By Kira Schukar ’22

This semester, the Podcasting Team in the Macalester English Department launched its own podcast, The Ramblings! A project that began in August of 2020, the department podcast features two English major seniors every episode and covers everything from capstone projects to their favorite fanfiction. The Ramblings will return next fall with new seniors, fresh episodes, and more quirks!

Listen to The Ramblings on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, or wherever you get your podcasts! If you’d like to read more about our podcasting journey, check out this article on our brainstorming process and this article on our official launch party. Thank you to all of the seniors who joined us!


Episode 1: The Matt Burgess Fan Club – ft. Amy Vandervelde and Eric Fong

Amy Vandervelde and Eric Fong join host Teddy Holt to discuss writing inspirations, share advice on navigating English as one of two majors, and gush over their favorite professors.

 

Episode 2: Chanter’s Probably Not a Cult, but the Mac Weekly Might Be – ft. Lindsay Weber and Asher de Forest

Lindsay Weber and Asher de Forest join host Kira Schukar to discuss late-night newspaper layout sessions, the delights of humor pieces in lit magazines, playwriting bake-offs, freelance journalism, and lying on football fields in the rain.

 

Episode 3: We Are All Baby – ft. Conor Broderick and Becca Lewis

Conor Broderick and Becca Lewis bring their perspectives on the English capstone, the sometimes unexpected trajectories which led them to the major, what it means to “do” creative writing, and more to a lively discussion with host Teddy Holt.

 

Episode 4: Marinating in a Critical Analysis Soup – ft. Kelsey Stender-Moore and Malcolm Cooke

Kelsey Stender-Moore and Malcolm Cook join host Alice Asch to discuss their leadership roles in the English Department, the overlaps and disjunctions between each of their double majors, and their capstones.

 

Episode 5: The Florida Fan Club – ft. Gianella Rojas and Zarra TM

Gianella Rojas and Zarra TM join host Kira Schukar to discuss their favorite classes, how writing can be rooted in community, and the joys of self-expression through different mediums. They also share words of wisdom about capstones and offer beautiful reflections on their time at Macalester.