How to Make Fast Friends with Words

What does it mean to be truly speechless—struck dumb by beauty, grief, or awe? In this episode of Constant Wonder, host Marcus Smith sits down with Martha Barnette, co-host of the beloved radio show and podcast A Way with Words, for a wide-ranging conversation about language, wonder, and the moments that leave us reaching for words we don't have. Martha shares memories of her Greek tutor Professor Leonard Latkovski, and a remarkable moment when her father, theologian Henlee Barnette, invited Martin Luther King, Jr. to speak at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The conversation moves through the concept of "thin places”—those uncanny moments where the boundary between the ordinary and the transcendent seems to dissolve—and closes with a handful of surprising word etymologies that reframe how we see the world. Guest: Martha Barnette is an author, word-lover and co-host of A Way with Words. Find her at www.marthabarnette.com Enjoyed this episode? Rate, review, and share it with a friend. Get bonus content in your inbox: constantwonder.substack.com Chapters: (0:00) Martha Barnette on Language and Wonder (4:20) Family Roots: Henlee Barnette (12:59) Professor Latkovski and the Love of Greek (27:54) MLK, Jr.’s Visit to Southern (34:32) When Words Fail Us (42:41) Thin Places & Thresholds (45:18) Scintillating Words Constant Wonder is a production of BYUradio. Find us at www.byuradio.org