Host Greta Johnsen talks to Tayari Jones. Her novel Kin is the GRETAGRAM book club selection for March. It’s about two girls grow up in the 50’s in Alabama. They each lost their mothers in different ways, and those absences shape the trajectories of both of their lives. 

Tayari and Greta talk about the power of deep, abiding friendship, the importance of asking for help, and how Tayari stumbled upon writing historical fiction.

UPCOMING BOOK CLUB BOOKS:

April: Vigil, George Saunders

May: Whidbey, T Kira Madden

June: Dear Monica Lewinsky, Julia Langbein

July: Canon, Paige Lewis

SHOW CREDITS

Creator and host: Greta Johnsen

Senior Producer: Ben Goldberg

Composers: Ross Bellenoit and Jeremy Thal

Show art: Mac Maclean

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Host Greta Johnsen and co-gost Kristen Meinzer discuss My So-Called Life episodes 13 and 14 -- “Pressure” and “On the Wagon”  -- with culture writer and podcaster Margaret H. Willison. 

They talk about the show’s many different depictions of teenage desire, the fate of the Frozen Embryos, and Patty’s “congenital inability to chill,” as Margaret so skillfully puts it.

SHOW CREDITS

Creator and host: Greta Johnsen

Co-host: Kristen Meinzer

Senior Producer: Ben Goldberg

Composer: Andrew M. Edwards

Tile art: Lou Lovisek

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Host Greta Johnsen and co-host Kristen Meinzer discuss My So-Called Life episodes 11 and 12 --”Picture Perfect” and “Self Esteem” -- with Christina Tucker!!!!  She’s a podcaster and writer who co-hosts the podcast Wait, Is This A Date?. 

They talk about school dance drama, wallpaper as an analogy for sex, and the fact that Delia Fisher is a f*****g QUEEN. .

SHOW CREDITS:

Creator and host: Greta Johnsen

Co-host: Kristen Meinzer

Senior Producer: Ben Goldberg

Composer: Andrew M. Edwards

Tile art: Lou Lovisek

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Greta and Kristen discuss My So-Called Life episodes 9 and 10 --”Halloween” and “Other Peoples’ Mothers” -- with Patrick Hinds!

He co-hosted his own MSCL deep-dive podcawst, My So-Called Podcast, in 2018.

They talk about whether Angela ACTUALLY time travels, how terrible it is to add oregano to a curry, and how Patrick thinks about Patty differently now that he’s a parent. 

SHOW CREDITS

Creator and host: Greta Johnsen

Co-host: Kristen Meinzer

Senior Producer: Ben Goldberg

Composer: Andrew M. Edwards

Tile art: Lou Lovisek

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The GRETAGRAM book club is officially in podcast form! Host Greta Johnsen talks to Nina McConigley, the author of How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder. Her novel is the GRETAGRAM book club selection for February. It’s about two teenage sisters who decide they must kill their uncle. 

While this book is intense it’s also funny and strange -- or, as Nina puts it, cheeky! 

Nina talks about the weirdness of growing up in an immigrant family in Wyoming, the complicated legacy of colonialism, and the nostalgic power of Noxema.

SHOW CREDITS

Creator and host: Greta Johnsen

Senior Producer: Ben Goldberg

Composers: Ross Bellenoit and Jeremy Thal

Show art: Mac Maclean

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week’s podcast, Greta Johnsen and Kristen Meinzer discuss My So-Called Life episodes 7 and 8 --”Why Jordan Can’t Read” and “Strangers in the House” -- with Joanna Robinson and Kristin Russo. They’re the perfect guests to talk about MSCL because they hosted their own rewatch podcast, The Boiler Room!

The group chats about Angela’s amazing detective skills, the crumbs of Jordan’s personality we are all subsisting on, and the undeniable relatability of the show’s exquisitely flawed characters.

SHOW CREDITS

Creator and host: Greta Johnsen

Co-host: Kristen Meinzer

Senior Producer: Ben Goldberg

Composer: Andrew M. Edwards

Tile art: Lou Lovisek

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Greta Johnsen and Kristen Meinzerdiscuss My So-Called Life episodes 5 and 6 --”The Zit” and “The Substitute” -- with Anna Sale!

They talk about the messiness of teenage desire and objectification, self-esteem and insecurity, and whether Anna Sale is Patty-ing her children. 

SHOW CREDITS

Creator and host: Greta Johnsen

Co-host: Kristen Meinzer

Senior Producer: Ben Goldberg

Composer: Andrew M. Edwards

Tile art: Lou Lovisek

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The My So-Called Life rewatch continues! Greta Johnsen and Kristin Meinzer discuss episodes 3 and 4 with Jason Concepcion. They talk about the devastating quaintness of a school gun violence episode from the ‘90s, whether Graham is a good dad, and Sharon and Rayanne’s burgeoning … friendship? Plus, Jason calls for MORE JORDAN CATALANO, Greta becomes an accidental Graham apologist, and Kristen questions Brian's role in the gossip mill.  

SHOW CREDITS

Creator and host: Greta Johnsen

Co-host: Kristen Meinzer

Senior Producer: Ben Goldberg

Composer: Andrew M. Edwards

Tile art: Lou Lovisek

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The My So-Called Life rewatch begins! Greta Johnsen and Kristin Meinzer discuss episodes 1 and 2 with Ronald Young, Jr. They talk about the nostalgic power of the series, how the pilot holds up as a pilot, and the extreme angst of it all. 

SHOW CREDITS

Creator and host: Greta Johnsen

Co-host: Kristen Meinzer

Senior Producer: Ben Goldberg

Composer: Andrew M. Edwards

Tile art: Lou Lovisek

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In a very special miniseries, Greta joins forces with podcast host Kristen Meinzer to unpack every single episode of the 1994 ABC teen drama My So-Called Life. In this episode, before they begin their rewatch, Kristen and Greta discuss the cultural impact of the show with New Yorker TV critic Emily Nussbaum. Then, Greta talks to her best friend Marty, who binged the show with her when they were in high school. 

SHOW CREDITS

Creator and host: Greta Johnsen

Co-host: Kristen Meinzer

Senior Producer: Ben Goldberg

Composer: Andrew M. Edwards

Tile art: Lou Lovisek

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Consider this episode a friendly nudge to stop giving everything 100% all the time. It's the 87% Club, and you're invited! Greta talks to two dear friends about perfectionism, trying too hard, and embracing rest. Guests are art activist and author Shannon Downey, aka Badass Cross Stitch, and Ellen Wessel, Greta's laziness accountability coach.

SHOW CREDITS

Creator and host: Greta Johnsen

Senior Producer: Ben Goldberg

Composers: Ross Bellenoit and Jeremy Thal

Show art: Mac Maclean

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.