26 episodes

A podcast for curious people!  Shanny Luft, administrator and professor of religion at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, talks with experts about a broad range of topics from the sciences, pop culture, media, politics, and the arts."The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity." - Dorothy Parker

No Cure for Curiosity Shanny Luft

    • Education
    • 5.0 • 19 Ratings

A podcast for curious people!  Shanny Luft, administrator and professor of religion at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, talks with experts about a broad range of topics from the sciences, pop culture, media, politics, and the arts."The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity." - Dorothy Parker

    Our Dopest Episode Yet: Slang!

    Our Dopest Episode Yet: Slang!

    This bodacious episode of No Cure for Curiosity was supported by Magic Mind.  Magic Mind really helped with my productivity during this cold, dank Wisconsin weather.  You can receive 20% off your next order by going to magicmind.com and entering the fly promo code "curiosity20". 
    Support the show

    Please rate and review No Cure for Curiosity in your favorite podcast app. And tell your friends who might also enjoy No Cure for Curiosity! It helps other people find the show. And continue the conversation on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NoCureforCuriosityPodcast.

    Our intro music was written by UWSP music student Derek Carden and our logo is by artist and graphic designer Ryan Dreimiller.

    You can send comments to nocureforcuriosity@outlook.com.

    • 48 min
    2023 in Media News + Our Favorite Content!

    2023 in Media News + Our Favorite Content!

    If you are in a show hole, this episode is for you!  Shanny talks with several guests who share their favorite movies, tv shows, and books from 2023.   He also continues his conversation with media studies professors Kelly Wilz and Cary Elza about the biggest media news from last year.

    Movie and TV Suggestions:
    "Past Lives," a romantic drama film written and directed by Celine Son"Anatomy of a Fall," a French legal drama thriller directed by Justine Triet"Godzilla Minus 1" directed, written, and with visual effects by  Takashi YamazakiSpiderman: Across the UniverseFargo (tv series) available on HuluThe Bear (tv series) available on Hulu"Fall of the House of Usher" created by Mike Flanagan and available on NetflixThe disturbing and unpredictable movies of Emerald Fennel: "Saltburn" and  "Promising Young Women""The Banshees of Inisherin," a 2022 black tragicomedy film directed and written by Martin McDonaghNovel suggestions:
    Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline BoulleyHappiness Falls by Angie KimThe audiobook version of Tom Lake by Ann PatchettThe Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBrideDemon Copperhead by Barbara KingsolverThis episode of No Cure for Curiosity was supported by Magic Mind.  Magic Mind really helped with my productivity during this cold, dark January weather.  You can receive 20% off your next order of Magic Mind by using the promo code "curiosity20".   And you can also get 1 month of Magic Mind for free when you subscribe for 3 months at www.magicmind.com/JANcuriosity.
    Support the show

    Please rate and review No Cure for Curiosity in your favorite podcast app. And tell your friends who might also enjoy No Cure for Curiosity! It helps other people find the show. And continue the conversation on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NoCureforCuriosityPodcast.

    Our intro music was written by UWSP music student Derek Carden and our logo is by artist and graphic designer Ryan Dreimiller.

    You can send comments to nocureforcuriosity@outlook.com.

    • 30 min
    Podcast Barbie

    Podcast Barbie

    Shanny Luft is curious about Barbie so he invited professors Cary Elza and Kelly Wilz in Media Studies at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, to talk about it.   Why was Barbie the most successful movie of 2023?  We also talked about the films that  inspired Greta Gerwig's directing, the doll's effect on body image, our favorite (and least favorite) scenes.

    This episode of No Cure for Curiosity was supported by Magic Mind.  I tried Magic Mind myself and found it really helped with my productivity during the cold, dark January weather.  You can receive 20% off your next order of Magic Mind by using the promo code "curiosity20".   And you can also get 1 month of Magic Mind for free when you subscribe for 3 months at www.magicmind.com/JANcuriosity.
    Support the show

    Please rate and review No Cure for Curiosity in your favorite podcast app. And tell your friends who might also enjoy No Cure for Curiosity! It helps other people find the show. And continue the conversation on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NoCureforCuriosityPodcast.

    Our intro music was written by UWSP music student Derek Carden and our logo is by artist and graphic designer Ryan Dreimiller.

    You can send comments to nocureforcuriosity@outlook.com.

    • 31 min
    The Exorcist 50th Anniversary!

    The Exorcist 50th Anniversary!

    The power of curiosity compels you!  On this episode, we talked about William Friedkin's The Exorcist with Cary Elza, (Associate Professor of Media Studies from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point) and Kathryn Lofton (the Lex Hickson professor of American studies and religious studies, professor of history and divinity at Yale University.)

