A national television show recorded earlier this year at Phi Kappa Phi’s national office is now ready for viewers.

C-SPAN’s Book TV recorded an episode of its About Books episode on Jan. 25, devoting the show to an interview with Phi Kappa Phi Forum editor Danny Heitman about the value of revisiting classic books from our youth as we grow older. The discussion between Heitman and About Books host Peter Slen grew from a Wall Street Journal commentary Heitman had published about his reconnection with The Norton Anthology of American Literature textbook he had used in college.

That commentary is posted here, though The Wall Street Journal sometimes restricts content only to subscribers:

The About Books episode featuring Heitman and Phi Kappa Phi debuted April 14 on Book TV, a daylong block of programming about books that airs on C-SPAN2 each Sunday. Founded in 1979 by the cable TV industry, C-SPAN is a nonprofit, nonpartisan channel that offers gavel-to-gavel coverage of Congress and other governmental institutions, along with history and book programming. About 39 million Americans access C-SPAN weekly. More information about the channel is available at c-span.org. 

Viewers who missed the show’s premiere on April 14 can catch the half-hour episode here.

Slen and Heitman chatted about how writers as varied as Henry David Thoreau, Virginia Woolf, and James Baldwin can enrich  readers with insights that seem as fresh as the morning headlines. Heitman spoke in front of a Phi Kappa Phi banner and a bookcase lined with volumes by Phi Kappa Phi authors -- a testament to the Society’s long connection with the written word.

Phi Kappa Phi’s relationship with the world of books runs deep. Its membership includes bestselling authors David Baldacci, James Lee Burke, and John Grisham, as well as former U.S. poet laureate Rita Dove. The late Ernest Gaines, author of A Lesson Before Dying and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, was a Phi Kappa Phi member, too.

Phi Kappa Phi’s national office in Baton Rouge, La. includes the John R. Baker Library, endowed by Kyle Baker in honor of his father. The library features a collection endowed by Diane G. and Webb M. Smathers, Jr. and a special case of shelves devoted to works by Phi Kappa Phi authors. Additionally, Phi Kappa Phi has invested thousands of dollars in grants and marshalled thousands of hours of volunteer time from its members to promote various literacy initiatives.

“Lifelong learning is at the heart of Phi Kappa Phi’s mission,” Heitman said. “I’m delighted that we could partner with C-SPAN’s Book TV, another great champion of learning, in promoting the value of reading to a national television audience.”

Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline honor society. The Society has chapters on more than 325 college and university campuses in the United States, its territories and the Philippines.