730 - Turning a Podcast into a Novel: 'The Br...

1200. This week, we look at snowclones like “X is the new Y,” including where the name came from and why we find them so satisfying. Then, we look at how to make abbreviations like “RBI” plural, including questions about apostrophes, single letters, and periods.The snowclones seg ...  Show more

1199. In this bonus episode first released to Grammarpaloozians in January, we look at what it means to turn a "channeled obsession" into a resource used by millions of language fans. Doug Harper shares how he built Etymonline as a solo act, fueled by late-night shifts and "ink i ...  Show more

In 2014, Lauren Shippen was an aspiring actor in Los Angeles: taking classes, booking intermittent gigs, waiting tables, the like. Four years later, she ended up becoming one of the busiest people in podcasting, all on the strength of an independent fiction podcast she had made o ...  Show more

Lauren Shippen, creator of the Bright Sessions podcast, joins to discuss chapters 9 and 10 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix! Topics include a need for wizard statistics, Book Ginny outshining Movie Ginny, Sirius “Whiny Bitch” Black, Harry “Anti-Prefect” Potter, the ri ...  Show more

Lauren Shippen of the Bright Sessions podcast returns to discuss more Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix! Topics include Jim Dale's signing, JK hating Hufflepuff, Ron's numbness to romance, Hermione standing up for herself, Snape & Umbridge are horrible teachers, JK's obse ...  Show more

Once a married waitress in her late 20s, my dear friend and best selling author put everything on the line in order to go to grad school. The result? Her smash hit novel, Sweetbitter, and a career as a writer. We talk slumber parties, the beginning of our friendship (which involv ...  Show more