Speaking with Joy

An impromptu podcast for this special day. I tell Saint Patrick's story and give you some scrumptious ideas for celebration! Sláinte!

We have complicated feelings about judgement. We don't want people to judge us, but we want evil people to be judged. Can we have one without the other? This week we'll talk about Judgement, Judges, and Courts. We examine A Few Good Men by Aaron Sorkin, Bleak House the novel by Charles Dickens, and the curious journey of the Dies Irae (day of wrath) from monasteries, to classical music halls, to almost every filmscore you've ever heard. 

 

Show notes can be found at joyclarkson.com

What might humor have to do with humility? Find out in today's podcast featuring, P.G. Wodehouse, Charles Dickens, and Regina Spektor.

This is the first in a series of Lenten themed episodes which seek to help listeners explore the themes of Lent through art. I examine the question “How can we live in preparation for a good death?” We’ll explore this question through the isenheim altarpiece by Matthias Grunewald, Edward Elgar's unstaged opera "Dream of Gerontius" based on the poem by Cardinal Henry Newman (with my brother Clarkson as a guest!), and John Donne's poem "Death Be Not Proud." Bonus: Harry Potter!

Shownotes can be found at joyclarkson.com.

A special episode dedicated to poetry. I look at the theme of wonder in e.e.cummings, Sylvia Plath, and Wendell Berry. And I also announce a very special give away! To enter do three things: 1. rate and review the podcast on iTunes. 2. Share your favourite episode of Speaking with Joy (instagram, twitter, facebook, or email!) 3. Send me an email telling me you've done those two things ([email protected]). Entries accepted until Feb 20th.

Charles Taylor wrote that we live in the Secular Age. It often seems that our default setting is to see nature as an intricate machine, the self as isolated and individualistic, and time as linear and not meaningful. But sometimes we all find this description of the world stiffling and cramped. We need something to help us escape into the deeper reality that lays all around us, and to reawaken us to the wonder of the world. In today's podcast, I talk with Boze Herrington about how Fairy Stories might help us do just that. We talk about Chesterton, Tolkien, The Oh Hellos, Madeleine L'Engle and everything in between! For show notes and links to books mentioned in the podcast, visit joyclarkson.com.

(P.S. Apologies for the wonky audio)

Agency is our capacity to choose and act in ways that meaningfully shape our lives. But what limits our agency? And when we have the capacity to choose, will we choose well? Today's podcast explores these questions through the eyes of Jane Eyre, Mary and Eve, and the Wailin' Jenny's. Shownotes here.

How does technology shape our experience of time? Today's episode dives into this question, looking at the medieval calendars, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and "We Used to Wait" by Arcade Fire. For show notes, click here.