The Spouter-Inn
Episodes
90. Peter Hujar’s Day / On Elizabeth Bishop.
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Linda Rosenkrantz’s Peter Hujar’s Day and Colm Tóibín’s On Elizabeth Bishop.
89. The Travels of Sir John Mandeville / Voyage Around My Room.
14 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We look at some old travel literature, with The Travels of Sir John Mandeville and Xavier de Maistre’s Voyage Around My Room.
88. The Gospel According to Mark / On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity.
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Gospel According to Mark (and some recent queer retellings of Jesus’ life story), and John Milton’s poem On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity...
87. Waiting for Godot / Theory of Water.
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s new book Theory of Water: Nishnaabe Maps to the Times Ahead.
86b. Bonus: John Nicholas on Cry of the Ancients.
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Suzanne talks with John Nicholas, whose parents Grey Owl and Little Pigeon wrote Cry of the Ancients (1974).
86. Pride and Prejudice / Northanger Abbey.
01 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, we’re rereading Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey.
85. Wuthering Heights / Home Cooking.
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights and Laurie Colwin’s essay collection Home Cooking.
84. The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens / Finnegans Wake.
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The poetry of Wallace Stevens and James Joyce’s experimental novel Finnegans Wake.
83. The Tale of Peter Rabbit / Forgetting Elena.
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Beatrix Potter’s charming children’s book The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Edmund White’s novel Forgetting Elena.
82. The Great Gatsby / Solaris.
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby on its 100th birthday, and Stanisław Lem’s science fiction classic Solaris.
81. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz / Working Through Colonial Collections.
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
L. Frank Baum's beloved The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Margareta von Oswald’s insightful Working Through Colonial Collections: An Ethnography of the Et...
80. Paterson / The Door.
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
William Carlos William's book-length poem Paterson, Magda Szabó’s novel The Door, and oddly enticing book covers.
79. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn / The Nine Tailors.
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers, and keeping up with the latest books.
78. Memory Serves / A Study in Scarlet.
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lee Maracle’s collection of essay-like pieces, Arthur Conan Doyle’s first Sherlock Holmes novel, and reading your friends’ books (or not).
77. The Iliad / The Name of the Rose.
18 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Spouter-Inn enters a new era! This month: Emily Wilson’s translation of Homer’s Iliad, Umberto Eco’s medieval mystery novel The Name of the ...
76b. Ned Raggett on The Return of the King.
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ned Raggett from By-The-Bywater joins us to discuss The Return of the King.
75. My Life.
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lyn Hejinian’s book of poetry (a curiously constructed autobiography of sorts) anchors a reflection on this cluster on Essays, Essaying, Stories, St...
74. Shapes of Native Nonfiction.
01 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On a collection of contemporary nonfiction essays by Indigenous writers.
73. Dancing on Our Turtle’s Back.
25 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s 2011 book Dancing On Our Turtle's Back explores story and resurgence.
72. The Essays of Michel de Montaigne.
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On Michel de Montaigne’s original collection of essays from the sixteenth century.
71. Troilus and Criseyde.
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Geoffrey Chaucer's narrative poem Troilus and Criseyde.
70b. Bonus: Dick Davis on Translating Persian Poetry.
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dick Davis, translator of Layli and Majnun, The Conference of the Birds, and other Persian poetry.
70. Layli and Majnun.
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nezami Ganjavi's 12th century poem, Layli and Majnun (also known as Layla and Majnun).
69b. Bonus: Mark Sundaram and Aven McMaster on Etymology.
15 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mark Sundaram and Aven McMaster from The Endless Knot on etymology.
69. The Etymologies.
01 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Isidore of Seville's medieval encyclopedia, The Etymologies.
68. The Consolation of Philosophy.
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius.
67. The Song of Songs.
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The erotic/devotional poetry of The Song of Songs.
66. Antigone.
02 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sophocles's play Antigone.
65. The Epic of Gilgamesh.
26 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The ancient Mesopotamian poem The Epic of Gilgamesh.
64b. Bonus: Sassan Tabatabai on Blind Owl.
12 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We are joined by poet and scholar Sassan Tabatabai, who translated Blind Owl.
64. Blind Owl.
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sadeq Hedayat's hauting novel Blind Owl.
63. Midwinter Day.
20 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bernadette Mayer's book-length poem Midwinter Day.
62. The Waste Land.
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
T.S. Eliot's poem The Waste Land on its 100th birthday.
