LIT AF Mon, 09 Mar 2026 22:26:45 -0400 https://www.buzzsprout.com/1940042 en-us © 2026 LIT AF yes bab7677e-b201-5788-80ab-50d749ec4bbf David Preston episodic true Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) David Preston https://storage.buzzsprout.com/vdobrusnwwmlgqvkjjxnfkrojm7x?.jpg LIT AF Season 2 Episode 10 / A Study In Empathy Season 2 Episode 10 / A Study In Empathy The creature tells Frankenstein its tale. There are three levels of empathy in this chapter. First, Frankenstein listens and imagines what it's like to be in the creatures boots. Second, the creature feels the feelings of the angry villagers and the sad, crying girl at the cottage – dunno if he actually has mirror neurons, but her tears actually cause him such discomfort that he turns away. And third, Mary Shelley imagines so clearly what it might be like to be an outsider, a voyeur on the simplest moments of everyday life. Whoa. 

]]> The creature tells Frankenstein its tale. There are three levels of empathy in this chapter. First, Frankenstein listens and imagines what it's like to be in the creatures boots. Second, the creature feels the feelings of the angry villagers and the sad, crying girl at the cottage – dunno if he actually has mirror neurons, but her tears actually cause him such discomfort that he turns away. And third, Mary Shelley imagines so clearly what it might be like to be an outsider, a voyeur on the simplest moments of everyday life. Whoa. 

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-17988523 Fri, 10 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0400 1351 full false Season 2 Episode 9/ More Awesome Than Bigfoot Season 2 Episode 9/ More Awesome Than Bigfoot Viktor Frankenstein goes for a walk in nature. He's trying to clear his head, to get back in touch with the amazingness of everything that surrounds us and creates a context for life. IMHO we all need that. But then guess who shows up? I'd call it the monster, but "it" and "monster" don't capture the sensitivity – the humanity – with which he appeals to Viktor. All he wants is to be heard. Isn't that what we all want?

]]> Viktor Frankenstein goes for a walk in nature. He's trying to clear his head, to get back in touch with the amazingness of everything that surrounds us and creates a context for life. IMHO we all need that. But then guess who shows up? I'd call it the monster, but "it" and "monster" don't capture the sensitivity – the humanity – with which he appeals to Viktor. All he wants is to be heard. Isn't that what we all want?

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-16007763 Mon, 28 Oct 2024 20:00:00 -0400 1398 full false Season 2 Episode 8/ Shock & Awe Season 2 Episode 8/ Shock & Awe Viktor is tormented by the idea that his monster killed his little brother and a beloved, innocent woman was falsely accused, wrongly convicted, and executed because of the murder. In dark moments such as these, it's understandable that he wants to be alone and end his madness. But connecting with Elizabeth and the majesty of nature brings Viktor back to his senses... and wraps our last short episode before we dive deep into the belly of the Frankenstein beast. Join us for a journey to hurt and beyond.

]]> Viktor is tormented by the idea that his monster killed his little brother and a beloved, innocent woman was falsely accused, wrongly convicted, and executed because of the murder. In dark moments such as these, it's understandable that he wants to be alone and end his madness. But connecting with Elizabeth and the majesty of nature brings Viktor back to his senses... and wraps our last short episode before we dive deep into the belly of the Frankenstein beast. Join us for a journey to hurt and beyond.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-15953089 Sat, 19 Oct 2024 12:00:00 -0400 1166 2 8 full false Season 2 Episode 7/ The Trial of Justine Season 2 Episode 7/ The Trial of Justine Justine. JUSTine. What's in a name? Innocence in the eyes of Viktor Frankenstein and his sister Elizabeth. But will the court agree? And what of Viktor's guilty conscience and fears of madness? Join us for Chapter 8 of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

]]> Justine. JUSTine. What's in a name? Innocence in the eyes of Viktor Frankenstein and his sister Elizabeth. But will the court agree? And what of Viktor's guilty conscience and fears of madness? Join us for Chapter 8 of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-15904997 Thu, 10 Oct 2024 15:00:00 -0400 1724 full false Season 2 Episode 6/ MURDER Season 2 Episode 6/ MURDER It's the inciting incident of inciting incidents: MURDER. Viktor's little brother William is dead. We don't know who didn't, but there's thunder, lightning, a monster on the loose, and a young woman who will stand trial in hours – has she been falsely accused? Don't miss this episode of Frankenstein on LIT AF.

]]> It's the inciting incident of inciting incidents: MURDER. Viktor's little brother William is dead. We don't know who didn't, but there's thunder, lightning, a monster on the loose, and a young woman who will stand trial in hours – has she been falsely accused? Don't miss this episode of Frankenstein on LIT AF.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-15886566 Mon, 07 Oct 2024 20:00:00 -0400 1724 full false Season 2 Episode 5/ My Baby She Wrote Me A Letter Season 2 Episode 5/ My Baby She Wrote Me A Letter Once upon a time, authors moved plots long without chases or explosions or orgasms. Now, I'm the last person to speak out against a good chase or explosion or orgasm, but those events are all the more compelling when the audience cares about the characters. And even in this day and age, there's nothing like a letter to let us into someone's thoughts and feelings. Read along with Victor as his sister sends news from home, and join me in my dread at the end of the episode – how could everything be this damn happy in a book about monsters and madness??

]]> Once upon a time, authors moved plots long without chases or explosions or orgasms. Now, I'm the last person to speak out against a good chase or explosion or orgasm, but those events are all the more compelling when the audience cares about the characters. And even in this day and age, there's nothing like a letter to let us into someone's thoughts and feelings. Read along with Victor as his sister sends news from home, and join me in my dread at the end of the episode – how could everything be this damn happy in a book about monsters and madness??

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-15824665 Thu, 26 Sep 2024 20:00:00 -0400 1606 full false LIT AF / The Riff 004: Honestly LIT AF / The Riff 004: Honestly Welcome back to the LIT AF Riff. The Riffs are shorter episodes of LIT AF – no novels or interviews, just my unfiltered, unrehearsed thoughts on what's going on in the world and how we can tell a better story about it with Open-Source Learning. In this Riff: Honestly? Uh huh. If you were honest 100% of the time you'd never need to start a sentence that way.

]]> Welcome back to the LIT AF Riff. The Riffs are shorter episodes of LIT AF – no novels or interviews, just my unfiltered, unrehearsed thoughts on what's going on in the world and how we can tell a better story about it with Open-Source Learning. In this Riff: Honestly? Uh huh. If you were honest 100% of the time you'd never need to start a sentence that way.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-14649927 Thu, 07 Mar 2024 21:00:00 -0500 724 full false LIT AF / The Riff 003: That's What I'm Talking About LIT AF / The Riff 003: That's What I'm Talking About Welcome back to the LIT AF Riff. The Riffs are shorter episodes of LIT AF – no novels or interviews, just my unfiltered, unrehearsed thoughts on what's going on in the world and how we can tell a better story about it with Open-Source Learning. In this Riff: Whether we're talking to ourselves, someone else, or a computer, getting clear in our heads helps send a clear message. Here are some strategies you can use.

]]> Welcome back to the LIT AF Riff. The Riffs are shorter episodes of LIT AF – no novels or interviews, just my unfiltered, unrehearsed thoughts on what's going on in the world and how we can tell a better story about it with Open-Source Learning. In this Riff: Whether we're talking to ourselves, someone else, or a computer, getting clear in our heads helps send a clear message. Here are some strategies you can use.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-14649907 Thu, 07 Mar 2024 21:00:00 -0500 924 full false LIT AF/The Riff002: The Only Food You'll Ever Need LIT AF/The Riff002: The Only Food You'll Ever Need Welcome back to the LIT AF Riff. The Riffs are shorter episodes of LIT AF – no novels or interviews, just my unfiltered, unrehearsed thoughts on what's going on in the world and how we can tell a better story about it with Open-Source Learning. In this Riff: I confront my own creative procrastination and interrupt a workout to make a meaningful peanut butter sandwich.

