by Deborah Rogers –
When we proposed to the group that we would look at Podcasts – instead of a book – this month, I wasn’t sure what the reaction would be. It was a suggestion from one of our long-time members, but because I had never had much inclination to listen to a podcast, I thought other members might feel a bit short changed. I love to have my preconceptions challenged! We had 17 people attend our February online meeting, a great turnout and a really informative discussion.
The brief had been for everyone to listen to a podcast and then share the details, and their reactions, with the group. Of course with so many voices we learned about a big range of topics and styles. But first there were some technical questions to answer (especially for newbies like myself). How did people find their podcasts; what device did they use to listen to them; when and how often? It demystified the whole subject to hear that essentially podcasts are just radio shows, but ones that you can stop and rewind, listen again, or – as one member’s husband does – listen at 1.5x speed!
The ability to download an episode and listen to it whilst walking or gardening was highlighted and, back in the times when we took long car journeys, to listen in the car was a favourite with many. Finding the right podcast for you, in a constantly increasing catalogue, can be difficult. Our members looked to sources they trust like the CBC, NPR and The New Yorker. Subjects range from topical news stories, to review shows of books or movies, to true crime. There are podcasts where you can hear original fiction, and one of our members described the process of recently having one of her stories recorded for a B.C. writers podcast.
We came away from the meeting with a whole list of recommended listens, and for me at least, a new enthusiasm for the idea of consuming at least some of my content outside of the pages of a book.
For our March meeting we’ll be discussing a brand new book, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Thanks to Vancouver Island Regional Library we have a book club set to share – you can contact Virginia at the library to reserve a copy. The meeting takes place on Tuesday March 16 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. via Zoom. You’ll need to be registered for our Book Club Newsletter to get the link: https://seasidemagazine.ca/book-club/.
