Holiday preparation involves lots of idle time running errands, cooking, wrapping, traveling. Why not grab your headphones and put that time to good use?
The number of podcasts exploded in 2018. Today, listeners can choose from more than 550,000 shows with 18.1 million episodes in over 100 languages, and that’s just on Apple. That’s a lot of listening, so we thought we’d share some of our favorites.
The first podcast we recommend is Fresh Air, the Peabody award-winning National Public Radio show hosted by Terry Gross. In each episode, Gross interviews the newsmakers of the time, including politicians, creative artists, philanthropists and celebrities. Gross is one of the best in the business, and her interviews are always worth a listen.
For folks who enjoy the nuts and bolts of reporting, Two Writers Slinging Yang features host and journalist Jeff Pearlman talking shop with reporters and writers about how they research and write their stories. While Pearlman interviews writers in all fields, we like this podcast because it features women working in professional sports, where our voices aren’t as prevalent as they should be.
Our second writerly pick is The New Yorker: Fiction podcast, a monthly one-hour show that features famous writers reading their favorite short stories from The New Yorker magazine archives. Host Deborah Treisman, fiction editor for The New Yorker, talks with each writer about the story he or she chooses, and it’s fascinating to hear how a writer interprets a piece he or she holds in high regard, and the reasons why.
If you’re into photography, the best podcast we’ve found is Master Photography, a weekly (sometimes more) roundtable discussion with five photographers who answer listener questions, report news in the field, and discuss equipment, techniques and tricks of the trade. This podcast is great listening for professional photo nerds as well as regular photography enthusiasts.
What happened to the people of Limetown? That’s the question fictional NPR reporter Lia Haddock sets out to answer in Limetown, a suspenseful serial podcast that’s perfect if you’re just looking for something fun to listen to. The new season explores the mysterious disappearance of Limetown’s residents further, and delves into the coverup. It’s creepy and exciting and will keep you hooked until the very end. Or at least until you finish wrapping all those gifts.