It's a literary smorgasbord! First, Jacke dives into the recent news of the surprising connection between Taylor Swift and Emily Dickinson. Next, he welcomes Mike Palindrome, President of the Literature Supporters Club, for a discussion of why Mike has been reading Flannery O'Connor for so many years. Then storytelling expert J. Edward Chamberlin stops by to ... Show More
Mar 23
786 Cherokee Novelist and Poet John Rollin Ridge (with Travis Franks)
A member of the Cherokee nation, John Rollin Ridge (1827-1867) lived a dramatic life full of contradictions. He also became the first Native American to publish a novel, The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta: the Celebrated California Bandit, a Gold Rush-era adventure story ... Show More
57m 7s
Mar 19
785 Literature in an Age of Anti-Immigration Sentiment (with Daniel Olivas) | My Last Book with Janet Todd
Daniel A. Olivas, the grandson of Mexican immigrants, is a fiction writer, poet, playwright, book critic, and attorney. In this episode, Jacke talks to Daniel about his lifelong devotion to literature and its ability to humanize the targets of anti-immigration sentiment. In the i ... Show More
1h 18m
Sep 2025
Anne Boleyn: Myths vs Reality
The life of Anne Boleyn has intrigued audiences for centuries. Everyone knows something about her time as Queen of England, and of course, her betrayal and execution. But her formative years in France remain a bit of a mystery.Joining us today is Estelle Paranque, an Associate Pr ... Show More
1h 1m
Jul 2025
Lulu Miller
Lulu Miller is a Peabody Award–winning journalist, co-host of Radiolab, founder of the podcast Terrestrials, and author of the acclaimed book Why Fish Don’t Exist. She joins to discuss her career at the intersection of science, philosophy, and storytelling, inviting us to questio ... Show More
1h 22m
Mar 2025
Virginia Woolf: life of the week
From To The Lighthouse to Mrs Dalloway, the writing of Virginia Woolf shook up literary norms and challenged societal ideas about what it meant to be a woman. In this 'life of the week' episode, Francesca Wade discusses the impact of Woolf's work, and the key moments of her life ... Show More
37m 5s
Jun 2024
To Kill a Mockingbird: Chapters 1-8
Welcome back to a new series of discussions on another beloved novel, this time on one of the best American novels ever written. In this episode, we talk about Harper Lee’s use of voice in telling the story (and why it’s somewhat similar to Jane Austen), the importance of the cha ... Show More
1h 11m