PODCAST · arts
Word and Journey
by Moses Bernabe
Conversations with friends about stories that shape us and make us think.We save you time by saving you from bad stories.
Episodes
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Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close - Trauma, Nostalgia, and the Search for Hope
In memory of the events of 9/11, we read and reviewed a book inspired by that time. "Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close," is the story of a boy who's father dies in the Twin Towers Attack, and the story of that same boy's grandfather who never knew his son who died. The story follows the boy's…
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That Hideous Strength - Humanity versus The Head
Part III of the Ransom Trilogy may be one of the finest pieces of speculative(dare I say - predictive) literature ever written. Building on the prior two books, THS takes place on Earth, in England, beginning with Bragdon Wood and the legendary burial site of Merlin. There are those humans who…
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Perelandra - Faith, Science, and the War for Paradise
In part II of the Ransom Trilogy, Ransom again makes a voyage through Deep Heaven, this time to Perelandra, or as we know it, Venus. This time he goes on purpose, being sent for a task. He encounters a paradise unfallen, beautiful, pristine, and innocent., its only inhabitants its queen and king,...
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Out of the Silent Planet - Moses and Rousseaux go to Deep Heaven!
Welcome to Part I of the Ransom Trilogy by C. S. Lewis! And we say the "Ransom" Trilogy rather than its other common name, "The Space Trilogy," because, as we find as we read, outer space is not really empty space at all, but, being the "heavens," is full of the weight substance of the Creator!...
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The Miserable Monster's Moral Cliff - Frankenstein, Part 3
"The story [of Frankenstein] is nothing like the costume; it's much better." Here we come to the conclusion of the classic novel Frankenstein, where we learn the fates of Dr. Frankenstein, the Fiend, and friends. We talk about betrayal and vengeance, misery and morality, the nature of humanity,...
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"The Monster Had Potential!" Frankenstein Part 2
Moses, Joel, and Caleb are back with Dr. Frankenstein and the Fiend! We continue discussing Mary Shelley's classic novel Frankenstein. Here we deep dive into the story of the Fiend. We discuss class consciousness, empathy, nature versus nurture, and how a being is formed by community, or deformed...
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Frankenstein part 1 - What is a Monster?
The novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, is routinely included among the top 10 most important works of literature in the last thousand years. Now Moses has read it for the first time, and invited Joel and Caleb to join him! Here we discuss monsters. What is a monster? Who is a monster? What…
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Red Rising, Lightbringer - with Mike Savara
To commemorate Labor Day, here’s an episode about a slave uprising gone glorious! Mike Savara is a good friend and extraordinary social worker, government worker, addiction counselor, and the one who introduced me to the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. Today we talk about Lightbringer, book 5…
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How Fantasy Kills but Imagination Saves - Wheel of Time, Season 2
Moses and Matt are back with the last half of Wheel of Time, the show, Season 2. Here we discuss more of the themes. The Wheel of Time show follows a pattern of developing morally ambiguous characters who have great powers, great ambitions, and blatant fatal flaws. We discuss implications of a...
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Wheel of Time Season 2
Moses Bernabe and Matt Rensi return to discuss Amazon Prime’s adaptation of Robert Jordan’s epic fantasy series Wheel of Time as the show plods through its second season. As counselors who study people and readers who are long time lovers of sci-fi and fantasy, we had a great time being drawn…
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Heroism of Presence - Wheel of Time Season 1(from the archives)
The Wheel weaves as the wheel will! Welcome back to our discussion of the Wheel of Time! Originally, when the Wheel of Time show came to Amazon Prime, I started a series of discussion in which I had watched the show, Matt Rensi had watched the show and read the books, and Aaron Esparza had…
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Screwtape's Toast and Democracy Roast
Moses and Jake meet up for the finishing touches of The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. Here we consider the desire for a long and comfortable life and how that may be very dangerous to our spiritual health. We talk about courage, cowardice, and virtues that the demons cannot replicate. We...
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6 Ways to Go to Hell - The Screwtape Letters commentary, Volume 3
Here we almost finish The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Screwtape and Wormwood continue to hound the Christian on his spiritual journey. They try to get him to feel entitled to own things. They try to get him to lust after a new girlfriend, then to get bored with her. They poke at his craving...
