Shows
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode: 230 Mad LibsThis week on The Easy Chair, it’s Family Mad Libs. From our vacation spot in The Hamptons, we play a spirited game of Mad Libs, World’s Greatest Word Game ™. The story we fill in the blanks on is “Let’s Dance”. Joining me is my entire fam- husband Sam, daughter Hannah, son Jake and his wife Jillian Vogel, daughter Rachael and her husband Will Goldstein, daughter Sarah, daughter Eliza and her BF and BFF Dan Licata, and son Micah. It’s hilarious and spontaneous and entirely unedited. Some of the word choices are questionable at best. We laugh a whole lot. I...2019-12-3111 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 229: Gift of the MagiThis week on The Easy Chair, it’s a reprise of “The Gift of the Magi,” the classic short story by O. Henry. This small sweet gem of a tale is generally considered a Christmas story, as well as the iconic illustrative example of irony. I would challenge the limits of these descriptions. This story about love and sacrifice is relevant for any time of year, and the lessons it imparts are not tied to faith, but shared humanity. O. Henry’s story tells what it means to love and sacrifice, and champions the notion that what really, really matters in this...2019-12-2413 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 228: Mightier Than the Sword, Holiday Survival Edition!This week, it’s Mightier Than the Sword, Holiday Survival Edition, with co-host Stephanie Spaulding! Today we tackle the holidays. It’s a time of gift-giving, holiday parties, and mandatory good cheer. We explore ways to healthily navigate the season. Many of us feel stressed and overwhelmed by the social and fiscal demands of the holidays, and Steph has some great strategies for taking a step back and figuring out how to let go of the social conventions and expectations that no longer serve us. It’s a wonderfully instructive episode- I came away with a slew of useful tools for su...2019-12-1720 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 227: Midnight Morning Update (with Rachael Hurwitz)Today on The Easy Chair, my guest is my daughter Rachael, and we talk about her indie folk band, Honey Magpie, and their second album, which they recently finished recording. Their single, “Undecided”, comes out on January 24th, 2020—and trust me, I’ll let you know when it drops! In our fun and freewheeling interview, Rachael talks about the things that delighted and/or challenged her during the making of "Midnight Morning". We also talk candidly about Rachael’s creative influences, including her childhood in our never-ever-quiet house with her five siblings. She has a particularly appalling story to share that requi...2019-12-1017 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 226: The Point (by Laura Hurwitz)Today on The Easy Chair, it's chapter one of my novel that’s been in progress (or arrested development) for quite a spell. I’ve been feeling very connected to Nantucket, the island I love, and prone to the tug of family, past and present. The Point centers on the Folger-Yurofsky family, who’ve been coming to Nantucket all their lives, to a cottage that’s been in their family for decades. Jane and her sister Lucy love the yearly pilgrimage from their lives in Berkeley, California to summers at the comfortably ramshackle cottage on a bluff overlooking Nantucket Sound. This sum...2019-12-0320 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 225: In The Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried (by Amy Hempel)This week on The Easy Chair, it’s the iconic short story writer Amy Hempel’s “The Cemetery When Al Jolson Is Buried.” This poignant story is about bearing witness to the final days of a best friend’s life. Full disclosure: I had to record the end four times before I made it through without crying. Also note: there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING even remotely maudlin about Hempel’s story. Like all of her work, it’s brutally, beautifully honest. Tune in to hear this heartbreaking short story masterpiece.
This week’s sponsor is Rothy’s. The holidays mean celebrations with friends and f...2019-11-2618 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 224: “How to Become a Writer” (by Lorrie Moore)This week on The Easy Chair, I am happy to share the subversively funny, life vs. art, absolutely all-too-true short story “How to Become a Writer” by Lorrie Moore. Moore’s tone, that of a classic how-to piece providing aspiring writers with a road map of sorts, veers off-course into a very personal narrative of the unique twists and turns of her own writing life. Moore is entertaining and very smart, and the tale she has written is a master satire of most authors' self- absorption and nagging insecurities. To all you writers out there: this will have you laughing out lo...2019-11-1916 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 223: Mightier Than the SwordThis week, it’s the return of Mightier Than the Sword, with my wonderful co-host Stephanie Spaulding! Between one thing and another, it’s been a while since Steph and I have been able to record together, so this feels like an awesome reunion. We talk about the ideas we’ve had about writing and words, and discuss, individually, the beliefs that have stood the test of time and things we have come to see differently. It’s one of my favorite MTTS episodes on record, and I love that we were able to dive deep into the way we once fel...2019-11-1217 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 222: The Patron Saint of WordsToday’s Easy Chair episode: “The Patron Saint of Words” with guest poet, artist, radio host, and journalist Karen (K.P.) Ponzio. K.P. reads a very cool article she wrote about the Patron Saints of New Haven project, conceived and rendered by local artist Sara Scranton. With her finger squarely on the pulse of the New Haven art scene, Scranton tapped fellow artists not only to tell about their art, but to be their art in the form of a traditional Patron Saint. (https://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/new_havens_patron_saints_canonized/). Then, we get into a...2019-11-0523 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 221: Popsy (by Stephen King)Just in time for Halloween, in this episode of The Easy Chair I read “Popsy”, Stephen King’s dark tale of a child abduction in which the tables get terrifyingly turned. Sheridan, a gambling addict, has taking to kidnapping children for a sinister figure named Mr. Wizard. He finds a young boy who is lost at the mall and lures him into his van. The boy is looking for his Popsy, and when Sheridan reveals that Popsy is not, as promised, waiting for him at a nearby McDonald’s, the boy tells him Popsy will find him. Sheridan is quick to laugh...2019-10-2927 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 220: Rape Fantasies (by Margaret Atwood)This week on The Easy Chair, I read Margaret Atwood’s c. 1975 feminist short story, “Rape Fantasies”. Chatty narrator Estelle describes talking with her co-workers about their rape fantasies and hers. Their fantasies are the stuff of Hollywood movies and magazines, not at all authentic, in Estelle’s view, while hers are real. Estelle is an honest person, an over-sharer, and as she shares various fantasies, she begins to waver. What she understands about rape and what she can't begin to comprehend make for a darkly comic, oddly illuminating story about the differences, real and perceived, between men and women. Don’t le...2019-10-2221 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 219: The Great Automatic Grammatizator (by Roald Dahl)This week on The Easy Chair, I read a funny and thought-provoking short story by the late Roald Dahl, "The Great Automatic Grammatizator." For anyone who has ever wondered if there is a can’t fail writing formula, or if maybe, just maybe, the surest route to publication can be accomplished by computer algorithm- this is the story for you. Young Adolph Knipe has created a computer that can be fed data that will, if his boss Mr. Bohlen allows, make writers and writing obsolete. At the end of the day, writers want