    Whether you are an Exorcist fanatic, or hate horror movies, this episode will have something for you.  We talk about why The Exorcist caused a frenzy in 1973.  How the movie portrays religious faith.  And 

    This the 50th anniversary of The Exorcist, which enraptured audiences in 1973, making it the third highest grossing film of that decade.  The Exorcist drove public fascination with the devil and exorcisms inside of churches,  across popular culture, and deep in the public imagination.  
    For those of you who like extra credit, here is some further reading:
    Pauline Kael's review from The New Yorker (Jan 1973) Collen McDannell's edited volume, Catholics in the MoviesSupport the show

    Please rate and review No Cure for Curiosity in your favorite podcast app. And tell your friends who might also enjoy No Cure for Curiosity! It helps other people find the show. And continue the conversation on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NoCureforCuriosityPodcast.

    Our intro music was written by UWSP music student Derek Carden and our logo is by artist and graphic designer Ryan Dreimiller.

    You can send comments to nocureforcuriosity@outlook.com.

    • 37 min
    God the Bestseller: with Stephen Prothero

    God the Bestseller: with Stephen Prothero

    On this episode of No Cure for Curiosity, I spoke with Stephen Prothero, author, religion scholar, and now retired professor from Boston University. Throughout his career Stephen Prothero has promoted thoughtful public consideration about religion. He has been published in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street, and many other newspapers and magazines. He’s been a guest on network television, NPR, CNN, The Daily Show with John Stewart and The Colbert Report.
    Prothero published a book this year titled God the Bestseller: How one Editor Transformed American Religion a Book at a Time, a biography of Eugene Exman.If you have ever described yourself as "spiritual but not religious," or a "religious seeker," or if you've ever had a religious experience that you can't completely explain, I think you will enjoy my conversation with Stephen Prothero.
    Books, articles, and interviews with Stephen Prothero can be found at www.stephenprothero.com
    My favorite guest appearance Stephen had with Colbert is available here: https://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:arc:video:comedycentral.com:3be33026-ed01-11e0-aca6-0026b9414f30
    Support the show

    Please rate and review No Cure for Curiosity in your favorite podcast app. And tell your friends who might also enjoy No Cure for Curiosity! It helps other people find the show. And continue the conversation on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NoCureforCuriosityPodcast.

    Our intro music was written by UWSP music student Derek Carden and our logo is by artist and graphic designer Ryan Dreimiller.

    You can send comments to nocureforcuriosity@outlook.com.

    • 35 min
    Our Favorite Things

    Our Favorite Things

    On this episode of No Cure for Curiosity, I asked five people to share their favorite media of the last year!  If you are in a show hole or looking for a new novel for your book club, this episode is for you!

    Lauren Gantz, Associate Professor English at UWSP
    Everything, Everywhere All at Once (Movie)Reservation Dogs (Streaming on Hulu)What We Do In the Shadows (Streaming on Hulu)Our Flag Means Death (Streaming on HBO Max)Monstress written by Marjorie Liu, drawn by Sana Takeda (Graphic Novel)Gretel Stock, Dean of University College, at UWSP
    The Crown (Streaming on Netflix)Alice Isn't Dead (Podcast)Maintenance Phase (Podcast) Paula Weitzenberg,  World Class Voracious Reader
    A Man Called Ove written by Fredrik Backman/A Man Called Otto (Movie)Beartown by Fredrik BackmanHorse by Geraldine BrooksThe Violin Conspiracy by Brendan SlocumbTrue Biz by Sara NovicRemarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van PeltChris Williams, Associate Professor of English at UWSP
    Nope ( Movie)The Menu (Movie)Marvel Snap (Phone Game App)Final Girl (Boardgame)Kathryn Lounsbery, musician, educator, comedian, and musical executive for Cocomelon
    Sisters In Law (Podcast)The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life written by A.J. Jacobs (Author of The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible)The Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Streaming on Netflix)The White Lotus (Streaming on HBO)Bad Sisters (Streaming on Apple TV)Severance (Streaming on Apple TV)Abbot Elementary (Sitcom on ABC)



    Support the show

    Please rate and review No Cure for Curiosity in your favorite podcast app. And tell your friends who might also enjoy No Cure for Curiosity! It helps other people find the show. And continue the conversation on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NoCureforCuriosityPodcast.

    Our intro music was written by UWSP music student Derek Carden and our logo is by artist and graphic designer Ryan Dreimiller.

    You can send comments to nocureforcuriosity@outlook.com.

    • 43 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
19 Ratings

19 Ratings

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