There are times when you need a distraction, something pleasant to take your mind off the worries in your life and the divisiveness of the world. It’s been a year of that for me.
Fiction, sadly, is no longer the haven I thought, and I can barely concentrate enough to finish a chapter. Long form prose takes too much energy lately, and I don’t have it.
Poetry has been a balm for my soul over the last year (not writing it as much as reading or listening to it). I found a podcast that I really enjoy, though I’ve run out of new episodes as the producer takes a break to spend time with his new child and wife.
I found The Poet’s Voice quite by accident. I watched a Hallmark movie (yes, I know, but sometimes you just need something happy and fairy-tale like), Her Pen Pal, in which a wedding planner reconnects with her high school pen pal and first love. The male lead, Joshua Sasse, was unknown to me (though he was in Galavant, which was popular). I looked him up and found out that he had a love for poetry and had a podcast. I’m always amazed how innocuous moments in your life lead to great things.
If you’d love to hear Sasse and others talk about the poetry they love from W.H. Auden to Mary Oliver and Maggie Smith, you won’t be disappointed — Sasse and his compatriots breathe new life into these poems. They are performed as an actor would with enormous feeling and expression, making them come alive. Sasse even shares some of his late father’s poetry and some of his own. I highly recommend you take a listen.
Second, I’ve really enjoyed a podcast about the history and current goings on at the Boston Celtics. I’ve been a huge basketball fan for most of my life from the days of Larry Bird, Danny Ainge, Robert Parish, and others. View from the Rafters is an insider’s look at the team, how players are recruited, locker room antics and player camaraderie. There are interviews with current and past players, the backstory behind Doc Rivers’ Ubuntu call for teamwork and connection at all times, and so much more. If you love the team, this is a must listen.
You can listen to these on Spotify, Apple, and other places if you’re interested.
What podcasts have you listened to?
I still can’t seem to get into podcasts but I do have a few I wish I would figure out how to get myself to turn on! From the ones about unbunking myths and misinformation, to the true crime ones, to all the great bookish ones … The only one I’ve managed to find time for everysooften is Jenny & Jenny’s From Reading the End First. (and that’s probably not its title! yikes)
I do enjoy my audiobooks, though.
I only liked audiobooks for the longest time. I hadn’t found a podcast that I liked until the pandemic when reading wasn’t going well.
My podcast game was going so well before COVID but now that I have no commute, I can’t listen. I tried a few times while walking and got bored, quick. I will be back at work soon enough though and I have dozens of episodes of the various podcasts to catch up on.
It’s funny how podcasts were never something I listened to until the pandemic came along. Or maybe I just haven’t bothered to look before.