Actor LeVar Burton, perhaps best known for his roles in the TV miniseries ROOTS and in STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, has a podcast called LEVAR BURTON READS. Mr. Burton is a Ray Bradbury fan, and did a fine reading of Ray's wonderful short story, "The Great Wide World Over There", on his podcast. To listen to that reading, just click on the link below:

https://podcasts.apple.com/is/...9384?i=1000405055259

Today's CBS SUNDAY MORNING show presented a profile of LeVar Burton, including his love of science fiction and his advocacy of reading and literacy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FroxjjqcHtA

The LEVAR BURTON READS podcast, in partnership with Fiyah magazine, has announced a new short story writing contest with the theme “Origins & Encounters”. You must be 17 years of age or older in order to enter. Submissions should be made between August 1 through August 31, 2021, with the winner to be announced on October 15, 2021. Submissions must include speculative or fantastical elements. The first prize is $500, and the winning story will be read by LeVar Burton on his podcast. For more information, click on the link below:

https://www.levarburtonpodcast.com/contestrules

The link below will take you to an article about the fine actor and reading advocate LeVar Burton. It ends with a listing of the authors that Mr. Burton says changed his life. Check out number 11 on the list:

https://ew.com/tv/levar-burton...ow-favorite-authors/