Answers to Go
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I keep hearing Q. about podcasts, but hate to admit I don't know what they are or how to access them. Can you explain podcasts to me?
A podcast is an audio program A. similar to talk radio, but you subscribe to it on your device (smart phone, tablet, or computer) and listen to it whenever you like. There is no standard format or length for podcasts. They range from talk shows to audio dramas to language lessons and everything in between.
If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can use the Apple podcasts app to listen. If you have an Android phone or tablet, you can use the Google podcasts app. If you’re using a computer, you will use your browser to go directly to the website of the podcast you would like to listen to.
Once you open your podcast app you may notice there are many podcasts to choose from. So where should you start? Every podcast app has recommended shows you can browse. Start there. You can also search by keyword for a particular subject or person.
If you are looking for a news podcast, chances are your favorite news source has a podcast. BBC’s Global News Podcast and NPR's Up First are quite popular. True crime podcasts have
True crime podcasts have become very popular, and there are many to choose from. Some of the most listened to shows are Serial and Criminal. With Serial each season reinvestigates one particular case, so you’ll need to listen to the episodes in order to get the full story. With Criminal, each episode is a stand-alone story and doesn’t need to be listened to in any particular order. Criminal describes itself as telling “stories of people who've done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle.”
This American Life is the first podcast to win a Pulitzer prize. Each week the show has a different theme, and they put together different stories around that theme. The award-winning episode was “The Out Crowd.” This episode focuses on the “Remain in Mexico” asylum policy, and tells the stories of asylum seekers waiting across the border in Mexico, in a makeshift refugee camp. Another episode I particularly enjoyed was “The Room of Requirement,” which focuses on libraries and tells the stories of people who roam the library stacks and find unexpected things that just happen to be exactly what they required.
One of my personal favorite podcasts is On Being. The host, Krista Tippett, interviews different guests, such as authors, spiritual gurus, psychologists, etc. and examine questions like “What does it mean to be human? How do we want to live? And who will we be to each other?” I highly recommend listening to the episode “How Trauma Lodges in the Body” with Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score.
Whatever your interest, there’s a podcast for you. If none of my suggestions caught your attention, try googling “best podcast on –” and fill in the blank with a topic you’re interested in. Happy listening!
