5 Great Listens You Won't Want to Miss
From a character-driven, non-narrated show to an explosive investigation of sexual misconduct, there's so much to learn here.
I listen to a lot of podcasts — in part to curate my own show, Sound Judgment, which explores the question, “What does it take to become a beloved audio storyteller?” by going behind the scenes with today’s best creators.
Here are a few podcasts I’ve been listening to lately.
This is Chicago
I finally listened to this non-narrated podcast by creators Stephen Pate and Ashlie Stevens, to my joy: It’s a gem, no matter where you live. The show brings the stories of regular people alive in a way that anyone who’s made a non-narrated piece knows takes both skill and sweat, but to most listeners will seem like they caught great storytellers in the act of sharing the ups, downs, and insights of their lives. I was particularly moved and inspired by the seven-minute “Envelope” episode, in which a beleaguered priest finds redemption by adopting three dogs.
Years ago at a Nieman Narrative Conference, Jay Allison explained the “sonic id’s” that he pioneered at WCAI, the NPR member station on Cape Cod. Those tiny human stories illuminated both residents’ lives and the local community. But more than that, they grew deep connections between listeners and the station that public radio had never figured out before. This is Chicago reminds me of these sonic id’s. (And hey, member stations, is anyone making these anymore? You should be.)
Sound School/Tracking Partners
Sound School host Rob Rosenthal takes us into The Washington Post studios with host Martine Powers and producer Rennie Svirnovskiy as Martine voices an episode of The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop. The opportunity to be a fly on the wall was instructional — and laugh-out-loud funny. If you’ve wondered how the pros sound SO natural on the mic, listen to Tracking Partners. And read Rob’s helpful summary at Transom.org.
The 13th Step
One of the most talked-about podcasts in recent months, for excellent reason. NHPR’s Lauren Chooljian investigates the former CEO of a chain of drug treatment centers in New Hampshire and ends up as his target. The 13th Step team won a prestigious duPont-Columbia award last week. You’ll be on the edge of your seat listening to this important series — and like me, wondering not just about Chooljian’s courage, but also about the bravery of the women and men who agreed to share stories and documents with her and The 13th Step team. I’m happy to say Chooljian and story editor Alison MacAdam will tell us all in the upcoming season of Sound Judgment!
Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative
The new Radiotopia documentary about the ethical problems of working in what creator Jess Shane calls a booming industry. It’s personal: She bravely confronts the ways in which, like most documentarians, she has profited from her work while her subjects have not. Shane, too, will share the backstory to this backstory (yeah, how meta) on the next season of Sound Judgment.
Sound Judgment Season 4: Bravery launches on Wednesday, January 31, with a powerful exploration of personal narrative by The Pulso Podcast’s Maribel Quezada Smith.
What are you listening to? Share in the comments!