Podcasts by Sophomore Lit

152: The Prince in Waiting from 2023-12-07T17:18

The waiting is the hardest part. Ross Cleaver and James Randall discuss the apocalypse, palace intrigue, and the charm of 80’s BBC television in this episode about John Christopher’s The Prince in ...

151: Thanksgiving Special: Poor Richard's Almanack from 2023-11-22T22:00

Fish and visitors stink in three days, but podcasts are evergreen! Dan and Rob return for the annual Thanksgiving nonsense with Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack (1732-1758).

John McCoy...

150: Valley of the Dolls from 2023-11-10T15:04:13

Raggedy Ann, Barbie, Chucky—they’re all here. That’s what this book is about, right? Erin Gambrill discusses Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls (1966).

John McCoy.

149: On the Beach from 2023-10-11T15:13:13

Why just sit around waiting for the end of the world when you can hear a podcast about it? Jelani Sims discusses Nevil Shute’s On the Beach (1957).

John McCoy with Jelani Sims.

148: History of the Peloponnesian War from 2023-09-07T19:30:12

Kids today love Thucydides, right? Anyone? Daniel Daughhetee returns to discuss this late fifth century BCE chronicle of Athens v. Sparta.

John McCoy with Daniel Daughetee.

147: James Thurber from 2023-08-07T19:30

It’s a naive literary podcast without any breeding, but I think you’ll be amused by its presumption. Dan Cassino discusses James Thurber’s“The Catbird Seat”(1942) and The 13 Clocks (1950).

John M...

146: Through the Looking-Glass from 2023-07-18T17:54:16

If you’ve believed six impossible things before breakfast, why not listen to this podcast before lunch? Phil Gonzales discusses Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There...

145: The Grapes of Wrath from 2023-07-03T19:45

After eight years of the podcast I finally do the inevitable. Shelly Brisbin discusses John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath (1939).

John McCoy with Shelly Brisbin.

144: Howl's Moving Castle from 2023-06-10T19:00

Howl likes to move it, move it. Audrey Lazaro and Dan McCoy are on to discuss Diana Wynne Jones’s book Howl’s Moving Castle (1986).

John McCoy with Dan McCoy and Audrey Lazaro.

143: Long Day's Journey Into Night from 2023-05-12T16:57:54

I don’t care how long this day’s journey has been, so help me I will turn this car around if you kids don’t stop. Kris Markel discusses Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night(written 1941, ...

142: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie from 2023-04-18T18:00

Jean, Jean, the roses are red and all of the leaves have gone green, so Glenn Fleishman and John are discussing Muriel Spark’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961).

John McCoy with Glenn Fleishm...

141: Carrie's War from 2023-04-03T19:00

Ross Cleaver discusses Carrie’s War (what is it good for?), Nina Bawdwin’s 1973 children’s book about evacuations, skulls, and grumpy Welshmen.

John McCoy with Ross Cleaver.

140: The Snows of Kilimanjaro from 2023-03-20T23:03:58

Grab a whisky and soda and put your leg up. My dad and I discuss Ernest Hemingway’s“The Snows of Kilimanjaro”(1936). Bonus content: a visit to the Hemingway Home in Key West!

John McCoy.

139: Beloved from 2023-03-02T16:30

Jelani Sims returns to discuss the literal and metaphorical ghosts of Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel Beloved (1987).

John McCoy with Jelani Sims.

138: Great Expectations from 2023-01-20T17:00

I have good feelings about this one! Zach Powers returns to discuss desparate criminals and mysterious benefactors in Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations (1861).

John McCoy with Zach Powers.

137: A Christmas Carol from 2022-12-24T19:23:02

There are many podcasts from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited. John and Marina discuss Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol (1843).

John McCoy with Marina McCoy.

136: Stuart Little from 2022-12-07T11:00

This is one weird mouse book. Phil Gonzales and John discuss E. B. White’s Stuart Little(1945).

