Does reading fiction really make us more empathetic, or does losing ourselves in a good book making us antisocial? On this episode of The Book Project, Sarah explores the solitary world of our favourite hobby, from the evolution of reading silently to the social benefits of escaping into a good book.

Check out The Book Project on Facebook for the articles and recommendations mentioned in this episode!

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1. Episode #19: Express Yourself — The Power of Zines

On this episode of The Book Project, we’re talking about zines! Alanna and Gill teach Sarah about the fascinating history of zines as a platform for fans, artists, and activists to share their ideas, the influence zines have had on their lives, and the importance of zines today.

Check out The Book Project on Facebook for more recommendations and to find a CanZine festival near you!

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1. Episode #16: Whose Story is it Anyway?

The Book Project tackles the questionable business of bestsellers lists. We reveal how these lists are compiled, how some are cheating the system, and discuss the recent New York Times bestseller list scandal.

Find The Book Project on Facebook for the articles mentioned in this episode and more.

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1. Episode #19: Express Yourself — The Power of Zines

Summer is here! The Book Project shares our hot picks for summer beach reads, covering topics from the way we talk to each other to reconnecting with our earliest celebrity role models. We also touch on a recent book promotion fail, and revisit our retro love of magazines.

Books featured in this episode:

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life: Essays by Samantha Irby

You’re the Only One I Can Tell: Inside the Language of Women’s Friendships by Deborah Tannen

All the Lives I Want: Essays About My Best Friends Who Happen to be Famous Strangers by Alana Massey

Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay

Find The Book Project on Facebook for more summer reads.

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1. Episode #15: Poetry Slam

The Book Project gets into the issue of cultural appropriation in publishing. We consider some examples, tackle the misconceptions about what cultural appropriation looks like, and offer some solutions and ways that we as readers can encourage diversity in publishing.

Find The Book Project on Facebook for links to the articles mentioned in this episode, and our weekly recommendations.

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1. Episode #9: Publishing Programs

The Book Project belatedly celebrates National Poetry Month with guest Morgan Govier, who shares her experiences with poetry as both a published poet and a marketing assistant and publicist. We talk about the ups and downs of self-promotion, how to plan a poetry reading, and what it takes to get your work published.

Find The Book Project on Facebook for links to the articles mentioned in this episode, and our weekly recommendations.

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1. Episode #17: Beach Book Bag

Sarah and Alanna look at the recent resurgence of two dystopian classics, how what we read is a reflection of our current political climate, and what to do when fiction threatens to become reality (hint: signs are involved). We also announce our Bitchiness to the world, come to terms with the fact that we will never be cool enough for Reddit, and reminisce about flip phones and Star Trek.

Find The Book Project on Facebook for links to the articles mentioned in this episode, and our weekly recommendations.

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1. Episode #6: Booktivism

On this episode of The Book Project, Sarah gets her head out of the books and learns about video game narratives from brilliant gamer girl Zoë Tustin. We learn the difference between embedded and emerging narrative, discuss how games reflect our present reality, and briefly touch on what we should have learned from #gamergate.

This episode can be found on iTunes.

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1. Episode #7: Battle of the Classics

The days are still short and things seem a bit bleak, but Sarah has a selection of books to look forward to in 2017 to keep us happy and hopeful. Find out which new books we’re excited for, and don’t forget to check out our Facebook page for even more recommendations, like The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall and this article from New York Magazine by Rebecca Traister.

This episode can be found on iTunes.

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1. Minisode #1: Where My Gays At?