WEBVTT - We love Read This

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<v Speaker 1>Hi, Staniel James here. Two years ago, some of our

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<v Speaker 1>colleagues had the idea to start a show about books

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<v Speaker 1>and the people behind them. It would be a show

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<v Speaker 1>for book tragics, for people who wanted to know how

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<v Speaker 1>the stories they love came to be, who were curious

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<v Speaker 1>about the process of writing great literature, but also about

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<v Speaker 1>the lives that inform the stories our great writers tell.

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<v Speaker 1>It would actually be a show with many of the

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<v Speaker 1>hallmarks of a great book absurdity, tragedy, comedy, and family.

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<v Speaker 2>My grandmother, in some ways, even though we were close

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<v Speaker 2>and had a fairly open relationship, she was also quite

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<v Speaker 2>secretive and in some ways quite mysterious. She had a

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<v Speaker 2>tatoo of a broken heart on her shoulder that she

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<v Speaker 2>would never speak about how or why she got it

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<v Speaker 2>or when she got it.

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<v Speaker 1>Read This was named for the enthusiasm and the light

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<v Speaker 1>that comes from pushing your favorite book into your friend's hands.

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<v Speaker 1>Read this so we can talk about it. Read this

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<v Speaker 1>because I know you'll love it. At seven am and

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<v Speaker 1>we tell a lot of stories about all the things

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<v Speaker 1>that go wrong in the world. But read this as

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<v Speaker 1>an antidote to all that. It's a pleasure to listen

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<v Speaker 1>to a favorite podcast of ours and for thousands of

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<v Speaker 1>listeners around the world. It's the type of show that

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<v Speaker 1>makes orange juice tastes like champagne as you listened to it.

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<v Speaker 1>And the thing that really makes read this special is

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<v Speaker 1>its host, Michael Williams. I'm going to be completely honest.

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<v Speaker 1>If I visit your house, I'm one hundred percent having

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<v Speaker 1>a furtive berth at what's on your bookshelves. Michael is

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<v Speaker 1>the book Tragic's tragic. He reads hundreds of books a year,

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<v Speaker 1>and he's a champion of the people who write them.

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<v Speaker 1>Whether he's speaking with national treasures like Alexus Wright, Tim

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<v Speaker 1>Winton or Helen Ghana, or international superstars like George Saunders

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<v Speaker 1>and Enwright, Colson Whitehead or Roxane Gay, or whether he's

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<v Speaker 1>introducing you to an emerging writer. He may be talking

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<v Speaker 1>about their work publicly for the very first time. Michael

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<v Speaker 1>brings his empathy, his charm, and his humor the conversations

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<v Speaker 1>that are revealing and surprising. Sincerity is comedy minus time.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh that's great.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh my god, I got to write that one down.

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<v Speaker 1>First of all, my agent said, I'm begging you not

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<v Speaker 1>to write a book in the second person. I can't sell.

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<v Speaker 1>Your agent's a coward. I'm going to say it right now, Chris,

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<v Speaker 1>if you're listening, please don't find me. There's a level

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<v Speaker 1>that I feel underappreciated, soladly, poor, poor, underappreciated, and you

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<v Speaker 1>have no idea how I suffer. Honestly, it's become a

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<v Speaker 1>little tiresome to hear writers say some version of this

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<v Speaker 1>in every episode. That's a beautiful question, mate, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>that's such a good question. Truly, those are a great questions.

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<v Speaker 1>Good question, good question, such a writer's question. That's a

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<v Speaker 1>beautiful question. What a good question.

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<v Speaker 2>Choose my words carefully here, that's a great question.

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<v Speaker 1>That's such a brilliant, strong question to open up with

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<v Speaker 1>a really lovely question. I don't think I've been asked

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<v Speaker 1>that before. Writers who have spent years thinking about and

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<v Speaker 1>carefully crafting their stories often find them I was thinking

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<v Speaker 1>about their work in new ways. Well, I've never thought

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<v Speaker 1>of it like. That's very interesting you say that, that

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<v Speaker 1>was a really interesting idea. I don't think I've ever

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<v Speaker 1>thought about it in quite those terms. Read This has

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<v Speaker 1>been produced by Clara Ames, with editing by Clara and

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<v Speaker 1>Sarah mcvee. It's been mixed by Travis Evans, and the

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<v Speaker 1>beautiful compositions featured on the show are made by Zoltnfeccho.

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<v Speaker 1>Each of these people have bought their creativity and their

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<v Speaker 1>care and to Read This over the past two years,

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<v Speaker 1>particularly Clara, who has led the show since almost the

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<v Speaker 1>beginning and is thoughtful, creative and incredibly kind. Schwartz Media

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<v Speaker 1>has made the decision to stop producing Read This. It's

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<v Speaker 1>a sad byproduct to the sale of seven AM and

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<v Speaker 1>their decision as a company to get out of audio

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<v Speaker 1>all together. But Read This is beloved, has a loyal

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<v Speaker 1>audience and will hopefully find a new home. We at

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<v Speaker 1>seven AM will be listening to Read This wherever we can,

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<v Speaker 1>because we love it. In the meantime, there are almost

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<v Speaker 1>one hundred brilliant barring for funny and timeless episodes waiting

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<v Speaker 1>for you wherever you listen to podcasts. Bring on the

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<v Speaker 1>next hundred. We were in an Apple store the other

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<v Speaker 1>day and my fourteen year old went to all the

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<v Speaker 1>devices in the shop and subscribed to Read This on

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast app on them and did automatic download just

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<v Speaker 1>to get the numbers up. That's what he's done for me.

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<v Speaker 1>What have you done lately,