Hope is Kindled
A podcast devoted to the way stories shape us, sharpen us, and sometimes… save us.
Hope is Kindled is a literary podcast that explores classic and powerful works of literature through the lens of self-discovery, moral reflection, and enduring hope. Each episode delves into a single book, essay, or story, examining its themes, characters, and psychological depth, and connects it to timeless questions about the human condition.
What makes the podcast unique is its blend of literary criticism and warmth. It uses biographical, psychological, and historical criticism, along with personal reflection and cultural commentary—including references to Doctor Who, The Muppets, and classic film.
Please let us know what you think of our episodes, if you have any ideas for future episodes or to share your experiences looking searching for hope in the literary world.
Hope is Kindled
To Kill a Mockingbird
After wandering through ancient epics, storm-swept islands, shadowed courtrooms, and psychedelic buses, Hope is Kindled returns home—home to one of the most essential and beloved works in the American literary canon: Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
This episode is more than a discussion. It is a pilgrimage.
We trace the novel’s roots through the historical soil of the Jim Crow South, explore the quiet defiance of Atticus Finch, and walk in step with Scout’s innocent but ever-expanding moral compass. Along the way, we weave through themes of justice, prejudice, empathy, memory, and moral responsibility—echoing works we’ve explored in this series from Les Misérables to Catch-22, from The Odyssey to A Time to Kill.
We examine the psychological power of the courtroom, the weight of history, the persistent need to stand for what is right even when the world stands against you. We hold space for the small gestures that change everything—like a ham costume, a gift in a tree, or a man stepping from the shadows to save a child.
And we give thanks—to you, the listener, and to a dear friend of the podcast, Sharon, whose love for this book is a guiding light in this episode.
Above all, we ask: Where does hope live in a world so steeped in injustice? The answer, as Harper Lee shows us, is simple and profound: in empathy, in resistance, in remembering, and in telling the story anyway.
If there was ever a time to listen—to lean into the wisdom of literature and find your moral footing—this is it.
