Reads and Weeds

Before there were reality shows where gay friends were dramatically overwrought, there was Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray. We think he might have invented the genre. Thanks to Moon Abbott for the recommendation and to Paul and Moon Abbott for being the first parent/child combo team on Reads and Weeds. If you enjoy a witty 19th century upper class comedy tinged with a super dark lesson in the perils of excessive vanity, this book is for YOU! The songs I mention/sing not so perfectly during the episode are 'Older and Taller' by Regina Spektor and 'Forever Young' by Alphaville. Go smoke something and read the book and listen to the songs and let me know what you think. Cheers!

It was high time for me to catch up with my former improv class buddy Kate Britt. She enthusiastically recommended Fifth Business, the first in the Deptford Trilogy. And she knows stuff because she is a LIBRARIAN. I didn't realize how bad I had been missing smart witty IN PERSON conversation during these cold ass wintery lingering pandemic days and it was just so much fun. The 't nana' I refer to a couple of times during the episode is the 'Tropicana Banana' strain that was grown by an awesome caregiver in Michigan. Yum. How had I not heard about Robertson Davies until now?! I love the fictional village of Deptford and it's inhabitants and the circumstances that affect their whole lives as seen through the eyes of Dunstan Ramsay. It was just what I needed. I felt like I was sitting beside an awkward wonderful storyteller learning about how he came to be the man he is. If you are looking for a novel to just sweep you up and carry you along on these cold days, go get it. I've already started the second one!

It was a 'show must go on' day, and thanks to the lovely recommendation from and company of Cynthia Shelby Lane, it was fun and engaging. If you are looking for a very easy to read and reference guide on how cannabis is being used to treat many well known conditions from insomnia to epilepsy to ptsd, this is the book. If you are looking to start exploring the plant medicine of cannabis for the first time, also a great place to start. Also, Cynthia is amazing and still trying to be an astronaut and this is a big huge year for her unstoppable dream. AND we will both be at 50 First Jokes at the ARK in Ann Arbor Jan 6, 2022! Come see us!

We are smack in between Thanksgiving and Christmas and nothing captures that feeling for me quite like Mad Magazine. I had missed it so! Since I was teeny, I felt like they got me. They 'got' the 'funny'. I knew it before I even understood the word 'satire'. I was so excited to find this special edition in a grocery store and realize the humor holds up so well to this day. Still so smart and daring and silly and not afraid to call out the absurdity in America during this time. And the discovery that they never took ad money, well that just warms my lil ole heart. Thanks Paul Gordon for geeking out with me on memory lane.

I have loved this book for so long. Every few years when I re read it, it is usually because I am hoping it will inspire me. It always does. I feel like Stephen King is hanging out with me telling life stories and talking shop. It is, of course, TELEPATHY! (If you know you know.) I hadn't read lots of his work but that doesn't matter. He is the teacher that wants you to use your tools, write what you know, and tell the truth. If you like to write, want to write, or were writing but are now stuck, go get this book. Message me and let me know how it made you feel. I got to talk about it with Ellie Snyder, Michigan comedian on the rise who is currently shopping her first finished novel around and working on a second. She has been living the lessons and it was great to have someone who had as many favorite parts as I do. Sigh. Thank you Stephen.

I bet some of you saw that title and had a gut reaction to the idea of reading affirmations. Maybe you have rewired your brain and changed your life for the better. Maybe you think they are absolute bullshit. Maybe you feel like using affirmations is just lying to yourself. I'm ALL FOR IT. One day while taping some dance videos for World Dance Workout with Sandy and Nikki, we were having major technical difficulties. We all started our slap happy affirmations. 'I am great at audio tech! I'm never sore! I love social media!' But for real though, we have all seen some miracles. Manifestation. Let's talk about it.

