In my opinion, there is nothing that lessens the pain of homework quite like listening to a good podcast as you trudge through mountains of assignments. But there is such a great variety of choices, from politics to comedy, making it hard to find the perfect one. So today, I will cover some of my personal favorite podcasts, ranging in themes from science to poetry. All of these podcasts can be found on Spotify and iTunes.
Sci Guys
This is the podcast that definitely takes the cake as my absolute favorite — it is the only one where I have 
listened to episodes multiple times. Each week, the host Corry (@notcorry) breaks down a story or concept from the science world with commentary from his two friends Luke (@lukecutforth) and Jamp (@jampkin). They have tackled some complicated subjects, my favorite being their tenth episode “Time Travelling Twins” which explained a bit about quantum mechanics and Luke’s personal theory of how the universe works. They have also covered topics ranging from the unintentional invention of LSD (it is more comical than you may think) to the true definition of a cyborg. “Sci Guys” is the perfect blend of comedy and science which is why it takes the title as my #1 favorite podcast.
Serial Killers
It probably comes as no shock that some kind of true-crime podcast is on this list due to the surprisingly great number of 
them available on Spotify and other platforms. But I have chosen this one specifically because of how in-depth they go into each of their cases. Hosted by Greg Polcyn and Vanessa Richardson, each episode unravels the intricacies and complexities of a different killer. They explain the psychological profiles of each murderer they report on and how certain events in a killer’s life can ultimately culminate into homicide. My personal favorite episode is the one covering the Zodiac Killer. They did an amazing job sorting through each individual homicide, the letters from the Zodiac and all the likely suspects in the case. They also analyze the effects that a killer at large has on the behaviors of a society. Overall, it is an incredibly well-researched podcast that allows listeners to dive into the world of true-crime.
The Slowdown
The Slowdown is a daily podcast hosted by the 2017-2019 United States Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith, one of the most recognized poets of our times. The podcast presents a new poem each day, 
which is preceded by a short introduction or story by Smith. Each episode is only five minutes long making it perfect if you just want something concise and relaxing to listen to. Or you can always just listen to a few episodes back to back while doing homework or walking your dog. Either way, Smith does an amazing job providing quick contextualization and her own opinions on each work. Even if poetry is not your favorite thing, Smith provides enough information to make each piece interesting.
Noble Blood
This one is for all your history geeks out there. Noble Blood is hosted by Dana Schwartz and covers tales from some of the 
most interesting royals from across history. Their first episode, The Second Death of Marie Antoinette, delves into the queen’s time imprisoned during the French Revolution, leading up to her trial, conviction and eventual execution. Let me say they definitely do not shy away from the gory details and the immorality of some of history’s most well-known figures. The excellent storytelling really makes it feel like you are there, huddled among the crowd at Marie Antoinette’s execution or putting your life on the line for King Charles II during his exile from England. It also might just help out with studying for history class.
And that’s all folks! If you listen to and end up enjoying any of these podcasts, leave them a five-star review so that they can keep making new and exciting content. Happy listening!
All graphics provided by their respective podcasts and featured photo provided by staymarrriedblog.com