to write, but more than that, they wa...2019-10-1520 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 218: The Fat Girl (by Andre Dubus) Part TwoThis week, on The Easy Chair, I read the conclusion of “The Fat Girl” by Andre Dubus. Louise has graduated college and now weighs less than her goal weight. She has morphed from fat to thin in less than a year, and suddenly, the world opens up to her in ways she never imagined. The gifts within her reach are the spoils of her self-deprivation, and all she has left to do is claim them. This is, after all, the American Woman’s Dream. Or is Louise just a stranger in a strange land? This is an extraordinarily powerful story about...2019-10-0815 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 217: The Fat Girl (by Andre Dubus) Part OneToday on The Easy Chair, I read Part One of “The Fat Girl”- a stunning short story by Andre Dubus. Louise has been fat since childhood, furtively secreting away stashes of chocolate candy, which she eats at night, in bed. Then, her college roommate, with the best of intentions, intercedes. After a year of self-denial, Louise’s life changes. She gains the love of her mother and pride of her father, the admiration of friends, acquaintances, and strangers, but through self-sacrifice and weight loss, what else has she sacrificed and lost? Tune in to part one of an achingly painfu...2019-10-0123 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 216: Mightier Than the SwordThis week on The Easy Chair, it’s Mightier Than the Sword, with my wonderful co-host Steph Spaulding. We’re both back at work in the classroom, and…drum roll, please…so far, we are DOING A-OKAY. Steph’s got a new approach that she shares with us that involves the word joyful, and I’m teaching in what just might be the best school in the world, with the most aspirational group of young writers imaginable. We talk about teaching and dress codes and swearing, and also review a couple of books we’ve read- Steph’s is American Chinatown: A Peo...2019-09-2422 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 215: Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been Part Two (by Joyce Carol Oates)This week on The Easy Chair, it’s the conclusion of Joyce Carol Oates’s stunner of a short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”. Arnold Friend has shown up at fifteen-year-old Connie’s screen door, behind which she’s home alone. Suddenly what seemed like a chance encounter at a popular summer hang-out turns into something sinister, something infinitely darker. Arnold just wants Connie to go with him. That's all. But is it? Connie's consciousness shifts, and she is suddenly no longer in the safe mundane familiarity of her own kitchen, but poised on the brink of alien, po...2019-09-1715 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 214: Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been (by Joyce Carol Oates)This week on The Easy Chair, I read the first half of Joyce Carol Oates's brilliant, twisted short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been.” Connie is a fifteen-year-old girl from a small town, newly aware of her beauty, newly boy-crazy, awakening to life and the pleasures it offers the young and, even more abundantly, the beautiful. It’s summer, and Connie is a regular at all the local hangouts...along with the mysterious Arnold Friend. Her parents and sister leave one Sunday afternoon for a family barbecue and Connie decides she will skip it. A familiar car rolls...2019-09-1023 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 213: Excerpts, Bird by Bird (by Anne Lamott)This week on The Easy Chair, I read two funny and fabulous essays by author Anne Lamott from her seminal book on writing and life in general, Bird By Bird. Lamott is smart, self-deprecating, witty, and wise, and what she has to say about the process of writing, about life as a writer, and about just being human is not only enlightening, but genuinely useful. These two essays, “Short Assignments” and “Shitty First Drafts”, will inspire anyone who is even just thinking about writing to get started… and will definitely entertain everyone else. I had so much fun reading her work aloud...2019-09-0319 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 212: Mary (with Saul Fussiner)This week on The Easy Chair: “Mary”, second of a two-part series by master storyteller Saul Fussiner. Like last week’s “Shane”, “Mary” is set largely in Ireland. A decade has passed, and Saul and his new wife have stopped in Fahan while on their honeymoon. (The Irish owner of the Connecticut estate /wedding venue was so moved by their ceremony that he invites the couple to visit his ancestral home and meet his family). Saul’s story lands at the four-way intersection of sacred, tribal, spiritual and the everyday sweetness of ordinary life. At this intersection, the line between friend and famil...2019-08-2719 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 211: Shane (with Saul Fussiner)This week, I’m joined by writer/storyteller Saul Fussiner. It’s been a minute since Saul has been on the podcast, and the story “Shane” is from Saul’s series of stories connected by times spent in Ireland, “I’ve Heard Those Drums All My Life.” "Shane" is set in the Ireland of the '80s, when Saul and his girlfriend accidentally visit the wrong town in the bittersweet last days of their relationship. Saul’s stories, traced by memory and anchored in precise cultural, musical, and just plain existentially human references, capture this time and place, foreign yet familiar. Sit bac...2019-08-2019 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 210: Mightier Than the SwordThis week, it’s a breezy tribute to the joys of summer reading on Mightier Than the Sword! Co-host and fellow educator (yes, that’s right … I’m headed back to the classroom in September, and you’ll hear about that on the podcast) Steph Spaulding and I weigh in on a few of the books we read over the summer. We offer some critical analysis, what worked and what didn’t, in terms of plot, pacing, and character development. We also pay tribute to the sweet end of summer, and the fresh start of a new school year. It’s what I like...2019-08-1317 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 209: The Knowers (by Helen Phillips)This week on The Easy Chair, I read to you the short story “The Knowers” by Helen Phillips. Imagine a world in which every person can decide to find out the date of their death- but they can’t know the circumstance surrounding it. Would you even want this knowledge? What if you were lovingly, decades-long married to someone who emphatically didn’t want to know to date of your demise? How would you live your life…and face the date of your death when it rolled around? This is a fascinating, beautifully told story about the nature of mortality and marita...2019-08-0622 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisdoe 208: Mightier Than the SwordThis week, it’s another Mightier Than the Sword, with co-host Steph Spaulding. In this episode, we discuss perfectionism, procrastination, and how both behaviors are the downfall of many a good writing practice. Steph describes herself as a recovering perfectionist, while I was once an aspiring perfectionist. Procrastination is something we both still wrestle with, or have learned to accept, when it comes to writing and life, but perfectionism must be abandoned in the interest of getting work done. When is enough editing enough? Is it really okay to be minimally, rather than maximally, satisfied? This is an uber-enlightening podcast, help...2019-07-3017 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 207: The Last Rung on the Ladder (by Stephen King)This week on The Easy Chair, I read a devastating short story by Stephen King: “The Last Rung on the Ladder.” This is absolutely not your typical Stephen King horror story, and it's a tale that you should definitely listen to along with a tall glass of iced tea on one of these hazy summer afternoons. Narrator Larry recounts the story of the long-ago day from his childhood on his family's farm, when he was playing with his kid sister Kitty, taking turns