Shelly hangs with Myc again to dive into the mind of William Leonard Pickard. Myc calls him an ENIGMA-defined as 'a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand'. I would have to agree. In the middle of reading this epic memoir that is at times magical realism and often an historical reference, I heard him speak at the inaugural Enthoefest. He was the most present soft spoken world traveling master chemist recently released from a life prison sentence psychonaut that I have ever met. His journey takes him out of prison to the monastery to Harvard to the sometimes dark and terrible and sometimes healing and beautiful drug behavior and policy that effects it all over the world and back to the largest LSD production lab bust in history. Well, it isn't boring. Also, reading someone's story through their own beautifully elevated consciousness and understanding is just so lovely.

Shelly hangs with Roberta King to talk about Budding Prospects-A Pastoral-by T.C. Boyle. HOLY COW if you have been in the cannabis industry for awhile or ever worked at a grow you have to read this. It is too funny and real. Of course it starts with a charismatic money guy showing up at his friends place talking about big money to be made-And ends with......a very crowded and hot apartment. HA! HA! So much schadenfreude! Much has changed in the world of weed since it was originally published in 1984 but the characters and challenges are so familiar and hilarious. T. C. Boyle knows how to paint the messy messy stuff beautifully. We also talk about upcoming caregiver rallies in Michigan and fun cannabis events Roberta is producing.

While listening to the audio version of this magical book which is set on a farm in Mexico during the pandemic 100 years ago, I was working on a farm in Michigan and living through a pandemic in 2021. (AND, AND it originally came out in 2015 but it SEEMS like she MUST HAVE KNOWN that another pandemic was coming, you know.) Anyway I highly recommend experiencing it that way if you can. Medicate and listen to it in a hammock or working in your garden! There is a mysterious wise boy who communicates with bees and knows the future. There is a woman who nurses 3 generations of a family and outlives them all. There is the family that is doing their best with surprises and suffering. There is a dark terrible villain who felt cheated. There is sugar cane giving way to orange trees and old ways giving way to new. This is the magic of reading. This isn't my story but it IS my story. Thanks Amanda and Angie for hanging with me on this one, and for eating the oranges and honey and for smoking all the things. It was so lovely.

We love the podcast 'My Favorite Murder' with Karen and Georgia. Somehow two friends talking about true crime and being their daring authentic selves has inspired a giant 'Murderino' community that is supportive, honest, humble, bold, and knows when it needs therapy and we are HERE FOR IT. We love this book and want you to read it. Shelly and Angie(Bone Jackies) are joined by Paul Gordon(who recommended the book and edited this episode), Allyson Bobbitt(You Made Me Watch podcast) and Lauren Bridges(who inspired me to be a murderino many years ago).

Wow y'all. We just got to hang out with music biographer Jake Brown and Freddy Powers' widow Catherine Powers to talk about 'Spree of '83-The Life and Times of Freddy Powers.' I had never known about Freddy before and felt like I was riding on a tour bus with a country music legend and he was cracking me up. His story is sometimes in his own words, sometimes in Merle's, or Willie's, or Catherine's. It is rowdy music history. It is about lifelong friendship. It is about musicianship. It is comedic timing. It is a sweet romantic love story. It is about facing the terrible path of Parkinson's disease and deciding to live a fun life anyway. I felt like I made a friend and now am mourning his passage. AND because he wrote #1 hits, of course it comes with a soundtrack. Just wonderful. I hear there is a movie in the works and I can't wait. We are so grateful to Catherine and Jake. It was an honor! And a blast!

Shelly and Myc O Phile are so so excited to talk about his Top 5 Favorite Psychedelic and Spirituality books. It was a real tough choice but if you have been wondering where to start learning on this subject, these should keep you busy for AWHILE. What is manna from heaven? Do you know the Stoned Ape theory? What are those little mushroom things in cave paintings? What is ergotism? What really happened in the sacred ceremonies that continued for thousands of years? Curious people. Explorers. GET. INTO. THESE.

