Get Lit Podcast

Get Lit Episode 132: Thornton Wilder

13 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a text"We all know that something is eternal..." could most certainly refer to the impact that Thornton Wilder had on the American lite...

Get Lit Episode 131: Edgar Allan Poe (Revisited)

06 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIn this special episode to kick off the Halloween season, we revisit Edgar Allan Poe - iconic author and poet, critic, cryptographer, and c...

Get Lit Episode 130: Julia de Burgos

29 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week, meet Puerto Rico's unsung master poet, Julia de Burgos. Her short, remarkable life resembles the myths that had an impact o...

Get Lit Episode 129: August Wilson

22 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWe're back to your usually scheduled programming with August Wilson, an extraordinary playwright who revolutionized American theatre w...

Get Lit Episode 128: Printer's Row Lit Fest Audio Chapbook

15 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week, we set up a mic and waited for your stories at the Printer's Row Lit Fest in Chicago, IL. In the first part of this episode...

Get Lit Episode 127: Elizabeth Gaskell

08 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textElizabeth Gask-who? Exactly! We're hoping to shine a light on this oft neglected author of Victorian England who wrote about poverty, ...

Get Lit Episode 126: Eudora Welty

01 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textEudora Welty. Wildly underrated, glass ceiling shattering, novelist, short story writer, photojournalist, Pulitzer Prize winner, and a card...

Get Lit Episode 125: Susan Sontag

25 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week: The Woman. The Myth. The Legend: Susan Sontag! We attempt to unpack the persona of an exceptional American author, philosopher, ...

Get Lit Episode 124: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

18 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textGet to know this exceptional poet, speaker, abolitionist, feminist fighter: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper! She was not only first African Am...

Get Lit Episode 123: Richard Wright

11 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textLearn more about the author who inspired James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, helped bring mental healthcare to Harlem in the 1940's, and sta...

Get Lit Episode 122: Charles Schulz

04 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textBack from their Minnesota tour, Jon and Steph discuss Minnesotan author and cartoonist, Charles Schulz. With a story that spanned 50 years ...

Get a Little Lit Episode 1: Nancy Luce

30 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIntroducing 'Get a Little Lit' - our shorter episodes that feature some of the more unusual stories in literary history! This wee...

Get Lit Episode 121: James Whitcomb Riley

28 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textJon covers Indiana superstar poet & performer, James Whitcomb Riley. Fun Fact: We can definitely attribute #girlboss to Riley. Seriousl...

Get Lit Episode 120: Jim Harrison

21 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week, Steph took up the field work to report on Jim Harrison from Northern Michigan, with a feature on Ernest Hemingway! Harrison fuse...

Get Lit Episode 119: Patricia Highsmith

14 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week, we have a TRUNK to unpack with the interesting life of Patricia Highsmith - iconic murder thriller and LGBTQ+ writer who was as ...

Get Lit Episode 118: Carson McCullers

07 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWe're featuring a wildly underrated expert of the Southern Gothic genre: Carson McCullers, who helped redefine the search for identity...

Get Lit Episode 117: Alfred Lord Tennyson

30 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWe're CHARGING forward this week IN MEMORIAM of Victorian star poet, Alfred Lord Tennyson! Come learn about the icon behind the most h...

Get Lit Episode 116: Eric Carle

23 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWe honor the remarkable, colorful children's book author and illustrator Eric Carle, who left a deep and lasting impact on picture boo...

Get Lit Episode 115: Sappho

16 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWe're headed ALL the way back to the Greek Island of Lesbos to celebrate the exquisite, striking, and extraordinary poetry of Sappho, ...

Get Lit Episode 114: Albert Camus

09 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week, we welcome guest Mark Frale to discuss and explore the controversial, colorful life of the 2nd youngest Nobel Prize for Literatu...

Get Lit Episode 113: Gore Vidal

02 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textJon takes us through the wild life of Gore Vidal as we kick off pride month and celebrate LGBTQ+ authors, ft. world travels due to exile, p...

Get Lit Episode 112: Justin Chin

26 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week, we take a look at Justin Chin - a spoken word and performance art creator, poet, and author who also helped explore the modern i...

Get Lit Episode 111: Hisaye Yamamoto

19 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week, learn about the legacy of Hisaye Yamamoto, an extraordinary Japanese-American author with a harrowing experience in the Intermen...

Get Lit Episode 110: Pearl Buck

12 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week, we learn about the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, among many other accolades and who introduced West...

Get Lit Episode 109: Miguel de Cervantes

05 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textJon takes over this week and reports out on Miguel de Cervantes, a Spanish author most famous for writing Don Quixote. Also featuring Willi...

Get Lit Episode 108: Julia Child

28 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week, we feature cookbook author, chef, and change maker, Julia Child! We discuss the story and power behind her cook books, along wit...

Get Lit Episode 107: Jess Darnell

21 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIn a special feature with a LIVING author this week, we're sitting down with Jess Darnell, an interdisciplinary artist who operates at...

Get Lit Episode 106: Adrienne Rich

14 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textAdrienne Rich is an intersectionally-oriented activist and poet that we should all read! Her work changed the way women saw themselves in l...

Get Lit Episode 105: Lewis Carroll

07 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textYou're late, you're late, for a very important date! We're headed down the rabbit hole, quite literally, in fact, to explore...

Get Lit Episode 104: Beverly Cleary

31 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textBeverly Cleary invited readers and 'non-readers' into her delightful, relatable worlds for generations. This week, we celebrate t...

Get Lit Episode 103: Mary Wollstonecraft

24 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week, we bring you: Mary Wollstonecraft. A feminist icon from England, and the mother of Mary Shelley, Wollstonecraft brought a new me...

Get Lit Episode 102: Colette

17 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textMeet the original Beyoncé! Except French and a writer. And also a journalist, performer, defier of gendered stereotypes, and Nobel Prize n...

Get Lit Episode 101: Edith Wharton

10 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWe're kicking off our celebration of Women's History Month with Edith Wharton - an extraordinary, genre crossing author who was n...

Get Lit Episode 100: Celebration Spectacular!

03 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis episode has it all: Guest Host Katie Sall joins us to swap some of our favorite author stories, play two new literary-themed games, AN...

Get Lit Episode 99: Octavia E. Butler

24 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week, we head back in time to meet an author ahead of hers: Octavia Butler - an extraordinary trailblazer for Women of Color in the Sc...

Get Lit Episode 98: Claude McKay

17 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWe continue our celebration of Black authors with Claude McKay: Extraordinary Harlem Renaissance Poet, World Traveler, Novelist, Communist,...

Get Lit Episode 97: A Literary Love Anthologie

10 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIn this special Valentine's Day episode, we feature author love stories and letters, both wildly romantic and deeply tragical! Author ...

Get Lit Episode 96: Paul Laurence Dunbar

03 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWe're kicking off our celebration of Black authors with Paul Laurence Dunbar, who, in his extraordinary but short 33 years, shaped the...

Episode 95: Emma Lazarus

27 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textBehind the iconic poem associated with Lady Liberty stands another formidable lady: Emma Lazarus! The subject of this week's episode, ...

Get Lit Episode 94: Anne Bradstreet

20 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a text"To our Dear and Loving Listeners..." - that's right! We're doing Anne Bradstreet, America's very first English-Am...

Get Lit Episode 93: John Donne

13 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIt's 2021, time for John Donne. This metaphysical poet sits second to none. Off to England, we hope that you can come - we got rakes a...

Get Lit 92: Djuna Barnes

06 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week, we celebrate the wild, bohemian queen, Djuna Barnes, who lived and wrote in an extraordinary way. Never heard of her? Give this ...

Get Lit Episode 91: O. Henry

30 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textEver wondered what it was like to be a cowboy, pharmacist, and short story author? O. Henry could absolutely tell you, and this week, Jon w...

Get Lit Episode 90: A Christmas Anthology (Live!)

23 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIn this special Christmas-themed live episode, we take a closer look at some classic songs & stories including 'White Christmas&ap...

Episode 89: George Eliot

16 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThe truly legendary George Eliot AKA Mary Anne Evans is our focus this week - including her wild successes, intense relationships, and a st...

Get Lit Episode 88: The Brothers Grimm

09 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textPrepare to be spooked, delighted, and amazed as we engage in the shockingly nerdy history of the Brothers Grimm! This episode also features...

Get Lit Episode 87: Dorothy Parker

02 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week we cover the queen of quips, the virtuoso of verse, the woman who puts the 'whore' in horticulture: Dorothy Parker. If ...

Get Lit Episode 86: Hans Christian Andersen

25 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week, we explore fairy tale legend and Danish National Treasure (no really, he was actually called that), Hans Christian Andersen whos...

Get Lit Episode 85: Christopher Marlowe

18 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textNeed a myth, a man, a LEGEND in your life? Look no further than Christopher Marlowe, Shakespeare's peer but superior playwright, spy, ...

Get Lit Episode 84: Bram Stoker

11 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWhat do winning power walking medals and Dracula have in common? They were both important parts of Bram Stoker's life! Learn about the...

Get Lit Episode 83: Christina Rossetti

04 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week, we're jumping over to England to explore the life of Christina Rossetti, poetess of some extraordinary feminist sonnets, Th...

Get Lit Episode 82: Shirley Jackson

28 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textShirley Jackson: author of some of our most iconic horror tales of all time, master of green mashed potatoes, and an advocate and trailblaz...

Episode 81: Charlotte Perkins Gilman

21 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week, we cover the wildly underrated Charlotte Perkins Gilman, author of 'The Yellow Wall-Paper' among thousands of other wo...

Get Lit Episode 80: Douglas Adams

14 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textHitch a ride with Jon as he explores the colorful, passionate legacy of Sci-Fi author Douglas Adams! Don't forget your towel! 

Get Lit Episode 79: Pablo Neruda

07 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWe're diving into the backstory of Pablo Neruda, whose visceral love poetry invokes passion and the most deeply felt desires of the hu...

Get Lit Episode 78: Rachel Carson

30 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textTake a moment to breathe and invigorate with Rachel Carson - author and environmental advocate, who shattered barriers for women in science...

Get Lit Episode 77: Harriet Beecher Stowe

23 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIn conversation with Frederick Douglass, we invite Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, among other works, to the table...

Get Lit Episode 76: Frederick Douglass

16 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSpeeches are a deeply under appreciated literary form and this week, we turn to the true expert: Frederick Douglass - orator, autobiographe...

Get Lit Episode 75: Harper Lee

09 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a text"Remember it's a sin to --- not listen to Harper Lee's Get Lit episode," - Atticus Finch, probably... Join us in Monroe...

Get Lit Episode 74: John Keats

02 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis episode is indeed an Ode to Autumn and to poet and Romantic with a capital 'R', John Keats! Come along with us as we explore...

Get Lit Episode 73: Ralph Ellison

26 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textJon takes over this week, bringing us his research on the oft overlooked and reputationally controversial author of essays, short stories, ...

Get Lit Episode 72: Aphra Behn

19 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textHave you ever dreamed of being a playwright-poet-spy-theatre artist? Good news - you can learn about opportunities in this career field fro...

Get Lit Episode 71.5: Back to School Special - Teacher Conversation

14 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIn the second part of our Back to School Special, we speak with two other educators - guest host Katie Sall and Dillin Randolph to get thei...

Get Lit Episode 71: Tolkien & Lewis (Live!)

12 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textAnother pair of heavy hitters in the fantasy world: C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien! Join us an our LIVE audience as we journey into Middle...

Get Lit Episode 70 1/2: Back to School Special - Student Conversation

07 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textJoin us for Part I of our 'Back to School Special' episode! We have a conversation with three recent high school graduates about ...

Get Lit Episode 70: Sarah Orne Jewett

05 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWe're taking the vacation you never got to this summer: We're off to South Berwick, Maine to enjoy the flowers, front yards, and ...

Get Lit Episode 69: Margaret Mitchell

29 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textA true rebel, woman of gumption: Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone with the Wind. This week, we learn about and from Mitchell's life o...

Get Lit Episode 68: William Faulkner

22 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textJoin us on our trip to Oxford, MS and other Southern spots as we trace the odd, interesting life of William Faulkner - documenter of Southe...

Get Lit Episode 67: Gabriel García Márquez

15 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIt's truly "Love in the Time of Corona" - sorry - "Cholera" this week as we discuss the life of Columbian/World Tr...

Get Lit Episode 66: Washington Irving

08 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIt's your favorite historian, short story writing, war secretary, inventor of Christmas and creator of modern comic lore: Washington I...

Get Lit Episode 65: Virginia Woolf

01 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWho's afraid? Certainly not us! In continuing our Pride celebration, we discuss the gender-bending, genre-defying life and career of V...

Get Lit Episode 64: Tennessee Williams

24 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textMaybe you guessed it: we're featuring Tennessee Williams this week! Hop aboard our tour that takes us to the South, Midwest, and East ...

Get Lit Episode 63: Lorraine Hansberry

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textLorraine Hansberry simultaneously spoke to the Black American experience, while shattering all conventions of that experience in her own wo...

Get Lit Episode 62: Truman Capote

10 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textTruman Capote embodies the beauty & exuberance that is Pride month, but also the intense struggle of being gay in America. This week, w...

Get Lit Podcast Episode 61: Audre Lorde

02 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textAudre Lorde: black, feminist, lesbian, poet - among so many other things. We explore the wildly intersectional work and remarkable legacy o...

