The Reader and the Writer

Welcome to R&W’s next 2026 read: Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. In this episode, Rhea and Shari discuss the powerful beauty they see already this story of the mundane that makes both marriage and friendship lasting and gold. They talk about Stegner’s great influence on the American literary canon—both through his own work, and his teaching of those literary giants who followed him, Shari’s personal favorite being Wendell Berry. They spend a long time talking about the 1st person long-view narrator, and the effect it has our view of the story itself, the characters, and the events being narrated. They talk about the ways they see the themes of the story: marriage, friendship, and vocation, already being expressed and given foundation in these early chapters. And they wonder how all three will survive and thrive over the course of the decades to follow.
Below is a link to Rhea’s reading guide for Crossing to Safety. Please do check it out. She has some great stuff in it!
Also, here is the full poem by Robert Frost that inspired Crossing to Safety’s title:
I Could Give All To Time
– A Poem by Robert Frost
To Time it never seems that he is braveTo set himself against the peaks of snowTo lay them level with the running wave,Nor is he overjoyed when they lie low,But only grave, contemplative and grave.
What now is inland shall be ocean isle,Then eddies playing round a sunken reefLike the curl at the corner of a smile;And I could share Time’s lack of joy or griefAt such a planetary change of style.
I could give all to Time except – exceptWhat I myself have held. But why declareThe things forbidden that while the Customs sleptI have crossed to Safety with? For I am There,And what I would not part with I have kept.
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Welcome back to Middlemarch, our year-ish long read. In this episode, Rhea and Shari discuss what it means to be old and young, to have desire and duty, and the making of a person and a marriage. They talk about the various relationships in Middlemarch and how they are continuing to shape into being. They spend considerable time discussing the “big-hearted” narrator, and all they appreciate about her commentary. And they go through several quotes from Book 2, and scratch their heads over each one’s meaning.
Be sure to check out our Middlemarch page:
Be sure to find our chat section on the Middlemarch page for each week’s reading and join in the conversation!
Our next Middlemarch episode covering Book Three is scheduled to air April 3rd. Until then, read wide and read well!
Thanks for listening to this episode of The Reader & the Writer! If you liked this post, ❤️ it and share it.

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Welcome to our final episode of Frankenstein. In this episode, Shari and Rhea revisit the nesting narrative, also called framing. They examine each frame through the lens of several different themes and motifs. They ask what ideas they see repeatedly, and how the characters express the various themes. They talk about Shelley’s exploration of love through the pairing of different characters together, and how Victor and the Creature combine in such a way that desecrates love as well as one another. They discuss the significance of names in Frankenstein, and the extra-significance of the De Lacey family at the center of the story. And they circle back around on earlier discussions about creators and creations, not taking responsibility for what we make, not “killing our darlings” when we should, and the ways we end up with monsters of our own making.
Journal Prompts for Frankenstein:
Rhea had some excellent reflective questions we didn’t have time to discuss. I (Shari) would like to offer them here as journal prompts in case you’d like to do some final noodling over Frankenstein.
* On Creation: What does Shelley want me to notice about creation? About my relationship with creation? My responsibility to creation? My responsibility to what I create?
* On Companionship: What does Shelley want me to notice about companionship? About my expectations about companionship? My responsibilities within companionship?
* On Love: What does Shelley want me to notice about love?
We’d love to hear your thoughts or discoveries on any of the above. And if Frankenstein spurred you on to consider other big ideas, please share these, too!
Our next slow read is Crossing to Safety, by Wallace Stegner. We will be reading it over four weeks. Our first episode will drop March 10th. No new episodes will air between now and then. Great time to catch up on your Middlemarch reading!
If you need a refresher of our 2026 reading list, you can find it here:
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Welcome to Middlemarch, Book One.
In this first “reading” episode of Middlemarch, Rhea and Shari dive headlong into the world of early-1800’s provencial England. They spend a great amount of time discussing the story’s witty, critical, big-hearted narrator. They examine the text for understanding how they are meant to feel about Casaubon, though they already know exactly how they feel about Casaubon. They talk about Dorthea as viewed from various points of view—especially her sister, Celia’s. They look at where the narrator offers us a critical eye, a wide lens, and always a quick witt. Rhea wonders if she’ll even be able to find a character she’ll love to hate. Shari declares Celia is her hero.
If you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to read through R&W’s Middlemarch page. It’s full of great stuff:

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Welcome to R&W’s second episode of Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. In this episode, Shari and Rhea dive deeper into the complexities and questions begged by the nested narrative style of the story, Shelley’s use of nature as a metaphor and motif, the use of counterpoints in every character as they relate to Victor, the many Great Conversations embedded in Volume 2, a continued study of humans’ duties toward the works of our hands, and their severe discomfort at the Creature’s lack of a name.
The final Frankenstein episode will air Tuesday, February 10th. (This is one week off the original reading schedule, due to inclement weather.)
Here is a link to Rhea’s Frankenstein Reading Guide:
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