Introductions

Hello everyone!

I realized I have never really done a "who am I" post. I have an About page, but sometimes, maybe I should introduce myself.

My name is Keelin, and I am a podcast critic.

If it seems like podcasts are my entire personality, I would like to mention, I don't have my own podcast. So really, there is room for growth here.

Being a listener is important to me - I think it helps me be a better critic for audiences. There are a ton of people who can write detailed, production-specific podcast reviews. Those types of reviews are for the industry, and that's great. I'm not that person, and I don't want to be.

Finding podcasts is an overwhelming adventure for the general public. There are so many options out there, between fiction and non-fiction, chat pods and experimental ones I don't have a name for. There are limited series, long, ongoing talk shows, three-part musicals, and one-part audio documentaries. There are so many, and so many kinds, that we need to work on parsing them out bit by bit.

I listen to shows, and then I write about them. I try to tell readers how long they'll spend with a podcast, what the quality is like, and why I find it so compelling. I've written reviews almost weekly for four years.

I listened to my first podcast in high school. However, the obsession cemented when I was in college. Somewhere between the yellow and white lines of dark country roads, I found podcasts. They kept me awake, entertained, and connected to a world outside of my work in theater. Truthfully, books were my first love. Then theatre. Then podcasting. My passion for reading, my interest in Booktok, my love of dramaturgy, and my obsession with podcasts combined to make this website.

I had lofty goals for Magpie. Originally, I wanted to write about media in general. Mostly books and podcasts. That, however, is exhausting. I didn't see a ton of people talking about podcasts. I didn't understand why not. The medium was so exciting to me. I barely grew up on radio. Ten years ago, to me, podcasting was a whole new world.

Eventually, I decided that people needed to talk about podcasts just like they talk about books, movies, and the theatre. I didn't see it, I didn't know where to look, and so I threw my hat in the ring. As The Bello Collective shuttered, Mentally? A Magpie was hatching.

I love what I do. I love that podcasts let me learn and feel. I love collecting my shiny bits and bobs of information, no matter if they aren't as pretty to others as they are to me.

There's something in my soul that hums when I listen to a really good podcast episode or series. It's like returning home to a tradition we think we can forget.

Forgetting the spoken word is impossible, but it is daunting to engage with podcasts. If you don't know what you're looking for, and aren't technologically adept it can be easier to not even try.

I want to help others feel like podcasts are approachable, like they don't have to scroll through the same top fifteen podcasts on their podcatcher. If everyone has a podcast, I want to highlight the ones worth listening to. If it seems like I'm focused - well yeah. That's the point of this website. If you don't like how I write, consider hopping over to GreatPods to find other writers. I don't have to be the voice for you, or for your podcast. You can find one, though. It just might take time.

Outside of podcasting, I am an avid crafter, music lover, and reader. If you subscribe to my newsletter below, you'll hear more about what I get up to other than podcasts. It's free, and will stay free.

Thanks for being here, and happy listening!