Welcome to the next in the Podcast Showcase series, where we share podcasts with you in the words of the podcasters themselves. This time, we talk to Busy Being Black.
Sum up your podcast in three sentences
Busy Being Black centres cerebral and intimate conversations with activists, artists, creatives and intellectuals and explores how we live in the fullness of our queer Black lives.
Who is your ideal listener? Who loves your show?
Busy Being Black’s listeners are thoughtful, curious and driven by questions of being, knowing and relating to others and to ourselves. The feedback I get from listeners is so heartfelt and so joyous. They feel seen and heard, and they make me feel as if I’m doing something right.
What made you start this podcast?
I was going through a very traumatic time in my life, and I was surrounded by queer Black people who kept offering up such wisdom to me. They were so caring, patient and firm. And I wanted others to hear that, to have the benefit of the wisdom I was given at my lowest moment.
What have you learned about your subject thanks to this podcast?
I’ve learned a lot, but what stands out for me is the pursuit of joy that all my guests share. Whatever they do, wherever they are, they are finding their way to joy. I find that so inspiring.
What has your experience of podcasting been? What do you love / hate about the process?
I love that podcasts offer up the voice, which I think holds so much in it. Emotions are really hard to contain: the quiver of the voice, the laugh you can’t hold back, the thoughtful and considered pause before answering a question.
And I love the editing process, especially when I hear something I didn’t catch the first time round. I find that exciting, a new nugget of information.
I don’t like marketing the show, or sticking to a schedule, or the pressure I sometimes feel to create and produce; Busy Being Black is very much heart-work, and it’s important that I do it when I have the mental and emotional space to offer my guests.
If someone wants to start listening to your podcast, which episode would you recommend they start with? Why?
“Pansies” with Ben Ellis for a heartbreaking and joyous conversation about poetry, suicide and triumph. “Black She” with PJ Samuels about how she pursues joy over freedom, and making peace with our parents. “Mother of the Movement” with Lady Phyll, where she charts her life and experience, and we share an intimate moment about our relationship.
Which other podcasts do you love listening to?
On Being with Krista Tippett, Bottoming, Poetry Unbound and Time to Talk with Alex Reads.
If people want to find you online, where can they do so?
busybeingblack.com; twitter.com/_busybeingblack; instagram.com/_busybeingblack and @_joshrivers
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Image credit: Medsile