]]> Welcome back to the LIT AF Riff. The Riffs are shorter episodes of LIT AF – no novels or interviews, just my unfiltered, unrehearsed thoughts on what's going on in the world and how we can tell a better story about it with Open-Source Learning. In this Riff: I confront my own creative procrastination and interrupt a workout to make a meaningful peanut butter sandwich.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-14453942 Tue, 06 Feb 2024 19:00:00 -0500 941 full false LIT AF/ The Riff: What's Your Story? LIT AF/ The Riff: What's Your Story? It's the first LIT AF Riff! The Riffs are shorter episodes of LIT AF – no novels or interviews here, just my unfiltered, unrehearsed thoughts on what's going on in the world and how we can tell a better story about it with Open-Source Learning. In this Riff: I argue with my car and floss my teeth. Along the way I give a brief history of bad breath and I explain why, no matter what advertisers tell you, you can't buy your way out of being afraid.

]]> It's the first LIT AF Riff! The Riffs are shorter episodes of LIT AF – no novels or interviews here, just my unfiltered, unrehearsed thoughts on what's going on in the world and how we can tell a better story about it with Open-Source Learning. In this Riff: I argue with my car and floss my teeth. Along the way I give a brief history of bad breath and I explain why, no matter what advertisers tell you, you can't buy your way out of being afraid.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-14349414 Sun, 21 Jan 2024 16:00:00 -0500 933 full false LIT AF Season 5 Episode 4/ The Bell You Can't Unring: Chapter 2 of The Picture of Dorian Gray LIT AF Season 5 Episode 4/ The Bell You Can't Unring: Chapter 2 of The Picture of Dorian Gray You can't go back in time. And you can't unhear someone telling you that you can get more of anything – except the last few minutes of your life, because everything that made you beautiful just faded a little bit, and you're a few minutes closer to the end. Cheer up, and tune into LIT AF.

]]> You can't go back in time. And you can't unhear someone telling you that you can get more of anything – except the last few minutes of your life, because everything that made you beautiful just faded a little bit, and you're a few minutes closer to the end. Cheer up, and tune into LIT AF.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-14282691 Tue, 09 Jan 2024 20:00:00 -0500 2333 full false LIT AF Season 5 Episode 3/ Step Into My Studio: Chapter 1 of The Picture of Dorian Gray LIT AF Season 5 Episode 3/ Step Into My Studio: Chapter 1 of The Picture of Dorian Gray When does art reveal the artist? When is art too personal to share? What's the deal with Basil and Dorian Gray, why is Lord Henry Wotten so nosy, and speaking of nosy, exactly how many different kinds of flowers could Oscar Wilde stuff into one studio? All this and more on LIT AF Season 5 Episode 3.

]]> When does art reveal the artist? When is art too personal to share? What's the deal with Basil and Dorian Gray, why is Lord Henry Wotten so nosy, and speaking of nosy, exactly how many different kinds of flowers could Oscar Wilde stuff into one studio? All this and more on LIT AF Season 5 Episode 3.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-14282681 Tue, 09 Jan 2024 20:00:00 -0500 1964 full false LIT AF Season 5 Episode 2/ All Art Is Useless: Oscar Wilde's Preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray LIT AF Season 5 Episode 2/ All Art Is Useless: Oscar Wilde's Preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar ends the preface by writing, "All art is useless." Really? Was he being coy in response to his critics? Was he being defiant in putting sex and homoeroticism front and center in Victorian England? Or was he daring us to argue the point? Whether you're a realist or a romantic, there's something for you on this episode of LIT AF.

