November 19, 2009
Off the Shelf- Episode 11:Biblical Literacy with Tim Beal
Joining me this week for episode eleven of Off the Shelf is Florence Harness Professor of Religion Timothy Beal. Tim is a prolific author and scholar, and his latest book is entitled Biblical Literacy: The Essential Bible Stories Everyone Needs to Know. The sub-sub title of the book is "The best bits without all the boring bits" which describes it quite clearly. In our conversation, we talk about how the book came about, Tim's fascination with the binding of Isaac and the book of Job, and mermaids.
The podcast can be heard by clicking the play arrow on the player below.
In addition, the podcast can be downloaded as an mp3 file or iTunes-friendly m4a version. To download either file, right-click (control-click on the Mac) the link below the player and select "save file as..." or "download linked file as..." When the file is downloaded, you can listen to it with the audio playing software or device of your choice.
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Explore the text of Biblical Literacy here:
Posted by William Claspy on November 19, 2009 10:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
October 08, 2009
Off the Shelf- Episode 10: Triumph of Pleasure, Georgia Cowart
My guest for episode ten of Off the Shelf is Professor of Music Georgia Cowart. We discuss her recent book entitled The Triumph of Pleasure: Louis XIV and the Politics of Spectacle, which was published in 2008 by the University of Chicago Press. The book focuses on the shifting intersections of the arts, ideology and aesthetics at the court of Louis XIV and in the Parisian public sphere during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century.
Professor Cowart recently helped curate an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York entitled Watteau, Music, and Theater, which is open from September 22nd through November 29th, 2009. The Metropolitan Museum of Art web site has more information on the exhibition, including links to view the works of art on display, a listing of special events related to the exhibition, a short excerpt from the audio guide which Professor Cowart mentions during our conversation, and much more. The exhibition was recently reviewed in the New York Times.
Georgia also mentions former CWRU Music Department student and current lecturer in the department Debra Nagy and her recording of music of the era, which is available via CDBaby.
The brief piece of music just before our conversation begins is by Lully, his Gigue pour Bacchus from the Ballet de Xerxes written in 1660.
The podcast can be heard by clicking the play arrow on the player below.
In addition, the podcast can be downloaded as an mp3 file or iTunes-friendly m4a version. To download either file, right-click (control-click on the Mac) the link below the player and select "save file as..." When the file is downloaded, you can listen to it with the audio playing software or device of your choice.
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Explore The Triumph of Pleasure below at Google Book Search:
Posted by William Claspy on October 8, 2009 02:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
September 15, 2009
Off the Shelf- Episode 9: Dissection with James Edmonson
I'm happy to kick off season two of Off the Shelf with my guest James Edmonson. Jim is the curator of the Dittrick Medical History Center here at Case Western Reserve University, and is also adjunct associate professor in the Department of History. Jim was co-author of the book Dissection: Photographs of a Rite of Passage in American Medicine: 1880-1930, with John Harley Warner of Yale University. The book came out earlier this year to great critical and popular success. You can listen in to our discussion about the book, the role of cadavers and dissection in American medical education, and more about the Dittrick's collection.
The podcast can be heard by clicking on the player below.
In addition, the podcast can be downloaded as an mp3 file or iTunes-friendly m4a version. To download either file, right-click (control-click on the Mac) the link below the player and select "save file as..." When the file is downloaded, you can listen to it with the audio playing software or device of your choice.
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I'd also like to provide a link to the opening of a new permanent exhibition space at the Dittrick Medical History Center at the Allen Memorial Library, that will feature the Center's Percy Skuy Collection on the History of Contraception. The Center is hosting an accompanying talk and reception that is being held on Thursday, September 17th at 6 pm.
The book Dissection can also be ordered directly from the Dittrick Medical History Center using this order form.
Posted by William Claspy on September 15, 2009 04:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 01, 2009
Off the Shelf - Episode 8: Erik Satie with Mary Davis
Joining me for this episode of Off the Shelf is Associate Professor of Music Mary Davis. In a conversation riddled with talk of fashion and celebrity, we primarily discuss her book Erik Satie, a biography of the French composer that was published by Reaktion Books in their "Critical Lives" series in 2007.
In addition, we also talk about her critically acclaimed book Classic Chic: Music, Fashion, and Modernism which was published by the University of California Press in 2006.
The podcast can be heard by clicking on the player below.
In addition, the podcast can be downloaded as an mp3 file or iTunes-friendly m4a version. To download either file, right-click (control-click on the Mac) the link below the player and select "save file as..." When the file is downloaded, you can listen to it with the audio playing software or device of your choice.
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Explore Classic Chic below at Google Book Search:
Posted by William Claspy on May 1, 2009 04:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
April 02, 2009
Off the Shelf - Episode 7: Ted Gup Nation of Secrets
In this episode of Off the Shelf I have the great pleasure of speaking with Professor Ted Gup from CWRU's Department of English. We discuss his 2007 book Nation of Secrets: The Threat to Democracy and the American Way of Life, which was published by the Doubleday, and has now come out in paperback.
In addition, I ask Ted for his opinion on the state of journalism, journalism education, and the American newspaper.
The podcast can be heard by clicking on the arrow in the player in the blue bar below.
The podcast can also be downloaded as an mp3 file or iTunes-friendly m4a version. To download either file, right-click (control-click on the Mac) the link below the player and select "save file as..." When the file is downloaded, you can listen to it with the audio playing software or device of your choice.
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Explore the text of Nation of Secrets below at Google Book Search:
Posted by William Claspy on April 2, 2009 12:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
February 27, 2009
Off the Shelf - Episode 6: Thrity Umrigar and "The Weight of Heaven"
I'm thrilled to welcome friend, author and associate professor of English Thrity Umrigar for episode 6 of Off the Shelf. In this episode, we discuss Professor Umrigar's newest novel The Weight of Heaven, which will be published by Harper Collins Publishing in April, 2009. I believe that Off the Shelf has a scoop here, with Professor Umrigar's first media appearance in conjunction with the publication of this novel.
The Weight of Heaven is the story of Frank and Ellie Benton, a happily married Midwestern couple whose young son Benny dies of a sudden illness. In their quest to come to terms with what life will be like without their beloved son, Frank accepts a post from his employer in rural India. The novel concerns itself with how Ellie and Frank deal with their grief and try to regain a sense of who they are, both individually and as man and wife, at the same time that they alternatively discover, appreciate and wrestle with life in India.
The podcast can be heard by clicking on the arrow in the player below.
In addition, the podcast can be downloaded as an mp3 file or iTunes-friendly m4a version. To download either file, right-click (control-click on the Mac) the link below the player and select "save file as..." When the file is downloaded, you can listen to it with the audio playing software or device of your choice.
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Posted by William Claspy on February 27, 2009 11:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
February 04, 2009
Off the Shelf - Episode 5: Proust's Deadline with Christine Cano
Joining me for this episode of Off the Shelf is Associate Professor of French Christine Cano from CWRU's Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. We discuss her book Proust's Deadline, which was published by the University of Illinois Press in 2006. The book presents a concise history of the publishing and reception of Proust's multi-volume masterpiece In Search of Lost Time.
The podcast can be heard by clicking on the player below.
In addition, the podcast can be downloaded as an mp3 file or iTunes-friendly m4a version. To download either file, right-click (control-click on the Mac) the link below the player and select "save file as..." When the file is downloaded, you can listen to it with the audio playing software or device of your choice.
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Explore Professor Cano's book below at Google Book Search:
Posted by William Claspy on February 4, 2009 11:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
November 18, 2008
Off the Shelf - Episode 4: Poetry with Sarah Gridley
I am happy to welcome Case Western Reserve University Lecturer and Poet in Residence Sarah Gridley to Off the Shelf for episode 4. In the episode, we discuss Sarah's compilation of poems entitled Weather Eye Open, published by the University of California Press in 2005.
During the interview, we discuss influences, during which Sarah reads a poem by Wallace Stevens that had an early and profound effect on her, entitled "The Idea of Order at Key West". This link will take you to the text of the poem in a new window, if you would like to read along.
The podcast can be heard by clicking on the player below.
In addition, the podcast can be downloaded as an mp3 file or iTunes-friendly m4a version. To download either file, right-click (control-click on the Mac) the link below the player and select "save file as..." When the file is downloaded, you can listen to it with the audio playing software or device of your choice.
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Posted by William Claspy on November 18, 2008 10:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
October 27, 2008
Off the Shelf - Episode 3
This episode is a spooky one for Halloween week!
Episode 3 of Off the Shelf features my interview with Assistant Professor Robert Spadoni from the English department, in which we discuss his book Uncanny Bodies: The Coming of Sound Film and the Origins of the Horror Genre.
The podcast can be heard by clicking on the player below.
In addition, the podcast can be downloaded as an mp3 file or iTunes-friendly m4a version. To download either file, right-click (control-click on the Mac) the link below the player and select "save file as..." When the file is downloaded, you can listen to it with the audio playing software or device of your choice.
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Posted by William Claspy on October 27, 2008 09:40 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
October 20, 2008
Off the Shelf - Episode 2
This week on Off the Shelf, CWRU Music department's Associate Professor Daniel Goldmark and I discuss his book Tunes for 'Toons: Music and the Hollywood Cartoon. Listen in and, if you'd like, sing along!
The podcast can be heard by clicking on the player below. In addition, the podcast can be downloaded as an mp3 file or iTunes-friendly m4a version. To download either file, right-click (control-click on the Mac) the link below the player and select "save file as..." When the file is downloaded, you can listen to it with the audio playing software or device of your choice.
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Daniel Goldmark also co-edited the books The Cartoon Music Book and Beyond the Soundtrack: Representing Music in Cinema.
Posted by William Claspy on October 20, 2008 11:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
September 17, 2008
Off the Shelf - Episode 1
Welcome to the first episode of Off the Shelf. Our debut features an interview with Associate Professor Kurt Koenigsberger from the English Department in which Kurt and I discuss his new book The Novel and the Menagerie: Totality, Englishness and Empire, elephants, and the benefits of waking up early.
The podcast can be heard by clicking on the player below. In addition, the podcast can be downloaded as an mp3 file or iTunes-friendly m4a version. To download either file, right-click (control-click on the Mac) the link below the player and select "save file as..." When the file is downloaded, you can listen to it with the audio playing software or device of your choice.
And stay tuned for future episodes of this new podcast series!
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Many thanks to Roger Zender for producing the blog page design, Jared Bendis and Thomas Hayes for technology support, and Kurt Koenigsberger for being the guinea pig.
Posted by William Claspy on September 17, 2008 11:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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