Feb 2, 2024 3 min read Monthly Magpie

The Monthly Magpie: February 2023

Hello everyone! I got 12 new subscribers this month which is the biggest spike in a while. So, I've decided we're going to do a quick re-introduction of who I am and what I do. If you have thoughts, podcasts to share, or just want to say hi you can comment or if this is in your inbox - hit reply!

I'm Keelin and I write critical podcast reviews.

I think more people should be talking about podcasts in a way that will bring the listener, podcaster, and very importantly the new listener into the conversation. Criticism is about conversation, and I want to open the conversation to everyone. With this in mind, I write primarily for the listener. My reviews will tell you in typically a three to five-minute read what a podcast is about, what it feels like, and how much time you'll spend with it if you decide to commit. Occasionally, I do Release Day Reviews where I highlight a podcast on the day it was released and sometimes I write Journals - the "other stuff" about podcasts I'm thinking about. Sometimes they're listicles, sometimes an observation about the industry, but rarely am I getting into the heavy technical side of podcasting.

My life otherwise is spent with music, reading, crafting, and drinking coffee. I grew up in Buffalo, New York (Go Bills) but now live in New Jersey with my freshly minted fiance (The Other). I listen to mostly non-fiction podcasts but will dabble with audio drama. I'm a magpie, collecting the podcasts I find shiny enough to share with you.

This monthly newsletter is meant to drop in your inbox to give you a round-up of what I've been writing. I'm on social media as IAmKeelinIt otherwise.

Onto the January Reviews

Who Killed JFK? With Rob Renier and Soledad O'Brien

Excerpt: "This podcast is a very pretty house of cards. The show sounds great, a “studio quality” if you will. The ambiance is set as a solid audio noir- the mystery and the conspiracy set against the tapping beats of an old spy movie. It’s gorgeous to listen to, but all that to say: it just doesn’t come across smoothly."

Conflicted: A History Podcast

Excerpt: "With incredible storytelling, voice work, and simple production this is a spectacular history podcast. While only a monthly release, it’s well worth the wait. Honestly, sifting through the backlog takes enough time that a 1.0x speed listener may never catch up. I most certainly never will, and I’m grateful for it."

The Raven

Excerpt: "This podcast has the tell-tale mark of a Tenderfoot TV true-crime endeavor. There is all of the drama and scope of any crime podcast - the design and production are exciting and push the story forward. You are wrapped in the high drama past, through interviews with witnesses, investigators, and prosecutors who all have a piece of an increasingly complex puzzle."

Journals

Podcasts Against the Long Time Ago Illusion

Excerpt: "Nothing was as long ago as it seems, and so they have to be considered when trying to move forward."

Thank You!

Thank you, everyone, for reading, for subscribing, and for listening to podcasts. I do this because I love podcasts, and think more people need to be talking about them. Right now, everything I do is for free - but if you want to leave me a tip or buy me a coffee I do have a ko-fi. In the future, I'd love to set up interviews with podcasters and other exclusive content for my subscribers but we're not quite there yet. It's okay, because I have 141 of you right now, and I appreciate it more than you can know.