Hey, readers!
You can take the teachers out of the classroom, but they’ll still treat September like the start of a new year. We’re feeling creatively refreshed after a busy summer break, and we’re ready to start sharing more cozy, academic, delightfully bookish content with you!
Today, we posted a special bonus episode available for free on Patreon. We’ve been thinking about all the teachers returning to their classrooms in the midst of so much upheaval, social pressure, and stress. It’s not nearly the raises, autonomy, and respect you deserve—but our episode full of tips for using Novel Pairings (and podcasts in general)—is for you. We share specific activities, links to relevant episodes, and standards to share with your administration: everything you need to bring NP to your students. You don’t need to be a member of our Patreon community to listen, so please share the episode with a teacher friend for encouragement and inspiration.
Spare moments were in short supply this summer as we chased after crawling, scooting, busy babies, but we took every chance we had to dream and plan for the future of Novel Pairings together, deciding to lean in to our educational content and follow a true school schedule.
Novel Pairings University, also known as Classics Club, also known as our unique combination of public episodes and Patreon content, is open for enrollment! The fall semester will include three main selections, we’ll take a break in December, and then we’ll return for J-term.
The theme is Adaptation. We’ll be exploring how adaptations of classic novels have shaped contemporary literature, pop culture, and film. Keep reading to find out what we’ll be reading and learning about each month. Reminder: for your comfort and privacy, we only record Patreon events where we’re the only two people on screen.
September: Persuasion by Jane Austen
Seminar: a new event style in which we share a specific literary discussion topic and (virtually) gather as a community to answer questions, analyze, and investigate. September’s seminar will revolve around the questions: what makes a good (or bad) adaptation? How do modern adaptations explore contemporary culture, and what do you think recent adaptations are saying about our world?
Watch-along: of course we HAVE to watch the new Persuasion film together. Watch-alongs take place in our Discord channel, where we can basically live text while we all watch the movie. We do not stream the movie—everyone will press play on their own. This way, it’s okay if you’re running behind or can’t make it on time. Jump in when you can.
Book Club: at the end of the month, we’ll discuss Persuasion, and the film adaptations, as a group on Zoom.
Plus, bonus episodes on Fridays, of course!
October: Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Lecture: “classes” get a new, more academic name this season. Our October lecture will cover how to decipher difficult-to-read classic texts (like Shakespeare). This event will be recorded.
We’ll also have a watch-along because Shakespeare is meant to be viewed, and book club at the end of the month.
November: The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
Office Hours: another new event format! We’ll collect your questions over the course of the semester and spend time answering them in a webinar-style event. From the super nerdy to the silly and non-bookish questions, we can’t wait to see what you’re wondering. This event will be recorded.
Because this novel is a Gatsby adaptation, we’ll likely have a watch-along to refresh our memories on Fitzgerald’s classic, and book club at the end of the month.
On the public feed, you can expect two new episodes per month (and more when we have the time!). We’ll be sharing TBR-toppling themed episodes, book discussions, and more.
On Patreon, we’d love to reach 300 patrons this season! Do you have a friend who would love to learn with us? Send them a link to an episode and let them decide if they’d like to join our group of nerdy readers.
You can also support the show by sharing our posts on Instagram, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts, and telling your libraries, local bookstores, and book clubs about us. This is especially important as we return from our brief hiatus, and we so appreciate every one of you and the time you’ve taken to listen to and share our show.
This newsletter is the best place for you to get announcements, bonus links, and behind the scenes information, so stay tuned!
We declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book.
Chelsey & Sara