Did you know there’s a man saving the secret ingredient in Japan's 700-year-old original soy sauce recipe? Or that the world’s rarest pasta is made in Italy, and only a few women alive still know the recipe? Or that in India, a family makes a mysterious metal mirror believed to reveal your truest self? These are disappearing secrets, the magical element of culture being precariously preserved by the few for the many. Join us for a live chat with author Eliot Stein, who traveled the globe in search of remarkable people who are preserving some of our most extraordinary cultural rites. From shadowing Scandinavia's last night watchman to meeting a 27th-generation West African griot to tracking down Cuba's last official cigar factory “readers” more than a century after they spearheaded the fight for Cuban independence, Stein uncovers an almost lost world. From Inca bridge masters to those who still speak to bees, CUSTODIANS OF WONDER is a treasure trove of peculiar and heart-warming traditions—and those preserving them from brink of disappearance.

Episode was recorded live May 28, 2026.

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Welcome to the Peculiar Movie Club, a bonus podcast linked to our main show the Peculiar Book Club through common themes in media. This week, in honor of the book Immortal Gestures, we are reviewing the Academy Award winning modern silent film The Artist.

Join Davey Berris and Darren Cross as they take a deep dive into this dive into Hollywood history. We'll discuss the theme of pride, the technical achievements of the film, and is that the same dog that was in Frazier.

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People, plants and animals all depend on the natural night – both its darkness and its starlight – for everything from regulating our sleep cycles to providing the inspiration for myths and legends. But darkness is disappearing, and with it, our view of the stars. The constant glow of streetlights, of headlights streaming down highways, and wasteful glare from skyscrapers left shining all night have created so much light pollution that the majority of Americans can no longer see the Milky Way or experience the restful embrace of a natural night. As the dark becomes ever more elusive, it is a critical moment to stop, look up, and consider what we lose with the disappearing stars. In NIGHTFARING, journalist and dark sky advocate Megan Eaves-Egenes travels around the world to better understand our deep connection to the dark. From New Zealand to Uzbekistan, Italy to Japan, Germany to the Himalaya, she explores the many ways humans have depended on, feared, and mythologized darkness. Blending travel and nature writing with history and self-discovery, Megan writes of how the stars have helped her chart the course of her own life – just as they’ve guided humankind for as long as we’ve slept beneath them. Join us for a peculiar night of live chat with Megan about the disappearing dark.

Episode was recorded live April 23, 2026.

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