]]> Oscar ends the preface by writing, "All art is useless." Really? Was he being coy in response to his critics? Was he being defiant in putting sex and homoeroticism front and center in Victorian England? Or was he daring us to argue the point? Whether you're a realist or a romantic, there's something for you on this episode of LIT AF.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-14282669 Tue, 09 Jan 2024 20:00:00 -0500 948 full false LIT AF Season 5 Episode 1/ Forever Young: Intro to Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray LIT AF Season 5 Episode 1/ Forever Young: Intro to Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray Today's cancel culture has nothing on Victorian England. That didn't stop Oscar Wilde from publishing THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, complete with homoeroticism and full frontal vanity. We've come a long way since then. In today's anti-aging market we spend billions on lotions, potions, and treatments year after year. Eternal youth and pleasure is expensive. Your soul is a small price to pay. Join Season 5 of LIT AF for THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY.

]]> Today's cancel culture has nothing on Victorian England. That didn't stop Oscar Wilde from publishing THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, complete with homoeroticism and full frontal vanity. We've come a long way since then. In today's anti-aging market we spend billions on lotions, potions, and treatments year after year. Eternal youth and pleasure is expensive. Your soul is a small price to pay. Join Season 5 of LIT AF for THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-14255332 Fri, 05 Jan 2024 12:00:00 -0500 1768 full false LIT AF Season 4 Episode 5: A Christmas Carol/ The End of It LIT AF Season 4 Episode 5: A Christmas Carol/ The End of It To quote Jim Morrison: "This is the end, beautiful friends..." 

You may think Charles Dickens and Jim Morrison were very different. You may think they were the same person in different eras. You may think one or both is still alive. 

No one's ever seen them at the same party, is all I'm saying.

]]> To quote Jim Morrison: "This is the end, beautiful friends..." 

You may think Charles Dickens and Jim Morrison were very different. You may think they were the same person in different eras. You may think one or both is still alive. 

No one's ever seen them at the same party, is all I'm saying.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-14099022 Wed, 06 Dec 2023 08:00:00 -0500 1072 full false LIT AF Season 4 Episode 4: A Christmas Carol/ The Last of the Spirits LIT AF Season 4 Episode 4: A Christmas Carol/ The Last of the Spirits If you think your future is just going to happen to you no matter what you do, then you may as well listen to this podcast episode. 

If you think your future depends on what you do in this moment that will improve your thinking and lead you to right-minded action and better choices, then you should definitely listen to this podcast episode.

]]> If you think your future is just going to happen to you no matter what you do, then you may as well listen to this podcast episode. 

If you think your future depends on what you do in this moment that will improve your thinking and lead you to right-minded action and better choices, then you should definitely listen to this podcast episode.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-14099017 Wed, 06 Dec 2023 08:00:00 -0500 2202 full false LIT AF Season 4 Episode 3: A Christmas Carol/ The Second of the Three Spirits LIT AF Season 4 Episode 3: A Christmas Carol/ The Second of the Three Spirits Ugh. I can just see the embroidered pillows: "Right now is a gift, that's why they call it the present."

But in this moment you are making the most important decision of your life. You are learning from your past, imagining your future, and making an irrevocable investment of your time. You are literally sacrificing everything else you might be doing, everywhere else in the world, with everyone, and in the next hour you will be one hour closer to the end of your life — so you may as well enjoy this episode. 

]]> Ugh. I can just see the embroidered pillows: "Right now is a gift, that's why they call it the present."

But in this moment you are making the most important decision of your life. You are learning from your past, imagining your future, and making an irrevocable investment of your time. You are literally sacrificing everything else you might be doing, everywhere else in the world, with everyone, and in the next hour you will be one hour closer to the end of your life — so you may as well enjoy this episode. 

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-14098991 Wed, 06 Dec 2023 08:00:00 -0500 3797 full false LIT AF Season 4 Episode 2: A Christmas Carol/ The First of the Three Spirits LIT AF Season 4 Episode 2: A Christmas Carol/ The First of the Three Spirits If you're not haunted by your past, you're not paying attention.

]]> If you're not haunted by your past, you're not paying attention.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-14098918 Wed, 06 Dec 2023 07:00:00 -0500 2977 full false LIT AF Season 4 Episode 1: A Christmas Carol/ Marley's Ghost LIT AF Season 4 Episode 1: A Christmas Carol/ Marley's Ghost When your dead best friend shows up to warn you, best give him both ears.