jumping from the top of their three-story barn rafters into the hayloft. The ladder is flimsy, and he k...2019-07-2326 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 206: The Open Window (by Saki, c. 1914)This week on The Easy Chair, I read a classic short story, which is a tribute to storytelling. “The Open Window” (by Saki, c. 1914) is about Framton Nuttel, a gentleman seeking a place to stay so he can regain his health, which has been compromised by a number of things, including frayed and fragile nerves. Enter Vera, the very creative niece of Mrs. Sappleton, whose home Mr. Nuttel might like to take a room in. Apparently a terrible tragedy has taken place. Apparently there’s something not quite right about the open window. It’s a small gem of a tale that...2019-07-1610 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 205: New Beginnings (with Michele Tenney)This week’s episode: “New Beginnings” with returning guest writer Michele Tenney. In addition to being a fine writer, Michele is a personal trainer, nutritionist, and wellness coach (you can find her at https://elevateptw.com/) and she’s on the podcast with me this week to talk about new beginnings. Michele reads two pieces she wrote for the beginning of the year, but new beginnings can (and should) happen any time, and summer is a great time to shed old habits. Advice on how to set and attain fitness goals, to make a healthy lifestyle a thing of joy, and not...2019-07-0916 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 204: Mightier Than the Sword (Work/Life Balance)This week, it’s back to Mightier Than the Sword, with my wonderful co-host Steph Spaulding. We’re talking about work/life balance, or work/life integration, as we see it. All work and no play makes anyone a dull person, but does all play and no work have a similar effect? I am staring down a big project and I am stressing out over whether I’ll have any time to enjoy my favorite season (summer, if you’re guessing). Steph is looking at her own summer vacation after putting in a full school year. Both of our positions are chal...2019-07-0220 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 203: When Creative Calling Meets Everyday Life (with Rachael Hurwitz)This week’s episode: "When Creative Calling Meets Everyday Life" (with Rachael Hurwitz). I’m thrilled and honored to have my talented singer/songwriter daughter Rachael of the indie-folk band Honey Magpie on the podcast for an interview! Rachael answers my questions about keeping the creative fire burning bright, despite the tug of daily life faced by all aspiring artists who can’t quit their day jobs. We talk about inspiration from the first flash to fleshing it out. Rachael describes the serendipity and step-by-step of the songwriting process. It’s a fun podcast, and for those of you who refuse t...2019-06-2517 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 202: The Ones Who Walk Away from OmelasThis week on The Easy Chair, it’s Ursula Le Guin’s startling short story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”. Le Guin was a brilliant storyteller of mostly science fiction with a cautionary twist- not unlike Margaret Atwood. In this tale, the nation of Omelas sounds like a utopia, populated by compassionate, earnest citizens who spawn golden, happy children…but at its very root lies a hideous truth upon which the ongoing existence of Omelas rests. Many have seen this dark reality with their own eyes, and the more sensitive others know of it but refuse to look for themse...2019-06-1820 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 201: Awe, Joy, and PeaceThis week on the podcast: "Awe, Joy, and Peace" with guest author Michele Tenney. Michele is an inspiration by virtue of the way she lives as well as in the way she writes, and I’m beyond thrilled to welcome her back to the podcast. She reads two wonderful original essays that highlight the ways that our attitudes and perspectives impact our overall health. Michele is not only an expert in the fitness and nutrition field (see her website, https://elevateptw.com ), she pays close and loving attention to the lessons her own life offers up, and shares her knowledge an...2019-06-1115 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 200: ConversantThis week on The Easy Chair, I celebrate my 200th episode milestone with an original short story, “Conversant”. Celia is a woman who has been raised by an emotionally abusive mother to believe she’s a terrible conversationalist. After Celia’s boyfriend Joaquin leaves her, she is convinced of the truth of her mother’s words: that she’ll always be alone, a fate she deserves. But life goes on to surprise Celia in unexpected ways: a quirky co-worker, a serendipitous apricot jumpsuit, a guy named Darius who may just be true love at first sight, and how about the threat of su...2019-06-0419 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 199: Hall of Small Mammals (by Thomas Pierce)This week on The Easy Chair, I read aloud another wonderful short story (fitting, as it is officially Short Story Month) by author Thomas Pierce. Pierce gives us a poignant, funny, and illuminating story about Val, a surly, medically fragile twelve-year-old who is obsessed with Pippin monkeys. The story is narrated by his mother’s boyfriend, an affable yet cynical dude who has signed on to take Val to the local zoo to see some Pippins- but by acting responsibly, loses their place in the exhibition line. There’s a whole lot going on in both backstory and subtext over this...2019-05-2825 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode198: Mightier Than the SwordThis week’s episode is another Mightier Than the Sword, with my savvy co-host Steph Spaulding. We are still on the topic of book group etiquette and strategies. How to choose a book? How do books that are not on bestseller lists make it onto our reading lists? Are book group members obliged to finish a group pick that they struggle with? Many questions (mostly mine) and some valuable insights (mostly Steph’s). Tune in! And please, we’d love to hear from you on all things book group and writing related. Email us at easychairpodcast@gmail.com. It would make o...2019-05-2126 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 197: Crazy They Call Me, by Zadie SmithThis week’s episode: I am so excited to read yet another stellar short story by the incomparable Zadie Smith, "Crazy They Call Me." This is a gut-punch of a story, a literary re-imagining of the life of Billie Holiday, as recounted by Billie Holiday: reflective, devastating, defiant. “Lady Day” lived a dual life of notoriety and loneliness, and you will feel like you really get to know the woman behind the myth of the woman intimately, through Smith’s un-minced words. The last sentence takes it from a "clean" rating to "explicit" and it's perfection. Tune in.
This week’s sponsor...2019-05-1416 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 196: Mightier Than the SwordThis week on The Easy Chair, it’s Mightier Than the Sword! This week I blindside co-host Steph Spaulding with two things: first, a question about the impetus for our writing, and what we love as readers, and second, the way we choose to procrastinate. (For me, it’s the news of the day and Zillow.) It’s a fun and absolutely spontaneous discussion- I hope you’ll listen! On the next MTTS, we are going back to the subject of book groups. Write to us with your book group challenges, insights, and most memorable moments at easychairpodcast@gmail.com and Step...2019-05-0719 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 195: Lamb to the Slaughter (by Roald Dahl)Today on the podcast, I read Roald Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter.” Like all things Dahl, it is part tongue-in-cheek, part macabre, and 100% snarky. Mary Maloney is pregnant and feeling nothing but adoration for her police detective husband Patrick until he comes home from work one night to tell her he’s leaving her for another woman. Oh, and Mary decides to cook a frozen leg of lamb for dinner. From domestic bliss to all hell breaking loose, this story is a gruesome/fun roller coaster of a ride.
