StoryCorps – Podcast Review

StoryCorps is my favorite podcast. I’ve been listening to the program for years, and I’m thrilled it is now available as a podcast. The StoryCorps people travel around the country recording the stories of everyday people. Since 2003, they have interviewed tens of thousands of people. The storytellers get a free CD to take home and share. The stories are also archived at the Library of Congress for future generations. Every time I hear StoryCorps podcast I am so grateful for this oral history project. The stories are marvelous, and provide such an insight into other people’s lives. So what … Continue reading

Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing – Podcast Review

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I paid good enough attention in grammar class. I remember thinking grammar was horribly boring. The Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing podcast is not boring at all! Mignon Fogarty, the creator and host of Grammar Girl, manages to make grammar very interesting in her quick two to seven minute shows. Fogarty has a B.A. in English and a M.S. in biology. She’s also a writer and an editor. According to her website, she strives to a friendly guide in the writing world. The Grammar Girl podcast won … Continue reading

Podictionary – Podcast Review

Word lovers, history lovers, and those wishing to increase their vocabulary will want to give Podictionary a listen. This short and often humorous daily podcast is hosted by Charles Hodgson, author of Carnal Knowledge: A Navel Gazer’s Dictionary of Anatomy, Etymology, and Trivia. Each podcast covers one word. In the cast Hodgson talks about the words origins, meanings and history. The words aren’t obscure things you’ve never heard of, but are often common words we use all the time. Recent casts have covered words like exotic, meter, chopsticks, siren, ginger, and icon. The podcasts are more like small short stories … Continue reading

The Writer’s Almanac – Podcast Review

The Writer’s Almanac is one of my favorite podcasts. It’s a short one, usually lasting somewhere around five minutes. Every day Garrison Keiller fills the listener in on literary and historical notes. The history may be about events that happened on this date in history, or about the reasons we celebrate certain holidays. The literary history is often interesting facts about authors, where they grew up, former jobs, inspiration, and awards their works have won. Usually it is about authors born on this date. After the brief historical notes, Garrison Keiller reads a poem or two. It’s such a treat … Continue reading