John McCoy with Phil Gonzales.

135: Thanksgiving Special: The Wreck of the Hesperus from 2022-11-24T14:00

It’s Thanksgiving, so of course Rob, John, and Dan drink and discuss“The Wreck of the Hesperus”by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1842).

John McCoy with Rob McCoy and Dan McCoy.

134: Macbeth from 2022-11-13T17:15:14

Probably best not to listen to this episode while you’re in a theatre. Shannon Campe and John discuss Shakespeare’s Macbeth (1605-ish).

John McCoy with Shannon Campe.

133: The Picture of Dorian Gray from 2022-10-06T16:00

The podcasts that the world calls immoral are podcasts that show the world its own shame. Tamar Avishai and John discuss Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (1831).

John McCoy with Tamar Av...

132: The Canterbury Tales from 2022-09-25T14:26:27

Those smale foweles maken melodye got nothin’on us: Kathy Campbell and John discuss Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales (c. 1400).

131: Beowulf from 2022-08-28T20:48:24

The original Farewell to Arms. Nathan Alderman discusses Beowulf (c. 1000).

130: Epic of Gilgamesh from 2022-07-29T16:57:28

Gilgamesh, a king, at Uruk. It’s not just a Star Trek meme. Gregory Fried talks ritual sex, heavenly bulls, and sneaky snakes in the Epic of Gilgamesh.

129: The Metamorphosis from 2022-06-24T19:45:48

Gregor’s mother warned him about days like this. Jason Snell discusses Franz Kafka’s inescapable novella, The Metamorphosis (1915).

128: Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Tale of Wall Street from 2022-05-17T17:07:35

Audrey Lazaro discusses Mellville’s 1853 story,“Bartleby the Scrivener,”one of the top three bits of scrivener fiction ever.

127: The Egypt Game from 2022-04-15T18:29:03

No, I won’t make a Bangles joke. Erin Gambrill discusses Zilpha Keatley Snyder’s The Egypt Game (1967).

126: Bambi, a Life in the Woods from 2022-03-28T21:06:48

Bambi’s not so cute in this gritty new reboot. Glenn Fleishman discusses Felix Salten’s 1923 parable about what goes on in the woods. Also we talk a lot about copyright.

125: At the Mountains of Madness from 2022-03-01T21:46:33

Climb ev’ry mountain—except these mountains, they’re nuts. Phil Gonzales discusses H.P. Lovecraft’s“At the Mountains of Madness,”written in 1931 and published in 1936.

124: Under Milk Wood from 2022-02-04T21:39:11

To begin at the beginning: David Loehr is back in the slow, black, crowblack, podcast-bobbing sea to discuss Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood (1954).

123: The Bell Jar from 2022-01-01T14:00

New Year’s is a time for optimism, but instead Christy Admiraal discusses Sylvia Plath’s 1963 roman à clef, the Bell Jar. Also, John totally gets the dates wrong for this book’s complicated publish...

122: Christmas Special: Gift of the Magi from 2021-12-24T21:15:57

But I sold my Zune to buy you this podcast! Marina and John discuss hair, watches, and O. Henry’s“The Gift of the Magi.”

121: Thanksgiving Special: Burma-Shave from 2021-11-25T14:00

It’s turkey time / once again / Dan and Rob / dive right in / we discuss / Buma-Shave!

120: Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) from 2021-11-16T21:00

Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need—a podcast, for example, where Bill O’Donnell discusses Jerome K. Jerome’s very silly Three Men in a Boat (1889).

119: Peter Pan from 2021-10-11T15:31:20

Grab on to your happy thought and join Shannon Campe in discussing James Barrie’s complicated children’s novel Peter Pan (1911), originally called Peter and Wendy.

118: Spoon River Anthology from 2021-09-09T20:44:43

Spoon River…wider than a mile. Okay, now that we have that out of our way, join Lisa Schmeiser as we discuss Edgar Lee Master’s poetic collection *Spoon River Anthology *(1915).

117: The Dispossessed from 2021-08-19T14:00

Anarchy in the U. K. (LeGuin)! David Woken talks a lot of politics and a little story as we discuss The Dispossessed (1974).

116: Kerouac and Ginsberg from 2021-07-26T13:00

Gena Radcliffe and John don’t blab any drab gab—they chatter hep patter about Jack Kerouac’s“October in the Railroad Earth”(1957) and Allen Ginsberg’s“Howl”(1954-55).

115: Flowers for Algernon from 2021-07-03T13:23:04

I no I wil be smart won day. Until thin I will diskus Daniel Keyes’s epistolary novel Flowers for Algernon (1966) with Jason Snell.

114: Dracula from 2021-06-23T17:00

Please invite in Jelani Lee and Matt Skuta to discuss Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897). We can’t start until you do.

113: Hans Christian Andersen from 2021-05-21T20:35:01

Let’s all hunker around this match and discuss some of the tales by Hans Christian Andersen. David Loehr returns.

112: George Orwell Essays from 2021-04-30T19:22:02

It’s phraseology and pachyderms, as Daniel Daughetee discusses Orwell’s“Politics and the English Language”(1946) and“Shooting an Elephant”(1936).

111: Our Town from 2021-03-31T20:10:52

Enjoy every, every minute of Phil and John discussing Thornton Wilder’s Our Town (1938).

110: Persuasion from 2021-03-08T22:43:23

Maybe you should consider listening to this episode, in which Sammi C. discusses Jane Austen’s Persuasion (1817). Actually, we must insist.

109: Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus from 2020-12-25T20:57:08

Marina McCoy returns to discuss faith, fairies, and newspapers in Francis Pharcellus Church’s“Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus”(1897).

108: The Crucible from 2020-12-23T18:28:45

Why am I persecuted here? Travis Bedard discusses Arthur Miller’s 1953 The Crucible.

107: Trees from 2020-11-26T17:30

I think that I will never see brothers so drunk as we three. Drunken Thanksgiving continues this year with Rob, Dan, and John discussing Joyce Kilmer’s Trees (1914).

106: Atlas Shrugged from 2020-10-31T20:26:02

Who cares who John Galt is? Bridget Kennedy discusses the geniuses and moochers of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged (1957).

105: Native Son from 2020-09-24T13:41:06

Jelani Sims returns to discuss Richard Wright’s 1940 wake-up call, Native Son.

104: Walt Whitman: Lincoln Poems from 2020-08-25T21:02:46

O Captain, My Captain, the podcast has begun! Daniel Daughetee discusses two Whitman poems about Lincoln.

103: White Noise from 2020-07-04T17:50:53

I considered posting an hour of static, but instead here’s Erin Gambrill and me discussing Don Delillo’s postmodern novel White Noise (1985).

102: Rebecca from 2020-06-11T16:56:02

Last night I dreamed I did a podcast again. It seemed to me that Gena Radcliffe discussed Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (1935).

101: Little Women from 2020-04-17T21:10:49

Christmas isn’t Christmas without presents, and literary podcasts aren’t literary podcasts without an exhaustive conversation about Louisa May Alcott’s essential coming of age book. Shannon Campe d...

100: Required reading from 2020-02-29T19:22:30

Happy 100th episode everybody! For this special Sophomore Lit, I asked random people what they remembered most about their high school literature classes.

99:"Tam O'Shanter"and"To a Mouse" from 2020-02-21T14:00

Och, please dinnae make fun of non-Scottish people Darren Husted and John as they discuss and try to read aloud excerpts of Robert Burns’s“Tam O’Shanter”(1791) and“To a Mouse”(1785).

98: The Martian Chronicles from 2020-01-21T17:00

You’re the Martian now, Dog! Jason Snell discusses frontiers and sad houses in Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles (1950).

