In this episode of Audicted, cohosts Katie O’Connor and Kat Johnson—in conversation with their colleague Michael Collina—explore the nuances of one of the largest and most popular genres: nonfiction. From memoir to science and technology, business, self dev, and more, there’s something for all listeners to love within nonfiction. The episode also features an excerpt from a recent interview with Dr. Jessica Clemons, author of the Audible Original Be Well. Download or stream the full episode here.
On the nature of truth in nonfiction
Kat Johnson: I don't like when it feels like there is an agenda to push. Because it feels like, especially nowadays, even the nature of truth can be so murky. You know, we're getting our information from so many different sources, so I really want to be able to trust the nonfiction that I'm being presented. Does that resonate with you, Michael?
Michael Collina: I think it definitely does. I know I really feel this when it comes to history listens, because I've always been so fascinated by the nature of truth in history. There definitely is a truth to this saying that history is always written by the victors, and I think that always comes through whenever we're reading or listening to a history or just learning a fact about history. So with that in mind, I'm always a little bit more fascinated in those hidden histories and those lesser known perspectives that we might not hear much about or know much about otherwise.
The appeal of The Great Courses
MC: I’ve also really been loving a lot of Great Courses lately. The Great Courses in general, they're these really immersive, educational courses that cover just about any topic you can imagine under the sun, and they're all created and performed by an expert in the field, usually professors. This goes back to my love of science and history and nonfiction podcasts in general because there is no test at the end. And also, it costs a lot less than auditing an in-person college course.
Katie O’Connor: I love them. They were a part of what got me really hooked on audio because, like you, I just consider myself a life-long learner, and I would be a perennial student if I could... minus the test taking part. But these are just so great if you have that sort of insatiable desire to continue learning about anything and everything you want. Their selection is so vast.
