Aesthetic Arrest Podcast: Piper Laurie, Joy Harjo, Zuppa di Pesce & Goddess Temples at Paestum!

“The aesthetic experience is a simple beholding of the object . . . you experience a radiance. You are held in aesthetic arrest.” - Joseph Campbell

Aesthetic Arrest is our weekly dip into the Epicurean pleasures we’ve been enjoying lately. Cheers to that!

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This Week’s Apéritif: Monrillac Pineau des Charentes Blanc

[Photo by Ryan Wildstar]

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Ryan Wildstar’s Recommendations:

Reading: Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light: Fifty Poems for Fifty Years by Joy Harjo  

Purchase here.

• Meet Joy Harjo, The 1st Native American U.S. Poet Laureate (via NPR)

• Joy Harjo wins Yale’s 2023 Bollingen Prize for American Poetry

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Listening: I Pray for My Enemies by Joy Harjo

Purchase or Stream (multiple platforms)

• Official Site of Joy Harjo

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Looking: The First Temple of Hera, The Second Temple of Hera, and The Temple of Athena at Paestum

[All Photos by Ryan Wildstar]

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Viewing: Tribute to Piper Laurie (January 22, 1932 – October 14, 2023)

• Piper Laurie Obituary (via The Guardian)

• Piper Laurie: A Life in Pictures (via The Guardian)

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Tasting: Dinner at Il Convivio Restaurant in Sorrento, Italy

Zuppa di Pesce at Il Convivio Restaurant (Sorrento, Italy) [Photo by Ryan Wildstar]

A Video of Dinner & Dancing at Il Convivio in Sorrento [Attention! The music is LOUD - these seniors aren’t playin’!]:

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Ryan Elston’s Recommendations:

Reading: Poems 1962-2012 by Louise Glück

Purchase here.

• Louise Glück: a poet who never shied away from silence, pain or fear (via The Guardian)

• Louise Glück honed her poetic voice across a lifetime to speak to us from beyond the grave (via The Conversation)

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Listening: Diré by Idrissa Soumaoro

Purchase via Bandcamp

• Malian Musician and Educator Idrissa Soumaoro (via World Music Central)

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Looking: Tomb of the Diver at the National Archaeological Museum of Paestum

[All Photos by Ryan Wildstar]

[All Images via Wikimedia Commons: 1) Following Hadrian, CC BY-SA 2.0; 2) & 3) Miguel Hermoso Cuesta, CC BY-SA 4.0; 4) Prof. Mortel, CC BY 2.0; 5) Following Hadrian, CC BY-SA 2.0 & 6) Ismoon, CC BY-SA 4.0]

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Viewing: Tribute to Piper Laurie (January 22, 1932 – October 14, 2023)

• Actor Piper Laurie, known for roles in 'Carrie' and 'The Hustler,' dies at 91 (via NPR)

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Tasting: Lunch at Alici Cucina Mediterranea (Paestum, Italy)

1) Fritto Misto; 2) Langoustine Tartare; 3) Crespelle Paestum; 4) Grilled Squid Stuffed with Veal [Photos by Ryan Wildstar]

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That’s it for this week! But we want the dinner party to continue! So each week we are asking a “dinner party” question for everyone joining us here at our table. Last week, we asked: “What's ONE of your favorite people, places or things from Italy?” Here are some of the great responses from the comments:

• Ryan Elston chose Federico Fellini!

• Ryan Wildstar chose Brunello di Montalcino!

• Mary Chase chose the music of Giacomo Puccini!

• kde chose Italy’s archaeological treasures!

• Del Mar’s big list of Italian favorites started with Once Upon a Time in the West by Sergio Leone and ended with Chianti!

Thank you everyone for your wonderful responses! That was last week . . . but we don't want this week's dinner party to end either!

So here is this week's question for the table:

This week’s question is in honor of Piper Laurie’s iconic role in Brian De Palma’s 1976 film, Carrie, which went on to become of one of cinema’s bonafide cult classics.

So, our question for the table this week is:

What's one of YOUR favorite cult classic films?

Tell us your choice in the comments and we’ll share some of your responses on next week’s podcast!

Also, don't forget to stop by The Epicurean Vagabonds Substack on Wednesdays, to check out our revamped Mid-Week Libations! Now with audio segments featuring Ryan & Ryan!

And thank you for joining us for Season Two of Aesthetic Arrest!

Cheers to that!