248 – The Tale of Odysseus and Polyphemus

It was too windy for me to sit by the fire, so come join me as I invoke the blessings of Apollo, patron of storytellers, by sitting in front of musical instruments wearing laurel leaves.

I really enjoyed the special effects and visual storytelling in Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey, particularly the scene with Polyphemus the cyclops, a character portrayed with the use of an enormous puppet. However, I was dissatisfied by the rewriting of the plot and characters in this scene, so I thought I would share the original version for you. I have tried to limit my commentary on this tale because it flows so beautifully and needs very little explanation.

Here I am reading from the lyrical, alliterative translation done by A.T. Murray. This translation is in the public domain. As this is an edited and polished video made from a live performance, there are several small errors in my reading.

If you would like to see the full livestream of this reading, including conversation with those who tuned in, here’s the link!

247 – Emily Wilson HATES Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey

Emily Wilson, translator of the unneccesarily hated and gossiped-about translation of Homer’s Odyssey, has seen Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of The Odyssey and . . . she HATES it. Hilariously, and with all of the scorn that only a very posh professor can heap upon a film review.

I love it.

245 – Emily Wilson’s Odyssey Was Kinda Boring

There was a LOT of online hubbub about Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey, which seems to be the one Christopher Nolan relied on for his upcoming film version. I found it to be neither a brilliantly modern take on an ancient epic nor a horrifically woke piece of trash. My moderate take will likely rouse the ire of both sides, but that’s ok.

244 – The Death of Robin Hood is a Spiteful Mess

I am always up for an interesting new perspective on an old story. The Death of Robin Hood wasn’t interesting. It was bleak, depressing, violent, hopeless, historically inaccurate, and poorly lit. It doesn’t matter that very good actors were cast in this movie; even the best performances can’t save a horrible story.

242 – Supergirl’s Mom Is Disappointed in Her

Supergirl was produced by James Gunn, directed by Craig Gillespie, and directed by Ana Nogueira. I blame all three of them equally for this very, very bad movie. Millie Alcock was not the right choice for Supergirl but she’s just an actress doing a gig, so I don’t blame her. This film was such a raging disappointment that I needed to unleash my fury in the way that only a passive-aggressive mom can. Thanks for absolutely nothing, James Gunn.

241 – A Tea Party with George Orwell and Douglas Adams

Things have been crazy in the last few weeks, so let’s have a nice relaxing cup of tea with two great authors who wrote essays about Britain’s most beloved beverage: George Orwell and Douglas Adams. I will be reading what they had to say, sharing a cup of tea with you, and ranking my favorite British biscuits to serve with tea. Please vote on whether or not you all prefer to dunk biscuits or nibble on them separately from your tea, whether Bourbon Creams or Custard Creams are nicer, and how many minutes steeping produces the correct brew.

Try sharing these brilliantly written articles with teenagers, and then encourage them to write their own remarks on the *PROPER* way to do a common task!

See the full livestream here:

239 – Kat’s A+ Homework In Ten Things I Hate About You

In the film 10 Things I Hate About You, Katarina Stratford gets an assignment to rewrite Shakespeare’s Sonnet 141. Her poem that perfectly pays tribute to the play The Taming of the Shrew while perfectly illustrating the complex emotions that come with teen relationships.

This episode is an excerpt from a recent livestream over on my YouTube channel. You can find the full livestream here: