And what if nobody listens?

Yes, entering our calls for justice into public space carries no small amount of anxiety. And the poster-child for being unheard, the Trojan princess and priestess Cassandra, may–if we read our mythology carefully–provide us some clues to our purpose and goals in writing as anti-epic heroes, wielding language as our weapons.

Texts from this episode:

• Aeschylus: Agamemnon
• Euripides: Trojan Women
• Schwarz, Hans: Kassandra
• Smale, Holly: The Cassandra Complex
• Wolf, Christa: Cassandra

Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

CHAPTERS

00:00    The Morning After
04:36     Intro Theme
05:11     Cassandra, You Shifty Rabble Rouser
11:18     The Medial Woman
15:47     Privilege and the Apollonian Collective
20:31     The “Anti-Epic Hero”
25:10     Still Anxious
31:02     Methods of Repair: Neurath’s Boat
35:32     Closing Credits

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New to Literary Nomads? Check out my introductory episodes (0.1-0.3) to find out what’s going on here! I’ve got an episode for readers, for teachers, and for students: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords-podcast/

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Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-22-cassandra-uncertain-steps

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Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

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CREDITS:

Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

USING THIS WORK:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

MLA CITATION:

Chisnell, Steve. “6.22 Cassandra: Uncertain Steps,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 09 January 2026, https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/.