The Reader and the Writer

Our lives, from their beginnings, are storied, and find their fullness when nestled securely within the Great Story; the one that opens, “In the Beginning…” Here on The Reader and the Writer, we delight in and give witness to that Great Story by reading and discussing those excellent works of literature written since. thereaderandthewriter.substack.com

The Reader and the Writer is a arts podcast hosted by Shari Dragovich and Rhea Forney, with 155 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Shari Dragovich and Rhea Forney hosts The Reader and the Writer, a arts show with 155 episodes published.

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  The Reader and the Writer

  Middlemarch | Book 5

  Jun 12, 20261h 16mS0

  <p><p>“What is it you gentlemen are thinking of when you are with Mrs. Casaubon?”</p><p>“Herself,” said Will…. When one sees a perfect woman, one never thinks of her attributes—one is conscious of her presence.” (409)</p></p><p>Welcome back to Middlemarch. In this episode, Shari & Rhea discuss beauty and love from multiple characters’ perspectives. What is love and beauty according to Will Ladislaw? Lydgate? Rosamond? Dorthea? They talk about Farebrother and the apostolic question surrounding Dorthea and Lydgate’s conversation: What does “apostolic” mean? What has it become in the world of Middlemarch? How is all this apostolic tal...

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  The Reader and the Writer

  Beloved | Part 3

  Jun 9, 20261h 2mS0

  <p>Welcome back to Beloved. In this episode, Rhea and Shari discuss the way this section of the story has a sense of suspendedness to it in ways that are hard to understand or explain. They discuss this phenomena through the unique p.o.v.’s: Baby Suggs (beyond the grave), the “four horsemen,” and Stamp Paid. They discuss the moments of “communion” happening and what each one is signifying, pointing toward and away from. They talk about the way the back and forth of the narrative time leaves them feeling suspended over time itself, and the implications of this for the ch...

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  The Reader and the Writer

  Beloved | Part 2

  Jun 2, 20261h 3mS0

  <p>Welcome back to Beloved, by Toni Morrison. In this episode, Shari and Rhea discuss the novel in a bit of a different way, that is, in the way of movement. What is the push and pull of each character? Where is the status quo that each is continually striving for and what is the continual element disrupting that design? Where and when and to who is each character saying yes, or no to, and what is the resulting consequence of that decision—however conscious or unconscious that may be. All these things help reveal a movement happening: for the ch...

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  The Reader and the Writer

  Beloved | Part 1

  May 26, 20261h 6mS0

  <p>Welcome to our first episode of Beloved, by Toni Morrison. In this episode, Shari and Rhea introduce their four week reading of this powerful novel by way of poetry. Rhea discusses how poetry has helped her digest the intensity of the narrative by reading poetry along the way. They talked about Morrison as a writer, her beliefs about fiction, narrative, and the participatory compact she makes with the reader. Rhea explains how her regular process for reading has drastically adjusted with reading this novel, and why this new approach feels like the right one for now. They discuss memory...

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  The Reader and the Writer

  Middlemarch | Part 4

  May 12, 20261h 34mS0

  <p><p>Most happy she that most assured doth rest, But he most happy who such ones love best</p><p>—Spenser (from epigraph in ch 37)</p></p><p>Welcome back to our year(ish) long read, Middlemarch, by George Eliot. In this episode, Shari and Rhea discuss all the ways Book Four feels pivotal; the story lines begin to really boil in “Three Love Problems,” and there is no shortage of curiosities to go with it. First, they talk of reform in this section, and all the ways the greater idea of “reform” webs itself into the story’s greater them...

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