These episodes can turn any podcast hater into an avid listener. If you’re looking to start learning a new language, keep up with the news, or just want to take a break from looking at a screen all day. Podcasts are a great alternative to visually heavy entertainment. Being an extremely visual person, it took a while for me to get into podcasts, but these episodes were so gripping, they had me tuning into these podcasts every week.
- Espoilers Podcast – Parasite
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Espoilers Podcast is a media and cultural criticism podcast hosted by Steph OH and Rubén Angel. Steph and Rubén tackle a new movie or TV show every week to critique and discuss its cultural impact. In their 24th episode, they discuss Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning film “Parasite.” The episode premiered before the 92nd Oscars and before Joon-ho’s historic win. They recount their first viewing of the movie and how the message hits different for them. If you like movies or TV and want a non-basic podcast hosted by two Latinx creators. Check out Espoilers Podcast.
- Crime Junkie – Kacie Woody
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Crime Junkie is a true-crime podcast hosted by Indiana-based best friends Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat. Each episode tells the story of people who have been murdered or gone missing. Beyond recounting victims’ stories, Ashley and Brit use their platform to tell stories that didn’t get lots of media coverage to help the families in getting the word out about their case. They also provide safety tips to listeners. The Kacie Woody case is a particularly awful case that cautions how we interact with strangers on the internet. In this episode (that absolutely broke my heart btw) Ashley and Brit tell Kacie’s story and give resources on how to think about internet safety.
- Food 4 Thot – I’m the Baaaaad Guy
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Food 4 Thot is a podcast hosted by a group of multiracial queer writers. They tackle subjects like sex, identity, and literature. In their I’m the Baaaaad Guy episode they tackle one of my personal favorite subjects: villains. They discuss the fight as old as time between good and evil, and what actually makes someone one or the other. They conclude this episode with some advice and a friendly game of “Swipe Right Swipe Left.” This podcast talks on a variety of issues in a super fun way and who wouldn’t want some relationship advice from “the Thots?”
- The A24 Podcast – Barry Jenkins and Greta Gerwig
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Yes, the company that brought you “Midsommar,” “The Last Black Man in San Francisco,” “Uncut Gems,” and even more wonderful films also has a podcast. The A24 Podcast puts filmmakers in conversation with each other to various topics they used as inspiration for their films. “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins and “Lady Bird” director Greta Gerwig get together in the first episode of the A24 podcast to chat about their hometowns and their filmmaking journeys. Film buffs and casual watchers alike will love getting to know the people behind the camera of these iconic films.
- Latino USA – Digging into “American Dirt”
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This particular episode has actually been regarded as one of the top podcast episodes of 2020 and for good reason. Host Maria Hinojosa (a former Harvard-Radcliffe fellow) interviews writer and critic Myriam Gurba, author Sandra Cisneros, author Luis Alberto Urrea, and the “American Dirt” author herself, Jeanine Cummins. Hinojosa approaches the controversy from all angles and isn’t afraid to ask the most pressing questions. If you want to keep up with Latinx-related news in the U.S. from politics to media culture, Latino USA is the podcast for you.
And these are just my personal favorites. There are millions of other kinds of podcasts that you can listen to for just one episode or follow for multiple seasons. Whether you’re interested in news, conspiracy theories, or dissecting the most recent episode of your favorite series, there’s a podcast out there for you. It’s a great way to give your eyes a break from a screen by just listening to others talk about the topics you’re most interested in.
All of these podcasts are available on Spotify and most are available on Apple music and other podcast streaming platforms.