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July 2, 2025 27 mins
In this episode of Backspace: Essays on Everything, writer and narrator Michelle Kennedy reads Joan Didion’s luminous essay Holy Water, a meditation on infrastructure, awe, and the strange poetry of control. Michelle also shares her personal reflections on Didion’s work, the beauty of paying attention, and what it means to slow down in a world that rarely allows it. If you love literary essays, quiet revelations, or simply the power of a well-read voice, this episode is for you.

🔸 Holy Water originally appeared in Didion’s 1992 essay collection, After Henry
🔸 Narrated and discussed by Michelle Kennedy, author of Without a Net
🔸 Subscribe for more literary readings, personal essays, and conversations about writing, voice, and meaning 💻 Learn more at https://mishkennedy.com
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