This week’s sponsor is Care/of Protein Powders! Care/of provide...2019-04-3021 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 194: Signs and Symbols (by Vladimir Nabokov)Today on the podcast, it’s a fabulous short story by one of my favorite authors, Vladimir Nabokov. In “Symbols and Signs” an elderly couple visit their adult son, who they have committed to a psychiatric hospital, on his birthday. The son’s psychosis, “referential mania” has him convinced the universe is filled with symbols and signs. Everything around him is a veiled reference to his personality and existence. His parents know this is crazy. But on this day, signs and symbols indicate otherwise. This story will get you thinking about the power of love- and the razor-thin flashpoint between sanity and i...2019-04-2319 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 193: Mightier Than the SwordThis week on The Easy Chair, it’s Mightier Than the Sword, with co-host Steph Spaulding! Steph is back from a two-week trip to Marrakech, Morocco. Her stay at a riad was definitely interesting. So much to talk about, from the marketplaces to air quality, food to the cultural customs…all very cool. While there were unexpected elements to her sojourn, some positive, some less so, still, I’m keeping Morocco on my short list of places to visit. We also discuss how to talk about a book in a group setting without getting into a fight (this happened in my old...2019-04-1623 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 192: I Stand Here Ironing (by Tillie Olsen)This week on The Easy Chair, I am reading Tillie Olsen’s beautifully poignant short story “I Stand Here Ironing”. I am endlessly grateful that I got to hear Tillie Olsen speak at a writing conference in 1981; her wisdom, creativity, and steel tenacity were tangible, even in a vast, crowded auditorium, and deeply influenced me. I don’t think there’s another writer who so movingly and accurately portrays the limitations and sacrifice of traditional 1950s domestic life, what it meant to be a wife and mother while holding out the hope for something different, something better for our daughters and the ge...2019-04-0921 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 191: Honey Magpie (Part 2)This week, it’s Honey Magpie II! First, a gorgeous, heartbreaking song about love's devastating disappointment by Pippa Hoover, followed by Pippa’s fascinating explication of her lyrics. Next up: Rachael Hurwitz’s achingly sweet song about the passage of time and the uncertain place we all hold between a remembered past and unclear future. Lots of existential ground is covered, from the perspective of a miserably downtrodden mother in the form of cautionary advice to her daughter (Pippa’s “Sweet Tooth”) to a plaintive longing for lost childhood that haunts a fast-moving present and uncertain future (Rachael’s “Smallest Grains of Sand”...2019-04-0218 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 190: Honey Magpie (Part 1)Welcome to a two part introduction to the indie folk band Honey Magpie! Rachael Hurwitz, Kati Moore and Pippa Hoover are three talented singer/musicians/songwriters from North Carolina, and in these back-to-back episodes, they visit me at my sweet little Airbnb in Carrboro to talk about their songwriting influences and their backstories and their creative work, both individual and collectively. Kati performs her song “Moonbreak” and names a surprising influence- The Red Hot Chili Peppers. (link to lyrics of all three original Honey Magpie Songs here) .The episode engages an interesting discussion about whether a great melody or great lyri...2019-03-2623 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 189: Heart to HeartCo-host Jane Gross and I get together again after a too-long break for Heart to Heart, healing wisdom for creative souls (though really, for all listeners)! It’s been a while, and for Jane, life has taken some wild hairpin twists and turns, but always, there’s something to be learned, and Jane shares with you some hard-won insights on grieving, coping, and overcoming. It’s a very honest look at heartbreak, loss, anger, and new beginnings. Please join us for a deep, frank, and revealing look at life after upheaval.
The sponsor of this week’s podcast is Rothy’s, the fla...2019-03-1917 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 188: Mightier Than the SwordThis week on The Easy Chair, it’s a triumphant return to Mightier than the Sword, with my wonderful co-host Steph Spaulding! I’ve been out of town and Steph’s been both hard at work and under the weather, so it’s been a minute since our last MTTS episode, and there’s lots to talk about. I’ve been writing, Steph’s been reading, and this crazy, remarkable world keeps spinning. Being able to write over the past month has given me some insight into my own writing process, which might prove useful to fellow writers out there. Steph has a gr...2019-03-1217 min
Segments373: Girls on Porn (w/Laura and Rachel!)New HeadGum podcasters Laura and Rachel stop by to discuss their show "Girls on Porn" and answer as many porn-related questions as we can get through in a good old fashioned porn lightning round episode.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.2019-03-1154 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 187: Ghosts and Empties by Lauren GroffThis week, I read Lauren Groff’s suburban nightmare/dreamscape story “Ghosts and Empties”. A young mother who has become “a woman who screams” walks every night in her eclectic old Florida neighborhood, exiting her house and tying up her sneakers, leaving her husband and sons as they make their way toward sleep. For her, the night reveals many fascinations- the tragic black swan family, the overweight young man reinventing himself on his treadmill, the sad attrition at the neighborhood nunnery. The night also harbors a devastating secret, personal, unacknowledged, that can’t be screamed away or walked off. Groff’s dramatic phr...2019-03-0524 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode186: OrientationThis week on the podcast, I read my short story, “Orientation”. One memory that stands out for virtually everyone who has experienced going away to college is meeting your freshman year roommate for the first time. Jennifer, a sensitive, determinedly optimistic eighteen year old with a deep need to be liked, has never met anyone quite like Mara- cynical, straight-talking, self-protective – a person whose motto is me first, and when it comes to the feelings and perceptions of others, she doesn't seem to care. Their dorm room is small, but maybe, just maybe, there's room for growth- and compromise. There's a lot...2019-02-2620 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 185: SchoolgirlThis week on The Easy Chair, “Schoolgirl”, an original short story by yours truly. It’s 1977, the summer of the infamous Model Wars between Eileen Ford and John Casablancas, the heads of the two most powerful modeling agencies in the world. Four young models just starting their careers are sent to Paris- and left to fend for themselves. It’s the story about the dark underbelly of an industry synonymous with enviable wealth and elegance, and cutthroat competition. For Lauren and her roommates Beth, Caro, and Kat, life lessons abound over a Parisian summer filled with three shedding cats, a slew of...2019-02-1922 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 184: Strawberry Spring (by Stephen King)Today on The Easy Chair, I read a spine-tingling scary story perfect for the thick of winter: “Strawberry Spring” by Stephen King. A serial killer stalks the campus of a small New England college, murdering and dismembering female co-eds. Locals dub him Springheel Jack, a spectral figure who comes in with the fog and ice melt of Strawberry Spring, the false, early thaw that comes before the most brutal of winter’s storms. Our protagonist is as horrified and mystified as any of his classmates, but he has to admit that he finds the mists and shadows of Strawberry Spring oddly...2019-02-1224 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 183: School and Five Short StoriesToday on the podcast, I read Donald Barthelme’s hilariously morbid short story “School” along with “Five Short Stories”, an unconventional collection of short shorts by Lydia Davis. Hopefully these tales and tidbits will delight and amuse you… and stay with you long after you’ve heard them. Winter is long and cold, dark and dreary, and I believe most of us need a little boost, a shot in the arm, if you will. These quirky works by two incredibly gifted writers definitely and very positively redirected me. Banish the winter blahs...tune in!
