LeVar Burton Reads

Last updated
LeVar Burton Reads
LeVar Burton Reads Podcast.png
Presentation
Hosted by LeVar Burton
Genre
Created by LeVar Burton
Written byVarious
LanguageEnglish
Production
No. of episodes207  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Publication
Original releaseJune 13, 2017 
May 6, 2024
Ratings4.76  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Provider Stitcher
Related
Website www.levarburtonpodcast.com

LeVar Burton Reads was a podcast hosted by LeVar Burton, where he read a piece of short fiction and shared his thoughts on it. [1] Following its launch in 2017, it won numerous awards and received favorable reviews. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Description

Burton is well-known for his acting career, which included Roots and Star Trek: The Next Generation , and also for hosting Reading Rainbow , a long-running children’s television show on PBS. [3] [7] In reviews, LeVar Burton Reads has been described as “Reading Rainbow for adults.” [4] [2]

In each 30-45-minute episode, Burton reads a short work of fiction. [3] Music and sound design are added to create a full sensory experience. [5] “What audio storytelling does is it engages the listener in a way that visual storytelling does not. You are creating the visuals for yourself, and because of that additional level of personal investment, it’s enjoyable on a different level,” Burton told The Verge . [6]

Burton and his producer choose all the stories based on personal taste. “The primary consideration for a story to be selected is that I love it,” he told Los Angeles. [3] The show has included works by Stephen King, Toni Morrison, Kurt Vonnegut, Octavia Butler, Neil Gaiman, Joan Aiken, Haruki Murakami, Nnedi Okorafor, John Chu, and Oscar Casares, among others. [8] [3] [1]

The podcast concluded on May 6, 2024, with Burton reading "The Toynbee Convector" by Ray Bradbury as his final selection. After sharing his thoughts on the story, Burton delivered a farewell message encouraging listeners to "keep reading, keep expanding, keep living in your imaginations; that is the fuel that is going to power the commitment necessary to dream big and change the world."

Reception

LeVar Burton Reads has been well received by USA Today , The New Yorker , The Washington Post , The Verge , NPR , Los Angeles and many other publications. [9] [10]

The show has won multiple industry awards, including the 2023 and 2024 Webby Award for Best Art and Culture Podcast, [11] [12] the 2023 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Podcast [13] and the 2020 Ignyte Award for Best Fiction Podcast. [14] His 5-word Webby acceptance speech for his 2023 Webby Award was, “Be a better person. Read.” [11]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Official Website: LeVar Burton Reads". LeVar Burton Podcast. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Puchko, Kristy (July 3, 2017). "Review: 'LeVar Burton Reads' Is 'Reading Rainbow' For Grown-Ups". Pajiba. Retrieved Jan 8, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Martin, Brittany (April 6, 2018). "LeVar Burton Would Like to Read You a Story". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Ratcliffe, Amy (June 28, 2017). "LEVAR BURTON'S NEW PODCAST IS LIKE READING RAINBOW FOR ADULTS". Nerdist. Retrieved Jan 8, 2024.
  5. 1 2 Greene, Steve (July 26, 2017). "LeVar Burton Reading a Neil Gaiman Short Story is Even Better Than 'American Gods' — Listen". IndieWire. Retrieved Jan 8, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Liptak, Andrew (March 18, 2018). "LeVar Burton wants to read you his favorite short stories". The Verge. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  7. "LeVar Burton Is Still Reading To Us During The Pandemic". NPR. August 1, 2020. Retrieved Jan 8, 2024.
  8. Allen, Elizabeth (Sep 6, 2018). "7 of the Best Episodes of Levar Burton Reads". BookRiot. Retrieved Jan 8, 2024.
  9. Mallenbaum, Carly (June 19, 2017). "'Reading Rainbow's LeVar Burton reads to adults in awesome new podcast". USA Today .
  10. Larson, Sarah (August 31, 2017). "LeVar Burton Reads—to Adults". The New Yorker . Condé Nast.
  11. 1 2 "NEW Webby Gallery + Index". NEW Webby Gallery + Index. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  12. "2024 Webby Winner: Levar Burton Reads". The Webby Awards. April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  13. "2023 NAACP Image Awards: 'LeVar Burton Reads' and 'Therapy for Black Girls' Among Winners". BET. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  14. Lewis, L. D. (October 17, 2020). "RESULTS: The 2020 Ignyte Awards". FIYAH Literary Magazine .