{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"169: Turning Classics into Graphic Novels, with Gareth Hinds","description":"Gareth Hinds has created appealing  graphic novel versions of many great classics of English literature, like The Odyssey, The Iliad, Beowulf, and Shakespeare's plays. In this episode, find out how to use them in class to help deepen engagement. Gareth Hinds is an English Teacher\u2019s superhero. He takes the most challenging works of classic literature for our students, spends years studying them deeply, and creates graphic adaptations students get excited about reading. I mean, come on! How great is that? With highly regarded adaptations of The Odyssey, The Iliad, Poe\u2019s stories, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, Beowulf, and more, Gareth Hinds is quickly moving through the canon to create colorful, accessible, dare-I-say FUN versions of classics students often struggle with. Today on the podcast, we\u2019re talking about the visual language of graphic adaptation, how Gareth researches and creates his works, and his top tips for classroom teachers using his adaptations. Honestly, I wish every school in America had copies of his works, and I\u2019m so thrilled he could take the time to talk to us. This is a great episode, and I\u2019m so glad you\u2019re here for it! Let\u2019s dive in. From Gareth\u2019s Website: \u201cGareth Hinds is the creator of critically-acclaimed graphic novels based on literary classics, including Beowulf (which Publisher\u2019s Weekly called a \u2018mixed-media gem\u2019), King Lear (which Booklist named one of the top 10 graphic novels for teens), The Merchant of Venice (which Kirkus called \u2018the standard that all others will strive to meet\u2019 for Shakespeare adaptation), The Odyssey (which garnered four starred reviews and a spot on ten \u2018best of 2010\u2019 lists), Romeo and Juliet (which Kirkus called \u2018spellbindin\u2019), and Macbeth (which the New York Times called \u2018stellar\u2019 and \u2018a remarkably faithful rendering\u2019). Gareth is a recipient of the Boston Public Library\u2019s \u2018Literary Lights for Children\u2019 award. His books can be found in bookstores and English classrooms across the country, and his illustrations have appeared in such diverse venues as the Society of Illustrators, the New York Historical Society, and over a dozen published video games.\u201d Discover Gareth\u2019s Website. Explore his Teaching Guides. Follow Gareth on Instagram. Connect with Betsy: Explore Alllll the Episodes of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast. Join our community, Creative High School English, on Facebook. Come hang out on Instagram.  Enjoying the podcast? Please consider sharing it with a friend, snagging a screenshot to share on the \u2018gram, or tapping those \u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50 to help others discover the show. Thank you!    ","author_name":"The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast | ELA","author_url":"http:\/\/nowsparkcreativity.com","html":"