The sound of history

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls is a new podcast based on a book series of the same name. Each week it shares a new story about an extraordinary woman from the past or present. While it's made with children in mind, the podcast's gift for storytelling will please adults as well. It's simple, but an elegant production style makes for very charming listening. The content itself is engaging and relevant. I'll repeat what creators Francesca Cavallo and Elena Favilli advise on their website: "But, by any means, read these stories to your sons! It is crucial that they learn to identify and empathize also with female heroes!" Whether or not you identify as a "rebel girl," this podcast is well worth checking out. That's why it's my pick of the week.  

-  Kate Evans, Producer, Podcast Playlist

Podcasts featured this week:

• Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls - Once upon a time, there was a nearsighted girl who could sing like no other. Her name was Maria Callas. She came from troubled beginnings but grew up to become the most famous soprano in opera. Click here to listen to the full episode.

• We Came to Win - Today, the English Premier League is the richest and most watched league in the world. But rewind to the end of the eighties, and English football was in the doldrums. The national team was no good, the stadiums were crumbling, and there was the threat of violence from football hooligans. Click here to listen to the full episode.
   
• The Nod - Josephine Baker is famous for doing outrageous things: dancing in a banana skirt, walking a cheetah on a leash, and even working as a French spy. But did you know about her attempt to build a racial utopia? Click here to listen to the full episode.

• The Feast - Explore the culinary life onboard the unsinkable ship as we look at everything from those who worked in Titanic's state of the art kitchens to the epic meals served only a few hours before the ship sank. Click here to listen to the full episode.

• Dressed: The History of Fashion - Throughout history undergarments such as corsets have been used to shape the body into artificial — fashionable — silhouettes. We explore the idea of the fashionable body with fashion historian and curator Emma McClendon. Click here to listen to the full episode.

Listen to the full length Canadian Broadcast Version:

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