Speaking with Joy

Episode Nine: Fairy Stories in a Secular Age

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)

Episode Eight: Women Decide Things

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.

Episode Seven: Technology and Time

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.

Episode Six: Christmas Cheer!

A short Christmas episode in which I ramble about my favourite Christmas traditions, share a Christmas playlist, and talk about three pieces of art that draw us into the mystery of the incarnation. Show notes here!

Episode Five: Home

Christmas is nearly upon us, and I'm thinking homeward thoughts. I think home is wound deep in the human psyche. The oldest stories are about homeward journeys. The oldest grief is exile. The most primal need, is the safety, warmth, and food of home. Today we'll look at the question: Where is home? Oh, and I forgot to say this in the podcast, but the movement from the New World Symphony I play is by the Prague Festival Orchestra with Pavel Urbanek, which I encourage you to look up on iTunes! For the shownotes, click here.

Episode Four: Women Know Things

This is the first in a series of once a month episodes featuring art and topics concerning women, about women, and by women. This week we'll be looking at the tradition of Lady Wisdom in music, art and story. We'll think about the ways women have been portrayed as counsellors, instructors, and scholars. We'll be looking at an ancient archetype, two women in the English countryside, an overlooked mama and daughter scholarly pair, and a remarkable woman who composed, healed, wrote, and even made up her own language. For show notes and other fun links, click here.

Episode Three: Thanksgiving (i.e. Food!)

Food, family, and celebration... these are the words of the hour! This quick episode is all about food, and features a very special guest... Mama Clarkson! Tune in to hear a poem about cheese, talk about the bonding magic of food in Lord of the Rings, a painting about defending food from sneaky nibblers, and a song about all the storms of life we bring to the table. For shownotes and further links, check out this link.

Episode Two: Creation and Chaos

Why do we look to nature for comfort and context in experiences of catastrophe? And is creation really comforting, or just another source of chaos? This week's episode asks just that question and looks to four pieces of art to see what they say. This week I talk about being a phd mole (and never seeing the light of day being burried, as I am, in libraries), about how Haydn captured the best of the enlightenment, how Sufjan Stevens embraces the dichotomy of nature's beauty and brokenness, how "The Tree of Life" awakens our wonder at existing, and how Gerard Manley Hopkins captures the hope of a creation longing for rebirth. Tune in, and for further resources and links, check out this link.

Episode One: Introduction

Welcome to Speaking with Joy! This week is a short episode to introduce what this podcast will be all about. I'll tell you what to expect out of a week episode (spoiler: discussion of ideas, art, and my Scottish adventures), and what inspired me to begin this project. So cuddle in for a cup of tea and let's begin!