The Reading Culture

Three years strong, y’all! We’re back with our favorite tradition: The Reading Culture Yearbook. As we close out 2025, we’ve gathered superlatives and stories that celebrate some of the memorable authors who joined us on the show this year. This year’s edition features awards such as “Most Revolutionary,” “Grandma’s Hands,” “Scariest Story,” and, of course, “Best Reading Advice.” I’m also saying a brief farewell as we go on hiatus for the winter. But don’t worry, we’ll be back in 2026 with exciting things on the horizon!***Connect with Jordan and The Reading Culture @thereadingculturepod and subscribe to our newsletter at thereadingculturepod.com/newsletter. Show ChaptersChapter 1: Most Revolutionary Chapter 2: Most GraciousChapter 3: Best Fan-Girl-Turned-AuthorChapter 4: Best Reminder of History RepeatedChapter 5: Most Likely to Pay HomageChapter 6: Grandma’s HandsChapter 7: Best Reading Advice for Kids Chapter 8: Scariest Story AwardChapters 9 & 10: Best Advice for Dealing with Loss Chapter 11: Most Uplifting Chapter 12: Most Defiant Chapter 13: Meet Your (S)Heroes AwardChapter 14: “Poet and You Didn’t Know It” AwardChapter 15: Best Friend AdviceLinksThe Reading CultureThe Reading Culture Newsletter SignupFollow The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading cultureJordan Lloyd BookeyHost and Production CreditsHost: Jordan Lloyd BookeyProducers: Mel Webb and Lower Street MediaScript Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Mel Webb, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

“When we are making books, we are making little homes for our readers that they can return to hopefully again and again and again, just as we return to books and find a sense of home, we return to the person we once were, when we were reading that book.” — Sophie BlackallHome. It’s something we spend our whole lives building and rebuilding. Sometimes it’s made of walls and windows. Others, it’s made of words.Sophie Blackall builds hers through imagination and community. The two-time Caldecott Medal-winning author and illustrator, known for works such as Hello Lighthouse, If You Come to Earth, and Finding Winnie, has spent her life transforming that search into stories. In this episode, No Wasted Sunshine: Sophie Blackall on the Meaning of Home, Sophie shares her nomadic childhood, her fixation on the idea of home, and why she never feels settled. She also discusses the books she reaches for to feel safe. We also talk about Milkwood—the magical farm retreat she created for the children’s book community to cook, commune, and collaborate.Settle in for a wide-ranging conversation that explores the meaning we construct within and around our lives.***For her reading challenge, Home, Sophie has curated a collection of books that explore how we build and replace the places that hold us. Peruse selected titles and Sophie’s complete reading challenge for free at thereadingculturepod.com/sophie-blackallThis week's Beanstack Featured Librarian is Kimberly Thompson, the library media specialist at East Side Middle School in Bullock County, Kentucky. She tells us all about the Kentucky Bluegrass Awards and how they’re getting everyone in her school reading, including the adults! Show ChaptersChapter 1: Where Is Home?Chapter 2: Wasted Sunshine Chapter 3: A Perfect Picture Book Chapter 4: Not Just a FarmhouseChapter 5: Under Milk Wood Chapter 6: Paper HousesChapter 7: So Now What?Chapter 8: Reading ChallengeChapter 9: Beanstack Featured LibrarianLinksThe Reading CultureThe Reading Culture Newsletter SignupFollow The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)Sophie BlackallSophie Blackall websiteMilkwood Farm How to Not Waste Your Live (The Marginalian)RoxaboxenUnder Milk WoodA creative retreat for the children’s book communityBeanstack resources to build your community’s reading cultureJordan Lloyd BookeyHost and Production CreditsHost: Jordan Lloyd BookeyProducers: Mel Webb and Lower Street MediaScript Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Mel Webb, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

“The library is where I felt, I'm safe here. I have friends in Encyclopedia Brown, Junie B. Jones, Amelia Bedelia, Stanley Yelnats, and all these various characters. I think that's the beauty. That's the sanctuary, the sacredness of that physical space.” – Mychal ThreetsMychal Threets grew up among the stacks and, from a young age, experienced the magic and shelter of the library. Today, he is a librarian, a social media sensation, a mental health advocate, and the new host of the beloved show Reading Rainbow. In this episode, we take a trip to St. Louis, where my conversation with Mychal was recorded live on stage at the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Conference. You’ll hear all about how Mychal is stepping into his own rainbow-colored shoes while honoring LeVar Burton’s legacy, how he turned pain into purpose, and the power of “library joy.” And wow, the joy among the librarians in that convention hall, including two standing ovations for Mychal, was palpable. This week, in place of a featured librarian, we hear a round of Q&A with Mychal and some of those librarians in the audience. Settle in for a conversation full of Mychal’s signature warmth, heart, and honesty.***LinksThe Reading CultureThe Reading Culture Newsletter SignupFollow The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)Mychal Threets Lays Out His Life in BooksMychal Threets InstagramMychal Threets TikTokReading Rainbow on YouTubeBeanstack resources to build your community’s reading cultureJordan Lloyd BookeyHost and Production CreditsHost: Jordan Lloyd BookeyProducers: Mel Webb and Lower Street MediaScript Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Mel Webb, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

