Podcasting: The power of your voice

Broadcaster and author, Lisa May Young, writes a fortnightly column on podcasting for the Fife Free Press

I met Ian Rankin once. It was at Waterstones on Kirkcaldy High Street and he had joined the queue into the store. Following the reading, Ian offered to sign books and I wandered up nervously copy in hand.

“I’m sure you hear this all the time, but I’m a writer,” I confessed, expecting a polite response. Curious, Ian leaned in the chair and said, “what’s it about?” I explained the plot briefly.

“Well. You’ll be made to feel very welcome, when its ready.”

Stunned into silence, I paused. This man created Rebus and he’s welcoming me to the crime novel party when I’m ready to put my dress on.

This memory returned this week, after watching the news coverage from the USA; not a history documentary, a live news broadcast from 2020 and in the same week SpaceX launched into the stratosphere – equality or inequality to be exact is still a matter of debate.

This prompted me to reflect on my journey into podcasting.

There are no entry requirements. All you need is a microphone and your voice.

The voice is the hardest part, I wondered what could I say? What would it matter? All I knew is that my desire to speak overcome my fear not to.

Imagine, for a moment, if you’ve been told, for whatever reason, your voice should not be heard?

I can’t pretend to know what is like to experience inequality because of the colour of my skin.

What I can do is listen and learn. I can binge on About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge, a meticulous and passionate podcast about race relations in the 1990s and further my education.

Could we do better? Yes, of course we can.

And I have great hope, because podcasting isn’t only a medium it is a movement filled with a million, unique and diverse voices.

New podcast taps in to Fife family histories

The same could be applied to music, theatre, comedy, the arts or other expressions of self.

That’s the secret joy of podcasting – you’re listening to another’s perspective and for 10 or 20 minutes you are invited to see their world. In terms of history this moment is not only courageous – it is revolutionary.

And as for the girl generously invited to the crime novel party, it’s my role to support, advocate and encourage everyone to use their voice to forge a better world. I’m writing again in the hope others do too and one day I’ll put on my dress to the crime novel party.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/paularmstrongtech/2018/11/25/how-diverse-is-podcasting-really/amp/https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/features-and-news/rise-of-podcasts