Wrapping up our series on Dorothy Parker, we review the 1994 movie "Dorothy Parker and the Vicious Circle." Despite the star-studded cast list, it's a real stinker, but that didn't stop us from talking about it for over an hour. 

Follow us on Instagram @Keepitlitpodcast
Intro & Outro music:
"grapes_-_I_dunno" by spinning merkaba/ccMixter
Licensed under Creative Commons: Free for commercial use with attribution
Cover art by Jake and Sydney Herrick 

The Queen of Quips takes a Seat at the Round Table: Part 4

It's Part 3!! Dorothy Parker becomes an Oscar-nomintated screenwriter, a political activist, and an indigent dog lady. 

The Queen of Quips takes a Seat at the Round Table: Part 3

This week we're discussing the Algonquin Round Table and the tragic love life of Dorothy Parker. Is she just that annoying Facebook friend who posts status updates like, "Sigh..." or "Rough day..." in a pathetic bid for attention, or was she a lonely, desperate woman who deserved better treatment by both her friends and the critics? Listen and decide for yourself!

The Queen of Quips takes a Seat at the Round Table: Part 2

This is Part 1 of a 4 part series on writer/humorist Dorothy Parker. In this episode you'll find out why: 1. How Dottie is connected to our last genius, Papa Hemingway, and why their "friendship" inspired a mean girl-style poem by the jackass. 2.Why without Dorothy Parker there is no awkward Bradley Cooper/Lady Gaga close-singing moment at the Oscars and 3. Why she refused to call her stepmother anything other than "the housekeeper" at the tender and sassy age of seven. And that's only in Part 1!

The Queen of Quips takes a Seat at the Round Table: Part 1

We wrap up our discussion of Ernest Hemingway in Part 3, covering his final years and exploring the family legacy of both genius and tragedy. 

What's Papa-ing?: Part 3

Part 2 of our discussion of Ernest Hemingway's life, focusing on his time in Key West, WWII, and a few new wives. 

Follow us on Instagram @Keepitlitpodcast and on Twitter @keepitlitpod

What's Papa-ing? Part 2

This week we take on the legacy of Ernest "Papa" Hemingway: the man, the myth, the misogynist. Of maybe just the misunderstood??

There is no doubt that Hemingway's place as one of America's greatest writers is secure, but we wanted to know more about his macho mythology and legacy of mental illness and suicide. How did his experiences feed his genius and how did they lead to his tragic end? Papa, can you hear me? I sort of hope not. We weren't always that nice! 

What's Papa-ing? Part 1

This is Part 2 of a two part series on Salvador Dalí. If you haven't yet listened to Part 1, press pause and please do so! This episode explores Dalí's later years as he dabbles in fascism, American celebrity, and utterly bizarre "manifestations" that we believe inspired Gaga's meat dress! Dawn and Lee return to laugh and roll eyes at this sometimes hilarious, sometimes awful, and always outrageous figure of art history!

Hello Dalí Part 2

Welcome to Season 2 of Keep It Lit: Judging Genius. In this episode we're changing things up! While Season 1 focused on the art, in particular the art of storytelling, Season 2 will focus in the artists themselves. 

We're starting strong with possibly one of the most eccentric and problematic figures from the art world, the Surrealist painter Salvador Dalí. No matter your familiarity with Dalí, you're sure to have fun listening to this absolutely bizarre biography!

Hello Dalí!: Part 1

Mid-life crisis? Can't cope with being a parent or a partner? Pissed that your parents sucked? Like a Super Bowl MVP, just shout, "I'm going to Disneyland!" A.M. Homes's short story "The Last Good Time" is the focus of this week's pod and we will examine the idea that Disneyland, the sappiest place on earth, is the best place to find your true self. Take the journey along with us, not to Disneyland, but to a better understanding of this little gem of a story. 

Episode 22: Spinning Out on the Mad Tea Party Ride

Ever wonder what your high school English teacher would say about literature if she was a little buzzed? Then Keep It Lit is the podcast for you! Each week, former teacher Laura Herrick invites a friend to stop by to discuss a compelling short story while knocking back a few tasty themed cocktails.

Love love love this podcast. Cooley and Herrick have a great dynamic and clever insight on the pieces they’re analyzing. Not a huge lit junky but these two make it a lot of fun!!

Laura’s for the win!!

Love, love, love this podcast already! Can’t wait for more!

Love Lit!

Keep It Lit

If you're a fan of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale (or even if you're not) you're sure to love her short story "Freeze-dried Groom." This quirky tale begins with the dissolution of a marriage and ends in at least one murder! While the tale begins with mundane observations on the cold weather and the quality of Sam's scrambled eggs, it quickly reveals itself to be a story of multiple duplicities that keep piling up until it is clear that no one is quite what they seem.

Episode 12: I Got My Mind on My Murder, My Murder on My Mind

If you don’t know this by now, let us remind you: Keep It Lit is the champagne of podcasts. On the *first* episode of 2019, Herrick and Cooley dive deep into “Backpack” by Tony Earley and let’s just say there’s more in there than a sack lunch and some Fritos, baby! It’s a story that tackles mental health, human connections, class structures, and cultural appropriation. The text is rich and our conversation is crude. So crack open a Miller High Life and pour one out for your alter ego.

Episode 20: Marie Condo-ing Cultural Appropriation

This time it's Herrick's turn to surprise Cooley with a tale, and it is "Horror Story" by Carmen Maria Machado. This beautifully written piece uses horror tropes to express the fear of lost connection and passion. So if you've ever misplaced your saffron only to find the remnants in your bra or discovered that your bottle of One A Days was filled with nails, then boy are you going to relate!
Text of "Horror Story": https://granta.com/horror-story/

Episode 5: She Was a Horror!

Herrick and Cooley discuss the life and death stakes of crappy parenting, gender politics, and lion musk while unpacking the ghoulish tale of The Veldt, a story of kids gone bad. Really, really bad. Also, they chug Carlsberg beer because it gets hot on the African veldt and nothing refreshes quite like some colonialist brew.

Episode 3: Whoever Smelt It, Veldt It

This week, Cooley offers up the short story "Once Upon a Time" by Nadine Gordimer, a modern fairytale about the self-destructive nature of cloaking fear in fantasy. Cooley and Herrick discuss the human compulsion to build beautiful facades around ugly truths, how a particular use of "they" can reveal more than your typical pronoun, and the dangers of mixing fluffy kittens, imaginative little boys, and razor-sharp barbed wire fencing.
Intro & Outro music: "grapes_-_I_dunno" byspinning merkaba

Episode 4: The Gift of Cinder Blocks

Herrick and Cooley enter the unexpectedly sexy world of the 19th century Louisiana housewife via Kate Chopin's steamy short story, "The Storm." This piece has it all -- heaving bosoms, driving rain, clothes blowing on the clothesline, near-forgotten passions and sweet but oblivious spouses. Love yourself some religious allusions mixed with sexy, sexy time? Wish more people worked discussions of True Blood into conversation? Or just love to sew like a m**********r? You've come to the right place!

Episode 9: Sewing Like a Motherf**ker

It's a Double-header! Today Cooley and Herrick are together again, discussing two very short, but very powerful stories, "Palm Tree Bandit" by Nnedi Okorafor and "Evil Robot Monkey" by Mary Robinette Kowal. And don't worry, we have cocktails for each! So, whether you're in the mood for a Nigerian fable of empowered, wine-drinking women or the poo-flinging fun of a cyborg ape, we've got a tale to scratch that itch! 

Episode 8: Evil Palm Tree Robot Bandit Monkeys

Keep It Lit hits the road this week on a special sister edition of the pod! Cooley goes back home to the beautifully manicured sprawl that is Plano, TX and is joined by her two crazy sisters, Alison and Becca. In this episode they discuss toilet seats, stinky smells, fruit-shaped body types, and William Faulkner’s tale, “A Rose for Emily.” Give it a listen to hear their take on this Southern Gothic master....piece of hair. See what I did there?

Episode 16: Ain't No Lime Juice Gonna Fix that Smell

This week we're discussing "Homesick" by Sarah Gailey. Homesickness is a perfect theme for the holidays and this story perfectly depicts the longing for home... perfect if you are a selfish, violent psychopath! Listen up to hear, another story that suggests that humans are not capable of living lives of peace and generosity. Blame our inherent evil or blame our love of whale song --either way, this is a story of being given the chance for paradise and f**king it up again!

Episode 18: A Violent Plea for Whale Song

This week Jean returns to chat with Herrick about motherhood and dictatorships as inspired by the wacky story with the succinct title "Template for a Proclamation to Save the Species" by Ramona Ausubel. When a small Minnesota is given the day off to make babies, how will the citizens respond?! Dim the lights, play some slow jazz, and engage in your democracy!

https://electricliterature.com/the-mayor-who-gave-his-town-a-holiday-for-sex-e60a86684f41

Episode 21: Autos for Amore ; Beaters for Babies; Cars for Coitus

Cooley and Herrick discuss the timely and thought- provoking story, “I’ve Seen the End of the World Baby; It’s Murder” by Tara Isabella Burton. Did hookups between a feminist writer and a vacuous f**kboy cause all the apocalyptic events of 2016? This miraculous story ties together Wagner, T.S. Eliot, American Psycho, David Bowie, Brexit, Charlie Sheen, Hugo Boss, Prince, Greek mythology, and the 2016 American Presidential election. Intrigued?! Press “PLAY!”

Episode 10: Apocalyptic F**kbuddies

This week, Cooley and Herrick discuss "Mandatory Carry" by Caleb Welch. If slowly tracing the steely curves of artillery with your thirsty eyes is your idea of foreplay, you will really relate to these characters. If you prefer some Barry White tunes and soft lighting, don't worry. Weapon kink is not required. "What happens when all men are mandated to use firepower to solve problems?" And also, "Where the hell are all the women in this society?" Oh, yeah. They're serving the appetizers. Cool. 

Episode 15: Slutty Guns and Totino's Pizza Rolls

This week we read the clever and thought-provoking piece, All the Mermaid Wives by Gwendolyn Kiste. It's an amazing tale that effectively combines the feel of a 1950s classroom filmstrip with a modern, twisted mermaid story. On this important election day, this piece will have you reflecting on the nature of freedom, gender, power, oppression, and the damaging effects of forced assimilation. Not bad themes to have on your mind as you head to the polls. We love you... but we'll love you more if you vote!

Episode 17: The Care and Feeding of your New Wife

The best podcast episodes of the most interesting stories and things. From skyping someone while they're in space, to tracking down and meeting a telephone scammer in person, to the story of a Galapagos. These episodes will keep you and all your friends entertained and captivated for hours. Learn something new in every episode! Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best Episodes: Interesting Stories & Things

The best podcasts about ourselves as well as the world through the lense of Science. Specific topics include things about our brain, emotions to biology, physics and more!