Day 1: Maya Angelo

Still I Rise

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An inspirational poem by one of America’s foremost poets.

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Poetry reading, 2 minutes

Day 4: 10 Things I Hate About You

Well acted, modern take on Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.”

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Movie, 97 minutes

Stream on Disney+ or Visit our catalog to place a hold.

Day 7: Dona Croll

Reading This Sceptr'd Isle

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John of Gaunt's speech from Shakespeare's Richard III

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Drama, 2 minutes.

Day 10: Longplayer Dialogues

An inspiring interdisciplinary daisy-chain of dialogues commissioned by Artangel

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Conversations, 30 mins each.

Day 13: George Saunders

Congratulations By the Way

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A luminous speech which is a love long to kindness

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Talk, 12 minutes

Day 16: Jay Bernard

Surge

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A haunting and memorable reading

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Poetry, 9 minutes

Day 19: Seamus Heaney

Mossbawn Sunlight

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Hear the love in his voice as he talks about his Aunt, her wipe lap and floury apron

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Poetry, 1 minutes

Day 22: Robert Burns

Tam O' Shanter, read by Brian Cox

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A collection of poetry readings from Radio Scotland, this one is a classic for Burns Night

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Poetry, 2 mins

Day 25: Louise Glück

Faithful and Virtuous Night

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Listen to the "unmistakable poetic voice" of the American winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize for Literature

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Poetry, 5 mins.

Day 28: Open University

Start Writing Fiction

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12 Free Open University classes, broken down into different sections to help you write!

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Classes, 12

Day 2: Simon Mayo

Books of the Year

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Simon Mayo does a Q&A with author Ian Rankin.

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Podcasts, various lengths

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Day 5: T.S. Eliot

The Journey of the Magi

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TS Eliot’s take on the festival of the three Kings: the Epiphany.

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Poetry, 2 mins

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Day 8: Joseph Lutzzi

How Literature Can Change Your Life

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Literature is not some dusty, crusty, remote thing! The speaker invites you to incorporate it every day

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TED talk, 19 minutes

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Day 11: Roger  Robinson

A Portable Paradise

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This poem could be adopted as an anthem to our courageous health workers

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Poetry, 9 minues

Day 14: New York Times

Oops! Famously Scathing Reviews of Classic Books

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Book reviews that were so wrong, they're funny

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Article, 10 minutes

Day 17: Alice Oswald

Interview with Water

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Oxford University professor's moving lecture on the relationship between water and grief

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Lecture, 1 hour

Day 20: Dylan Thomas

Under Milk Wood

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Richard Burton leads the reading of this classic made into a radio play

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Radio Drama, 1.5 hours

Day 23: Kurt  Vonnegut

Make Your Soul Grow

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Possibly the sweetest letter ever written by a famous author to his fans

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Letter, 1 minute

Day 26: The Brontës

Life in Haworth

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From the British Library's collection: a short video on the home of the Bronte sisters

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Documentary, 4 minutes

Day 3: Saul Williams

NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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From NPR’s concert series, this one is by hip-hop artist Saul Williams.

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Poetry & music, 20 minutes

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Day 6: Kate Bush

The Sensual World

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Based on Molly Bloom’s soliloquy from “Ulysses”

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Music, 4 minutes

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Day 9: Clueless

A fun, modern take on Jane Austin's Emma

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Movie, 1 hr and 37 mins.

Day 12: Valerie    Stivers

Cooking with DH Lawrence

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The Paris Review's Eat Your Worlds blog series, extracting recipes from literature

Day 15: Saki

The Storyteller

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A tart tale about a smug little girl and her good behavior medals

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Short story, 8 mins

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Day 18: Jim Gaffigan

Books vs Movies

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Comedian Jim Gaffigan discusses the virtues of reading vs watching

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Comedy, 6 mins

Day 21: Amitav Ghosh

The Great Derangement

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The novelist argues that we need to reinvent the novel to uncouple ourselves from the industrial revolution and move forward in the world

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Essay, 2 hours

Day 24: Beth Ann Fennelly

What's the Use of Reading? Literature and Empathy

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Beth Ann Fennelly joins her two decades of experience in the classroom with new studies from the emerging field of literary neuroscience

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TED Talk, 12 minutes

Day 27: Public Domain Movies

Free, classic film, from cartoons to feature length movies

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Film, various lengths