Literary Nomads

Literary Nomads

By Steve ChisnellScienceSocial SciencesEducationArtsBooksCourses
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Literary Nomads episodes

  • Literary Nomads for Students

     

    3 Oct 2025

    Episode 0.2 - Literary Nomads for Students

     

    What is this podcast? I recommend you start here, with this introduction to Literary Nomads and get a taste of what the larger series offers!

    And, to be sure I’ve sold you, we’re looking at one of the lamest choices for literary discussion, the much-overtaught “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost. And even though you just winced at the choice, I know that this moment is a node in the universe which cannot be altered. Now listen. And while you do, here’s something about the poem you may not have considered . . .

     

    CHAPTERS

    00:00     Wrecking Our Choices

    07:35     Opening Theme
    08:09     Promises, BTS, and Lame Beginnings
    13:30     Reading Frost: “The Road Not Taken”
    14:51     The Basics, Wrong and Less Wrong
    23:04     Ego-Maniacs
    30:28     Philosophy On the Road
    35:04     Other Routes
    39:57     Critical Shifts
    44:25     Closing Credits

    ===

    New to Literary Nomads? You may also want to check out episode 5.00 to find out what we’re all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

    Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 

    Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/0-2-literary-nomads-for-students

    ===

    Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

    Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

    Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

    Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

    Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, and LinkedIn:  @ Waywords Studio

    CREDITS:

    Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

    Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

    USING THIS WORK:

    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

    MLA CITATION:

    Chisnell, Steve. “Literary Nomads for Students,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 3 Oct 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords-podcast/

    46 min
  • Literary Nomads for Readers

     

    26 Sept 2025

    Episode 0.1 - Literary Nomads for Readers

     

    What is this podcast? I recommend you start here, with this introduction to Literary Nomads and get a taste of what the larger series offers!

    And, to be sure I’ve sold you, we’re looking at one of the lamest choices for literary discussion, the much-overtaught “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost. And if that’s not a reason for you to move on quickly . . . but wait! Here’s something you may not have considered . . .

     

    CHAPTERS

    00:00     Introduction

    01:02     On Pipes and Mirrors
    08:33     Opening Theme
    09:07     A Lame Beginning
    16:32     Reading: Frost - “The Road Not Taken”
    17:51     The School Interpretation
    25:36     A Bit Further Than School
    35:14     Reading the Road
    41:12     How to Read with Literary Nomads
    45:02     Closing Credits
    45:21     Y Puns
    47:09     Closing Credits Again

    ===

    New to Literary Nomads? You may also want to check out episode 5.00 to find out what we’re all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

    Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 

    Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/0-1-literary-nomads-for-readers

    ===

    Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

    Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

    Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

    Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

    Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, and LinkedIn:  @ Waywords Studio

    CREDITS:

    Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

    Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

    USING THIS WORK:

    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

    MLA CITATION:

    Chisnell, Steve. “Literary Nomads for Readers,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 26 Sept 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords-podcast/

    48 min
  • Le Guin – What I Carry With Me

     

    19 Sept 2025

    Episode 6.14 - Le Guin - What I Carry With Me

     

    Now that we’ve wrestled in and with Omelas for a bit, what questions remain for us to take forward on our journey? We’re walking away from Omelas, but let’s have an idea where we’re going.

     

    Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

    CHAPTERS

    00:00     Re-Packing for What’s Ahead

    06:28     Opening Theme
    07:01     Trails and Tools
    15:27     Six More Lousy Questions
    16:38     1. What’s Wrong with the Andrews Family?
    20:04     2. How Should I Use My Otium?
    22:36     3. What Responsibilities for Reading & Writing?
    25:00     4. How Can I Tell If I’m Morally Disengaged?
    27:58     5. Are There Gradations of Accountability?
    30:06     6. What Choices Do I Make in the Now?
    33:00     Questions, Directions, and What We Do
    38:33     Closing Credits

    ===

    New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we’re all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

    Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 

    Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-14-le-guin-what-i-carry-with-me

    ===

    Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

    Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

    Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

    Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

    Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, and LinkedIn:  @ Waywords Studio

    CREDITS:

    Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

    Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

    USING THIS WORK:

    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

    MLA CITATION:

    Chisnell, Steve. “Le Guin - What I Carry With Me,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 19 Sept 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/.

    40 min
  • Le Guin Part 5: Q&A

    12 Sept 2025

    Episode 6.13 - Le Guin Part 5: Q&A

    Listeners offer their questions from narrator trust to activism to teaching controversy. I rant–or respond–back.