Shelly sits down with JRR Tokkin to talk about his debut novel, The Adventures of the Great Neblinski, a New and Improved Hope. Based on characters he cultivated with friends playing D&D decades ago, this fantasy follows the journey of a G'nome that is over 1000 years old who smokes weed and has monster friends and casts spells and it is all kinds of fun. There is a bird on Tokkin's shoulder the whole time we are talking about everything from how he became the most famous antler carver in Canada to how he came to raise dire wolves. If you love epic fantasy like Lord of the Rings AND ridiculousness like Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, you'll enjoy this book.

Shelly hangs with Tawna Dabney-long time friend, kid's dance and preschool teacher, and goshdarn ray of light. In the before times, she led a regular kid's story time at Black Rail Coffee in Hoboken and misses the kiddos terribly. She reads 'Hey Lil One' and 'Superheros are Everywhere!' We are super silly and it has nothing to do with weed. We have been squealy theater geeks for EVAH. Now I wanna have kid's story hours at provisioning centers. Who is open to this? You can WATCH Tawna read on our Reads and Weeds youtube page! Also-please check out www.lastprisonerproject.org and www.mifreedomcoalition.com Get involved!

Happy Hash Bash 2021. Shelly is with Jamie Lowell(and puppies Sherman and Zeta) to discuss Graham Hancock's America Before. What happens to our brains when we imagine that the history of our species might be way different than we have been believing for so long. I know it's a lot. Smoke some weed and open your mind. Any maybe get some notebooks and a book of maps. We had a great food spread! Paul Gordon joins us at the end! We talked about how far freeing cannabis has come and how far we have to go. Let me know where you are listening from and what you are reading. www.micannabisfreedomcoalition.org www.lastprisonerproject.org

This is the worldwide live debut reading of an original play by our regular guest Nathan Corliss! Yes something great coming out of quarantine. He assembled an amazing cast and one of them couldn't make it so I got to read along too. CAST: Sarah-Vicki Morgan Carol-Shelly Smith James-Will Jones III April-Abby Rudnicki Bobby-Robby Griswold It's so good. It's funny. It's current. It's sad. It's real. Great dialogue. There is a even a weed smoking scene. There are gardening references. There is a huge reveal at the end that I wish I had remembered before I played Carol. I would have made her more convicted and certain......but it was still such an honor to be in this cast who created so much emotion and chemistry even over Zoom. We dedicate this show to Tori Tomalia, a leader in our improv community who died from cancer a few days before this reading. She brought theater to kids and grownups in this area for the last many years and we are so grateful to have known her. She opened Pointless Brewery and Improv Theater In Ann Arbor with her husband Jason and built a wonderful community. We are all hurting and miss her. Nathan worked there. It felt so good to be together today creating theater and remembering why it is important.

Shelly is back with Angie Mae! We missed each other. This was recorded on Biden's inauguration day and we needed to talk about ANYTHING else. Happy to report no one has stormed the castle since then. Let's call it a win. If you've ever wanted the basics of Buddhism and have been intimidated by giant texts, this is your start. If you are looking for simple habits to calm your ass down during these crazy times, read this today. We also talk about weed food and other regular food A LOT, so if you want recipes for Biscuit Pot Pie or Brownie Waffle Sundaes, hit me up.

Welp! we just couldn't stop talking about the Mama's Baby, Daddy's Murder. I SO WANT IT to be a TV Series shot in Detroit. It would be so damn fun. Get on this bandwagon with me so Heather Jay can sell a 5 season show. SHORTY! SHORTY! SHORTY! www.shortybooks.com

Woo hoo! Shelly and Claire are back with author Heather Jay Harris(see Episode 47)to discuss Mama's Baby, Daddy's Murder, the second book in her series. I AM LOVING THESE. Well thought out human characters, comedy, a crime to solve, a huge twist, a baby on the way, and it is all based in Detroit. Do yourself a favor right now and go to www.shortybooks.com and buy the first two ebooks and tear through them this week. They are so so fun and you are going to love her writing style and you will love getting to know all the characters so just get on board. They are fast easy reads and I can't wait for the next one!