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy an...2019-02-0513 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpsode 182: Roy SpiveyThis week on The Easy Chair, I read Miranda July’s brilliant, quirky short story “Roy Spivey”. It’s about an uncertain young woman who through being “a pushover” finds herself with a first-class upgrade, only to be seated next to a major heart-throb celebrity on a cross-country flight. From their casual flirtation, some very interesting things happen, and ultimately this serendipitous encounter changes her life in unexpected ways. July’s story is astonishingly unique. You’ve never heard anything quite like it- I if you’re like me, you won’t be able to get it out of your head. Tune in!
This...2019-01-2917 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 181: Aquaponcs 101 (with Hannah Hurwitz)Aquaponics 101 (with Hannah Hurwitz). Climate change is a true national and global crisis, and one solution to the devastating environmental impact caused by our current way of producing food is aquaponics. What is aquaponics agriculture? (I’ll give you a hint: it involves water and fish). Hannah is working for an amazing start-up, Trifecta Ecosystems, and what they aim to do is transform spaces, from blighted warehouses to wasted classroom corners, into micro-farms that can 1.) Sustainably feed people and 2.) Protect the environment. Tune in to hear Hannah talk about aquaponics- the aspirational ideas behind it, the science supporting it, and th...2019-01-2216 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 180: Mightier Than the SwordThis week, on Mightier Than the Sword, Steph and I talk about New Year’s resolutions…and why, this year, we’ve decided against them. We are taking a different approach to 2019- a fresh start, for sure, but without the pitfalls and self-recriminations that often come with setting (and all too often, breaking) resolutions. Tune in to hear our takes on the pros and cons of the annual resolution tradition. We have some original ideas on how to make the New Year more of an opportunity than a challenge. As always, any questions, comments, and insights- let me and Steph...2019-01-1518 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 179: Sisterhood of the Porcelain GodThis week on The Easy Chair, I read the first chapter of my YA novel under consideration (working title, Sisterhood of the Porcelain God). Sophie is 18, a senior in high school, and her life should be poised for takeoff, but the eating disorder that has turned her life upside down since she was 13 makes forward momentum all but impossible. Publicly, she seems to be making progress, but privately, she is still locked in a fight for her life. This is the beginning of a difficult but important story. 30 million people suffer from eating disorders in the United States, and every 62...2019-01-0812 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 178: The Lochyille HorrorA progressive scary/funny story by the entire Hurwitz clan.2019-01-0115 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 177: Mightier Than the Sword- Gift GivingThis week’s episode: Gift Giving, on Mightier Than the Sword! Co-host Steph and I give each other gifts that are unconstrained by budget or actual attainability. The expression “it’s the thought that counts” is what this exercise in generosity is all about. In addition to our mutual gift exchange, we talk about our favorite holiday movie and T.V. specials. Along the way I impressively quote the ghost of Jacob Marley and Steph beautifully reminds us that the rancor of current politics and pervasiveness of consumerism should not distract us from what the holiday season is all about: light, l...2018-12-2518 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 176: Seasonal Work (Part Two)This week on The Easy Chair: Part Two of Seasonal Work, by Laura Lippman. This is the continuation and conclusion of Lippman’s poignant/painful short story told by Kyle, the 14 year-old stepdaughter of Gary, a con artist. The plan is in motion. The family has relocated to Baltimore, and the scam has begun. The kind social worker who comes back to check on Kyle and her siblings turns out to be something quite different. Who’s been playing who? It’s a surprising turn of events in this light and mostly dark holiday tale. The end of the story is a s...2018-12-1819 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 175: Seasonal Work (Part One)This week on The Easy Chair: Part One of an anti-holiday holiday short story: "Seasonal Work" by Laura Lippman. Grifter Gary and his four kids- three biological, one his step-daughter- take part in an annual holiday scam that’s working so far. Take off for a new city at Christmastime. Pretend the gifts you pretended to buy got stolen from your minivan. Local news coverage and a trusting public take care of the rest. Gary’s stepdaughter, narrator of the story, is a willing accomplice. Or is she? Tune in to hear me read this quirky, honest, unexpectedly resilient tale... to b...2018-12-1117 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 174: Give the Lady What She WantsThis week's episode: “Give the Lady What She Wants”, a winsome, heartbreaking short story by Leslie Pietrzyk. It’s longer than my typical Easy Chair offerings, but trust me, you will love this tale. Set in Chicago in 1982, the narrator is dress shopping with her college roommate, Jess, and Jess’s mother, and since she is the same size as Jess’s younger sister, Linda (a no-show because “shopping is bourgeois”) she is recruited/volunteers to try on dresses in Linda’s stead. Entitled Jess and her mom have a love of shopping that crosses the line into unhealthy obsession, and their day sp...2018-12-0430 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode: 173 SissyToday on The Easy Chair: Sit back and listen to “Sissy” a charming short story by author/playwright Kathy Anderson. It’s about the reunion of two sisters in their 70s. One, the narrator, is a failed actress living in California, the other, a successful investor from a “hoity-toity” New York City suburb. Add to the mix a derelict floating restaurant, a bored boatman, and a secret burning desire to swim with stingrays. It’s a crazy quilt of a tale about mortality, history, and sisterly connection, but take my word for it: everything comes together perfectly. There is nothing I adore more...2018-11-2714 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 172: Mightier Than the SwordToday’s episode: It’s time to head back to Mightier Than the Sword with co-host Stephanie Spaulding! This week, we are talking GRATITUDE. After all, it’s Thanksgiving, and family, friends, and being grateful is what it’s all about. Steph and I share our current Thanksgiving plans (both of them unconventional) and we revisit our pasts, with memories both sweet and challenging, relative to the Thanksgiving holiday. I tell the story about a Thanksgiving that's been a secret...up to now. Tune in. It's the perfect side dish, whether you're having a traditional bird or a Tofurkey. Steph and I wou...2018-11-2018 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 171: Home Again HannahThis week on The Easy Chair, my guest is daughter Hannah, just back from a solo adventure to Southeast Asia. She has some cool tales to tell about her three weeks in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Nepal. For anyone considering a trip to that part of the world, she offers her take, and some useful tips. There were a few unplanned events (such as getting hit by a motorcycle) during which her characteristically cool head had to prevail, but expansive landscapes and unique people and two waterfall sightings made every challenge worth it. Check out hannahhurwitz.com, to see...2018-11-1325 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 170: Reflections on the Eve of TomorrowToday on The Easy Chair, I read two essays about what I believe is our ongoing moral imperative to remember the past and learn from it, and to the safeguard the health and richness of our collective national future. It’s a whole lot of important territory to cover in one short podcast, but the eloquent words of Elie Weisel and Libba Bray make it soul-stirring and resonant. The focus of this week's podcast is not about listening to my voice but using yours for the greater good. The takeaway: GET OUT THERE AND VOTE. This is a time for ho...2018-11-0614 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 169: The Return of Cemetery HouseCemetery House by my Mightier Than the Sword co-host Steph Spaulding felt like the perfect story to share for Halloween. Not that it is scary; more because it reveals, to me, the sweet unbroken link between the living and the dead. This link isn’t somber, but joyful, and knowing that the end of life can be the beginning of a different kind of relationship is a profoundly wonderful realization. Please tune in as I attempt to do justice to Steph’s short, magical story of loss, sorrow, forgiveness, and love set between adversarial neighbors in a small Vermont village.
See...2018-10-3012 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 168: Mightier Than the SwordThis week, it’s Mightier Than the Sword! Steph and I discuss the role humor has in the societal processing of challenging events. Here's a special treat: to underscore this theory, I offer “Kegtapping: The Ballad of Brett Kavanaugh” as proof- and Steph and I encourage you to follow this link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vBzZAzY8RI) to a fun yet poignant Youtube video I had a hand in. You’ll enjoy it, especially if you share our feelings of devastation about the Kavanaugh hearings some weeks back, because, well, that’s how humor works. Steph and I also talk...2018-10-2323 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 167: Mother-Daughter Catch Up (with Hannah Hurwitz!)Mother-Daughter Catch Up (with Hannah Hurwitz!) Hannah has moved on from Shoulda Swiped Left; she has had quite an eventful year, and in this episode, I have fun catching up with her. She left one job for two new ones and she is poised to embark on a three-week solo trip to Southeast Asia. Hannah has always been fearless, and things that make me anxious as her mother don't even show up on her radar. Hannah shares her five-country itinerary; I share some book recommendations. She’ll check back in on the podcast when she gets home at the end of...2018-10-1616 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 166: Where There is Love, I'll Be There (with Michele Tenney)This week on The Easy Chair, I got to interview personal trainer, nutritionist, and wellness coach extraordinaire, Michele Tenney. In the spirit of the podcast, Michele is a also an excellent writer, and it was her uplifting article about the dynamic connection between soul, spirit, and body that got me figuring out a way to feature her on the podcast. How radical is it, to believe that by improving our moral health, we improve our physical health? Michele tells the inspirational story of her son Colin's perilous birth. It’s a tribute to the power of faith, and even for me...2018-10-0920 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 165: Mightier than the SwordThis week, it’s back to Mightier Than the Sword, and Steph and I are coming at you with two very interesting book reviews. This has been a particularly unsettling week for our country, and sometimes the best antidote to the sturm und drang of modern American life is to temporarily escape into a good book. I love to open up my home and the mic to Steph at the end of my solitary baking/writing/listening obsessively to NPR day. Steph has read a great non-fiction book, and she weighs in very eloquently. I’ve got a work of fict...2018-10-0222 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 164: Meet Sam!Today on The Easy Chair: Meet Sam! This is the episode you’ve all been waiting for. Sam Hurwitz is my spouse, devoted father to our six kids, a brilliant tax lawyer, and a devotee of mysteries/police procedurals. Like me, Sam also has a daily writing practice (okay, his is limited to partnership agreements and estate planning documents, unless you want to count terse emails) but he’s my go-to grammarian, a champion speller, and all-around quirky-cool guy. Even though his son Jake has dubbed him a cabbage, a knapsack, and a troll, nothing could be further from the trut...2018-09-2515 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 163: Mightier Than the SwordIt’s a lively return to Mightier Than the Sword, with co-host Steph Spaulding! We talk about waiting for Hurricane Florence to hit the east coast, and how natural disaster is fodder for the 24 hour news cycle. By the time this podcast is out, the storm will be over, and our speculation about its impact will be either confirmed or proven wrong. Then, it’s time for what I’ve been wanting to do with Steph all week: play one more round of Would You Rather. One question relates to writing, the other relates to time travel and indoor plumbing. Intrig...2018-09-1818 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 162: The Man in the Black Suit Part 2Today on The Easy Chair, the conclusion of Stephen King’s brilliant horror story, “The Man in the Black Suit.” On a summer morning fishing trip, Young Gary meets the devil, a.k.a. The Man in the Black Suit, who tells him his mother is dead. Like his brother Dan, she is the hapless victim of an allergic reaction to a bee sting. Gary doesn’t want to believe his gruesome story, but finds himself thinking the devil is speaking the truth. Gary also knows the devil means him harm, but how does a nine-year-old boy escape the Prince of Darkn...2018-09-1128 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 161: The Man in the Black Suit Part 1Today on The Easy Chair, part one of Stephen King’s brilliant and terrifying short story, “The Man in the Black Suit.” It’s been less than a year since nine-year-old Gary lost his brother due to an allergic reaction to a bee sting, and he and his parents are still in mourning. It is a sleepy summer day and, after doing his chores, he is allowed to go fishing as long as he doesn’t go further than the fork in the river. He is successful, catching a couple of big trout, when he decides to rest on a sunny, fla...2018-09-0425 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 160: Mightier Than the SwordToday on The Easy Chair, it’s a very special episode of Mightier Than the Sword. Steph and I recorded this on Steph’s actual 40th birthday. Because it is such a landmark occasion, I agreed to let her surprise me, which meant playing a game that Steph’s been obsessed with of late. Basically, it’s a toned-down philosophical version of “Would You Rather.” Steph poses questions that have us pondering some weighty choices relative to age, mortality, incarceration, and purple feathers vs. pink fur. We also ask you, dear listeners, to belatedly celebrate Steph’s b-day by writing to us with you...2018-08-2820 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpidoe159: What's NextToday on The Easy Chair: It’s a reprise of last summer’s “What’s Next,” a cryptic progressive tale brimming with intrigue and hilarity. After their beloved cat Ringo turns up decapitated on their front porch, Allison and Nick flee to a remote lake house. Allison dreams of a sparkly life of lakeside ease while Nick longs to ramp up their “business” in Chicago … or maybe he just wants to fulfill his dream of becoming a dentist. This story has it all: a pontoon boat full of twerking hot cops, champagne burps, and a coveted peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The st...2018-08-2111 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 158: Mightier than the SwordThis week on The Easy Chair, it’s a relaxed return to Mightier Than the Sword, with co-host Steph Spaulding. This week Steph and I share our reading list summer picks. Here’s the context: the weather is hot, the air is heavy, and if you’re like us, you don’t feel like moving. You might consider this the perfect time to pick up a good read (and to this listen to podcast!) Steph’s top choice is a work of historical non-fiction, and mine is good ol’ literary fiction. We both weigh in. And just so you know…the heat has m...2018-08-1414 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 157: Heart to HeartThis week on The Easy Chair, it’s Heart to Heart, with my wonderful and wise co-host Jane Gross. This week we take on a difficult subject: heartbreak. It’s something most of us go must through, and Jane offers some ideas on how to successfully navigate the challenge of ending a relationship. Our conversation leads us to discuss ways to enter into a relationship with a healthy sense of boundaries and expectations. This is one episode that is truly empowering for those in the throes of the end of a relationship, and Jane offers some great strategies for staying stro...2018-08-0617 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 156: The NecklaceToday on The Easy Chair, just sit back and let me read you a classic short story: “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant. When the wife of a lowly clerk is invited to a fancy ball, she complains that she has no jewels to wear. When her husband suggests she borrow a necklace from a wealthy friend, it seems like an excellent idea, until...well, listen in and find out what happens next in this tale of vanity, envy, pride, and assumption. It's a return to the good old days! I love reading y'all a story.
