Get Lit Podcast

Send us Fan Mail In this week's special episode, we explore the age old adage, "you can't judge a book by its cover." Book covers have evolved over the millennia, as displays of wealth, protective layers, advertisements, and art pieces. We look at the historical functions of the cover and investigate why all book covers seem to look the same in modern times! Join us for this de...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we're diving into the legacy of Frank Marshall Davis. Davis was a revolutionary poet, journalist, author, who whose writings advanced and amplified the experiences of Black Americans starting in the 1930's. He was an educator and advocate, using his appreciations of jazz and knowledge of politics to affect change across America. Join us for this trip across th...

Send us Fan Mail Today, a hug from Tomie dePaola. This beloved children's book author created stories that have inspired children and adults alike across the globe. dePaola's whimsical, folk-inspired art style paired beautifully with his honest, earnest way of telling stories. He used his experiences to inspire others, while celebrating the best of us. He believed in hope, and he believe...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we have a special episode to help you get in the Halloween Spirit. Steph tracks the origins of Witchcraft through literature, taking us through thousands of years and miles to explore the evolution of the witch. She and Jon discuss the various forms the witch has taken in pop culture and examine what these depictions reflect about women in our culture today. Join us for...

Send us Fan Mail Jon leads this weeks dive into the biography of H.P. Lovecraft! Lovecraft wrote many of the tropes we understand in alternate worlds and world building. Jon covers his controversial legacy, as we bounce around between various places around the East Coast. Lovecraft's chilling tales reflected his short life in many ways, many of them haunting and tragic. Listen along with us a...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Jack takes over and shares the absolutely wild biography of Occult author Dion Fortune with Jon! This will be one of those episodes in which every sentence ends with something you really couldn't have predicted. We explore assorted occult theories and fiction as we continue our foray into the supernatural themes of the month! Join us for this wild & wacky episo...

Send us Fan Mail It's TIME. The Time Machine, really. That's right! We're featuring H.G. Wells this week. Known as one of the founding fathers of science fiction, Wells wrote all sorts of prophetic work that envisioned technology and times that his contemporaries could only dream of. His work laid the ground plan for much of our modern 'alien invasion' fiction, and inspire...

Send us Fan Mail It's October, which means we're getting SPOOKY on Get Lit! This month, we'll be featuring all things scary, frightening, haunted, and in our opinion, fun! We're starting with Sheridan Le Fanu, author of Carmilla (considered to be one of the original vampire stories, and inspiration for Dracula!) and many other haunted tails. Le Fanu's legacy includes foray...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we celebrate Banned Books Week with an exploration of the history of Book Banning around the world. We examine various cases of book burning, banning, and censoring over time and discuss the impacts that these acts have on the communities in which they occur. Listen and learn about this incredibly pressing issue, and what it means for all of us! 

Send us Fan Mail We're back this week with our regularly scheduled programming and featuring the witchy words of desert and community advocate Mary Hunter Austin! Austin's work ranged greatly in form and topic - she was a tireless advocate for the environment, Indigenous Americans, women, and the communities around her. She lived around the world, learning and writing amongst the foremos...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we have a very special set of episodes for you! We're featuring the voices and perspectives of Printer's Row Literary Festival! We asked all kinds of questions and had the chance to hear your thoughts on your favorite books, best authors, literary hot takes, and more! This is always such a joyful weekend and we love the chance to hear from all of you! Listen i...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we have a very special set of episodes for you! We're featuring the voices and perspectives of Printer's Row Literary Festival! We asked all kinds of questions and had the chance to hear your thoughts on your favorite books, best authors, literary hot takes, and more! This is always such a joyful weekend and we love the chance to hear from all of you! Listen i...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we're coving Latin American surrealist poet Alejandra Pizarnik. Pizarnik led a remarkable and interesting life, however fraught. She lived in duality, understanding some of life's highest highs and lowest lows. She would be recognized for her remarkable work during her short life, but her legacy, and her exceptional writing is worth studying today. We also exp...

Send us Fan Mail We're staying local this week after a few far flung episodes to feature the remarkable work of Studs Terkel. Terkel was a pioneering journalist and storyteller who helped show the world the value of the average life. Terkel's radio programs and literary works captivated the country with his unique interview style and his passion for the stories of those around him. We vi...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we're going way back to a less-conventionally known author who's usually talked about as a wife... the last wife of the notorious King Henry VIII! We're bringing Catherine Parr into the spotlight! She wrote two texts about her religious faith, helped advocate for translations of Protestant texts, and served as a patron for various arts throughout her time...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we present a back to school special with Andrew Clements. Clements was a teacher-turned-author who wrote dozens of books that helped children foster a love of learning. Known for Frindle, The Landry News, The School Story, and other texts, Clements' characters helped encourage young readers to believe in themselves and dare to bring their dreams to life. We salute...

Send us Fan Mail We take a summer trip to Provincetown, Massachusetts and other places across the United States to explore the legacy of novelist, journalist, playwright, and member of the Provincetown Players, Floyd Dell! Dell's work is often overshadowed by his other more famous contemporaries, including Eugene O'Neill, Susan Glaspell, Jack Reed, and others. This week, we shine a spotl...

Send us Fan Mail We're featuring a listener request (thanks, Dad!) - Ken Kesey. Known for his novel 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest', Kesey wrote many other works through various forms, including articles and stories over the course of his storied career. We explore the other jobs he had, the adventures he took in between (to prison and beyond!), and the important work he advo...

Send us Fan Mail We are delighted to feature Ethel Payne on Get Lit this week! Payne was known as the 'First Lady of the Black Press', a pioneering force in journalism who broke down barriers, created space for the voices of Black Americans, and became a problem for the White House in a truly rebellious way. Her journey takes us across the United States and overseas, and her impact to th...

Send us Fan Mail We have a rather whimsical episode for you all this week as we cover author, illustrator, cartoonist, and artist Tove Jansson. Jansson is most popularly known as the creator of the Moomin characters, whose colorful world brought delight to readers around the globe. She had a unique voice that spoke through words, through art, and through her relationship with a particular island....

Send us Fan Mail We're featuring a founding father this week! A founding father of modernist drama, that is: Henrik Ibsen. He is also our first Norwegian author, first 3-time Nobel prize nominee (not winner), and first author to use his own life experiences in his work (jk lol). This episode is a wild ride with stories, analysis, and a visit from Edgar Allan Poe to start, so come along for th...

Send us Fan Mail We could all use a bit of magic in our lives these days, so join us for the most delightful episode about the wittiest, witchiest, wordsmith: Betty MacDonald! Known for her clever reflections in her autobiographies and her wonderful character, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, MacDonald is remembered as a unique voice in literature who helped adults and children alike find theirs.  

Send us Fan Mail 'According to Emily Post', she's the subject of our episode this week! We explore another version of 'literature', examining Emily's advice and articles on how best to handle any social situation. We discuss the role of etiquette, society, communication, and culture, along with the intersection of feminism amidst all of this! Join us for the answers t...

Send us Fan Mail And he's here tonight, everybody! It's Leo Tolstoy! We examine the writing, life, and legacy of author and philosopher and radical thinker and failed farmer ?  His contributions to writing and literature have changed not only how we write but also the way we think. We unpack some of the context around his work and the stories that have made this man a myth. Join us! 

Send us Fan Mail Steph & Jon are back to discuss Fairy Tale Legend, Mary De Morgan. Growing up in varied intellectual circumstances, De Morgan used her original fairy tales to critique the society she lived in. She wrote about gender roles, power, class, and of course, capitalism! Natural fodder for fairy tales, really. Join us this week to learn more about your new favorite fairy tale author!...