Join Dr. Barbara Tucker as she discusses The Stranger by Albert Camus.

Meursault, a detached French Algerian, attends his mother’s funeral with striking indifference. Shortly after, he begins an affair with Marie and befriends Raymond, a local pimp. While on a beach trip, Meursault—disoriented by the intense heat and sun—inexplicably shoots an Arab man.

During his trial, the prosecution focuses more on Meursault's lack of emotional remorse and failure to weep at his mother’s funeral than the murder itself. Deemed a "moral monster" for refusing to play by society’s rules, he is sentenced to death. He ultimately finds peace by embracing the "gentle indifference" of a meaningless universe.

This passage is often called "The Temptation of Christ" but it tells of three temptations out of others. Barbara goes solo here to share a talk she gave at the church she attends about a familiar passage. She takes some side trips along the way.

Listen in as Barbara talks with Dana Shavin of Chattanooga. Dana is a memoirist, painter, newspaper columnist, and writing facilitator. Her newest role is as Coordinator of Literary Arts at the Creative Arts Guild of Dalton. She and Barbara talk about memoir, curiosity, and creativity.

Links:

https://www.danashavin.com/

https://www.danashavinartist.com/about-me.html

https://creativeartsguild.org/

Link to The Body Tourist

Today, one podcaster meets another as Barbara Tucker interviews Dr. Jason Dew, Professor of English at Perimeter College of Georgia State University, about his writing, specifically his novel Gadly Plain. Dr. Dew uses the pen name of J. Michael Dew.

Links:

https://open.spotify.com/show/10d9sdWX6JM9dVawZ20bq9

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-professors-bayonet/id1716943873

https://cladach.com/j-michael-dew/

https://48bconsulting.com/about/

https://www.amazon.com/stores/J.-Michael-Dew/author/B00DQN7PAQ?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1775097534&sr=8-1&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=7c382947-b5db-4eaa-a099-aaaafd87e41a

In this solo podcast, Barbara G. Tucker explains her experience with Appalachia, how sense of place informs writing, and the origins of Lying In and other stories she has written about Appalachia.

On this solo podcast, Barbara explains why she writes fiction, specifically novels, and what the value of fiction is to all of us.

In this episode of Dialogues with Creator, Barbara talks with new friend Joyce McPherson, a resident of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, who wears many creative hats. Joyce writes biographies of historical persons for middle-grade students, writes fiction for young readers, teaches college English, and directs a Shakespeare camp. Joyce is a person you should know about.

Links:

https://joyce-mcpherson.blogspot.com/

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00665Z6NY?ccs_id=8837662c-caa0-4200-9f14-2a90aa6542bb

https://www.barbaragrahamtucker.net

Host Dr. Barbara Tucker welcomes Dr. Forrest Blackbourn for a lively exploration of one of his favorite novels, Junot Díaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Their conversation traces the novel’s layered narrative, from the shadow of Rafael Trujillo’s dictatorship to the Dominican diaspora in New Jersey. Blackbourn examines themes of fukú and zafa, hypermasculinity, race, and the reclamation of Blackness, while highlighting Díaz’s inventive footnotes and genre-bending style. Together, they consider why Oscar’s tragic story is also “wondrous,” and how literature helps students confront history, identity, and belonging across cultures and generations.

Barbara Tucker’s website:

www.barbaragrahamtucker.net

The show’s GoFundMe page:

https://www.gofundme.com/manage/keep-our-nonprofit-podcast-alive