Sophie and Andrew pretend to read French while discussing Baldwin’s legacy, literary vs pop fiction, mystery structure in novels, literary style, short books, Baldwin’s larger impacts on the culture and more. 

*LINKS* 

*Buy the Books*

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin: https://amzn.to/3UzmOsb

Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin: https://amzn.to/4mI5r4j

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin: https://amzn.to/4fCI9ul

Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin: https://amzn.to/4lGQ3oc

James Baldwin: A Biography by David Leeming: https://amzn.to/3V1BoJ8

More Books by James Baldwin: https://amzn.to/3JAM7rq

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Andrew rants about the lack of structure in contemporary poetry, while Sophie imagines herself as a Tree in a forest. Topics include the power of repetition in poetry, what makes a poem good or bad?, the lack of discipline and scholarship in the field, why no major magazine will publish a negative poetry review, and more. 

*LINKS* 

*Buy the Books*

The Trees, The Trees by Heather Christle: https://amzn.to/4lygigu

The Crying Book by Heather Christle: https://amzn.to/4fC79Sy

More Books by Heather Christle: https://amzn.to/3HC23sY

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Sophie becomes a big fat whale while Andrew struggles to remember any character in the novel he just read. Topics include the power of cultural touchstones, canonizing books and authors, why Moby Dick became such a highly praised classic, Harold Bloom's thoughts on the subject, and more. 

*LINKS* 

*Buy the Books*

Moby Dick by Herman Melville (Wordsworth edition): https://amzn.to/3HC2cg0

Moby Dick by Herman Melville (Penguin edition): https://amzn.to/41JLCl9

Billy Budd, Bartleby, and Other Stories by Herman Melville: https://amzn.to/4mjvHlM

More Books by Herman Melville: https://amzn.to/4mldZi1

Harold Bloom’s Lecture on Moby Dick: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFt59_E_g5s

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**Get a taste of what’s behind the paywall with this *UNLOCKED* episode of Heavy Bored #10 Ben Lerner’s The Hatred of Poetry**

A long and winding breakdown of Lerner’s personal essay and reflection on the craft of poetry. Strap in for this one, as we go over every bit of space in this essay and tell you why it’s wrong. 

*LINKS*

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The Hatred of Poetry by Ben Lerner: https://amzn.to/45zHPYO

The Topeka School by Ben Lerner: https://amzn.to/475ztux

Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner: https://amzn.to/45Ct4Vg

10:04 by Ben Lerner: https://amzn.to/45xJlKV

More Books by Ben Lerner: https://amzn.to/47EisYi

“Lerner and His Firefly” by Mark Halliday: https://pleiadesmag.com/sneak-preview-mark-halliday-on-ben-lerners-the-hatred-of-poetry/

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Andrew gives Sophie Covid through Skype while they discuss lyric poetry and all of its glory. Sophie helps Andrew learn how to read big words he can’t pronounce. And both cough loudly into the microphone every few minutes as an artistic choice. Topics include what’s the point of lyric poetry? the problem with academic writing, why no one reads poems, the futility of loving poetry, and more. 

*LINKS* 

*Buy the Books*

Theory of the Lyric by Jonathan Culler: https://amzn.to/41brhFc

Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction by Jonathan Culler: https://amzn.to/4oDUGC3

More Books by Jonathan Culler: https://amzn.to/3JkqvQ3

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The final part of the Twilight Saga has Sophie becoming pro child brides while Andrew mansplains vampire pregnancy. Both become pro-life and consider converting to the Mormon faith. All while speculating about vampire erections–size, girth, temperature, texture. Topics include Book vs Movie, the structure of romance, bad endings, vampire sex, CGI babies, and more. 

*LINKS* 

Watch the Movie: https://amzn.to/3JhNpHU

*Buy the Books* 

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/45UztMI

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/4lwHxYG

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/3JkxIQb

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/4oFLflv

More Books by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/3UwMjKE

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Part 3 of the continuing Twilight Saga kicks off with Andrew wanting it to be over because he’s a man, while Sophie is seduced by some hot, wet talking. Both become sympathetic to rigorous Mormon-style abstinence-only sex education while reading about sexual assault from werewolves and vampires. Topics include emo culture, high school, men vs women, why scholarship is in the toilet, and more.

*LINKS* 

Watch the Movie: https://amzn.to/3UxdHZa

*Buy the Books* 

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/45UztMI

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/4lwHxYG

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/3JkxIQb

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/4oFLflv

More Books by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/3UwMjKE

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Andrew and Sophie get a bad case of Twilight Fever while being nostalgic for the emo era in Part 2 of the continuing Twilight Saga. Sophie gets in touch with her Mormon side while Andrew becomes homoerotically fixated on Taylor Lautner’s physique. Topics include the emo era, performative self-harm, Romeo and Juliet, the problems with film adaptations, Pauline Kael’s theories on “Trash Art” and why they’re correct, and more.

*LINKS* 

Watch the Movie: https://amzn.to/4mEtu4i

*Buy the Books* 

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/45UztMI

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/4lwHxYG

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/3JkxIQb

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/4oFLflv

More Books by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/3UwMjKE

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The Twilight Saga gets the Heavy Bored treatment Part 1. We go through the first novel in the series while discussing why pop fiction sells more copies, book vs movie, the issues with young adult genre books, and what makes a romance book a romance book?

*LINKS* 

Watch the Movie: https://amzn.to/4mQz7MV

*Buy the Books* 

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/45UztMI

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/4lwHxYG

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/3JkxIQb

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/4oFLflv

More Books by Stephenie Meyer: https://amzn.to/3UwMjKE

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Merwin’s long career is discussed along with his fuckability, his tendency to be vague, line breaks, overpraising famous writers' more mediocre works and the existential questions–what is the point in composing a poem or harsh literary criticism? 

*LINKS* 

*Buy the Books*

The Essential W.S. Merwin: https://amzn.to/45okkDa

Summer Doorways: A Memoir by W. S. Merwin: https://amzn.to/4oDUTVR

More Books by W. S. Merwin: https://amzn.to/4oDUUsT

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