Plague Remedy Podcast

07/05/2026

Just what it says on the tin! Excuse us while we remodel. We'll be back soon.

And, oh yeah, listen to the end of the annoucement for new theme song.

Podcast Episode · Plague Remedy Podcast · 7 May · 5min

06/05/2026

21/04/2026

🎙️ New episode out now!

LINK IN COMMENTS

This week, we're joined by Dr Alex Davis — senior lecturer in English at the University of St Andrews and an expert on Shakespeare and the literature of the 16th and 17th centuries.

We talk about...

How Shakespeare learned to write, the grammar school education that shaped his language

150 ways to say "thank you for your letter"

Why Shakespeare's villains are really great debaters
And why the Bard still squats on Alex's life "like a bald buzzing toad"

This is the first of what we hope to be many episodes that give listeners access to perspectives on different writers. (Along with our usual author interviews, of course!)

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

15/04/2026

🎙️ NEW EPISODE: Grief Like Weather

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I bit late this week, due to a technical glitch but...

How do we talk about loss without falling into clichés? This week, we sit down with novelist Stephen Policoff to discuss his moving memoir, 'A Ribbon for Your Hair.' A man who lost his wife to cancer and then his daughter to the rare genetic disease Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC).

"It's hard sometimes for me to hold onto the happy memories without going off into the sad ones, but... those are the things that really keep me going." — Stephen Policoff

🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast app!

Please remember to follow, rate, share, and write a review. It really does make a huge difference!

10/04/2026

If I can pause my usual stream of nonsense, I have been thinking about witnessing 9/11 and its aftermath. I didn't see the planes into the towers, but I did see the first building fall, and I ran from it.
Since then, I have not heard of a bombing without thinking about all the poor schmucks and jamooks going about their own business.

After 9/11, people turned to poetry, art, and New Yorkers who had seen everything were stunned into politeness, for a while. Among the poems circulating at the time was W H. Auden's September 1, 1939. It was amazing to read a line:

'The unmentionable order of death/ Offends the September night.'

You could smell the destruction for months - a mixture of carcinogens and bodies.

But what I have been thinking about lately is the second stanza. There's been this talk of Western Civilisation and how it must be preserved lately, especially by people bombing schools and hospitals.

So, I took a photo of the verse and the link to the entire poem in the comments.

07/04/2026

🎙️ New episode: "What If the Next Pizza Is My Last?" — Jeffrey M. Feingold on Turning Family Stories into Fiction.

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During the pandemic, Jeffrey Feingold started writing down family stories for his daughter. Three award-winning short story collections later, he joins us to talk craft, memory, and why the short story is his favourite form.

In this episode:

Why short stories beat novels (for him)
Turning Ukrainian-Jewish family history into fiction
A reading from A Fine Madness

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts. 🎧

24/03/2026

This week on the Story podcast, we are running one of our favourite episodes with poet and forager Richard Osmond.

If you missed it, it's worth a listen. If you've listened, it's worth a second listen. Seriously, it will teach you how to notice and after that, well, things ain't gonna be the same.

LINK IN THE COMMENTS!

17/03/2026

🎙️ New episode out now!

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This week, we're joined by Malcolm Kempt — debut novelist, former Arctic criminal lawyer, and a man who spent 17 years in one of the most isolated places on earth before becoming a writer.

We talk about his debut novel, 'A Gift Before Dying', set in the Canadian Arctic — a place brutal, beautiful, and haunting.

Oh, and he once shook hands with Vladimir Putin while a sniper had him in his sights. We get into that, too.

A really fascinating conversation.

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

10/03/2026

🎬 New episode out now!

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This week, we're joined by John DiLeo — author of nine books about the movies, and a man on a mission to shine a light on the overlooked, the forgotten, and the quietly brilliant.

We discuss the art of the small role in Hollywood's golden age, why comedy often fails to receive the awards respect it deserves, and what old movies can still teach us about storytelling today.

We also take a moment to remember Diane Keaton — a star John has admired since he was a teenager.

A really great conversation. We think you'll enjoy it. 🎥

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts.