The Longest Shortest Time

EPISODE #164: When Al Letson Met His Sons

When Al Letson was 23, he found out he was the father to a 6-year-old boy he’d never met. Years later, another son entered his life, and this one was white.

EPISODE #163: How to Hear a Smile

When Kristen’s son was 5 weeks old, she got an email from BabyCenter saying that all of her hard work would soon be repaid: she’d get to see her baby’s first smile. Problem is, Kristen can’t see. Tune in to hear Kristen’s creative solution to seeing a smile through blindness.

Episode #161: Imaginary Friends & Grown-ups

The imaginary friends you invent when you’re little can be great practice for dealing with hard stuff later on. Plus, a barfing troll and a little egg who raps!

EPISODE #158: Black Lives Matter for Middle Schoolers

In the novel Ghost Boys, a twelve-year-old unarmed black boy is shot by a white police officer. Jewell Parker Rhodes talks about why she wrote this story for middle schoolers, and why she’s counting on them to advance racial justice.

Ghost Boys Giveaway

We’re giving away 5 signed copies of Jewell Parker Rhodes’s amazing middle grade novel, Ghost Boys.

Simple Matters Giveaway

We’re giving away 3 copies of Simple Matters by Erin Boyle of Reading My Tea Leaves! Read on for official rules.

Help LST Win a Webby Award!

We’re up for a People’s Voice award for Best Family & Kids Podcast, and we need your vote!

EPISODE #156: The Scary, Beautiful Teenage Brain

Why would a sweet kid from Minnesota try to join ISIS? Reporter Dina Temple-Raston fills us in on the complexities of the teenage brain, with help from pizza and poetry. Plus: “What’s Up with Hillary?” – Nor’easter Edition.