We are a small, focused team — by choice, not by accident. We will resist the gravitational pull toward a bigger team, a bigger spend, and bigger announcements (it is one of our operating principles). The corollary is that we cannot do this work alone, and we are not trying to.
Volunteer translators, narration reviewers, subject-matter readers, and open-source contributors are not “free labor”. They are partners. We name them where they want to be named, listen to them seriously, and never treat them as a resource. If you have a few hours a month and care about this work, there is real, meaningful work waiting for you.
The most useful thing you can do, today
Tell us which classic you want to see. The form on this page takes a title — any language, any era. We read every suggestion, and the order in which we publish is shaped, in large part, by what readers ask for.
If you are short on time, this is the highest-leverage thing you can do.
Volunteer roles
Translators
Every work is meant to exist in many languages. If you are fluent in a language we do not yet cover — or in one we cover but want to do better — write to us. We will match you with a piece that needs a fresh translation pass or a careful review. The work is asynchronous; you set the pace; we credit your work where you want it credited.
Narration reviewers
Our pipeline produces narrated audio in several voices and tempos. Native speakers help us catch the things an algorithm cannot — mispronounced names, misplaced emphasis, the small jarring transitions that make audio painful when they go wrong. A few minutes of your time per episode goes a long way.
Subject-matter readers
If you are a teacher, a scholar, or a serious reader of a particular work or period — Stoic philosophy, the Renaissance, the scientific revolution, classical Chinese poetry, the Vedic tradition — we’d value your eyes on the relevant productions before they ship. We do not expect agreement; we expect a careful read. We pay attention to what you write back.
Open-source contributors
The engine that produces our work is open source. If you build with Python (FastAPI, content pipelines), TypeScript (React, Astro), or infrastructure (Docker, Ansible, Netlify), there is meaningful work waiting in the GitHub repository. Issues are labeled by difficulty; new contributors are welcome.
How we communicate
- One-off suggestions → the form on this page.
- Volunteering → mention your role and skills in Contact and we’ll route the conversation.
- Technical contributions → open an issue or a pull request on GitHub.
- Institutional partnerships → write to us via Contact and we’ll get back to you within the work week.
We try to reply within a few days. We are not always fast, but we are always grateful.