#lauren passell

[lingthusiasm]

Lingthusiasm is a super smart language podcast that I have to slow down to 1x speed when I listen. You aren’t going to learn one theory or concept per episode, you are going to learn tons of facts about etemologies, accents, and be led to the top of several rabbit holes you can go back to explore on your own. It’s academic but pumped with fun. The Word Magic episode was extra fun, touching upon so many invisible aspects of words, but especially about spells—how the magical kind of spell and the written kind are historically linked, and how language shapes reality. They go over Felicity Conditions, (”an excellent drag name,”) performativity as applied to gender, the “hereby” test, plus they dig into a Rainbow Rowell novel. I had this epiphany listening, like “woahhh, words are like…magic?”...the kind of epiphany that made me feel like I was 21, on drugs in the attic of my college off-campus house realizing I have hands. Listen here.

Lingthusiasm is featured in Lauren Passell's Podcast the Newsletter this week!

[foggyoutline]

The best audio drama curators

The latest Foggy Outline newsletter is all about where to find simply the best audio drama 🤌

[author-mandi-bean]

Stephen King's 20 Rules for Writing

If I've learned anything as a lifelong reader and writer, it's that Stephen King has all the answers.

If I’m being honest, I’ve been slacking on my writerly goals this month, which ends today. I’ve hit a wall with Lightning Strikes and other responsibilities have kept my writing on the backburner. But if I’ve learned anything as a lifelong reader and writer, it’s that Stephen King has all the answers. I read The Shining when I was in fifth grade and have never looked back. Uncle Stevie has…

[ear-worthy]

Feed The Queue Podcast: Striking Gold With This Podcast Discovery Show

Think about reviews and recommendations for the movie industry. There are about 125 movies released every year, and about 7,000 movie review podcasts, with thousands more online reviewers. In essence, there are too many reviewers chasing too little product. How many reviews can you read about Deadpool & Wolverine?

Now, think about podcasting. There are arguably about 40,000 active podcasts. More than 80 percent of them are independent podcasts, which means they don't have a Mother Ship like Amazon, Spotify, or iHeart to financially and logistically support them.

Numbers are admittedly sketchy on this, but there are a few thousand -- maybe-- podcast recommendation podcasts, online publications or video shows. In essence, there are not enough podcast reviewers chasing a "googol" of excellent podcasts. (Note: A googol is 10 to the power of 100, 10¹⁰⁰).

As a podcast reviewer and recommendation publication, I can recommend some superb podcast recommendation crews such as Bingeworthy, BlkPodNews, Great Pods, Into The Podverse, Podstack, Podcast The Newsletter, and Feed the Queue.

You can't go wrong with recommendations from any of these sources. What I also admire is that these recommenders focus on independent podcasts that are often lost in the category 5 hurricane winds that define podcast discoverability.

Feed The Queue is a podcast recommendation show that just started its fourth season. It is produced by Tink Media, one of the outstanding podcast marketing companies in the space. Tink is run by Lauren Passell, one of the most well-known and highly respected people in the industry.

Feed The Queue describes itself like this: "The ultimate podcast discovery podcast! We’re feeding your queue with episodes of our favorite shows. Join the team from Tink Media and creators from across the industry to learn about shows you’ll love. Think of it like a char-queue-terie of podcasts, full of delicious sounds and flavors."

While the mention of a charcuterie board made me wish for some brie, there's nothing cheesy about this podcast. Every episode highlights a podcast that becomes ear-worthy right after listening to Feed the Queue and luxuriating in the podcasts they recommend. Feed The Queue is like Consumer Reports or Wirecutter for podcasts.

I readily confess that I have liked every podcast the show has recommended. My favorites include, Beef, Digital Folkore, Rumble Strip, Skyline Drive, and The Nocturnists. Beef with Bridget Todd was a particular favorite of mine.

One of my favorite episodes -- November 17, 2023 -- featured one of my favorite podcasts, 6 Degrees Of Cats by Amanda B. On the episode, host Andreea and 6 Degrees podcaster Amanda discuss her background and bio, how she crafted her unique sound design for the show, and how she baked in history, culture, and science into a podcast about cats. During the episode, host and guest restrained themselves on cat puns, and the clip of the episode Andreea played was delightful.

I must note that 6 Degrees Of Cats was the July 2024 winner of the Ear Worthy Award for Best Pet Podcast.

The Feed The Queue podcast has gone through several iterations as it begins its fourth season, and that is a good thing. Podcasts that don't change, don't last, unless you count PodQuiz and its infernal yet charming conformity.

The Welcome to Season 4 episode was just released on September 10th. The intro music by Aakshi Sinha is pleasantly unique and acoustically quirky. Joni Mitchell, eat your heart out.

The co-hosts of this episode are Devin Andrade and Andreea Coscai. On the debut episode of season four, the co-hosts added a new element to the show, with each co-host asking three questions: How did you discover your love of audio? What is one of your favorite podcasts? If you had a budget of one million dollars, what podcast would you produce?

It's a light-bulb moment because those three questions elicit more personal information about the co-hosts but stick closely to the podcast discovery theme.

Apparently, different people from Tink Media will co-host the show, and with the talented people there like Wil Williams, quality will not be diminished at all.

