Dedicated to the queen of podcast recommendations

Period poverty, ocean stories, fish throwing, werewolf dogs, political Oscars, climate fiction.

I don’t know if Podstack would exist if it weren’t for Lauren Passell. She was one of the first people I told about this idea. Not only does she inspire me to always stay curious for different things to listen to, her writing constantly demonstrates how to talk about podcasts with heart and an expert ear. With today being Lauren’s birthday, it felt like the perfect time to express my gratitude to her for being the biggest fan of podcasts and for supporting me in creating a newsletter that aspires to celebrate this medium as well as hers does. If you do one thing today in honour of Lauren’s birthday it should be to tell a podcast that you love it!

This week’s podstack

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women - The Economics of Period Poverty

What does it mean to look at the hidden economics of period poverty? At a time when themes of girlhood have been loud and proud, this show looks at what the economics and hidden costs are of girlhood. What systems are preventing them from thriving? One of those systems is the access and education available to support people during their periods. When you hear there are hidden economic impacts related to periods, you might just think about access and costs of period products. But if you think more deeply about it, it’s about the impact that ripples throughout an economy when so many girls have to just skip school or eventually drop out because they don’t have the support needed during their periods. When they miss out on school and further education, they miss out on so many other opportunities. This episode looks at period poverty in South Africa to discuss what products are available, what education is lacking (specifically about tampons), and how to provide safe and sustainable products to more people.

Oceans: Life Under Water - 1| The Water Planet

Does anyone else think about the show Life Sentence at least once a week or is it just me? There’s an episode of that show about oceans that so powerfully articulated the struggles our oceans are feeling from climate change. This new show feels like a good extension of it! It combines stories of people who explore and support the ocean’s health, but does it in a perfectly immersive way. Like hearing stories of deep sea free divers who can hold their breath for over six minutes and feel deeply connected when they’re in the ocean. Even though I really can not relate to the sense of peace they feel in the water, hearing their passion for this space was a good way of making me feel more connected to the issue. As a wildlife filmmaker, zoologist and broadcaster Hannah Stitfall is an excellent host for the show! She cares and she has the storytelling chops to pull you into these ocean-centered stories. Something about water themed sound design always feels so nice to listen to, so I’m not gonna lie that had me hooked immediately. It’s about exploring the sea and the stories within it and surrounding it. Sometimes on the surface and sometimes deep on the floor. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about the vast and mysterious oceans of Earth, this is the show for you. The things we do know are mind boggling, but the fact that there’s so much we don’t know is even more mind boggling.

Finally! A Show - Finally! A Show About a Fish Throwing Crooner

I’m almost struggling with how to describe this show but I think that’s the point and that’s what makes it an interesting experiment right now. It will make you feel like you’re just casually tagging along to get a glimpse into someone’s day and life. But the fact that it does so in an engaging way, means there’s nothing casual about the production of it. There is structure and an overarching narrative that guides you through the life of Hillary Branyik, who works in the fish market at Pike Place in Seattle. You hear her go about her day, starting very early in the morning with some raw documentary-sounding tape. But you grow closer to her through the interview segments that are seamlessly woven through the episode. For an episode to be casual, thoughtful, and raw while still maintaining an engaging rhythm is a difficult thing to accomplish. It’s both plain and experimental in style and subject matter. I’m intrigued to hear where this feed goes!

World Gone Wrong - 101 - Can you shame-cone a Werewolf?

I had never heard a fictional chat show like this before but the artwork caught my eye and the concept felt clever enough that I had to check it out. And then the theme song started and I was sold! Who doesn’t love a solid podcast theme song?! If you’ve ever wondered what a chat podcast would sound like at the end of the world, this is it. Or at least, a fictional imagination of what it might sound like. How do hosts Malik and Jamie discuss the catastrophes around them? With dark, but fun humour! And they’re answering listener questions to provide advice about things they’re experiencing, like dogs being bitten and turned into werewolves. One of my favourite lines was when they described cold brew coffee as “potion of shake-a-lot and then poop weird”. It’s not really a reflection of the destructive world they’re living in, but it is a good example of their fun banter.

The Amendment - The Oscars Are Political with Wesley Morris

Do the Oscars already feel forever ago? Not when you’re still listening to podcasts about them like I am. This conversation between Errin and Wesley so perfectly makes the connection between the movies that are celebrated and the politics they reflect. Who does and doesn’t get nominated? And even when they do get nominated, what kind of roles are they usually nominated for? One of the ways they show this is by talking about Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s win. Her win is compared to how often the roles that Black women get nominated for are ones where they are in a service role supporting white characters. So what does it mean for Lily Gladstone’s and Colman Domingo’s careers that they were nominated but didn’t win? You know I love listening to analysis of movies and their impact on reality, and this is an excellent example of that. (transcript)

The Gray Area - The power of climate fiction

If you want to hear a strong way to open an episode, this is a great example. Sean talks about our tendency to ignore big issues that fill us with so much overwhelm that we choose not to deal with them. But for him, the things that relieve that dread and helplessness are stories, articles, and movies. In this case, the issue he’s referring to is climate change and the thing that made him less stuck was The Deluge, written by Stephen Markley. It’s a realistic look at the political and cultural consequences of living on a warming planet. Stephen felt the need to write about this because it is the defining event of our lives, our children’s lives, our grandchildren’s lives, but he wanted to explore how to talk about it using a story. So his book contains a variety of characters that are experiencing the impacts of climate change differently. Through their conversation, you hear about how the majority of the damage that’s been done has happened since Seinfeld debuted, what feels optimistic and what feels pessimistic, and what to do with all of these emotions. At one point Stephen talks about having to change the terrifying things happening in the book because they were already happening in the real world too quickly. Yikes. (transcript)

More sweet treats

• Do you know about the dream gap?

• The truth about rain sounds in movies.

• Listen to what happens when Taylor Swift songs are played at women’s hockey games.

• 10 Optimistic podcasts to make you feel better about the world.

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!