Karen’s Listening

I typically listen to around 8 hours of podcasts a week. I share a small space with my family (a teenager and a ten year old) and we seem to come together more if there is quiet in our home. I would likely listen to more podcasts if I was not aware that when my teenage daughter comes into a room and she hears about pedagogy or climate change she is rolling her eyes and marching out. We have not found a shared genre yet.

My youngest and I will listen to what we like to call “haunted podcasts” together some of the highlights are Lore, Spooked, Haunted Canada and anything to do with Greek and Roman Mythology.

For my own listening I have a few podcastst hat I listen to that are meant to help my teaching and learning practice. Some inspire me for topics in classes (I teach in a business administration program) or become part of my lesson plans, or they help to make me feel part of a community of educators.

• Praxis and Pedagogy
• Terry Greene’s Getting’ Air
• Cost of Living with Paul Haavarsrud (Economics topics galore)
• How I Built This (Entrepreneurship inspiration and ideas)

When I want something that is less directly about my work I have listened to Dear Sugar, Finding Cleo, The Current, Dolly Parton’s America, No Place Like Home, The Village, Gender Reveal, Metis in Space, We Can Do Hard Things, On Being with Krista Tippett, Hear to Slay and How to Save a Planet.

My number one genre in my hierarchy of podcast love is a conversation between smart people who are experts in their field. Roxane Gay and Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom’s Hear to Slay is one that I find compelling.  The hosts are writers and academics and they consistently bring in women who are experts in their own fields. An episode that I go back to because it was saturated in everything I love about a podcast (smart people, being critical of our current situation, considering how we can change and inspiring taking steps towards this change) is the episode Swipe Right for the Climate (with Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson) from July 19, 2021. Dr. Johnson is actually the co-host of the podcast How to Save a Planet which is also now on my regular listening list. I echo Brenna’s sentiment that what makes a difference is when we sense that there is a friendliness between the hosts and the guest.

I would say my second favourite is a good story. Spooked is a curation of scary stories that is brought forward by the host Glynn Washington. The people who experienced the scary event are the people who narrate their story but Glynn’s introductions and sign offs are rich. The introductions often have a story from Glynn’s own life where he grew up in a black, religious family in rural Michigan. Those introductions from Glynn and his experiences have opened up my son’s curiosity about race, culture, history, religion. The stories are spooky but the thread throughout the episodes of Glynn and his stories are strong.