61. Native Tongue.
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Suzette Haden Elgin's feminist science-fiction novel Native Tongue.
60b. Bonus: Jared Pechaček on The Two Towers.
05 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Writer and artist Jared Pechaček joins in a discussion of Tolkien's The Two Towers.
60. The Two Towers.
01 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The second part of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
59. Harriet the Spy.
25 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Louise Fitzhugh's children's novel Harriet the Spy.
58. Invisible Man.
04 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ralph Ellison's novel is, among other things, a portrait of New York City.
57. Ulysses.
16 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
James Joyce’s novel takes place in a single day in Dublin.
56. Mrs. Dalloway.
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Virginia Woolf's novel takes place in a single day in London.
55b. Bonus: Sandow Birk on the Divine Comedy.
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Artist Sandow Birk joins us to discuss his work on the Divine Comedy and the American Qur'an.
55. Paradiso.
30 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The final section of Dante’s Divine Comedy.
54. The Rings of Saturn.
07 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
W.G. Sebald's curious book The Rings of Saturn.
53. Confessions.
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Augustine's autobiography reckons with time itself.
52. Black Skin, White Masks.
22 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Frantz Fanon’s essay collection, on colonialism’s effects on the psyche.
51. I Am Woman.
16 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lee Maracle’s book, subtitled “A Native Perspective on Sociology and Feminism”.
50. The Hereford Mappa Mundi.
25 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Hereford Mappa Mundi is a medieval map of the world — what does it mean to “read” it?
49. Watchmen.
16 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Watchmen, the comic book by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
48b. Bonus: Melissa Moreton on Hidden Stories: Books Along the Silk Roads.
19 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Melissa Moreton, codicologist, joins us to discuss an exhibit at the Aga Khan Museum that Suzanne co-curated.
48. Orlando.
01 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Virginia Woolf’s genre-bending novel Orlando.
47b. Bonus: Daniel Heath Justice on Animals.
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Heath Justice, author of the books "Badger" and "Raccoon", on animals in literature and in real life.
47. Charlotte’s Web.
06 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
E.B. White’s children’s novel, Charlotte’s Web.
46b. Bonus: Anna Wilson on Bear.
22 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Medievalist and fanfiction scholar Anna Wilson puts Marian Engel's Bear in new contexts.
46. Bear.
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Marian Engel’s controversial but classic novel Bear.
45. The Conference of the Birds.
04 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Farid ud-Din Attar’s medieval poem The Conference of the Birds.
44b. Bonus: Oriana Schwindt on The Fellowship of the Ring.
30 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Oriana Schwindt (from Tolkien podcast By-The-Bywater) on The Fellowship of the Ring.
44. The Fellowship of the Ring.
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The first part of J.R.R. Tolkien’s foundational fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings.
43. Braiding Sweetgrass.
05 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Robin Wall Kimmerer’s collection of essays about botany and Indigenous knowledge.
42b. Bonus: Nahir Otaño Gracia on Laxdæla Saga.
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Medievalist Nahir I. Otaño Gracia joins us to talk about Laxdæla Saga and other Icelandic sagas.
42. Laxdæla Saga.
15 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The medieval Icelandic Laxdæla Saga, also known as The Saga of the People of Laxárdalr.
41. Exile and Pride.
08 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Eli Clare’s memoir and call to activism, Exile and Pride.
40. The Boys in the Band.
14 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mart Crowley’s groundbreaking 1968 play about gay lives.
39. The Metaphysical Poets.
02 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Poems by Andrew Marvell and John Donne.
38b. Bonus: Luther Obrock on the Mahabharata.
22 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Luther Obrock, scholar of Sanskrit poetry, joins us to talk about the Mahabharata and read from the Bhagavad Gita.
38. Mahabharata.
21 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
An enormous Sanskrit epic of ancient India, which includes the Bhagavad Gita.
37. Times Square Red, Times Square Blue.
15 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Samuel R. Delany's memoir/theoretical tract about sex and the city.
36b. Bonus: Shamma Boyarin on the Disciplina Clericalis.
27 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Shamma Boyarin, assistant professor at the University of Victoria, joins us to discuss Petrus Alfonsi's Disciplina Clericalis.
36. Disciplina Clericalis.
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Petrus Alphonsi’s twelfth-century collection of aphorisms and (often salacious) short stories.
35b. Bonus: Loretta Todd on Monkey Beach.
24 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Director Loretta Todd on her feature film adaptation of Eden Robinson’s Monkey Beach.
