Annotated

Annotated episodes:

• 10.07.2019

  National Novel Writing Month

  How a gimmick to write more became one of the biggest literary events online. This episode is sponsored by: Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky I’m Not Dying with You Tonight by Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  
• 09.03.2019

  The Baby-Sitters Club

  The affirming, surprising, and most of all lasting legacy of The Baby-Sitters Club. This episode is sponsored by: The Ventriloquists by E.R. Ramzipoor Circe by Madeline Miller Links relevant to this episode: Someday by David Levithan Yumi Sakugawa RWBY After the Fall by E.C. Myers The Baby-Sitters Club...

  
• 08.05.2019

  The Dream of a Universal Language

  What if the whole world spoke the same language? How would it work? Who would be interested in speaking it? In this episode, the dream, the reality, and the hope that is Esperanto. This episode is sponsored by: Mostly Dead Things by...

  
• 07.01.2019

  The Life-Changing Magic of Reading a Book

  Sometimes people refer to a book they really liked as "life-changing." But what if you read a book, and it really did change your life in a big way? In this episode, stories of people reading books and making a...

  
• 06.03.2019

  #26: You Are Not Alone

  In this episode, the story of the interrupted literary career of Freido Lampe, and how his story reveals the underpinnings of the Nazi obsession with books and literature. This episode is sponsored by: We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal Have You...

  
• 05.29.2019

  #25: Books Behind Bars, Part 2

  In a follow-up to our last episode, an extended conversation with Chris Wilson about what reading while in prison can do. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  
• 05.06.2019

  #24: Books Behind Bars, Part 1

  There are few places books can be put to better use than in prisons. So why is it so hard to get books into the hands of people in jail? In this episode, we look at how Washington state tried...

  
• 04.09.2019

  #23: The Prophet

  How Khalil Gibran's The Prophet became a quiet cultural powerhouse. Follow Annotated on Instagram! This episode is sponsored by: Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc by David Elliott The Handmaid’s Tale (Graphic Novel) by Margaret Atwood, illustrated by Renee Nault Relevant links: Roger Allers'...

  
• 03.06.2019

  #22: Drag Queen Story Hour

  In this episode, a look at how Drag Queen Story Hour became a public library phenomenon. Follow Annotated on Instagram! This episode is sponsored by: TBR The Chef by James Patterson Relevant Links: The Official Site of Drag Queen Story Hour Bix Warden's Drag Queen Story Hour...

  
• 02.04.2019

  #21: Viral

  In this episode, three stories about books, or parts of books, going viral. This episode is sponsored by: The Read Harder Journal The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff and Park Row Books Related Links: Rachel Kramer Bussel's Forbes Article on Ben Phillippe's...

  
• 01.08.2019

  #20: The Very Model of A Modern Major Bookstore

  Independent bookstores are doing well. Amazon is now the most valuable company in the world. But what of Barnes & Noble and the big chain bookstore? In this episode, how Barnes & Noble became a dominant force, why its not...

  
• 01.02.2019

  #19: Interlude: Grady Hendrix on ULYSSES

  As part of Book Riot's Recommended podcast series, Grady Hendrix talked about what makes Ulysses his favorite book. We present it as an interlude as a follow-up to Annotated episode #4, "The United States v. One Book Called Ulysses." Follow Annotated...

  
• 12.06.2018

  #18: Edna Ferber

  In this episode, we profile the most famous American writer you probably never heard of--Edna Ferber. This episode is sponsored by: Penguin Random House Audio Penguin Random House Audio's Holiday Guide Books mentioned in this episode: So Big by Edna Ferber Ferber and Her Circle...

  
• 11.01.2018

  #17: Is Reading Endangered?

  People don't read as much as they used to. At least that's what people say. But is it true? And if they are reading less, why does it matter? Or does it matter? And the internet is bad for reading...

  
• 10.02.2018

  #16: The Patron Saint of Libraries

  The story of how Andrew Carnegie transformed the public library in America. This episode is sponsored by: Vampires Like It Hot by Lynsay Sands A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney Relevant Links: Carnegie Libraries by George Bobinski Andrew Carnegie by David Nasaw Part of Our Lives:...

  
• 09.02.2018

  #15: Touch of Genius

  The story of how Louis Braille brought reading to the blind. Follow Annotated on Instagram! This episode is sponsored by: TBR The Dutch Wife by Ellen Keith The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan   Links discussed in this episode: The National Braille Press Review Annotated on Apple Podcasts! See...

  
• 07.17.2018

  #14: Used

  Last month, a large used book collection and distribution company suddenly went out of business, leaving a hole in the local used book ecosystem. In this episode, we follow that story into the modern world of used book-selling. Follow Annotated on...

  
• 06.12.2018

  #13: La Cote Basque, 1965

  In 1975, Truman Capote published a short story in Esquire magazine that led a New York socialite to commit suicide and the fallout effectively ended Capote's literary career. This is the story of the story, "La Cote Basque 1965." Follow Annotated...

  
• 05.28.2018

  #12: Democracy by the Book

  Last fall, a woman with no prior political experience decided to run for city commission in her small college-town. So she went to the library, checked out a book called How to Win a Local Election. And she did. This...

  
• 05.15.2018

  #11: The Nobel Crisis

  In a shocking development, the 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature will not be awarded. In this episode, we explore what happened, how it happened, and what might happen still. This episode is sponsored by: Penguin Random House Audio Educated written by Tara Westover...

  
• 04.30.2018

  #10: The Original Gone Girl

  The story of the strange 11-day disappearance of Agatha Christie: what did happen, what didn't happen, and what might have happened. This episode is sponsored by: TryAudiobooks.com The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer Follow Annotated on Instagram! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  
• 04.16.2018

  #9: How to Hack the New York Times Bestseller List

  Last summer, an unknown book came out of nowhere to debut at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list for Young Adult books. Its short time at the top exposed some flaws in bestseller lists and provoked questions about...

  
• 04.02.2018

  #8: The Dictionary War

  In this episode, the story of Merriam-Webster's Third Edition, and fight about language it caused. This episode is sponsored by: TryAudiobooks I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon If you have a moment, rating and/or review Annotated on Apple Podcasts is the best way to...

  
• 03.19.2018

  #7: Saving Shakespeare

  In this first episode of season 2 of Annotated, the story of how Shakespeare was saved for posterity by two of his friends and a cagey publisher. This episode is sponsored by Penguin Random House Audio. Visit TryAudiobooks.com/bookriot for great listening...

  
• 09.14.2017

  #6: Love, Punctuation, and the Oxford Comma

  In this episode, an investigation of the Oxford comma that starts, improbably, with a love story. This episode is sponsored by: The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston Devastation Road by Jason Hewitt  Follow Annotated on Instagram! See omnystudio.com/listener for...

  
• 08.24.2017

  #5: The 17-Year-Old Who Invented Science Fiction

  In this episode, the story of how a 17-year-old named Mary Godwin came to write Frankenstein and in doing so write the first great work of science fiction.  This episode is sponsored by: Underground Airlines by Ben H. Winters Seeing Red...

  
• 08.10.2017

  #4: The United States V. One Book Called "Ulysses"

  In this episode, the story of how an unlikely cast of characters brought James Joyce's Ulysses to America, got it legalized, and changed how we understand what literature can do. This episode is sponsored by: You Don't Have to Say You...

  
• 07.27.2017

  #3: The World's Most Glamorous Librarian

  In this episode: the life of Belle da Costa Greene, the most glamorous and influential librarian in early 20th Century America, who kept a life-long secret that would have ended her career.  This episode is sponsored by: Careers for Women by...

  
• 07.13.2017

  #2: How Did Independent Bookstores Avoid Going Extinct?

  In this episode, we look at the remarkable turnaround in independent bookstores in the U.S. After thousands closed from 1995 to 2008, over the last decade more bookstores are setting up shop...and staying open. How did it happen? And will...

  
• 06.29.2017

  #1: Is It 1984 Yet?

  In this inaugural episode, we consider the resurgence of interest in George Orwell's 1984, and the story of how 1984 came to be in the first place.  This episode is sponsored by: Al Franken: Giant of the Senate by Al Franken...

  
• 06.21.2017

  Annotated Ep. #0: Introducing Annotated

  This is a teaser/preview of the first episode of Annotated, Book Riot's new audio documentary series about books, reading, and language. Episode 1 will be released June 29th and explore the history and continuing influence of George Orwell's 1984.   This six-episodes...