This week’s episode is bro...2018-07-3119 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 155: Mightier Than the SwordThis week on The Easy Chair, it’s Mightier Than the Sword! Steph and I talk about “Nanette”- the Netflix comedy special by Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby. If you haven’t seen it, OMG DO, and also, listen to us discuss just how groundbreaking it is. Gadsby does not give us a conventional stand-up comedy, but an intensely personal storytelling blending humor and pathos and spot-on social commentary. We are continuing our exploration of censorship, specifically of the female voice, and Gadsby’s singularly poignant show seemed to fit right into our shared hopeful view that maybe as a comedy aud...2018-07-2415 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 154: Heart to HeartThis week on The Easy Chair: It's “Heart to Heart” with co-host Jane Gross. This is an incisive and, okay, radical conversation about what made Donald Trump Donald Trump. Jane, who knows her stuff when it comes to her long-time profession puts on her psychologist hat to connect the dots between Trump the emotionally stunted child to Trump the world-class narcissist acting out from a place of unique power on an international stage. What are we supposed to learn from this man, and this moment in history? The conclusion Jane draws is at once scary and empowering. Tune in to a ve...2018-07-1720 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 153: The Telltale HeartThis week on The Easy Chair: “The Telltale Heart,” the classic twisted Victorian psychological thriller by Edgar Allen Poe. This story has been scaring the wits out of readers since it was first published in 1843. When the narrator of events insists to you that he’s not mad, there’s a pretty strong possibility that he is quite mad, indeed. This story of obsession, premeditation, gruesome murder and unbearable paranoia has stood the test of time- and I promise it will keep you riveted, whether or not you’re hearing it for the first time. Personally, I have so much fun when I...2018-07-1015 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 152: Heart to HeartThis week on The Easy Chair: another episode of Heart to Heart, healing wisdom for creative souls, with co-host, artist, licensed therapist, and dear friend Jane Gross. Sometimes we are unwitting recipients of unanticipated negative reactions. From fielding angry emails and hurtful texts to facing the jerk who screams at you as you try your best to merge into traffic, we sometimes must confront negativity that blindsides us. What if the first reaction was calm, rather than frantic? Jane has some great tips on how to cultivate our ability to step back, rather than lash out, to sit with upset...2018-07-0317 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode151: Mightier than the SwordThis week, it’s another clear and honest episode of Mightier Than the Sword, the advice podcast for writers, readers, and people who may just be wondering what me and co-host Steph Spaulding have on our minds. Today, an email from a listener has us talking about censorship. It's a complicated topic. Do we, as female writers, self-censor before even putting our work out there? Is there a double standard for women and men, when it comes to being judged on the creative work we produce? From Samantha Bee to Roseanne Barr, women have said what’s on their minds, but...2018-06-2619 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 150: Heart to HeartThis week, it’s Heart to Heart, healing wisdom for the creative soul, with co-host Jane Gross. Today’s episode has many things to offer: an exploration of arguably what we humans crave more than anything. Jane’s answer might surprise you, just like it did me: I would have guessed love. What’s your guess? Tune in to find out Jane’s answer. Also, Jane takes listeners on an off-the-cuff guided meditation that is genuinely effective in helping to attain that aforementioned thing we humans want above all else. Please join me and Jane for a free-wheeling episode filled with self...2018-06-1918 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 149: Gift of the MagiThis week: “The Gift of the Magi” is a classic short story by O Henry. This small gem is generally considered a Christmas story as well as an iconic example of comic irony. I would challenge the limits of these labels. This story about love and sacrifice is relevant for any time of year, and the lessons it imparts are not tied to one faith. While O. Henry certainly uses elements of both comedy and irony, his story tells what it means to love and sacrifice, and champions the notion that what really, really matters in this world can't be boug...2018-06-1212 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 148: Bad Neighbor Part 2The week's episode: Bad Neighbor, Part 2, by author Deborah Zervas. This culmination of Deborah’s story is intense and provocative. This fiction is a cautionary tale about how the power people living side by side have to both create and destroy community. If you ever wonder what might downshift an altruist into a vengeful misanthrope, well, pay attention to the unraveling of the narrator as she recounts the intrusions and annoyances she endures at the hands of her neighbors, and see if you can determine her moral tipping point. Will just desserts be served? Tune in and find out.
This we...2018-06-0522 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 147: Bad Neighbor Part 1This week on The Easy Chair: I welcome back returning guest author Deborah Zervas for part one of her two-part story, Bad Neighbor. What does it mean to be a good neighbor? Perhaps a more relevant (and story-specific) question is, what does it take to make a bad neighbor? The narrator in this wry fictional tale is, like Deborah Zervas herself, a Midwest transplant to a Northeast city. She was raised with regional rules of civility, but a series of unfortunate neighbors seem hellbent on disabusing her of that idealistic notion. Deborah’s story follows an atypical (for The Easy Ch...2018-05-2922 min
Laura Flanders and Friends: Positive Independent Journalism for a Just WorldMaking Data Shift Power: Bex Hong Hurwitz and Rashida RichardsonIt seems like the only tech headlines we have are about disasters. But what about the original promise of tech to innovate and empower? Bex Hong Hurwitz-Data & Society fellow and Rashida Richardson-AI Now Institute, join Laura to discuss the subversive and democratic potential of technology, and how we harness it. Then, Kayleigh Walsh from the UK-based tech cooperative Outlandish - a model that centers on empowerment and sustainability. Music by Mia Doi Todd "Digital" City Zen Records. Support theLFShow
Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Jane...2018-05-2328 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode146: Relevant Bits from I Like You by Amy SedarisI have been a long time planning the wedding for my daughter, Rachael. Guess what? The wedding is THIS WEEKEND. Yay, and YIKES. I needed something funny and light to read, since I didn't have time to write anything, so I settled on the hilarious “I Like You” by the hilarious Amy Sedaris. Today, I share some passages from her how to hostess book that are irreverent yet practical. How to be a guest. How to entertain guests. How to get rid of guests. Basically, it’s everything you need to know about planning a successful gathering of people. I desper...2018-05-2213 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 145: TellingThis week, Steph and I are back with Mightier Than the Sword. Our topic: the difference between writing and storytelling. I step out of my comfortable narrative distance to tell a very difficult true story. Two weeks ago, I was the victim of a sexual assault. The ways people- from friends and neighbors to law enforcement- reacted to my story made me realize that I may be a decent writer, but I am not a reliable storyteller. Steph and