97: A Christmas Memory from 2019-12-24T20:00

It’s fruitcake weather! John and Marina discuss memory, dog bones, and kites in Truman Capote’s“A Christmas Memory”(1956).

96: The Way of All Flesh from 2019-12-18T21:17:42

It’s a big long book about Victorian religion and railroad investments! Daniel Reifferscheid discusses Samuel Butler’s The Way of All Flesh (1903).

95: Casey at the Bat from 2019-11-29T02:04:34

There is no joy in Mudville. My brother Dan discusses“Casey at the Bat”(1888). Happy Thanksgiving!

94: The Bear from 2019-11-16T14:00

And still bellowing he came. Jacob Haller discusses William Faulkner’s“The Bear”(1942).

93: Mrs. Dalloway from 2019-10-27T13:00

Does anybody really know what time it is? Zach Powers discusses Virginia Woolf’s 1925 novel, Mrs. Dalloway.

92: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight from 2019-09-18T13:00

I promise we won’t make any jokes about losing our heads. Sarah Ifft Decker discusses Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

91: The Sword in the Stone from 2019-08-31T13:00

We didn’t mention that the titular Sword is not the same thing as Excalibur because you already knew that. Rosalynde Vas Dias discusses T.H. White’s The Sword in the Stone (1938).

90: The Wind in the Willows from 2019-08-09T13:00

There is nothing half so much worth doing as messing about in boats, except maybe messing about in podcasts. Erin Gambrill discusses The Wind in the Willows.

89: Flatland from 2019-07-05T12:30

John Siracusa returns to discuss Edwin Abbott’s Flatland (1884). Will it give us a new perspective or will it leave us flat? (Spoiler, John hated it.)

88: Fifth Business from 2019-06-12T13:00

After four failed IPOs, we’re sure this one will work! Dan McCoy discusses Robertson Davies’s Fifth Business (1970).

87: The Importance of Being Earnest from 2019-05-14T17:30

The truth is rarely pure and never simple. However, podcasts are both. Ollie Brady discusses Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest (1895).

86: The Yellow Wallpaper from 2019-04-24T13:30:10

Caroline Fulford returns to discuss a nice story about home decorating, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s“The Yellow Wallpaper.”

85: The Long Winter from 2019-03-27T14:00

John’s wife, Marina, returns to discuss strange birds, hidden wheat, and barrel turkeys in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s The Long Winter.

84: Guy De Maupassant from 2019-03-08T14:58:50

Anaïs Concepcion returns to discuss necklaces, hypocrisy, and roasted chickens in jelly in Guy De Maupassant’s“The Necklace”and“Boule de Suif.”

83: The Day of the Locust from 2019-02-20T14:00

Some people just want to watch the world burn. Josh Hollis and Brian Skinner discuss Nathaniel West’s 1939 novel, The Day of the Locust.

82: Guys and Dolls from 2019-02-05T14:00

We’ve never done a musical before / now all at once it’s Guys and Dolls forevermore. David Loehr discusses the original high school musical.

81: The Call of the Wild from 2019-01-15T14:00

Will we answer the Call of the Wild or will we say“new phone, who dis?”Laura Hayes discusses mushing, wolves, and the surprising amount of Socialism in Jack London’s 1903 novel.

80: A Child's Christmas in Wales from 2018-12-24T14:00

There were always podcasts at Christmas. Pour some whiskey in your eggnog and join Rosalynde Vas Dias in discussing Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales.

79: The Red Badge of Courage from 2018-12-17T13:56:44

Hither and thither, the entire Snell Family is here to discuss Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage (1895).

78: A People's History of the United States from 2018-12-05T14:00

Rise up and seize the methods of producing history textbooks! Daniel Daughhetee discusses the alternative textbook A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn (1980).

77: Over the River and Through the Woods from 2018-11-22T14:00

The horse knows the way—but to WHOSE house? The answer may surprise you. The McCoy Boys are all here for the annual drunk Thanksgiving episode to discuss Lydia Maria Child’s“The New-England Boy’s S...

