I Made a Podcast and Embarrassed Myself...

Hello! So the title is pretty self-explanatory. UIC Radio installed a podcast studio last year, and we bloggers were required to record one 30-minute episode this semester. I just wanted to make a short, casual post talking about my experience and also what you can expect from Grace's Blog in the coming weeks and the future.

The Plan Was Simple

I like the hypothetical concept of a podcast. Sitting down with a friend and just talking about a topic you're interested in, or even having a regular conversation, sounds fun. Even though I sometimes hate on podcasts for being everywhere, I had wanted to try one ever since junior year, when the college I transferred from had a podcast studio installed. Unfortunately, I was already about to transfer out and didn't have time to get into the studio. Now, at UIC, there's a new studio (funny coincidence), and I really wanted to be a podcaster this semester. I thought it would be too much work, though, to do a blog and podcast with an already loaded schedule. So, it just never came to be. Therefore, I was really excited to get to do a blogger podcast!

One day, I had actually devised an idea for a podcast that I'd want to do if I ever had the chance. The basic premise was that I'd look at different controversial topics in Christianity (sex, LGBTQ+, abortion, etc.) and see what the Bible and historical context say, all from an objective perspective. It was something I had developed a fascination with and even started writing the "pilot episode" for my blogger podcast. The topic was "What was Jesus' sexuality?" since it seemed like a pretty harmless first episode for an idea that potentially draws people away. Unfortunately, the fear of being off-putting stuck with me... And I didn't do the idea.

It stinks because I wasted half a day writing a script that's just going to sit in the writer's dungeon now. The intention for it was to be for everyone: Christian, nonreligious, and whatever side of the political spectrum. But with how hyper-polarized the political climate is, I was afraid that I would find some way to offend someone. While I was unironically writing a section on how Jesus could have potentially been gay, I thought that at least one person would take it as mockery and cut me off. So, despite my desire to do my dream podcast episode, I put it aside and thought about what else I could do.

The Pivot

That's when I had an idea that is possibly even worse. I did a post last semester about my favorite podcast, CreepCast, and I really like how they just read stories. So I thought, "I could do that..." and looked for something I've written. That's when I realized that a lot of the things I've written are pretty old, and I came up with the fantastic-awesome-definitely-not-bad-or-cringe idea to read old fanfiction I had written. These days, I don't engage too heavily in fandom culture, but back in high school, I dabbled. I used an app called Amino, which wasn't your typical Instagram, as it was catered to fandom artists, writers, and editors as a place to share their work. From what I can remember, it was pretty cool to connect with other people who were creative and shared similar interests. The bad part was that it's the Internet, and we were all in high school. So nothing was particularly... good.

That's why I thought it would be funny to revisit some of my terrible old writing and see if it was actually as bad as I remember. Yeah, I was right. It wasn't good. But luckily, a lot of my old stuff is funny bad, so I had a good time looking back at what my writing used to be like. It was interesting to see how much I've improved over five years. I won't talk specifically about what I read or discussed, since I want people to listen to the podcast after all.

"Where Do I Find This Podcast?"

The podcast is sadly not up yet. The regular weekly podcasts have started being uploaded to the UIC Radio YouTube channel (so check it out!). Blogger podcasts will end up there as well in the next couple of weeks. When it does come out, it will be called "Embarassing Myself on the Internet" and is formally the live edition of Grace's Blog. During the episode, I read two short stories I wrote in high school and then talked about them. I can't wait until you get to watch it!

If you want updates and would like to know when the podcast comes out, you should check out my Instagram: @grace_s_366. I basically just use it as a place to advertise my blog anyway, so it makes sense that I should promote it here. I say that because I only have three posts left, and then I'm graduating. I've been thinking a lot about the future, especially making my last analog horror post last week and another "last" type of post next week. I'm thinking of even reviving my personal blog. So, if you like Grace's Blog and want to keep up with me, then my Instagram is the best place.

Overall, getting to do a podcast was such a fun experience! I don't want to get too sappy now, but blogging for UIC Radio has honestly been such an amazing experience, and I love writing these silly little posts every week. I got big things in store for my last few posts, so stay tuned!

(Credited to Blue Emoji)