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Christine is joined by special guest, actor Kelly AuCoin, who plays "Dollar" Bill Sterns on Billions and Pastor Tim on The Americans (among many other roles!). They discuss "Life of Brian," the 1979 Monty Python sensation that was banned instantly for its irreverence and satire. This dark comedy still speaks incredibly well to our own particular age, and Christine and Kelly analyze the legacy of the film then and now--and do a lot of British impressions.

If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!

"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.

If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!

Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Steph Karpuek is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.

Join us next week as Christine and Jessica discuss Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo! Make sure you watch our Instagram account for more updates!

Links for Episode 2:

• Kelly Aucoin's website
• Find out more about the incredible nonprofit, KultureCity, that Kelly's on the board of
• Info on Monty Python's "Life of Brian"
• Mary Whitehouse's background info
• A great behind-the-scenes documentary, "The Secret Life of Brian"

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In Episode 1 of Season 2, Christine and Jessica discuss I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. This book has been deeply influential in Jessica's life since her 10th grade teacher, Ms. Snow, gave her a copy of the book. Christine--a longtime fan of Angelou's "Phenomenal Woman" and other poems--reads the book for the first time. Join us as we dive deep into one of the most important works of the last century, written by one of the greatest writers of our lifetime.

If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!

"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.

If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!

Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Steph Karpuek is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.

Join us next week as Christine discusses Monty Python’s "The Life of Brian" with special guest Kelly AuCoin from Billions! Make sure you watch our Instagram account for more updates!

Links for Episode 1:

• Link to I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• Soundcloud of Angelou talking about her name (her voice is incredible!)
• Angelou's bio
• Obituary of Robert Loomis, Angelou's longtime editor
• Interview of Angelou talking about her "souped-up bus"
• New African article about Angelou, "the most banned author in the US"
• History.com article about mailing actual children through the post office in the 1930s

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In this special bonus episode, Christine and Jessica recorded a conversation with NPR's Maureen Corrigan live at Wilkes University! Listen in to this incredible, wide-ranging conversation as Maureen--who recorded a Great Course about banned books throughout history--shares her vast knowledge with Christine, Jessica, and their audience.

COMING SOON: Season 2 launches in THREE WEEKS, on September 3!

As we're busy reading and prepping for our next season, we could use your help more than ever. If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!

"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.

If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!

Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwalddesigned our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.

Special thanks this episode to Wilkes University, especially David Hicks, Patti Naumann, Dawn Leas, and Lee Michaels. Thanks also to Julie Sidoni and WVIA News for their coverage of the event.

Links for this Bonus Episode:

• About Maureen Corrigan
• "Banned Books, Burned Books: Forbidden Literary Works," by Maureen Corrigan for The Great Courses (a great resource for schools and libraries especially!)
• 1974 Kanawha County, West Virginia battle over books
• Thomas Morton's New English Canaan: more about it and a link to order
• Ron Charles's newsletter, "Book Club," for the Washington Post
• The Maslow Family Graduate Program in Creative Writing at Wilke