A bottomless queue

Teacher truths, Elyse Myers, dream science, libraries and community, Roy Choi, catchy phrases, punny National Parks.

I never had much rhyme or reason to why I tend to include seven different podcast recommendations in each issue of this newsletter. I guess six doesn’t feel like enough and extending it to eight just means my queue was extra exciting. But today it occurred to me that seven could work out really well. If you wanted to, that would supply you with one new podcast episode for every day of the week leading up to the next issue. There’s a part of my brain that really likes the way that makes it feel like a manageable and seamless supply. Like a bottomless drink – just when you finish the last sip, there’s more to fill up your cup.

Wouldn’t it be ironic if this issue only had six recommendations? It almost did!

Completely unrelated, but I visited New York City last weekend and kinda geeked out when I passed by this building. The part in Radiolab’s intro song that says “from WNYC” played in my head.

This week’s podstack

Those Who Can’t Teach Anymore - Fight, Flight, or Apathy

The teachers are not okay. Dedicated and passionate teachers are leaving their jobs. So, what’s causing teachers to leave the profession in such high numbers? That’s what Those Who Can’t Teach Anymore is exploring. Last summer in the state of Wyoming, a survey found that two thirds of teachers wanted to leave right now. These are teachers that love teaching and want to be doing it, but the system doesn’t properly support them, instead giving them poor wages, burn out, and mental health challenges. This seven part series is exploring why this is happening and what needs to be done. Host Charles Fournier loves being a teacher and has been inspired by teachers his whole life. His personal investment in the industry brings you intimately close to the subject, which feels especially powerful when he speaks with people very close to him. They describe needing to leave teaching after dealing with school shootings, political censorship, and severe depression. This episode does a great job of introducing you to just how bad the situation is and to teachers who will inspire you while your frustration for what they go through grows.

Last Day - Elyse: I’ll Never Get Used to This

Stephanie Wittels Wachs is so incredibly talented at balancing conversations of deeply difficult times with real honesty and adding the lightness of laughter. Because that’s kinda how life is, right? We live through hard times and still find the humour in it. And if you’re talking with Elyse Myers, you know there’s going to be humour. Elyse is known for her hilarious stories and skits on TikTok, but her story leading up to this point in life is filled with some darkness. Talking through it with Stephanie is this chance to step back and reflect on everything she wants to become with this unexpected, but seemingly meant-to-be path she’s on. She’s an inspiring voice on doing things despite being scared and being kind to yourself, your true self. The is a storytelling style interview that sweeps you up in all the feels.

Knowable - The science of dreams

Dreams are one of the trickier fields of study a scientist can choose, but thankfully there have still been many choosing to do so for many years. The theories about what our dreams mean and why they happen have come a long way since Freud first attempted to explore them. Thanks to brain monitoring technology, there are some ways to at least track dreams, but that’s only a small piece of the puzzle. As someone who dreams a lot and often remembers a lot of extremely random things in my dreams, I was curious to see if they could tell me what the heck is going on when I’m asleep. This episode does a fun job of explaining the different theories, how they’ve been improved and tested, and what scientists are hoping to learn next. It mixes in interviews with dramatic retellings of experiments, and a thoughtful host to help guide you through the science. I couldn’t help but think of Inception when they started explaining how dreams are such subjective experiences because they can’t ever truly be shared. (transcript)

When the People Decide - Libraries as civic spaces

This episode perfectly articulates how libraries are so much more than just places to get books. They’re important places to connect you to your community. Today, there’s a lot of work being done to use libraries as places to help inspire civic engagement. It can bring people together to discuss the changes they want to see in their community. Host Jenna Spinelle speaks with Shamichael Hallman, who recognized the potential of doing this and started making it happen in Memphis. He did some serious analysis on how to engage with people more and use the spaces in the library to serve people better. I wasn’t sure if this would feel applicable to libraries outside the U.S., but it definitely is. No matter where they are, libraries can be sources of community support and this will make you realize the possibilities. (transcript)

Dinner’s On Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Roy Choi

Why is it so cool to hear Roy Choi ordering food at a restaurant? For starters, he asks questions about the menu that I’d never know to ask about. And that’s just part of the experience when you’re out for dinner on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s podcast. He and his guest are actually at a restaurant, trying the food as they chat about life. The story of chef Roy Choi’s life is an inspiring one. From the closure of his family’s restaurant to the rise of his iconic food truck, it wasn’t a straightforward journey at all. Thank goodness for the moment Roy saw Emeril Lagassé on TV and felt like he was speaking directly to him, because it flipped a powerful switch in him to pursue a career in food. As if the pieces were falling into place exactly as they needed to, the timing of his food truck and how it lined up with the increasing popularity of Twitter and Instagram lead to a launch that might not have been as successful at any other time. He also gives you perspective on just how fragile the restaurant industry can be.

Decoder Ring - Think Catchphrases Are Dead? Eat My Shorts.

I love when Decoder Ring takes something simple and dives into its complex evolution. This time it’s catchphrases. You know those perfectly quotable lines that become so iconic that people still say them decades later? Steve Urkel, from Family Matters, is a TV character who might have the most catchphrases of them all. But what happens when catchphrases become cringe or too cliche? Shows like Workaholics make a joke of them and still end up creating new ones! They’re both inescapable and very different these days. Now, we often source them from memes and TikToks. It means they’re just as catchy, but sometimes harder to track. You’ll be reminded of all the iconic catchphrases over the years and think about the ones you often say. (transcript)

Endless Thread - PARKS! Pt. 1: Social media gone 'wild'

Speaking of catchy, the jingle and punny tweets at the beginning of this episode get you so into the fun vibe of Endless Thread right away! How is the incredibly online world impacting the incredibly offline world? It turns out there are a lot of positive things happening from the new approach the National Park Service is taking to social media. When social media became baked into the duties of park rangers, Matt Turner took to it so well he quickly moved to the big leagues. He talks about how his style and voice got him promoted to the main NPS account. His strategy is to keep it fun and engaging, without being too edgy or mean, and it works! Puns and Dad jokes are family friendly for the account, and the internet likes them, too. Then the episode zooms into the state-focused social media account of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, run by Sarah Southerland. It’s a really interesting look at how these new strategies get adapted, what challenges they face, how to balance being fun with being responsible, and what others can learn from them. Being a social media manager is not an easy job, but this had me really admiring the work they do. Amory and Ben are always such fun hosts, too! And I love the way Decoder Ring and Endless Thread feel like shows that could be best friends and together they supply you with such fascinating stories from across the internet and pop culture zeitgeist. (transcript)

More sweet treats

• The evolution of food videos and how TikTok changed everything.

• Does Avatar have one of the worst name choices for a fictional item?

• Podcasts with perfectly obvious names.

Thank you for reading! If you listened to something this week that made your heart sing, your imagination wander, or your brain ponder, I’d love to hear about it!