This week, we have a TRUNK to unpack with the interesting life of Patricia Highsmith - iconic murder thriller and LGBTQ+ writer who was as fascinating a character as the ones she wrote! Join us, The Talented Mr. Ripley for a ride with some Strangers on a Train for this exciting episode! 

We're featuring a wildly underrated expert of the Southern Gothic genre: Carson McCullers, who helped redefine the search for identity in American culture and what it means to understand 'the others' of society. 

We're CHARGING forward this week IN MEMORIAM of Victorian star poet, Alfred Lord Tennyson! Come learn about the icon behind the most heart-breakingly beautiful poetry and the phrase "Tis better to have loved and lost, / Than never to have loved at all"... 

We honor the remarkable, colorful children's book author and illustrator Eric Carle, who left a deep and lasting impact on picture books, how we see bugs, and a very fat cat called Julian. Join us to learn about his unexpected life before the books and the origins of The Very Hungry Caterpillar! 

We're headed ALL the way back to the Greek Island of Lesbos to celebrate the exquisite, striking, and extraordinary poetry of Sappho, often just referred to as 'The Poetess' because she was THAT good! Join us as we attempt to piece together the various fragments of her poetry and her life! 

This week, we welcome guest Mark Frale to discuss and explore the controversial, colorful life of the 2nd youngest Nobel Prize for Literature Winner, Albert Camus (with plenty of Greek Myth references and conspiracy theories to boot)! 

Jon takes us through the wild life of Gore Vidal as we kick off pride month and celebrate LGBTQ+ authors, ft. world travels due to exile, pen names, and a few fights (verbal and physical)... 

This week, we take a look at Justin Chin - a spoken word and performance art creator, poet, and author who also helped explore the modern intersectional nature of immigration stories, LGBTQ+ communities, and inequity. He used his voice as a signal for change, and his legacy lives on today. 

This week, learn about the legacy of Hisaye Yamamoto, an extraordinary Japanese-American author with a harrowing experience in the Interment Camps of WWII. Her work captured the experiences of so many whose narratives were typically ignored as she fought for justice over the course of her life. 

This week, we learn about the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, among many other accolades and who introduced Western audiences to Asian cultures: Pearl Buck. Jon takes us back and forth between China and the US, unpacking the complex relationship that Pearl shared in her multi-cultural upbringing. 

Jon takes over this week and reports out on Miguel de Cervantes, a Spanish author most famous for writing Don Quixote. Also featuring William Shakespeare, pirates, and a series of odd jobs! 

This week, we feature cookbook author, chef, and change maker, Julia Child! We discuss the story and power behind her cook books, along with her role with the pre-CIA and the time she met the creator of the Cesar Salad! Bon Appetite! 

In a special feature with a LIVING author this week, we're sitting down with Jess Darnell, an interdisciplinary artist who operates at the intersection of writing, theatre, performance, and Mary Oliver. Join us for this beautiful conversation and a chance to learn more about your inner child, the self-publishing industry, and giving yourself permission to create. 

Adrienne Rich is an intersectionally-oriented activist and poet that we should all read! Her work changed the way women saw themselves in literature, particularly regarding race and gender. Join us to remember a remarkable woman who wouldn't be silenced! 

You're late, you're late, for a very important date! We're headed down the rabbit hole, quite literally, in fact, to explore the life and work of Lewis Carroll, author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the Jabberwocky. Come with us through the looking glass to discover some delightful stories about this remarkable English author.

Beverly Cleary invited readers and 'non-readers' into her delightful, relatable worlds for generations. This week, we celebrate the meaningful, remarkable impact that she had on children's literature and on the people who enjoyed her work! Thank you so much, Mrs. Cleary. 

This week, we bring you: Mary Wollstonecraft. A feminist icon from England, and the mother of Mary Shelley, Wollstonecraft brought a new meaning to 'Independent Woman', throwing out society's rule book and writing her own (among many other novels, essays, translations, and stories!) 

Meet the original Beyoncé! Except French and a writer. And also a journalist, performer, defier of gendered stereotypes, and Nobel Prize nominee: Colette! 

We're kicking off our celebration of Women's History Month with Edith Wharton - an extraordinary, genre crossing author who was not only the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize, but also wrote translations, poetry, war reports, novels, short stories, plays and a book on interior design in addition to philanthropic work and world travels! Edith, we salute you!