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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 69. How the Dickens Stole Christmas

December 8, 2017 The Allusionist
A69 Dickens Xmas logo.jpg

Charles Dickens wrote about the plight of the impoverished and destitute members of British society. So how come his name is a synonym for rosy-cheeked, full-stomached, fattened-goose, hearty merry "God bless us every one" Christmas?

Avery Trufelman and Katie Mingle of 99% Invisible report from the streets of Victorian London at the annual Dickens Christmas Fair in Daly City, California, while historian Greg Jenner explains the origins of the festive traditions for which Dickens gets the credit, without even wanting the credit - in fact, his motivation for writing A Christmas Carol was far from a cash-in on Christmas.

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In call to action, episodes Tags literature, literary, Charles Dickens, books, novels, fiction, novellas, poverty, Victorians, Queen Victoria, history, English history, Britain, British, San Francisco, Daly City, California, Renaissance Fair, Dickens Fair, Greg Jenner, Avery Trufelman, Katie Mingle, London, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, social justice, children, child poverty, festive, customs, traditions, Christmas
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Featured
Festivelusionists
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
queer playlist
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The Allusionist by Helen Zaltzman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.