The Colin McEnroe Show

John Steinbeck considered East of Eden to be his magnum opus. And it’s now thought of as one of the great American novels.

Netflix’s new seven-part limited series adaptation is created by and co-written by Zoe Kazan. Kazan’s grandfather, Elia Kazan, directed the classic big-screen adaptation starring James Dean.

This hour, a look at Steinbeck’s epic novel, the original movie, and the new series adaptation of East of Eden.

GUESTS:

• Joel Baden: Professor of Hebrew Bible at Yale Divinity School
• Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the Fantasy Filmball podcast
• Susan Shillinglaw: Professor emerita of English at San Jose State University, where she was director of the University’s Center for Steinbeck Studies for 18 years; she was also director of the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas from 2015 to 2018
• Lindsay Lee Wallace: A writer and journalist whose latest work includes the cover stories for the four most recent issues of Bat Conservation International’s Bats magazine

Music featured (in order):

• East of Eden (Main Title) – Leonard Rosenman as performed by the London Sinfonietta under the direction of John Adams
• Cain and Abel – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra
• Steinbeck in the Oblivion – Klint Kratzer
• Salinas – Laura Marling
• Outside of Eden – Jesca Hoop, Kate Stables, Justis
• Adam Lay Ybounden – The Cambridge Singers under the direction of John Ritter

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When was the last time you read a short story? This hour, we talk about why short stories are so popular in the classroom, but why adults don’t seem to read them much once they’re done with school. And we make the case for why you should. Plus, a look at the art of the short story with some masters of the craft.

You can read Rebecca Makkai’s Substack post that inspired this show here. 

Here is the story that is discussed in the final segment, “How I Became a Vet” by Rivka Galchen. 

As part of this show we asked each of our guests to recommend a short story, a collection, or an author. Here are those recommendations:

• Rebecca Makkai: “The Dinner Party” by Joshua Ferris

• George Saunders: “The Stone Boy” by Gina Berriault, “The Conventional Wisdom” by Stanley Elkin

• Deborah Treisman: Liberation Day by George Saunders, After the Funeral by Tessa Hadley, “The Haunting of Hajji Hotak” by Jamil Jan Kochai

• Amy Bloom: “The Dead” by James Joyce, stories by Edward P. Jones, essays by Samantha Irby

• Irene Papoulis: “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” by ZZ Packer

• Brian Slattery: “Hell is the Absence of God” by Ted Chiang

• Colin McEnroe: “The Hole on the Corner” and “What’s the Name of That Town?” by R.A. Lafferty

GUESTS: 

• Rebecca Makkai: Author of the Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-finalist The Great Believers, among other books; her newest book is I Have Some Questions For You, and she is artistic director of StoryStudio Chicago

• George Saunders: Author of many books including Liberation Day, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, and Lincoln in the Bardo

• Deborah Treisman: Fiction editor for The New Yorker and the host of their Fiction Podcast

• Amy Bloom: Author whose most recent book is Blunt Instrument

• Irene Papoulis: Taught writing for a long time at Trinity College

• Brian Slattery: Freelance writer and editor

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Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired on August 7, 2023.

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We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing.

This hour, the conversation winds around to the Connecticut gubernatorial election, nostalgia, praying mantises, heavy metal, healthcare … Anything. (Seemingly) everything.

These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one.

Music featured (in order):

• Sympathy – LUCA
• Oh Love – Kingfishr
• Skim a Stone – This Is the Kit
• Someone You Love – Tiny Habits
• How Come – Charlotte Dos Santos
• Season of the Witch – Alanis Morissette

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What do you know about silversmith Paul Revere besides that he borrowed a horse to warn American colonists that the British troops were coming? If Revere had help, why is he the only rider taught in History classes throughout America? We talk with Kostya Kennedy about his book, ‘The Ride,’ and learn the story behind a man—and an act on horseback—that was, “deeper and richer than previously assumed.” Plus, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow scholar Christoph Irmscher joins with an appreciation of Longfellow’s famous poem, ‘Paul Revere’s Ride.' And we learn what it's like to retrace Revere's route from journalist, Jenna Russell.

GUESTS: 

• Kostya Kennedy: Author of ‘The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night that Saved America’

• Christoph Irmscher: Distinguished Professor of English at Indiana University. He is a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow and the author of The Poetics of Natural History and Longfellow Redux

• Jenna Russell: New England bureau chief for The New York Times. Jenna documented her drive of Paul Revere's route, which took twice as long in Boston traffic.

Music featured (in order):

• William Tell Overture (Finale) – Gioachino Rossini, as conducted by Myung-whun Chung and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra

• Paul Revere – Johnny Cash

• Ride Your Pony – Paul Revere and the Raiders

• One If By Land – Paul Burch

• The British Are Coming – Weezer

• Paul Revere – Louis Prima, Keely Smith

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

Join the conversation on Facebook.

