The Power of Podcasts: International Podcast Day
By Kathleen Pelley
Children often ask me what inspired me to become a children’s author and storytelling podcast host. When I consider what first sparked a love of language and stories, I remember all the evenings I spent listening to the BBC Children’s Story Hour as a young girl growing up in Scotland. It was there that I fell in love with the music of language and the way words could paint pictures in my mind.
I called my podcast Journey with Story because I’ve found that journeys and stories have a lot in common. They both have the ability to connect us to each other, to other places and people, and to other ways of seeing and of being. Podcasts have been able to amplify what radio used to do, by allowing people from all over the world to create, share, and listen to each others’ stories.
Our podcast highlights traditional stories from cultures around the world. We look to ensure we have stories from across the globe so that any listener can hear a story and feel that it reflects their culture and experience. For instance, when we started to see our podcast grow in popularity in the Philippines, we were thrilled to share the traditional story of The First Rainbow about a special Star Girl, who comes to live on Earth. And last week, we even had one of our first zoom visits to the Living Learning Homeschool Children in the Philippines, where we explored the connections between literature and life, by encouraging children to find the “souvenir” of a story — that nugget of truth about what it means to be human and walk on this journey of life.
At the same time, we want our stories not only to be mirrors, but also windows, that help children understand and imagine other places and other experiences. We love to hear viewers sharing that they learned about a new tradition or special holiday from another culture. I’ve learned so much by finding amazing folk tales from around the world like our episode from Kenya, The Tale of the Linani Beast, a cautionary tale about a young man who blames his girlfriend for making him steal the tail of a fierce Linani beast. This is a hugely popular episode with our listeners perhaps because it speaks to our human tendency to blame others for our naughty deeds! Our episode from Korea, The Story Bag, offers a fun explanation of why stories, like all good things in life, are meant to be shared with others.
Our Kids Listen collaborators offer similar opportunities to explore the world via podcasting. We have a collection of creators celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month bringing us stories from across their cultures as well as podcasts that bring in kids’ voices from around the world like African Folktales with Miss Jo Jo, Warrior Kids Podcast, Little News Ears, Tumble, and Newsy Pooloozi. As a child listening to the BBC, I never would have imagined the incredible possibilities that podcasts would bring to connect us around the world.
Happy International Podcasting Day! Audio is a special medium to connect with others from around the world through the power of the stories and passions shared. We are grateful to celebrate this day with all the podcast creators and listeners around the world building bridges of understanding through podcasts.
