This Week in Podcasts is a weekly roundup of the goings-on in podcasting, from highlights to pitfalls to updates and more. Have updates or crowdfunding campaigns you want listed? Check here for directions on how to get in touch.
Highlights
Unwell
“1.11- The Celery Festival”
Release date: 7/23/19
Runtime: 33 minutes
Transcript
Unwell is one of the breakout podcasts of the year, and it’s been building for some time towards Mt. Absalom’s Celery Festival. The episode doesn’t disappoint. Between ruminations on memory, hauntings, and the schisms between the soul and the body, there’s also humor and absurdity and gorgeous sound design by veteran producer Alexander Danner. Even with the absurdity of the setup and the borderline avant garde feeling the podcast balances on, this episode is still one of the most emotionally riveting I’ve heard this year so far. It’s impossible not to feel some tie to these characters, even if you also can’t help but theorize which ones aren’t who they seem at all.
Updates
The Adventure Zone Tabletop Role-Playing Game Announced
Twogether Studios announced on their blog today that they are working with the McElroys to develop a tabletop role-playing system based on The Adventure Zone. The news follows the release of the second graphic novel adaptation of The Adventure Zone, The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited!.
Apple Rolls Out New Categories
Apple has rolled out its new categories for Apple Podcasts, which means creators should check whether or not they need to update their podcast’s categories. You can find the full list here.
11 Episodes of Revision Path Added to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture
Revision Path is the first podcast to be added to the permanent collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC):
The eleven episodes selected for NMAAHC’s collection include:
- Gail Anderson, Educator, Designer, Author, and Creative Director
- Hannah Beachler, Academy Award-winning Production Designer
- Darhil Crooks, Creative Director
- Jon Daniel, Creative Director
- Emory Douglas, Former Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party
- Cheryl D. Miller, Visual Artist, Designer, Author and Theologian
- Andrea Pippins, Artist, Educator, Designer and Author
- Dori Tunstall, Dean, Faculty of Design at OCAD University in Toronto
- Craig L. Wilkins, Architect, Author and Academic
- Hadiya Williams, Art Director
- The Design of Black Panther, a roundtable episode
Husk to Premier its Second Season July 31st, 2019
Fiction podcast Husk will start airing its second season starting July 31st, 2019, with episodes released every other Wednesday: “Boasting a cast of more than 15 Portland actors, season two will see an expansion of the Husk universe and will place our beloved characters at odds with one another as the truth behind Dmitri’s disappearance comes to a head.”
Kate Hutchison and Lauren Passell Launch The Shelf-Care Podcast
Publishing professionals Kate Hutchinson and Lauren Passell have launched The Shelf-Care Podcast, a nonfiction interview podcast with ambitious women in literature. “The Shelf-Care Podcast intends to show a side of authors and bookish influencers that we usually don’t hear about—how they care for themselves. What products do they obsess over? What TV shows are they bingeing? And of course, what books can they not put down? Beyond the show, The Shelf-Care Podcast will exist as a shoppable website with extensive footnotes and a newsletter with exclusive content, musings from the guests, and additional book and product recommendations.”
Campaigns
ENDING SOON – International Podcast Month Crowdfunding its 2019 Event
Annual event International Podcast Month is crowdfunding for 2019 via IndieGogo. The campaign has a flexible goal of $3500 USD and will be running until July 31st, 2019. The event hopes to “to cross-promote, celebrate each other, and share the love of podcasting with the world. In its inaugural year (2018), [International Podcast Month] crossed 10,000 Downloads and had over 70 different podcasts represented. This year [they are] aiming for larger content variety and even more representation of marginalized creators. For 2019, there will be Audio Drama/Fiction Minisodes, Creator Conversations, Non-Fiction Minisodes, RPG Actual-Play One-Shots, and the month-long blog.”
Fiction Podcast Fall of the House of Sunshine Crowdfunding its Third Season
Fiction podcast Fall of the House of Sunshine is crowdfunding its third season via Kickstarter. The campaign has a goal of $5000 USD and will be running until August 4th, 2019. The podcast is “a totally unique auditory roller coaster ride – a murder mystery whodunnit that quickly unravels into a lovingly crafted world of action, adventure, noir and musical comedy shenanigans. Featuring a cast of Tony- and Emmy- nominated actors and voice actors from Broadway and Prime Time television, immersive audio production, and a fully orchestrated soundtrack with over 110 musical numbers through the first two seasons, Fall of the House of Sunshine has built a singular podcast experience for your singular (doubular?) ears.”
Fiction Podcast The Van Crowdfunding its First Two Seasons
Fiction podcast The Van is crowdfunding for its first two seasons via IndieGogo. The campaign has a flexible goal of $2500 USD and will be running until August 15th, 2019. The podcast is “an audio fiction series, a coming-of-age story about kids with superpowers. In a van. In the desert. It’s about poetry and emotions and finding your family.”
Fiction Podcast The Ghost in 3B Crowdfunding its Limited Run
Fiction podcast The Ghost in 3B is crowdfunding its limited-run series via IndieGogo. The campaign has a goal of $666 USD (nice) and will be running until August 16th, 2019. The podcast is “a horror-comedy podcast miniseries to release in the first three weeks of October. A sleepy apartment complex in the idyllic town of Dawn Springs has had a hard time keeping new renters since the shocking death of a tenant in 2017. Some say their spirit remains, possessing home electronics for a true 21st-century haunting. Unfortunately for the ghost, the newest tenant is aggressively tech illiterate.”
Wil Williams Writes 