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PODCAST

The Reading Culture

Host Jordan Lloyd Bookey speaks with authors and reading enthusiasts to explore ways to build a stronger culture of reading in our communities. They"ll dive into their personal experiences, inspirations, and why their stories and ideas are connecting so well with kids.

arts books

All Episodes

33:23

Expanding Woman: Nic Stone on Forgiveness and the...

The Reading Culture ·

2025/11/12

“It's important that my perspective stays flexible because my perspective could need updating, it could need to be changed based on new information.” — Nic StoneNic Stone isn’t interested in staying in her lane. A #1 New York Times bestselling author, her young adult novels—Dear Martin, Chaos Theory, and Clean Getaway—explore nuances of racism, power, and mental illness with clarity and compassion. Now, she’s stepping into uncharted territory with Boom Town, her first adult novel. Set in a

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37:39

You Can't Just Move On: Erin Entrada Kelly on Limbo

The Reading Culture ·

2025/10/29

“It’s that old expression that I love, which is ‘wherever you go, there you are.’ So you never really get out of the limbo, because the limbo is you.” — Erin Entrada KellyThere are seasons when life slows down, even as our minds continue to race. When we find ourselves caught somewhere between motion and stillness, haunted by what came before and reaching for what’s next. That tension has become deeply personal for Erin Entrada Kelly. After an aggressive cancer diagnosis, Erin found herself

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31:20

Tender Heart: Kate DiCamillo on Awe and Grief

The Reading Culture ·

2025/10/15

“This is what awe always does: it’s the zoom out. All of a sudden, you can see how tiny and insignificant you are, and you plug into that bigger thing” - Kate DiCamilloWhen was the last time you were so captivated by the beauty of the world around you that it stopped you in your tracks? Kate DiCamillo intentionally has those moments daily. In a world that can feel dark and hopeless, she maintains a sense of awe. It’s the force that helps her move through both joy and loss. It’s what allows

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38:46

I Love You, Man: Jason Reynolds on Masculinity

The Reading Culture ·

2025/10/01

"I don’t want to be whatever version of masculinity y’all keep telling me I have to be. Why are all the benchmarks violent and aggressive? I don’t wanna do it. I’m not interested” — Jason ReynoldsWe all inherit scripts about who we’re supposed to be. For boys, they often center on toughness, aggression, and hiding their emotions. Jason Reynolds has spent his life questioning those scripts, carving out space for tenderness and love, honoring friendships that offered freedom, and exploring

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43:44

Under My Thumb: Brian Selznick on Control

The Reading Culture ·

2025/09/17

“When you're a kid, you have so little control over things. To be the big entity controlling the smaller entity, whether it's dolls or [toy] soldiers or whatever it is, they do what you tell them to do. They become the story you are making.” — Brian SelznickWe all want to feel in control, mold our lives and experiences, and shape the world into something we can hold. But control is slippery; one moment, it can steady us, the next, it slips away. Brian Selznick—#1 New York Times bestselling

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31:10

The Unchosen Ones: Victoria Aveyard on Fairness in...

The Reading Culture ·

2025/09/03

”Why are some people treated differently? Why are some people chosen ones for no particular reason? And why do some people get to have that extra shine?” — Victoria AveyardUnfairness is a pervasive theme in a lot of fantasy fiction. With battles between good and evil dominating title after title, these tales appear to have a tight grasp on fairness and justice. But for Victoria Aveyard, the world of fantasy frequently falls short on these promises. Even in some of her favorite works, the

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34:22

Unintentional Monsters: Tiffany D. Jackson on Real...

The Reading Culture ·

2025/08/20

“Whenever I think of people who have gone through something, I'm always like, but they were human before this. Before they were monsters, they were human. Before they were zombies, they were human.” — Tiffany D. JacksonSome of the most unsettling monsters don’t come from nightmares or ghost stories. They walk among us in daylight, smiling widely and blending in. They can be shaped by our environments, our circumstances, or people’s choices—and in stories, as in life, they challenge us to

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31:52

Becky, Obviously: Becky Albertalli on Bullies, Bodies...

The Reading Culture ·

2025/08/06

“There were kind of always like two simultaneous stories happening with my coming out. One was the realization and breaking through some of that denial and repression, seeing kind of what was right there in front of me, and I gave that story to Imogen.” – Becky AlbertalliWhat if there were two stories running through your life: the one you’re telling the world, and the one you haven’t even admitted to yourself? That’s the kind of truth Becky Albertalli explores in her writing, and that

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37:42

*ICYMI* Cool To Be You: Kwame Alexander On Authenticity

The Reading Culture ·

2025/07/23

This week, we revisit our episode with Kwame Alexander while we take a quick summer break!Kwame Alexander recently interviewed the esteemed and now former Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, for the American Library Association’s Annual Conference in Philadelphia. They talked about the power of poetry, the role of libraries in creating access and imagination, how Dr. Hayden remains hopeful and positive in this moment, and of course, how books can help kids be better humans and dreamers. It

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38:32

Our Job is to Live: Jasmine Warga on Belonging and...

The Reading Culture ·

2025/07/09

"We all need to have radical hope. I have my really hopeless days too, but… it’s such a privilege to get to live and to survive. Our job is to live, and I think that’s a really amazing thing.” - Jasmine WargaWe all want to make the most of our time here. Not just survive, but dream big and live fully. For Jasmine Warga, that means carrying forward the strength of those before her while creating space for joy, curiosity, and self-discovery. It means letting go of perfection, holding on to

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36:36

Slow Reveal: Gayle Forman on Friends, Flaws, and...

