Library Media Chatter: Recent Episodes
Dan Wright, Greg Baum
In this podcast, two high school librarians hang out and discuss what they are reading, award-nominated YA books, interesting resources for librarians to check out, best practices, and much more.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (Colton Gentry's Third Act by Jeff Zentner and What’s Next by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack) and enjoy the biggest night of the YA Lit calendar: the Barnesy Awards.
Sorry for the late episode. We'll be back with all the Chatterboxes in August.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (Promise Boys by Nick Brooks and 49 Days by Agnes Lee), plan your itinerary for the MASL Spring Conference, and celebrate great high school nonfiction with the annual Dogwood Awards.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd and Rez Ball by Byron Graves), preview the new high school Dogwood nominees, and expect better out of this generation in Accountable by Dashka Slater, a high school Dogwood and our final Reader's Nook of the season.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (Poemhood, Our Black Revival edited by Amber McBride, Taylor Byos, Erica Martin and Age 16 by Rosena Fung), look for ways to improve their library newsletters, and wish their history classes had taught them more of what is in American Redux by Ariel Aberg-Riger, a high school Dogwood.
For those following along, we will be discussing Accountable by Dashka Slater on the March episode.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (How To by Randall Munroe and A Short History of the World in 50 Lies by Natasha Tidd), teach the youth how to podcast, try to bring books to non-ELA teachers, and finish (maybe) their dive into this year's Ruta Sepetys works with You: The Story, a high school Dogwood.
For those following along, we will be discussing America Redux by Ariel Aberg-Riger on the February episode.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt and A Long Time Coming by Ray Anthony Shepard), show their charitable side with Project Holiday Cheer, spin around for a while debating wheeled furniture, and head back to school with three first-generation college students in Jennifer Miller's Rising Class, a high school Dogwood.
For those following along, we will be discussing the other Ruta Sepetys book on a reading list, You: The Story, in the January episode.
On this episode, Greg and Dan welcome a special guest to discuss what they are currently reading (Spirit Sleuths by Gail Jarrow, The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki, the Arden High graphic novels (Twelfth Grade Night and King Cheer) by Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm and Jamie Green, and Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham), celebrate the important connection between ELA teachers and librarians, and learn how to say "Ruta Sepetys" while diving into her historical fiction Gateway nominee I Must Betray You.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (An Illustrated History of Urban Legends by Adam Allsuch Boardman and Accountable: the true story of a racist social media account and the teenagers whose lives it changed by Dashka Slater), help social studies teachers prep election lessons, shoutout a few new databases, and shower (pun intended) The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson, a Gateway nominee with some Stephen King inspiration.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (American Wings: Chicago's Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky by Sherri L. Smith & Elizabeth Wein and The Little Liar by Mitch Albom), talk about both the importance of reading across the curriculum and challenges librarians face, and search for clues to whodunit in Karen M. McManus's Nothing More to Tell, a new Gateway nominee.
On this episode, Greg and Dan are joined by special guest Megan, a middle-school librarian, to discuss what they are reading (Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series, Enter the Body by Joy McCullough, and The Fort by Gordon Korman) and give out some awards in the 3rd Annual Barnsies, which doubles as the 1st annual Gratzies.
On this episode, Greg and Dan celebrate the past year's high school Dogwood Reader Award nominees with their own categories of winners and look forward to the MASL Spring Conference by planning your itinerary for you. You're welcome.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (Horizon by Barry Lopez and The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead), highlight Dan's favorite Denny O'Neil list books from each grade band, and learn the rules for assessing science in the news from Marc Zimmer's Science and the Skeptic.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy and Better than We Found It by Frederick and Porsche Joseph), promote reading with a community book club night, and discover true friendship as they discuss the Gateway nominee In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (Holly by Stephen King and One in a Million by Claire Lordon), promote the wealth of resources in LearningExpress Library, and dive into the world of true-crime Dogwood nominees with three titles: Murder Among Friends by Candace Fleming, Hanged! by Sarah Miller, and Bone Deep by Charles Bosworth Jr. & Joel J. Schwartz.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (Fairy Tale by Stephen King and Run and Hide by Don Brown), recap an A.I. lunch and learn, and try to solve another Gateway nominee.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (Kings of the Wyld by Nicolas Eames and Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, the graphic novel, adapted by Mel Valentine Vargas from the original by Meg Medina), prepare for research lessons and the A.I. lessons coming soon, and vandalize local landmarks with a friendly ghost as they dig into We Can Be Heroes by Kyrie McCauley.
On the first episode of season 3, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (The Drifter by Nick Petrie and Unequal by Michael Eric Dyson and Marc Favreau), work on new passive programming, and discuss Greg's favorite Gateway nominee ever, What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson.
On the last episode before summer, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (Fuzz by Mary Roach and Global by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, and Giovanni Rigano) before getting into the real reason we're all here: the 2nd Annual Barnsey Awards, the recognition all YA authors on the Gateway list dream of achieving.
On this episode, Greg and Dan stop being polite and start getting real with the Dogwood Awards celebrating the previous year's nominees and the Dogwood Draft that looks forward at the newest high school Dogwood list.
