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Romance novels have long had a reputation for being flimsy, sexist, trashy bodice-rippers. But there’s lots more to the genre than meets the eye. This hour, we look at what makes romance novels work – and why so many of us are devouring them.

GUESTS: 
Olivia Waite: The New York Times Book Review’s romance fiction columnist who writes queer and historical romance, fantasy, and critical essays on the genre’s history and future
Jason Rogers: Olympic medalist, journalist covering masculinity, and the founder of a now-defunct romance book club for men
Tony Horvath: Creative director for the long-time romance-novel publisher Harlequin, where he oversees production of about 80 book covers a month

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Romance novels have long had a reputation for being flimsy, sexist, trashy bodice-rippers. But there’s lots more to the genre than meets the eye. This hour, we look at what makes romance novels work – and why so many of us are devouring them.
GUESTS: 
<ul>
<li>Olivia Waite: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/olivia-waite">The New York Times Book Review</a><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/olivia-waite">’s romance fiction columnist</a> who <a href="https://www.oliviawaite.com/books">writes</a> queer and historical romance, fantasy, and critical essays on the genre’s history and future</li>
<li>Jason Rogers: Olympic medalist, journalist covering masculinity, and the founder of a now-defunct romance book club for men</li>
<li>Tony Horvath: Creative director for the long-time romance-novel publisher <a href="https://www.harlequin.com/shop/index.html">Harlequin</a>, where he oversees production of about 80 book covers a month</li>
</ul>
Join the conversation on <a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</a>.

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

The Colin McEnroe Show

We ❤️ romance novels

Billy Joel has reportedly sold more than 160 million albums. He’s been nominated for 24 Grammy Awards (and won six of them), an Emmy, and a Tony Award (which he won). In the U.S., he’s had 33 top 40 singles and 11 top 10 albums. He’s simply one of the most popular recording artists in the history of music.

But. Critics have never been terribly kind to him, and a lot of the general public hasn’t either.

This hour, we look at the two-part, nearly five-hour HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes. And we look at Billy Joel more generally and at the love/hate relationship we all seem to have had with him and his music for more than 50 years now.

GUESTS:
Jen Allen: A pianist, composer, arranger, and educator; her new album is Possibilities
Rebecca Castellani: Co-founder of Quiet Corner Communications and the director of marketing at Washington Montessori School
Jack Hamilton:Slate’s pop critic and the author of Just Around Midnight: Rock and Roll and the Racial Imagination
Gene Seymour: A “writer, professional spectator, pop-culture maven, and jazz geek,” and he now writes the That Gene Seymour Substack

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Colin McEnroe and Isaac Moss contributed to this show, which originally aired August 8, 2025.

Billy Joel has reportedly sold more than 160 million albums. He&rsquo;s been nominated for 24 Grammy Awards (and won six of them), an Emmy, and a Tony Award (which he won). In the U.S., he&rsquo;s had 33 top 40 singles and 11 top 10 albums. He&rsquo;s simply one of the most popular recording artists in the history of music.
But. Critics have never been terribly kind to him, and a lot of the general public hasn&rsquo;t either.
This hour, we look at the two-part, nearly five-hour HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes. And we look at Billy Joel more generally and at the love/hate relationship we all seem to have had with him and his music for more than 50 years now.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Jen Allen: A pianist, composer, arranger, and educator; her new album is&nbsp;<a href="https://trrstore.bandcamp.com/album/possibilities">Possibilities</a></li>
<li>Rebecca Castellani: Co-founder of&nbsp;<a href="https://quietcornercommunications.com/">Quiet Corner Communications</a>&nbsp;and the director of marketing at Washington Montessori School</li>
<li>Jack Hamilton: Slate&rsquo;s pop critic and the author of Just Around Midnight: Rock and Roll and the Racial Imagination</li>
<li>Gene Seymour: A &ldquo;writer, professional spectator, pop-culture maven, and jazz geek,&rdquo; and he now writes&nbsp;the <a href="https://thatgeneseymour52.substack.com/">That Gene Seymour</a> Substack</li>
</ul>
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9b6b3cee-f69b-4729-a78b-181f851d80e8/the-colin-mcenroe-show">Amazon Music</a>, <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/The-Colin-McEnroe-Show-p1208473/">TuneIn</a>, <a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-colin-mcenroe-show-connecticut-public-lXR08dxQSM5/">Listen Notes</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters">Subscribe to The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.
Join the conversation on&nbsp;<a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</a>.
Colin McEnroe and Isaac Moss contributed to this show, which originally aired August 8, 2025.

You may be wrong, but you may be right: A look at Billy Joel

Podcast bonus: Interview with Charles Ericson 

The Hartford circus fire in 1944 was the deadliest disaster in the history of Connecticut.

Our friend Jacques Lamarre (if you listen to The Nose most Fridays, you know Jacques) has written a big-deal new play about the fire and its aftermath that TheaterWorks Hartford is currently world premiering.

This hour, a conversation recorded in front of a live audience at TheaterWorks about the play Circus Fire and the actual Hartford circus fire.

Note: This podcast version of the show is more than 12 minutes longer than the episode as it’s airing on the radio, and it includes our full interview with circus fire survivor Charles Ericson.

GUESTS:
Charles Ericson: A survivor of the Hartford circus fire
Jacques Lamarre: A playwright and a frequent guest on The Nose; he wrote and co-conceived Circus Fire
Rob Ruggiero: Artistic director at TheaterWorks Hartford and a co-conceiver of Circus Fire

TheaterWorks Hartford is a current underwriter of Connecticut Public.

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks to Kate Cudworth, Dennis Dowding, Ethan Pervere, and Katherine Plutnicki at TheaterWorks Hartford.

Colin McEnroe, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Dylan Reyes, and Lily Tyson contributed to this show.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buaIFg5YTJ8">The Hartford circus fire</a> in 1944 was the deadliest disaster in the history of Connecticut.
Our friend Jacques Lamarre (if you listen to <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> most Fridays, you know Jacques) has written a <a href="https://twhartford.org/portfolio-items/circus-fire/">big-deal new play</a> about the fire and its aftermath that TheaterWorks Hartford is currently world premiering.
This hour, a conversation recorded in front of a live audience at TheaterWorks about the play Circus Fire and the actual Hartford circus fire.
Note: This podcast version of the show is more than 12 minutes longer than the episode as it&rsquo;s airing on the radio, and it includes our full interview with circus fire survivor Charles Ericson.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Charles Ericson: A survivor of the Hartford circus fire</li>
<li>Jacques Lamarre: A playwright and a frequent guest on The Nose; he wrote and co-conceived Circus Fire</li>
<li>Rob Ruggiero: Artistic director at TheaterWorks Hartford and a co-conceiver of Circus Fire</li>
</ul>
TheaterWorks Hartford is a current underwriter of Connecticut Public.
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9b6b3cee-f69b-4729-a78b-181f851d80e8/the-colin-mcenroe-show">Amazon Music</a>, <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/The-Colin-McEnroe-Show-p1208473/">TuneIn</a>, <a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-colin-mcenroe-show-connecticut-public-lXR08dxQSM5/">Listen Notes</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters">Subscribe to The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.
Join the conversation on <a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</a>.
Thanks to Kate Cudworth, Dennis Dowding, Ethan Pervere, and Katherine Plutnicki at TheaterWorks Hartford.
Colin McEnroe, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Dylan Reyes, and Lily Tyson contributed to this show.

The day the clowns cried: A look at ‘Circus Fire’ and the Hartford circus fire

What does it mean to have 'good taste'? And what would it take to develop it? This hour, we talk about taste and discernment. Plus, a look at flavor and why some things taste good.

GUESTS: 


Henry Oliver: Writes the literary Substack “The Common Reader,” and is the author of Second Act: What Late Bloomers Can Tell You About Reinventing Your Life. He is part of the Emerging Scholars Programme at the Mercatus Centre


Becca Rothfeld: Staff Writer at The New Yorker, an editor at The Point, and a contributing editor at The Boston Review. She is the author of All Things Are Too Small: Essays in Praise of Excess


Nik Sharma: A molecular biologist turned two-time James Beard finalist, best-selling cookbook author, photographer, columnist, and editor at America’s Test Kitchen. His cookbooks include The Flavor Equation: The Science of Great Cooking Explained in More Than 100 Essential Recipes, among others

Join the conversation on Facebook.

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Colin McEnroe, Dylan Reyes, Isaac Moss, Coco Cooley, and Eugene Amatruda contributed to this show, which originally aired on August 6, 2025.

What does it mean to have 'good taste'? And what would it take to develop it? This hour, we talk about taste and discernment. Plus, a look at flavor and why some things taste good.
GUESTS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Henry Oliver: Writes the literary Substack &ldquo;<a href="https://www.commonreader.co.uk/">The Common Reader</a>,&rdquo; and is the author of <a href="https://www.henry-oliver.co.uk/">Second Act: What Late Bloomers Can Tell You About Reinventing Your Life</a>. He is part of the Emerging Scholars Programme at the Mercatus Centre
</li>
<li>
Becca Rothfeld: Staff Writer at The New Yorker, an editor at The Point, and a contributing editor at The Boston Review. She is the author of <a href="https://www.beccarothfeld.com/book.html">All Things Are Too Small: Essays in Praise of Excess</a>
</li>
<li>
Nik Sharma: A molecular biologist turned two-time James Beard finalist, best-selling cookbook author, photographer, columnist, and editor at America&rsquo;s Test Kitchen. His cookbooks include <a href="https://niksharmacooks.com/the-flavor-equation/">The Flavor Equation: The Science of Great Cooking Explained in More Than 100 Essential Recipes</a>, among others
</li>
</ul>
Join the conversation on&nbsp;<a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a>.
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters">Subscribe to The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p">Spotify</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9b6b3cee-f69b-4729-a78b-181f851d80e8/the-colin-mcenroe-show">Amazon Music</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/The-Colin-McEnroe-Show-p1208473/">TuneIn</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-colin-mcenroe-show-connecticut-public-lXR08dxQSM5/">Listen Notes</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
Colin McEnroe, Dylan Reyes, Isaac Moss, Coco Cooley, and Eugene Amatruda contributed to this show, which originally aired on August 6, 2025.

We ❤️ romance novels

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