52: Lamb to the Slaughter
If only he’d been a vegetarian. Shannon Campe returns to discuss one of Roald Dahl’s shockers for adults, “Lamb to the Slaughter.” John McCoy and Shannon Campe.
Episodes
Sophomore Lit
A podcast about your 10th grade reading list, hosted by John McCoy.
Episodes
51: A Wrinkle in Time
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. John McCoy with Matt Skuta.
50: Dubliners
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). John McCoy with John Siracusa and David J. Loehr.
49: McTeague
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: Malcolm Nygard. John McCoy and Jason Snell.
48: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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. John McCoy with Jelani Sims.
47: The Handmaid's Tale
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 your waves of feminism apart. John McCoy with Caroline Fulford and Erika Ensign.
46: Annie John
Sometimes, a girl just wants to play marbles. Kwame Phillips discusses the Caribbean, doctor fish, and Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John. John McCoy with Kwame Phillips and Jane Dempsey.
45: Hawthorne tales
Unsightly blemishes! Toxic maidens! David Loehr returns to discuss two short stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne, “The Birthmark” and “Rappaccini’s Daughter.” John McCoy and David J. Loehr.
44: Invisible Man
And you thought your electric bill was nuts. Jane Dempsey returns to discuss Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. John McCoy with Jane Dempsey.
43: The Glass Menagerie
It’s nothing a little glue won’t fix. David Loehr is here to discuss Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie. John McCoy.
42: The Stranger
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. John McCoy and Matt Skuta.
41: Forever...
Guys let’s all be mature about this. Shannon Campe returns to discuss Judy Blume’s forbidden book for teens, “Forever…” John McCoy and Shannon Campe.
40: Absalom, Absalom!
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 very podcast of an ideal of a thought of a concept of a the becoming of a book. John McCoy.
39: Slaughterhouse Five
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. John McCoy with Jason Snell.
38: Edna St. Vincent Millay
Are you unsure of how candles work? Then join Megan Tripp and John as we discuss the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay. John McCoy with Megan Tripp.
37: The Giver
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. John McCoy with Matt Skuta.
36: The Seagull
In mourning for your life? Then why not join Ethan Warren and John as they discuss Anton Chekov’s The Seagull. John McCoy.
35: The Courtship of Miles Standish
Look, it’s Thanksgiving and Dan and I are drunk. Let’s discuss Longfellow’s The Courtship of Miles Standish. John McCoy with Dan McCoy.
34: Crime and Punishment
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. John McCoy.
33: Stories of Ambrose Bierce
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 to discuss stories that end happily with no surprises! John McCoy.
32: Bless Me, Ultima
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. John McCoy.
31: The Rivals
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. John McCoy.
30: To the Lighthouse
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. John McCoy.
29: Edgar Allan Poe
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? John McCoy.
28: Their Eyes Were Watching God
Jane Dempsey discusses the birds and the bees—well, the bees at least—in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. John McCoy.
27: The Little Prince
What is essential is invisible to the eye—but we can still podcast about it. Anaïs Concepcion discusses The Little Prince. John McCoy and Anaïs Concepcion.
26: Brave New World
Time for a Soma Holiday! This time Jason Snell discusses Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. John McCoy with Jason Snell.
25: Stories II: Jackson and O'Connor
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) and “A Good Man is Hard to Find” (Flannery O’Connor). John McCoy with Shannon Campe and Caroline Fulford.
24: Moby-Dick
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? John McCoy with Glenn Fleishman.
23: Death of a Salesman
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’s inevitable Death of a Salesman. John McCoy.