“The Editor” is a podcast that follows the story of a friendship between Robin Woods, a prisoner who taught himself how to read, and Mark Stevens, an editor for Merriam Webster Encyclopedias. Woods grew up in a poor neighborhood and was told from a young age that he was incapable of learning like the rest of the kids. His poor education led to him dropping out of high school and partaking in criminal activities such as breaking and entering. When in prison, Woods decided to take advantage of the books available, and he tried teaching himself how to read. As time passed his ability to read increased as well as his collection of books. He began reading an entire encyclopedia just because the information was his only way to connect to the outside world. When he found a mistake in the encyclopedia, he wrote a letter to the editor, Mark Stevens. The two became pen pals who exchanged many letters throughout Woods’s sentence, discussing errors and topics within the encyclopedia. Stevens ultimately helped Woods with getting out of his sentence 5 years early, as well as getting back on his feet after prison. The two men kept in touch after Woods was released, even though Woods stopped reading and Stevens was laid off.

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