***image1***Public media podcasts.
THIS AMERICAN LIFE
With just a slight touch of old-time radio feel,
This American Life
is a spoken word version of real-life short stories. Episodes offer variations on themes like baby sitting, unconventional love and superpowers. The stories, told by well-known authors (David Sedaris, Dan Savage and Dave Eggers are frequent contributors) and unknowns range from heartbreaking to hysterical. The Web site offers archives dating back to 1995 and, as of last month, new shows are available for download in the new podcast.
P.O.V.
PBS looks closely at point of view documentaries in its
P.O.V.
series. These are the quirky little films that show up at film festivals and sometimes the Santa Fe Film Center. Everything from
Kokoyakyu
, a film about baseball culture in Japan, to
The Boys of Baraka
, which follows four Baltimore teens in their journey to rural Kenya, is covered in interview segments with filmmakers.
P.O.V.
offers an intimate look at our and other environments and the artists who dedicate their lives to learning more about the events and people who make up this world.
NPR SUNDAY PUZZLE
www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php
Will Shortz, crossword puzzle editor at the New York Times, quizzes NPR
Weekend Edition
call-in listeners with a variety of wordplay techniques. Puns, double letters and mixed-up words twist brains into frustrated pretzels and bring joy when the tricky puzzles are solved without a thought. Shortz himself is as interesting as his puzzles. In addition to the podcast and the hundred or so books to his name, the documentary
Wordplay
, which focuses on Shortz and his rise to puzzle legend, features fans such as Bill Clinton and Jon Stewart, was released on DVD last month. Shortz also is known for his library of more than 20,000 puzzle books dating back to the 1500s. He is the king of word nerds, but is kind and gentle as he outwits players and isn't the kind of guy to make fun of anyone else for having a puzzling hobby.