76: An Enemy of the People from 2018-11-05T14:00

Election Day Special: What does a 19th Century play have to do with fake news and ecological disaster? Probably nothing, but Shannon Campe and Zach Powers are here nonetheless to discuss Henrik Ibs...

75: The War of the Worlds from 2018-10-26T13:29:34

No one would have believed in the first years of the twenty-first century that this podcast was being listened to keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man’s and yet as mortal as his own...

74: A Prayer for Owen Meany from 2018-10-16T13:00

Carla Curtsinger talks armadillos, armlessness, and all caps in John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany.

73: Holes from 2018-10-03T13:00

If only, if only the woodpecker cries, this podcast would adhere to a regular schedule. Matt Skuta returns to discuss Louis Sachar’s beloved middle-reader, Holes.

72: The Westing Game from 2018-09-21T16:00

Fun for the whole family! Ages 10 and up! Dan McCoy discusses Ellen Raskin’s The Westing Game (1978).

71: William Carlos Williams from 2018-09-04T13:00

This is Just to Podcast David Loehr and I will not be making the obvious joke that is just sitting there and which you were probably expecting for a podcast about WCW Forgive me I am not a hack

70: Waiting for Godot from 2018-08-13T13:00

Nobody comes, nobody goes, but every few weeks we have a podcast, like this one where Brian Hamilton tries to make sense of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.

69: Ulysses from 2018-07-20T14:56:57

Marina McCoy talks about Ulysses yes and Joyce and Ireland yes and jessamine and geraniums and cactuses yes and shall I wear a red yes

68: Ender's Game from 2018-07-07T13:00

Can’t we play Catan instead? Liz Riegel joins to discuss that most emo young adult novel, Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game.

67: The Perks of Being a Wallflower from 2018-06-23T13:00

Hope you like the Smiths. Hayden Gibson discusses the modern classic of introvert life, The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

66: Little House in the Big Woods from 2018-06-07T13:00

Wolves, fiddles, maple candy, and manifest destiny. Lisa Schmeiser discusses Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

65: A Streetcar Named Desire from 2018-05-24T13:00

Don’t you just love those long rainy afternoons in New Orleans when an hour isn’t just an hour, but an hour spent discussing Tennessee Williams’s best-known play? Gena Radcliffe guest hosts.

64: Winesburg, Ohio from 2018-05-04T13:00

Small towns aren’t all fun and games and Journey songs. Erin Gambrill discusses Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio (1919).

63: A Farewell to Arms from 2018-04-19T13:00

If the world is in no special hurry to kill you, why not join Jason Snell to discuss war, love and vermouth? It’s Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms.

62: Frankenstein from 2018-03-31T13:00

Glenn Fleishman returns to the show to discuss today’s modern Prometheuses. It’s the long-awaited episode on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818-31).

61: Alas, Babylon from 2018-03-01T14:00

Time enough at last…to read novels about nuclear Armageddon! Jelani Sims guests to discuss Pat Frank’s Alas, Babylon.

60: The Outsiders from 2018-02-12T15:00

Nothing gold can stay, but that won’t stop Matt Skuta and John from talking about the greasy hair and switchblades in S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders.

59: John Donne and Andrew Marvell from 2018-01-25T21:00

Had we but world enough and time, we could talk about more poems than just these two: John Donne’s“A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”and Andrew Marvell’s“To His Coy Mistress.”Liz Riegel joins the ...

58: Watchmen from 2018-01-09T15:15

What do you see when you look at this inkblot: a masterpiece of sequential art, or a confusing mess? Christy Admiraal discusses the unavoidable Moore / Gibbons comic Watchmen.

57: A Tale of Two Cities from 2017-12-16T22:10:52

It may not be the best of times, it may not be the worst of times, but it’s time for a new episode so let’s discuss Charles Dickens’s novel of beheading and knitting. Rosalynde Vas Dias joins.

56: From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler from 2017-12-01T13:00

Time to appreciate the finer things in life, by sleeping on them. Tamar Avishai discusses E. L. Konigsburg’s From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

55: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner from 2017-11-23T15:40:52

ARRR, it be Thanksgiving so it’s time for gettin’drunk and talkin’poems with family. Dan and Rob McCoy join in to discuss Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”

54: The Haunting of Hill House from 2017-10-30T15:00

Gena Radcliffe discusses sanity and shuffles in Shirley Jackson’s spookifying The Haunting of Hill House. Happy Halloween!

53: The Awakening from 2017-10-20T21:19:55

Beth Auron discusses why you should never swim less than 20 minutes before reading Kate Chopin’s The Awakening.

52: Lamb to the Slaughter from 2017-10-05T18:00

If only he’d been a vegetarian. Shannon Campe returns to discuss one of Roald Dahl’s shockers for adults,“Lamb to the Slaughter.”

51: A Wrinkle in Time from 2017-09-09T16:12:28

What happens when you don’t take your clock out of the dryer soon enough? You get A Wrinkle in Time. Matt Skuta returns to discuss tesseracts and bouncing balls.

50: Dubliners from 2017-08-25T21:00

Sophmore Lit hits 50 episodes with the return of John Siracusa as we sort the living from The Dead in James Joyce’s Dubliners (1914).

49: McTeague from 2017-08-04T18:00

Despite all my rage, I am still just a canary in a cage. Jason Snell returns to discuss San Francisco, steam beer, and gold teeth in Frank Norris’s McTeague. Reading: David Loehr. Theme music: Malc...

48: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from 2017-07-21T13:00

What’s waiting‘round the bend, my Huckleberry friend? Jelani Sims helps make sense of the glorious mess that is Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

47: The Handmaid's Tale from 2017-07-07T18:01:14

Before the Hulu series that everyone told you you had to watch was the Margaret Atwood novel that everyone told you you had to read. Caroline Fulford returns to discuss dystopias and how to tell yo...

46: Annie John from 2017-06-27T19:00

Sometimes, a girl just wants to play marbles. Kwame Phillips discusses the Caribbean, doctor fish, and Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John.

45: Hawthorne tales from 2017-06-08T15:00

Unsightly blemishes! Toxic maidens! David Loehr returns to discuss two short stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne,“The Birthmark”and“Rappaccini’s Daughter.”

44: Invisible Man from 2017-05-02T00:55:11

And you thought your electric bill was nuts. Jane Dempsey returns to discuss Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man.

43: The Glass Menagerie from 2017-04-10T12:00

It’s nothing a little glue won’t fix. David Loehr is here to discuss Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie.

42: The Stranger from 2017-03-30T22:31:14

Do you cry at funerals? If not, maybe you’re the protagonist of Albert Camus’s The Stranger. Matt Skuta returns to puzzle this absurd novel out.

41: Forever... from 2017-03-01T14:00

Guys let’s all be mature about this. Shannon Campe returns to discuss Judy Blume’s forbidden book for teens,“Forever…”

40: Absalom, Absalom! from 2017-02-03T19:00

Ashley Challinor and John spend a long still hot weary dead September afternoon discussing not merely a Absalom, Absalom! by Faulkner, nor yet the ideal of the great Southern novel, but in fact the...

39: Slaughterhouse Five from 2017-01-26T11:32:06

We return to both Kurt Vonnegut and to Jason Snell, as we discuss the most famous book about time and birdsong ever written, Slaughterhouse Five.

38: Edna St. Vincent Millay from 2016-12-19T13:57:42

Are you unsure of how candles work? Then join Megan Tripp and John as we discuss the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay.

37: The Giver from 2016-12-08T15:05

When it comes to these podcasts, we give and give and you take and take! But that’s okay, because this time Matt Skuta and I are discussing Lois Lowry’s The Giver.

