Episode 196: Emily Dickinson, Part Two

“Tell all the truth, but tell it slant”- Only authenticated photo of Emily, circa 1847 wikicommons

For a woman who’s known as one of the greatest poets who ever lived, she didn’t do a lot of remarkable things when she was alive. She was raised in Amherst and rarely left that town, had many dear friends, wrote a lot of letters, wrote even more poetry that no one saw, was anonymously published only a handful of times during her lifetime, and died in her mid-50s. She championed no causes and left no journal but what she did leave was a secret treasure trunk of nearly 2000 poems. (more…)

Episode 195: Emily Dickinson, Part One

Only authenticated photo of Emily, circa 1847, taken at Mt. Holyoke Women’s Seminary. wikicommons

For a woman who led a very quiet and secluded physical life, her inner experiences were vast and colorful. But lack of documentation after her passing left a lot of her story to fill in. Was Emily Dickinson a quiet, unmarried recluse, always clad in a white dress, the myth of Amherst, or was she a witty artist ahead of her time, who loved her family, had close friendships, many interests…and sometimes wore a white dress?

And the big question: How accurate is the Apple TV+ show, Dickinson? (more…)

Episode 194: Mrs. Claus: A Biography, Revisited 2021

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from us! It’s our tradition to put Mrs. Claus at the top of your podcast queue each year, and we also add a little bit to the episode…it’s almost like an audio time capsule!

If there are little ears in the room, you may want to preview this episode and prepare yourself for questions…or t skip them altogether, you have enough on your plate!

For photos, video, and a recap, please visit our shownotes here: MRS. CLAUS

Episode 192: The Music Show #3


We put themed music at the end of each episode – “dessert,” if you will. In the spirit of this holiday season, where we give ourselves the joy of eating dessert first, we’d like to highlight the artists whose work has enhanced ours over the past few years.

This episode would make delightful background music to your holiday activities (or commute, or walk…whenever you listen!)

For a more expanded soundtrack, head on over to Spotify for a playlist of songs from the three music episodes we’ve done over the years! SPOTIFY PLAYLIST!

Episode 191: Fannie Merritt Farmer

Fannie Farmer circa 1900, around the time that she started her own school.

For a woman who taught generations of people to cook…she’s often forgotten. But this cook, teacher, administrator, author, and businesswoman has a lot to teach all of us, and not just about cooking! (more…)