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This week, just in time for Christmas, we answer all your literary-oriented Christmas questions! Ever wonder why Charles Dickens wrote Christmas ghost stories? Or how Santa's reindeer got their names? Or how the Nutcracker came to be a season classic? Tune in while you're opening your stockings or gifts or just enjoying your weekend! 

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As we head into December, the time for FROST is upon us! That's right - Robert Frost! We head out East (mostly) to explore the life of this failed chicken farmer, teacher, newspaper delivery person and four-time Pulitzer Prize winning poet. We're off on a road less traveled by, come along for the walk! 

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A noble bloodline. A stay at a convent. Crossdressing. Hidden identities. Numerous affairs. Revolution. Sound like the plot of a fantastic adventure story? Yes! But it also captures just some of George Sand's life experiences! Tune in this week for an absolutely bananas report on a French literary legend that you'll have to hear to believe! 

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This week, we remember theatrical titan Stephen Sondheim and his extraordinary life and legacy. His lyrics brought a profound freedom to the human experience, inspiring countless theatre artists and patrons alike. We'd like to propose a toast to Mr. Sondheim. 

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To honor American Indian Heritage Month, we're featuring author, speaker, and activist, Simon Pokagon. Known for his work advocating for Indigenous land rights through his writing and speeches, Pokagon's legacy is charged but very worth examining. Thank you to our listener Rebecca for this recommendation!

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We're spending this week in Europe, as we cover poet, playwright, and the first Nobel Laureate in Literature from Ireland: William Butler Yeats! Join us for some ghost stories and a sidebar in Germany with Jon! 

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We heard you called for a magical realist, multilingual, genre-defying author from Argentina! And we're here to deliver! Well, Jon specifically, who will be sharing out this week on the remarkable life of Jorge Luis Borges! Grab your sun lotion and shades - we're headed south of the equator! 

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Never heard of Neith Boyce? Meet the woman who wanted to make it possible for women to live as bachelors. A columnist, journalist, novelist, and playwright, Neith Boyce blazed a trail that we're still following today! 

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Just in time for Halloween, we jump into the history of some more unusual books, featuring a how-to guide to summoning your own demon, books bound in human skin, 'the witches hammer' that spurred on the witch hunts of Europe, and a book written by the ghost of Mark Twain, this episode is sure to get you into the spooky spirit! 

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Jon is enroute to Germany and shares his explorations of the life of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the German Shakespeare. There are career switches to silver mining, disguises, and a reluctance to travel to Italy, along with too many jokes about eyes... Here we Goethe!