Episode 9: Anna and Ashley chat about country people vs. city people before reading Ernest Dowson’s “Cynara,” and discussing a well-known literary allusion to the poem. They discuss lost loves; the importance of seeking resolution by expressing one’s feelings and communicating; and the empowering act of giving up on a potential paramour.

Episode 8: In this episode, Anna and Ashley explore some of the poetry of Gertrude Stein—a writer who experimented with English grammatical conventions. Imagining a Great Blob of Coffee provokes a sense of hope and awe. Other topics include a story from Boccaccio’s The Decameron and the question of austerity—what is it? Ashley and Anna determine together which foods are truly austere, leading to a recounting of the story of Diogenes’ cup and the question of frugal living. Lastly, they determine that—when it comes to the question of “Is it cake?”—if the cake looks like an animal, one should use a spoon in lieu of a knife to avoid provoking fear.

Episode 7: Anna and Ashley discuss Greek mythology allusions within the “New Colossus.” The theme of emigres leads them to discuss Lou Reed lyrics, their Irish and German ancestry, and the changing politics of American immigration. Ashley betrays her lack of world geography and confuses Emma Lazarus with Emma Goldman before they also discuss the early American west and family history; weird vibes in Denver; and a Laura Ingalls Wilder account of relations between settlers and Native Americans in their teens.

Episode 6: A psilocybin wedding! Anna misinterprets the poem “Queen Anne’s Lace” as being about spousal abuse, but Ashley guides them back on track. The meaning of the poem crystallizes as Ashley and Anna discuss the power of a wild carrot; sexy vs. unsexy foods; the bleakness of Cormac McCarthy; images of sexual climax in art and life; and James Joyce’s dirty letters to his wife. They end with a discussion of whether an author’s private writings should be published posthumously.

Episode 4: After analyzing some of the weirder lines of the poem “The Emperor of Ice Cream,” Ashley and Anna discuss how they would like to be memorialized after death; the Law of Thermodynamics; passing from one life to the next; and a funeral pyre.

Episode 3: Ashley and Anna discuss two types of sonnets and analyze several lines of the poem “America” closely. They discuss what it means to be American and the patriotism of a critical eye. Other topics include freedom of expression; “We strike for the strike;” Habeas Corpus; why Ashley chose not to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance; a question Americans should be asking themselves; and a note on another Harlem Renaissance writer, Zora Neale Hurston.