Bonus: Did you know Charles Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol" in just a few weeks while walking the streets of London late at night? Why would he do that? Because he was broke and he needed to write a story to make money. Tune in and join us at the corner of Art and Commerce for some real Christmas spirit. 

]]> When your dead best friend shows up to warn you, best give him both ears.

Bonus: Did you know Charles Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol" in just a few weeks while walking the streets of London late at night? Why would he do that? Because he was broke and he needed to write a story to make money. Tune in and join us at the corner of Art and Commerce for some real Christmas spirit. 

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-14098911 Wed, 06 Dec 2023 07:00:00 -0500 3498 full false Season 2 Episode 4: Success Makes Victor Sick Season 2 Episode 4: Success Makes Victor Sick Victor gets all the body parts he needs to build a monster. Sometimes success isn't all it's cracked up to be.

]]> Victor gets all the body parts he needs to build a monster. Sometimes success isn't all it's cracked up to be.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-12091318 Sat, 21 Jan 2023 19:00:00 -0500 2613 full false Season 2 Episode 3: My Family, My Friends, My Teachers Season 2 Episode 3: My Family, My Friends, My Teachers In this episode our narrator Viktor Frankenstein walks us through the moments in which he left home and began school. People dying of disease at home, being uncomfortable with leaving familiarity and making new friends - it sounds sort of like life after Covid lockdowns. Check out the undercurrent of impending doom that accompanies Viktor's pursuit of knowledge... will curiosity kill someone's cat?

]]> In this episode our narrator Viktor Frankenstein walks us through the moments in which he left home and began school. People dying of disease at home, being uncomfortable with leaving familiarity and making new friends - it sounds sort of like life after Covid lockdowns. Check out the undercurrent of impending doom that accompanies Viktor's pursuit of knowledge... will curiosity kill someone's cat?

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-12074026 Wed, 18 Jan 2023 22:00:00 -0500 2725 2 3 full true Season 2 Episode 2: Nothing Says Authenticity Like a Letter Season 2 Episode 2: Nothing Says Authenticity Like a Letter Mary Shelley opens Frankenstein with a series of letters from Captain Walton to his sister, telling of his expedition to the north pole and the stranger he encounters who tells a story... Why frame the book this way? For the same reason a handwritten letter in your mailbox - if that ever happens - strikes you differently than an email or a text. The letter is REAL. 

]]> Mary Shelley opens Frankenstein with a series of letters from Captain Walton to his sister, telling of his expedition to the north pole and the stranger he encounters who tells a story... Why frame the book this way? For the same reason a handwritten letter in your mailbox - if that ever happens - strikes you differently than an email or a text. The letter is REAL. 

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-11839996 Thu, 08 Dec 2022 18:00:00 -0500 2969 full false Season 2 Episode 1: How Mary Shelley Turned Science Into Frankenstein Season 2 Episode 1: How Mary Shelley Turned Science Into Frankenstein There's a lot of weird going around. As Hunter S. Thompson wrote, "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." That's what Mary Shelley did in 1816, the Year Without A Summer. Check out how a volcano, a frog, and a poet inspired an 18-year-old dreamer to create the first science fiction.

]]> There's a lot of weird going around. As Hunter S. Thompson wrote, "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." That's what Mary Shelley did in 1816, the Year Without A Summer. Check out how a volcano, a frog, and a poet inspired an 18-year-old dreamer to create the first science fiction.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-11137612 Sun, 14 Aug 2022 21:00:00 -0400 2248 full false LIT AF Special Edition: Oration of Fredrick Douglass on Fourth of July LIT AF Special Edition: Oration of Fredrick Douglass on Fourth of July Independence Day? Nope. Nation of freedom, equality, righteousness, and Christianity? Nope. I've read this speech every year for 30 years, and its logic, perspective on international politics, and moral philosophy ring truer than ever. Enjoy - and then get out there and help us do better.

]]> Independence Day? Nope. Nation of freedom, equality, righteousness, and Christianity? Nope. I've read this speech every year for 30 years, and its logic, perspective on international politics, and moral philosophy ring truer than ever. Enjoy - and then get out there and help us do better.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-10904482 Mon, 04 Jul 2022 20:00:00 -0400 4367 full false It's All Over: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 10 It's All Over: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 10 Gatsby is dead and no one is coming to his last party. All that's left for us is to figure out where we belong, and whether we are living in the past, present, or imagined future. 

]]> Gatsby is dead and no one is coming to his last party. All that's left for us is to figure out where we belong, and whether we are living in the past, present, or imagined future. 

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-10494779 Sun, 24 Apr 2022 17:00:00 -0400 2404 full false Fall Is When Things Die: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 9 Fall Is When Things Die: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 9 Most of THE GREAT GATSBY is timeless. Love and the nutty things we do for love happens in/to every generation. It has for centuries, and it will until we cook ourselves off the planet. Fitzgerald focuses on the characters, the immediate settings, and the dialogue without much connection to real people or events that would locate the book in time. Apart from scattered, vague references to the war, the world series scandal, and prohibition, there isn't much to suggest this story couldn't happen in any era. Like, now. But Fitzgerald does pay close attention to one element of time: the seasons of the year. The plot begins in spring (season of re/birth and renewal), hits its peak in the summer (heat can be passionate or fatiguing), and now, in the penultimate chapter, we find ourselves at the beginning of fall. Fall is when things die.

]]> Most of THE GREAT GATSBY is timeless. Love and the nutty things we do for love happens in/to every generation. It has for centuries, and it will until we cook ourselves off the planet. Fitzgerald focuses on the characters, the immediate settings, and the dialogue without much connection to real people or events that would locate the book in time. Apart from scattered, vague references to the war, the world series scandal, and prohibition, there isn't much to suggest this story couldn't happen in any era. Like, now. But Fitzgerald does pay close attention to one element of time: the seasons of the year. The plot begins in spring (season of re/birth and renewal), hits its peak in the summer (heat can be passionate or fatiguing), and now, in the penultimate chapter, we find ourselves at the beginning of fall. Fall is when things die.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-10459769 Mon, 18 Apr 2022 14:00:00 -0400 2738 full false Baby You Can Drive My Car: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 8 Baby You Can Drive My Car: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 8 Daisy said she never loved Tom. But then she said she did. Tom says he loves Daisy. But he was diddling Mrs. Wilson. Gatsby does seem to really love Daisy.  He shouldn't have let her drive. By the end of this chapter, Mrs. Wilson is dead, Tom is grieving, and Gatsby is keeping watch over Daisy's house. But accidentally homicidal Daisy is now depending on Tom, and it's starting to feel like Gatsby's love affair is losing the light faster than a hot summer afternoon at the Plaza.

]]> Daisy said she never loved Tom. But then she said she did. Tom says he loves Daisy. But he was diddling Mrs. Wilson. Gatsby does seem to really love Daisy.  He shouldn't have let her drive. By the end of this chapter, Mrs. Wilson is dead, Tom is grieving, and Gatsby is keeping watch over Daisy's house. But accidentally homicidal Daisy is now depending on Tom, and it's starting to feel like Gatsby's love affair is losing the light faster than a hot summer afternoon at the Plaza.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-10393193 Wed, 06 Apr 2022 19:00:00 -0400 4005 full false Groundhog Gatsby: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 7 Groundhog Gatsby: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 7 "Can't repeat the past?" he cried incredulously. "Why of course you can!" 

We all think back on moments that are lost to history: decisions we made, things we did or didn't do, all our private to be or not to be's that gave us the stories we tell about ourselves today. And, if we're not careful, instead of learning from those experiences and designing our todays and tomorrows, we will be destined to replay the past over and over again. 

]]> "Can't repeat the past?" he cried incredulously. "Why of course you can!" 

