a podcast about mentorship in the literary arts
ABOUT THE PODCAST
This is Awakeners, a series of conversational interviews about mentorship in the literary arts. Awakeners is a Lit Hub Radio podcast.
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Robert Frost allegedly said he was not a teacher but an “awakener.” On every episode of this podcast, host Lena Crown speaks with writers, artists, critics, and scholars across generations who have awakened something for and within one another.
We stroll down memory lane, revisiting the early days of their relationship, and we close-read samples of their work for evidence of their mutual influence on one another. We talk about what has shaped their craft, their pedagogy, their careers, their love lives, and more—in short, we celebrate how our guests have changed each other’s lives.
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Awakeners is created by Lena Crown and scored by Lorenzo Chiodo. Art by Gabe Crown.
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You can find Awakeners on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.
LENA CROWN
Producer, Editor, Host
Lena Crown is a writer, editor, and educator from Northern California. She has been teaching creative writing and literature since 2020, and she most recently served as the Olive B. O'Connor Fellow in Nonfiction at Colgate University. You can find her work in The Rumpus, Guernica, Joyland, Gulf Coast, Narratively, North American Review, The Offing, and elsewhere.
LULU SCHINELLA
Editorial Assistant, Social Media Manager
Lulu Schinella took a creative nonfiction class with Lena in spring 2024 and now works as Editorial Assistant and Social Media Manager for Awakeners. Lulu is a student at Colgate University, majoring in Studio Arts and English. With a passion for painting, analog photography, and creative writing, she explores the intersections of visual and literary art.