Can We Interest You In...?

Charlotte Hamilton and Patti McGrath
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Comedy
  • Updated Biweekly

A podcast where friends Charlotte and Patti invite people to share all about their weird and wild obsessions, or perfectly normal hobbies that have been taken just a little too far.  We want to dabble in your curious interests! Plus, a 2025 bonus—we hear indulging your interests is good for democracy! This is why we should engage in activities that are of interest to us, our friends, our families. Insofar as we take pride in these activities, and come to know others who do so as well, we are creating civil society. – Vaclav Havel, “The Power of the Powerless”

  1. 3d ago ·  Video

    45- Can We Interest You In...The Return of Uncle Jim (and The Wilhelmshaven Mystery)?

    CONTENT WARNING: talk of dead bodies and war Jim Hamilton returns to the podcast to tell us about his quest to solve The Wilhelmshaven Mystery. How did two women in Allied flight uniforms end up buried in a Wilhelmshaven military cemetery in the summer of 1943? Jim has spent the past 25 years trying to find out.Jim Hamilton is a publisher (Green Harbor Publications), cartoonist, writer, and investigator of rabbit holes. He was CWIYI’s first ever podcast guest (check out our Long Falls episode!) and, most importantly, he is the uncle of Charlotte and anyone who has ever listened to this podcast.We start with what we’ve been interested in recently:Charlotte is into cozy mystery writing.Uncle Jim is now a big fan of Denver’s new women’s soccer team, The Summit.Patti has Bus Traffic Fever and wishes she didn’t.Then we talk The Wilhelmshaven Mystery and learn about:—the details of the mystery of these yet unidentified two female fliers, one British and one American—what resonated with Jim about this story—the comic he created about the mystery—the questions The Wilhelmshaven Mystery brings up in our present day—Jim’s research processHomework: Two options!1. Identify an unsolved mystery (either personal or in the public sphere) and write about it.2. Imagine and write the fictional account of what “really” happened with these two women (250-500 words).Links/References:The Sequential Artists Workshop: https://www.sequentialartistsworkshop.org/The Wilhelmshaven Mystery, Green Harbor Publications: https://greenharbor.com/mystery.htmlOperation Mincemeat musical: https://boston.broadway.com/shows/operation-mincemeat/Logo design by Marielle MartinSong: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_videoBlueSky: @canweinterestyouin.bsky.socialInstagram: @canweinterestyouinEmail us your interests! CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.comWebsite: canweinterestyouin.com

  2. Sep 17 ·  Video

    44- RERUN- Can Charlotte Interest You In...Basketball?

    We need more time to make a box! So we're re-releasing the episode that started it all with a newly recorded intro.  Host Charlotte shares her newish interest in basketball with co-host Patti. Some items covered include approaching sports as a reality show, March Madness, NBA players being baby boys (maternally), Caitlin Clark and the assignment that Charlotte gives Patti. This episode was recorded during the 2023 NBA season, so some dated references. Logo design by Marielle MartinSong: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_videoBlueSky: @canweinterestyouin.bsky.socialInstagram: @canweinterestyouinEmail us your interests! CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.comWebsite: canweinterestyouin.com

  3. Sep 3 ·  Video

    43- Can Caleb Interest You In...Woodworking?

    We talk with Caleb Avraham, social worker turned lawyer, about his passion—woodworking! How does a kid who grew up in the city of Chicago get into woodworking? It all started with…a toilet.First, we start with check-ins:Charlotte enters a pitch slam.Patti goes to a Savannah Bananas game.Caleb’s other love is mountain climbing.Then, Caleb shares the inciting incident that kicked off his love affair with woodworking over nine years ago.We talk all about woodworking, including:-How does one learn how to woodwork? (Hint: it’s YouTube. It’s always YouTube)-Woodworking vs wood turning (see Episode 8 - Can Marielle Interest You in Wood Turning?) vs carpentry-The artistic side of woodworking; coming up with the design, symbolic meanings, the function of the piece-Purple wood!-How woodworking provides a creative and physical outlet for Caleb’s career as a lawyer-How woodworking cultivates mindfulness (especially if you don’t want to cut a finger off) and can be a workout and sauna visit in one-What’s the best compliment a woodworker can get? Homework: Make a box!Bonus: How is making a box like making an omelette like trying a DUI case? Check out our Instagram or Blue Sky for images of Caleb's pieces (links below). Links/References:Jonathan Katz-Moses YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXBNF-A7QlYT3tT-B9N4ElAPaul Sellers YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Paul.Sellers/videosRockler: https://www.rockler.com/Logo design by Marielle MartinSong: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_videoBlueSky: @canweinterestyouin.bsky.socialInstagram: @canweinterestyouinEmail us your interests! CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.comWebsite: canweinterestyouin.com

