Hey EarBuds Readers,
EarBuds is a weekly, human-curated podcast recommendation newsletter where each issue features a themed list of shows selected by a different guest curator.
Quick things before we get into this week’s picks: the EarBuds reader survey closes next week, so if you’ve been meaning to fill it out, now’s the time. Also, Lauren Passell and I just published a new piece in Podcasts We Text About — an audit of the hugely popular true-crime podcast Rotten Mango. And last, join the EarBuds Patreon for free. Maybe that’s too many calls to action! You tell me.
This week, our newsletter curator is Patrick Wyman, host of a new history podcast called Past Lives.
-Arielle Nissenblatt, EarBuds Founder
Podcast Episodes That Break the Myths of History
These podcast episodes, along with their descriptions, were curated and written by Patrick Wyman.
1) This Guy Sucked
Alcibiades was one of ancient Greece's most fascinating individuals: military general, troublemaker, raconteur, and traitor several times over.
Roel Konijnendijk takes us through both the myth and the reality of Alcibiades.
2) Lions Led By Donkeys
The true hollowness of Benito Mussolini's claims to power and greatness come through most clearly in the manner of his death. Lions Led By Donkeys is one of my favorite listens, and the boys are rarely better than when they have a target like Mussolini in their sights.
3) Revolutions
Pancho VIlla is one of my favorite historical figures because he was everything both his allies and enemies said he was: killer, revolutionary, bandit, genius, man of the people, savvy self-promoter, and a thousand other things.
4) The History of Rome
The Battle of Adrianople in 378 AD marks one of the Roman Empire's greatest defeats. It was almost entirely the product of Roman incompetence and overconfidence, particularly from the Emperor Valens, who didn't live to see the consequences of his idiocy.
5) Past Lives
What was it like to experience the iron fist of an ancient empire? Nanaya'ila'i knew: She and her daughter were taken captive and enslaved by the Assyrians around 645 BC, and thanks to the chance survival of a single clay tablet, we can know about her and her life.
Stories are the essence of history, and the characters we choose to play roles in those stories determine their shape and content. These episodes all puncture myths and misconceptions about people — both great and humble — throughout the past. Some have become legends, and we have to break through layers of mythologizing to reach the real core; others have simply been ignored, and by focusing on them instead of the famous and powerful, we can get closer to the reality of the past.
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Community
📣 In Podcast The Newsletter, Lauren Passell writes… “Imaginary Worlds had a great episode kind of about Sinners, but really it was using the movie to talk about hoodoo, conjure women, and the importance of our ancestors.” Listen.
🎭 Shakespeare Anyone? is a podcast that explores Shakespeare through the lenses of performance, dramaturgy, history, and literary analysis. Each season dives into a single Shakespeare play, weaving together scholarship, performance history, and cultural context.
👵 Echoes of Her is a new show about grief and vulnerability. Adell Coleman honors the lives of mothers and motherly figures through conversations and, at times, tears. Learn more.
🏆 Congrats to the 2026 NYC Podcast Awards nominees! Check them out here.
Spotlight Podcast
This is the spot where you’d usually see our Spotlight Podcast. We don’t have one this week. Which gives you an opportunity.
Podcast news from Podnews
Moving over to Netflix seems to be bad news for creators - at least, those who want to reach a large number of people. Bloomberg reports that most shows who have yanked their full-length episodes from YouTube have, unsurprisingly, tanked in terms of growth - with new subscribers dropping by 50% for many channels.
“It looks like you’re analysing your podcast’s data. Would you like some help with that?” Podscribe has announced a conversational chatbot to help advertisers, agencies and publishers quickly get more from Podscribe’s datasets; and a smart modeling tool for YouTube campaigns, recognising that YouTube performs differently than audio ads.
Apple Podcasts will be talking at Podcast Movement Evolutions at SXSW. The company will be spotlighting its new video podcast experience - it’s the first time that Apple Podcasts has officially spoken at a US podcast conference. The event has also confirmed actor Sean Astin, the President of SAG-AFTRA, for the Sunday keynote; and a live performance from Penn Badgley.