35. Monkey Beach.
21 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Eden Robinson’s debut novel is a coming-of-age story that has elements of horror and magic realism, but is deeply rooted in the writer’s own Indig...
34b. Bonus: Karla Mallette on Purgatorio.
08 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Karla Mallette, scholar of medieval Mediterranean literature, on Dante’s Purgatorio.
34. Purgatorio.
01 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The second part of Dante’s Divine Comedy, Purgatorio.
33. W, or the Memory of Childhood.
04 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
George Perec's curious novel braids together a story of a sport-obsessed island with an autobiographical attempt to remember a childhood haunted by lo...
32b. Bonus: David Hadbawnik on the Aeneid.
20 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We’re joined by David Hadbawnik, poet, translator, and scholar, to talk about his exciting translation of the Aeneid.
32. The Aeneid.
13 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Virgil’s epic poem about the founding of Rome (and a day of sports on the beach).
31. Beyond a Boundary.
24 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
C.L.R. James's book discusses cricket, but it's also an autobiography, an analysis of colonialism, and an inquiry into aesthetics.
30b. Bonus: Reading During Crisis, Part Two.
12 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We check in with more friends to ask how the months of social isolation and the recent activism against police violence are affecting them and their r...
30. Vanity Fair.
02 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
William Makepeace Thackeray massive novel about two intertwined lives: sweet and pure Amelia Sedley, and cunning and manipulative Becky Sharp.
29b. Bonus: Lee Maracle on Great Expectations.
18 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Lee Maracle, author of Memory Serves, joins us to discuss Great Expectations (and much more).
29. Great Expectations.
11 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Charles Dickens's novel about a young blacksmith’s apprentice who is unexpectedly given the means to become a gentleman of leisure.
28b. Bonus: Jess Henderson on Emma.
29 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jess Henderson recently led a virtual reading group on Emma, so we asked her to join us to share some hot takes.
28. Emma.
25 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jane Austen’s novel about a young woman determined to use her powers of matchmaking to do a little good in the world.
27b. Bonus: Reading During Crisis.
03 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Checking in during the early days of the pandemic.
27. The Decameron.
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Giovanni Boccaccio’s collection of 100 short stories told during a plague.
26b. Bonus: Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi on Persepolis.
27 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi, Professor of History and Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations at the University of Toronto, on Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis ...
26. Persepolis.
19 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Marjane Satrapi's comics memoir about growing up in Tehran during the Iranian Revolution.
25. The Jungle.
03 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Upton Sinclair’s 1906 novel takes place around the slaughterhouses of Chicago.
24b. Bonus: Lesley S. Curtis on Stella.
21 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We talk with Lesley S. Curtis about Stella, Émeric Bergeaud’s allegory of the Haitian Revolution and the first Haitian novel.
24. The Black Jacobins.
14 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
C.L.R. James’s history of the Haitian Revolution.
23. Memory Serves.
22 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Memory Serves is a challenging and compelling collection of oratories by author, activist, and Elder of the Stó:lo Nation Lee Maracle.
22. Beloved.
19 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Toni Morrison's difficult and stunning novel Beloved.
21. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
27 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Roald Dahl’s classic work of children’s literature.
20b. Bonus: Irina Dumitrescu on Food Writing.
18 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Irina Dumitrescu is a professor of medieval literature at the University of Bonn, but she also has a secret life as a food essayist.
20. How to Cook a Wolf.
15 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
M.F.K. Fisher’s book about food, written during World War 2.
19b. Bonus: Simone de Rochefort on Ernest Hemingway.
04 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Simone de Rochefort from Polygon joins us to share her enthusiasm for Hemingway.
19. A Moveable Feast.
01 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A Moveable Feast is Ernest Hemingway’s memoir of being a young and often hungry writer surrounded by the writers, artists, and waiters of 1920s Pari...
18b. Bonus: Liza Blake on Margaret Cavendish.
21 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Liza Blake, Margaret Cavendish scholar, joins us to give a bit more context to The Blazing World and its glittering glories.
18. The Blazing World.
19 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A philosophical flight of fancy by Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle.
17. Hayy ibn Yaqzan.
02 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Abu Bakr ibn Tufayl’s novel is a curious philosophical thought experiment from twelfth-century al-Andalus.
16b. Bonus: Michael Collins on Middlemarch.
16 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Writer, podcaster, and personal trainer Michael Collins joins us to talk about his favourite book, George Eliot's Middlemarch.