By: Ashley Lavizadeh
Sure, no one uses radios anymore, but nothing compares to the intimacy of a pure audio format. Listening to a podcast makes you feel almost as though you’re in the room with the host, participating in the discussion or engaging in their storytelling. Podcasts also give a voice to all kinds of unique, independent content creators. It can be overwhelming to choose from the thousands of podcasts
1. Ear Hustle
Ear hustle is a podcast created by prisoners of San Quentin prison. Hosts Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor take listeners inside the daily life, stories and struggles of San Quentin prisoners. Ear Hustle highlights the complex lives that people live within prison and gives an honest take on what it’s like being on the inside inside.

2. Planet Money
Planet Money is an NPR podcast that makes economics fun. Episodes are only 20 minutes long and the hosts explore the fun, weird, and mysterious parts of different economies. They explain important global economic events, like Brexit or the 2008 Financial crisis, along with quirky topics like yard-sale economies and recovering lost Bitcoin.

3. All songs considered
Check out All Songs Considered when your playlist starts to get a little stale. All Songs Considered delves into different songs and genres of music. This podcast is great to shake up your listening habits and expose you to music you may not have considered before.

4. Argentine Invasion
The Argentine Invasion is a single podcast about the wonders of Argentine ants that go to war with each other. When these ants meet ants from another colony, they gruesomely attack each other. This podcast covers the dramatic story of how these brutal ants have made their way to 6 continents and wreaked havoc on their ecosystems.

5. The Moth
The Moth is a collection of personal stories told to a live audience without any notes. They have presented over 30,000 stories, each with a unique take on the human experience. The Moth opens you up to experiences of talented storytellers around the world. Since each story is so different, The Moth never gets old.
