The world's shortest guide to drama for your ears

I don't know what it is about putting on a good podcast. Whether it's popping in headphones or turning up the car radio, there's something relaxing about a good story. There's no screen to stare at. It's just a narrator and your mind's images morphing all the way as the story unfolds. Fictional radio programs have fallen to television since its invention, but a few American media companies are aiming to keep their own version of the art alive. So, I thought I'd share a few of my favorites.

Describing themselves as a "re-imagining of audio drama," The Truth is a podcast of short, original stories.  Even the vaguest settings in The Truth create vivid scenes. If you like This American Life or Snap Judgement, you'll probably love this. It's the same great storytelling, only fictional. A few of my favorites are Interruptible, In Good Hands and Keep Running.


The Walking Dead, 28 Hours/Days/Weeks, Zombieland and the rest have boosted the popularity of zombies so much that in 2009 a podcast launched called We're Alive. Now in its fourth season, it's easy to see that the story is less about the zombies and more about survival and order. It starts out in a diary-reading format, but the dialogue and acting is amazing. Each season consists of 12 episodes are are anywhere form 20-30 minutes long, and each ending leaves you sitting at the edge of your metaphorical seat.

Sunday morning are best spent in the park with A Prairie Home Companion's news from Lake Wobegon, "where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average." It's simple, and sometimes that's all we need.

BBC Radio 4 is filled with radio dramas old and new. It doesn't seem to be available on demand right now, but I used to listen to Red Dwarf. It has audio dramas for sci-fi, crime, politics and thriller with plenty of other common topics thrown in. Radio 4 also does special broadcasts of popular stories and books. I don't listen to it much anymore, as I prefer the convenience of podcasts now.

Coffee coffee coffee | What’s making me happy this week #1

The past week has been better than some and worse than others. Tests, group projects and papers are unwillingly bringing me down, but I’ve still managed to find a few things to get me out of a rut.

1. The neighborhood cat. I live in an apartment complex that is entirely too friendly to animals. Lately, a cat from a few doors down has been spending its time outside, and we’ve become pretty good buds. He follows me up my back stairs and tries to run into my house. I like to tell myself he’s a fan of our décor.

2. Cool Brew Mocha concentrated coffee. This “New Orleans style” concentrate has totally changed my mornings with its open-squeeze-pour design. I love that it perfectly portions out how much concentrate you need. It runs for about $10 at my local Whole Foods, which is a pretty good price for the 32 servings that comes with it. I like mine with unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

3. TLDR from WNYC and On the Media. I’ve been a fan of OTM for quite a while, but I just found out about their new project TLDR a few weeks ago and spent the weekend catching up on a few older episodes. It’s a short one and focuses on the internet, but it goes beyond just media. They talk about how the internet has shaped society and how it has attempted to.

4.  Falling by Yuna. The fashionable Malaysian singer’s album Nocturnal has been on replay all week. I’m definitely late to this party, but hey, better late than never. I also enjoyed her cover of Come As You Are.

It’s a short list. It only takes a few good things to outweigh everything else, though. Right?

- Ann