“It's important that my perspective stays flexible because my perspective could need updating, it could need to be changed based on new information.” — Nic StoneNic Stone isn’t interested in staying in her lane. A #1 New York Times bestselling author, her young adult novels—Dear Martin, Chaos Theory, and Clean Getaway—explore nuances of racism, power, and mental illness with clarity and compassion. Now, she’s stepping into uncharted territory with Boom Town, her first adult novel. Set in a legendary Atlanta strip club, it’s a story about women, survival, and social power, and is a reflection of Nic’s own creative evolution. In this Second Chapter conversation, Expanding Woman: Nic Stone on Forgiveness and the Freedom to Change, Nic returns to the podcast and gets real about what it means to grow louder, freer, and to become more yourself. She talks about lighting rage letters on fire, a recent existential crisis (hello, middle age), and the surprising way her new book helped her dad heal old wounds. Settle in for a conversation that’ll make you want to live a little louder and embrace every chaotic (and beautiful) version of who you are. http://thereadingculturepod.com/nic-stone-second-chapter***Show ChaptersChapter 1: Unpaved TerritoryChapter 2: Right on Schedule Chapter 3: The Picture of Dorian GrayChapter 4: Learning the StepsChapter 5: Let It BurnLinksThe Reading CultureThe Reading Culture Newsletter SignupFollow The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)Nic Stone Nic Stone Instagram Boom TownThe Picture of Dorian Gray Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading cultureJordan Lloyd BookeyHost and Production CreditsHost: Jordan Lloyd BookeyProducers: Mel Webb and Lower Street MediaScript Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Mel Webb, Jordan Lloyd Bookey

“It’s that old expression that I love, which is ‘wherever you go, there you are.’ So you never really get out of the limbo, because the limbo is you.” — Erin Entrada KellyThere are seasons when life slows down, even as our minds continue to race. When we find ourselves caught somewhere between motion and stillness, haunted by what came before and reaching for what’s next. That tension has become deeply personal for Erin Entrada Kelly. After an aggressive cancer diagnosis, Erin found herself living in a space between who she was and who she was becoming. A two-time Newbery Medal winner, best known for “Hello, Universe,” “We Dream of Space,” and “First State of Being,” Erin has always written stories that reveal the quiet courage of ordinary kids. But lately, her life–and her writing– have taken on a new kind of gravity. In this episode, You Can’t Just Move On: Erin Entrada Kelly on Limbo, Erin returns to the show for a “Second Chapter” conversation.  This time, Erin reflects on recovery, rest, and redefining momentum. She shares how illness has reshaped her creative process, the surprising calm she’s found in cinematic ASMR, and a haunting true story from a hotel in New Orleans that might just make you believe in ghosts. Settle in for an honest, tender conversation about living in the in-between. ***http://thereadingculturepod.com/erin-entrada-kelly-second-chapterThis week’s Beanstack Featured Librarian is Kimberly Thompson, the library media specialist at East Side Middle School in Bullock County, Kentucky. After all that talk about being stuck in limbo and building momentum, Kimberly shares a story of one reader who found his mo’.Show ChaptersChapter 1: MomentumChapter 2: Walt WhitmanChapter 3: Please HoldChapter 4: False AlarmChapter 5: The Tell-Tale Heart Chapter 6: Push & PullChapter 7: Toxic Positivity Chapter 8: Beanstack Featured LibrarianLinksThe Reading CultureThe Reading Culture Newsletter SignupFollow The Reading Culture on Instagram (for giveaways and bonus content)Erin Entrada KellyErin Entrada Kelly InstagramThe Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen PoeMoonlight Cottage ASMRThe hotel!Beanstack resources to build your community’s reading cultureJordan Lloyd BookeyHost and Production CreditsHost: Jordan Lloyd BookeyProducers: Mel Webb and Lower Street MediaScript Editors: Josia Lamberto-Egan, Mel Webb, Jordan Lloyd Bookey