Jo's Boys: A Little Women Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Scrap Bag: "Saoirse Ronan" by RXK Nephew Aug 30, 2022

Show notes

This week, we're hosting the world premiere of RXK Nephew's new song "Saoirse Ronan." RXK Nephew is a rapper based in Rochester, New York. He's been profiled in Rolling Stone and the Washington Post, and his song "American tterroristt" came in at #44 on Pitchfork's list of the best 100 songs of 2021. Pitchfork also published a list of the best 100 RXK Nephew songs of 2021; Neph was the only artist to get his own list. I asked him to watch Greta Gerwig's Little Women and report back in a song. Here it is. Not safe for work. Do not listen if you have kids around or if you are my dad.

Our cover art is by Mattie Lubchansky. It interpolates the cover art for Bethany C. Morrow's book "So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix," with permission from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. It also interpolates the cover art for Hena Khan's book "More to the Story," with permission from Simon & Schuster. Our theme music is Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major.

Chapter 13: Castles in the Air with Hena Khan Aug 24, 2022

Show notes

This week, we're joined by special guest Hena Khan, an award-winning children’s author who’s written many books, including Amina’s Voice, which was named one of the best books of 2017 by the Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, NPR, and many more. She also wrote More to the Story, a contemporary adaptation of Little Women that takes place in a Pakistani American family and centers on one Jameela Mirza and her quest for school paper greatness. Together, we take a look at Chapter 13: Castles in the Air - Hena's working title for More to the Story; fun fact! - and learn all about the March sisters' - and Laurie's - wildest dreams. Will any of these dreams come true? Shake this magic 8 ball with us to find out!

Chapter 12: Camp Laurence with Claudia Morales Aug 08, 2022

Show notes

We're back after our summer break! This week, we're joined by special guest Claudia Morales, a writer and digital content specialist based in Brooklyn. Her work has appeared in MTV News and Extra Crispy, among other publications. Claudia and I take a dive into Camp Laurence, the closest thing Little Women has to an anime beach episode. Among picnics, games of croquet, and a revealing game of 19th century Truth or Dare, Jo lets us know that she doesn't mind being a guy, as long as she's comfortable, and Laurie hints at how he really feels about his "dear fellow."

Also, as I mentioned in the show, Claudia's mom is currently battling cancer, and it would be so lovely if you'd swing over to her GoFundMe and contribute a few dollars for her care. Click here to learn more: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-claudia-conquer-cancer.

Chapter 11: Experiments with Tess Scilipoti Jul 09, 2022

Show notes

This week, we're joined by special guest Tess Scilipoti, a Ignatz Award-nominated comic artist whose work has appeared in The Nib. We dive into the eleventh chapter of Little Women, "Experiments," where the girlies decide to abandon their chores for a week and wind up regretting everything. You can visit Tess online at tscilipoti.com and on Twitter @tessscilipoti.

Scrap Bag: Amy's Pickled Limes with Dennis Lee Jun 26, 2022

Show notes

This week, we're joined by special guest Dennis Lee, staff writer at the Takeout and lunatic behind the newsletter Food is Stupid and the late, great blog The Pizzle. Dennis and I discuss the history of pickled limes and their role in Little Women before taste-testing our own home-pickled citrus. We're both dubious... but do these limes contain hidden depths?

Chapter 10: The Pickwick Club and Post Office with Sivan Piatigorsky-Roth Jun 19, 2022

Show notes

This week, we're joined by special guest Sivan Piatigorsky-Roth, cartoonist for the New Yorker and author-illustrator of the forthcoming graphic novel "Diana: My Graphic Obsession." We dive into the tenth chapter of Little Women, "The Pickwick Club and Post Office," where all the little women drag up as little men to welcome a boy into their ladies' club. You can visit Sivan online at sivanpiatigorskyroth.com and on Instagram at @sivanbasha.

Chapter 9: Meg Goes to Vanity Fair with Jaya Saxena May 29, 2022

Show notes

This week, we're joined by special guest Jaya Saxena, senior writer at Eater and author of several books, most recently “Crystal Clear: Extraordinary Talismans for Everyday Life.” We dive into the ninth chapter of Little Women, "Meg Goes to Vanity Fair," where, in Jaya’s words, “Meg goes to a party and learns to never want anything ever again.” You can visit Jaya online at jayasaxena.com and on Twitter at @jayasax.

Chapter 8: Jo Meets Apollyon with Andi Schwartz May 14, 2022

Show notes

This week, we're joined by special guest Andi Schwartz. Dr. Schwartz is a Visiting Scholar at York University's School of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies. Her dissertation was an online ethnography of femme internet culture, and her other research interests include femme subjectivities and critical femininities. We dive into the eighth chapter of Little Women, "Jo Meets Apollyon," where Amy lights Jo's manuscript on fire then pays for her misdeed by falling through the ice of the local river-slash-pond situation. Fittingly, Andi and I talk a lot about Jenny Fran Davis's essay "High Femme Camp Antics," which you can read here: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/high-femme-camp-antics/. You can visit Andi online at andischwartzwrites.com and on Instagram and Twitter at @acafemmeic.
Our cover art is by Mattie Lubchansky. It interpolates the cover art for Bethany C. Morrow's book "So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix," with permission from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. It also interpolates the cover art for Hena Khan's book "More to the Story," with permission from Simon & Schuster. Our theme music is Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major. This episode was edited by Peyton Thomas.

Chapter 7: Amy's Valley of Humiliation with Hannah Zbitnew Apr 29, 2022

Show notes

This week, we're joined by special guest Hannah Zbitnew, an interdisciplinary artist creating textiles and ceramics in downtown Toronto. We dive into the seventh chapter of Little Women, "Amy's Valley of Humiliation," where everyone's favourite twelve-year-old stunt queen destroys the social order of her one-room schoolhouse with little more than a couple dozen pickled limes. You can visit Hannah online at hannahzbitnew.com and on Instagram at @hannahzbitnew.
Our cover art is by Mattie Lubchansky. It interpolates the cover art for Bethany C. Morrow's book "So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix," with permission from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. It also interpolates the cover art for Hena Khan's book "More to the Story," with permission from Simon & Schuster. Our theme music is Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major. This episode was edited by Peyton Thomas.

Chapter 6: Beth Finds the Palace Beautiful with Naomi Kanakia Apr 17, 2022

Show notes

This week, we're joined by special guest Naomi Kanakia, author of the novels "Enter Title Here" and "We Are Totally Normal," along with last year's handbook "The Cynical Writer's Guide to the Publishing Industry." We dive into the sixth chapter of Little Women, "Beth Finds the Palace Beautiful," where Beth gets the play the piano to her heart's content and Laurie does not. You can visit Naomi online at thewaronloneliness.com and on Twitter at @rahkan.
Our cover art is by Mattie Lubchansky. It interpolates the cover art for Bethany C. Morrow's book "So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix," with permission from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. It also interpolates the cover art for Hena Khan's book "More to the Story," with permission from Simon & Schuster. Our theme music is Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major. This episode was edited by Peyton Thomas.