Waiting for your bus to arrive? Stuck in rush-hour traffic? Just out for a leisurely stroll? Instead of sitting in silence the next time you are trapped on the subway, with only your own thoughts and the muffled voice of the train operator reiterating that “the delay will be resolved soon” to distract you, take a moment to enrich your day, with a podcast. Educate yourself or laugh a little or get caught up on today’s news, or do all of the above; there are podcasts for every topic and every listener. And then later that night, at dinner with your parents or friends or a hot-date, you can impress them with how much you know about up-and-coming female politicians and crime in Rhode Island and Gina Rodriguez. Here are my nominations for the most binge-worthy podcasts: If you want chats and laughs… 1. Call Your Girlfriend - “A podcast for long-distance besties everywhere”, hosted by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman, covering everything pop culture, current events, and politics. Unapologetically feminist and unwaveringly hilarious, these two best friends are talk honestly and inclusively on topics such as menstruation, the cheeto-president, and the pros and cons of capitalism. Also, the podcast that inspired this blog! 2. Anna Faris Is Unqualified - Relationship and life advice from a one-time English major, now award-winning actress, and her equally unqualified celebrity friends. The interviews are consistently off-topic, but always relevant, with friend-guests like Chelsea Handler, Terry Crews, and Jenny Slate. 3. 2 Dope Queens - BFFs Phoebe Robinson and Jessica Williams, and all their favourite funny people dish sex stories, women’s rights, romance misadventures, hair journeys, obsessions with Bono, and lots of other knee-slapping shit. 4. Nancy - A new podcast on the block, which means you only have a few episodes of frank chats and interviews to catch up on. Hosted by another set of best friends, Kathy Tu and Tobin Low (“super queer and super fun”), this podcast aims to cover the LGBTQ experience with rad guests, provocative topics, and a few mentions of Albus Dumbledore. 5. Sooo Many White Guys - It’s Phoebe Robinson, round 2!! Produced by the brilliant and hysterical Ilana Glazer of Broad City, packed with guest appearances from slayers and dominators of every entertainment industry, all the while valiantly attempting to keep the white guy level at a minimum. If you need a dose of culture or science… 1. Science Vs - The perfect podcast to help you out during those heated holiday debates with that ultra-opinionated, but maybe slightly uninformed, relative of yours. Science journalist Wendy Zukerman takes on the hottest fads and the most contentious issues to unearth the hard-cold facts, the completely fabricated myths, and the in-between. 2. Invisibilia - A combination of science, storytelling, and investigation, this NPR produced podcast takes listeners on a self-reflective exploratory journey through the jungle of assumptions, emotions and constructions (the invisible forces), which may explain why we are the way we are. 3. Crimetown - Rhode Island is not the first place that comes to mind when I think of mobsters and gangs and all things crime, however Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier tell a very different story. Each season will be an in-depth investigation into the crime culture of a different American city, starting with the quaint, east coast town of Providence. 4. Harry Potter & The Sacred Text - This weekly podcast allows all of us who have never really gotten over the magic of reading Harry Potter for the first time, to relive the splendor, the characters and the truly astoundingly crafted story, once more, while drawing connections to other literary works, current events, and history. 5. The Nerdist - If a Harry Potter podcast isn’t nerdy enough for you, try this one, hosted by comedian Chris Hardwick, wherein he and his self-proclaimed nerdy celebrity guest, talk comedy, nerd culture, politics, and being a human. The show is in its 7th season, and on its 866th episode, so there is a bit to catch up on, but it is well worth it! If you are craving critical discussion… 1. With Friends Like These - In the aftermath of a rather devastating and ultimately exhausting election season, Ana Marie Cox took to the podcast world to try to understand what caused and continues to perpetuate the divisive chasm between the left and the right. Candid conversations with writers, activists, politicians, and everyday people, work towards finding common ground, and understanding what the hell is going on.
2. Colour Code - The only Canadian-based podcast on the list, this Globe and Mail produced show is a bold and trailblazing series about race in Canada. Hosts Denise Balkissoon and Hannah Sung ask unflinching questions in the search for imperative answers on the topic of race and racism in Canada, which is something Canadians and the Canadian government is notoriously good at ignoring. 3. Another Round - Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton cover everything from gender to race to corrupt politics to the Dakota Access Pipeline, and then also mangoes and Nicki Minaj and good wine and what Barack Obama smells like. The show is produced by Buzzfeed, is insightful and hilarious, and the fact that Heben and Tracy drink booze the whole way through, only adds to the excellence. 4. The United States of Anxiety - Amidst the rather disconcerting, frightening, and somewhat hopeless political environment of America today (see: Planned Parenthood, public education, climate change, and police brutality, to name a few), this podcast introduces listeners to culture warriors who are influencing debates on religion, race, science, and sexuality, and fighting for what they believe in. 5. Code Switch - The tagline is: “race and identity, remixed”, and the show is tackling the falsely constructed societal idea that our world is “post-racial”, and that all of the issues associated with race, culture, and ethnicity are firmly behind us. A team of veteran journalists, headed by Shereen Marisol Meraji and Gene Demby, chat about how race and identity exist in our lives and communities, and how they are always changing. A podcast I have been recently engaging with as part of my anti-racism journey (which is so very far from over). And those are just a few of the many smart, creative, and groundbreaking podcasts out there on the internet. Happy listening! -Amy
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2/23/2017 0 Comments CuRRENTLY...February.
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