Episode
SLOW READ: The Stand (Chapters 1 - 4)
- Podcast
- Slow Read: The Stand
- Published
- Jan 5, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3371
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://slowread.substack.com/p/the-stand-chapters-1-4
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/slow-read-the-stand-7562947/episodes/slow-read-the-stand-chapters-1-4/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/slow-read-the-stand-7562947/slow-read-the-stand-chapters-1-4.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Welcome to SLOW READ , where we tackle the books you’ve always wanted to read at a pace you can handle. Hosted by Sarah Stewart Holland and Laura Tremaine We are currently reading The Stand by Stephen King (unabridged version) You can find our full Reading Schedule here Join the SLOW READ community on Substack for bonus episodes, book club meetings, and Side Quests with Sarah & Laura This is the second episode of Slow Read The Stand . The Circle is open! If you prefer to read instead of listen, below is a cleaned up transcript of the episodes as well as links to all the books and Substacks we mentioned in this episode…and several fun bonus links and videos! Laura: Okay, here we go. Page one. Page one of 1,200. We got six months. We got plenty of time. Sarah, the circle has opened. Sarah: I don’t even know what that means yet. I don’t even know what “the circle opens” means yet. Laura: Well, I don’t think you’re supposed to. That’s the whole point. But what we’re discussing today is—he doesn’t call it a prologue, but it is. It’s like a few pages of prologue and then the first four chapters. But before we even do that, he kicks off The Stand with these quotes, these four quotes. Sarah: Music lyrics. Laura: Yeah. Well, okay, the first one... if he’d just done the Bruce Springsteen quote, I think I’d have been with him. I underlined “and try to make an honest stand.” Okay. Why did he keep going? Sarah: I mean, he couldn’t have known that Blue Öyster Cult was going to turn into a Saturday Night Live skit, in his defense. In 1978, he didn’t know that this song was going to become such a joke. So I have a little sympathy for the second one. Laura: Well, I think that he is really wanting you to “Don’t Fear the Reaper.” Sarah: But all I hear is cowbell, Laura. I also feel like.…