Best DC Public Library Podcasts (2025)

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Get Lit: Austin Ross, Alan Good, and Joey Hedger 49:15

18d ago49:15

49:15

This month we have local writers Austin Ross and Joey Hedger, both with books out with Malarkey Books. We also have Alan Good, editor of Malarkey Books, who has published a slew of DC writers. Credits Java Pop by Spires That in the Sunset Rise is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. https://freemusicarch…

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Top Ten List to Celebrate 10 years of podcasting - Number 10 "Refugee" by Alan Gratz 23:21

5d ago23:21

23:21

What would it be like to leave everything you know, everything you own, everyone you love to escape war, persecution, or poverty? In “Refugee,” Alan Gratz imagines how three young people struggle to survive as they excape to freedom. Students from Washington Latin Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. discuss the book with host Kitty Felde. Act…

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LA Maker Faire 2025 6:06

12d ago6:06

6:06

We brought our giant microphone to the 2025 City of Stem/LA Maker Faire in Los Angeles on Saturday, asking kids our favorite question: what's your favorite book? Here are just some of the titles: The Maze Runner series - James Dashner Twins - Rain Telgemeier My Weird School - Dan Gutman Ellray Jakes - Sally Warner Magic Treehouse - Mary Pope Osborn…

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Banned Books Monster by Walter Dean Myers 25:30

19d ago25:30

25:30

We continue our series highlighting episodes that feature books that have been banned or challenged. This week, it’s Walter Dean Myers’ tale of a kid on trial for murder “Monster.” In 2021, parents in Signal Mountain Middle/High School in Tennessee complained about mature language and sexual content in some 7th grade reading club selections. In res…

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A Conversation with Malia Maunakea 7:40

26d ago7:40

7:40

Last week, we took a trip to Hawaii to discuss “Lei and the Fire Goddess.” This week, we talk to author Malia Maunakea about using Google maps as a writer, the difference between writing fiction and non-fiction, ADHD, even tax write-offs! Kitty Felde is host.

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Episode 157 - Lei and the Fire Goddess by Malia Maunakea 21:23

1M ago21:23

21:23

This week, we talk about myths – whether it’s on Capitol Hill or Hawaii. Our book is “Lei and the Fire Goddess” by Malia Maunakea. Our readers are members of the Page Turners Book Club at East City Bookshop in Washington, DC. Our celebrity reader is playwright Kiki Rivera. Kitty Felde is host. The kids mention Keeper of the Lost Cities I mention a …

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Favorite Books from Older Readers at the Culver City Book Fest 5:41

1M ago5:41

5:41

This week we talk to some older readers at the Culver City book Festival about their favorite books. Once again, fantasy seems to be the fan favorite. Give a listen. Favorite Books from Older Readers at the Culver City Book Fest Once and Future - Cory McCarthy & A. R. Capetta Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling Big Nate - Lincoln Peirce Keeper of the Lost …

1
Notes from the Library: Health & Human Services 43:10

1M ago43:10

43:10

***From 2019*** In this episode, host Victor Benitez interviews Jean Badalamenti, Health & Human Services Coordinator for the DC Public Library and Peer Outreach Specialists Jerome and Renee to talk about about the library's role in assisting DC's most vulnerable and at-risk residents.By Victor Benitez, Jean Badalamenti

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Get Lit: Margaret Roberts Drucker and Ivy Grimes 46:23

2M ago46:23

46:23

Join as Margaret Roberts Drucker returns with another scary story, Chris makes a soothing song for these troubling times, and Ivy Grimes reads her piece about someone swallowing a glass piano. Credits Re-Function! by junior85 is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License. Life’s Small Pleasures by Christopher Stevenson: DC Metro - Interior 1 by cra…

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A Conversation with Writer Jewell Parker Rhodes 6:19

2M ago6:19

6:19

Jewell Parker Rhodes, winner of the American Book Award, talks about the difficulty of writing "Ghost Boys" and about her own reading journey with host Kitty Felde. bookclubforkids.orgBy Kitty Felde

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Banned Books Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes 25:55

2M ago25:55

25:55

. We continue our look at books that have been challenged or banned. This week, it’s Jewell Parker Rhodes’ tale of a young black boy shot by a white police officer “Ghost Boys.” The book was temporarily banned in Florida’s second largest school district over a complaint that the book was “propaganda” against the police. A rural school district in C…

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Culver City Book Festival Favorites 6:30

2M ago6:30

6:30

Last Saturday was the culver city book festival and book club for kids was there, gathering great suggestions for your next favorite read. We’ve got a different take on Shakespeare, a it of underwear humor, and a debate about which does a better job of telling the story; the book or the movie. Favorite Books from the Culver City Book Festival: The …

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All Things Local:Uncovering Roots: Genealogy and the Legacy of Slavery in Maryland 1:29:49

2M ago1:29:49

1:29:49

In this episode Carla Wills and Negest Rucker joins host Olubunmi Bakare to discuss their family connections to slavery in Maryland and the Catholic Church. Recommended books related to this episode: The 272 : the families who were enslaved and sold to build the American Catholic Church / Rachel L. Swarns. The ledger and the chain : how domestic sl…

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Episode 61 - Loving vs Virginia 19:15

2M ago19:15

19:15

For Black History Month and Valentines Day, we have a special love story – part fiction, part fact, based on a landmark US Supreme Court case. It’s called "Loving Vs. Virginia: A Documentary Novel of the Landmark Civil Rights Case" by Patricia Hruby Powell. It’s the story of an interracial couple who only wanted to marry the person they loved. Our …

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Whats Your Favorite Book? 7:57

2M ago7:57

7:57

We polled readers at the City of Stem/LA Maker Faire about their favorite books. (By the way, Book Club for Kids will be taping more book suggestion interviews at this year's event on Saturday, April 12th at Exposition Park in Los Angeles.) Kitty Felde is host. FAVORITE BOOKS FROM THE CITY OF STEM/LA MAKER FAIRE: Orphan, Monster, Spy - Matt Killeen…

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A Conversation with Ofir Lobel 5:44

3M ago5:44

5:44

We speak to Israeli writer Ofir Lobel, author of "101 Ways to Lose Your Homework: the Snotty Snail" about the difference between writing in graphic novels and writing a screenplay for a movie. He also talks about writing in a country at war. Kitty Felde is host.By Kitty Felde

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Episode 156 - 101 Reasons Why I Lost My Homework Again The Snotty Snail 21:48

3M ago21:48

21:48

This week, it’s a graphic novel with evil twins, lost homework, and a giant snail. Oh, and a talking frog. The book is "101 Reasons Why I Lost My Homework Again: The Snotty Snail" by Ofir Lobel. Our readers are from Valley Beth Shalom Day School in Encino, California. Sportswriter Keith Thursby is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. Favorite Boo…

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Even More Favorite Books from the City of Stem 6:08

3M ago6:08

6:08

Looking for your next favorite read? We've got it, courtesy of kids at the City of Stem/LA Maker Faire. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - Kate DiCamillo Magic Treehouse - Mary Pope Osborne Bunny vs Monkey -Jamie Smart A Little Princess - Frances Hodgson Burnett Fart Quest - Aaron Reynolds Hilo - Judd Winick Masterminds - Gordon Korman The M…

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DC Public Library Presents: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from a Birmingham Jail 50:29

3M ago50:29

50:29

In this episode, we revisit the reading of Reverend Martin Luther King’s 1963 "Letter From A Birmingham Jail". It was performed annually as a staged reading in the Great Hall of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library prior to the library's renovation. Today, we continue that tradition in virtual form, blending voices familiar and new, includin…

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Get Lit: Hannah Grieco and Rose Solari 56:00

3M ago56:00

56:00

Join us with the opening episode of the year as we join local writers Hannah Grieco and Rose Solari as we discuss writing, teaching, and running a small press in Washington, DC. Credits: Java Pop by Spires That in the Sunset Rise is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/…

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Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine 27:31

4M ago27:31

27:31

2025 is a very special year for Book Club for Kids as we celebrate our 10th anniversary! But a different version of the show aired on a local cable channel, LA36, taping episodes at the downtown LA public library. This year, we’ll be sharing those conversations once a month and we start with readers from St. Mark’s Lutheran School in Hacienda Heigh…

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Losing is Democratic 29:00

4M ago29:00

29:00

We end the year with a special episode from our other podcast THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES. Fina is the 10-year-old daughter of a congressman who solves mysteries in the U.S. Capitol with the help of a big orange dog named Senator Something. This episode takes place January 6th, 2021 and is designed to help adults talk to kids about the events of tha…

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Most Popular Episode of 2024 22:09

4M ago22:09

22:09

Everybody wants to go to Paris…especially Nikki Maxwell! Readers from Hollingworth Elementary School discuss the latest entry in Rachel Renée Russell’s series. It’s Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Posh Paris Adventure. Rachel and daughter Nikki Russell, who illustrates the books, answer questions from the kids. Our celebrity reader is actress/scr…

1
A Conversation with Alina Chau 7:24

4M ago7:24

7:24

For a writer who both illustrates and creates the story for a book, which comes first? We ask writer/illustrator Alina Chau who created "Marshmallow & Jordan."By Kitty Felde

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Episode 155 - Marshmallow & Jordan by Alina Chau 18:41

5M ago18:41

18:41

Did you ever wish that you had a pet elephant? Well, Jordan was lucky enough to find one. That unusual relationship is at the heart of our book Jordan and Marshmallow by Alina Chau. Readers from Atwater Elementary School in Los Angeles discuss disabilities, sports, and Indonesia with host Kitty Felde. Our celebrity reader is NPR’s host of “All Thin…

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Banned and Challenged Books The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo 24:07

5M ago24:07

24:07

We continue our series of episodes highlighting banned books. This week, it’s Elizabeth Acevedo’s novel The Poet X. The novel in verse was challenged in 2020 by parents in North Carolina who argued that the book was unconstitutionally hostile to religion. The challenge was turned down by the courts. It was again challenged in 2023 in Wisconsin beca…

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All Things Local: Love DC GO-GO 37:41

5M ago37:41

37:41

In celebration of Go Go preservation week at the DC Public Library, Montu Mitchell joins host Olubunmi Bakare to discuss his Love DC Go Go clothing campaign and its connection to the culture of Washington, DC. Music by BOPD elevator by BOPD is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/…

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Black Friday Bonus Episode 6:29

5M ago6:29

6:29

Are you that aunt or uncle – the one who only gives books for birthdays and holidays? I hope so. But if it’s been a few years since you’ve picked up a middle grade novel, we have help from some experts – kids who visited us at the City of Stem LA Maker Faire to tell us about their favorite books. Start making your list and checking it twice… Favori…