LeVar Burton Reads
Presentation
StarringLeVar Burton
Genre
Written byVarious
LanguageEnglish
Production
No. of episodes155, 192 Edit this on Wikidata
Publication
Original releaseJune 13, 2017
Ratings4.837837837837838/5 Edit this on Wikidata
ProviderStitcher
Related
Websitewww.levarburtonpodcast.com

LeVar Burton Reads is a podcast hosted by LeVar Burton, where he reads a piece of short fiction and shares his thoughts on it.[1] Since its launch in 2017, it’s won numerous awards and favorable reviews. [2][3][4][5][6]

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 Magazine. [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]

Reception

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

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

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. "2023 NAACP Image Awards: 'LeVar Burton Reads' and 'Therapy for Black Girls' Among Winners". BET. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  13. Lewis, L. D. (October 17, 2020). "RESULTS: The 2020 Ignyte Awards". FIYAH Literary Magazine.
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