On Jan 2, 2020 Shelly and Paul Gordon(mushroom farmer)took a field trip to the magical Lynx Run Wilderness Retreat in Big Rapids Michigan. We got stuck in the driveway immediately but it was worth it because the nerding out on all things mushrooms was non stop. Our lovely host, artist/forager Rob Vanderzee shoved the car out with his jeep so we could get right to a lovely walk in the forest and a great meal of black eyed peas, collard greens, and cornbread. We were so lucky to have Myc O'Phile(human mushroom encyclopedia)with us too! If you are a forager, YOU GET IT. If not, there is SO MUCH FUN STUFF TO LEARN about fungi! Eugenia Bone shares her journey from just wanting cheaper morels to becoming a full on MYCOPHILE. If you've never explored the magical world of mushrooms, this is where you start! I also made, well STOLE from Myc O Phile a great mushroom themed playlist. Enjoy! Join the mushroom people. Their is way more fungi in the world than people so it just makes strategic sense.

Shelly sits down with arguably the biggest 'lamb'(lamb=Mariah fan) of all time, Ghia Parow, to discuss The Meaning of Mariah Carey. It is HER story told HER way. There is drama and overcoming and lots of straight HUSTLE. It is Holiday/Election season 2020, so maybe the weirdest December of all time, but 'All I Want for Christmas is You' is #1 for the 26th December in a row. RESPECT! Shelly learns what 'balayage ombre' means. We smoke some Stage 5 Clinger. We sing a little Mariah, of course. I recommend the audiobook because the queen herself reads it to ya and she is a sassy little hoot. Check it out. You know you need to turn off the news for a minute. AND...oh my this made me feel like a stoner when I listened back......ummmm......OF COURSE I KNOW the 'Ms.Wiggins' line was Tim CONWAY, not 'Conroy', omg the shame. Forgive me. Great clip though. Go look at that one too.

Shelly sits down with former radio pro Paul Gordon to discuss his favorite book 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' by Douglas Adams. They ponder the most likely eternal constant of the universe, the importance of silliness, prototype robots, and the high probability of the improbable. Stage 5 Clinger was smoked. Highly recommend! Great snacks! #junksmack!(You've all felt it.) Check out the dope Guide related playlist on Spotify by searching Reads and Weeds, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Playlist.

In 1983, Francine Pascal unleashed one of the most ruthless villains in modern literature, Jessica Wakefield-high school student, hot twin sister to Elizabeth and total narcissistic sociopath. In this episode, Shelly is joined by Kaeli and Shay to discuss 'Double Love' the first(of 181 total!) book in the Sweet Valley High Series where Jessica makes her debut. We try to smoke a whole 'dipstick' which is like weed wrapped in weed dipped in weed.....a 'parfait' of sorts. We act out scenes-Jessica is HIGH DRAMA. We were thankful that we did not grow up with these chicks. We pondered how a 'tuxedo shirt' could ever be so powerful. The TV show made from this series is so bad it is good and thankfully episodes are only 10 minutes long for some reason so check that out too. Did you grow up with these? Tell me about it!

In the middle of a global pandemic(maybe) and full on croptober weed farm harvest(absolutely), Shelly is joined by 3 super sweet comedians, John F. O Donnell-long time friend and former reporter for satirical news show Redacted Tonight with Lee Camp and current host of the 'Take Your Pills Psychopath' podcast, Mike Bobbitt and Alex Bozinovic(AKA Lil' Dickie Ricketts and Thomas Luge, hosts of T.R.U.T.H. podcast) to talk about John's totally unsolicited but completely necessary tutorial 'How to Break Your Corporate Propaganda Echo Chamber Rusty Cage and Run'. Read the title again and just accept that you need it. Go to jfodnews.com to see the tutorial and take the deep dive into the obsessively researched and carefully curated articles and videos that he hopes will shed light and hope during this time of constant misinformation.

