Illustration by Bei Lin.
Living in a noisy place like Chicago has made silence unnerving. I find myself always wanting something playing in the background whether that be music or a video. One of the best sources for this kind of entertainment is podcasts. They are easy and convenient. Simply choose one and listen away. There are thousands of them on any topic you could imagine, some even full-fledged fictional stories, and they’re on virtually any platform available. Since they are so plentiful it’s often hard to choose what to listen to, and so here to help out are some of my favorites and how I listen to them.
Mindless Listening — Sometimes you just need some noise in the background, these are some podcasts I recommend for just that:
Image from www.lorepodcast.com.
Lore
- Genre: Information
- Where to Listen: Spotify, Amazon, Apple, Audible, YouTube
- Average episode length: 30-40 min
- Current Episodes: 209
- Finished or Updating: Updating
“Lore” has a little bit of everything for everyone. It’s folklore, it’s true crime, it’s superstitions. This podcast explores a story from humanity’s collective history starting from the origin to how it still connects today. From murder hotels to werewolves, “Lore” has it all, so if you’re wanting a podcast the talks about the uncanny parts of history check this one out. (It also has books and a TV show on Amazon!)
Image courtesy of Spotify.
Conviction
- Genre: True Crime
- Where to Listen: Spotify
- Average episode length: 30-45 min
- Current Episodes: 24
- Finished or Updating: Updating
Taking the big picture and making it human, “Conviction” isn’t your run of the mill true crime podcast. Formatted in seasons, “Conviction” releases 8-9 episodes per season that follows a singular person whose story is a part in an overarching one. Although “Conviction” is only on Spotify, some other podcasts that are more available and can supplement this one are “Casefile” and “Serial”.
Image retrieved from Apple Podcasts.
The Emily Show
- Genre: Drama/Educational
- Where to Listen: YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, Apple, Audible
- Average episode length: 40-60 min
- Current Episodes: 163
- Finished or Updating: Updating
If you ever wanted to know about how those lawsuits that celebrities find themselves in actually work, The Emily Show has got your back. An unique crossover of law and drama, Emily D. Baker makes the law accessible to all. She takes these famous cases and breaks them down so they’re easy to understand. She’s covered lawsuits from Tati Westbrook to Johnny Depp, so to get the inside scoop listen in here.
Story Driven — These podcasts are story driven, so I suggest giving these your full attention if you want the proper experience of an audio drama. Listen to these when you want a story but don’t have enough time for a movie or book:
Image courtesy of Apple Podcasts.
The Edge of Sleep
- Genre: Thriller
- Where to Listen: Spotify, Amazon, Apple, Audible, YouTube
- Average episode length: 30-40 min
- Current Episodes: 8
- Finished or Updating: Finished (But there’s a season 2 supposedly coming out later this year and a TV show coming soon!)
Awake in a world asleep, Dave Torres finds himself a survivor of a mysterious epidemic. In a battle against time and sleepiness, Dave must stay awake while he tries to discover what caused everyone who fell asleep last night to die. A mix of mystery, thriller, and fantasy this podcast is boundless entertainment.
Image from www.nightshiftpod.com.
The Night Shift
- Genre: Urban Fantasy
- Where to Listen: Spotify, Amazon, Apple, Audible, YouTube (Behind on uploads)
- Average episode length: 40-50 min
- Current Episodes: 14 (15 w/ bonus content)
- Finished or Updating: Updating
A showcase of worldbuilding at its finest, The Night Shift invites you along to discover its world. The host, Sebastian Fen, a late night coffee barista, leads you through the mysterious world of Echor City and investigates all the conspiracy theories that live there.
Image retrieved from wherethestarsfell.com
Where the Stars Fell
- Genre: Mystery
- Where to Listen: Spotify, Apple
- Average episode length: 20-30 min
- Current Episodes: 18 (26 w/ bonus content)
- Finished or Updating?: Finished
The eccentric and immortal Dr. Ed Tucker has set out for Jerasulem, Oregon. With a grant from Stanford and four Ph.D.s behind her, she’ll face an equally unique roommate, frogs, and something dangerous looming in the distance. For fans of shows like Gravity Falls, this one’s for you!
Podcasts are for everyone. There’s something out there for every subject on the Earth. These are just a very small sample of what’s out available, so if you didn’t like any of these, go out there and look for some yourself! They’re on every platform imaginable, and they each bring something unique to the podcasting world. So get out there and start listening!
Hannah Ji (BFAW 2024) is a little too invested in her interests and has lots of random facts stored in her head. Did you know that pigeons can recognize individual human faces?
