What are some podcasts that inspire you, and why? *
Say More by poets Melissa Lozada Oliva and Olivia Gatwood is a podcast where both hosts and guests talk about various topics such as high school, makeup tutorials, exes, Amazon, etc. They talk about how they have to interact with these things as women with intersectional identities and the uncertainties they encounter because of their personal experiences. The podcast is funny, witty, honest, and affirms how we all navigate the world with a sense of uncertainty and care for others.
What is your elevator pitch for your idea? (A short description of what it is)
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Please tell us more about your idea including a description; structure; themes; types/examples of guests if applicable, etc. If you have a pilot or existing episodes, please share, but totally fine if you don’t have anything beyond an idea.
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Please note, no experience is not required! However if you have a podcast or experience in radio broadcasting, please include a link or describe here.
Hosted one episode of a podcast for my literary press, Short Line Review. The podcast interviewed emerging creatives within the tri-state about how they are navigating their artistic fields despite socio-economic barriers, and advice for creatives on how to get started. https://shortlinereview.com/podcast/
What are you hoping to get out of a program like this? *
Through this program, I hope to be supported and to continually support women and people of color in an industry that hasn’t always been supportive of us. I hope to be able to express my ideas freely and be able to make mistakes without being judged or reprimanded as a woman of color. I don’t want to fear that I am letting down other women of color for my podcasting inexperience and instead be able to learn all that I can to produce my own show.
Why do you think the world needs to hear this podcast? *
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Why do you think it’s important to increase the representation of women and people of color in the podcast space? *
It’s important to increase the representation of women and people of color in the podcast space because often we are talked about but not allowed to be at the forefront of conversations surrounding us. Whether it’s art, science, pop culture, etc. women and people of color are discussion points that are theorized, analyzed, and reduced to sound bytes and archetypes by those who aren’t in our identities. Those same people, who are mostly white cis men, dominate the podcasting industry and present their bias under the false notion of “objectivity.” Women and people of color need to be centered in conversations surrounding them to not only lend their own personal experiences, but to also be to control how these conversations are received by other women and people of color instead of just an afterthought.
What challenges have you faced or do you anticipate facing as a woman of color in the podcast space? What kind of support do you think you’ll need to address these challenges *
While I was in the podcast space for a limited time through my first attempt at creating a podcast, I often faced being undermined because of my lack of technical abilities and having that leveraged against me. Men who audio edited my first podcast would delay deadlines and threaten to not edit or produce the podcast entirely if it wasn’t done their way, which led me to stop the podcast altogether. I also anticipate being mansplained or whitesplained on my own podcast and trying not to have my voice drowned out because I am a woman of color. I would love to learn more about how to interview as a podcast host and how to moderate and lead a conversation in case things go awry, and learn audio editing and mixing skills so I can have some basis as to what I need to look for in terms of sound quality.
Dena Igusti 