#21: Viral

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.

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 Club Podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Kristen Arnett Relevant links: Bridge of Words: Esperanto and the Dream of a Universal Language by Esther Schor Alex Miller's Esperanto YouTube Channel See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 big change. This episode is sponsored by: The Guest Book by Sarah Blake See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Seen Luis Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde Relevant Links: At the Edge of the Night by Freido Lampe, translated by Simon Beattie The Book Thieves by Anders Rydell Annotated on Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

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 to radically restrict the flow of books into prisons. This episode is sponsored by: Whatbooks Relevant links: Books to Prisoners Changing Lives Through Literature The Master Plan by Chris Wilson Follow Annotated on Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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' The Prophet adaptation Muhammad: Prophet of Peace Amid the Clash of Empires by Juan Cole See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Reading Suggestions See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Dedication Going Viral The Scottish Granny reads The Wonkey Donkey Craig Smith performing The Wonkey Donkey Annotated on Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.