For this special Thanksgiving episode, Chris is joined by Meir Soloveichik, the Rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel (the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States) and the director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University. They discuss the Jewish origins of the Thanksgiving holiday, the history of Jews in America, and the current plight of antisemitism in American politics. Show notes:

• For Solly’s writing about Thanksgiving, see here and here.
• Solly’s recent essay for Mosaic, “The Christian-Jewish Alliance and Its Enemies”
• The recent volume to which Solly contributed, Jewish Roots of American Liberty
• George Washington's letters to the Hebrew congregations in Newport and Savannah
• Get Chris’s book, 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven’t Read), here.

Time stamps: 
1:41 – Origins of Thanksgiving and the history of Solly’s congregation
12:22 – The significance of religious liberty for early Jewish Americans
23:33 – Hebraic roots of the American founding
40:05 – Antisemitism on the American left and right
53:12 – Maintaining gratitude in the face of hardship

Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.

Produced by Sean Doolan.

The critic and literary biographer Frances Wilson drops by to discuss her exceptional new book, Electric Spark: The Enigma of Dame Muriel. She and Chris talk about the fascinating life and early career of Muriel Spark, including her development as a novelist, tumultuous family life, and journey to religious belief. This is an especially fun conversation about one of the 20th century’s greatest—and slipperiest—novelists.

Show notes:

• Frances’s book, Electric Spark: The Enigma of Dame Muriel
• Chris’s review of Electric Spark for the Washington Examiner
• Some of Chris’s other essays about Spark: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and The Mandelbaum Gate; (his book, 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven’t Read), includes a chapter about another Spark novel).
• Martin Stannard’s authorized biography of Spark
• Spark’s memoir, Curriculum Vitae

Time stamps:

0:34 – Muriel Spark's background and literary style (with a digression about Frances’s and Chris’s favorite Spark novels)
11:00 – Grappling with slippery biographical details
18:07 – Spark's early life and family
28:49 – Doppelgängers and doubling
36:15 – Peculiar day jobs and resulting entanglements

51:05 – Conversion to Catholicism

Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.



Produced by Sean Doolan and R. Rubin.

Chris is joined by Bryan A. Garner: grammarian, lexicographer, and author of The Etcher: The Life and Art of Oskar Stoessel. They discuss Stoessel’s life and work, how he managed to etch portraits of FDR and eight Supreme Court justices, and what compelled Bryan to write about him. They also talk about Bryan’s recent defense of originalism against a strange new critique, his career as a grammarian, and the origins of his collaboration with Justice Scalia. Show notes: 

• Bryan’s new book, The Etcher: The Life and Art of Oskar Stoessel
• Bryan’s two recent columns for National Review, on Jill Lepore and H.W. Fowler
• Bryan’s coauthored books with Justice Scalia, Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts and Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges

 Time stamps: 
1:50 –⁠ “Who was Oskar Stoessel?”
6:08 –⁠ Oskar’s early career and the nature of etching
15:19 –⁠ Oskar’s remarkable time in the United States
28:20 –⁠ Oskar’s return to Austria, later life, and legacy
37:42 –⁠ Defending originalism from a new critique
44:20 –⁠ Becoming a grammarian

Chris is joined by prolific sportswriter Joe Posnanski to discuss his 2009 book, The Machine: A Hot Team, a Legendary Season, and a Heart-Stopping World Series: The Story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Reds’ legendary victory, they discuss the personalities, politics, and drama that culminated in what is considered by some to be the greatest World Series of all time. Joe also gives a sneak preview of his next book, tells the story of his career in sports journalism, and shares some thoughts about the current state of sports writing.
 
Show notes:
 
·       Joe’s 2009 book, The Machine: A Hot Team, a Legendary Season, and a Heart-stopping World Series: The Story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds
·       Joe’s website
·       Joe and Michael Schur’s forthcoming book, Big Fan: Two Friends, 81,589 Miles, and the Wild, Wonderful Sports We Love
 
Time stamps:
 
2:05 – Origins of the “Big Red Machine”
16:57 – The Reds’ 1975 season
29:41 – The 1975 World Series
42:10 – The Machine’s impact and legacy
52:08 – Joe’s career and the future of sports writing
 
Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.
 
Produced by Sean Doolan.

Chris is joined by Michael Clune, a professor at the Ohio State University’s Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society, and the author of the excellent new novel, Pan. They discuss some of the themes and ideas underlying Pan, as well as Michael’s vision of literary scholarship and its place in the modern university. 

Show notes: 

• Michael’s new novel, Pan
• Michael’s previous book, A Defense of Judgement
• “We Asked for It,” Michael’s 2024 essay in The Chronicle of Higher Education
• AEI’s recent event, “Literature in Limbo,” for which Michael served as a panelist

 Time stamps: 


1:12 Pan’s origin and its relation to Michael’s criticism
7:12 The challenges of portraying mental illness in literature
13:51 Ritual and cultural artifacts in the novel
27:33 Technology, shared experience, and the 90s
40:22 Understanding experience through narrative
50:30 The study of literature in higher education 

Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist. 