    Important Links Mentioned:

    • Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 
    • Literary Nomads, Journey 5, “Dorian Gray and Difficult Conversations”: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/transcript-5-08-dorian-gray-and-difficult-conversations/

      • Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

      CHAPTERS

      00:00     Better a Q & R

      02:04     Opening Theme
      02:43     Getting Questions
      04:03     Is the narrator in ‘Omelas’ unreliable?
      10:45     Some examples of subverting fantasy tropes?
      16:29     How do I keep contradictions in my head?
      21:10     How am I supposed to take action in uncertainty?
      27:35     How do I find the ‘main idea’ of the story?
      32:08     How can we teach controversy without triggering?
      41:32     How about some teaching strategies?
      50:49     Literary Nomads Model
      53:51     Closing Credits

      ===

      New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we’re all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

      Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-13-le-guin-part-5

      ===

      Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

      Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

      Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

      Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

      Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, and LinkedIn:  @ Waywords Studio

      CREDITS:

      Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

      Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

      USING THIS WORK:

      This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

      MLA CITATION:

      Chisnell, Steve. “Le Guin Part 5: Q&A,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 12 Sept 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/.

      56 min
    • Le Guin Part 4: The Ones Who Stay – N. K. Jemisin

      5 Sept 2025

      Episode 6.12 - Le Guin Part 4: The Ones Who Stay - N. K. Jemisin

      Can we pull this utopia dilemma together? Or will we add even more levels of complication? When we wrestle with Le Guin, take solace knowing that others have, too, and so we enter into the dialogue of building utopia, together with its responsibilities!

      As we explore today, we add Mikhail Bakhtin and George Bataille into the mix together with writers Sadoeuphemist and N. K. Jemisin!

      Our Main Texts:

      • Ursula K. Le Guin: “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”: https://archive.org/download/the-ones-who-walk-away-from-omelas-ursula-k-leguin/The%20Ones%20Who%20Walk%20Away%20from%20Omelas%20-%20Ursula%20K%20LeGuin.pdf 
      • Jemisin, N. K.: “The Ones Who Stay and Fight”: https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/the-ones-who-stay-and-fight/

        • Important Links Mentioned:

        • Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 
        • Sadoeuphemist: “What Else, What Else, in the Joyous City?”: https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/what-else-what-else-in-the-joyous-city/
        • Literary Nomads, Journey 5, “Reading and Living in Uncertainty”: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/reading-and-living-in-uncertainty/ 

          • Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

          CHAPTERS

          00:00.00     When a Place Is Not a Place

          00:04:22     Opening Theme
          00:04:55     From Complicity to Resolve
          00:11:30     Counter-Narrative and Dialogics
          00:20:05     Jemisin’s “The Ones Who Stay and Fight”
          00:34:03     Narratives of Power and Normalization
          00:43:55     The Ambiguity of Moral Action: Bataille
          00:51:28     A Call to Ethical Attentiveness
          00:54:57     Book Clubs & Classroom Engagements
          01:00:40     Where We Haven’t Explored
          01:08:51     Closing Credits

          ===

          New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we’re all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

          Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-12-le-guin-part-4

          ===

          Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

          Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

          Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

          Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

          Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn:  @ Waywords Studio

          CREDITS:

          Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

          Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

          USING THIS WORK:

          This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

          MLA CITATION:

          Chisnell, Steve. “Le Guin Part 4: The Ones Who Stay - N. K. Jemisin,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 5 Sept 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/.

          1 hr 11 min
        • Le Guin Part 3: The Reader’s Labyrinth

          29 Aug 2025

          Episode 6.11 - Le Guin Part 3: The Reader’s Labyrinth

          Sure, the Omelas dilemma is tough, but at least we have our narrator as ally, right? Right? Perhaps the real horror in Omelas has less to do with the child at its center.

          We also discuss how the relationship between culture and the individual, narrator rhetoric, broader allegories, reader psychology, and the alienation effect.

          Our Main Text:

          • Ursula K. Le Guin: “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”: https://archive.org/download/the-ones-who-walk-away-from-omelas-ursula-k-leguin/The%20Ones%20Who%20Walk%20Away%20from%20Omelas%20-%20Ursula%20K%20LeGuin.pdf

            • Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

            CHAPTERS

            00:00     Into a Land UnLike Our Own

            05:34     Opening Theme
            06:14     The Narrator’s Rhetorical Toolkit
            20:04     Choices and Subversions
            29:32     And So We Walk Away?
            36:29     How Do I Teach This Nightmare?
            40:16     Closing Credits

            ===

            New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we’re all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

            Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-11-le-guin-part-3

            Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 

            ===

            Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

            Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

            Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

            Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

            Instagram: @WaywordsStudio

            Facebook: Waywords.Studio

            YouTube: Waywords Studio

            LinkedIn: Waywords-Studio

            CREDITS:

            Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

            Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

            USING THIS WORK:

            This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

            MLA CITATION:

            Chisnell, Steve. “Le Guin Part 3: The Reader’s Labyrinth,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 29 August 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/.

            42 min
          • Le Guin 2: Architectures of Happiness

            22 Aug 2025

            Episode 6.10 - Le Guin 2: Architectures of Happiness

            Is this story really about that suffering child? Or is it more about how we wall its suffering out, then invite it back in?

            We also discuss how social complicity, blissful ignorance, binary breakdowns, and the pee privileges at Waywords Studio.

            Our Main Text:

            • Ursula K. Le Guin: “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”: https://archive.org/download/the-ones-who-walk-away-from-omelas-ursula-k-leguin/The%20Ones%20Who%20Walk%20Away%20from%20Omelas%20-%20Ursula%20K%20LeGuin.pdf

              • Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

              CHAPTERS

              00:00     The Weight of Happiness

              04:16     Opening Theme
              04:58     The Fictions of Happiness
              15:34     The Psychology of Complicity
              26:28     The “Conditions of Omelas
              34:59     …And Its Virtues
              39:26     So What Is Left for Us?
              43:56     Closing Credits

              ===

              New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we’re all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

              Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-10-le-guin-part-2

              Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 

              ===

              Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

              Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

              Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

              Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

              Instagram: @WaywordsStudio

              Facebook: Waywords.Studio

              YouTube: Waywords Studio

              LinkedIn: Waywords-Studio

              CREDITS:

              Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

              Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

              USING THIS WORK:

              This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

              MLA CITATION:

              Chisnell, Steve. “Le Guin Part 2: Architectures of Happiness,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 22 August 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/.

              46 min
            • Le Guin 1: The Hideous Bargain

              15 Aug 2025

              Episode 6.09 - Le Guin 1: The Hideous Bargain

              At last we settle in to think about Le Guin’s Omelas story and set aside some common approaches to it. The first of several parts.

              We also discuss how the obvious question posed by the story may not be the place to start, and how philosopher/historian/critic Rene Girard’s scapegoat theories played a role in Le Guin’s thought.

              Our Main Text:

              • Ursula K. Le Guin: “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”: https://archive.org/download/the-ones-who-walk-away-from-omelas-ursula-k-leguin/The%20Ones%20Who%20Walk%20Away%20from%20Omelas%20-%20Ursula%20K%20LeGuin.pdf

                • Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

                CHAPTERS

                00:00     I Walk Away

                06:29     Opening Theme
                07:12     A Moral Gauntlet
                14:32     Omelas: The Story
                21:23     The Giant Omelas in the Room
                27:36     Dilemmas False and True
                35:53     Narrative as Moral Test
                39:14     Her Party, Her Rules: Scapegoats and Archetypes
                46:05     So What Do We Do?
                49:12     Closing Credits

                ===

                New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we’re all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

                Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-09-le-guin-part-1

                Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 

                ===

                Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

                Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

                Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

                Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

                Instagram: @WaywordsStudio

                Facebook: Waywords.Studio

                YouTube: Waywords Studio

                LinkedIn: Waywords-Studio

                CREDITS:

                Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

                Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

                USING THIS WORK:

                This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

                MLA CITATION:

                Chisnell, Steve. “Le Guin Part 1: The Hideous Bargain,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 15 August 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/.

                51 min
              • Gardens of Imagination – Narrative Utopias

                8 Aug 2025

                Episode 6.08 - Gardens of Imagination - Narrative Utopias

                Let’s niche down into a small sub-genre of fantasy and explore our desire for it, the classic utopia. As Le Guin’s work is utopia, understanding the genre’s tradition, functions, and roles for readers is our final essential piece prior to taking on the story directly.

                Some key texts discussed in this episode:

                • Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov, 1880
                • Lois Lowry, The Giver, 1993
                • Thomas More, Utopia, 1516
                • Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward, 1888
                • William Morris, News from Nowhere, 1891
                • Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Herland, 1915
                • H. G. Wells, Men Like Gods, 1923
                • Aldous Huxley, Island, 1962
                • B. F. Skinner, Walden II, 1948
                • Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” 1972
                • Marge Piercy, Woman On the Edge of Time, 1976

                  • Categories of Utopia We Discuss:

                  1. Sincere Utopia
                  2. Thoughtful Puzzle
                  3. Thorny Utopia
                  4. False Utopia
                  5. Dystopia

                    6. New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we’re all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

                    Reading Ahead, Journey 6:

                    • Ursula K. Le Guin: “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”: https://archive.org/download/the-ones-who-walk-away-from-omelas-ursula-k-leguin/The%20Ones%20Who%20Walk%20Away%20from%20Omelas%20-%20Ursula%20K%20LeGuin.pdf

                      • Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

                      CHAPTERS

                      00:00    Utopia Unjoined

                      05:07    Opening Theme
                      05:40    Utopia and Dystopia as Fantasy
                      18:41    The Utopia Tradition
                      26:26    Utopia as Thought Experiment
                      31:45    From Otium Gardens to Action
                      34:18    Closing Credits

                      ===

                      Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-08-gardens-of-imagination

                      Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 

                      ===

                      Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

                      Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

                      Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

                      Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

                      Instagram: @WaywordsStudio

                      Facebook: Waywords.Studio

                      YouTube: Waywords Studio

                      LinkedIn: Waywords-Studio

                      CREDITS:

                      Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

                      Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

                      USING THIS WORK:

                      This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

                      MLA CITATION:

                      Chisnell, Steve. “Gardens of Imagination: Narrative Utopias,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 8 August 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/.

                      36 min
                    • In Defense of Fantasy

                      1 Aug 2025

                      Episode 6.07 - In Defense of Fantasy

                      Riddle: What do Beowulf, Palmolive dish liquid, and Sarah Maas have in common? Hint: Ursula K. Le Guin knows!

                      Today we wonder at both the disdain of fantasy as genre and its enduring popularity, examine some of Le Guin’s arguments for it as literature, and take a crash course in the history of fantasy across the millennia.

                      Some key texts discussed in this episode:

                      • Ancient Texts: Gilgamesh, The Iliad, The Odyssey
                      • Roman Epics: The Aeneid, Africa
                      • Chanson de Geste: The Song of Roland; Beowulf
                      • Amadis of Gaula
                      • Edmund Spenser: The Faerie Queen
                      • Cervantes: Don Quixote
                      • Works of Sir Walter Scott
                      • William Morris: The Well at the World’s End
                      • Lord Dunsany: The Gods of Pegana
                      • J. R. R. Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings
                      • C. S. Lewis: Narnia series
                      • Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson: Dungeons and Dragons

                        • Readings on Fantasy Recommended:

                        • Tolkien, J. R. R. - “On Fairy Stories” - https://archive.org/details/on-fairy-stories_202110
                        • Le Guin, Ursula K. - “From Elfland to Poughkeepsie”
                        • Carter, Lin - Any of his essays or books on fantasy history

                          • New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we’re all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

                          Reading Ahead, Journey 6:

                          • Ursula K. Le Guin: “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”: https://archive.org/download/the-ones-who-walk-away-from-omelas-ursula-k-leguin/The%20Ones%20Who%20Walk%20Away%20from%20Omelas%20-%20Ursula%20K%20LeGuin.pdf

                            • Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

                            CHAPTERS

                            00:00     Geekdom and Down-the-Nose POV

                            07:40     Opening Theme
                            08:10     Un-Trashing Mass Culture
                            15:49     Truths of Fantasy
                            22:12     History of the Fantastic
                            38:39     You’re Soaking In It
                            41:56     The Fantasy Formal
                            46:33     Closing Theme and Credits

                            ===

                            Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-07-in-defense-of-fantasy/

                            Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 

                            ===

                            Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

                            Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

                            Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

                            Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

                            Instagram: @WaywordsStudio

                            Facebook: Waywords.Studio

                            YouTube: Waywords Studio

                            LinkedIn: Waywords-Studio

                            CREDITS:

                            Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

                            Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

                            USING THIS WORK:

                            This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

                            MLA CITATION:

                            Chisnell, Steve. “In Defense of Fantasy,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 1 August 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/.

                            48 min

                          About Literary Nomads

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                          Join me, Steve Chisnell, as we find and lose meaning across modern and classic tales, through ancient and distant verse, atop everything in our many cultures which might be read. For teachers,…