Archive - Close Reads Podcast of Close Reads Podcast HQ

March 2026

The Grapes of Wrath: Chapters 15-18

Is Steinbeck an American Dickens?

Mar 30 • David Kern and Sean Johnson

1:09:29

The Grapes of Wrath: Chapters 8-14

It’s time to really discuss it: Do Steinbeck’s interstitial, alternating chapters work?

Mar 24 • David Kern, Heidi White, and Sean Johnson

1:08:39

The Grapes of Wrath: Chapters 1-7

Welcome to the beginning of a new series as we dive into John Steinbeck’s classic novel.

Mar 16 • David Kern, Heidi White, and Sean Johnson

1:05:13

This Is Happiness: Q&A Episode

Welcome to the conclusion of our series on Niall William’s novel, as we do our best to answer your questions!

Mar 12 • David Kern, Sean Johnson, and Heidi White

52:22

This Is Happiness: To the End

Welcome back to our ongoing series on Niall Williams’ novel!

Mar 3 • Heidi White and Sean Johnson

1:13:48

February 2026

This Is Happiness: Chapters 23-31

Welcome back to our ongoing series on Niall Williams’ novel, This Is Happiness. This week we discuss some audience comments, the book’s examination of…

Feb 23 • David Kern, Sean Johnson, and Heidi White

1:18:16

This Is Happiness: Chapters 12-22

Welcome back to our ongoing series on Niall Williams’ lovely novel.

Feb 16 • David Kern, Heidi White, and Sean Johnson

1:16:37

This Is Happiness: Chapters 1-11

Welcome to the start of a new series!

Feb 9 • David Kern, Sean Johnson, and Heidi White

1:01:21

#nojs-banner { position: fixed; bottom: 0; left: 0; padding: 16px 16px 16px 32px; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; background: red; color: white; font-family: -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; } #nojs-banner a { color: inherit; text-decoration: underline; } This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts