Casually Obsessed

I asked listeners to call in and talk about a few pieces of pop culture that have been helping them cope with the stress and isolation of COVID-19. 

In light of the very necessary uprising happening in the United States and across the world, I wasn't sure that I should still release this episode. Black lives matter, and I believe that white people, like myself and many of the listeners of this show, should be prioritizing our time, energy and resources toward supporting Black folks doing this work. 

What ultimately made me decide to put this episode out is that I've been privileged enough to have people in my life remind me that this is longterm work and, to be a good accomplice, I need to take care of myself. Burnout accomplishes nothing. Maybe you need a similar reminder to rest and recover so that you can keep doing important work. Call your city council person and demand they defend the police; reorganize your budget so that you can give more money to black led organizations; have tough conversations with your family and friends. And then watch a show you love; read a book; lay on the floor and listened to a good album. 

I hope these messages will give you ideas for content to be part of your own rest and recovery.

Magic might just want to murder you! 

Zan Romanoff and I are talking about Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. This adult fantasy novel imagines that each of Yale’s Ancient Eight secret societies practice a different form of magic while a shadowy ninth house watches over them all. The main character Alex Stern is headed for anything but the Ivy League until she catches the university’s attention when she’s the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. 

In this episode we talk about:

You can find the show notes for this episode, with links to everything we talked about, at casuallyobsessedpodcast.com/ninth-house. 

You can Zan on Instagram/Twitter @Zanopticon and at her website, zanromanoff.com. Casually Obsessed is on instagram @casuallyobsessedpodcast. 

I'm working on a special episode and you could be a part of it! What content or pop cultural obsessions are getting you through the stress and isolation of COVID19? Let me know in a voice memo and you could be included in a future episode. 

To participate, record a message with your name, where you're located, and 1-2 things you're loving right now. If you want to, feel free to mention what you like about your picks. 

You can record directly on your phone (doesn't need to be fancy) and email it to [email protected]. Or, you can record your message online at https://anchor.fm/chelsee-bergen/message. 

Tamora Pierce is kind of a big deal. She's the best-selling author of over 20 books set in her Tortall universe, as well as more than a dozen other books and comics.

Guest Allison Arcos joins our host, Chelsee, to talk about why Pierce's work has stuck with the both of them for nearly two decades. Chelsee and Allison also give their recommendations for things you'll like if you're a fan of Tamora Pierce.

Some conversation highlights are:

You can find the show notes for this episode at casuallyobsessedpodcast.com/tamora-pierce

Casually Obsessed is a new podcast of long form conversations about the pop culture we can’t stop thinking about. That book we want everyone to read, that television show we rewatch. It’s a podcast not about loving one thing, but loving many things — fervently and sometimes fleetingly.

You can expect a rotating roster of guests having in-depth conversations, giving thoughtful recommendations, and a hot take or two.

You can find the show on instagram @Casuallyobsessedpodcast, and find show notes and other content at casuallyobsessedpodcast.com.