go small or go home

Readers might have noticed that we’ve written posts on this blog before about books and/or publishing in relation to social media. That’s because, not only are we book junkies, we also like to write, possibly as much as we like to eat food (especially certain kinds of cheese and cured meats). Probably more.

For those of you looking for a literary hit from a favourite new writer, editor or critic about a recent book, the NYTimes website features podcasts by NY Times Book Review editor, Sam Tanenhaus. Also available through iTunes, “Inside The New York Times Book Review” offers everything from conversations with Marlon Brando’s biographer to an extended conversation with the late John Updike.

Dip into a bookish podcast today for your daily morsel of inspiration. Here are some others to listen to…

NPR Book Podcast

Just One More Book (Children’s book podcast)

Slate Magazine’s Today’s Papers Textcast (news, politics, culture and humour)

I keep a life list which is just about every bird I’ve ever seen. I keep a dream list also. Not every dream I have involves birds, but sometimes there are birds in my dreams and generally they’re identifiable so it’s probably around fifty species.

From A Young Birder’s Field Guide, a Nature Stories podcast by the Nature Conservancy

In this engaging and pithy podcast, 14-year-old Luke Seitz, a top birder in Maine talks about how he got started birdwatching and why he loves it so much. In the background, the listener hears birds singing in the trees, Luke walking and “pishing” (attracting birds by mimicking their calls). In A Young Birder’s Field Guide, Luke explains how his hobby has made him more aware, and that his passion for birds has in a sense, created who he is, and maybe even helped him get to know himself better. Yes, and at 14!

This story and others in the series are in keeping with the Conservancy’s mandate to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. Each story looks at the lasting, positive impact the natural world has on humans, underlining the importance of preserving these special places for future generations.

The podcasts in this series are created in collaboration with Public Radio Exchange and others. Visit this social network site to see how other groups are looking to podcasts to give voice and song to their organization’s most identifiable traits.