Podcasts

As a gift, my wife gave me an ipod back in May. At first, I wondered what in the brane I'd do with it. My car has a CD player, so why do I need this trendy little device--this fad? Yeah, I dumped scores of albums onto it. I purchased a couple from iTunes. But, of course, there's only so many dozen times of listening to Spock's Beard or Mike Oldfield before once experiences music burnout.

And then I discovered the wonders of Podcasts. Rather late in the game, some may say. Others, like I was, may be hesitant to give this medium a try. I really believe podcasts have real staying power. It's great for the commute to work and back. It's great when doing the dishes and laundry. And the best part, like radio, many Podcasts are free, however, unlike radio you've more say about the content.

I listed some of my favorite podcasts in the Links. Of all of them, Adventures in Scifi has caught my fancy the most. Upbeat, sometimes to the point of lunacy, and yet not too over-the-top, they discuss what's happening in the world of SF&F, namely in reference to the written word. They interview authors. They discuss writing tips. As voracious readers of the books and mags, they know their stuff. And if you poke around the links listed on their blog, you will probably discoverer some other great productions as well.

Then there is Escape Pod, a podcast of pro and semi-pro SF&F short stories and novelettes. You'll find stories from the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Realms of Fantasy, Asimov's, Interzone, ect. If you're like me, your reading logjam is too backed up too catch all of the shorts, or perhaps the trope is not appealing, or an opening didn't grab. Here's a chance to listen to a story that you might not otherwise read.

Lastly, I want to highlight I Should Be Writing. Not as exciting as the other two, but very instructional. Lots of pauses to help make the listener think and absorb.

A wise man once said, 'Don't be the first to jump on a bandwagon--don't be the last.' If you haven't discovered podcasts, maybe it's time to give them a try. And if you discover a good one, let me know!