Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Do You Listen to Podcasts?

I am a newcomer to podcasts. I finally figured out how to easily access them. I got an app from the App Store (in my phone it is the Google Play Store). I installed Castbox, which was free, and I started listening. I love listening to them while I sew. It's much like listening to an audio book, but shorter episodes rather than chapters.


My daughter told me about Terrible, Thanks for Asking. I started with that one. It is produced here in Minnesota. It was started by a young woman whose husband got brain cancer, then they had a baby, then he died. All the stories are fascinating (and terrible). The people who suffered these crises have survived, often with drastically changed lives and scars, but also with healing and triumph. It helps other people understand their trauma and how we can help by listening and reacting more humanely.

From there I found more and more. My favorites are from CBC: Canadian Broadcasting Company. They do a great job on their podcasts, and there are no ads (except for maybe one just before the podcast begins). CBC has a long list of podcasts; these are my current CBC favorites:

Someone Knows Something (cold cases, or long-running open cases that remain unsolved)
This one led me to Uncover - another one dealing with unsolved or cold cases. And then I found Missing and Murdered: Finding Cleo. Very fascinating part of history when both Canada and the USA were taking Indian kids from their homes and placing them in white families for adoption.

The Secret Life of Canada (The two hosts are wonderful; both are women of color and their perspectives on history include all of the real history, not just what started when white people arrived in North America.. it's so refreshing to hear the actual true history, and their rapport is great.)

Love Me (This is weird, but I have listened to many episodes and I currently can't remember any of them. I must have enjoyed them, because I listened to so many.)

Here is a list of the 25 Best Podcasts in 2018. I'm posting it here for your use and also so I can remember what to visit when I'm ready for new ones. Once you start listening to a few podcasts, you will be referred to many others, and they become endless! Also, podcasts, like TV shows, have seasons. Now that it's fall, many of them will be returning after a summer break and offering new material. I look forward to that!

I know I'm an old person and am a late arrival to podcasts. Are any of you late-comers like me? Mine all are non-music podcasts so far. I'm kind of into documentary/history/true crime/story-telling podcasts. They feed my soul much like books do.

So -- podcasts -- do you listen? Do you have some favorites? Please share what you listen to. One can never have too many podcasts.

7 comments:

Quiltdivajulie said...

I do not listen to books or podcasts when I sew -- mostly because sewing is my happy place away from noise of all kinds (except the hum of the machine). I know there are a lot of great ones out there but I haven't gotten into them (yet).

Mary Johnson said...

I don’t listen to podcasts. I always have music on in the sewing room and when I’m binding or crocheting or knitting I listen to audiobooks. Maybe I just haven’t looked hard enough for one that interests me.

Claire said...

I listen while knitting; I prefer silence when sewing. But I listen. I got into podcasts by the back door, googling a news commentator I like. I followed a link that led to downloading Stitcher.com. And then it mushroomed. Stitcher flashes new ones on opening, and some look good. Some get advertised. Some get mentioned on other news sources. I mostly listen to news and political and social commentary. Another good thing about podcasts is that I can listen when I want to. I'm listening to Uncivil, a series about a year old that looks at untold histories of Civil War times. Another is Bundyville, the Remnant. The current season suggested a return to last year's for background, so I am catching up. And lots more.

PAUL said...
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Leanne said...

I love to listen to quilting podcasts when I am sewing basic blocks which don't require lots of planning. I do a lot of string quilts and square block quilts for different charities. Pat Sloan was a great favorite of mine but she no longer hosts a podcast herself. Seems like I always learn something or am directed to a website that is usually pretty interesting.

Karen said...

I like litening to the BBC comedies, so chanced upon The Naked Podcast. The series is mostly funny but with a nice educational serious underlying theme. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p063wfw6/episodes/downloads.

Carol E. said...

Thanks for the ideas, those of you who offered them. I am going to follow up! And thanks for visiting, all of you.