We all think back on moments that are lost to history: decisions we made, things we did or didn't do, all our private to be or not to be's that gave us the stories we tell about ourselves today. And, if we're not careful, instead of learning from those experiences and designing our todays and tomorrows, we will be destined to replay the past over and over again. 

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-10335344 Mon, 28 Mar 2022 19:00:00 -0400 2019 full false Better Pearls, Better Swine: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 6 Better Pearls, Better Swine: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 6 We are now over the halfway point of the book. It's worth remembering how most people encounter Gatsby the first time. However amazing they may be, most high school students simply don't have the life experience to understand what some of these characters - and definitely the author - are experiencing in their lives and marriages. And, not for nothing, school is the most toxic brand in history, so selling this as a reading experience is an even taller order. Fortunately, we don't have those problems. And everyone of every age can understand what a nervous fuck-up Gatsby becomes when he finally has his secret meeting with Daisy.

]]> We are now over the halfway point of the book. It's worth remembering how most people encounter Gatsby the first time. However amazing they may be, most high school students simply don't have the life experience to understand what some of these characters - and definitely the author - are experiencing in their lives and marriages. And, not for nothing, school is the most toxic brand in history, so selling this as a reading experience is an even taller order. Fortunately, we don't have those problems. And everyone of every age can understand what a nervous fuck-up Gatsby becomes when he finally has his secret meeting with Daisy.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-10280031 Sat, 19 Mar 2022 17:00:00 -0400 2540 full false You Don't Know Me: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 5 You Don't Know Me: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 5 Chapter 4 begins with young ladies making wild guesses about Gatsby. He's a killer. He's second cousin to the devil. When we don't have information, we make assumptions. When we have a little information, we go way positive or way negative. If you don't believe me, have a look at online reviews. At one level, these schema (categories of thinking) can help us when we encounter new situations. However, when our inner ideas about people get loud enough to drown out the information right in front of us, they become ISMS (racism, sexism, ageism, etc.). Just look at how Fitzgerald describes Black and Jewish characters later in the chapter.

]]> Chapter 4 begins with young ladies making wild guesses about Gatsby. He's a killer. He's second cousin to the devil. When we don't have information, we make assumptions. When we have a little information, we go way positive or way negative. If you don't believe me, have a look at online reviews. At one level, these schema (categories of thinking) can help us when we encounter new situations. However, when our inner ideas about people get loud enough to drown out the information right in front of us, they become ISMS (racism, sexism, ageism, etc.). Just look at how Fitzgerald describes Black and Jewish characters later in the chapter.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-10242009 Sun, 13 Mar 2022 17:00:00 -0400 2798 1 5 full true I Am Because We Are: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 4 I Am Because We Are: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 4 Many people talk about Gatsby's parties, and how he used them to lure Daisy - but there is more to partying than meets the eye. What attracts us to each other? Can we account for this with attachment theory, or neuromodulators? Is it just dopamine, serotonin, testosterone, or estrogen? We know isolation is problematic, but we've also made relationships complicated - when is relying on another person a good thing, and when does it become a warning sign? Speaking of dependence, what impact/s do substances like alcohol and drugs have on our interactions? All this and a driving lesson in this week's episode.

]]> Many people talk about Gatsby's parties, and how he used them to lure Daisy - but there is more to partying than meets the eye. What attracts us to each other? Can we account for this with attachment theory, or neuromodulators? Is it just dopamine, serotonin, testosterone, or estrogen? We know isolation is problematic, but we've also made relationships complicated - when is relying on another person a good thing, and when does it become a warning sign? Speaking of dependence, what impact/s do substances like alcohol and drugs have on our interactions? All this and a driving lesson in this week's episode.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-10199443 Sun, 06 Mar 2022 19:00:00 -0500 2878 full false Have What You Want / Want What You Have: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 3 Have What You Want / Want What You Have: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 3 Did school teach you to achieve your goals, or just keep setting new ones to make yourself constructively miserable? Philosophers, drug dealers, and late stage capitalists all know the  secret - you're never going to be happy as long as you want what you don't have. Welcome to Chapter 2 of The Great Gatsby.

