Aca-Media

Lift yourself out of the dregs of summer and everything else with this chat Mike Miley, author of the new book David Lynch's American Dreamscape. Miley shares his first encounter with Lynch’s Dune – as a 5-year-old! -- and his insights into the intertextuality of Lynch’s work, particularly Inland Empire. He also talks about being a high school teacher publishing academic books. Chris and Michael wrap up with brief reflections on the impact of AI on academia and an upcoming symposium on critical media literacy that we’ll feature in the next episode.

We have a special treat for listeners in this episode as DePauw University’s Jordan Sjol sits down with acclaimed playwright, screenwriter, and TV writer José Rivera for a conversation about his journey from playwriting to Hollywood, writing across different media, adapting literary classics, and balancing artistic integrity with commercial demands.

Chris chats with Swapnil Rai about her book on how Bollywood stars transformed Hindi cinema into a global phenomenon, as well as how she uses podcasting activities in her classroom. And if you’ve got ideas for how students can study media by making media, you’re invited to submit a proposal for a symposium at Notre Dame on that very topic.

Aca-Media producer David Lipson was in Paris for the 2024 Olympics/Paralympics, so we sent him out into the field. He captured some sounds of the city and the people flocking to arenas and also turned modern journalism’s most essential tool – a smartphone – toward journalists themselves, uncovering the challenges, and a few joys, that unite media professionals across the globe today.

Stephanie Brown delves into the dangerous world of women laughing in this conversation with Maggie Hennefeld about her new book Death By Laughter: Female Hysteria and Early Cinema. Covering everything from 19th-century obituaries blaming giggle fits (rather than girdle fits) for women’s deaths to the modern-day political power of a vice presidential cackle, we’re certain this episode will entertain you … just short of killing you.