LET'S CELEBRATE Y'ALL!!! It's our 50th episode! What better way to celebrate than hanging with author Tiffany 'T Barb' Barber and Cannabis Chef Gigi eating Gigi's ridiculously gorgeous medicated(holding on to my chair for dear life by the end of the show)salad. Follow Gigi! Hire her for private dinners. She wants to teach you how to cook! You will love her. And maybe stalk her for 6 months like I did. Follow T Barb! the comedian, author, radio host, hot dog stand running HUSTLAH, all around diva having a blast generally killin it. We had way too much fun talking about her memoir of growing up in Detroit and sharing stories about how we all want to move on and move up but still really 'wanna do some hoodrat shit'. Thanks sooooo much ladies for hanging in there to make it work and thanks to YOU for listening and commenting and being in this with me. This show is dedicated to T Barb's sister MARY :)!

Between 2011-2017 there was this tiny lovely theater in a carriage house in Ann Arbor, called Carriage House Theater, appropriately. The directors were always on the lookout for scripts that would work in this tiny setting. Nina Shengold's HOMESTEADERS was a perfect fit and the production enjoyed an extended run. In this episode, that exact cast reunited and Shelly got to be the only audience member and do a private talk back session! Such a surprising read! So much is revealed about the brothers who head out to Alaska in the late seventies, and it feels so relevant now. We also came up with a decent pie delivery business plan right at the end.

Bonus Track! Erik originally recommended this book and wasn't able to join us on the recording day. We have a great conversation about his personal journeys with Ayahuasca ceremonies, the importance of honoring the plant and integration, and holding space.

Shelly joins with Jim Salame, Julie Barron, and Matt Pancone from the Michigan Psychedelic Society to discuss The Fellowship of the River, A Medical Doctor's Exploration into Traditional Amazonian Plant Medicine, by Dr.Joseph Tafur. Beginning with the story of his own healing journey, he weaves the worlds of science and shamanism together to share how ancient plant medicine, specifically Ayahuasca, can heal the underlying emotional and spiritual 'dis ease' that manifests as chronic illnesses including migraines, Crohn's disease, psoraisis, PTSD, and depression. The personal stories of pasajeros in ceremony is a mind opening hopeful look at a different way to heal. We are left with the knowledge that our earth is full of magical healing plants that we need to engage with and understand.

Shelly and Claire have a fabulous virtual hang with Heather Jay Harris to talk about her book Maybe Shorty Should Be a Detective, which we loooooooved! Heather is a comic and writer native to Detroit and if you are from Detroit you will feel like you KNOW alllll these amazing characters and even if you aren't you will laugh out loud. If you like whodunits, great characters with real relationships, female protagonists, and cliffhangers, you gotta get this book. I can't wait for us to read the next one Mama's Baby, Daddy's Murder, which JUST became available!

Shelly is joined by the inimitable Cynthia Shelby Lane to talk about Packing for Mars-The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach. I have loved Roach's books for so long and can't think of a better person to geek out about it with on this show than Cynthia. She has applied to be an astronaut MANY times and keeps the dream alive WHILE serving the cannabis industry as an MD, researcher, and advocate AND she brought me SNOOP DOG WINE and it was TASTY. We had a blast(off).....see what I did there. Colin McDougal(C-Murder) was there patiently playing Rocket Man over and over for my stoney ass. Thanks man.

Shelly hangs with author Joshua Joseph Valdez to discuss his book Earth Life Big Brain Project:2033. Valdez wasn't TRYING to predict the future when he started writing this over 10 years ago but now that it is only 13 years away it feels pretty possible/likely that he has. He just had alllll kinds of ideas and time on his hands and is really smart and he wrote and wrote and wrote. But I desperately want this book to be a Sci-Fi miniseries even if it is just for the party scenes and snow globe room. There are no page numbers, but there IS a mind blowing amount of scientific theory, and live readings from Burning Man, and an establishment called the Velvet Pelvis that 'helps you get over your ex' with questionable methods. We are joined by his now fellow Burners Tom Mansell(check out 'Slumberland' podcast)and Ashley Strange(check out @reflectedfire on insta) to discuss this totally entertaining fast paced ride of a book. Get it. Read it slow so you don't miss anything. It blew my mind. We also made a sweet Spotify playlist for this one.