]]> Did school teach you to achieve your goals, or just keep setting new ones to make yourself constructively miserable? Philosophers, drug dealers, and late stage capitalists all know the  secret - you're never going to be happy as long as you want what you don't have. Welcome to Chapter 2 of The Great Gatsby.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-10154118 Sun, 27 Feb 2022 20:00:00 -0500 2368 full false The New Guy In Town: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 2 The New Guy In Town: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 2 Meet the new guy in town. Narrator Nick Carraway introduces us to Tom, Daisy, and the man himself in Chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby.

]]> Meet the new guy in town. Narrator Nick Carraway introduces us to Tom, Daisy, and the man himself in Chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby.

]]> David Preston Buzzsprout-10104652 Sat, 19 Feb 2022 08:00:00 -0500 2947 full false A Masterpiece for Badasses: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 1 A Masterpiece for Badasses: LIT AF Season 1 Episode 1 Many people describe THE GREAT GATSBY as boring and overrated. 

They're wrong.

But it does take some life experience and an intimate familiarity with pain to understand the book. Apart from F. Scott Fitzgerald, the two men who knew the book best considered it a masterpiece. They were two of the most badass writers of the 20th century, and they both blew their own brains out. This episode of LIT AF looks at THE GREAT GATSBY through the eyes of Hunter S. Thompson and Ernest Hemingway. 

]]> Many people describe THE GREAT GATSBY as boring and overrated. 

They're wrong.

But it does take some life experience and an intimate familiarity with pain to understand the book. Apart from F. Scott Fitzgerald, the two men who knew the book best considered it a masterpiece. They were two of the most badass writers of the 20th century, and they both blew their own brains out. This episode of LIT AF looks at THE GREAT GATSBY through the eyes of Hunter S. Thompson and Ernest Hemingway. 

]]> David Buzzsprout-10076417 Mon, 14 Feb 2022 20:00:00 -0500 1355 full false LIT AF Introduction Episode 0 LIT AF Introduction Episode 0 You've arrived at Ground Zero for the LIT AF podcast.

Classics works of literature are classics because they tattoo your heart. The writers who are insightful, brave, and talented enough to share their sense of loss, love, death, sex, pain, and triumph speak to us, for us even, and they let us know we are not alone. 

People in every generation understand this. The classics are timeless. 

But reading the classics in school is usually boring. Teachers and students aren’t free to talk about race, or sexual orientation, or the real politics of money and power without running the risk of someone making a recording and pitching a fit at a school board meeting.  

That’s why we’re here. 

Join me for a tour through the classics like you’ve never heard them before. Each season of this podcast is an audiobook with a twist – I comment as I go, to give you the stories between the lines.

At the end of each episode I also offer opportunities for you to participate in online events, get discounts, and become a member of the Web3 community that will choose the books I read next. You can also get more information now at litafpodcast.com.

Welcome… to LIT. AS. F*CK.

 

 

 

 

 

 

]]> You've arrived at Ground Zero for the LIT AF podcast.

Classics works of literature are classics because they tattoo your heart. The writers who are insightful, brave, and talented enough to share their sense of loss, love, death, sex, pain, and triumph speak to us, for us even, and they let us know we are not alone. 

People in every generation understand this. The classics are timeless. 

But reading the classics in school is usually boring. Teachers and students aren’t free to talk about race, or sexual orientation, or the real politics of money and power without running the risk of someone making a recording and pitching a fit at a school board meeting.  

That’s why we’re here. 

Join me for a tour through the classics like you’ve never heard them before. Each season of this podcast is an audiobook with a twist – I comment as I go, to give you the stories between the lines.

At the end of each episode I also offer opportunities for you to participate in online events, get discounts, and become a member of the Web3 community that will choose the books I read next. You can also get more information now at litafpodcast.com.

Welcome… to LIT. AS. F*CK.

 

 

 

 

 

 

]]> David Buzzsprout-10076381 Mon, 14 Feb 2022 20:00:00 -0500 302 full false