Get Lit Episode 60: Jack Kerouac

27 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textJoin us On the Road with Beat poet & author, Jack Kerouac! Famed and fabled, we take a look at the complex relationship this author had...

Get Lit Episode 59: Willa Cather

20 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textFeeling a bit spiritually tired? Like you need a literary hug? This week's author is a beautiful blend of bold stances, love, and the ...

Get Lit Episode 58: Victor Hugo

13 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textAlors! We're back in France to discuss Victor Hugo, author of Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, among many other lengthy...

Episode 57: Alexandre Dumas

06 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a text"All for one, one for all, that is our device!" That's right! We're doing the author of The Three Musketeers and The Co...

Get Lit Episode 56: J.M. Barrie

29 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textCome to Neverland with us! We're off to explore the life of Scottish author, creator of a true modern myth, and captivator of imaginat...

Episode 55: Hildegard of Bingen

22 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textEver dreamed of being a mystic, author, botanist, musician, playwright/composer, preacher, healer, historian, and music therapist? If you s...

Get Lit Episode 54: Elizabeth Barrett Browning

15 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textShe's the OG Poetry Superstar! This week, meet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, poetess extraordinaire, translator, language learner, elope...

Get Lit Episode 53: William Shakespeare

08 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWe did it! THE William Shakespeare - for our one year anniversary episode! Join us and the Bard for a celebration complete with our very ow...

Get Lit Episode 52: Ayn Rand

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textLove her, hate her, don't know her, like cults? This week's episode has it all as Jon leads us through the life of author Ayn Ran...

Get Lit Episode 51: T.S. Eliot

25 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSometimes the truth is stranger than fiction... particularly for this week's author and the inspiration for the musical Cats, T.S. Eli...

Get Lit Episode 50: Beatrix Potter

18 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textJoin us (along with Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, and Jemima Puddle-Duck) to discuss the empowering, whimsical life of Beatrix Potter - ill...

Get Lit Episode 49: John Steinbeck

11 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textHere's Johnny! John Steinbeck is our focus this week! Come meet the author who helped document the American experience through his Pul...

Get Lit Episode 48: P.L. Travers

04 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis is truly a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious episode; practically perfect, as it were! Join us for a delightful trip through the whim...

Get Lit Episode 47: Jun Fujita

26 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWhat do the Indiana Dunes, Japanese Poetry, Al Capone, and The Dil Pickle Club all have in common? They're all components of the extra...

Get Lit Episode 46: Shel Silverstein

19 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textLovers of poems, whether or not you know 'em will love this week's feature about a most spectacular creature, the poet and drawer...

Get Lit Episode 45: The Brontë Sisters (Live!)

12 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textHappy Valentine's Day! We're celebrating with a sensational sibling trio - no, not the Jonas Brothers or the Bee Gees - The Bront...

Get Lit Episode 44: Gwendolyn Brooks

05 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week, we look at the legacy of a 'real cool' poet and mentor: Gwendolyn Brooks, who changed the field of poetry for black wr...

Get Lit Episode 43: Nathaniel Hawthorne

29 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textUp this week, an older Hawthorne: Nathaniel! This week, we're covering the author of The Scarlet Letter and a myriad of literary cross...

Get Lit Episode 42: Hazel Hawthorne

22 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week's episode features a wildly unique author, Hazel Hawthorne and the passionate pursuit of those who have been captivated by t...

Get Lit Episode 41: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

15 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textListen to this week's short episode about a Longfellow! Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, to be precise! Jon hosts this week's episode ...

Get Lit Episode 40: L.M. Montgomery

08 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week: L.M. Montgomery! Creator of Anne of Green Gables, secret author and romantic, namer of trees, prolific letter writer and Canadia...

Get Lit Episode 39: Oscar Wilde

01 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWe're wild for Wilde and ringing in the New Year with a celebration of Oscar Wilde's life and works! Have a wonderful start to yo...

Get Lit Episode 38: Charles Dickens

25 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textGet Lit is pleased to present 'A Very Dickens Christmas' or 'Fricken Dickens,' if you prefer! Join us for a recounting ...

Get Lit Episode 37: Maya Angelou

18 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis week, we cover an artist with a reach as wide as her world travels; learn about Maya Angelou, an artist whose work transcends the writ...

Get Lit Episode 36: Arthur Miller

11 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWitches! Communism! Salesmen! Must be Arthur Miller week! Join us to investigate Miller just like the US Government did!