The Spouter-Inn

5.0 (8)
BOOKS

Chris (a poet) and Suzanne (a professor) spent six years talking about “great books” (whatever that means), and are now talking about reading (and all the things that means).

2025-12-30

The Gospel According to Mark / On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity

The Gospel According to Mark (and some recent queer retellings of Jesus’ life story), and John Milton’s poem On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity.

1h 27m
2025-12-01

Waiting for Godot / Theory of Water

Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s new book Theory of Water: Nishnaabe Maps to the Times Ahead.

1h 1m
2025-11-28 · BONUS

Bonus: John Nicholas on Cry of the Ancients

Suzanne talks with John Nicholas, whose parents Grey Owl and Little Pigeon wrote Cry of the Ancients (1974).

49 min
2025-11-01

Pride and Prejudice / Northanger Abbey

For Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, we’re rereading Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey.

1h 26m
2025-09-24

Wuthering Heights / Home Cooking

Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights and Laurie Colwin’s essay collection Home Cooking.

1h 16m
2025-08-15

The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens / Finnegans Wake

The poetry of Wallace Stevens and James Joyce’s experimental novel Finnegans Wake.

1h 25m
2025-07-14

The Tale of Peter Rabbit / Forgetting Elena

Beatrix Potter’s charming children’s book The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Edmund White’s novel Forgetting Elena.

1h 16m
2025-06-24

The Great Gatsby / Solaris

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby on its 100th birthday, and Stanisław Lem’s science fiction classic Solaris.

1h 15m

See All (121)

5

out of 5

8 Ratings

In-depth but very accessible

2019-03-27

AvenSarah

The conversations between the hosts draw us in to the works they discuss, whether we’ve read them or not, exploring themes and style and the connections to the society they were written in as well as to universal aspects of life we can all recognize. A pleasure to listen to, and it’s given me a lot to think about with works I’ve known a long time, and introduced me to a few new ones!

Chris (a poet) and Suzanne (a professor) spent six years talking about “great books” (whatever that means), and are now talking about reading (and all the things that means).