Shelly sits down with Mike Fate, Kayla Teresa(thepathlesstraveledhp), Justin Hatchett(TopShelforDie), and Colin Macdougal(MichiganPsychedelicSociety) to talk about lyrics from Mike's newest album BLOOM. Yay we are finally talking about LYRICS!!!! So good! AND we are back at CRB studio(with LOTS of partitions and masks, etc to protect us)which feels great. This album is a lovely groove with heavy emotion. Meditate to it. Trip to it. We also talk about the music biz, working with DJBJ 3525, creative prompts, the etiquette of snacks, and all sorts of fun things. We acted up and now we are all grounded, and so are the cops. Also Happy 10th Anniversary to OM of Medicine in Ann Arbor!

Shelly hangs with Nicole P'Simer, Nathan Corliss, and Scott Mooney to talk about Scott's new novel 'Screaming Beauty' the 2nd in the Poisoned Apple series. If you haven't yet, read 'Pricked' too! (the first book in the series and also the discussion of Reads and Weeds Episode 24). It is a totally entertaining new adult fantasy novel that you will not be able to put down. I realllllly want these to be movies! The world he has created is so fun. We also talk about snacks, plastic and Knot Plastic, cats named after Star Trek characters and the fact that Nathan's dad was Nicole's teacher in high school. Lots of super nerdy easter eggs and inside jokes for writers and thesbians through the book. Keep writing Scott! That ending was cruel-Ha! Ready for the next one.

Shelly and Kris are joined by Pastor and 6th grade English teacher Alan Ruff from Boiling Springs, SC(whoa it has been over 20 years!) to talk about a couple of his short stories, old school Boiling Springs things, the state of affairs of cannabis in SC(progress.....buuuuut needs improvement/LOTS of room for growth), and which graphic novels his students are loving. I was so surprised when Alan randomly reached out to me about hanging out on the show. So good to talk with him about what he has been up to for the last 2 decades(shout out to Tanya and the fam!) and talk about the great sayings we learned from our grandmothers. I'll post the stories on the FB page so you can check them out!

Shelly is joined by Kris, Kristen Hartnagel(new reader!) and Jilleien Franquelli Rippey(producer/host of Conversations with Mary Jane podcast) to talk about the creepy weird Six Swans fairy tale. LOTS of assumptions and unanswered questions here. Ha! How did the family react when the king brought home a random naked girl who doesn't talk that he found in a tree? Were the swan brothers stealing stuff the whole day except for the 15 minutes that they were people? Will Shelly ever leave Kristen's lakehouse? Tune in to find out. Also, find out more about the amazing organization simplesacrifice.com that Jilleien runs that has been feeding the homeless in Baltimore for years. And thanks to Christina Gradillas for the intro!

Shelly and Kris discuss Hemingway's first novel with the intention of bashing it. However, after a deeper dive, we become forgiving about everything and decide that he was in fact the voice of a lost generation and really we just don't like boring drunk people conversations. The not so clear info about Jake's injury being made clearer would have REALLY helped but I get it. It was an era of talking around things. We also talk about quarantine hair and the symbolism of a psychedelic elephant on a ball and the fact that I have way too many jars.

This week we are 4 women talking about Miriam Toews' award winning novel Women Talking, and there is MUCH to talk about. Shelly is joined by FIRST TIME GUEST! @staceysimpsonduke(improv friend, co pastor of the First Baptist Church of Ann Arbor)and also Lauren and Claire(good friends and damn good writers themselves). Based on true events-see 'Ghost Rapes of Bolivia', this novel often reads like a greek tragedy. It can be triggering. Be warned. We discuss the nature of forgiveness, the difference between being 'ignorant' and 'uneducated', how suffering at any level fills the space allowed, making decisions in the middle of trauma and rage, and of course there is some ranting about the patriarchy. READ THIS BOOK. It is calling out to you with the resiliency of the human spirit and the power of women talking. Also, check out Stacy Simpson Duke's writing at seeingthesacred.com and earthchicknits.com.