36: The Seagull from 2016-12-03T02:28:56

In mourning for your life? Then why not join Ethan Warren and John as they discuss Anton Chekov’s The Seagull.

35: The Courtship of Miles Standish from 2016-11-24T03:06:05

Look, it’s Thanksgiving and Dan and I are drunk. Let’s discuss Longfellow’s The Courtship of Miles Standish.

34: Crime and Punishment from 2016-10-30T13:33:47

Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time. We’re talking about 600 pages of time. Zach Powers joins the discussion of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment.

33: Stories of Ambrose Bierce from 2016-10-21T02:12:25

It’s a good thing the rope broke so now we have time to talk about Ambrose Bierce’s“A Horseman in the Sky”and“Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.”Spencer Seams of coming podcast Tune In Tonight is here...

32: Bless Me, Ultima from 2016-09-14T23:56:36

Have you heard the Good News about the Golden Carp? Joel Torres is here to help us survive the perilous childhood of Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima.

31: The Rivals from 2016-08-21T21:09:21

Quick, what was George Washington’s favorite play? If you guessed Richard Sheridan’s The Rivals, congratulations, you know how to use Google! Darren Husted joins in to discuss.

30: To the Lighthouse from 2016-08-05T01:29:05

Will a family of repressed middle-class Brits ever, in fact, make it To The Lighthouse? Join Trevor Gibson and John as we attempt not to be afraid of Virginia Woolf.

29: Edgar Allan Poe from 2016-07-04T20:24:20

Need something to do while you’re holed up in the palace avoiding the plague? Why not discuss a couple of Edgar Allan Poe stories with Daniel Daughhetee?

28: Their Eyes Were Watching God from 2016-06-15T13:01:19

Jane Dempsey discusses the birds and the bees—well, the bees at least—in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God.

27: The Little Prince from 2016-06-02T11:19:52

What is essential is invisible to the eye—but we can still podcast about it. Anaïs Concepcion discusses The Little Prince.

26: Brave New World from 2016-05-13T13:25:28

Time for a Soma Holiday! This time Jason Snell discusses Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World.

25: Stories II: Jackson and O'Connor from 2016-04-24T12:54:10

Our high school years were full of teen angst. Let’s really give ourselves something to be upset about! Shannon Campe and Caroline Fulford discuss the brutal stories“The Lottery”(Shirley Jackson) a...

24: Moby-Dick from 2016-04-05T23:49:32

Is it a damp, drizzly November in your soul? Then why not spend two hours with Glenn Fleishman discussing Herman Melville’s leviathantic Moby-Dick?

23: Death of a Salesman from 2016-03-25T00:44:06

The only thing you’ve got in this world is what you can sell. And we’re selling this fine podcast! Check out the quality workmanship that Nicolas Hoffman brings to this discussion of Arthur Miller’...

22: Jane Eyre from 2016-03-16T02:30:16

Reader, we take on Jane Eyre: Caroline Fulford discusses bad childhoods, brooding noblemen, and something cray cray in the attic.

21: Watership Down from 2016-03-06T20:52:32

Bunnies.‘Nuff said. Malcolm Nygard joins to discuss Richard Adams’s epic tale of lagogmorphs, Watership Down.

20: Animal Farm from 2016-02-22T08:00

Elliott Kalan joins in for a quiet weekend in the country with George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Four legs: good! Four eyes: nerd!

19: Romeo and Juliet from 2016-01-20T08:00

Two co-hosts, alike in dignity, Sharlene Wellington and Stuart Wellington join in for a star-crossed discussion of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Can we possibly say anything new about the...

18: Stranger in a Strange Land from 2016-01-13T08:00

You asked for it. Oh, why did you ask for it? Jason Snell returns to discuss Robert A. Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land, in a double-sized podcast that will take as long to listen to as the bo...

