16 Comments
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Saengerin's avatar

Definitely shorter rather than longer. I also have young kids to work around. And I love the idea of you and someone else reading and responding to someone else’s work.

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Ivana Greco's avatar

Leah I would LOVE to talk to you in any format you want!!! Let’s involve the babies though 💕 So maybe video so we can show off how cute they are. Admittedly mine is not yet born, but I am very confident he’ll be cute.

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Leah Libresco Sargeant's avatar

I share your confidence! You let me know how your recovery goes and we'll make a plan <3

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Steve Kays's avatar

Congrats on the milestone Leah! Following your work has made me a sharper thinker in general while thinking through big conversations with both conviction and compassion.

I’m good with the format either way, but more audio from live conversations I think would be an exciting thing.

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Haley Baumeister's avatar

Audio/read transcripts of live conversations, whatever they are!!

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Becca Devine's avatar

Thank you, Leah! Looking forward to these thoughtful developments as a longtime reader. I I would love shorter audio; anything over half an hour is hard for me to get to as a mom of littles, and I think when people have the space of an hour or more, they tend to digress and ramble a little more? Also, people who write on the Internet could probably use the reminder that anyone they are engaging with or critiquing is flesh and blood, so I would love to see people in conversation with each other. Like mini panels with you as a moderator, which you are so good at!

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Martha's avatar

Short async written conversations! I love it when people have a chance to write a response, contemplate it, come back to it, make it reflect more clearly what they meant. And how that can spur a more thoughtful reply as well.

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Elizabeth Burtman's avatar

Agree!

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Virginia's avatar

Format thoughts: I personally probably wouldn't use audio much.

Topic thoughts: most of my ideas are for pieces that might be interesting to discuss more than people to discuss them with.

- If you talk with Sara Hendren, maybe you could work this essay of hers into the dialogue? https://sarahendren.com/2022/10/07/small-s-big-s/

- Susannah Black Roberts, "Danger and Play and Proverbs 31" https://mereorthodoxy.com/suzania/danger-and-play-and-proverbs-31 (behind a "paywall," but you can access it for free as long as you create a free account)

- Gina Dalfanzo reviewing a book titled "Someone Other Than a Mother" https://dearstrangethings.substack.com/p/book-review-someone-other-than-a (the book looks fascinating, but the review itself is probably enough of a jumping-off point for a discussion, since you mentioned wanting to keep the reading short)

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Amber Adrian's avatar

I read Someone Other Than a Mother and I'd love to see you tackle that one, Leah. I... have so many thoughts.

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Monica's avatar

I have a strong preference for written content.

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Elizabeth Burtman's avatar

I prefer reading over listening. Length is not so much a consideration for me, if the length is worthwhile (engaging, significant, well edited, free of padding).

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Amy Anderson's avatar

I'm here for whatever work you do! I do like the idea of you and someone else engaging a text produced by neither of you. People who come to mind are Haley Baumeister, Serena Segillito, Ivana Greco, Matthew Crawford, Nate Marshall, Elizabeth Barnes, and Amy Kenney.

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Amy Anderson's avatar

Oh and I forgot, after reading her book In the Courts of Three Popes I stumbled across Traditions in Turmoil by Mary Ann Glendon and my first thought was "I wonder if Leah Libresco Sargeant has already read that one?"

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Leah Libresco Sargeant's avatar

Not yet!

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Sara Hendren's avatar

You know I'll be there when/wherever. Also maybe Dougald Hine, Matt Crawford?

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