Behind the Read

The NEA Big Read Lakeshore

Big Read Lakeshore of Hope College is proud to present Behind the Read, a podcast series that offers listeners insights and perspectives on all what goes into, around and behind the act of reading. Our host and program director Dr. Deb Van Duinen will talk all things reading, literacy and books with friends of the Big Read Lakeshore. Behind the Read is a production of Hope College’s Big Read Lakeshore program. Through Big Read events and programming, we promote and foster a culture along the West Michigan Lakeshore where reading matters. Learn more at bigreadlakeshore.com!

  1. 10/27/2024

    The Great Gatsby Delights and Instructs | Dr. Mike Owens

    In this first episode of season three, the host for this season, Addie Wilcox, talks with Dr. David “Mike” Owens. Dr. Owens is a retired professor of American Literature. He taught at Hope College starting in 2017, and before he taught at Valparaiso University in Indiana. While at Hope, Dr. Owens also served as the founding/interim director of college writing. Dr. Owens received his PhD in American Literature from Purdue University in 2001, and since then he has published a book titled The Devil's Topographer: Ambrose Bierce and the American War Story, and multiple articles including “Where the Ground was the Enemy: Setting as Character in The Things They Carried,” “Back From ‘That Literary Hell, the Footnote’: Sarah B. Cooper's Overland Monthly Writings,” and “The Last Campaign of John Brown's Body: West Point and America's Forgotten Civil War Epic.” Mike’s primary area of expertise is American Literature from mid-19th until mid-20th centuries. He has additional areas of interest in American short fiction, African American literature, workplace and professional writing, and composition. Before becoming a professor, Dr. Owens was an Army officer, having spent 21 years as an infantryman with many of those in the 82nd Airborne Division. He was a Master Parachutist and a Ranger as well. If you want to learn more about about The Great Gatsby or The Big Read program, be sure to check out the website: https://bigreadlakeshore.com/

    22 min
  2. Greek Mythology is endlessly fascinating | George O'Connor

    11/22/2022

    Greek Mythology is endlessly fascinating | George O'Connor

    In this episode, my co-host, Addie, and I have a conversation with George O’Connor, an author, illustrator and cartoonist. Above all, George is a Greek mythology buff and a classic superhero comics fan, and he's out to remind us how much our pantheon of superheroes (Superman, Batman, the X-Men, etc) owes to mankind's original superheroes: the Greek pantheon. Now he has brought his attention to Olympians, an ongoing series retelling the classic Greek myths in comics form. ​In his New York Times bestselling Olympians series, O'Connor draws from primary documents to reconstruct and retell classic Greek myths. These stories are action-packed, fast-paced, high-drama adventures, with monsters and romance. O'Connor's vibrant, kinetic art brings ancient tales to undeniable life, in a perfect fusion of super-hero aesthetics and ancient Greek mythology. George's first graphic novel, Journey Into Mohawk Country, is about the actual historical journal of the seventeenth-century Dutch trader Harmen Meyndertsz van den Bogaert. In addition to his graphic novel career, O'Connor has published several children's picture books, including the New York Times best-selling Kapow!, Sally and the Some-Thing, If I Had a Raptor and If I Had a Triceratops. Learn more about our program at bigreadlakeshore.com and follow us on social media to stay up-to-date on all things Big Read! O’Connor’s Book Suggestions: The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony D'aulaires' Book of Greek Myths

    20 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Big Read Lakeshore of Hope College is proud to present Behind the Read, a podcast series that offers listeners insights and perspectives on all what goes into, around and behind the act of reading. Our host and program director Dr. Deb Van Duinen will talk all things reading, literacy and books with friends of the Big Read Lakeshore. Behind the Read is a production of Hope College’s Big Read Lakeshore program. Through Big Read events and programming, we promote and foster a culture along the West Michigan Lakeshore where reading matters. Learn more at bigreadlakeshore.com!