I could send you to the Wikipedia entry for Epiphany celebrations around the world, but why? Here’s a beautiful article from NYT with gorgeous photography showing how it’s celebrated around the world. See you in February 2023, Pillow Talkers!

References and resources I have many listeners from overseas and I know some of them may be wondering: what are Tim Tams? Tim Tams are, arguably, Australia’s favourite biscuit-cum-confectionary and there’s nothing quite like them in the world, although I’m told that they’re exported to the US and sold as “Arnott’s Originals”, and that in the UK there’s a similar biscuit called a Penguin. (How similar could it be, though? I have friends in the UK that think Tim Tams are a delicacy and I used to send them packages of same.) There was lots that intrigued me about Geoff’s story, but two things stood out. First, the bands he…

References and resources And to think all these years I was thinking that the song Bitch was by Alanis Morissette. Turns out it’s by someone else entirely. Huh. Sorry, Meredith Brooks. Read about Yoel Hoffmann on Wikipedia. And lots of interesting takes on Curriculum Vitae on Goodreads. Trying to get my tongue around Yoruba, the language of Nigeria, for The Dynamics of Love, I learned something fascinating: there are people who speak Yoruba in Brazil. This is hundreds of years after enslaved people from the African nations were taken there. Another fascinating factoid: one of my work colleagues, who’s from Brazil, tells me that the LGBT+ community has its own…

References and resources Remain in Light remains a brilliant album. And if you’re a music nerd, you’ll hear Brian Eno’s influence all through it. The man in the big suit is, of course, David Byrne. And here he/it is in ridiculous glory: The song in question is Once in A Lifetime. Here’s the original, with The Talking Heads, but I’m also fond of this new version he does live. And in my defence, the peanut butter and pickle sandwich may be weird, but I’m not the only fan. See? The New York Times says so. This episode’s stories The Songbird And Me – A Bedtime Love Story by Paul Steven…

References and resources I know I’ve shared this vid before, but it’s worth sharing again – so interesting: Why The Ancient Greeks Couldn’t See Blue. The superb fairy-wren (or “superb blue wren” as I called it in this episode), Malurus cyaneus, is native to Australia and is just, well, superb. Check him out (yes, him – only the males are blue) here: Superb fairy-wren Check out this potted history of the colour blue in My Modern Met. Read about Peter Obi, and why young Nigerians are fired up about him, at BBC.com This episode’s stories The Tears of A White Woman by Sally Clinical Blues by Ejiro Elizabeth Edward Crushed…

Notes Donate a story to Pillow Talking or become a member and contribute a little each month at Buy Me a Coffee Listen to The Unguarded Moment by The Church Listen to Time Is Just A Sham by Marc Teamaker. This episode’s stories Toulouse by Carlo Rey Lacsamana Lamb Chops at 4am by Marc Teamaker The Stroke by Violeta Balhas Mmm-hmmm by Matt McGee Grey Area Interaction by Rachel Dalton of the Wine, Dine and 69 podcast Undergarments of Sorrows and Struggles by Olumide Manuel About our pillow talkers Carlo Rey Lacsamana is a Filipino born and raised in Manila, Philippines. Since 2005, he has been living and working in…

References Find out more about singer songwriter Mark Moldre here. Enjoy one of my favourite songs by Drew Sutherland, The Little Moments. The Non-Linear Movement Method® is a powerful somatic method developed by Michaela Boehm. Find out more and sign up to an online NLMM class from your part of the world with the most wonderful Tara Thomas here. Joe Strummer was the lead singer of seminal punk band The Clash before going solo with The Mescaleros. As powerful as music was, his social conscience was equally if not more so. His voice was silenced when he died suddenly at the age of 50. You can hear his “spiel” –…

References To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic American novel by the late, great Harper Lee. It was also made into a stunning movie featuring Gregory Peck as every woman’s highly confusing boyfriend/father figure, Atticus Finch. My niece, Nerea Li Santi, is a silversmith who makes both quirky pieces of jewellery from her brilliant imagination and also creates bespoke pieces to order. This is her Etsy shop. Rumer Godden was a prolific, popular author that not many people seem to remember these days. She wrote over 60 adult fiction, children’s fiction, nonfiction and poetry books, several of which were made into movies, including my favourite, The River. Here is the…

L: Mixed lollies R: milk bar in the ’70s or early ’80s. See the cardboard boxes under the counter? That’s the lollies. And the people behind the counter didn’t think twice about sticking their bare hands inside. And we didn’t think twice about eating the lollies. Correction What planet was I on? The place you can get a free copy of the Pillow Talking zine is not “Free Zine volcano” but Small Zine Volcano. Ay, ay, ay. Find them here: Small Zine Volcano. This episode’s stories Rehearsal by Scarlett A Moments of Vulnerability by Cassie Breathless Giggles by Caroline Merton I Wish I Knew by Anonymous Of Rings and Hankies by…

Get your FREE Pillow Talking zine from Sticky Institute, or send away for one from anywhere in the world at Small Zine Volcano. References Esther Perel is an author, therapist, and speaker, and probably has the highest-regarded podcast about couples: Where should we begin? It’s also totally addicting. The Making of Love by Steve and Shaaron Biddulph is a bit tricky to get these days as a hard copy, but easily available in e-book format. 36 questions to fall in love Charlie Chaplin’s speech from The Great Dictator Archie Bunker is the prejudiced main character of All In The Family, a groundbreaking sitcom. This scene with Sammy Davis, Jr., is…