The Troubadour Podcast Kirk j Barbera

Join me for a reading and discussion of William Cowper's final poem The Castaway (1799)
This is the second time I have done a reading of this poem.

An elegy is a poem written to mourn the death of someone. Here we will explore the hidden depths of this philosophic poem.
Halloween is a time to face fears. Do not allow the fear of a lack of comprehension of this poem stop you from attempting to mine its meaning and beauty.

This special episode of Troubadour Talks features three members of the Literary Canon Club—a group dedicated to reading through the entire Western Canon from Homer to Rand. 

Book one in our group was The Iliad. In this episode, Kirk discusses various aspects of Homer’s The Iliad with Molly Johnson, Marco Romero and Heather Schwarz. 

Even if you have never read the Iliad, this discussion will show you the value of taking time out of your busy life to read great literature.

On today’s episode of Troubadour Talks, I chat with a host of the Daily Objective, Nikos Sotirakopoulos, about the novel by Jack Schaefer “Shane.” 

One critic of Shane has expressed, correctly, that if you are to read one Western novel, let it be Shane. 

Nikos and I discuss the straightforward plot and then have a deep discussion of the characters and their relationships. As this is a frontier story, like all Westerns, we will talk about life on the frontier, how it is different from life in a fully civilised location, and most importantly, how manliness is required in these frontier lands.

We also talk about the fraternity among men and how to earn the manly love of your brothers. This was an enjoyable conversation with a true brother in arms!

Today's guest is Rucka, and we will be discussing Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie and The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson. 
We had a great discussion of the meaning of Peter Pan and why this is such a valuable story for children and adults.
What is the meaning of a boy who never grows up? What role does passion play in our lives, and do we have to give up our desires as we age? These and many other questions are ones that we discuss on this wide-ranging talk about these two great works of literary art and their role in our lives.

Today we have some Shakespeare to discuss. I have as my guest Ann Ciccolella, artistic director of Austin Shakespeare. We will be exploring the play "Macbeth", Also known within the theatre community as "The Scottish Play."

Before digging into the play, Ann and I explain why it can be beneficial to read the play and even watch videos summing up the play before seeing a performance. Our conversation included a summary of Macbeth, why its themes are relevant to our lives today, and some tips on how to enjoy Shakespeare, even if his language is difficult to understand at first.