On this episode, Greg and Dan recommend new books (Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson, Pop Science: Serious Answers to Deep Questions Posed in Songs by James Ball), respond to listener feedback, rearrange their libraries, and dress to the nines as they discuss their final Dogwood book of the season: The Power of Style by Christian Allaire.
On this episode, Greg and Dan bring on their first guest to discuss her school library career, recommend new new books (How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix, Raised Fists: 10 Stories of Sports Star Activists by Chloe Celerin and Karim Nedjari, & The Librarian of Burned Books by Brianna Labuskes), and show up for another strong Dogwood book: Allies edited by Shakirah Bourne & Dana Alison Levy.
On this episode, Greg and Dan celebrate the new year with new books (Ronit & Jamil by Pamela L. Laskin & Reunion by Christopher Farnsworth) and choose their favorite nominees for YA readers in the first annual Gateway Book Draft.
On this episode, Greg and Dan give the gift of new books (Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey and Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin), discuss the merits of reorganizing fiction genres in the library, and are investigate one of their favorite Dogwood nominees of the year: Chasing the Truth by Ruby Shamir.
On this episode, Greg and Dan are thankful for new books (All Systems Red by Martha Wells and Unrig by Daniel G. Newman with art by George O’Connor), share a cool new idea (Lit Loot Boxes), shout out a new education podcast to check out (Where the Whiteboards Are), and are determined to talk about the next Dogwood nominee of the year: Determined to Stay by Jody Sokolower.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (The Hourglass Throne by KD Edwards and Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Cliff Chiang), illustrate why reading graphic novels is big right now, get excited for the Denny O'Neill award nominees coming in 2024, and speak at a normal volume about the next Dogwood nominee of the year: From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry by Paula Yoo.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (Cemetery Boys and What I Carry), begin what will be a much longer conversation on MO Senate Bill 775, and explore our second Dogwood nominee of the year: You Don't Have to be Everything: Poems for Girls Becoming Themselves edited by Diana Whitney.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (Of Wolves and Men and Seconds), answer listener mail, and start the school year with an in-depth look into the Tulsa Massacre through the first Dogwood nominee of the year, Black Birds in the Sky.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (Best of Me and Blackout), update the world on Greg's Exemplary Library achievement, throw out some ideas for weeding your collection, search for (and find) a pretty great story in the Gateway-nominated Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay, and celebrate the highlights of the 2021-22 Gateway list in the inaugural award segment named after this show's patron saint.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (All of Us Villains and X-Men: Grand Design), give advice on the Exemplary Library process, look into reviewing Dogwood books next year, and set out our finest China to dig into the Gateway-nominated With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (Vesper Flights and The Stranger in the Lifeboat), find ways to make award-nominees more accessible to patrons, and grab our rescue dogs to search for the truth in the Gateway-nominated The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (William Shakespeare's Star Wars and Winter's Orbit), check in on how book challenges are going, look into a depressing near-future with the Gateway-nominated Internment by Samira Ahmed, and leave you with a cliffhanger related to Greg's purchases.
On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are currently reading (A Stab in the Dark, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Ghost), prematurely pronounce an author's death, prepare for book challenges, practice their 3-point shot with the Gateway-nominated The Escape of Light by Fred Venturini, and put an end to a long-standing feud.
On this episode, Greg and Dan look for clues in what they are currently reading (The Data Detective and The Sign of the Four), discuss ways to highlight the Dogwood nominees, and seclude themselves in the woods with the Gateway-nominated The Grace Year by Kim Liggett.
On this episode, Greg and Dan review what they are reading (Stephen King and a collection of Shakespeare-inspired short fiction), discuss banned book activities and new challenges, and take a train trip across country with the Gateway-nominated Field Notes on Love.
| On this episode, Greg and Dan discuss what they are reading (Circe and Fly Like a Girl), try to come up with ways to showcase nonfiction in the library, and dig into the Gateway and Dogwood Award-nominated memoir-in-verse Ordinary Hazards by Nikki Grimes. | |
On this episode, Greg and Dan recommend a couple of authors to check out for yourself as a break from what your students are reading (Simon Rich and Robert Macfarlane), explore how one library is using Canvas, and discuss the Gateway Award-nominated and genuinely humorous Where I End and You Begin by Preston Norton.
On this episode, Greg and Dan check in before the new school year starts, talk about some non-YA that might be great for your library (Murder at Pirate’s Cove by Josh Lanyon, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir), discuss back to school communication and genrefying biographies, and dig into the Gateway Award-nominated Fireborne by Rosaria Munda.
On this episode, Greg and Dan officially rebrand the show, talk about what they are reading (Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith, We are Displaced by Malala Yousafzai and We are Here to Stay by Susan Kuklin), discuss new things they are trying in their libraries, and dive deep into the Gateway Award-nominated Heroine by Mindy McGinnis.
On the first episode of the podcast formerly known as Shhh!, Greg and Dan introduce themselves, set up the purpose of the show, talk about what they are reading (The State of Us by Shaun David Hutchinson and August Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle), and discuss in-depth the Gateway Award-nominated The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe.