Welcome to The Reader Podcast. The Reader is a national charity bringing about a Reading Revolution so that everyone can experience and enjoy great literature, which we believe is a tool for helping humans survive and live well. Through our global Shared Reading movement, powered by 1,000 volunteers and many partnerships, we bring thousands of people together every month through weekly Shared Reading groups. Our podcast is for anyone who loves books and believes they can be powerful tools for change, and wants to hear more of the powerful, personal responses that reading can provide. It will feature great guests, conversations and thoughts about books and reading, and show how reading together improves wellbeing, strengthens communities and sparks the change needed in the world. The Reader is a registered charity and we rely on the generous support of individuals and organisations to help us change lives through Shared Reading around the UK. Please visit www.thereader.org.uk to donate and find out how you can get involved with our work. We are grateful for the kind support of our core funders Arts Council England, National Lottery Community Fund, the players of People’s Postcode Lottery and the Steve Morgan Foundation.
Episodes
Monday Mar 18, 2024
Monday Mar 18, 2024
The Storybarn is a one-of-a-kind reading retreat for children and their grown-ups. Little ones can let their imaginations run wild, discovering new stories to share, and taking part in unique experiences, alongside arts and crafts.
In this episode we visit a Tiny Acorns session, a group where parents and carers spend time at The Storybarn with their newborns, picking up handy tips on reading with their little ones and enjoying Shared Reading together. We hear from the parents who attend these groups, as well as the Storybarn staff themselves, who give an insight into how the magic is made.
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
Episode 17 - Now We Sit With It
The title of this episode is taken from a new painting created for permanent display in Calderstones Mansion House by Liverpool-based artist Sumuyya Khader. The artwork responds to new research by a historian and Reader heritage volunteers into links between the Mansion House, its owners and the transatlantic slave economy. In this episode we speak to Robert, one of the volunteer researchers, and to Sumuyya Khader, to hear about the process of uncovering and responding to this research.
This episode has been funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of ‘Making Meaning at Calderstones’ – The Reader’s two-year project to uncover and celebrate the unique stories of our reading home.
More information about ‘Now We Sit With It’
Calderstones links to transatlantic slavery – what we know (The Reader website)
‘The White Man’s Guilt’ by James Baldwin in Dark Days (Penguin)
Sunday Dec 31, 2023
Sunday Dec 31, 2023
Today's poem is 'A Song for New Year's Eve' by William Cullen Bryant. It's read by Jemma Guerrier from The Reader.
Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson.
Saturday Dec 30, 2023
Saturday Dec 30, 2023
Today's poem is 'Ring Out, Wild Bells' by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It's read by Chris Lynn from The Reader.
Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson.
Friday Dec 29, 2023
Friday Dec 29, 2023
Today's poem is 'A January Dandelion' by George Marion McClellan. It's read by Alex McCarten from The Reader.
Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson.
Thursday Dec 28, 2023
Thursday Dec 28, 2023
Today's poem is 'The Old Year' by John Clare. It's read by Jamie Barton from The Reader.
Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson.
Wednesday Dec 27, 2023
Wednesday Dec 27, 2023
Today's poem is 'The Burning of the Leaves' by Laurence Binyon. It's read by Clare Ellis from The Reader.
Tuesday Dec 26, 2023
Tuesday Dec 26, 2023
Today's poem is 'Snow in the Suburbs' by Thomas Hardy. It's read by Sue Highfield from The Reader.
Monday Dec 25, 2023
Monday Dec 25, 2023
Merry Christmas!
Today's poem is 'Winter Stars' by Sara Teasdale. It's read by Sami Wilson from The Reader.
Sunday Dec 24, 2023
Sunday Dec 24, 2023
Today's poem is 'Winter Trees' by William Carlos Williams. It's read by George Hawkins from The Reader.
From 'The Collected Poems Vol.1: 1909-1939' by William Carlos Williams (Carcanet, 2018). Permission requested.