How to Read is a podcast for curious readers of all kinds. Each episode is a short conversation – 15 minutes max – with a different literary scholar. We like academics who can talk like real people! Whether you’re a casual reader or an obsessive bookworm, this podcast is for you – no prior knowledge needed.

Team

Current

Milan Terlunen (co-creator and host)

I’m studying British, French and German literature at Columbia University. My research is on the history of the plot twist in nineteenth-century literature. In my free time I watch a lot of tv, and I’m slowly working my way through a list of 200+ tv shows and movies that I’ve been told contain twists (please send me more suggestions!). I’m also gradually “researching” every single donut shop in New York City.

Olivia Branscum (producer)

I’m studying philosophy at Columbia University, where I research underappreciated early modern and medieval thinkers. I’m particularly interested in how they explain situations where the boundaries between people and objects get blurred. For me, podcasts are a present-day example of how an object can act a lot like a person! Besides philosophizing and podcasting, I love exploring New York with my Australian Shepherd, Eevee (because dogs are people, too).

Mansi Garneni (undergraduate producer, 2021-22)

I’m an undergrad at Columbia University studying English. I’m particularly interested in the medical humanities and Asian American literature. Outside the classroom, I love listening to rap music, watching basketball, and trying to convince people that I’m not addicted to cold brew.

Tianyi Ding (undergraduate producer, 2022-23)

Former

Abby Rooney (undergraduate producer 2020-21)

I’m an undergraduate at Columbia majoring in English and concentrating in Statistics. I’m a theater kid at heart, so I spend a lot of time studying plays; I’m especially interested in exploring history and philosophy through the lens of drama. I love how the podcast sounds out big ideas in an accessible way—it’s been a blast to be part of it! In my free time, I enjoy procrastinating, writing songs, and hunting for Chicago pizza in New York.

Elinor Roth Hesson (undergraduate producer 2020-21)

Hi! I study English and Linguistics at Columbia University. Most of my brain-power is used trying to figure out how we make meaning out of the things that we hear and read and see. I love thinking about the history of ideological change through writing and the intersection of language and power. In my natural habitat, I can be found reading Joan Didion or trying to explain the difference between tense, aspect, and mood to someone who does not care at all.

Colby King (undergraduate producer, 2019-20)

I’m an undergraduate majoring in African American Studies and concentrating in Psychology. Most of my time is spent thinking about how the history of racism and race relate to various disciplines but especially religion, law, tech, and Beyoncé. I love listening to how other people think through these large ideas, so podcasts–and especially How to Read–make this easy.

Samuel Wilcox (undergraduate producer, 2019-20)

I’m an undergraduate majoring in English and minoring in anthropology; as a result, my time is spent almost entirely reading about strange utopias. I enjoy the podcast form because it’s a chance for me to listen, rather than speak, which was something that my elementary school teachers failed to impress on me. At the end of all this, I hope to develop vocal fry.

Jess Engebretson (co-creator and producer, 2016-2018)

I’m an audio producer and a graduate student in Columbia’s English department, where I study twentieth century literature of empire.  Before starting grad school, I spent six years making audio stories for public radio, and teaching radio in Liberia and South Sudan.  My all-time favorite reading spot is Humpback Rocks in Virginia; these days, I make do with Morningside Park.

Elisabeth Morgan (social media coordinator, 2017-2018)

Heidi (Ge) Hai (undergraduate producer, Spring 2019)

Thanks to Columbia University for its support.

Music credit: Blossoming by Podington Bear, under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. Modifications made.