In the Stacks

While the consumption of the stories of real crimes as a form of entertainment is not new, the internet age and the proliferation of podcasts have made these stories especially accessible. Just like any media explosion, there are pros and cons and plenty of nuances to the genre of true crime and the world's obsession with it, which gravitates from voyeuristic at worst to purposeful at best. In this episode, Alissa and Brittney discuss what makes true crime entertaining, whether its consumption is harmful, and the positive impact that sharing these stories can have. While there is nothing explicit or gruesome discussed here, be aware that there are references to violence and abuse.

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As we welcome back students and families into a fully open library, we also welcome our new director, Alissa Wolenetz. Brittney and Alissa and have a conversation about Alissa's background growing up in Ekalaka, Montana and teaching in Japan, how she ended up here in Lewistown, and what the future for the Library holds. Random tangents include hyper-holds, Brittney's thesis research, and the staying power of Scooby-Doo.

Subscribe to In the Stacks on Spotify, Google, and all other major podcast platforms. You can email us at [email protected]. Follow us at @lplgram on Instagram or Lewistown Public Library on Facebook.

It's been a while, but we are back! For this episode, Dani and I bring you a list of the perfect drinks to go with some of our favorite books. We've got new stuff, old stuff, fiction and non, classic and modern - 16 books in total, each with a drink that fits the theme or feel of the story. (There is some mild cursing in this episode as well as references to alcohol, so listen accordingly.)

Books and accompanying drinks mentioned in this episode include:

“Godshot” by Chelsea Bieker with a Blood Orange Mezcal

“In the Time of the Butterflies” by Julia Alvarez with a Margarita

“Paradise, WV” by Rob Rufus with a Snakebite

“Tale for the Time Being” by Ruth Ozeki with a Charred Chili and Orange Aperol

“Townie” by Andre Dubus III with a Budweiser or PBR

“Discovery of Witches” by Deborah Harkness with a White Claw

“Outlawed” by Anna North with a Cherry Vanilla Moonshine

“The Lost Apothecary” by Sarah Penner with Death in the Afternoon

“Nightbitch” by Rachel Yoder with a Bloody Mary

“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald with a Bathtub Gin

“A River Runs Through It” by Norman Maclean with Ole Gus Scotch Rye

“Animal” by Lisa Taddeo with a Prickly Pear Gin Buck

“Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water” by Marc Reiser with a tall drink of water

“Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling with a spot of tea or cup of coffee

“Blackbird House” by Alice Hoffman with an Old Fashioned

“Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte with 7 Deadly Zins

Subscribe to In the Stacks on Spotify, Google, and all other major podcast platforms. You can email us at [email protected]. Follow us at @lplgram on Instagram or Lewistown Public Library on Facebook.

On this episode, we finally dive into some spooky campfire stories of wilderness legends, a haunted hotel, a sinister cat, and more, just in time for camping season. The stories we share in this episode are scary, so if you are sensitive to that or have children listening, please take care of yourself accordingly. Stories shared in this episode can be found at/in:

"Crow Brings Daylight"

"Harlem Hotel" from Montana Chillers: 13 True Tales of Ghosts and Hauntings by Ellen Baumler

"Brown Mountain Lights"

"Cold as Clay" and "Room for One More" from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz

"Porch" from Dark Blood Comes From the Feet by Emma J. Gibbon

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In a flurry of seasonal confusion and library-land craziness, Dani and Brittney managed to catch up about what they are reading lately, as well as reminisce about the classic 90's sports-anthem compilation, 'Jock Jams'.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

"The Neon Hollywood Cowboy" by Matt Mitchell (https://www.biglucks.com/store/matt-mitchell)

"Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans" by Michaeleen Doucleff

"Justine" by Forsyth Harmon

Subscribe to In the Stacks on Spotify, Google, and all other major podcast platforms. You can email us at [email protected]. Follow us at @lplgram on Instagram or Lewistown Public Library on Facebook.

The LPL is ecstatic to be able to a host our Summer Reading Program for 2021 - Tails and Tales, focusing on animals and the stories about them. To get us into this theme, today's episode of In the Stacks is about the animals of Central Montana and the people that get to work with them. We interviewed several individuals from various walks of life about what influenced them to pursue a career working with animals, what makes Central Montana a unique ecosystem in which to encounter wildlife, and their funniest, wildest animal experiences - their tales about tails. Stay tuned to the end of the episode to hear details about this year's Summer Reading Program.

Thank you to guests Mariah Shammel, Matt Comer, Katy Beady, Whitney Brady, and Andy Oestreich. For more information about their work, visit:

Montana RancHERS, American Prairie Reserve Wild Sky Program, Lewistown Veterinary Service, BLM Lewistown Field Office

Subscribe to In the Stacks on Spotify, Google, and all other major podcast platforms. You can email us at [email protected]. Follow us at @lplgram on Instagram or Lewistown Public Library on Facebook.

April is National Poetry Month, and in this episode we are going to convince you that yes, you do in fact like poetry. Dani and Brittney discuss what poetry is and can be, and analyze several of their favorite poems, both new and old. Which poem makes Dani cry? How many times can Brittney use the word "visceral" to describe poetry? Listen and find out. Visit the links below to read these poems and learn about how you can celebrate National Poetry Month.

National Poetry Month https://poets.org/national-poetry-month

“Fragment 105(a)” by Sappho https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=38962

“Good Bones” by Maggie Smith https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/89897/good-bones

“The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/peace-wild-things-0/

“ Should Have Never Left the Great Lakes/I Hate This Place” by Matt Mitchell https://www.hobartpulp.com/web_features/i-should-have-never-left-the-great-lakes-i-hate-this-place

“Yesterday When I Was Teaching I Nearly Cried” by Devin Kelly from the collection In This Quiet Church of Night, I Say Amen (Civil Coping Mechanisms, 2017) https://devingkelly.com/

“Don’t Worry” by Mary Oliver from the collection Felicity: poems (Penguin, 2015) https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/mary-oliver

“Sarah Cynthia Silvia Stout Will Not Take the Garbage Out” by Shel Silverstein from the collection Where the Sidewalk Ends (Harper & Rowe, 1974) https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/shel-silverstein

Subscribe to In the Stacks on Spotify, Google, and all other major podcast platforms. You can email us at [email protected]. Follow us at @lplgram on Instagram or Lewistown Public Library on Facebook.

Astrology, horoscopes, and interest in the zodiac have seen a resurgence in popularity and an ascendance in the popular culture. In this episode, Dani talks with astrological enthusiast Ashley Kuykendall about birth charts and what their various features mean. Then Dani and Brittney break down their own astrological identities through the context of two books: "You Were Born For This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance" by Chani Nicholas and "Guide to the Stars: Astrology, Our Icons, and Ourselves" by Claire Comstock-Gay.

Open your minds, open your hearts, and open your ears as we look to the stars.

Subscribe to In the Stacks on Spotify, Google, and all other major podcast platforms. You can email us at [email protected]. Follow us at @lplgram on Instagram or Lewistown Public Library on Facebook.

For today’s episode of In the Stacks, we thought we would offer you a diverse menu of podcast recommendations to keep you in the podcast-listening loop. We interview friends and patrons of the library and Lewistown community about their favorite podcasts, as well as offer up some of our own recommendations, and Dani and I discuss our theories for why podcasts are such a hot commodity right now.

Podcasts recommended on this episode include: The Bill Simmons Podcast, WTF with Marc Maron, DNF Podcast, Criminal, Call Your Girlfriend, Reply All, You Must Remember This, Someone Knows Something, This American Life, Stuff You Should Know, Hidden Brain, Growups Reading Things They Wrote as Kids, The Anfield Wrap, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, The History Chicks, Dateline NBC Podcast, Case Remains, My Favorite Murder, Mysterious Secrets of Uncle Bertie’s Botanarium, Terrible, Thanks For Asking, and Giant Steps.

Thank you to guests Laura Anderson, Mary Baumstark, Charlie Denison, Matt Hassler, Clint Smith, KellyAnne Terry, and Josh Uecker.

Subscribe to In the Stacks on Spotify, Google, and all other major podcast platforms. You can email us at [email protected]. Follow us at @lplgram on Instagram or Lewistown Public Library on Facebook.

Brittney and Dani ring in the new year with a conversation about their 2020 reading and the reading goals they resolve to accomplish in 2021. 

Book recommendations in this episode include City of Brass (Daevabad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakraborty from Dani and Gutshot: Stories by Amelia Gray from Brittney.

Do you have any 2021 reading resolutions? Any favorite reads from 2020? What books are you looking forward to reading in 2021? Let us know! You can email us at [email protected]. Follow us at @lplgram on Instagram or Lewistown Public Library on Facebook. 

Subscribe to In the Stacks on Spotify, Google, and all other major podcast platforms.