Latest Dictionary johnson Podcast Episodes
Sam's Wife Tetty, Boswell, and Goldsmith on Sam's Writing
My Sam Johnson - July 23, 2023 23:00 - 7 minutesThis is the revived podcast (and blog), which have been hiatus while I actually finished writing the biography of Sam. That's now done, and in this episode I provide an update on progress, as well as two anecdotes from Sam's life: his wife's reaction to his Rambler essays, and Sam's reaction to ...
Sam and Wayne, Friends and Followers
My Sam Johnson - October 24, 2021 18:00 - 6 minutesWayne talks about some of Sam's friendships, and also announces that this will be the last podcast episode (and blog posting) of My Sam Johnson. If you've been a follower of the podcast, and you'd like a free signed copy of the book when it's published in 2022, listen in for Wayne's email and te...
Sam Prays
My Sam Johnson - October 22, 2021 05:00 - 19 minutesWayne discusses God and Sam's prayers to that God, as well as the fact that in the prayers that Sam composed, using time well and getting things done are major focuses. Bonus: there's also some talk about sex and sensuality.
Details from Sam's Biographers: Who Thinks What Is Important
My Sam Johnson - October 16, 2021 00:00 - 19 minutesWayne talks about the process of writing a biography, where often you have to gather all the information you can find about the person, but then cannot use all that information because it wouldn't make for a readable biography.
Sam's Signature
My Sam Johnson - October 07, 2021 18:00 - 29 minutesWayne talks about Sam's signature on letters, and then goes on to discuss letter-writing in the 18th and 21st centuries.
Sam Takes a Long Trip to Scotland
My Sam Johnson - September 30, 2021 06:00 - 23 minutesWayne talks mostly about three road trips to the US he's taken with his friend Oscar, as well as a bit about plans for the book.
What Was Sam Up to as a Gen Z?
My Sam Johnson - September 24, 2021 17:00 - 27 minutesWayne talks about what he—Wayne—was up to in his early 20's.
Sam's Selfies
My Sam Johnson - September 17, 2021 03:00 - 18 minutesWayne talks about the various portraits of Sam Johnson, but the discussion somehow also morphs into selfies of avocado toast and Kim Kardashian's ass, but Wayne recovers and ends up talking about the demise of literary writing. (Is that a recovery?) He ends by talking about the biography of Sam ...
Sam and Universities
My Sam Johnson - September 09, 2021 16:00 - 21 minutesWayne talks about freedom of expression at universities, pivoting from the recent resignation of assistant professor of philosophy Peter Boghossian from Portland State University. Also: the study of Sam in English departments.
Sam Johnson, Blockhead
My Sam Johnson - September 02, 2021 20:00 - 25 minutesWayne talks about Sam's attitude toward writing, and then goes on to discuss why any writer writes and what are the most important things in writing generally.
Sam Was Not Woke
My Sam Johnson - August 24, 2021 17:00 - 22 minutesWake discusses wokeness and Sam Johnson, with some examples from Sam's writing life. There's also a digression on Wayne's experience on Twitter.
Happy with Sam
My Sam Johnson - August 17, 2021 17:00 - 32 minutesWayne discusses happiness and his chat with Gretchen Rubin, author of the New York Times bestselling book, Happier at Home.
Sam Johnson: Rambler, Adventurer, Idler
My Sam Johnson - August 11, 2021 13:00 - 34 minutesWayne talks about style and tone and how they are different in the three periodicals that Sam wrote: the Rambler, Adventurer, and Idler. He also calls on some modern examples of literature, writing, and film to bolster the point about the importance of style, notably "On Good People and Bad Peo...
The English Language and Sam's Dictionary
My Sam Johnson - August 05, 2021 00:00 - 19 minutesWayne talks about the Dictionary of the English Language that Sam compiled, and which was published in 1755.
Sam and Home
My Sam Johnson - July 30, 2021 16:00 - 23 minutesWayne discusses Rambler essay no. 68 (Tuesday, November 10, 1750), and makes comments on it, especially as it relates to two incidents that happened to him during the week.
Sam Dying
My Sam Johnson - July 24, 2021 17:00 - 20 minutesWayne describes and comments on the last three weeks of Sam's life, prompted by the account kept by one of Sam's friends, John Hoole.
Sam's Health
My Sam Johnson - July 16, 2021 19:00 - 23 minutesWayne talks about Sam's health through his life from birth to death, but mostly focuses on his (Wayne's) methods for researching, organizing, and writing the biography, My Sam Johnson, anticipated to be published in 2022.
Sam, Sam, and Technology
My Sam Johnson - July 08, 2021 16:00 - 13 minutesWayne talked to his nephew Sam about current technology, 18th-century technology, and the tech things that are of interest to at least one 11-year-old boy.
Sam Leaves Lichfield
My Sam Johnson - June 29, 2021 03:00 - 14 minutesLacking success in finding teaching or writing jobs in Lichfield, Sam moves to London to pursue a literary career.
Me, Sam, Writing, and Memory
My Sam Johnson - June 23, 2021 18:00 - 9 minutesWayne talks about the progress with his book, from the beginning, right to 1:27 pm.
The Subject of Biography
My Sam Johnson - June 17, 2021 21:00 - 10 minutesWayne discusses the reasons he is interested in Sam Johnson as a subject for biography.
A Couple of Books and Surprises
My Sam Johnson - June 10, 2021 20:00 - 8 minutesWayne reads and comments on three letters written by Sam Johnson.
Sam's Tetty
My Sam Johnson - June 04, 2021 20:00 - 6 minutesWayne relates some funny anecdotes from the life and marriage of Tetty and Sam, and makes some final comments about empathy and biography.
Sam Johnson, Married and Widowed
My Sam Johnson - May 28, 2021 05:00 - 3 minutesWayne reads from the prayers that Sam Johnson wrote a few weeks after the death of his wife in 1752.
Clean Linen: Sam, Sheets, and Personal Hygiene in the 18th Century
My Sam Johnson - May 21, 2021 19:00 - 3 minutesWayne talks about Sam's eating practices and how they relate to his character, as well as how he ended up singeing his wigs so often.
General: "Publick; Comprising the Whole"
My Sam Johnson - May 14, 2021 19:00 - 2 minutesWayne discusses Sam Johnson's writing style and his plans to try to encourage more reading of Johnson in the biography that he's writing.
Sam's Thoughts and Prayers
My Sam Johnson - May 07, 2021 03:00 - 2 minutesExamples of a couple of Sam's prayers and how they illustrate his character and mindset.
Sam Gets Married and Looks for a Job
My Sam Johnson - April 29, 2021 05:00 - 2 minutesSam gets married in 1735 to a widow named Elizabeth ("Tetty") Jervis, and for a year or so they try to get him set up as a teacher.
In Terms of "In Terms Of"
My Sam Johnson - April 21, 2021 17:00 - 2 minutesWayne consults Sam Johnson's dictionary, published in 1755, to see if it contains a definition or a use of the phrase "in terms of" as we use it today – and ends with a brief summary of the state of digitization of this dictionary.
Sam and the Ossian Fraud
My Sam Johnson - April 15, 2021 23:00 - 2 minutesSam defends himself against a fraud poet who claimed that he (the poet) had translated the poems of a 3rd-century poet named Ossian. Sam said they were fakes – and they did turn out to be so.
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