Kitty Reads Lit for Peace: Flaubert – Madame Bovary plus The Next Peacelands

Welcome back to Kitty Reads Literature for Peace, a quiet act of daily storytelling in a noisy world. In this episode, Kitty O’Compost reads the opening lines of Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert—a classic of French realism, where longing, observation, and melancholy all take root in the smallest of details.

With her trademark twang and tenderness, Kitty draws out the stillness inside Flaubert’s language—reminding us that literature doesn’t have to shout to be powerful. These short readings are her warm-up for a much bigger report: CTRL–AI–DISARM, an upcoming series on truth, power, and peace in a transforming world.

At the end of the episode, we pause for The Next Peacelands, where Avis Kalfsbeek reads a real-time list of global warzones and arms suppliers, grounding us in truth and calling us—gently but firmly—toward peace.

Welcome to the first episode of Kitty Reads Literature for Peace, a peaceful new experiment in daily storytelling. In this episode, Kitty O’Compost reads an excerpt from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s classic essay Compensation—a foundational piece of transcendentalist wisdom. With humor, reverence, and a little twang, Kitty reflects on what it means to trust yourself to listen for the divine in nature, and to believe that every loss carries within it the seed of balance.

Kitty is preparing her reporting voice for CTRL–AI–DISARM, the upcoming audio series on truth, power, and peace in a rapidly shifting world. These short daily episodes are her warm-up—dusting off old books, practicing out loud, and reclaiming literature as a form of resistance.

At the end of the episode, we ground ourselves in the truth of the world around us with a segment called The Next Peacelands. Avis Kalfsbeek reads a list of real warzones, arms suppliers, with words for peace.

Welcome back, peace scholars and story lovers. In this short but meaningful interlude, I (Avis) introduce a special new arc of episodes featuring none other than our offbeat, ever-curious peace reporter, Kitty O’Compost.

Kitty’s getting ready for something big: a bold new podcast series called CTRL–AI–Disarm, launching in early 2026. But before she jumps into dismantling digital weapons and reporting from the frontlines of peace futures, she’s brushing up on her storytelling chops—with literature.

In this transition episode, I reflect on the surprising discovery of the I Ching in a tiny trailer bookstore in Yak, Montana, and share a moment of synchronicity that’s been guiding this next chapter. These upcoming Kitty Reads Lit episodes will be short, soulful, and just a little odd—in true Kitty fashion. She’s reading to practice her voice, deepen her insight, and invite us all to slow down.

Each reading will close with a roll call of global conflicts in a segment we call The Next Peacelands, a reminder that our peaceful futures must be grounded in present-day truth.

This is a warmhearted moment of shift—bridging the reflective tone of The Architects of Enough with the fierce tenderness of the peace warrior work ahead.

Get the Books: aviskalfsbeek.com

Music is The Red Kite by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

A Letter to My Children – A Plea to Not Eat Animals

Written and read by Avis Kalfsbeek

This short, heartfelt episode was recorded in the car on the way to ecstatic dance in Sacramento. It’s a letter to my children, and maybe yours too, about why I stopped eating animals, and why I hope they will consider doing the same.

In it, I share my own journey toward a plant-based life, the films and books that opened my eyes, and the quiet but persistent question that lives in my bones: what kind of world do we want to co-create, and how much harm will we allow?

Along the way, I reference:

This is not a lecture. It’s a love letter. And it ends with a simple invitation: start small. Try a few days without meat. Then see where it leads you.

Peace and love,

Mom / Avis

Find the Books: AvisKalfsbeek.com

Reading: Kitchen Literacy by Ann Vileisis

Music: "The Red Kite" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez

Lanza del Vasto: The Silent Revolution

The Path of Radical Simplicity concludes the series. In this final episode, we honor Lanza del Vasto—poet, pilgrim, and founder of the Community of the Ark. As a disciple of Gandhi, he brought nonviolence to the West not as an idea but as a life. We explore how his radical simplicity, voluntary poverty, and service-centered communities created a living model of peace for generations to come.

Find the Books AvisKalfsbeek.com

Music: “Dalai Llama Riding a Bike” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez

The Path of Radical Simplicity concludes the series. In this next-to-last episode of the series, we honor The Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. We explore how his radical simplicity—rooted in a monk's austerity and his message of compassion—has made him a global force for peace and a living testament to the power of inner freedom.

Find the Books: AvisKalfsbeek.com

Watch the Film: A lovely experience is watching him with Desmond Tutu in the film "Mission Joy: Finding Happiness in Troubled Times."

Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez

The Path of Radical Simplicity continues. In this episode, we honor Marie Kondo, the tidying consultant who proved that true simplicity is about keeping only what sparks joy. We explore the KonMari Method and how letting go of possessions frees us from emotional clutter.

AvisKalfsbeek.com

Recommended Reading: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez

The Path of Radical Simplicity continues. In this episode, we meet Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of simplicity, poverty, and animals, who renounced a fortune to achieve spiritual freedom. We explore how his radical choice to own nothing allowed him to serve everyone.

AvisKalfsbeek.com

Recommended Reading: The Little Flowers of Saint Francis

Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

The Path of Radical Simplicity continues. In this episode, we meet Epictetus, the Stoic philosopher who proved that the greatest source of suffering is attachment to things outside our control. We explore his concept of the Dichotomy of Control and how radical simplicity of mind leads to true, unshakeable freedom.

AvisKalfsbeek.com

Recommended Reading: The Enchiridion by Epictetus

Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez

The Path of Radical Simplicity: In this episode, we meet Henry David Thoreau, the American philosopher who lived deliberately in a self-built cabin by Walden Pond. We explore his famous experiment, his resistance to complexity, and his belief that the true cost of a thing is the amount of life you must exchange for it.

AvisKalfsbeek.com

Recommended Reading: Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez