A Writer Learns How to Read Again

You’re not alone. These days, fewer people are reading for pleasure, and even those who do tend to struggle with distractions. Is this a literacy crisis, or has our attention just been warped? And what can we do?In this episode of Galaxy Brain, John Paul Brammer joins Charlie Warzel to talk about how he managed to ditch the allure of his screens and social media and rewild his attention. This is a conversation about how to reignite your curiosity, what deep reading does to your mind, and how anyone can learn to love to read again.The following is a transcript of the episode: John Paul Brammer: I was just such a dire case of “brain being addled by social media” that I knew on a sort of intuition level that I needed to find a way to make myself hungry for books. Because I knew that if I wasn’t hungry for them, it was simply not gonna happen. It’s like giving yourself homework as an adult. As long as the option is there to not do it, you probably just won’t do it. [Music]Charlie Warzel: I’m Charlie Warzel, and this is Galaxy Brain, a show where today we’re going to talk about rewilding our attention and maybe, just maybe, getting a jump start on the summer reading lists.Outside of hosting this podcast, I’m a writer. And as a writer, I’ve often harbored a pretty deep insecurity about my reading habits. Great writers, at least according to the stereotypes, are supposed to be excellent readers. And it’s not just about amassing knowledge, but also picking up on style and form. To read is to be in conversation with someone else’s ideas—somebody else’s words end up rattling around in your mind. And it is this intimate, almost sacred, world-expanding process. Being a voracious reader doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be a fantastic writer, but it’s no coincidence that many of the greats confess to getting lost in the written words of others.But unfortunately, it’s hard to get lost in a book