I talk about how women who have been victimized often detach from their feelings in order to relate a traumatic event...2018-05-1425 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 144: Hills Like White ElephantsThis week's episode: "Hills Like White Elephants." This classic short story by Earnest Hemingway is widely considered most striking for everything that is revealed in the things are left unsaid. A man and a woman are waiting for the train to Barcelona. It is a hot afternoon. They are drinking beer at a bar and talking about the landscape, the weather, and whether or not the woman should have an abortion. Nothing is actually said about this last detail, but Hemingway’s inference is as heavy as the still, hot afternoon air of the café, and his spare style allows the...2018-05-0811 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 143: Writing: A Life SentenceIt’s a return to the old format, only instead of fiction I’m reading a witty social commentary by the inimitable humorist/social critic Fran Lebowitz. Lebowitz, author of Metropolitan Life and Social Studies, has been writing about what makes people and life annoying since the early seventies. My favorite Lebowitz quote: “The opposite of talking isn’t listening. The opposite of talking is waiting.” Her essay, “Writing: A Life Sentence,” is a textbook example of Lebowitz’s sardonic style. Professional and aspiring writers will see themselves and their career arcs in this essay. Join me as I read Lebowitz's deftl...2018-05-0109 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 142: Heart to HeartThis week on The Easy Chair, it’s Heart to Heart, healing wisdom for all of us humans, with co-host Jane Gross. This week Jane takes on the topic of asking for and accepting support from trusted sources. Getting help can be challenging for those, like yours truly and Jane, who generally find themselves in the helper role. Asking for help is, in fact, a vulnerable and brave thing to do. As with many of our best Heart to Heart convos, Jane and I start down a path with no planned destination, so the fact that this podcast turned out to...2018-04-2414 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 141: Mightier Than the SwordThis week, another fabulous episode of Mightier Than the Sword! Steph and I stay on last time's topic: travel writing. Steph reads her succinct, distinctly humorous reflection on her recent trip to Paris (here's an example: “The Eiffel Tower: I like it.”). I admit it: I slacked on my assignment to write something fresh about my recent travel experience to Norway, but I did rummage through my bookshelves to find a piece I wrote years ago for a coffee table book about the Cayman Islands and an inspiring woman I met there named Miss Winnie. Steph and I also talk abou...2018-04-1720 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 111: Shoulda Swiped Left #21 (featuring Hannah Hurwitz and Jake Hurwitz)This week on The Easy Chair, it’s Shoulda Swiped Left with Hannah and Jake. This is their final SSL podcast. For the last time on The Easy Chair they discuss Hannah’s on-line and current old-school matchmaker dating life. It’s the sweetest, funniest, most self-aware episode ever. Fact: I am going to miss this monthly podcast so much. For me, it was a chance to hear my wonderful kids speaking to each other openly and publicly about love and the unsinkable hope of finding it, through chance or technology. I got to know both Hannah and Jake in a diff...2017-09-1921 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 107: Shoulda Swiped Left Episode 20 (featuring Hannah Hurwitz and Jake Hurwitz)Today on The Easy Chair: It’s another candid episode of Shoulda Swiped Left with Hannah and Jake. It’s always a complete surprise to me what makes it onto the podcast, and this episode is no exception. Join us for a spirited and essentially unedited episode (we all had a busy week with only last-minute recording time) so enjoy the largely uncut content. And huge congratulations to Rana Othman, who won a dozen of Jake’s Mom’s Chocolate Chip Cookies by correctly identifying the ad-lib moment in last week's progressive Hurwitz family story. (It was when Jake called out “cia...2017-08-2213 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 105: Mightier Than the Sword #10 (with Stephanie Spaulding)Steph Spaulding and I are back with another episode of the podcast for writers, Mightier Than the Sword! We discuss the disciplined practice of writing. Is it a labor of love, or more like pure labor? Writing on retreat is one thing, but integrating a writing practice into life on a regular basis presents a set of unique challenges. Steph and I talk about how to start, how to keep the writing flow going, when to push, when to be patient. Join us for this entertaining (and hopefully enlightening) episode. Writers: we encourage you to write to us with questions...2017-08-0817 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode104: Shoulda Swiped Left #20 (featuring Hannah Hurwitz and Jake Hurwitz)This week on The Easy Chair: Shoulda Swiped Left Episode 20. That’s right, 20 episodes, and still, after all that time, Hannah and Jake never fail to surprise me. They share the same strange phobia (you’ll never guess). They talk dating, travel, waterfalls, and legit old-school matchmaking. It’s a uniquely freewheeling and enlightening episode, even by Shoulda Swiped Left standards. In fact, it is one of my all-time favorites. It isn't often you can say audio file editing was a pleasure, but this time, it was. Tune in and you’ll see what I mean.
Next week: Mightier Than the Swor...2017-08-0114 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode100: Shoulda Swiped Left #19 (featuring Hannah Hurwitz and Jake Hurwitz)This week, It's The Easy Chair episode 100!!! To mark this momentous podcasting milestone: Shoulda Swiped Left with Hannah and Jake. Of course there’s dating talk but also career talk, house talk, and a smattering of observations and opinions. My greatest joy as host and podcast editor is once a month, I get to appreciate the special dynamic between my two oldest kids. They might not always agree but they never fail to support each other. It’s a wide-ranging, relaxed, and largely unedited podcast. Celebrate with me by tuning in to this 100% genuine special anniversary episode.
Next week, on Migh...2017-07-0322 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 94: Shoulda Swiped Left 18 (featuring Hannah Hurwitz and Jake Hurwitz)This week’s episode: Shoulda Swiped Left, with Hannah and Jake. It has been a busy month in lots of ways and believe me when I tell you Hannah’s got stuff to talk about. The news is not all bad, but human relationships are never without complications. Jake and Hannah have different approaches to dealing with guys who go M.I.A.. You’ll see what I mean when you tune in to this interesting and enlightening episode.
Next week: it’s a return to Mightier Than the Sword, the advice podcast for writers! Co-host Stephanie Spaulding has a question...2017-05-2319 min
The Easy Chair with Laura HurwitzEpisode 89: Shoulda Swiped Left #17 (featuring Hannah Hurwitz and Jake Hurwitz)It’s Shoulda Swiped Left #17, and it’s totally THE BEST. So much gets discussed: the virtues and rewards of being your true self. Breaking up, both badly and less so. Guilt. Ghosting. An earnest email from a fan with a link to …porn? Maybe we’re just confused. Join me, Hannah, and Jake for a super long, even more super worth it Shoulda Swiped Left episode that’s funny, real, and surprising. Next week: “Mightier Than The Sword” with Stephanie Spaulding. We’d love to take on your writing related questions! Send them to easychairpodcast@gmail.com, with Mightier Than the Sword i...2017-04-1828 min
Segments179: Hickey (w/Laura and Angela)Friends and fellow HeadGum podcasters Laura Lane and Angela Spera stop by to give advice on texting, flirting, and your sex number.
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