  4. Aug 20 ·  Video

    42- Poetry and South Broadway Press...The Follow-Up

    Patti and Charlotte debrief their excellent homework assignment, given to them by Tyler Hurula, Senior Editor of South Broadway Press, the Denver based publisher of “weird, gorgeous, and revolutionary poetry.”They kick off the episode with a new check-in question—what’s been interesting you recently?-Patti discusses her foray into Reiki.-Charlotte waxes poetic (hehe) about Busch Light Apple.At 17:28 they get into the homework--to read South Broadway Press’s Pushcart Prize nominated poems (link below).Patti gives context on the Pushcart Prize. They then discuss each of the nominated poems: Because Every Girl Has a Pomegranate Poem in Her, by Monica Fuglei (19:54)One Foot in the New Year, by Leo Rose Rodriguez (21:50)Geranium, Aspen Everett (24:00)they say the rice won’t grow without blood, by Sreeja Naskar (26:00)Scribe, by T. Lydia McKinney (28:44)I Do Not Care if You Are Across the Country, by Wheeler Light (33:07)Charlotte and Patti talk about the process of reading these poems and ways to enrich the experience.Poetry Unbound podcast and their poetry anthologies get a big shout out from Charlotte.Then, they talk Accessibility and the LOIS.Finally, Charlotte and Patti give themselves a(nother) poetry assignment.Links/References:Tyler Hurula: https://www.tylerhurula.com/South Broadway Press: https://southbroadwaypress.org/South Broadway Press Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/southbroadwaypress/South Broadway Press Pushcart Nominees: https://southbroadwaypress.org/2025/10/07/2026-pushcart-prize-nominations/Busch Light Apple Locator: https://www.busch.com/locatorPushcart Prize: https://www.pushcartprize.org/Poetry Unbound: https://onbeing.org/series/poetry-unbound/The Haiku Year, by Jim Hamilton and Charlotte Hamilton: https://www.lulu.com/shop/jim-hamilton-and-charlotte-hamilton/the-haiku-year-a-correspondence/paperback/product-1zk5j92k.html?srsltid=AfmBOoraiZR4wTv_Vjigu2ADXScmnzcWArevu2NfrE6zohbf4fFFMowC&page=1&pageSize=4Logo design by Marielle MartinSong: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_videoBlueSky: @canweinterestyouin.bsky.socialInstagram: @canweinterestyouinEmail us your interests! CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.comWebsite: canweinterestyouin.com

  5. Aug 6 ·  Video

    41- Can Tyler Interest You In...Poetry and South Broadway Press?

    Tyler Hurula joins Patti and Charlotte to talk all things poetry! Tyler is the Senior Editor of South Broadway Press and “The Pinkest Poet in Denver, Colorado.”First, check-ins! We talk pink hair, squirrels, and Andrea Gibson.At 11:43 we get into Tyler’s interest, poetry and Tyler's role as Senior Editor of South Broadway Press.Topics we cover:-The Inciting Incident(s) - how Andrea Gibson (there can never be enough talk of Andrea Gibson, true fact), the pandemic, and the “Poems That Don’t Suck” community played a role in Tyler’s love of poetry. -Finding poetry community, both locally and online, which Tyler says can be literally life-saving -First drafts and being brave enough to write something that sucks -Editing, and the evolution a poem can go through (it’s both a sprint AND a marathon) -South Broadway Press, the Denver, Colorado, based publisher of poetry that is “weird, gorgeous, and revolutionary” -Trends in poetry (including Button Poetry, poets reading at inaugurations) -Poetry therapy and the use of poetry in supporting mental healthThen Tyler gives us our homework, to read the South Broadway Press Pushcart Prize nominated poems (link below if you want to read along).And finally, we talk about “Too Pretty for Plain Coffee,” Tyler’s book of poetry, and Tyler’s favorite coffee order.Links/References:Tyler Hurula: https://www.tylerhurula.com/South Broadway Press: https://southbroadwaypress.org/South Broadway Press Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/southbroadwaypress/Homework link: https://southbroadwaypress.org/2025/10/07/2026-pushcart-prize-nominations/“When I Get My Shit Together,” Mieka Pauley song: https://youtu.be/yOcH0tv9EdQ?si=vutab1vQBKGWZejl“Love Letter From the Afterlife,” Andrea Gibson poem/performance: https://andreagibson.org/events“Poems That Don’t Suck” Workshops, Megan Falley: https://www.meganfalley.com/workshopsBeyond the Veil Press: https://beyondtheveilpress.com/Button Poetry YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ButtonPoetryToo Pretty for Plain Coffee, Tyler Hurula: https://www.wayfarerbookstore.com/product/too-pretty-for-plain-coffee-by-tyler-hurula/206Logo design by Marielle MartinSong: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_videoBlueSky: @canweinterestyouin.bsky.socialInstagram: @canweinterestyouinEmail us your interests! CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.comWebsite: canweinterestyouin.com

  6. Jul 23 ·  Video

    40- Can We Interest You In...A Book Club?

