Welcome to episode 11 of A Perpetual Feast, where Andrew Kern and Wes Callihan discuss Homer and all of the things that Homer makes them think about. 

In this episode, they contemplate the place of suffering and violence in Homer - and how reading Great Books can help us process the suffering each of us endure. 

On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their conversation on Flannery O'Connor's collection of stories, Everything That Rises Must Converge,  with "The Enduring Chill." 

Topics include: O'Connor's sense of humor, the autobiographical nature of the story, the meaning of the names, where Asbury's illness came from, the work of the Holy Spirit in the story, and much more. 

On this episode of Close Reads, David chats with Dr. Ralph Wood, author of Flannery O'Connor and the Christ-Haunted South, about Flannery O'Connor's reputation for grimness. 

Topics include: When Dr. Wood heard O'Connor give a reading live in 1962, O'Connor's sense of humor, the scandalousness of the gospel in O'Connor's canon, Julian's mother in Everything That Rises Must Converge, A View of the Woods' lack of quality, and much, much more. 

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On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their conversation on Flannery O'Connor's collection of stories, Everything That Rises Must Converge,  with "A View of the Woods." 

Topics include: Whether Mary actually exists, Mary as mirror of her grandfather, O'Connor's mysterious use of pronouns, the battle between Fortune and Pitts, the story's comments on modernism, and the damnation of Fortune. 

In this episode of The Mason Jar Q&A, Cindy answers listener questions. 

Topics include:

• Cindy's response to the Children's Lit Challenge
• Measuring Mason's ideals considering our own realities (9:20)
• Prioritizing on busy days (15:30)
• Geography in morning time (18:50)
• Distractable and unmotivated kids (25:15)

On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David continue their conversation on Flannery O'Connor's collection of stories, Everything That Rises Must Converge,  with "Greenleaf." 

Topics include: The romance of the bull, the bull as Christ-figure, O'Connor's commentary on Southern Christianity, sympathy for the Greenleafs, class differences in the story, Mrs. May's irreligion, Mrs. May's disdain for the bull, and the medieval theme of ecstasy in the story's ending. 

PLEASE NOTE: STARTING AT ABOUT 49 MINUTES SOME THEMES THAT MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN ARE DISCUSSED. PROCEED WITH CAUTION IF LISTENING WITH YOUR KIDS. 

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As always, press the arrow above to listen. Or subscribe to the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network via iTunes here or on Stitcher here.  Be sure to subscribe to the Close Reads feed! 

Click here to join the Close Reads Facebook group. 

In this episode of The Commons, Brian Phillips chats with our very own Chuck Hicks (head of operations and resident music scholar here at CiRCE) about bluegrass music, the southern agrarians, and classical education.

Topics include:

• How bluegrass came to be
• How bluegrass music was a reaction to the modern age (7:30)
• The evolution of the form (13:20) 
• Bluegrass and the southern agrarians (19:00)
• Bluegrass and modern pop culture (23:29)
• Connections to classical education (31:05)

Musical selections discussed in today's episode:

• Bill Monroe "Mule Skinner Blues" (1940): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIuuI00XY_Y
• Flatt & Scruggs "Foggy Mountain Breakdown": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_Y3mnj-8lA
• David "Stringbean; Akeman "Run Li'l Rabbit" :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uOy3WdT3mY

On this episode of Close Reads, Angelina, Tim, and David begin their conversation on Flannery O'Connor's collection of stories, Everything That Rises Must Converge, beginning with the titular story. 

Topics include: The 2017 Close Reads literature bracket, first experiences with O'Connor (18:10), O'Connor's "metaphysical realism" (26:40), story summary (37:11), the real racist in the story (41:50), the effect of coming home in O'Connor's work (51:40), the coin (62:45), the ambiguity of the end (70:00). 

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As always, press the arrow above to listen. Or subscribe to the CiRCE Institute Podcast Network via iTunes here or on Stitcher here.  Be sure to subscribe to the Close Reads feed! 

Click here to join the Close Reads Facebook group.