Dear reader, I have a confession to make. Actually, I have two confessions. The first is that I hate myself for starting an article with “Dear reader.” The second confession is that I often feel like a poor example of a writer and literary nerd. Not because my writing is garbage, or because I haven’t read most of any particular literary canon.
Both of those statements are true, but the real reason I feel like a poor example of a writer and literary nerd is that I don’t often spend my free time either writing or reading.
Truthfully, I spend much of my free time watching YouTube videos on writing and reading instead. If you want to spend your free time in a similar fashion, here are a few YouTube channels I’d recommend.
1. Crash Course
I didn’t know about Crash Course in high school, so I wasn’t able to use it when cramming for tests back then. But that didn’t keep me from watching Crash Course’s series on world history, US history, literature, and philosophy (along with most of astronomy, psychology, and world mythology) when I found out about the channel.
In case it wasn’t obvious, Crash Course offers series for over twenty different subjects, ranging from ecology to economics. If you feel like learning about the classics that you may or may not have read, Crash Course Literature is hosted by none other than the accomplished author and Vlogbrother John Green (Hank Green also hosts several series on Crash Course).
2. Wisecrack
One of Wisecrack’s most popular series is Thug Notes, hosted by Sparky Sweets Ph.D. (a character played by Greg Edwards). Thug Notes provides comedic summaries of classical literature in the form of African American Vernacular English (AAVE).
Now I’m not going to get into the controversy surrounding Thug Notes’ use of AAVE. But even if you aren’t interested in Thug Notes, Wisecrack also offers analyses of popular movies, TV shows, and anime, in which they point out all the tropes that any writer or literary nerd could appreciate.
3. The Nerdwriter
Despite the name, The Nerdwriter isn’t a YouTube channel dedicated solely to nerds or writers. Evan Puschak, the founder and host of the channel, publishes short video essays on a wide variety of topics, such as art, music, film, stand-up comedy, politics, and of course, both literature and writing. Writers and literary nerds will probably get something out of The Nerdwriter regardless of what video they watch.
4. Shipwrecked
I owe one of my close friends for introducing me to this channel. Shipwrecked creates historical literary comedies, such as “Edgar Allan Poe’s Murder Mystery Dinner Party.”
Admittedly, I’m a total Edgar Allan Poe fanboy, but hear me out. Wouldn’t you want to see how some of the history’s greatest authors, such as Oscar Wilde, Mary Shelley, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Emily Dickinson (and of course Edgar Allan Poe), would react to a murder at a dinner party? Oh, and Hemingway’s in it too.
5. Overly Sarcastic Productions
I only recently discovered this channel, and I’m shocked that it isn’t more popular. Co-hosted by two college students named Red and Blue, Overly Sarcastic Productions is unlike any other channel on this list, in that it is completely animated with Red’s hand-drawn art. The channel mainly focuses on classic literature, literary tropes, history, and philosophy.
Red handles classic literature and literary tropes, while Blue takes on history and philosophy. Red and Blue’s passion for their respective subjects, along with their humor and sarcasm (hence the channel name), make for an incredibly endearing and entertaining YouTube Channel.
