208: Beowulf (with Maria Dahvana Headley)

Bro! Gather round the mead hall, because we’re gonna tell the story of Beowulf, talk the nuance of translation, and gush over warrior queens with author Maria Dahvana Headley.  Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of murder, violence, toxic masculinity, misogyny/sexism, rape/sexual assault, and xenophobia.     Guest Maria Dahvana Headley is the New York Times-bestselling author of eight books, most recently BEOWULF: A NEW TRANSLATION (MCD x FSG). THE MERE WIFE (MCD x FSG), a contemporary adaptation of Beowulf, was named by the Washington Post as one of its Notable Works of Fiction in 2018. You can follow her on Twitter at @mariadahvana.    Housekeeping - Recommendation: This week, Amanda recommends Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to a Tribe Called Quest by Hanif Abdurraqib (and listen to his interview on My 90s Playlist here). Check out our previous book recommendations, guests’ books, and more at spiritspodcast.com/books - Merch: Check out our new digital merch, including the Cool Cryptid Compendium, at spiritspodcast.com/merch! - Multitude: Check out the other shows on Multitude!   Sponsors - Skillshare is an online learning community where you can learn—and teach—just about anything. Explore your creativity at Skillshare.com/spirits and the first 1,000 people to use our link will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership. This week Julia recommends “Plants at Home: Uplift Your Spirit & Your Space” by Christopher Griffin. - Function of Beauty is hair care formulated specifically for you. Save 20% off your first order at functionofbeauty.com/spirits - Away creates thoughtful suitcases, bags, and other travel products designed to change how you see the world. Shop their selection of suitcases and bags at awaytravel.com/spirits and gift someone something to look forward to this holiday season.    Find Us Online If you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us @SpiritsPodcast on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon (http://patreon.com/spiritspodcast) to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. We also have lists of our book recommendations and previous guests’ books at http://spiritspodcast.com/books. Transcripts are available at http://spiritspodcast.com/episodes. To buy merch, hear us on other podcasts, contact us, find our mailing address, or download our press kit, head on over to http://spiritspodcast.com.   About Us Spirits was created by Julia Schifini, Amanda McLoughlin and Eric Schneider. We are founding members of Multitude, an independent podcast collective and production studio. Our music is "Danger Storm" by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0.