Episode 100: The Silmarillion

It's the end of the journey, and the beginning of another. Feels very Tolkien, right? In this 100th, and possibly last, episode of Pairing, Emma and Winston return to Pairing's origins to discuss another of Tolkien's works, The Silmarillion. We reflect on our experience making Pairing and Emma's wine philosophy. We're here for a good time, not a long time, so let's enjoy it. Plus: blending mythologies, committing to an emotional experience, Big Ahab Energy, musicality and wine, #notallchardonnay, and the orc violist fanfiction.

Thank you to everyone who made Pairing possible.

Episode 99: Critical Role

Emma and Winston sit down to discuss their latest and greatest obsession: Critical Role. We wax poetic about the talents of Matt Mercer and the gang's storytelling and voice acting abilities, and Emma pairs wine with the characters of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein. Featuring: wine-themed tongue twisters, Mollydooker for Mollymauk, Rogue Vine Wines, collecting dice sets, wine by Tool, Dancing Leitz, great character design, and your país should you choose to accept it.

Episode 98: Merlin (with Ariela Rotengold)

Emma is joined by her dear friend Ariela Rotengold to discuss their favorite adaptation of the Arthurian Legends: the BBC's Merlin. We talk about our deep love for and deep frustration with the show, and our history and relationships to different Arthurian content. Plus: creature lore and mythic traditions, the greatest bromance on television, giving Uther some therapy, great British character actors, justice for Guinevere, Chrètien de Troyes (from Troyes), and John Hurt: the dragon making wine in his cave. 

Episode 97: Winston's History Corner

At long last, Winston gets to nerd out about history! Winston and Emma chat about their favorite podcasts, historical epics, documentaries, books, and more. The takeaway? We need more diverse voices in the telling of history. Plus: the white guy history nerd starter kit, the myth of sulfites, oral tradition, Kingdom of Heaven, Galadriel's boo, gushing about Gettysburg, Ken Burns' Civil War, control of historical narrative, and Epic Rap Battles of History!

Episode 96: Witcher Book Club (with Ester Ellis, Brenna Galvin, and Anthony Pinggera)

Over the past year+, Emma read The Witcher Book Series with a book club, and they were kind enough to come on Pairing and share their experience of reading these books! Emma, Ester Ellis, Brenna Galvin, and Anthony Pinggera discuss the ups and downs of these books, and why we're all glad that we read them as a book club. We also talk about the Netflix series and the video games from CD ProjektRed, but we focus on the books by Andrzej Sapkowski. Featuring: the Wine of the Witcher, himbo Geralt, the true translation of "Jaskier," our favorite (non-Regis) characters, resisting genre tropes, coping with trauma, and, of course, the stuffed unicorn.

Special thanks to Ester Ellis for helping record this episode!

Some spoilers in this episode. Content warning: discussion of upsetting topics, including violence, abuse, and sexual assault.

If you're looking for a podcast to fill the void once Pairing goes on hiatus, check out Anthony's new podcast, I'm a Sophisticate and So Can You! Join Anthony and co-host Sydney Painter, two queer millennials with ADHD, as they explore "the canon." Follow them on Twitter @SophisticatePod

Ester does a million things in audio, but make sure to check out Dungeons and Daddies, which she edits, and Station Blue, which she writes and performs in. Follow Ester on Twitter @EsterTheEsper

Episode 95: The Land of Two Thousand Grapes Part Two- The Red Wines of Italy

Emma and Winston sit down to bring you a long-anticipated sequel: now you get the red wines of Italy! Emma explains some of the major (and minor) red grapes of Italy, and we pair them with the games that we've been playing and nerdy things we've been consuming (namely, God of War, Legend of Vox Machina, and Warhammer). Featuring: paradoxical grapes, sexy chaos gods, Emma's first wine (probably), Winston-splaining, pizza wines, elves getting trashed, and Gork & Mork's Fork: A Goblin Mobster Restaurant.

Episode 94: A Sundered Throne (with Philippa Werner aka Moira Katson)

Emma is joined by Philippa Werner (aka Moira Katson) to discuss her upcoming high fantasy novel, A Sundered Throne! Emma and Philippa give a spoiler-free rundown of the novel, by pairing wine with the characters and sharing their dream casts, including William Jackson Harper, Shohreh Agdashloo, and Tom Hardy. Plus: a fantasy Greek empire, Bin Bons, Papa Bear vibes, clairette v. claret, and slightly chaotic interpretation of "good."

Content warning: brief discussion of suicide.

Want to help fund the audiobook of A Sundered Throne (which Emma will be a narrator for), and get early access to the novel? Back it here on Kickstarter! 

You can hear a sneak preview of Emma narrating a chapter on her Patreon or the Pairing Patreon.

Last but not least: check out and subscribe to Moira's blog on ghostwriting, Indie Ghostwriting! 

Episode 93: Wolf 359 (with the Cast and Crew of Wolf 359)

Merry Christmas, and Happy 4-year Anniversary to the finale of Wolf 359! To celebrate, Pairing Commander Emma Sherr-Ziarko gathered (most) of the cast and crew of the show for a reunion. We reminisce about our favorite memories of making this show, what episodes we loved most, and we discuss what we think our characters would drink. Plus: Noah's slates, Zach Valenti breaking into song, recording at Spaceman, building and living in a character, Hilbert's commercial reads, forgetting episode titles, Horse Wines, predicting the future, Alan's track titles, Gabriel the master synthesizer, How Could Dare You, and, of course, Funzo.

This episode features: Julian Silver, Scotty Shoemaker, Zach Valenti, Ariela Rotengold, Noah Masur, Michelle Agresti, Sarah Shachat, Zach Libresco, Michaela Swee, Cecilia Lynn-Jacobs, Alan Rodi, and Gabriel Urbina. It also features music by Alan Rodi.

Special thanks to Zach Valenti for helping edit this episode! Zach is doing a Wolf 359 re-listen starting December 25th, 2021, at 3:59pm EST. Join him at wolf359.fm/relisten!

If you would like to access an ad-free feed of Wolf 359, check out the newly relaunched Wolf 359 patreon.

Emma humbly asks that you sign up for the pre-launch of Moira Katson's new book, A Sundered Throne, which Emma is on deck to narrate if we raise enough money from the kickstarter. It's free to sign up, and you get a sneak peek of the first 8 chapters!

You can also find Emma as an acting coach on SkillsHub, a website founded by another commander (Jennifer Hale). Check out her website and patreon for more info on what she's up to!

You can also hear Emma on a new Audio Drama called Wolfwhistle: In New York City in 1934, two idealistic radio hosts battle shadowy forces for the soul of America. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more, and follow @104_wpr on Twitter.

Make sure to catch up and be ready for the fourth and last season of Wooden Overcoats!