Shelly is joined by former Zingerman's colleagues Lynn Fiorentino(legendary all around Zingernaut) and Ji Hye Kim(proprietor of the super yummy Miss Kim restaurant in Ann Arbor).The name Pachinko refers to the Japanese pinball type gambling game that is pervasive in Japan but THIS BOOK is an deep, human saga of 5 generations of a Korean family surviving in Japan. Lee's book is so rich and moving, and we discuss traditional Korean roles, suffering, how small decisions change everything, and how Lee's perfect pacing and attention to humanity of even the smallest characters makes this book so wonderful. Also, Lynn let me borrow the sewing machine that I have made around 200 masks on, and I am so grateful.

First solo venture here. First Facebook live. This was the first week during quarantine that I let the weight of everything get to me. I lost some audio from a previous show and beat myself up for it. I was staying up later and sleeping later. Bleh. BUT! I became aware of Fiona Apple's new album Fetch the Bolt Cutters. She creates at such a high level and listening to her made me get up off the floor just to create on the lowest rung. I missed everyone too much. I wrote a love poem to you all and read it. I did it in a small thinking funk to kick start myself into a better realm. Here's hoping it works.

We have this Women's Circle, a group of women connected through the cannabis industry that supports each other. We were going to have a big ole gathering with weed and food to talk about this book. Eliot Cowan writes about his long journey to understanding the mystery of how plant spirits heal. It was affirming to us to hear the stories of the healers. We couldn't hold the gathering of course but four of us met on Zoom, new reader Brandi Alexander!!! and loved the book. The wonderful and wise Merri Walters from Great Lakes Sacred Essences of Ann Arbor joined us, who is like a walking talking version of the book. Now is the time for everyone to read this and to remember how we are alllll connected. The karmic balance of the world needs our attention, outside and inside of our bodies. This should be required reading right now to get our minds ready for a shift towards looking at healing in a 'whole new'-OLD-way. I've been embracing this mystery and trying to get to know the plants around me much better. Thank you plants.

Shelly is joined by her remote 'quaranteam' Kris(in Boulder)and Lauren(in Indiana) to talk with the Wilde Award winning author(Clutter-Best New Script 2017) Brian Cox!(right down the street from me) about his short story The Surrogate Initiative. This story about an AI psychologist and the first court case using AI jury selection was selected for Best American Mysteries of 2020! First of all, we loved it! Our discussion covered everything from how those awards don't REALLY matter to The Outrageous Okona Star Trek Episode(S2/E4)(the one where Data tries stand up comedy)to the Sisyphean task of cleaning the streets of Ypsilanti. We talk about the writer we are versus the writer we want to be. We form a writing club with a spreadsheet and everything because Brian is helpful and Lauren is a boss. I am so grateful for this right now, even though Zoom sound quality can bite me. Sorry Zoom, I love you. Don't leave me.

Shelly is joined by Claire Forster and Jeff Miller(NEW READER!)through ZOOM while in isolation to read delicious poetry during the coronavirus pandemic. March 29, 2020. We talk about anxiety, the uncertain new normal, and gratitude. We read lots of poetry, including Mary Oliver, Rudy Francisco, Ada Limon, John Donne, Jim Harrison, and some of Claire's own wonderful work. The show(and connecting with friends) must go on. What can I say.....thank God for the poets for helping me feel the feelings.

Wow. The day we recorded this episode, March 8, 2020, was a beautiful sunny 60 degrees in southeast Michigan. Shelly was with Nathan, Laura, Mat, Jim and Jen at Fundamental Sound Co and we had a wonderful time reading The Whale by Samuel D. Hunter. The cast read scenes between Charlie, an obese man confined to his home who teaches online writing classes, and the very few people that he interacts with in real life. They did a great job. I was sincerely moved by their performances and hope you will be too. Later on that day, THOUSANDS of us gathered for a Bernie rally in downtown Ann Arbor. Ana, my co producer, got to play her music and open for Bernie. No one was scared. We went back to Fundamental Sound Co later for a beautiful house concert and no one was scared. We danced and hugged and toasted. That's why this one will always be special. Stay safe out there.

If you grew up in America during the late 70's or early 80's you will KNOW the world that is created in this week's read: The Electrician. Shelly is joined by Colleen Kennedy from Pott Farms and Jeff Muir, the co-author of this "bloated auto-bio novel" (ref: Cloud Atlas). Let's dive into The Electrician! This is being released on St.Patrick's Day 2020, which is fitting since the subtitle is, "From Altar Boy to Addict: Growing Up Irish Catholic in Blue-Collar Boston." It is a post-Vietnam, Irish Catholic coming of age story set in Beantown -- and features a bounty of drinking stories (but don't worry, it has a very hopeful ending). In our real lives, though, bars and restaurants are shut down now due to the Coronavirus, so Michiganders cannot gather and drink and scream like we are wont to on this day. some are handling it better than others. So join us during your self-quarantine as we talk innocence lost, addiction, honoring the working class through action figures, and the sexy, fast-paced world of small-town city council meetings. Oh, and dig the punk and funk-influenced playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeSQkXOtezvpF5raJ8OGBikMzklVKcptv

Claire and Shannon are back with Shelly and Nicole P'Simer-NEWWWW REEEEEADER!!!!!!and we love all over The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus . What a groovy heavy honest sweet sad story about love and friendship and justice. We learn the wonderful acronym C.H.U.R.C.H. Come Here You Rebel Come Here. This book also led us to the wondernasty.com website. Beautifully written characters. I want to know them, especially Queenie! I think we would be sisters. The author provides a built in soundtrack. Listen to it. Trust me. We also give advice on who to call about terrible potholes. It's Colin, btw.

Kris is back! and Jewlee!(NEW TO THE CREW-YAY) with Shelly to discuss the first book in the Neapolitan series by Elena Ferrante. Long time coming to get this scheduled and worth it because of the honest gritty truth and beauty of this one. We love Elena. We want to smoke with her and ask a million questions. And what better way to discuss this story of two girls becoming lifelong friends that share hardships and fears and a love of learning and have dreams of writing than with lifelong friends who share a love of learning and writing. Listen to the Max Richter music from the HBO series made from this book! So lovely. Also Kris wrote a kick ass essay about this one. Check it out in our blog.

Shelly is joined by several members of the former cast of so called '2 hour Hot Girl Hamlet' for a superbowl preparty like you've never seen. Callie, Heather, and Beth along with Nathan and Jim read all about the troubled Danish prince. If you loved Game of Thrones AND you loved The Lion King......you'll LOVE Hamlet. Castles and murder and ghosts and love and people going crazy. We learn about limerence. We use a clip from the tv show 'Sex Education', which is also awesome.

Shelly and Claire(Claire is back!) have a blast discussing 'I'm Judging You' which encourages us to be better people, one side eye at a time. Author Luvvie Ajayi pulls no punches taking on everything from washing your bra to white supremacy and it is SO FUN. She makes up words, and we love that. We learned the phrase 'Island Peen Syndrome'. She loves Jesus and makes me realize I need way more Nigerian friends. "Oh, people. We're the Worst."

Shelly, Jeff Muir, Colin, and Mark and Susan Sweetman, discuss Kyle Cease' "The Illusion Of Money-How Chasing Money is Stopping You From Living". How do you free yourself from the thoughts about money that control you so that you can live a more truly abundant life. We eat Colleen's yummy full spectrum brownies. THIS BOOK! I love this shit. I'm all about attracting that high vibration life y'all. If you have a toxic relationship with your thoughts about money or abundance-read this soooooooon.

Shelly hangs with (part of) the 2010 cast of Dog Sees God in our first script reading! So fun. Imagine if the Peanuts characters are real teenagers with real problems. It is dark and funny. We spontaneously made up some mantras. We sang badly together. We threw another random C-List celeb under the bus for no reason. It was lovely.