    Let the Can We Interest You In…? book club commence! Charlotte and Patti have read A Family Affair, the debut novel of Marissa Joy Leotaud (multi-talented recurring guest of the pod), and they give their verdict in this follow-up episode. Spoiler alert: they loved it! And, there will be some mild plot spoilers in this episode. First, Patti and Charlotte begin the episode in media res (like, in the middle of a conversation), for that reality show vibe. Then, they catch each other up on the recent goings-on of summer. Patti does a mini Can We Interest You In…? about 90-Day Fiance. Charlotte recounts a supremely bad COVID-era Zoom date. At 29:30 they get into the discussion of the novel, A Family Affair. Topics and themes discussed include: -Characterization and emotional complexity of all the characters, particularly the three main characters, Joyce, Michael, and Ava -Mother/daughter relationships -Marriage and all the miscommunication -Family secrets -Sex! - how the scenes propel the story, gender stereotypes, power and control -Is it possible to be truly “caught up in the moment”? -The Climax Then we talk accessibility and the Level of Integration Scale (LOIS) Links: A Family Affair: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0GHPYLT23/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0 Marissa Joy Fiction Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marissajoyfiction?utm_source=qr TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marissajoyfiction?_r=1&_t=ZT-96v4ne1cuXF Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/marissajoyy Logo design by Marielle MartinSong: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_videoBlueSky: @canweinterestyouin.bsky.socialInstagram: @canweinterestyouinEmail us your interests! CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.comWebsite: canweinterestyouin.com

  7. Jul 9 ·  Video

    39- Underground Metal: The Follow-Up

    Our resident expert on all things underground metal, Steve Klatt, comes back to debrief our homework. As the former head of the Colorado chapter of the New York Death Militia, he brings unique insight that helps him answer all our many (many!) questions.But first, we check in on how we’re *really* doing.Then, at 10:55 we talk about our homework.The Homework: -Patti rocked out at a Havok show at Fubar Lounge, in St. Louis. We learn about the new persona she invented for herself and whether she joined the mosh pit or not.-Charlotte comes close to greatness (or disaster) at Metal Karaoke at Black Sky Brewing in Denver. She also tells us what metal subgenre she is based on multiple personality tests.Steve gives us the underground metal insider tips, like:The band uniformsMosh pit etiquetteSubgeners of mosh pits: pogo pit, violent circles, “crowd killing”Head banging protocolThe darker side of metalWe talk accessibility - is the metalhead community still mostly white men?What subgenre of metal are we? We take a personality test.And finally, the Level of Integration Scale. How metal do Charlotte and Patti plan to get, now that the homework is done?Links/references:https://uquiz.com/quiz/zcN6Da/what-subgenre-of-metal-are-youLogo design by Marielle MartinSong: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_videoBlueSky: @canweinterestyouin.bsky.socialInstagram: @canweinterestyouinEmail us your interests! CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.comWebsite: canweinterestyouin.com

  8. Jun 18 ·  Video

    38- Can Steve Interest You In...Underground Metal?

    Content Warning: mention of sexual assault, references to violent images and band namesOur guest, Steve Klatt, takes us deep into the world of Underground Metal, including metal clubs, ALL the sub genres, the high school drama of metalheads, and more. We kick things off with a check-in and learn more about Steve. At 10:00 we get into Steve’s interest, underground metal--defined as metal music from bands that don’t have a major record deal. The Inciting Incident: how Steve went from loving hip hop as a teenager to becoming obsessed with metal. As the former president of a metal club - CODM, Colorado chapter of the New York Death Militia, he gives us the inside scoop on the drama of the metal world.We learn what a metal club is, plus the three main missions of the CODM/NYDM.He tells us about the controversy that ultimately led to his decision to leave the club.We get into the favorite pastimes of metalheads:Debating sub genresDumping on bands they hate (and we learn the band Steve loves to dump on!)Also:What even defines metal as a genre? (It's not what you think...unless you know a lot more than Charlotte and Patti about metal)That time Steve played in a metal band at the Iowa county fair.And…our very metal homework!Links/references:The Charismatic Voice: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCharismaticVoiceBlack Sky Brewing (Denver): https://blackskydenver.com/Logo design by Marielle MartinSong: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_videoBlueSky: @canweinterestyouin.bsky.socialInstagram: @canweinterestyouinEmail us your interests! CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.comWebsite: canweinterestyouin.com

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5
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3 Ratings

About

A podcast where friends Charlotte and Patti invite people to share all about their weird and wild obsessions, or perfectly normal hobbies that have been taken just a little too far.  We want to dabble in your curious interests! Plus, a 2025 bonus—we hear indulging your interests is good for democracy! This is why we should engage in activities that are of interest to us, our friends, our families. Insofar as we take pride in these activities, and come to know others who do so as well, we are creating civil society. – Vaclav Havel, “The Power of the Powerless”

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