Today I got the final image for a poem I have been working on for a month, at least. But the words aren't right; I just got the image, not the wording. And so I can see there will be weeks till this poem is done. There must be other people who write more efficiently than I do. There must. In fact, today The Chronicle of Higher Education brings us 'The Habits of Highly Productive Writers.' (Hint: reading this blog is not on the list.)
On an unrelated topic, what is your favorite number? I have a strong preference for odd numbers; even numbers, after all, just keep repeating one another. Turns out there's a 'math guy' who's done a (non-scientific) study on favorite numbers, and he found the world's (most commonly cited) favorite number. Listen to Alex Bellos, author of The Grapes of Math and Here's Looking at Euclid, on the topic of favorite numbers at the podcast Story Collider.
(And, if you want to know what my favorite number is, I actually blogged about Alex Bellos earlier on in his investigation into the world's favorite number (back in 2011 actually), and in that post, I revealed my favorite numbers. Yes, I have several. So sue me.)
Showing posts with label Story Collider. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Story Collider. Show all posts
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Storytelling Pods
I love storytelling podcasts (you know the kind, people tell true stories from their lives, without notes, not a reading, a telling). I've always loved to hear people's stories, but living in Japan, I especially now enjoy the treat of hearing stories in English via podcast. Well, let's be truthful--there are days I could listen to someone read the phone book if only it was read in English. But storytelling podcasts are the best antidote to my yen (ha ha, get it?!) for my native tongue. When the gap between the weekly The Moth podcasts had me going into withdrawal, I went on the hunt for more podcasts with archives I could satisfy my craving with.
I found quite a few storytelling podcasts out there, and quickly realized that some are better (much much better) than others. So today I will share the best of the storytelling podcasts (that I've found thus far--if you have any I've missed to recommend, do not collect $200, do not pass go--tell me immediately!)
1. Obviously The Moth is the gold standard in storytelling podcasts. If you haven't listened to any before, start here. Even if you have listened to some before, this is still the place to go so that you are never disappointed.
2. The Monti Podcast is North Carolina-based storytelling series hosted by Jeff Polish. They have a Signature Series, for which a storyteller must pitch a story in order to receive an invitation to a themed event, and they have the StorySLAM, where audience members show up and put names in a hat to see if they get time onstage. I don't know if the staff coaches their storytellers, but the quality is as high as other shows that do. And there are plenty of stories in the archive to keep a listener happy. Finally, each podcast is a single story (or at most two) so you can skip one if you are not interested, in contrast with shows that are a full hour per podcast. Oh, and the music is all written by the amazing Django Haskins and performed by The Old Ceremony--worth listening just for that!
3. Porchlight: A Storytelling Series, with the hosting duo of Arline Klatt and Beth Lisick, who do coach their storytellers (they remind the listener frequently of chances to take classes and get some coaching), is based in San Francisco. Great stories in two formats: scheduled storytellers at themed shows, and the Open Door, an open mic event. Scheduled shows have six storytellers each with a 10-minute story, all in one podcast, while Open Door participants are limited to 5-minute stories. This show has an eleven-year history, and while not all eleven years are archived, there are plenty to keep your ears happy.
4. While not as slick a show as the ones above, The Story Collider has the advantage of being all stories about science all the time. Okay, that may not strike you as an advantage, but if it does, as it does me, this is the podcast for you. They podcast a single story a week, and it's well worth the wait.
5. Finally, RISK!, Kevin Allison's podcast, is great, but only for the not-faint-of-heart. This show gets graphic, down-and-dirty, shocking, etc. I've heard things on this show that never would have occurred to me as possibilities in real life. So if you have any qualms about anything intimate or violent or perverse, this is not the podcast for you. On the other hand, if you are up for the possibility of such things, this is a one-hour podcast that will leave you laughing, crying, and shocked. (There are also classes, both traditional and online, offered for potential storytellers by this organization.)
So those are my recommendations as of now (all of which are available on iTunes, as well as at the sites linked to above). Let me know if you can add anything as good.
I found quite a few storytelling podcasts out there, and quickly realized that some are better (much much better) than others. So today I will share the best of the storytelling podcasts (that I've found thus far--if you have any I've missed to recommend, do not collect $200, do not pass go--tell me immediately!)
1. Obviously The Moth is the gold standard in storytelling podcasts. If you haven't listened to any before, start here. Even if you have listened to some before, this is still the place to go so that you are never disappointed.
2. The Monti Podcast is North Carolina-based storytelling series hosted by Jeff Polish. They have a Signature Series, for which a storyteller must pitch a story in order to receive an invitation to a themed event, and they have the StorySLAM, where audience members show up and put names in a hat to see if they get time onstage. I don't know if the staff coaches their storytellers, but the quality is as high as other shows that do. And there are plenty of stories in the archive to keep a listener happy. Finally, each podcast is a single story (or at most two) so you can skip one if you are not interested, in contrast with shows that are a full hour per podcast. Oh, and the music is all written by the amazing Django Haskins and performed by The Old Ceremony--worth listening just for that!
3. Porchlight: A Storytelling Series, with the hosting duo of Arline Klatt and Beth Lisick, who do coach their storytellers (they remind the listener frequently of chances to take classes and get some coaching), is based in San Francisco. Great stories in two formats: scheduled storytellers at themed shows, and the Open Door, an open mic event. Scheduled shows have six storytellers each with a 10-minute story, all in one podcast, while Open Door participants are limited to 5-minute stories. This show has an eleven-year history, and while not all eleven years are archived, there are plenty to keep your ears happy.
4. While not as slick a show as the ones above, The Story Collider has the advantage of being all stories about science all the time. Okay, that may not strike you as an advantage, but if it does, as it does me, this is the podcast for you. They podcast a single story a week, and it's well worth the wait.
5. Finally, RISK!, Kevin Allison's podcast, is great, but only for the not-faint-of-heart. This show gets graphic, down-and-dirty, shocking, etc. I've heard things on this show that never would have occurred to me as possibilities in real life. So if you have any qualms about anything intimate or violent or perverse, this is not the podcast for you. On the other hand, if you are up for the possibility of such things, this is a one-hour podcast that will leave you laughing, crying, and shocked. (There are also classes, both traditional and online, offered for potential storytellers by this organization.)
So those are my recommendations as of now (all of which are available on iTunes, as well as at the sites linked to above). Let me know if you can add anything as good.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Science Pods
Stephen King tells would-be writers to read widely, read everything. Kay Ryan reads philosophy to get started writing. Reading outside of one's genre can be as important as reading within it (and I do believe that reading poetry is an extremely important part of writing poetry, but so is reading other stuff).
I've found that reading popular science helps me write poems. It provides me with images and vocabulary, and with just plain wonder that stimulates creativity.
In the past couple of years, I've started listening to science podcasts in addition to my reading regimen. Reading is still better, but since I walk for a couple of hours a day, this is a way to make the time productive and enjoyable. And since I miss hearing the English of native speakers at an adult level, podcasts also comfort me.
So today, I want to share some of my favorite science podcasts. (All of these are available in iTunes, by the way, as well as at their links.)
1) My absolute favorite is Radiolab, but I've blogged about it already, so I will just link to my old post and leave it at that for now. Sadly new episodes come out only twice a month.
2) Another good one is Science Friday with Ira Flatow. For two hours every Friday, Ira Flatow podcasts about diverse topics in science and technology, interviewing all the people in the know regarding timely science topics. For example, this week's podcast has Ira discussing World Toilet Day and interviewing engineers about the grants being given for revolutionary toilet designs that might bring the technology to the 1/3 of the earth's inhabitants without flush toilets or healthy sanitation. Flatow also learns the secrets of keeping the floats afloat in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade by sending his video editor to interview the "balloonatics". He also investigates the costs of embryonic stem cell research. And more!
And here's a hint. If instead of subscribing to the Science Friday podcast, you instead subscribe to the NPR Topics: Science podcast, you will get all science-related podcasts aired by NPR sent to you, including Science Friday in individual story units instead of a 2-hour block, so you can skip ones you aren't interested in.
