Our two hosts play guest, and dive into the season’s high and lowlights, starting with the role humor played on the show. We also talk through the affordances of the “virtual” studio as opposed to the brick and mortar one where John recorded podcasts in “the before time.”

Literary critics that we are, we can’t help but consider the podcast as an audio form that solicits different kinds of listening. Aarthi wonders if it’s “close” vs “ambient.” We both reminisce fondly about radio shows, especially Dr. Drew and Adam Corolla on Loveline. While discussing how editing decisions might contribute to an immersive listening experience, John becomes the worst version of a “Foley man” (Aarthi had to google that one). The show and the season end with a hopeful glance forward to Season Two, coming your way in Fall 2021. Hope to catch up with you then!

Aarthi Vadde is Associate Professor of English at Duke University. Email: [email protected]. John Plotz is Barbara Mandel Professor of the Humanities at Brandeis University and co-founder of the Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative. Email: [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices