     Choices and Subversions
29:32     And So We Walk Away?
36:29     How Do I Teach This Nightmare?
40:16     Closing Credits

===

New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we're all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-11-le-guin-part-3

Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 

===

Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

Instagram: @WaywordsStudio

Facebook: Waywords.Studio

YouTube: Waywords Studio

LinkedIn: Waywords-Studio

CREDITS:

Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

22 Aug 2025
Episode 6.10 - Le Guin 2: Architectures of Happiness
Is this story really about that suffering child? Or is it more about how we wall its suffering out, then invite it back in?

We also discuss how social complicity, blissful ignorance, binary breakdowns, and the pee privileges at Waywords Studio.

Our Main Text:

* Ursula K. Le Guin: "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas": https://archive.org/download/the-ones-who-walk-away-from-omelas-ursula-k-leguin/The%20Ones%20Who%20Walk%20Away%20from%20Omelas%20-%20Ursula%20K%20LeGuin.pdf

Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

CHAPTERS

00:00     The Weight of Happiness
04:16     Opening Theme
04:58     The Fictions of Happiness
15:34     The Psychology of Complicity
26:28     The "Conditions of Omelas
34:59     ...And Its Virtues
39:26     So What Is Left for Us?
43:56     Closing Credits

===

New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we're all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-10-le-guin-part-2

Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 

===

Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

Instagram: @WaywordsStudio

Facebook: Waywords.Studio

YouTube: Waywords Studio

LinkedIn: Waywords-Studio

CREDITS:

Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

15 Aug 2025
Episode 6.09 - Le Guin 1: The Hideous Bargain
At last we settle in to think about Le Guin's Omelas story and set aside some common approaches to it. The first of several parts.

We also discuss how the obvious question posed by the story may not be the place to start, and how philosopher/historian/critic Rene Girard's scapegoat theories played a role in Le Guin's thought.

Our Main Text:

* Ursula K. Le Guin: "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas": https://archive.org/download/the-ones-who-walk-away-from-omelas-ursula-k-leguin/The%20Ones%20Who%20Walk%20Away%20from%20Omelas%20-%20Ursula%20K%20LeGuin.pdf

Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

CHAPTERS

00:00     I Walk Away
06:29     Opening Theme
07:12     A Moral Gauntlet
14:32     Omelas: The Story
21:23     The Giant Omelas in the Room
27:36     Dilemmas False and True
35:53     Narrative as Moral Test
39:14     Her Party, Her Rules: Scapegoats and Archetypes
46:05     So What Do We Do?
49:12     Closing Credits

===

New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we're all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-09-le-guin-part-1

Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 

===

Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

Instagram: @WaywordsStudio

Facebook: Waywords.Studio

YouTube: Waywords Studio

LinkedIn: Waywords-Studio

CREDITS:

8 Aug 2025
Episode 6.08 - Gardens of Imagination - Narrative Utopias
Let's niche down into a small sub-genre of fantasy and explore our desire for it, the classic utopia. As Le Guin's work is utopia, understanding the genre's tradition, functions, and roles for readers is our final essential piece prior to taking on the story directly.

Some key texts discussed in this episode:

* Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov, 1880
* Lois Lowry, The Giver, 1993
* Thomas More, Utopia, 1516
* Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward, 1888
* William Morris, News from Nowhere, 1891
* Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Herland, 1915
* H. G. Wells, Men Like Gods, 1923
* Aldous Huxley, Island, 1962
* B. F. Skinner, Walden II, 1948
* Ursula K. Le Guin, "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," 1972
* Marge Piercy, Woman On the Edge of Time, 1976

Categories of Utopia We Discuss:

* Sincere Utopia
* Thoughtful Puzzle
* Thorny Utopia
* False Utopia
* Dystopia

New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we're all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

Reading Ahead, Journey 6:

* Ursula K. Le Guin: "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas": https://archive.org/download/the-ones-who-walk-away-from-omelas-ursula-k-leguin/The%20Ones%20Who%20Walk%20Away%20from%20Omelas%20-%20Ursula%20K%20LeGuin.pdf

Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

CHAPTERS

00:00    Utopia Unjoined
05:07    Opening Theme
05:40    Utopia and Dystopia as Fantasy
18:41    The Utopia Tradition
26:26    Utopia as Thought Experiment
31:45    From Otium Gardens to Action
34:18    Closing Credits

===

Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-08-gardens-of-imagination

Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 

===

Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

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