The Literary Life Podcast

Angelina Stanford and poet Thomas Banks co-host The Literary Life Podcast with a guiding belief that stories will save the world. That might sound lofty, but the show backs it up with genuinely thoughtful discussions of classic literature that focus on the skill of reading well. This isn't a current releases show. Stanford and Banks work through canonical texts like Brave New World, Dracula, and Moliere's Don Juan, treating each one as a living document rather than a dusty assignment. The show has a distinct intellectual tradition running through it, drawing on classical education and the liberal arts in a way that feels organic rather than rigid. Stanford is the primary voice, and she's a compelling teacher who clearly loves this material. Banks brings a poet's ear to the conversations, and occasional co-host Cindy Rollins adds the perspective of a lifelong reader. Guests like Tolkien scholar Michael Drout and literary academics Jason Baxter and Vigen Guroian round out the roster. With 314 episodes released weekly, the archive covers an impressive range of literature, from fairy tales and children's books to dense philosophical novels and poetry. The 4.7-star rating from over 1,100 reviews reflects a dedicated audience, many of whom come from homeschooling and classical education backgrounds. But you don't need that context to appreciate what the show does well: it makes old books feel urgent and necessary, and it assumes its listeners are smart enough to keep up.