5 Podcasts for Literature Teachers

My birthday came and went about a week ago, and my family got me a new iPod classic that holds 160 gigabytes of music and movies. After four frustrating hours of trying to get it to sync to my computer, I realized I had a defective unit and returned it for one that’s been working great (except for the battery-draining bug). Now that I have a working iPod, I’m able to take my favorite podcasts with me. Here are some that are especially relevant to literature teachers and those who love books:

• The Classic Tales: B.J. Harrison narrates weekly classic tales by Poe, de Maupassant, Kipling, Hawthorne, and others. Harrison has a soothing, mysterious voice, and his stories are a pleasure to listen to.
• A Way with Words: This fun, informative podcast for word lovers is hosted by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett.
• NPR Books: Reviews and authors interviews from National Public Radio.
• KCRW’s Bookworm: Michael Silverblatt’s author interviews include such renowned writers as Kurt Vonnegut, Alice Sebold and Michael Ondaatje.
• The New Yorker–Fiction: “A monthly reading and conversation with the New Yorker fiction editor Deborah Treisman.”

And here’s a sampling of other podcasts that are on my iPod right now:

• The Bob Dylan Podcast: Patti Smith hosts this Legacy Recordings podcast which discusses the life and influence of Bob Dylan. Short and sweet.
• Acoustic Long Island: If you love acoustic music as much as I do, subscribe to this fantastic podcast featuring some great musicians.
• The Busted Halo Show: Fr. DaveDwyer hosts a fun, entertaining show on Sirius Satellite radio, and his podcast highlights some its best moments.
• The Dave Ramsey Show: Excellent financial advice.
• Many SQPN podcasts: I subscribe to many, many SQPN podcasts, and I love every one of them. My favorites are the Daily Breakfast with Fr. Roderick and The Saintcast with Paul Camarata.
• And, of course, the new podcast by my English students, Called 2 B Saints.