Colin McEnroe, Lily Tyson and Dylan Reyes contributed to this episode, which originally aired on May 7, 2026.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This month marks the 40th anniversary of the last time the New York Mets won the World Series.

The Mets came in last in the National League East this season, but Mets fandom seems to have taken on a bit of an uncharacteristic “Wait ’til next year!” sort of an attitude.

With the hated Red Sox eliminated from the postseason and the New York Yankees on an off day between series, we take a look at that other local baseball team: the Mets.

GUESTS:

• Philip Bump: Senior data editor and columnist for Hearst Connecticut Media Group
• A. M. Gittlitz: An organizer and writer; his new book is Metropolitans: New York Baseball, Class Struggle, and the People’s Team
• Frankie Graziano: Hosts The Wheelhouse on Connecticut Public
• Steve Metcalf: Founder and director of the Garmany concert series at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School
• Mike Pesca: Editorial director for news and politics podcasts at CBS

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Colin McEnroe, Eugene Amatruda, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

George Orwell's novels 1984 and Animal Farm feel especially prescient in this moment, as surveillance technologies continue to expand, and history and language are weaponized. We take a look at the life and literature of George Orwell. And ask: what does the term "Orwellian" really mean?

GUESTS:

• Laura Beers: Professor of History at American University, and the author of Orwell’s Ghosts: Wisdom and Warnings for the Twenty-First Century

• D. J. Taylor: Writer, critic, and author of many books, including Orwell: The New Life and Who is Big Brother? A Reader's Guide to George Orwell

• Sandra Newman: Author of Julia: A Novel, among other books

Music featured (in order):

• Welles Raises Kane (I. Overture) – Bernard Herrmann, as conducted by himself, leading the London Philharmonic Orchestra

• Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four) – Eurythmics

• One Brick – Aesop Rock

• Keep the Aspidistra Flying – Ivan Waters and the Citadel

• Piggies – The Beatles

• 1984 – Anais Mitchell

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

Join the conversation on Facebook.

Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on May 6, 2026.

Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you have a place where everybody knows your coffee order? Your cat's name? How you like your eggs? Then congrats! You're a regular!

This hour, we explore the value of becoming a regular (and how to do so) in our ever disconnected society. Plus, we hear about the regulars of Claire's Corner Copia in New Haven.

GUESTS:

• Gillian Sandstrom: Associate Professor in the Psychology of Kindness at the University of Sussex.
• Mark Alan Burger: Social Media Editor at Esquire, and the author of “The Lost Art of Being a Regular”.
• Claire Criscuolo: Owner of Claire’s Corner Copia in New Haven.

Music featured (in order):

• Feelin’ Good Again – Robert Earl Kleen
• Where Everybody Knows Your Name (Cheers Theme) – Gary Portnoy
• Here Comes a Regular – The Replacements
• Violetta’s – Dave’s True Story
• Bobo’s – Liza Minnelli
• Eggs And Sausage (In A Cadillac With Susan Michelson) – Tom Waits

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Today “Luddite” is used as a derogatory term for someone who doesn’t understand technology. But the original Luddites weren’t behind. They were technical workers who were concerned about the impact that technology would have on people.

This hour, we look at the history of Luddites, how their philosophy applies today, and ask what our present would look like if they had won. Could we all gain something from thinking more like a Luddite?

GUESTS:

• Miriam A. Cherry: Professor of law at St. John’s University and the author of Work in the Digital Age: A Coursebook on Labor, Technology, and Regulation

• Brian Merchant: Author of Blood in the Machine: the Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech

• Gavin Mueller: Assistant professor of new media and digital culture at the University of Amsterdam and the author of Breaking Things at Work: The Luddites Are Right About Why You Hate Your Job

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Colin McEnroe, Eugene Amatruda, and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show, which originally aired August 21, 2023.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing.

This hour, the conversation winds around to Lonesome Dove, the public intellectual, how to talk in more complex sentences, tragedy and tragic figures today, quilting, the music of 1976… Anything. (Seemingly) everything.

These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one.

Music featured (in order):

• Pizza – Eitan Kenner, Natalie Tenenbaum
• Bite Your Tongue – Duncan Sheik
• Hudson – Henry Jamison (feat. Lady Lamb)
• A car wash and a new pair of pants – Lizzy McAlpine
• I Will Be Blowing More Jazz in the Future – Dan Reeder
• Waters of March – Cassandra Wilson

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This special edition of The Nose — guest hosted and co-hosted (!) by comedian and writer Shawn Murray and journalist and noted bat expert Lindsay Lee Wallace — looks at:

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is a satirical surrealist psychological romance slasher film with a film-within-a-film narrative. It’s the third feature film written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun and their followup to I Saw the TV Glow. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma stars Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson.

And: Lanterns is the third TV series and fifth entry overall in Chapter One: Gods and Monsters of the DC Universe. It is created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, and it’s meant to tell a Green Lantern story kind of in the style of TV shows like True Detective and Slow Horses. Lanterns stars Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart.

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.