The Reading Culture ·

2025/06/25

“Those moments of connection when you can have them with people who seem so different from you on the outside, I really do think that it braids a level of connectiveness and empathy, and it is much harder to harden your heart.” — Gayle FormanWhat does it mean to rise to the occasion, not once, but over and over again? Sometimes it means reckoning with grief. Other times it means stumbling forward, messing up, and trying again. And sometimes it means simply showing up, imperfect, but still

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41:20

Stories Left Untold: Ibi Zoboi on Secrets Lost and Found

The Reading Culture ·

2025/06/11

“As my own mother is aging, she's telling me … before I take this to my grave, here is something you should know. So the secrets are coming out. And as more and more secrets are revealed, I'm learning more about myself.” - Ibi Zoboi Ibi Zoboi writes to remember—her own story, her family’s legacy, and the long history of migration, myth, and memory that shaped them both. For Ibi, storytelling is a form of resistance and reclamation. It’s how she makes sense of the secrets that shaped her

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39:21

Touched for the Very First Time: Soman Chainani on...

The Reading Culture ·

2025/05/28

“I tell kids that books are not there to torment you. The author has to get you in the first ten pages. If they do not, they fail, because a book is like a lawnmower—you pull it, and either it starts or it doesn't start.” –Soman ChainaiSoman Chainani wants reading to feel irresistible. The bestselling author of "The School for Good and Evil," series and the recently released graphic novel, "Coven," shares how his own reading life began—powered by Anne Rice, Michael Crichton, and a complete

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25:49

Mixtape: Mychal Threets Lays Out His Life in Books

The Reading Culture ·

2025/05/13

"I think all of us had the experience after reading the book of looking in maybe our grandparents' wardrobe, our parents' wardrobe, and like knocking on the back of the wardrobe and being like, maybe this is my time. Maybe they're gonna call me in here."— Mychal ThreetsFor this week’s episode, we are testing out a slightly different format, something we have named a “Mixtape” episode. Rather than making the reading challenge the last bit of an author’s show, we have made the reading

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28:48

Good Luck, They’re Yours: Sharon Draper on Giving...

The Reading Culture ·

2025/04/30

“And I think that’s what reading is… It’s a personal interpretation of the story, and it may not be the same as somebody else's. That’s the whole idea of a good teacher. There should be different interpretations, and sometimes a student will come up with something that I never thought of.” —Sharon M. Draper Give a story to twenty kids, and you might get twenty different takeaways. Some will catch the details you didn’t even notice. Others will pull out meaning that wasn’t intentionally

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46:29

We Contain Multitudes: Debbie Levy on the Dangers of...

The Reading Culture ·

2025/03/19

"It's very rare for a person to just be one thing. Most issues, most things that matter, are not so black and white." – Debbie LevyWe all want to believe in heroes and villains, right and wrong, and clear-cut answers. But history and life are rarely that simple. Debbie Levy has spent her career exploring the gray areas, challenging readers to see multiple perspectives and embrace complexity. A former lawyer, journalist, and now award-winning children’s author, Debbie has written books like

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39:52

Art Against the Machine: Aida Salazar on Writing for...

The Reading Culture ·

2025/03/05

“I lean on my community. I lean on the power of the pen. I lean on remembering who my ancestors are and what they endured, the colonization that they survived in the Americas, I think, ‘we've been here before, and the lineage from which I come is one that is powerful and resistant.’ I would be dishonoring that legacy and that lineage if I didn't step up in this moment.” — Aida SalazarAida Salazar believes deeply in the power of words to change the world. For Aida, writing isn’t just a

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38:23

In the Heights: Jerry Craft Subverts Expectations

The Reading Culture ·

2025/02/19

“Their white classmates can read Harry Potter and relate to going to Hogwarts and flying on brooms. But a Black kid can't aspire to go to Paris, which can actually happen.” – Jerry CraftGrowing up, Jerry Craft did not enjoy reading. He says he simply never encountered a children's book that intrigued him enough or felt right. But Jerry loves defying expectations, and so naturally, the boy who rarely set foot in a library grew up to become a celebrated children’s book author and illustrator

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48:26

Porch Stories: Jewell Parker Rhodes on Ghosts,...

The Reading Culture ·

2025/02/05

“For every child that thinks something is wrong with them, my books are saying, ‘be you, even if others can’t see you. The people who don’t see your beauty, see your glory–they have a problem. Something is wrong with their eyes, their soul.’” – Jewell Parker RhodesRaised mainly by her grandmother on a steady diet of porch stories (and lots of bread), Jewell Parker Rhodes spent decades writing for adults, perfecting her craft in order to “be good enough” to write for kids. For Jewell, that

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38:50

Scratching the Surface: Vashti Harrison on Going Past...

The Reading Culture ·

2025/01/22

“Every time I read “Big” at a school, obviously I’m there to speak to kids about the story, and I hope they’re all connecting with it, but at every single reading there is always an adult woman that comes to me and says, this is my story, I needed this when I was young. And I just wish we all knew that we were all going through the same thing.” -Vashti HarrisonVashti Harrison burst onto the children’s book scene with her book, “Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History.” But to hear her

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