Sophomore Lit
Books & Literature
John McCoy and a guest host read books you might have been assigned in high school, or college, or other stuff you might have read when you were a kid. The theming is loose!
Location:
United States
Genres:
Books & Literature
Description:
John McCoy and a guest host read books you might have been assigned in high school, or college, or other stuff you might have read when you were a kid. The theming is loose!
Language:
English
Episodes
186: "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman
2/26/2026
First-time co-host Daniel Heddendorf joins in to discuss clocks and jellybeans in Harlan Ellison’s short story, “‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman” (1965). John McCoy with Daniel Heddendorf.
Duration:00:42:58
185: The Third Policeman
2/13/2026
I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it where I like. Shaenon K. Garrity returns to discuss Flan O’Brien’s enigmatic The Third Policeman (written 1940, published 1967). John McCoy.
Duration:00:57:15
184: I am the Cheese
1/8/2026
Hope you’re not lactose intolerant! Matt Skuta returns to discuss John Cormier’s I am the Cheese (1977). John McCoy with Matt Skuta.
Duration:00:46:15
183: Christmas Special: "A Christmas Turkey"
12/16/2025
What, the one as big as me? Marina McCoy makes her holiday return to discuss Mário de Andrade’s sweet-and-salty “A Christmas Turkey” (1956). John McCoy with Marina McCoy.
Duration:00:24:06
182: The Watch House
12/9/2025
Who watches the Watch House? Not us, the book is better. Ross Cleaver returns to discuss Robert Westall’s The Watch House (1977). John McCoy with Ross Cleaver.
Duration:00:48:41
181: Thanksgiving Special: Protest Songs
11/26/2025
The answer, my friend…is not a lyric in the any of the songs the McCoy Brothers discuss. For this annual drunk Thanksgiving Special, Rob, Dan, and John talk about Where Have All the Flowers Gone?, One Tin Soldier, and Alice’s Restaurant. John McCoy with Rob McCoy and Dan McCoy.
Duration:00:35:11
180: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
11/10/2025
Podcasts could happen to anyone. David Loehr discusses exits and entrances in Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (first performed 1966, published 1967). John McCoy with David J. Loehr.
Duration:00:49:27
179: The Last Unicorn
10/8/2025
Don’t it allways seem to go, you don’t know what unicorns you got til they’re gone. Kathy Campbell discusses Peter S. Beagle’s 1968 The Last Unicorn. John McCoy with Kathy Campbell.
Duration:00:34:35
178: R.U.R.
9/24/2025
BEEP boop what is… love? Well, we don’t figure this out, but John Siracusa does return to Sophomore Lit to discuss Karel Čapek’s play R.U.R. (1920), the origin of the word “robot.” John McCoy with John Siracusa.
Duration:00:51:43
177: The Pushcart War
8/27/2025
Brush up on the Large Object Theory of History. Shaenon K. Garrity returns to discuss Jean Merrill’s The Pushcart War (1964). John McCoy with Shaenon K. Garrity.
Duration:00:51:50
176: Walden, or Life in the Woods
7/18/2025
If you’re suffering from Quiet Desparation, why not listen to the not-so-quiet voices of Dan Daughhetee and me discussing Henrey David Thoreau’s Walden, or Life in the Woods (1854)? John McCoy with Daniel Daughetee.
Duration:00:56:51
175: Elizabeth Bishop Poems
6/13/2025
Somebody loves us all. Rosalynde Vas Dias discusses three poems by Elizabeth Bishop: “Sestina” (1956), “Filling Station” (1956), and “Crusoe in England” (1971). John McCoy with Rosalynde Vas Dias and Marina McCoy.
Duration:01:06:49
174: The Chrysalids
4/23/2025
Podcasts are the original voices in your head. David Dredrick discusses John Wyndham’s The Chrysalids (1955). John McCoy with David Dedrick.
Duration:00:52:27
173: The Visit
3/18/2025
Make money fast with this one weird trick. Glenn Fleishman discusses Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s play The Visit (1956). John McCoy with Glenn Fleishman.
Duration:00:42:49
172: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
2/25/2025
And indeed there will be time to discuss this, the most mid-life white-guy crisis poem of all. Lisa Schmeiser discusses T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” (1915). John McCoy with Lisa Schmeiser.
Duration:00:37:06
171: Frank O'Connor Stories
2/3/2025
I’ve heard it said by men of wide experience that podcasts used to be better in the old days. Kieran Healy discusses three short stories by Frank O’Connor: “First Confession,” “The Majesty of the Law,” and “Guests of the Nation.” John McCoy with Kieran Healy.
Duration:00:58:20
170: Emily Dickinson Poems
1/10/2025
Forever is composed of podcasts. Caroline Fulford discusses selected poems by Emily Dickinson (c. 1860-65). John McCoy with Caroline Fulford and Marina McCoy.
Duration:01:00:09
169: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
12/24/2024
Cigars are always trouble. Marina McCoy discusses Barbara Robinson’s The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (1972). John McCoy with Marina McCoy.
Duration:00:24:57
168: The Time of Your Life
12/6/2024
Sometimes you want to go where everybody is a thread in the fabric of the human condition. Also they know your name. Phil Gonzales discusses William Saroyan’s The Time of Your Life (1939). John McCoy with Phil Gonzales.
Duration:01:01:03
167: Thanksgiving Special: Comfort Reads
11/27/2024
Hey, things are tough. The McCoy Bros, Rob, John, and Dan, discuss the books that get them through. John McCoy with Rob McCoy and Dan McCoy.
Duration:00:24:43