I don’t know what took me so long, but I’ve only recently gotten into podcasts. I’ve subscribed to a few in the past, and heck, I even publish one, but now I’m an avid podcast subscriber. Specifically, I’ve really come to love two podcasts.
The Moth bills itself as “true stories told live without notes,” and you never quite know what you’re going to get. The podcasts features audio recorded by The Moth team at one of their live events — usually it’s an author, but not always — and the storyteller delivers a 10- to 20-minute narrative about something that happened to them. It’s almost always fascinating and well-told.
This American Life is a show on Chicago Public Radio that is hosted by Ira Glass. Each week, the program examines a given topic (from the financial crisis to babysitting) through a series of compelling stories and interviews. The name says it all — it’s about life in America.
I highly recommend both (though I feel I must protect myself by throwing out a content disclaimer) because they both celebrate the power and beauty of story. I think all communicators — preachers, teachers, designers, video guys, web devs, photographers, etc. — should begin to view themselves as storytellers, and thus I think we can all learn a lot from the art and stories that flow through the Moth and TAL feeds. Locate them in the iTunes Store and subscribe, please.
Oh, and while you’re at it, do me a huge favor and recommend your favorite podcast or two. I’m search of a few more feeds for my weekly listening/viewing pleasure.