This week's driving question is: what happens when the circumstances of death outweigh individual stories? Solana unpacks the true-crime podcast that started it all and Mary Kate covers a project of national mourning that emerged after 9/11.

EPISODE +3 Listening to Grief

In the Summer of 2021, friends and colleagues Mary Kate and Solana were on a walk talking about what young ladies usually talk about: obituaries and murder. 

Well, in fact, many young women ages 18-35 are deeply interested in stories of death and murder. These women make up the dominant demographic listening to true crime podcasts. And these podcasts are a big deal, scoring millions of downloads a week.

Other popular and creepy genres are also important to consider, like the obituary. 

Why are these genres such a big deal? Why aren't all kinds of people included?

Join us as we consider genres about death and dying, and how some storytelling leaves certain kinds of bodies out.