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The Demon Dialogues - Screwtape Letters Commentary, Volume 2
We’re back with more thoughts on The Screwtape Letters by C.S Lewis. Moses and Stephanie pull out their writer and editor lenses to talk about the writing - and proper reading - of the text. We consider genre, subculture, the narrator’s voice, and share thoughts to consider when writing about the...
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My Dear Wormwod.... - The Screwtape Letters COMMENTARY, Volume I
“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel and excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a…
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Heros on Trial - Hunters, Season 2, RESOLUTION!
And the saga of the Nazi hunters finally draws to its end! What makes a hero? Can a person be considered heroic, even if they do the same horrendous things as the villain? We wonder if people can really change, or if they never out grow their past wrongs. And if ultimately we can define our…
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Forgiving Dark Histories - Hunters Season 2, part 2
Moses and Jake offer more commentary on the Amazon Prime show Hunters, Season II. This season comes with thick layers of intrigue, drama, lies, betrayals, and dark histories revealed. And as the global adventure continues, the personal lives of the characters just get more and more chaotic. The...
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No One Owns Truth - Hunters Season 2, pt 1
More Nazis, more intrigue, more explorations of human-nature-under-duress, more drama - yes, dear listener, it’s Word and Journey’s commentary on the hit Amazon Prime show Hunters, Season II! Here we see our favorite heroes, anti-heroes, and outright villains continuing the quest to rid the world...
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Inheritance with a Twist. Hunters, Season 1, Part III
Who are we really? Are we an ethnicity? Are we the horrors enacted upon us? Or could we be the manner in which we respond to darkness....with light? Or with more darkness? What is justice? What is vengeance? How much "Wrong" is ok in order to do right? And what is the right in a situation like…
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The Rituals that Bind Us. Hunters, Season 1, Part II
Moses and Jake continue their review of the hit Amazon Prime show Hunters, which follows the adventures of a group of Nazi Hunters in New York in the 1970's. We bring many questions. Why do we need to remember the painful things? We need to know where we came from so we don't repeat it. We need…
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Why We Need Remembrance. Hunters, Season 1, Part I
"The only difference between heroes and villains is who sells more costumes at Halloween." - Jonah Heidelbaum, Hunters, Season 1. Hunters is a series on Amazon Prime created by David Weil. The story follows a group of Nazi Hunters based in New York in the 1970's. Moses found it first, then…
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The Saving of Dorian Gray - a review of the movie "Picture of Dorian Gray", with Joel Sommer
Moses and Joel are back, with dad jokes in tow! We read the book Picture of Dorian Gray…and then we watched the 2009 Film Adaptation with Colin Firth and Ben Barnes. Now we compare and contrast. We comment on the aesthetic of the movie and how, seeing the characters brought to life is cool, but…
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How Beauty Killed Us - The Conclusion of "Picture of Dorian Gray," with Joel Sommer
Do you ever feel like, when you finish a book, it’s like a break-up? Sometimes we feel this way. Sometimes it’s a good break-up…and sometimes not. Thus, Moses and Joel reflect on the worst books we’ve read, and allow ourselves permission to NOT finish a badly written book. Meanwhile, we conclude...
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The Deadliness of Secrets - Picture of Dorian Gray part 3, with Joel Sommer
It's late at night and the Dad-Jokes are out in force! Moses and Joel establish that “Picture of Dorian Gray” is a story about deplorable characters, some(Like Lord Henry) probably could not and should not be written in our current age. And yet, in the marvel of how stories work, even a story…
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Sacrament or Silly? A review of "Jesus Revolution," with Rousseaux Brasseur
Rousseaux and I are spiritual grand-children of the Jesus Movement, from which came the Calvary Chapel churches, whose origins in the turbulence of the 1960's was depicted in the 2023 film Jesus Revolution. We grew up under the spiritual tutelage of a pastor who was a direct mentee of the Jesus...
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Dorian Gray's Portrait is the Opposite of an Icon - Picture of Dorian Gray part 2, with Joel Sommer
This is a story about people being together and not seeing each other. Here we follow the life and death of Sibyl Vane, an actress, and the object of Dorian’s obsession. In their short relationship, we see a depiction of utter obsession, which initially thrills, then ultimately leads to crushing...
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Why We Need Ugly Things - Picture of Dorian Gray, with Joel Sommer
"What happens in Oscar Wilde's bedroom stays in Oscar Wilde's Bedroom." "...unless it happens on the stage, and then we call it theater!" "To reveal art, and to conceal the artist, is the artist's aim." - Oscar Wilde Who is Dorian Gray? He's young. He's rich. He's beautiful. Lord Henry says those...
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Good Stories and How to Find Them, with Deacon Nicholas Kotar
What makes a book good? And how does a story grow from being a good book to a great one, or earn the rank of classic literature? Is it by being a good plot, like The Passage Trilogy? Is it by building a fantastic world, like in Lord of the Rings? Is it by developing compelling and relatable...
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Death, Reconciliation, and Why We Need to Read Books - The Passage Finale, with Justin Nichols
If you could make 10 people immortal, who would you pick? If you could make some people immortal and not others…should you? Who gets to choose? As we conclude the Passage, we delve deep into the ethical conundrums of transhumanism, and it’s fun. We reflect on stories such as Jurassic Park, the...
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Why We Need Our Names - The Passage, with Justin Nichols
Moses and Nics are back at it again - we’re almost done with The Passage, and the action is getting intense! More interesting, though, then car chases, and viral hunts, and intrigue among remnant tribes of militia are the concepts played out among the characters. What would it be like to erase,...
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How to Make a Monster, or Find a Family - The Passage Part IV, with Justin Nichols
How do you make a monster? No, it’s not through viral injections, nor radiation, nor supernatural curses - Monsters are made by hate, anger, resentment, and wounds that never get healed. Moses and Nics are back, talking monsters and heroes, love and hate, abuse and attachment, trauma and legacy.…
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How the Whale Saved Us - a review of Avatar: The Way of Water, with Aaron Kelsay.
We're getting on the IFS Soapbox and blowing the Orthodox Trumpet and Woking Ourselves and unpacking Trauma and pondering the essence of being Human...and SPOILING the movie Avatar: The Way of Water! Long-time friend and colleague Aaron Kelsay makes his first appearance on the show, after having...
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How Tradition Gets Us Through the End of the World - The Passage Part III, with Justin Nichols
How do you write an epic? Moses and Nics(aka Rhys and Justin) analyze the writing style of Justin Cronin and reflect on how he brings the world and characters of The Passage to life. We look at world building, characters, plot, and word-smything. We discuss writing in multiple eras, writing with...
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How to Die Well - The Passage Part 2, with Justin Nichols
This is the episode where everyone is dead. In the book The Passage, by Justin Cronin, it took thirty-two minutes for the world we know to end. The “Jumps,” or the Virals - the vampire characters, have broken containment, defied any attempt to contain them, and have spread their chaos across the...
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How Isolation Kills Us - The Passage Part I, with Justin Nichols
“Growing up, what was your favorite bookstore?” For Nics, as a kid, it was the school library, and public library. For Moses, as a kid, it was Bookman’s, in Flagstaff, AZ. As an older kid, it was Barnes and Noble in Medford, OR. As adults, both Moses and Nics have a fond respect for Powell’s in...
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Ebenezer Scrooge - Miser or Monastic?
Happy Holidays! My holiday of choice is the Nativity of our Lord, otherwise known as Christmas. This year, I commemorated the season by reflecting on some favorite stories associated with Christmas, Nativity, winter, etc. For the full line-up, check out the last episode, "Holiday Stories we Loved...
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Nativity Stories We Loved and Lived, featuring the Word and Journey Cast
For this episode, I gathered together friends and family to reflect on stories we have loved, that have become part of our holiday traditions, that have created experiences for us, which in turn created more tradition. Our accounts range from the very silly, to the very personal, to the deeply...
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Why We Need Our Inner Children - Boy's Life CONCLUSION with Eric Shane Love
“There’s these stories, they live in us, they gotta come out!” More on how to write a book, AND how to market a book, even while also reading good books. You’d think writing a book is about inspiration, or even skill…but functionally, it ends up being more about discipline and persistence. We…
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Why We Need Editors, and the Mechanics of Establishing Trust with the Reader - Boy's Life part 3, with Eric Shane Love
Crucial to every work of fiction is a good editor. Moses and Eric are back, and talking about writing! We discuss why we have editors, how to make good use of an editor, and what are some features of a good editor. As writers, we get deep in our heads and profoundly affected by our work, and we...
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Why We Need the Fantastical - Boy's Life Part II, with Eric Shane Love
Eric published a book! He shares bits of his journey of self-publishing and marketing, which, he says, was harder than actually writing the book. Word to the wise - getting a book published on Amazon is easy. Getting a book on Amazon correctly and effectively, is hard and complicated and a...
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The Age Before the Internet - Boy's Life, with Eric Love
How do you get inspirited to write a novel? Do you dream a dream? Work a challenging job? Live through major world events? How about all of the above? In this episode, Moses returns to the podcasting rhythm, this time with new friend and fellow writer Eric Love. This marks the first series of...
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Fight Club Finale!
All the twists are revealed as we conclude this epic and chaotic tale. Here at the end, we wonder - just what is Chuck Palahniuk teaching us? We reflect on the camaraderie and community that has grown up around the Fight Clubs and Project Mayhem. There’s an instant and sometimes unspoken bond...
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Project Mayhem and the Search for Father God - Fight Club part 4
Jeremy raises the really good question of, should we be concerned about a group that doesn’t allow itself to be questioned? And we conclude…YES! This raises the question - what is the appeal of Project Mayhem? (Just as, what was the draw to the original fight clubs?) We raise the question, what...
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Self-Destruction, Freedom, and Fighting as if You're Dead - Fight Club part 3
fight club part 3 Is Fight Club literature? Can we fairly call it a classic? Just how does a story transition from being a story that is written down to a story that is a classics? Are classics just stories that endure? Are they popular? Do they address a particular kind of content at a…
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Fight Club part 2 - Why You Need to be Punched in the Face
This episode marks the birth of the first Word and Journey baby! Jeremy becomes a father and Moses gets to be an uncle! Let the Dad-Jokes freely roll… In reflecting on pop-culture references, Moses offers the quiz - name the source of the quote, “There is no spoon.” We pick up with chapters 6-10…
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Fight Club, part I - Why We Need Struggle, with Jeremy Pasimio
“Tyler gets me a job as a waiter, after that Tyl;er’s pushing a gun in my mouth and saying, the first step to eternal life is you have to die.” Welcome to the iconic story of Fight Club! Moses welcomes very special guest, his very first family member to guest on the show, and master martial…
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Bower Lodge, and the gift of poetry, with Paul Pastor
I could say "I finished a book of poems." But does one ever finish such things? Does one not rather linger long on word and page taking in favored moments again and again until the words find themselves embedded in memory where they may shape the soul? Welcome to Bower Lodge, the first book of...
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The 1984 Conclusion!
It’s here! After much delay and interruptions, that one terribly dystopic and scrutinized year is coming to an end - we are finally finishing 1984! So what happened to Winston and Julia? Did they hold fast to their convictions? Did they betray each other as they predicted they would? In the end,...
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June Reading List
Happy June! Here’s a list of what I’m reading this month. Check out the full episode to hear brief commentary on each, as well as a few choice excerpts! Artemis, by Andy Weir. A fun, fluffy heist novel set on the moon. Altogether You, by Jenna Riemersma. A Protestant rendering of the Internal...
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Kindred, a review, with Cree Gordon
Here it is, friends, that time when we talk about slavery, racism, and how we as fellow humans have responsibility to each other! In today's special episode, I interview Cree Gordan about a book we both love - Kindred, by Octavia Butler. Here's a brief synopsis for those who haven't read it…
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Word and Journey have?
Word and Journey currently has 62 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Word and Journey about?
Conversations with friends about stories that shape us and make us think.We save you time by saving you from bad stories.
How often does Word and Journey release new episodes?
Word and Journey has 62 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Word and Journey?
You can listen to Word and Journey on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Word and Journey?
Word and Journey is created and hosted by Moses Bernabe.
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