With Honors

S2E30: a D&D game before Dungeon Crawler Carl and author Matt Dinniman

This week, we stayed after class and played Dungeons & Dragons in preparation for meeting Matt Dinniman, legendary author of the hit series Dungeon Crawler Carl. With Honors is a Free Zone Radio production. You can find this show alongside our other podcast, Second Stage, on major platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Also listen to our brother podcast with Drew Haston, A Deadman’s Books. You can find him on Spotify and Apple Podcasts as well. This episode also features “Groove Delight” by Musinova and a ton of ambient dungeon exploration music from YouTube and Tabletopaudio.com, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jcrock.substack.com [https://jcrock.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

S2E29: Ending AP Lit with Dead Poets' Society

It’s graduation week, and we are approaching the end of Season 2. AP Lit culminated their study with a viewing of Dead Poets’ Society. We brought in their AP Lang teacher, Tobi Swift, and had one last hurrah, one last barbaric YAWP before signing off on the school year. With Honors is a Free Zone Radio production. You can find this show alongside our other podcast, Second Stage, on major platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Also, throw some love at our brother podcast with Drew Haston, A Deadman’s Books. You can find him on Spotify and Apple Podcasts as well. This episode also features a sampling of music from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, as well as “Groove Delight” by Musinova and an arrangement of “Pomp and Circumstance” originally by Sir Edward Elgar, used here under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jcrock.substack.com [https://jcrock.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

S2E28: Teaching The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

It’s the first full week of May 2026, and that means it’s Teacher Appreciation Week. In this episode, I get to be a good student again and learn from the master, Gail Adcock. We also get to sit with the legend Amy Hawkins.. Together, we examine Khaled Hosseini’s 2003 novel The Kite Runner, what made it classroom worthy, and why it matters just as much to readers of 2026 as it did twenty years ago. With Honors is a Free Zone Radio production. You can find this show alongside our other podcast, Second Stage, on major platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Also, throw some love at our brother podcast with Drew Haston, A Deadman’s Books. You can find him on Spotify and Apple Podcasts as well. This episode also features “Groove Delight” by Musinova and “Aspiration” by BlackTrendMusic, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jcrock.substack.com [https://jcrock.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

S2E27: What Makes a Life Meaningful?

This week I talk to Whittney, a kid who knows just as much about pain and loss as anyone. She chose to explore how some of our popular literature examines that question too. Not “What’s the meaning of life” (which is probably just a trap question anyway), but “What makes life meaningful?” With Honors is a Free Zone Radio production. You can find this show alongside our other podcast, Second Stage, on major platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Also, throw some love at our brother podcast with Drew Haston, A Deadman’s Books. You can find him on Spotify and Apple Podcasts as well. This episode also features “Groove Delight” by Musinova and “Aspiration” by BlackTrendMusic, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jcrock.substack.com [https://jcrock.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

S2E26: Is Gatsby Still Relevant to America 2026?

Is The Great Gatsby still relevant to America in 2026? Is America in 2026 still a place where the wealthy billionaires cavort like Greek gods, and the poor trudge away in the valley of ashes between them? Jackson and I discuss his 5 reasons why this book still reflects America today. With Honors is a Free Zone Radio production. You can find this show alongside our other podcast, Second Stage, on major platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Also, throw some love at our brother podcast with Drew Haston, A Deadman’s Books. You can find him on Spotify and Apple Podcasts as well. This episode also features “Groove Delight” by Musinova and “Sipping on Jazz” by BlackTrendMusic, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jcrock.substack.com [https://jcrock.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]