Podcast discoverability continues to be the equivalent to a cold that will not go away. Podcasters, podcast listeners, and industry people know that there are thousands of exceptional podcasts just waiting to be discovered.

However, needle meet haystack. Until a comprehensive, coordinated, and collaborative system of podcast discoverability is implemented (and even after), podcast discovery shows like Feed The Queue are essential for people searching for the next great listen.

Finally, as enthusiastic supporters of independent podcasts, I salute Tink Media for their commitment to the people who started podcasting and remain the heart and soul of the industry -- independent podcasters.

It may be breakfast or lunchtime when you read this, so Feed The Queue and devour a great podcast. Try Conspiracy, She Wrote. This way, you can find out where in Ohio those immigrants are apparently eating all the dogs and cats in the town. Run, Scruffy, run.

[tandonshows]

Hello! It's me, Marissa Tandon, and I want to tell you about my new thing. Sappy text post incoming.

Growing up, I spent a lot of time on this website, keyboard smashing and meta tagging (and, ok, sometimes horny tagging, let's be honest with ourselves) about my favorite movies and TV shows. During the day, I spent hours trying to work through high school and extra curricular activities with the looming threat of applying to college very much breathing down my neck. And then after (and, okay, sometimes during) I consumed media and talked about it online like it was the elixir of the gods, escapism, and mental health.

I put a lot of that feeling into my latest audio drama, That Vampire Show, and into Kat's journey. But when I made that show, I also found myself so nervous to talk about it. Would people laugh when I said I was making a show about fandom? Would they roll their eyes when I talked about fan fiction and the community that can come out of it? Would they think I was weird for finding comfort in absolutely hyper fixating on media?

But I found something better: when I told people about That Vampire Show, they started to open up. People told me about the piece of media that they hyper fixated on, wrote fan fiction for, blogged about, and found comfort in. They shared about hard times in their life and how media and characters and online communities helped them get through it. And, at the end of those conversations, everyone said the same thing: I never get to talk about the stuff I love like this.

Growing up, I used to say that if I could just make being a fan a career, that's what I would do for the rest of my life. I'm not exactly there yet, but hosting You Are What You Love is one step closer to that. Every Wednesday, I sit down with a new guest and ask them one question: what piece of media changed who you are as a person?

They are some of the most joyous conversations I've had in a long time. There are five episodes out so far:

Lauren Grace Thompson (voice of Kat Wright) talked about Supernatural

Mike Schubert (host of Potterless, The Newest Olympian, and others) talked about seeing Bo Burnham live for the first time

Lauren Passell (writer of Podcast The Newsletter) talked about Calvin & Hobbes and Disney

Gabriel Urbina (writer of many things, including Wolf359) talked about Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Ashley Quach (writer, director, and children's book illustrator) talked about John Finnemore

And some more incredibly exciting guests are coming up soon (including Daniel Kibbelsmith (Marvel), David K Barnes (Wooden Overcoats), Molly Burdick (Pod & Prejudice) and so many others!). I hope you'll give the show a listen, and join me in trying to be more open and loud about the things that we love.

If you're into text posts like this, you can also subscribe to my newsletter, which I send out with every episode of the show.

Listen to You Are What You Love here.

[rfield87]

Writing Advice from Best-Selling Authors: Stephen King

fine

This week’s re-blog is one that was written by Lauren Passell, and is titled: Stephen King’s Top 20 Rules for Writers. It was published on March 22, 2013. If you would like to read the blog on the Barnes & Noble website where I found it, I will leave the link below. 

(When I was re-writing this blog I found some typo errors and corrected them as I went along. It must be the editor in me.)

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/stephen-kings-top-20-rules-for-writers/

                         Stephen King’s Top 20 Rules for Writers

Stephen King’s books have sold over 350 million copies. Like them or loathe them, you have to admit that’s impressive. King’s manual On Writing reveals that he’s relentlessly dedicated to his craft. He admits that not even The King himself always sticks to his rules - but trying to follow them is a good start. Here are our favorite pieces of advice for aspiring writers:

1. First write for yourself, and then worry about the audience. “When you write a story, you’re telling yourself the story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out the things that are not the story. Your stuff starts out being just for you, but then it goes out.

2. Don’t use passive voice. “Timid writers like passive verbs for the same reason that timid lovers like passive partners. The passive voice is safe. The timid fellow writes “The meeting will be held at seven o’clock” because that somehow says to him, ‘Put it this way and people will believe you really know.’ Purge this quisling thought! Don’t be a muggle! Throw back your shoulders, stick out your chin, and put that meeting in charge! Write ‘The meeting’s at seven.’ There, by God! Don’t you feel better?”

3. Avoid adverbs. “The adverbs is not your friend. Consider the sentence “He closed the door firmly.” It’s by no means a terrible sentence, but ask yourself if ‘firmly’ really has to be there. What about context? What about the enlightening (not to say emotionally moving) prose which came before ‘He closed the door firmly’? Shouldn’t this tell us how he closed the door? And if the foregoing prose does tell us, then isn’t ‘firmly’ an extra word? Isn’t it redundant?”

4, Avoid adverbs, especially after “he said” and “she said.” “While to write adverbs is human, to write ‘he said’ or ‘she said’ is divine.”

5. But don’t obsess over perfect grammar. “Language does not always have to wear a tie and lace-up shoes. The object of fiction isn’t grammatical correctness but to make the reader welcome and then tell a story...to make him/her forget, whenever possible, that he/she is reading a story at all.”

6. The magic is in you. “I’m convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing. Dumbo got airborne with the help of a magic feather; you may feel the urge to grasp a passive verb or one of those nasty adverbs for the same reason. Just remember before you do that Dumbo didn’t need the feather; the magic was in him.”

7. Read, read, read. “You have tor read widely, constantly refining (and redefining) your own work as you do so. If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.”

8. Don’t worry about making other people happy. “Reading at meals is considered rude in polite society, but if you expect to succeed as a writer, rudeness should be the second to least of your concerns. The least of all should be polite society and what it expects. If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered, anyway.”

9. Turn off the TV. “Most exercise facilities are now equipped with TVs, but TV - while working out or anywhere else - really is about the last thing an aspiring writer needs. If you feel you must have the news analyst blowhard on CNN while you exercise, or the stock market blowhards of MSNBC, or the sports blowhards of ESPN, it’s time for you to question how serious you really are about becoming a writer. You must be prepared to do some serious turning inward toward the life of the imagination, and that means, I’m afraid, the Geraldo, Keigh Oberman, and Jay Leno must go. Reading takes time, and the glass teat takes too much of it.”

10. You have three months. “The first draft of a book - even a long one - should take no more than three months, the length of a season.”

11. There are two secrets to success. “When asked for the ‘secret of my success’ (an absurd idea, that, but impossible to get away from), I sometimes say there are two: I stayed physically healthy, and I stayed married. It’s a good answer because it makes the question go away, and because there is an element of truth in it. The combination of a healthy body and a stable relationship with a self-reliant woman who takes zero shit from me or anyone else has made the continuity of my working life possible. And I believe the converse is also true: that my writing and the pleasure I take in it has contributed to the stability of my health and my home life.”

12. Write one word at a time. “A radio talk-show host asked me how I wrote. My reply - ‘One word at a time’ - seemingly left him without a reply. I think he was trying to decide whether or not I was joking. I wasn’t. In the end, it’s always that simple. Whether it’s vignette of a single page or an epic trilogy like ‘The Lord of the Rings,” the work is always accomplished one word at a time.”

13. Eliminate distraction. “There should be no telephone in your writing room, certainly no TV or videogames for you to fool around with. If there’s a window, draw the curtains or pull down the shades unless it looks out at a blank wall.”

14. Stick to your own style. “One cannot imitate a writer’s approach to a particular genre, no matter how simple what the writer is doing may seem. You can’t aim a book like a cruise missile, in other words. People who decide to make a fortune writing like John Grisham or Tom Clancy produce nothing but pale imitations, by and large, because vocabulary is not the same thing as feeling and plot is light years from the truth as it is understood by the mind and the heart.”

15. Dig. “When, during the course of an interview for The New Yorker, I told the interviewer (Mark Singer) that I believed stories are found things, like fossils in the ground, he said that he didn’t believe me. I replied that was fine, as long as he believed that I believed it. And I do. Stories aren’t souvenir tee-shirts or Game Boys. Stories are relics, part of an undiscovered pre-existing world. The writer’s job is to use the tools in his or her toolbox to get as much of each one out of the ground intact as possible. Sometimes the fossil you uncover is small; a seashell. Sometimes it’s enormous, a Tyrannosaurus Rex with all the gigantic ribs and grinning teeth. Either way, short story or thousand page whopper of a novel, the techniques of excavation remain basically the same.”

16. Take a break. “If you’ve never done it before, you’ll find reading your book over after a six-week layoff to be a strange, often exhilarating experience. It’s yours, you’ll recognize it as yours, even be able to remember what tune was on the stereo when you wrote certain lines, and yet it will also be like reading the work of someone else, a soul-twin, perhaps. This is the way it should be, the reason you waited. It’s always easier to kill someone else’s darlings than it is to kill your own.”

17. Leave out the boring parts and kill your darlings. “Mostly when I think of pacing, I go back to Elmore Leonard, who explained it so perfectly by saying he just left out the boring parts. This suggests cutting to speed the pace, and that’s what most of us end up having to do (kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings).”

18. The research shouldn’t overshadow the story. “If you do need to do research because parts of your story deal with things about which you know little or nothing, remember the word back. That’s where research belongs; as far in the background and the back story as you can get it. You may be entranced with what you’re learning about the flesh-eating bacteria, the sewer system of New York, or the I.Q. potential of collie pups, but your readers are probably going to care a lot more about your characters and your story.”

19. You become a better writer simply by reading and writing. “You don’t need writing classes or seminars any more than you need this or any other book on writing. Faulkner learned his trade while working in the Oxford, Mississippi post office. Other writers have learned the basics while serving in the Navy, working in steel mills or doing time in America’s finer crossbar hotels. I learned the most valuable (and commercial) part of my life’s work while washing motel sheets and restaurant tablecloths at the New Franklin Laundry in Bangor. You learn best by reading a lot and writing a lot, and the most valuable lessons of all are the ones you teach yourself.”

20. Writing is about getting happy. “Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So, drink.”  

Which of these rules do you like best?

[thenovelry]

'The novelist destroys the house of his life and uses its stones to build the house of his novel.' Milan Kundera. Ready? 'Kritikme provides you the tools you need to get in the right mindset to write a novel. With support, instruction, guides, inspiration, tips from famous writers, and no-nonsense love from Louise that pie-in-the-sky idea of writing a book can become reality.' Lauren Passell #amwriting #authorsofinstagram #creativewriting #kritikme #nanowrimo #scrivener #writerscommunity #writersfollowwriters #writershop #writersofig #writersofinstagram — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2IxPT3Z

[ear-worthy]

Ear Worthy Giving Thanks This Year

Meister Eckhart was a 13th century Christian theologian, who once said, “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.”

Eight hundred years has not diminished the wisdom inherent in that statement. The human condition is such that we too often focus on what we lack and not on what we have. 

As a wise person once said,"Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses."

Sadly, Thanksgiving has become a holiday where gratitude is linked to a feast recorded as occurring in 1621. Now, being thankful is reduced to a day instead of a daily viewpoint or routine.

I think we can agree that thanking others is an act we do too infrequently. Think about when we do give thanks. When we're retiring, we finally thank people we worked with for 30 or 40 years. When someone gives us something, whether it be a present, a gift, or reward for an accomplishment, we give thanks. 

I am, sadly, one of those people who does not offer thanks often enough to the people in my life. In the case of the Ear Worthy podcast review site, my personal jury has rendered a verdict. I, too, am guilty of not thanking the people who work with me on Ear Worthy.  

Like so many others, I have waited until Thanksgiving to offer my gratitude to those who have made Ear Worthy successful.

First, I want to thank the readers of Ear Worthy. There's that old existential question: If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, did it actually fall?

That's true for Ear Worthy. If an online publication was created to communicate podcast reviews, recommendations, and trends, would it qualify as a communications device if no one read it?

Thanks to you, we've had more than 250,000 impressions so far this year. We hope to continue to offer value to you in the coming year.

Second, I want to thank the people who make Ear Worthy possible. So far this year, we've published 275 articles. That doesn't happen alone. Thank you to our podcast consultant George Witt, for his wisdom and counsel. Thanks to Jim Driscoll in Texas for his investigative work on finding these hidden gems in indie podcasting. Thank you to Pushpa Khanal for her database management, SEO work, and technical expertise. Thank you to those who regularly share their incisive perspective on podcasts that are worth "ear time." Those people include Devin Andrade, Andreea Coscai, Arielle Nissenblatt, Lauren Passell, and Wil Williams. 

These people are passionate about podcasting. They are often the boost up the success ladder that indie podcasters need.  

Thank you to those who work with podcast networks and podcast marketing companies who send us press releases, updates, and announcements about podcasts. I know it's their job, but they are damn good at it and treat us at Ear Worthy - a small online publication -- with the respect accorded to institutions like The New York Times, Bloomberg, or Podnews. Those people include Mackensie Freeman, Ray Padgett, Tamar Aprahamian, Tucker Nesbitt, Khim Aday, Ale Russian, Jennifer Savage, Emily Hodgkins, Nancy Zakhary, and so many others.

Thank you to my partners at Substack for their ongoing support, including Amanda B., Danny Brown, Joe Casabona, Captain Ron, Tony Doe, J. Rosemary Francis, Samantha Hodder, and Diana Krach. Your positive comments and graciousness in recommending Ear Worthy are noted and appreciated.   

Thank you to John Kowalczuk for his financial support of Ear Worthy and his ability to analyze and define "quality podcasts." John epitomizes the concept of "giving back."

Thank you to all the independent podcasters who have been so gracious with their time so that we at Ear Worthy can help them achieve the level of success they desire from their podcasting efforts. 

I think an appropriate quote for any indie podcaster is this: “I’m thankful for my struggle because, without it, I wouldn’t have stumbled across my strength.”

Thank you to Amanda B., Danny Brown, Ben Castleman, Steve Cooper, Matt Gilhooly, Glenda Pacanins, Ayesha Khan, Ned Donovan, Danusia Malina-Derben, Joe Gangemi, Whitney Knox Lee, Zale Mednick, Aileen Merciel, Arielle Nissenblatt, Mathew Passy, Emily McElwreath, Emily Ross, Rita Richa, Lyndsay Phillips, Monique Sanchez, Jennica Sadhwani, Evan Stern, and Jenn Trepeck. 

This next quote reminds us of why gratitude is such an essential fuel for well-being.  “The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time.”

 Finally, I'm thankful that I get to interact with such creative, considerate, and skilled podcasters and those associated with the industry. I'll end with this quote:  “It’s a funny thing about life. Once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.”

[ear-worthy]

6 Degrees Of Cats Podcast Launches Season Two: Witches, Whiskers & Whisky

Did you know that 29 percent of all households in the U.S. owned at least one cat? That is a potentially large audience for a cat podcast. 

 I understand that if you are a "dog" person you may not care. Or if you're fascinated by coy ponds or parrots, a cat podcast may not catch your interest.

 On Halloween, cats occupy an important mythological significance for this holiday. It is particularly appropriate, then, that I offer you 6 Degrees of Cats. The podcast bills itself as "the world's #1 (and only) cat-themed culture, history and science podcast."

Thankfully, for listeners, the show lives up to its boast.

The podcast launched in Spring 2023 and has returned this Fall on October 31 with its season debut episode, "Witches, Whiskers and Whisky: Re-introducing the Original Cat Lady of Halloween!"

This episode showcases an impressive panel of expert guests, including Dr. Megan Goodwin, host of hit religion and history podcast “Keeping It 101”; culinary historian and author of “Endangered Eating” Sarah Lohman; and Kings County Distillery founder and writer Colin Spoelman. 

Listeners have described 6 Degrees of Cats as "educational, thought-provoking, meditative AND fun" and praise host Amanda B.'s hosting as "...not only informative but highly engaging and entertaining". Tink Media's Lauren Passell named “6 Degrees of Cat” as a "...well-written and researched cat show…” and host Amanda B. as “...spunky and and playful with audio."

In this second season,"6 Degrees of Cats" will offer listeners an international lineup of leading voices in fields such as animal welfare, music, history, religion, and even pizza. Notable guests this season include “My Cat From Hell” star Jackson Galaxy, global rock sensation Malina Moye, Islam scholar andHead on History podcast host Ali Olomi, and founding pizza czar Anthony Falco.

Throughout the nine-episode season, new episodes will be released biweekly on all major podcast platforms and YouTube. There is a companion newsletter, "The Captain’s Log," for exclusive bonus content and opportunities, and listeners can subscribe.

6 Degrees of Cats has a lot of things going for it as an ear-worthy podcast. First, it's not a "cat lady" podcast where cat lovers, mostly women, tell super-cute stories about their cat Mittens. The show looks at cats in history, mythology, and culture. For example, I loved the April 25th episode about Vikings and cats. Norse folklore expert Terry Gunnell will fascinate listeners with his tales of cats and the Viking culture. 

Second, the podcast has an infectious intro music "Josie & The Pussycats" beat, and the show manipulates sound with purpose and to great effect. I personally commend any podcast that fully uses its greatest asset -- sound. Third, the host, "Captain Kitty" aka Amanda B. is terrific. She's smart, funny, informative, and has endless energy. Amanda B is a Korean American transracial adoptee based in Brooklyn, New York. She was selected into a cohort of 10 out of 18,000 applicants to go through Spotify's first Sound Up podcast accelerator for women and non-binary podcasters of color in 2018. As a musician, she has supported international performing artist Peaches onstage for The Samantha Bee Show’s 2017 Not the White House Correspondents Dinner broadcast, and recently released a sophomore full-length album with her rock ‘n’ roll bandLeathered. Amanda B consults for clients including The Podcast Academy to produce and facilitate community and professional development programs, and volunteers forOkaySo, a free mental health app for young people.   

I am a self-confessed cat person. I have two cats, Moogie, an extroverted cream-colored barn cat, and Tinker Bell, a Calico who chips like a "tortie." They both listen with me and give it four paws up.

What I like most about 6 Degrees of Cats is its scholarly intentions toward cats, the hosting skill of Amanda B, and the catchy friskiness of its audio.

[ear-worthy]

Sound Judgment Season Three Is Here: Masterclass for Speakers, Storytellers & Hosts

I did a talk in front of third-graders last week about writing. Now, I know this audience is not known for its discriminating tastes in speakers. After all, it wasn't a TED Talk. 

Normally, in large groups, I'm about as interesting as Mike Pence on Xanax. You may not believe this (You can call Jaden's Mom to verify), but I was good. Better than past performance would indicate. 

Why? Because I've been a faithful listener of the Sound Judgment podcast. Now, I know that the podcast focuses on audio storytelling more in a podcast format, but I've picked up a lot of helpful tips in the first two seasons. I'm not sure if I should tip the host, Elaine Appleton Grant. I mean, is 15 percent the standard for servers and podcast hosts of extraordinary skill? 

Anyway, my learning -- and hopefully yours as well -- continues because Sound Judgment just launched a third season, taking listeners into the studios — and the minds — of your favorite audio storytellers. Unlike virtually every other show about podcasting, Sound Judgment explores the audio storytelling craft, not the business of podcasting. In each episode, journalist Elaine Appleton Grant and a top audio creator deconstruct an episode of the guest’s show. It’s not just a revealing conversation about the art and craft of audio storytelling, it’s a sound-rich narrative interview: Grant plays back clips from her guest’s podcast. Together, they explore the storyteller’s creative choices in a “living-learning lab.” In its first year, the critically acclaimed podcast has been called “your online master’s degree in audio storytelling” by Whisper, Speak, Roar Media; “a masterclass in podcasting” by Ear Worthy, and “required listening for our profession” by the supervising podcasting producer at ABC News. Grant made Ear Worthy’s list of the ten best podcast interviewers, just behind Audie Cornish. Tink Media’s Lauren Passell gives Sound Judgment “456654 stars!” and says “The takeaways at the end are hugely valuable.”

  Classy’s Jonathan Menjivar, of Audacy's Pineapple Street Studios and alum of Fresh Air and This American Life, sharing strategies and self-doubts on the challenge of making a gripping podcast about class in America (September 28) Upcoming episodes include: ● Iconic host Anna Sale of Death, Sex and Money, revealing her interviewing and tone-setting techniques (October 12) ● Nikki Boyer, of Wondery’s hit podcast Dying for Sex and Dying for Media/Lemonada’s Near Death on her passion for uncomfortable conversations; ● Showrunner Karen Given of Dear Media’s scam podcast Believable: The Coco Berthmann Story on following a twisty investigation; ● Ronald Young, Jr. on Weight for It, a podcast for fat folks and all folks who can't keep weight off their minds.  ● And many more. More and more serious creators are eager to improve the quality of their content as the measure of success in podcasting shifts away from downloads to what really matters: listener engagement and loyalty. And they’re seeking as much learning about storytelling and hosting as they can find — especially from the artists they admire the most. Not only does Sound Judgment provide a valuable “fly on the studio wall” experience to hosts, producers, and editors eager to learn from masters of the craft, it also serves as a discovery engine. Listeners often binge-listen to the shows to which they’re introduced on Sound Judgment, becoming fans in the process. Host Elaine Appleton Grant is a magazine journalist (Inc Magazine, Fortune Small Business, AARP The Magazine, US News & World Report) turned award-winning public radio broadcaster and podcast producer (NPR affiliates and Wondery's Business Wars Daily, American History Tellers and American Scandal). Sound Judgment is a production of Denver-based Podcast Allies, LLC. Podcast Allies is an audio production and consulting firm offering services to public media, mission-driven organizations, and higher ed. 

You don't have to be in the podcast business to gain insight into hosting, public speaking, or storytelling. Sound Judgment can help you in your everyday life become a better and more interesting communicator. 

If you don't believe me, just ask Jaden's Mom.

[ear-worthy]

Listen to “Pod-At-Me” Hotline or Call-In About Podcast Recommendations

Now I know how Kodak felt when the company invented digital photography. That discovery, of course, put them out of business. I believe this article will do the same thing to me.

Tink Media is a premier podcast marketing company. Run by podcast experts, connoisseurs, tastemakers, and bellwethers (Note: I’ll use any synonym to avoid using influencer) such as Lauren Passell, Arielle Nissenblatt, Anne Baird, Devin Andrade, Shreya Sharma, Aakshi Sinha, and Nina Joss, Tink Media has developed and released a daily, weekday podcast called Pod-At-Me. The podcast’s premise is simple, yet deliciously inspired.

I’ll let them explain it: “If you’ve called Tink’s podline already, you’ve heard how it works. We feature a new podcast recommendation every week day, and you can leave your own recommendation at the sound of the beep. Honestly, the voicemails make our day. There’s something so delightful about the soundscape as someone is describing a podcast they’re excited for you to listen to.”

Aakshi Sinha of Tink Media says, “This leads us to how podcasters can get involved and do a little shameless, self-promo and fun marketing.”

“The voicemails we receive are added to our list of recommendations for the chance to be featured on the hotline,” Aakshi continues. “That means calling in could get your show featured! Of course, just like any time you’re talking about your show, your recommendation should be as captivating and intriguing as possible!”

Here are some examples already featured on Pod-At-Me:

Meet Lauren Ober. Through her exceptionally raw and honest storytelling, she’s taking us along on her journey of being diagnosed as autistic at the age of 42. In The Loudest Girl in the World, she challenges the stereotypes society holds about autism and helps us rethink what society could look like if it was more inclusive to autistic and neurodivergent people. Lauren is making herself the subject of a very up close and personal documentary to help us all realize how we can be more understanding of ourselves and those around us. Experience neurodiversity in a way it’s never been portrayed before.

When you’re dealing with a dark season of your life, it can feel like the light is so far away. Thankfully, All the Wiser is here to prove that there is hope and possibility on the other side of pain. Host Kimi Culp brings you dramatic stories of survival, the realities of life when facing death, and unforgettable lessons on love and loss. All while donating $2000 every episode to a nonprofit making a difference in the world. Today’s episode is an interview with Meyli Chapin, who survived an attack on a hotel complex in Kenya by Al-Shabaab terrorists that left 22 civilians dead.

The episode I listened to was about 10 minutes in length and was filled with terrific podcast recommendations. For example, I’ve already tried the Tracing The Path podcast, a history podcast with episodes ranging from a town in Norway that banned clocks to Winnie The Pooh and copyright law.

The host of Pod-At-Me, Devin, has a voice that could lead meditation chants, it’s so soothing. Her comments after each call-in are short, informative, witty and reassuring. The podcast is well produced with superior sound quality, the use of the old-timey telephone ring is inspired, and the pace and length have “perfect pitch.”

My one criticism is screening the people that call because on the episode I listened to, I heard myself recommending a terrific podcast for millennials and recent college graduates called Stand Up & Stand out with Nikki Green. My voice sounded like Steven Tyler from Aerosmith during his fifth rehab stint. I’ve never smoked, but I sounded like I puffed five packs a day of filterless Camel cigarettes. I suppose my dream of hosting a podcast has gone up in smoke.

Anyway, I will not be on any more shows, therefore you should listen to Pod-At-Me for daily recommendations of podcasts. Or — call in yourself with your own recommendation. You can call 844–763–2863 for the Pod-At-Me hotline.

Finally, @TINKMedia’s POD-AT-ME Hotline is officially open to Twitter submissions. They’ll share one recommendation from Twitter each week — call daily to find out if you’re selected.

[ear-worthy]

Q&A With Camila Victoriano, Co-Founder Of LatinX Podcast Network Sonoro

For some, obstacles are mountains too steep and high to climb. To others, like Camila Victoriano, obstacles can be transformed into opportunities through effort, intelligence, and insight. Like the legendary alchemist who turned lead into gold, Camila Victoriano has discovered riches in Sonoro, a global entertainment company focused on creating premium, culturally relevant content that starts in audio and comes alive in TV, film and beyond.

Sonoro collaborates with leading and emerging Latinx storytellers — writers, producers, and directors — from over a dozen countries to develop original franchises in English, Spanish, and Spanglish.

Along the way to being a co-founder of Sonoro and an innovator in podcasting, Camila Victoriano has overcome challenges such as being a woman in podcasting where only 29 percent of podcasts are run by women; being Latino in a still white male dominated culture, and proving that a liberal arts major can develop and operate a successful business.

Victoriano’s latest podcast is called Love and Noraebang, the first romcom, K-drama, telenovela podcast series. An original production from her company, Sonoro, in partnership with Mash-Up Americans. Love And Noraebang releases on July 19.

With the help of Lauren Passell, Tink Media founder and curator of the excellent Podcast The Newsletter, I was able to interview Camila Victoriano. Q. Let’s start with your newest podcast, Love and Noraebang. I’ve listened to the first episode and loved it. What I find so refreshing is the blending of genres. RomCom, audio fiction, Telenova. How did the concept for the podcast come together?

A. At Sonoro, we always knew we wanted to reinvent the telenovela for audio because it is such an important throughline for many Latin cultures in the US and around the world. When we met with the team at The Mash-Up Americans, we took that a step further and realized we could bring another major format into the mix — the K-drama. And to be honest, the idea came together as simply as that. We all felt that the blending of these formats into a modern day rom-com made so much sense, yet it hadn’t been done before. Q. As a follow-up, are you trying to disrupt stereotypes by mixing genres and ethnic backgrounds?

A. Definitely. We had noticed a trend — when characters from two different backgrounds fell in love in other films, their cultures and families clash. That tends to become the big hurdle their relationship has to face. We wanted to flip the script on that — in Love And Noraebang, the fact that Jaesun is Korean and Ana is Mexican-American actually adds to their relationship and brings them that much more joy. Their cultures aren’t a roadblock. That was important to us.

Q. How did your partnership develop with Mash-Up Americans and its co-founders, Amy Choi and Rebecca Lehrer?

A. When we met, we realized immediately that our missions really worked well together. The three of us value the importance of diverse cultures and perspectives in audio storytelling and wanted to create a show that brought us and our audiences joy and delight. Once we got to brainstorming, the rom-com genre felt like the perfect space for our two teams to come together and create something uplifting and amazing.

Q. You graduated from Harvard in English Literature? Some people today are skeptical of liberal arts degrees. How did your literature degree help you in your career and life? A. I’m thrilled you asked this question for all my English majors out there. As a teenager that was definitely on the outside of the cool crowd, literature helped me feel seen and, in turn, see the world around me through different perspectives. I found real joy and community in books and stories. And, in terms of my career, my passion for literature always made sure I stayed in a creative field and with people that had the same love for storytelling. Q. What did you learn in business development at the Los Angeles Times? A. I was a founding member of LA Times Studios, which was a mini start up within the LA Times that served as the audio division of the company. I worked with the newsroom to develop and launch shows like Dirty John and Chasing Cosby. If literature gave me my passion, the LA Times is definitely where I first got to implement more practical skills like building business models and partnerships, developing content strategy, and marketing shows. Q. For some, a Latino background implies an identical or similar background. What have you assimilated from your Peruvian and Chilean background?

A. Peru and Chile are definitely an unexpected mix — but from both, and from my upbringing in Miami, I’ve gotten my ambition, my sense of humor and also the joy of big gatherings with people you love. That’s one of my most recurring memories growing up – having lots of family members in our backyard, grilling choripán and drinking wine, laughing and telling stories. Laughter, food, friends and family — you can’t really go wrong with that.

Q. Even though podcasting is changing, it has been, for its brief history, white male-dominated. How difficult was it for you to start Sonoro and break through some of those barriers?

A. Sonoro’s goal has always been to empower Latinx creators, in audio and beyond, because of the very fact that the industry to date has not been representative of its consumers. We know that the audience is out there and only growing every year, but there still aren’t nearly as many shows as there should be in which Latinos are present both behind and in front of the mic. We’re excited to move the needle in a serious way with the content we’re producing — whether it’s scripted series, nonfiction documentaries, or chat shows. Q. How did you assess the need for a LatinX-centric podcast network?

A. We understood that there was a large gap in the market between the Latinx community around the world (which is growing steadily — we are becoming a “majority minority” here in the US) and how rarely we see ourselves (or hear ourselves) in the content we consume. For me it was obvious that there needed to be a company exclusively focused on empowering Latinx creators to tell stories across genres. That way the diversity of the community would be reflected in the characters of our shows, and our content could be enjoyed by listeners all over the world.

Q. What obstacles did you face when developing the network?

A. We started building our network in Mexico and Latin America, so the biggest challenge was that we had to educate some of our early partners about podcasting, both creatively and as a business. But we were lucky to be working with some really amazing creators from the very beginning. The global podcasting industry is only getting bigger and better, and I’m really proud of what we’ve built in the last two and a half years, both in LATAM and in the US. Q. What was the origin story of The Princess of South Beach, one of your most popular and well-known podcasts?

A. When we heard the pitch for Princess of South Beach we knew right away that this story was going to be our first big project in the telenovela genre. It had all the elements of a great telenovela — twins separated at birth, scandalous affairs, evil adoptive mothers — all while offering so many delightful modern elements that challenged typical tropes, like the stereotypical “maid” character. Then, when we partnered with iHeart’s My Cultura network and cast our incredible leads Rachel Zegler and Sheryl Rubio, the world felt complete, and we’re so thrilled with how well it did and how passionate of a fanbase the show developed online.

Q. How about the development of Crónicas Obscuras, which has genre-bending qualities?

A. Crónicas Obscuras was the first original scripted franchise that we launched in Mexico. Similarly to the telenovela, horror is a genre that we already knew Latinos love around the world. Yet many horror stories are inspired by European legends and feature no Latinx characters.

For Crónicas, we wanted to bring to life Latin American legends and set the Los Nahuales in season 1, and launched season 2 with Ana de la Reguera, in which we told the story of vampires infiltrating a women’s prison. We have a few more stories up our sleeve for that franchise that we’re excited to launch soon. Q. You must be thrilled about the Paramount Plus streaming network greenlighting your podcast Toxicomanía as a film? How did that happen? What was the sequence of events?

A. So thrilled. We partnered with Luis Gerardo Méndez on Toxicomanía — he starred on and Executive Produced the podcast with us, which is based on an incredible true story about a Mexican doctor in the 1940s. When we launched the show last year, it became a massive success. The show was the #1 podcast in Mexico and across Latin America, as well as hitting #2 in the fiction charts in the US (even though it was only in Spanish).

That success caught some attention in the TV/film space, and Paramount+ ended up being the perfect home for it.

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Love And Noraebang podcast launches on July 19.

Take a listen here. Your ears will thank you.

[ear-worthy]

Square Peg Podcast Takes Listeners Through The Twists & Turns Of Fate

This is what David felt like when he slew Goliath. The Square Peg podcast, an indie production, has released an eight-episode narrative series that is comparable to — and in many ways — better than any production a large podcast network could create, develop, finance and produce.

This podcast is about a quirk of fate, the endless eddies of events that randomly define the path of our lives. It’s a true story that is lodged in the “truth is stranger than fiction” category.

The title of the podcast comes from a quote from a main character, Frank Carver, who says in an episode, “There is no such word as ‘can’t.’ When there’s a will, there’s a way. Yes, you can fit a square peg into a round hole.”

Square Peg is an eight-episode podcast that tells the following true story:

In 2017, Frank Carver, a one-eyed English septuagenarian and somewhat lovable provocateur, accidentally emailed someone he’d never met. That someone was Rob Collins, a kind and reliable 43-year-old suburban dad from Virginia.

That email would change both of their lives. The email was meant for a British blogger. But instead, Rob heard the story.

Frank said that when he was in the Army, over 50 years ago, he was viciously assaulted by a fellow soldier, and that attack left him nearly blind at 17 years old.

Oh, and the alleged attacker was Frank’s older brother.

But the crime was “covered up,” and while Frank had already sued the British military over this — the case even reached the country’s High Court of Justice — only recently had Frank decided to bring criminal charges against his brother.

Meanwhile, Frank had been diagnosed with cancer and felt he was running out of time to right this wrong.

So despite having no journalistic experience and some doubts about the details of the story, Rob decides to investigate the case and help Frank in his quest for justice.

Two years and many detours — including a psychiatric evaluation in Berlin — later, Rob’s self-funded quest for the holy grail of getting justice for Frank concludes… and Rob, struggling with what it all meant, realizes he gave Frank what he really needed.

That’s how, in the end, it wasn’t Frank’s son or his siblings, but Rob, a suburban dad from Virginia, who officiated and was the only speaker at Frank’s funeral in 2019.

You can listen to the Square Peg podcast here.

According to Matthew McAllister, professor of media studies, Penn State University, “For those searching for compelling podcasts, give Square Peg a listen. It has its own voice, but it also reminds me of the great S-Town podcast: it starts as a mystery but pivots to explore the central personality and his relationship with the podcaster. Such a great example of audio narrative AND self-reflexivity. I loved both the various twists AND the context and behind-the-scenes that was offered through the voices of the podcast team.”

Lauren Passell from Podcast the Newsletter said, “Square Peg is riveting enough that I couldn’t stop listening, and am so glad this show has completely dropped, I would have died if I wouldn’t have been able to binge it.”

Square Peg is produced and written by Rob Collins and Ashley Hall.

Rob is a corporate video producer, with clients ranging from a regional bank to an international manufacturer of commercial food service appliances. He has a BFA from Florida State and likes to hang out with his wife, Mary Kay, and their three kids.

Ashley is an award-winning screenwriter and political consultant. She received her BA in Communications and Film from Virginia Tech. She loves her dog, her family, cooking, and traveling.

So with all the large podcast networks producing content, Square Peg demonstrates that an independent podcast can often match, or in this case, exceed the expensive creative and production work of the most heavily funded network.

Check out the Square Peg podcast.