Show #199 on March 10, 2019…In which Mr. Bear reads "Texts for Nothing" by Samuel Beckett. Come along for the ramble!

Show #198 on March 3, 2019…In which Mr. Bear reads the radiant work of Anita Goveas. Whether talking to bees or mapping stars or righting literary wrongs, these characters will touch your heart, leaving behind shiny shadows of hope.

Show #197 on February 24, 2019…In which Mr. Bear reads Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" and Amy Lowell's poem "Patterns." What and who keeps us trapped in body and mind?

Show #196 on February 17, 2019…In which Mr. Bear reads heart-piercing work by Melissa Ostrom. Complicated family dynamics revealed through an apple strudel recipe, a different kind of love letter, the busy quietness of winter and death, the many things a pond can hold, and the futility of signs — these stories illuminate the wilderness of the human heart.

Show #195 on February 10, 2019…In which Mr. Bear reads a beautifully dark and unsettling fairy tale at Electric Literature by the fabulous K.C. Mead-Brewer. A lonely girl, vampire bats, ghosts, the dysfunction of family, and terrors— real and imagined — all come into play in this chilling tale that will leave a mark on your heart.

Show #194 on February 3, 2019…In which Mr. Bear celebrates five years of the Violet Hour Saloon by reading some Gertrude Stein. Pour a glass of bubbly and enjoy this feast of words!

Show #193 on January 20, 2019…In which Mr. Bear plays all the characters — including a talking cat with political ambition — in Arthur Miller's radio drama "The Pussycat and the Expert Plumber Who Was a Man."

Show #192 on January 13, 2019…In which Mr. Bear reads excerpts from an 1883 newsletter on ornithology. Bird enthusiasts around the country identify nests and species, count and steal eggs, stalk and hunt specimens, and more. Hear their reports along with plenty of bird music.

Show #191 on December 23, 2018…In which Mr. Bear reads prose from Barrelhouse Magazine's wondrous seasonal issue curated by Chris Gonzalez. Work by Joe Galván, Stephanie Jimenez, Nick Farriella, and Marcos S. Gonsalez shines a light on holiday rituals, family, love, memories, loss, urban legends, and more.

Show #190 on December 9, 2018…In which Mr. Bear takes you to the theater, reading Floyd Dell's "Sweet and Twenty" and George Bernard Shaw's "How He Lied to Her Husband." Pour yourself a highball and enjoy these farcical takes on love and marriage.