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The Allusionist

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A PODCAST ABOUT LANGUAGE
BY HELEN ZALTZMAN

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The Allusionist

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Allusionist 218. Banned Books

October 8, 2025 The Allusionist

It's Banned Books Week. Honorary youth chair Iris Mogul and Sam Helmick, president of the American Library Association, talk about what it is, why it matters so much, and how you can get involved.

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In episodes Tags arts, society, culture, words, language, Iris Mogul, Sam Helmick, books, literature, law, novels, fiction, banned books, book bans, Banned Books Week, libraries, librarians, library, teachers, schools, Forrest Spaulding, ALA, American Library Association, Iowa, World War One, First World War, USA, free speech, liberty, censorship, intellectual freedom, First Amendment, oppression, Judy Blume, Stephen King, Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, Louise Erdrich, Forever, Deenie, Where’s Waldo, Where’s Wally, Tipper Gore, Satanic Panic, Mein Kampf, chilling effect, German, Babel Proclamation, bans, sauerkraut, renaming, rubella, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Friday Night Lights, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, history, queer, trans, LGBTQIIA+, gender, sexuality, race, BIPOC, politics, offence, social justice, explicit lyrics, parental guidance, Library Bill of Rights, quintain

Allusionist 51: Under the Covers - part II

February 21, 2017 The Allusionist
Under the Covers logo part II.jpeg

Does the available vocabulary for sex leave something to be desired? Namely desire? (And also the ability to use it wthout laughing/dying of embarrassment?) Aiding in the search for a better sex lexicon - sexicon - are Kaitlin Prest of fellow Radiotopia podcast The Heart, and romance novelist Mhairi McFarlane.

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In episodes Tags language, words, linguistics, vocabulary, sex, sexicon, genitalia, genitals, penis, vagina, clitoris, Latin, Greek, Ancient Greek, etymology, pelvis, Kaitlin Prest, The Heart, anatomy, bodies, body, sexual, relationships, love, emotions, feelings, failure, Mhairi McFarlane, novels, writing, Judy Blume, Ralph, masturbation, Onanism, shame, debridement, porn, body parts
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Featured
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Allusionist 221. Scribe
Allusionist 221. Scribe
Allusionist 220. Disobedience
Allusionist 220. Disobedience
Allusionist 219. Making Trouble
Allusionist 219. Making Trouble
Allusionist 218. Banned Books
Allusionist 218. Banned Books
Allusionist 217. Bread and Roses, and Coffee
Allusionist 217. Bread and Roses, and Coffee
Allusionist 216. Four Letter Words: Terisk
Allusionist 216. Four Letter Words: Terisk
Allusionist 215. Two-Letter Words
Allusionist 215. Two-Letter Words
Allusionist 214. Four Letter Words: Bane Bain Bath
Allusionist 214. Four Letter Words: Bane Bain Bath
Souvenirs on BBC Radio 4
Souvenirs on BBC Radio 4
Allusionist 213. Four Letter Words: Dino
Allusionist 213. Four Letter Words: Dino
Allusionist 212. Four Letter Words: Park
Allusionist 212. Four Letter Words: Park
Allusionist 211. Four Letter Words: -gate
Allusionist 211. Four Letter Words: -gate
Allusionist 210. Four Letter Words: 4x4x4 Quiz
Allusionist 210. Four Letter Words: 4x4x4 Quiz
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The Allusionist by Helen Zaltzman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.