In October 2019, I’ll be hosting the first podcasting workshop for the Dwarf community.  You may be wondering why I chose this particular medium? So I thought I would write a quick post about how I became interested in podcasting.

Podcasting Is the Perfect Medium To share Voices

Podcasting has been having its moment for a good few years now. It enables people to have a platform for voices that would not necessarily be heard in the mainstream.

It allows business people to market their products and services.  It provides a way for communities to talk about issues that matter to them.  It seemed like the natural medium to use for the first funded workshops.

You may be wondering though, or actually, I wanted to share, how I became interested in podcasting?

Podcasting from the start

I love the rough and ready nature of podcasting.  You can use your phone or even a simple set-up of a plug-in microphone and recording software on your laptop to get started,  Mostly, I love the medium, because of the potential it has to connect to a group of people with a shared interest, passion or cause.

One minute you can be listening to a podcast on creating a business, hearing some talk about bowel or learning about the interesting people who contribute to the area you live in.  There is unlimited potential to the things that can be talked about as part of a podcast.

I first heard about podcasting back in 2004/2005.  At the time, I was studying at the Unversity of Sunderland for MA in Radio (Production and Management).  It was pioneering at the time when mainstream media had a strong-hold on broadcasting.   I loved the freshness of the medium and the opportunities it could bring. You could make your own mini-radio programme!

The Bunker Podcasts were my first experiment with the medium – 5 episodes that included interviews with local bands, live gig recordings and local music news around Sunderland.  The project was one of the most tiring, yet thrillingly exciting of my life.   I was bitten by the bug so to speak.

Podcasting now to share experiences

Over 14 years later, a whole life in-between, and the podcasting bug never quite left me.  I picked up the microphone again, in 2019, to record the You’re Just Little Exhbitiion Podcast.  Short audio pieces that describe the meaning behind a number of the photographs that were included in the original show.

And now, I feel that the time is right for Dwarfism community to share our experiences too. Podcasting is the perfect medium to do this. It’s a safe platform where we have the opportunity to share and talk about our experiences, to control our own narratives and talk about the issues that matter to us.

I am delighted that this dream is coming to pass.  Over the summer, I was awarded a Creative Development Fellowship by Sunderland Culture to run two workshops, specifically for the Dwarf community.

Thanks to the fellowship, the podcasting workshops will provide a chance for us to talk about our experiences of living with Dwarfism in the U.K.  It will also determine if there is a need for such a platform. My hope is that this is so.

It’s Time To Hear Dwarf Voices

The first podcasting workshop for the Dwarf community will take place on Saturday 19th October at ChapelFM Arts Centre in Leeds, between 10am – 4pm. The title of the workshop is called ‘What ‘s Your Story’ – a chance to talk about our dwarfism in safe space. The day is intended to talk about our lived experiences in a positive way, to share stories on our own terms.

Find out more about the workshop or register your interest over here.  The venue is a wonderfully accessible, safe space that has the community at the heart of its ethos.  The deadline for registering your interest is 5th October 2019.  Would love for you to join us!