Pod Drop features new, interesting, and returning podcasts.
Hope, Through History (Cadence13)
Hosted by New York Times bestselling author Jon Meacham, this production is a five-part series examining five historic and critical turning points in American history. The first episode is “FDR and the Great Depression,” including the instantly recognizable “Nothing to fear but fear itself” speech. The entire first season will cover Season One takes a look at critical moments around the 1918 Flu Pandemic (which arguably could have made the most relevant first episode), the Great Depression, World War II, the polio epidemic and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Podcast guests include numerous distinguished scholars. This is high-level audio documentary, exceptionally accessible with 30-minute episodes (if the first drop is a template for the others).
trailer:
Strange Arrivals (Aaron Mahnke, Grim & Mild Entertainment, iHeartPodcast Network)
A UFO encounter podcast, Strange Arrivals launched at the end of March, and has posted four weekly episodes so far, about 30 minutes each. It is categorized as a History podcast, and the specific case study is that of Betty and Barney Hill, who in 1961 were purportedly chased by a bright sky object, until they found themselves directly encountering an alien craft. According to show notes, their story is “one of the most famous encounters of UFO lore.” Hosted by Toby Ball.
trailer:
The Confessional with Nadia Bolz-Weber (PRX and The Moth)
The host is a public theologian (which is an interesting job description), NYT bestselling author, former stand-up comic, recovering alcoholic, founder of the House for All Saints & Sinners in Denver, and Moth storyteller. She is well known in the 21st-century New Age culture for what might be described as a spiritually incorrect attitudes and language. Bolz-Weber is a street-wise pastor for bruised souls, and has gained viral renown for her short-form video sermons. This podcast is about radical forgiveness. The format has Bolz-Weber interviewing extraordinary individuals who are in some state of spiritual recovery or redemption. The first episode guest is Megan Phelps-Roper, a former spokesperson of the Westboro Baptist Church (famous for religious demonstrations often described as hateful). Going forward, The Confessional will invite guests to share stories about times they were at their worst. Guests talk honestly about what led to that moment, what they learned from it, and how they changed as a result. The show offers a phone hotline for listeners to confess things. The first episode is 26 minutes long.
trailer (language not safe for work, or work at home with kids in the room)
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