17: Pride and Prejudice from 2015-12-21T08:00

Let’s not jump to conclusions. This time Sammi C joins in to discuss Jane Austen’s inescapable classic, Pride and Prejudice. Put on your empire dresses, grab your dance cards, and let’s do this!

16: The Scarlet Letter from 2015-12-07T08:00

This time historian Daniel Daughetee of The Lesser Bonapartes joins in to discuss Nathaniel Hawthorne’s inescapable novel The Scarlet Letter. What? You somehow made it through high school without r...

15: The Chocolate War from 2015-11-22T08:00

Do you dare disturb the universe? If not, do you dare to read the über-depressing novel The Chocolate War by Robert Corimer? Join Shannon Campe as we discuss the surprising number of autoerotic sce...

14: A Raisin in the Sun from 2015-10-30T07:00

Ocomogosiay! This time John atones for the shame of not having read Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun back at his lily-white high school. Fortunately, first-time podcaster Dominique Garnette...

13: Short Stories I: The Lady, or the Tiger?, The Monkey's Paw, The Most Dangerous Game from 2015-10-01T07:00

Careful which door you choose. Or what you wish for. Or which island you wind up stranded on in the middle of the night with a couple of crazy foreigners. John Siracusa returns to discuss a trio of...

12: Poetry: Frost and Sandburg from 2015-09-08T07:00

Don your berets! This time Erik Stadnik joins in to look at some of the poems we read in high school, by flinty New Englander Robert Frost and exuberant Midwesterner Carl Sandburg. Get in touch wit...

11: Cat's Cradle from 2015-09-04T07:00

Don’t be a stuppa. Forget your granfalloon and let this podcast be your wampter. Jason Snell joins in to discuss Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle. Busy, busy, busy!

10: The Old Man and the Sea from 2015-08-28T07:00

What must a man endure? Must a man endure a podcast about Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea? Sure, why not. Erika Ensign joins in to discuss marlins, sharks, and the Great DiMaggio.

9: The Skin of Our Teeth from 2015-08-18T07:00

Dinosaurs and mammoths and the end of the world, oh my! This time Phil Gonzales joins in to discuss the time we made it through by The Skin of Our Teeth. Is Thornton Wilder’s play still relevant? I...

8: Wuthering Heights from 2015-07-16T07:00

I’m so co-o-o-old, let me in-a your window so we can talk about Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. This time I’m joined by Shannon Campe to discuss those crazy kids Heath and Cathy.

7: Of Mice and Men from 2015-05-23T07:00

Wee, sleekit, cow’rin, tim’rous beastie, O, what a podcast for thy iPhone! David Kalan joins in for a discussion of John Steinbeck’s meditation on bindlestiffs and sausages, Of Mice and Men.

6: A Separate Peace from 2015-05-17T07:00

A lot of the books we read in high school were downers, but only one book was literally about falling down, out of a tree. Al Lewis attended the real school where A Separate Peace took place and li...

5: To Kill a Mockingbird from 2015-05-11T07:00

Don’t go poking around the old Radley house. But if you do, bring along bona fide southern belle Beth Lewis Auron as we discuss Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.

4: Fahrenheit 451 from 2015-04-20T07:00

As Nelly might say, It’s getting hot in here, so put away all your books. Liza Daly joins me in discussing a world without books (which for our younger listeners are dead trees with printing on the...

3: The Great Gatsby from 2015-02-15T08:00

Do you believe in the Green Light? Guest host Carla Curtsinger does. Join us as we discuss yellow cars, neglected babies, and giant eyes on billboards. It’s F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

2: The Catcher in the Rye from 2015-02-02T08:00

Phonies watch out. This discussion of J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in The Rye is extra long. Who’d have guessed that John Siracusa would have so much to say? Check into a seedy hotel and have a listen, ...

1: Lord of the Flies from 2015-01-22T08:00

In our first episode we explore how similar-sounding a host’s and guest’s voices can be as John is joined by his brother, Dan, of the Flop House Podcast. We talk about everyone’s favorite story of ...