Inspired by a little something called Silent Sustained Reading that was a staple of her elementary school days, host Alli Hoff Kosik launched The SSR Podcast — used mostly unofficially here to stand for Sh*t She Read — to create a place for candid conversations about the books we loved in middle and high school

(For the record, we might love them a little less after they get the SSR treatment. You've been warned!)

PHOTO CREDIT: NICOLE MARIA CREATIVE

Each week, Alli will challenge a guest to reread a literary throwback or to experience for the first time ever a book they may have missed as a kid. After that, they'll be asked to spill all the feels and all the opinions about that book on the air for your podcast-listening pleasure. A glass of wine is not required, but it's certainly allowed.

Now a full-time freelance writer, Alli spent five years working in the book publishing industry, two of which were focused on children's books. During that time, she had the chance to dive back in to many of the stories that she loved as a kid... to mixed results. Some of the books felt even richer after 15 years and a few hundred life experiences, while some were wildly disappointing and — sometimes — offensive. With The SSR Podcast, Alli hopes to bring that sense of nostalgia straight to you. 

No matter how much or how little you read as an adult, we're willing to bet that you share a whole lot of literary experiences from childhood with the rest of the world, and we're ready to prove that to you! In the meantime, we'll probably have you laughing hysterically and/or extremely fired up about the extremely problematic details of these books that went totally over your head when you read them as an innocent babe.

So get cozy and warm up to the SSR community. We've got a lot to talk about.

Have you heard the hype?

Check out what people are saying about SSR!

“The Nine Best Book Podcasts!” (The Stripe, 5/14/2020)

“I Reread My Favorite Childhood Books as an Adult, and I Have Some Questions” (Brit + Co, 2/21/2019)

“Tune In: Bookish Podcasts to Listen to in 2019” (Bookish, 1/10/2019)

“This is the one podcast book lovers and nostalgia junkies have been waiting for” (HelloGiggles, 9/12/2018)

“What I Learned About My Adult Self by Rereading My Childhood Favorites” (Medium, 10/30/2018)

“11 Of The Best Book Podcasts Launched in 2018” (BookRiot)