A Drink With a Friend

Both adult Catholic converts from a lifetime of Protestantism, Seth and Tsh each could do a 12-part series on why they swam the Tiber. In this chat, Seth unpacks with Tsh just a few items in his backpack worn on his journey to the Church. If you’re curious about what compelled him to walk this path, this episode’s for you.Seth's Newsletter + WebsiteTsh's newsletter + websitePick up a round of drinks!Our recommended readsCreate your Rule of LifePart 1 of Tsh’s journey to the Church ​Seth’s books: Coming Clean and The Book of Waking Up Hipbillies, by Jared PhillipsTsh’s Cozy Autumn playlist This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

More and more folks are talking about the ills of social media, but the platforms remain hugely popular (and addictive). Seth asks Tsh about her recent decision to leave Instagram even though "they" say writers should be there if they want to sell books. She was willing to leave her large-ish following and decade-plus feed for something better — and she has zero regrets.Seth's Newsletter + WebsiteTsh's newsletter + websitePick up a round of drinks!Our recommended readsTsh's micro.blogConfessions, by St. Augustine (Sarah Ruden's translation) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

What does it mean to be a man or a woman? And just as important in today's culture, how do we have civil, truthful, loving conversations about that topic? Seth and Tsh are joined by author and professor Abigail Favale to talk about those things. She's written a book that's taking off like wildfire about one of the most pressing questions of the day — who are we as men and women?Seth's Newsletter + WebsiteTsh's newsletter + websitePick up a round of drinks!Our recommended readsThe Genesis of Gender, by Abigail FavaleAbigail on TwitterAbigail's free video series, Cultivating Catholic FeminismEndeavourFather Elijah: An Apocalypse, by Michael D. O'Brien  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

We're back! Seth and Tsh recap Italy, but don't worry, it's not done in a way that bores you if you weren't there... They reflect on why it's always true that ordinary conversations with new friends over gelato are more meaningful than touring even the most jaw-dropping cathedrals and monasteries (though that's great, too). They also share recorded thoughts from some of the folks who joined them in Italy.We're all made for in-person connection, and this is why having a drink with a friend at your neighborhood cafe matters so much.Seth's Newsletter + WebsiteTsh's newsletter + websitePick up a round of drinks!Our recommended readsThe Genesis of Gender, by Abigail FavaleCS Lewis’ space/Ransom trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

It's good to remember the good things in life, especially when the news is heavy (when is ever not anymore, right?). And since art has a season, Seth and Tsh share their summery music, movies, TV shows, and books they're into right now. Because good art tells good stories, even when they're lighthearted.Also: it's time for their annual summer break! Seth and Tsh will return in mid-August — in the meantime, enjoy the treasure trove of Drink archives, listen to other good shows, or just take a break and go outside.Seth's Newsletter + WebsiteTsh's newsletter + websitePick up a round of drinksCome to Italy with us — next month!Our recommended readsMagnolia WorkshopsThe Collection's Entropy albumMichael & MichelleTsh's Summer 2022 playlistSean HayesThor: Love and Thunder1971: The Year That Music Changed EverythingThe Hood Internet — top songs from each yearThe Genesis of Gender, by Abigail FavaleA Curious Faith, by Lore FergusonSea of Tranquility, by Emily St. John MandelLeisure: the Basis of Culture, by Josef PieperIn Other Words, by Jhumpa Lahiri This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

Tsh talks to her good friend, Sarah Mackenzie, about what makes good stories (especially for our kids). She's got a HUGE new project in the works: not only a new children's book, but a new publishing house! When it's hard to publish new classics that tell timeless truths, you gotta start the company yourself. Why do we need more stories that tell us things that were as true a thousand years ago as they are today? Listen in.Tsh's newsletter + websitePick up a round of drinksCome to Italy with us — next month!Our recommended readsSarah Mackenzie's work: Read-Aloud Revival & Waxwing BooksA Little More Beautiful, Sarah's forthcoming picture bookJulia Cameron's morning pagesIra Glass' The GapTomie DePaolaBreaking Bread With The Dead, by Alan JacobsBreezy Brookshire on InstagramMiss Rumphius, by Barbara CooneyYou Can Draw in 30 Days, by Mark KistlerI Miss My Cafe + The Hole & Corner playlist This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

It's now Tsh's turn to update us on her six-month challenge: what she's learned living as best she can in a 100-mile radius. She and Seth talk about the importance of subsidiarity, reorienting our priorities, finding community IN an actual community (vs. online), and doing it all imperfectly. Is living locally worth the effort? Tsh has thoughts.Seth: Newsletter | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinksCome to Italy with usOur recommended readsSeth's challenge: 6 months away from social mediaThe Life We’re Looking For, by Andy CrouchFree online classes from Hillsdale College — Tsh is taking Aristotle's EthicsMan and His Symbols, by Carl Jung This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

It's June, which means Seth and Tsh are at the end of their first of the year challenges. Seth updates us on what he's learned being away from social media for six months, what he'll do differently, and what he misses. Tsh chimes in on her reflections about using our phones as instruments instead of devices so that the internet returns to how it works best: as a bicycle for the mind. Seth: Newsletter | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinksCome to Italy with usOur recommended readsThe Life We’re Looking For, by Andy CrouchDigital Minimalism, by Cal NewportMohamed El-Erian on TwitterStephanie Duncan Smith on InstagramMan and His Symbols, by Carl JungThe Liturgy of the Hours, from Word on Fire This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

Hobbies aren't just the things we do whenever we have spare time — they're actually important to our health. The things we do just because we enjoy them, staying at amateur status for the love of the craft, starting at the beginning and learning from zero, make us more of who we're made to be. Seth and Tsh each share some of their favorite hobbies and why they're so important to them.Seth: Newsletter | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinksCome to Italy with usOur recommended readsLeisure: The Basis of Culture, by Josef PieperBand of BrothersVivian Maier This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe

Seth moseys by a river and sits among the birds to explain what's up this week. He and Tsh be back next week with a new episode! Stay tuned. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe