Literature

April 12, 2021Happiness, Literature, Philosophy
Episode #59 – Reading the Great Books with Scott Hambrick (replay)
On today's show, I talk with Scott Hambrick, the founder of Online Great Books, an organization that hosts virtual seminars for people who want to read the Great Books of Western Civilization. Scott talks about what makes the Great Books great, why they are so important, and how they contribute to living the Good Life. We also do a deep dive into Aristotle’s famous work on how to achieve happiness and live the best possible life.
March 23, 2021Creativity, Learning, Literature, Uncategorized
Episode #56 – How to Think Like Shakespeare with Scott Newstok

My guest this week is Scott Newstok, professor at Rhodes College and author of How to Think like Shakespeare: Lessons from a Renaissance Education. Scott’s book is ultimately about the craft of thinking and how to improve it.

In our conversation we address a very interesting question. How is it that Shakespeare, and his renaissance contemporaries were able to produce such incredible works? What was their education like and what can we learn from studying it? We also discuss what we've lost in education today and how we might begin to recover it.
December 29, 2020Leadership, Literature
Episode 44 – Tolstoy with Andrew Kaufman
On today’s show, we talk about the novel “War & Peace.” Sean sits down with Andrew Kaufman, Professor of Russian Literature at the University of Virginia, and author of the […]
November 10, 2020Literature, Philosophy
Episode 37 – Montaigne with Michael Perry
On today’s show, Sean’s guest is Michael Perry, a writer from rural Wisconsin who was so influenced by Montaigne that he wrote a book, “Montaigne in Barn Boots: An Amateur […]
October 20, 2020Literature, Philosophy
Episode 34 – Camus with Robert Zaretsky
On today’s show, Sean talks with Robert Zaretsky, a professor at University of Houston and the author of A Life Worth Living: Albert Camus & the Quest for Meaning. In 1957 […]
September 15, 2020Leadership, Literature
Episode 29 – Ulysses S. Grant with Elizabeth Samet
Sean’s guest today is Elizabeth Samet, a professor of literature at West Point. She has a new book out, the annotated Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant. In this episode, Samet reveals […]
March 30, 2020Literature, Philosophy
Episode 14 – The Great Books with Scott Hambrick
On today’s show, I talk with Scott Hambrick, the founder of Online Great Books, an organization that hosts virtual seminars for people who want to read the Great Books of […]
March 16, 2020Learning, Literature
Episode 12 – 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die with James Mustich
On today’s show, I talk with James Mustich, the author of 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List. Mustich has curated one of the most comprehensive and significant […]
March 9, 2020Learning, Literature
Episode 11 – The Odyssey with Daniel Mendelsohn
On today’s show, I talk with Daniel Mendelsohn, Professor of Classics at Bard College and the author of “An Odyssey: A Father, a son and an Epic.” Mendelsohn has a […]
February 24, 2020Biography, Literature, Philosophy
Episode 9 – Seneca with James Romm
On today’s show, I talk with James Romm, Professor of Classics at Bard College and the author of the books Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero, and How to […]