Podcast: LeVar Burton Reads
If you were a young reader, like me. Or a faithful PBS kid, like me. You'll be familiar with the charm and whimsy of Reading Rainbow. It was one of my absolute favorite shows growing up. I was an avid and annoying reader, I spent long hours at the library when I could and always brought home at bag full of books from every trip. Nearly thirty years later and I can still sing the whole theme song, because that's the kind of memory trap our tiny brains create with music.
Best of all I think, is the moment just before LeVar transfers from announcer voice, to narrator voice. There's a moment when he asks you, we the audience, to take a deep breath. He invites you to come with him to the story with that pause, that breath, encouraging you to make yourself open to the story you're about to hear. Or at least that's how it feels to me, each and every time. If these were episodes of Reading Rainbow, this is the moment when the cover of the book flips open and you prepare to see the images that accompany the story.
I listen to a lot of audio books, and several story-based podcasts. And honestly, I think all of them could do with a bit more moments like that one. The one that transitions you from passive listener, to an active one.
If you like stories (and I hope you do), I hope you'll check out LeVar Burton Reads.
It's pretty special.
This week's short story is "The Truth About Owls" by Amal El-Mohtar, a short story author I have come to enjoy very much. I've had the pleasure of meeting her twice now and she's amazingly sweet and as enthusiastic fan about the things she enjoys as anyone I've met. Enjoy.
Reading Rainbow has seen a bit of a revival on the internet in the past few years thanks to LeVar's efforts and the generosity of people on KickStarter. Although as adults, simplicity outweighs much of it's charm. Though I find the books read by LeVar and the children each episode to still be quite a lovely experience.
Enter, then, LeVar's more recent foray into the world of stories and reading with his own titular podcast: LeVar Burton Reads. Each week, LeVar hand picks a short story to read aloud, with a few comments about the author and why he picked this particular story. Most of the stories have a slight sci-fi or fantasy element to them, of which if you're a fan, many of the author's names might be recognizable to you. Each of them are read in his very unique voice, with voices when he can or inflection when he cannot. He's stopping every few podcasts for Q&A weeks with a specific author to talk about the story he read, as well as their experiences and inspirations.
Enter, then, LeVar's more recent foray into the world of stories and reading with his own titular podcast: LeVar Burton Reads. Each week, LeVar hand picks a short story to read aloud, with a few comments about the author and why he picked this particular story. Most of the stories have a slight sci-fi or fantasy element to them, of which if you're a fan, many of the author's names might be recognizable to you. Each of them are read in his very unique voice, with voices when he can or inflection when he cannot. He's stopping every few podcasts for Q&A weeks with a specific author to talk about the story he read, as well as their experiences and inspirations.
Best of all I think, is the moment just before LeVar transfers from announcer voice, to narrator voice. There's a moment when he asks you, we the audience, to take a deep breath. He invites you to come with him to the story with that pause, that breath, encouraging you to make yourself open to the story you're about to hear. Or at least that's how it feels to me, each and every time. If these were episodes of Reading Rainbow, this is the moment when the cover of the book flips open and you prepare to see the images that accompany the story.
I listen to a lot of audio books, and several story-based podcasts. And honestly, I think all of them could do with a bit more moments like that one. The one that transitions you from passive listener, to an active one.
If you like stories (and I hope you do), I hope you'll check out LeVar Burton Reads.
It's pretty special.
This week's short story is "The Truth About Owls" by Amal El-Mohtar, a short story author I have come to enjoy very much. I've had the pleasure of meeting her twice now and she's amazingly sweet and as enthusiastic fan about the things she enjoys as anyone I've met. Enjoy.
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