Serial changed my life. Okay maybe not my whole life, but definitely the cooking and driving parts of my life. Before Sarah Koenig brought Adnan Syed’s life into mine, I had dismissed podcasts as something only for the super techy and super nerdy (which is what I used to think about blogging and here I am!).
Binge-listening to the first season of Serial opened up a new world for me, to the point where I’m now that (techy, nerdy) person who relays anecdotes from This American Life at dinner parties. In case you haven’t had the privilege of dining with me lately, here are three of my favourites.
Radiolab
My love for this show runs deep. It weaves fascinating, heartstring-pulling stories out of subjects I’d normally have zero interest in, like figure skating, genetic manipulation and Candid Camera. Which episodes should you start with? Translation, Juicervose, and Live: Tell-Tale Hearts featuring Oliver Sacks.
Longform
I have not been able to write as much as I would like to lately, but I have been able to listen to other people talk about writing lately. Longform showcases intimate conversations with writers of nonfiction like the always fascinating Heather Havrilesky, Cheryl Strayed, and Tavi Gevinson.
Invisibilia
An offshoot of Radiolab, Invisibilia delves into the invisible forces that govern our lives — physics, fear, Batman, and the like. The second season starts soon (June 17th) so catch up on the first season, or at the very least on the Entanglement, Our Computers, Ourselves, and How to Become Batman episodes.
Happy listening!
[Thanks for the headphones, Urbanears!]
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[…] and liked it well enough. Then a few weeks back I was binge-listening to the Longform Podcast (one of my favourites) and was struck by the author Cheryl Strayed’s interview. It turned everything I assumed […]