Hello, I'm David Kern. I'm Heidi White. I'm Karen Swallow Prior. And the gang is back together.

You're listening to Close Reads. It's a podcast for the incurable reader. Unfortunately,

well, it is a podcast for the incurable reader. I don't know exactly how to tie this curable thing in.

But Heidi and I have been sick.

But we're back.

We're on the show.

Heidi, I don't know if cured is the word, but you're here.

I'm feeling better.

I'm recovering.

You're turning the corner.

I finally had COVID.

It's the worst.

Just terrible.

Now I know what the big deal is. Geez, COVID's awful.

Well, you're here. I am being cured. It is curable by the average immune system.

Karen, how are you? Heidi and I have been battling sicknesses. You seem like you're okay, though.

So far, so good. I just got back from five days in Chicago where COVID is like surging. So I'm like just praying, praying that I escaped it. We'll see.

Well, we will be praying for that. We'll be knocking on wood, throwing salt over our shoulder, whatever it is. All the different things you're supposed to do. All of them do them all. Okay. All right. We just need to also shout out our friend Tim. You know, Tim. He's a long time listening to this show. You know Tim. He's a regular co-host here. And just this last weekend, Tim got married. And so we need to just, exactly, we need to just say congratulations to him publicly and wish him the best. So Tim, congratulations, and we wish

you the best. Lots of the listeners were, I mean, there were listeners who were one group in Michigan

through their own little literary party for him because they couldn't be at the wedding.

I don't know exactly the scenario, but they threw a party for him in his honor.

So congratulations to Tim and Galen.

...