3) Stuff You Should Know podcast, hosted by Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant, covers topics in science and any other field that suits the fancy of the hosts. Diverse subjects covered in the past include: the chemistry of Silly Putty, sweating colored sweat, the physics of roller coasters, how fossils are formed, etc. This podcast is twice a week, but as I said, while not all topics covered are science-related, they are all more or less fascinating.
4) NPR's Hmmm.....Krulwich on Science is one of my favorite science podcasts, but it comes out too infrequently, not even once a month and not on any schedule I can fathom. It's an insightful look into the history of science as well as science stories that cause you to marvel (this being Krulwich's specialty), and I envy you because you can now enjoy the few in the archives for your first time. Happily, Krulwich's blog, Krulwich Wonders, comes out more regularly.
5) Story Collider is a cross between The Moth and a conversation with your chemistry lab partner. It's people telling stories about how science has affected their lives, and many of the stories are hilarious, especially to scientists and PhD program dropouts. This is a fun podcast, with some talented storytelling, and some less so, but it's worth wading through them all to find the absolute gems.
6) Finally, TED Talks, which you undoubtedly already know about. TED stands for technology, entertainment, and design, so you will hear plenty of science-related pieces if you listen. Pretty much everything discussed at TED is interesting, science-based or not.
So, enjoy!
I've found that reading popular science helps me write poems. It provides me with images and vocabulary, and with just plain wonder that stimulates creativity.
In the past couple of years, I've started listening to science podcasts in addition to my reading regimen. Reading is still better, but since I walk for a couple of hours a day, this is a way to make the time productive and enjoyable. And since I miss hearing the English of native speakers at an adult level, podcasts also comfort me.
So today, I want to share some of my favorite science podcasts. (All of these are available in iTunes, by the way, as well as at their links.)
1) My absolute favorite is Radiolab, but I've blogged about it already, so I will just link to my old post and leave it at that for now. Sadly new episodes come out only twice a month.
2) Another good one is Science Friday with Ira Flatow. For two hours every Friday, Ira Flatow podcasts about diverse topics in science and technology, interviewing all the people in the know regarding timely science topics. For example, this week's podcast has Ira discussing World Toilet Day and interviewing engineers about the grants being given for revolutionary toilet designs that might bring the technology to the 1/3 of the earth's inhabitants without flush toilets or healthy sanitation. Flatow also learns the secrets of keeping the floats afloat in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade by sending his video editor to interview the "balloonatics". He also investigates the costs of embryonic stem cell research. And more!
And here's a hint. If instead of subscribing to the Science Friday podcast, you instead subscribe to the NPR Topics: Science podcast, you will get all science-related podcasts aired by NPR sent to you, including Science Friday in individual story units instead of a 2-hour block, so you can skip ones you aren't interested in.
3) Stuff You Should Know podcast, hosted by Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant, covers topics in science and any other field that suits the fancy of the hosts. Diverse subjects covered in the past include: the chemistry of Silly Putty, sweating colored sweat, the physics of roller coasters, how fossils are formed, etc. This podcast is twice a week, but as I said, while not all topics covered are science-related, they are all more or less fascinating.
4) NPR's Hmmm.....Krulwich on Science is one of my favorite science podcasts, but it comes out too infrequently, not even once a month and not on any schedule I can fathom. It's an insightful look into the history of science as well as science stories that cause you to marvel (this being Krulwich's specialty), and I envy you because you can now enjoy the few in the archives for your first time. Happily, Krulwich's blog, Krulwich Wonders, comes out more regularly.
5) Story Collider is a cross between The Moth and a conversation with your chemistry lab partner. It's people telling stories about how science has affected their lives, and many of the stories are hilarious, especially to scientists and PhD program dropouts. This is a fun podcast, with some talented storytelling, and some less so, but it's worth wading through them all to find the absolute gems.
6) Finally, TED Talks, which you undoubtedly already know about. TED stands for technology, entertainment, and design, so you will hear plenty of science-related pieces if you listen. Pretty much everything discussed at TED is interesting, science-based or not.
So, enjoy!
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