Culture Nightcap
Husband and wife Katie and Chris Marquette take some time after the kids are asleep to grab a beer, glass of wine, or cup of tea. They discuss arts, culture, theology, film, books, and everything in between. Grab a nightcap and join us!
Episodes
Today on the podcast, Katie interviews Helen Bain, author of the the widely acclaimed debut novel, The Daffodil Days, a fictionalized account of Sylvia Plath's time in Devon. Even for those not as familiar with Plath, this book is a powerful examination of perspective. Reading the novel is an experience in empathy. Bain questions standard narratives and gives us shockingly relatable and human glimpses of a woman that has become lit...
Well, this is absolutely Katie's favorite episode so far! A dive into Sylvia Plath: who was she? why does she continue to fascinate, horrify, and inspire us? And what about her destructive/creative partnership with Ted Hughes? How did they differ as artists? Why did their relationship fall apart?
Sylvia Plath was a woman of deep desires and contradictions, longing for freedom and romance, "bookies, babies, and beef stew," but prima...
Special interview episode! Honored to host and interview acclaimed poet, critic, and arts advocate Dana Gioia.
In this discussion, Gioia argues for the importance of adaptation as a natural (and necessary) cultural engagement with art. Chris and Gioia also focus on how audiences (and their reactions) transform the experience of art and how originality may be overrated. A refreshing take from a public intellectual - art must communi...
In this episode, Katie and Chris discuss Madeline Miller's Circe. They unpack how Miller retells the Odyssey witch's story in first person, weaving Circe’s origins as Helios’ daughter into a wider web of Greek myths (Scylla, Medea, the Minotaur, and more) while building creatively from small cues in the original sources.
Along the way they talk big themes, immortality vs. mortality, the gods’ cruelty and stasis, C...
Where'd You Go Bernadette? by Maria Semple is a delightfully unique novel told in a modern epistolary format. But behind the clever wit and dry humor there is a deep, moving story about owning who we are and about the depths of a mother's love. Katie and Chris discuss the novel in detail - its quirk, humor, oddness, and the strange charm of Bernadette herself. They also discuss the book's critiques of technology and modern lif...
In this episode, Katie and Chris discuss one of Woody Allen's best films, the 1989 Crimes and Misdemeanors. A chilling tale of love, lust, murder, and justice (or lack thereof) the plot gives a great launching point for some of the biggest questions: Is there a God? Do we have to choose between "Useful Fiction" and "The Truth?" Are the eyes of God really watching us?
We also ask - is it ethical to even watch Woody Al...
Katie and Chris discuss the hit TV series, Murder She Wrote, and why a show about an older woman solving crime is so endlessly comforting. We talk about how the series is simultaneously unbelievable and ridiculous yet also heartwarming and incredibly charming. We then broaden the discussion to murder mysteries generally, our favorite Agatha Christie novels, what we seek from a 'cozy' mystery, and how True Crime may be mor...
Katie and Chris attend a 930 AM showing on opening day of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. From dream and nightmare-like images, an artistic and authentic score, to haunting allusions to art and story throughout history, the film proved to be a deep and moving exploration of the human condition. They discuss how Nolan brilliantly brought an ancient text to a modern audience and how this version of Odysseus as morally frau...
Katie and Chris take 10 minutes to reflect on what they are hoping to do with the podcast, why they decided to do it at all, and what listeners can expect!
Feedback and ideas! Get in touch with us! Culturenightcap@gmail.com Cheers!Dolly Parton, a true American icon, died on August 26, 2026. She received near universal acclamation, with eulogies pouring out across all political and cultural divides. How did she do it? What made her so beloved?
In this episode, Katie and Chris discuss Dolly's musical artistry (from English ballads to gospel), her eminent business savvy and philanthropic efforts, but most of all they celebrate her unpretentious and genuine enco...
We're Katie and Chris Marquette - 16 years ago, we met in our freshman seminar and we've been talking books, theology, and the arts ever since, but that got a little harder with kids, a farm, work, and so many responsibilities. So we decided to make it a point to discuss books, film, religion, and art, after the kids are asleep. Grab a beer, glass of wine, or cup of tea, and join us!
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