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Are we responsible for our own actions even if they have been motivated by actions beyond our control?

Over four decades Niall Williams has made a name for himself as one of Ireland’s leading novelists. In his latest novel, Time of the Child, Niall returns to the fictional village of Faha, in west Ireland, the setting of his previous book, This Is Happiness. Time of the Child centres on the notion of familial love, and as he explains to Michael in this week’s episode, Niall couldn’t have written it without becoming a grandfather himself.   Reading list: Four Letters Of Love, Niall Williams, 1997 As It Is In Heaven, Niall Williams, 1999 History of the Rain, Niall Williams, 2015 This Is Happiness, Niall Williams, 2019 Time of the Child, Niall Williams, 2024   Unsettled, Kate Grenville, 2025   You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store.    Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram Guest: Niall Williams

Each season in New York brings a particular charm, and for many, 'spring' signifies romance and optimism. Poet Vincent Katz has published a new collection, Daffodil: And Other Poems, with meditative poems on the intersections between nature and the Big Apple. As part of our Poetry Month coverage, Katz discusses his writing practice and shares selections from his collection.

Bob Dobbs was Marshall McLuhan's archivist, and is a renegade McLuhan scholar. In this episode we discuss the work of James Joyce, Marshall McLuhan, and Joyce's Finnegans Wake.Dobb's site: https://ionandbob.com/---Become part of the Hermitix community:Hermitix Twitter - / hermitixpodcast Hermitix Discord - / discord Support Hermitix:Hermitix Subscription - https://hermitix.net/subscribe/ Patreon - / hermitix Donations: - https://www.paypal.me/hermitixpodHermitix Merchandise - http://teespring.com/stores/hermitix-2Bitcoin Donation Address: 3LAGEKBXEuE2pgc4oubExGTWtrKPuXDDLKEthereum Donation Address: 0x31e2a4a31B8563B8d238eC086daE9B75a00D9E74

Architect Michael Dean breaks down the hidden patterns behind the great essays of our time. In this video, we go over his 27-point framework that makes up every world class piece of writing and how he uses the same system to analyze the Guggenheim and Apple Store. We also talk about what skills will still matter as AI continues to improve and why learning to write might be more important than ever. Enjoy!

A few links:

Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.

Follow me

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel

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This week, writer and human rights lawyer Philippe Sands joins Ellen and Alona to discuss the ‘age of impunity'. Are international systems crumbling, or will they stand the test of time?

Philippe reflects on the process of writing his most recent book 38 Londres Street, and the relationship between storytelling and the law. He also discusses representing Palestine at the ICJ and his thoughts on the utility of genocide as a legal term. And with the arrests and deportations in the US, Philippe discusses the state of human rights under Trump, and what might be next for the country.

Philippe’s book ‘38 Londres Street: On Impunity, Pinochet in England and a Nazi in Patagonia’ is out now.

To read more on this topic from our website, head to prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/international-law

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Trump’s presidential reign turning the US into an oligarchy? Or did the US fall into oligarchic rule many years ago? In episode 127 of Overthink, David and Ellie dive into what an oligarchy looks like, the dangers of a country’s power being in the hands of the wealthy few, and whether or not oligarchic rule is new for the US. They look to the ancient Greeks for ideas on which form of government is conducive to the good life and explore how Aristotle’s notion of pleonexia relates to the current state of the US. Your hosts investigate how oligarchy morphs into tyranny, and try to answer the question, “How can we resist an oligarchy?” In the bonus, Ellie and David look at the four different types of oligarchy discussed by Jeffrey Winters.

Works Discussed: 

Aristotle, Politics

Gordon Arlen, “Aristotle and the problem of oligarchic harm: Insights for democracy”

Thom Hartmann, The Hidden History of American Oligarchy

Plato, Republic 

Luke Winslow, Oligarchy in America 

Jeffrey Winters, Oligarchy 

Support the show

Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast
Website | overthinkpodcast.com
Instagram & Twitter | @overthink_pod
Email | [email protected]
YouTube | Overthink podcast

The runners and riders in the rock and roll steeplechase first past the post this week include …

… how Ed Sheeran protects himself against song theft claims.

… ‘lost’ Hendrix, Beach Boys, Amy Winehouse and Jeff Buckley records: is anything unfinished ever any good?

… “The Unauthorised Breakfast Item”: can YOU tell a Bob Newhart sketch title from a Caravan song?

… US Office versus the UK original and the genius of Steve Carrell.

… The West Wing, Frasier, the Good Life and how romance is the root of all great sitcoms.

… rock and roll lighting: “you can do whatever you want now but that doesn’t mean you should”.

… Judge claims busking is “noise pollution”!

. … Pink Floyd: “it’s not going to work without the gong!”

… and a giant poster of David Hepworth and Mark Ellen pinned to a tree outside Wareham.

Plus birthday guest Stephen Lambe on the downside of the age of spectacle.

Find out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear

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Can your muscles actually twist into knots? Or is it something else entirely?

On 27 February 1933, the Reichstag building in Berlin, which was home to the German Parliament, was burned down.

This was a key event in the establishment of the Nazi dictatorship.

Berlin-born journalist, Sefton Delmer, told his story to the BBC World Service in 1967.

He grew up in the city so knew people involved with the Nazi party. This meant he was able to get close to the main people on the night.

Delmer walked around the burning building with Hitler and Goring. He recalls their conversations and describes the scene in this fascinating account.

Produced and presented by Gill Kearsley.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: The Reichstag fire in 1933. Credit: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)