What I'm Learning: October 2024

It’s time for “What I’m Learning.” This is the post where I’ve shared what I’ve been listening to, reading, and watching that has influenced my thinking and thus my writing.

I joked with my wife the other day that most of my sentences begin, “I was listening to a podcast…” So here are a few of my favorite podcasts this month to start with.

• The Witch Trials of JK Rowling. An ex-leader of the Westboro Baptist Church does a seven-part series on the controversy around JK Rowling initially from conservative Christians (because of witches and magic) and then from the Transgender Community because of how she spoke out against aspects of the transgender movement online. I had not done a deep dive into why Ms. Rowling spoke out in the movement, and it was fascinating to hear her go into detail about her position and the positions of others who have opposed JK Rowling. The perspective of the narrator is fair, curious, and personal. If you go in open to learn about various perspectives, you’ll find yourself able to not try to argue, but instead simply learn.