Podcasts I like: writing and music

I listen to podcasts while I lift weights and while I walk in the neighborhood. I’ve been trying to support other writers’ work in my small sphere, so why not shout out my favorite podcasts too? Here are six.

Marion Roach Smith’s podcast QWERTY, for writers of memoir. I have followed and utilized all of her free material and have taken a few of her online classes and a phone consultation, and every bit of it is valuable if you want to pare your memoir down to a tight, high quality story.

The Active Voice interviews with writers by Hamish McKenzie. I love his interview with Patti Smith (at the link). She’s a lot older than he is, and he leverages that by asking smart questions that a younger person wouldn’t be able to answer. I think his interview style is excellent, and I’m looking forward to going back and listening to his first episode with George Saunders. 

Are We There Yet with Ann Faison, discussing adolescent grief. I had the pleasure of meeting Ann a few weeks ago at the AWP writers conference. She’s a motherless daughter, like me. We hit it off for lots of reasons.

Ranking the Beatles with Jonathan and Julia Pretus. They’ve put so much thought into counting down Beatles songs in a subjective but compelling and fun format. Smart guests and good humor. They’re up to #121 and the rest, of course, is revealed one episode at a time. (What would be your #1?)

And another great Beatles podcast, One Sweet Dream, with Diana Erickson. With insightful analysis of the relationships and events that made the Beatles engine go, this one is particularly fascinating to me. Start with The Breakup Series.   

Strong Songs with Kirk Hamilton. Super positive enthusiastic host breaks down what makes music great. My favorite episode addresses some of my favorite music: the songs from “Stop Making Sense,” the Talking Heads concert movie.