Produced by Sean Doolan and S. Lillywhite.

Chris is joined by Brendan O’Meara, the founder and host of the Creative Nonfiction Podcast and author of a great new biography, The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine. They discuss the life of American distance running legend Steve Prefontaine (a.k.a. “Pre”), including his childhood, the highs and lows of his running career, his untimely death, and his legacy.
 
Show notes:
·         Brendan’s new book, The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine
·         The 1972 Olympic 5000m final
·         Without Limits, the 1998 Prefontaine biopic
 
Time stamps:
1:33     Early life in Coos Bay, Oregon
10:35   Entrée into running and rise to stardom
20:57   Pre’s character, on and off the track
30:43   College career and “Pre’s people”
35:30   1972 Olympics
43:20   Post-Olympic comeback and fight against the AAU
50:09   Death and legacy
 
Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.
 
Produced by Sean Doolan and S. Lillywhite.

Chris is joined by Cassandra Nelson, an affiliate fellow in literature at the Lumen Center in Madison, Wisconsin, an associate fellow at the University of Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, and the author of A Theology of Fiction (Wiseblood Books, 2025). They discuss the life and thought of Sr. Mariella Gable, a Benedictine nun who had an under-appreciated influence on Catholic literary fiction during the 20th century. They also talk about the relationship between theology and literature, the work of Betty Wahl and J.F. Powers, and more. Show notes:

• • Cassandra’s new book, A Theology of Fiction, and the 2022 First Things essay on which it is based
  • Sr. Mariella Gable’s anthologies of Catholic fiction
  • J.F. Powers’s collected short stories
  • The Lumen Center’s website
  • Chris’s book, 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven’t Read) 

Time stamps:
2:56     Sr. Mariella Gable’s conception of Catholic fiction
23:20   Sr. Mariella’s controversies and influence
29:31   A theology of comedy
35:15   Betty Wahl and J.F. Powers
45:20   Reading as a spiritual practice and the moral dimension of fiction
56:55   Cassandra’s recommendations
 
This episode is brought to you by Root & Branch, the only bed linens designed especially for guest rooms.
 
Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.
 
Produced by Sean Doolan and Otis Wilbury.

Chris is joined by his AEI colleague Thomas Chatterton Williams, whose latest book Summer of Our Discontent: The Age of Certainty and the Demise of Discourse was published earlier this month. The two discuss Thomas’s analysis of the events and ideas that led to the protests, riots, and all-around madness of the summer of 2020; cancel culture and the importance of free expression; the concept of race and its relation to cultural heritage; and more.
 
Show notes:

• Thomas’s new book, Summer of Our Discontent
• The Harper’s Letter
• Thomas’s previous book, Self-Portrait in Black and White
• Chris’s book, 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven’t Read)

 
Time stamps:
2:36     Reflecting on the summer of 2020
6:13     The promises and shortcomings of the Obama era
14:32   The “Great Awokening” and the rise of Trump
21:07   Cancel culture and the cult of anti-racism
36:35   The Harper’s Letter and the fight for free expression
42:47   Post-racialism and cultural heritage
50:22   From January 6 to October 7
56:09   Charting a path forward
 
This episode is brought to you by the Rockford Agency. Our trained investigators have specialized in CLOSED CASES since 1968. $200/day + expenses. Call (311) 555-2368 and leave a message.
 
Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.
 
Produced by Sean Doolan.

Chris is joined by Jennifer Frey, professor of philosophy in the department of philosophy & religion at The University of Tulsa, and former Dean of the Honors College at TU. They discuss the university’s recent decision to eliminate her position as dean and restructure the Honors College, the power dynamics at play within university governance, and the value of liberal education more broadly.

 
·         Jennifer’s X thread announcing her departure as Dean
·         Jennifer’s New York Times essay recounting her experience
·         Lee Trepanier’s response to Jennifer’s essay
·         Stanley Fish’s essay in The Lamp, and Jennifer’s response to it
 

Time stamps:
1:12           Jennifer’s introduction and professional background
4:52           Jennifer’s success with the University of Tulsa’s Honors College
20:11         Why TU’s administration killed the Honors College
25:24         Structural shortcomings of university governance
35:29         Liberal education and the datafication of the university
43:07         Higher education as the pursuit of wisdom

 
Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.

Chris talks to Ronnie A. Grinberg, associate professor of history at the University of Oklahoma, about the anti-communist Jewish intellectuals who helped shape post-war American culture and politics. How did this remarkable group of writers—which included such prominent figures as Lionel Trilling, Diana Trilling, Irving Howe, Midge Decter, and Norman Podhoretz—take shape? What were their various opinions about topics like communism, feminism, and masculinity? How do their ideas continue to inform our political and cultural discourse?
 
Find out more about Ronnie’s new book, Write Like a Man: Jewish Masculinity and the New York Intellectuals, here.
 
This episode is brought to you by 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven’t Read)