Cocktail Party Takeaways‪™‬ Anne Rochell Konigsmark

The Catcher in the Rye is probably the most read piece of literature other than The Great Gatsby that I have featured on my podcast. And people have A LOT of opinions about this one. Tune in to hear mine. Spoiler alert: I love this kid.

Author James Baldwin famously said, “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.” If you've never read one of James Baldwin's novels, Go Tell It On The Mountain, If Beale Street Could Talk, or Giovanni's Room, or his essays in The Fire Next Time or Notes of a Native Son, you should go do that. Immediately. Meanwhile, to gain an introduction, or a re-introduction, to one of America's most profound and beautiful voices, listen to my take on Baldwin's short story, "Sonny's Blues." Along the way, you'll get an earful, haha, on how songs sung by slaves are the foundation of virtually every American musical genre. And you'll hear why books are both windows and mirrors, and why we need both, now more than ever.

T.S. Eliot's 1915 poem, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," was my gateway into loving verse. In this episode of Cocktail Party Takeaways, I take a slightly different approach and present this haunting and cryptic poem with little commentary, but with plenty of personal connections. If you want to know what this poem is "about," go elsewhere. If you want to learn how love can be disconnected from understanding, press play. Do you dare? Enjoy. 

Witches! Ghosts! Murders! Is it a new Netflix series? No, it's the Scottish play by William Shakespeare. Find out why you can't say Macbeth in a theater, why King James I hated witches, and why the word "filthy" means so much more than you think it does. Everyone likes to talk Shakespeare, so listen in and be the smartest person at your next party. You can be the one to give this sage advice: Once you're in a river of blood, don't turn back!

Welcome to Season Two of Cocktail Party Takeaways, where we begin with Franz Kafka's masterpiece of yucky, The Metamorphosis. There are plenty of takeaways in this episode, including mini-lessons on existentialism, surrealism, Freudianism, and expressionism. I also share my dread fear of cockroaches, and I share some insights into why writers write. Don't worry, there's some sex and some Jesus too. 

So, is this really a story to make you believe in God? Only one way to find out! Listen as a seasoned English teacher continues to escort you through Yann Martel's Life of Pi. Learn about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, bildungsromans, the hero's journey, and why stories are essential to our humanity. This episode marks the end of Season One of Cocktail Party Takeaways. Come back in the fall for more great literature and clever observations to make you sound extra smart at your next party.