Friday news from Sound Judgment
Newsletter schedule change, brand new workshop, a Podcast Allies win at the International Women's Podcast Awards, and a glowing podcast recommendation
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Hi storytellers —
Happy Friday!
Popping into your inbox this morning with a few quick announcements.
(Photo by Alisa Anton on Unsplash)
Schedule Change
Since its inception, I’ve published this newsletter on a Wednesday or Thursday to coincide with the release of Sound Judgment podcast episodes. With the podcast on summer hiatus, I’m moving the newsletter to Sunday mornings. I love reading my longer newsletters on Sundays, savoring the essays and allowing inspiration in. And I know many of you save your newsletter reading for weekend mornings as well! The first one will be the issue you may have expected yesterday, coming this Sunday, June 23 — chock full of your favorite segments, including “Try This in Your Studio” and Sound Judgment Kudos.
Brand new workshop!
I’m so excited about this. At your request, I’ve been developing a new hands-on, interactive interviewing course. Finding the Real Story: Honing Courage, Curiosity and Connection is for you if you want to stretch your interviewing skills to solve a common frustration: Despite our best intentions, many of our interviews fail to go beneath the surface. Finding the Real Story will help us interview with our hearts, not just our heads.
We’ll collaborate in a live cohort (limited to 12) to learn how to interview to get to the essence of the human being in front of you. We’ll be seeking to uncover the elements of narrative: story, character, conflict, metaphor, feelings, and candor.
This weekly, four-session virtual workshop runs July 16 - August 6, by application only. (But don’t let that scare you away — it’s a five-minute application and doesn’t require years of experience!)
$50 discount for prior Sound Judgment workshop attendees.
Visit Finding the Real Story for more information and to apply today.
Complexified host Amanda Henderson (r) interviews Denver resident Bessie Smith, who was forced to attend an Indian boarding school.
An IWPA Honor
I’m so pleased for Podcast Allies client Amanda Henderson. Her podcast for the religiously curious and politically frustrated, Complexified, took home the runner-up honor for “Moment of Raw Emotion” at the International Women’s Podcast Awards on Thursday! We entered this episode, a moving interview with Denver resident Bessie Smith.
Bessie grew up on a Navajo reservation. At the age of 13, she was forced to attend an Indian boarding school. She recounts how, in a single day, she was stripped of her family, her prized long hair, her traditional dress, her belief system, and even her name.
Complexified has come a long way since Podcast Allies helped Amanda and the Center for Religion, Culture and Politics at Iliff School of Theology launch the show two years ago. This year, Complexified was invited to join the Religion News Service (RNS) network of podcasts. RNS is an 80-year-old news organization that, like the AP, reports objectively on religion and distributes its news to a wide variety of media. Congratulations, Amanda!
Two other Podcast Allies podcasts were shortlisted for awards this year as well: Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers, for the Environmental Defense Fund, was a finalist for “Moment of Insight from a Role Model.” Sound Judgment was shortlisted for “Moment of Behind-the-Scenes Briliance” for “Courage vs. Comfort: Is it finally time to pursue your dreams?” Congratulations to all of the finalists and winners.
A podcast episode I loved
Yesterday I listened to the second-to-last episode of Longform featuring the brilliant author Ta-Nehisi Coates (Between the World and Me, The Water Dancer, and more). There’s so much about this episode to inspire any writer, especially those who, like me, love creative nonfiction, narrative nonfiction podcasts and books.
I was particularly inspired by Coates’ decision to leave social media two years ago. On social media, he said, he felt reactionary — that he was sharing ideas in response to others’ agendas. In contrast, he told Longform host Evan Ratliff:
“For a longform writer, the great power actually is your ability to set the table and watch the world react to you. You don’t always get that, right? But when it’s really, really working, when the sun hits you the right way…there are all these deep emotional experiences that people are capable of having with your work.”
This is one interview I’ll listen to again, at least once.
I’ll be back with you Sunday!
As always, it is a joy to be with you.
Elaine Appleton Grant
P.S. Yesterday was the summer solstice, a perfect time to pick up a new book or listen to a new podcast in advance of summer road trips. What are you reading or listening to? Share in the comments!
Currently reading (which I mentioned in my previous newsletter comment): https://www.stoneandheen.com/difficult-conversations
Next on my list: The Art of Gathering (at your recommendation)
Listening: Finally getting to Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative ... and recently I listened to this piece called Supermarket Symphony https://soundcloud.com/nina-perry/supermarket-symphony