THE LITERARY CANON CLUB. · TROUBADOUR STUDIO · EST. 2018
Read the Great books
In Good Company
Epics, novels, poems, plays and great films, discussed live with an expert guide. Join any month. Finally read the books you always meant to.
How the club works
Three Gatherings, Every Month
Each session stands on its own. Come to one or all three. Every one is live on Zoom and recorded.
THIRD Sunday · 10 am Central
MONTHLY
Big Book Sunday
One great work over two or three months: the Iliad, Dante, Moby-Dick, Hugo, The Faerie Queene. The heart of the club.
FIRST Tuesday · 6:30 pm Central
MONTHLY
Shorts Tuesday
A poem, a short story or a play, read and discussed in a single evening. The easiest way to start.
SECOND Wednesday · 7:00 pm Central
MONTHLY
Cinema Wednesday
Watch a great film on your own time, then come talk about it together. Westerns, sci-fi, noir and more classics.
MEMBERS' CHOICE
Members Vote For The Next Canonical Book on the List
BALLOT · NEXT BIG BOOK
Example
The Iliad
Homer - 3 months
The Aeneid
Virgil - 3 months
Moby Dick
Herman Melville - 2 months
Members only. Results announced to the whole list.
Your first session is free
WHAT MEMBERS GET
Everything for $25 a month
Three live sessions
The Big Book, Shorts Tuesday and Cinema Wednesday, every month. Join one or all of them!
Reading guides
Context notes so you know what to look for before you read.
The Laurels
Earn titles for every great work you finish.
Every recording
Miss a session and catch up whenever you like. Choose what you read and study.
A vote on what's next
A vote on what's next
30% off courses
Every Troubadour course and lecture series.
What Members Say
From the Club
"It is especially insightful to discuss our reading experience as a group and share what we've learned."
Marco Romero
Real Estate Investor
"The group is welcoming and Kirk is knowledgeable and inviting. If you have not sampled the Literary Canon Club, have a taste!"
Ann Ciccolella
Artistic Director, Austin Shakespeare
Is this a "great books" club — or a GREAT books club?
Molly Johnson
YOUR GUIDE
Kirk Barbera
Kirk Barbera is a literary educator, media producer, and the founder of Troubadour Studio. He has led readers through Homer, Greek tragedy, Dante, Shakespeare, Milton, and Melville, and now brings that same depth of engagement to the great works of American literature.
His approach is rigorous but never academic: every session is a live conversation designed to make the text feel urgent, alive, and personally meaningful. He believes the Western canon is not a museum piece, but it's a toolkit for understanding the world and what made it.
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Founder of the Literary Canon Club, established 2020
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Author of a modern verse translation of Homer’s Iliad
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Board Member and Actor, Austin Shakespeare
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Founder of Troubadour Studio, including the Troubadour YouTube education channel and Troubadour Reacts!
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16 years teaching, lecturing, and leading in-person and online discussions on literature, drama, poetry, mythology, film, and the Western canon
MEMBERSHIP
Join at the level that fits you
Cancel anytime.
Literary Canon Club
25
Every month
Access to all three monthly sessions
Access to all session recordings
Reading guides and a vote on the next Big Book
The Laurels
30% off All Courses
Literary Canon Club (12 month)
300
Every year
Literary Canon Club - Annual Payment
Every great book you finish earns its laurel
Members earn titles for what they read, how deeply they read it, and what they teach. New laurels are announced at each session and listed on the Laurel Roll.
FOR EACH GREAT WORK · EXAMPLE: THE ILIAD
FIRST LAUREL
Reader of the Iliad
Read the whole work with the club.
SECOND LAUREL
Scholar of the Iliad
Read it in two or more translations, or complete the lecture course.
THIRD LAUREL
Rhapsode of the Iliad
Lead a session or give a talk on the work, like the bards who performed Homer.
YOUR RANK IN THE CLUB
I
Initiate
Finished your first great book.
II
Wayfarer
Three great works
III
Sage
Six great works
IV
Laureate
Twelve great works
V
Troubadour
Teaches for the club
Questions
Do I need to have read the classics before?
No. Most members are reading these works for the first time. That's the point.
Can I join partway through a Big Book?
Yes. Shorts Tuesday and Cinema Wednesday are new every month, and every Big Book session is recorded, so you can start today and catch up at your own pace.
What if I miss a session?
Every session is recorded and posted for members.
How much reading is necessary?
Big Books are paced over two or three months. Shorts take an evening. Come to whatever fits your month.
