Ahab’s Wife with Dr. Nan Carmack
I’m so thrilled this week to be talking with Dr. Nan Carmack about a book that profoundly impacted her, Ahab’s Wife, or the Star-gazer by Sena Jeter Naslund. This book is a brilliant recapturing of the life of Ahab’s wife from Moby Dick and is the author, Nasland’s demonstration of a beautiful female journey in juxtaposition of Melville’s inherently male story. The life of our protagonist, Una, is largely set in Nantucket, so we enjoyed Nantucket cocktails while discussing all the interesting aspects of this adventure novel.
Nan Carmack is the Director of Library Development and Networking at the Library of Virginia. She works with all of the public libraries in the commonwealth. She is also an adjunct professor at Old Dominion University's Masters in Library and Information Science. After a first career as a mental health therapist and then a short stint as an independent bookstore owner, Nan finds that public libraries are the perfect intersection of social justice and intellectual curiosity. She is an amateur artist and enjoys getting her hands dirty in the garden. She has become one of those embarrassing people whose dogs are her children, now that her family has flown the coop. She and her husband live in Richmond, VA. Naps are a priority in her life.
1.5 oz. White Rum
2.5 oz. Cranberry Juice
Splash Grapefruit Juice
Lime for garnish (optional)
In this episode:
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Port William Series (Jayber Crow) by Wendell Berry
Gangsters of Capitalism by Jonathan M. Katz
Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette by Sena Jeter Naslund
Sherlock in Love by Sena Jeter Naslund
This Tender Land by William Kent Kruger
In Distrust of Movements by Wendell Berry