At the height of the pandemic, COVID-19 was not the only virus infecting the systems of people globally. Alas, anyone and everyone decided they were interesting and important enough to sit in front of a microphone and chat about some topic. They were not. The resulting plethora of bro-casts and wannabe comedians painted a grave future for the podcast world. Then, in walked two women.
It is with great joy that I report the two most qualified people to podcast, faculty members Sonja Czarnecki and Vanessa Eicher, have joined forces to produce “In Walks a Woman,” where they examine history and literature from a female perspective. Their first series focuses on the women of Homer’s “Odyssey,” examining both the original text and creative interpretations.
A benefit of the pair’s decades-long friendship is dialogue that feels comfortable yet adventurous, as they push each other to explore new perspectives. Czarnecki’s profound historical wisdom emanates from her confident analyses. Eicher’s literary lens allows her to fully dissect every detail, resulting in fascinating takeaways. Both women continuously ask questions, challenging the text and audience to recognize their implicit bias. They meet these complex ideas with joyous enthusiasm, with Eicher’s warm, recognizable chuckle bringing light to more serious subjects.
There was a moment in a recent episode about Madeline Miller’s “Circe,” in which the hosts highlight how necessary it is for women like Miller to tell these important stories, as they shine light on often overlooked intricacies of the female experience. Although they also came to this realization, I immediately recognized their podcast as achieving that same goal.
I am proud of and grateful to Czarnecki and Eicher for daring to dig deeper. I cannot wait to tune into future episodes, which drop every Friday on Spotify (with bonus episodes on their Patreon!).
