The second guest in our Christmas special, with his unmistakable gift of the gab, is Julian, who shares his Christmas traditions as an Irishman living in Klagenfurt. Even though he has spent the holidays in Austria with his wife and children ever since moving here over 20 years ago, he is still a bit put off by the Austrian Christkind and how children are 'accustomed' to associate Christmas bells with it. However, Christmas means a lot more than just presents to him: Between sharing fond memories from his Christmases in Ireland back when he was young, celebrating (the days leading up to) Christmas with the 'Guinness family' in cozy warm pubs, and still remembering meeting Santa Claus at the golf club where he arrived on a tractor from the direction of the 15th hole, Julian also talks about the magic of Christmas songs, whose power can not only save Christmas but also warm a Grinch's heart as a result. Even though he used to enjoy 'Glühmost' at Austrian Christmas markets in the past, his forever ideal shopping list would look different: USA tinned biscuits, Roses Cadbury chocolates, and everything you need for an excessive Turkey dinner with loads of gravy.

Contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ to share ideas, volunteer for an interview, or complain about the lack of snow ever since Julian's arrival in 2004.

Tamara Urach, host

Julian Mullen, guest

*soundeffects by Pixabyte

Always look on the braai side of Christmas (or whatever Monty Python said). We are kicking off the festive season with our very own little advent calendar, introducing you to various countries' holiday and Christmas traditions and customs. Our first guest, Lisa, talks about growing up with white Christmases - but instead of snow it was the white sand of sunny beaches that she remembers along with advent wreaths made of protea and fynbos as well as visiting flowery Christmas markets and the townships. Santa Claus is coming to Cape Town! Growing up in Austria and South Africa, Lisa got to enjoy both Christmas cookies (or crumbles) as well as malva pudding, and her Christmas Days were filled with baaibroodjies and boerewors. We cannot help getting hungry and longing for a flight south for the winter to escape "Klagenfurt Grey".

Contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ to share ideas, volunteer for an interview, or help Lisa find out where to get mince pies from.

Tamara Urach, host

Gerd Ofner, host

Lisa Papitsch, guest

*soundeffects by Pixabyte

Austria, Bachelor's, Coaching, Dissertation, Ecuador, Finland - or Fleischhacker? You decide! We could probably go through the whole alphabet to describe everything Melanie talked about in her interview. A Klagenfurt local who finished her BA and MA at the Department of English in Klagenfurt, she is currently working on her dissertation (Pretty hard Degree) on a linguistic topic (questioning sequences in coaching). She teases us with a recipe for homemade pumpkin spice latte but neglected to bring any for us--zilch! Look, we did make it through the whole alphabet, so check out this episode for all the letters in between.

For more information on the programme that Melanie used to go to Ecuador, visit AFS's website.

Melanie's book recommendation: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Blake Shedd, host

Tamara Urach, host

Melanie Fleischhacker, guest

Today's podcast features Prof. Aidan O'Malley, who was invited to speak at the Klagenfurt Centre of Irish Studies at the Department of English. Currently working at the University of Rijeka, he shares his past and present research interests with us along with some background on his academic career. We also learned a little bit about the Field Day Theatre Company, the field of Irish Studies, and an Irish literary connection to Croatia. Check out the episode to find out more!

Contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ to share ideas, volunteer for an interview, or find out which of the thieves you are.

Tamara Urach, host

Blake Shedd, host

Aidan O'Malley, guest

There are no snakes in this episode - but there is research galore. Our guest today is Prof. Dr. Roger Dale Jones who specialises in the field of English language didactics at the University of Klagenfurt. Nothing he researches belongs in a museum because the topics he is interested in are all relevant to modern society (video games, poverty, and AI). Dr. Jones talks about how important it is for the university to engage with society at large; he might even have said, “If you wanna be a good researcher, you gotta get out of the library [and do field research]!”

Dale's book recommendation: The Disappearance by Philip Wylie

Contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ to share ideas, volunteer for an interview, or inquire about the whereabouts of the Holy Grail.

Tamara Urach, host

Blake Shedd, host

Dale Jones, guest

What lies in the future for the Bachmann Gymnasium pupils who came to the University of Klagenfurt for a campus visit? Only the future will tell. What we can tell you now though is that they had a great time. Today's podcast features an interview/interviews with students from the Bachmann Gymnasium in Klagenfurt and our dear colleague Vanessa Walzl who elaborates on our new departmental outreach programme. There's no almanac to tell us if these students will one day graduate from the university, but on the fly we'd say so (puns intended though not necessarily well executed). 

For more information on the outreach programme or if you'd like to schedule a visit, please get in touch with our colleagues at [email protected]. 

Contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ to share ideas, volunteer for an interview, or do an internship with Doc Brown. 

Blake Shedd, host

Tamara Urach, host

Vanessa Walzl, guest

Katie & Jana, guest students

*soundeffects by Pixabyte

Right in time for Halloween, our department's student representative trio is on air not only to cast spells and ask for treats but especially to introduce themselves to our students. Talking about why they are interested in English Studies and what brought them to Klagenfurt, our ÖH reps explain how and when they are able to help our students--and in which cases their witchcraft is not powerful enough, for which they have to re-direct you. 

They also came to promote this year's Halloween party, which is scheduled to take place next to the Mensa building at the ÖH Wohnzimmer on October 30th (3 p.m.) - come in your scariest costume (a teacher might be a good start, no?). A Christmas party will take place on December 19; check out the WhatsApp group (join here) and/or look for posters in the hallway for further info and updates. Consider this host bewitched by all the great things going on at the department.

For general tips and tricks for your studies and for help regarding content and complaints, please contact [email protected]. For questions regarding admission and examinations, please get in touch with the Admissions and Examinations Office.

Contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ to share ideas, volunteer for an interview, or complain about how Tamara confused the Gunpowder Plot with a horror movie.

Tamara Urach, host

Mara Lantschner, guest 

Vanessa Weinzerl, guest

Laura Possnig, guest

*soundeffects by Pixabyte

... licenced to coach. Today's guest is Prof. Dr. Eva-Maria Graf -- she shares with us a little bit about her background, her start in academia and her current research interests. We questioned her about her research projects about questions (haha) and received enlightening answers. Join us on this quest to learn more about QueSCo (pun intended), applied linguistics, and Eva's passion for language.

Eva's book recommendation: Paul Auster, especially The New York Trilogy.

Contact us at [email protected] to share ideas, volunteer for an interview, or inquire about purchasing "Klagenfurt Grey" paint.

Blake Shedd, host

Tamara Urach, host

Eva-Maria Graf, guest

... / Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, / To the last syllable of recorded time - thank god this episode is under 20 minutes... and yet another Shakespeare reference! In today's episode Blake interviews his co-host Tomorrow Urach to find out what she was up to yesterday, when her problems seemed so far away. You'll hear about her university career and her current PhD (Pretty hard Degree) project and her love of learning and video games.

Contact us at [email protected] to share ideas, volunteer for an interview, or learn more about how many times Tamara has turned her head around whenever someone was talking about tomorrow's plans.

Blake Shedd, host

Tamara Urach, host/guest

In today's episode, Tamara interviews her co-host Blake to shed(d) light on his academic career and his moving to Klagenfurt, Austria (this sentence was edited for non-parallel structure). Check out his website blur.aau.at for more info on his interests. 

Contact us at [email protected] to share ideas, (shed your shyness and) volunteer for an interview, or learn more about Blake.

Tamara Urach, host

Blake Shedd, host/guest