The BPA Book Club Is Back!

Join Our Twitter Space on Feb 22 at 7:30 PM EST.

Podcasting is hard enough. Knowing your topic, knowing your audience, knowing the industry. There’s so much to know, so much to learn, so much to do! Why add a book club to the mix? Because personal and professional development makes all the hard things manageable.

My grandfather told me reading mattered to him because he had come up hearing the phrase “If you want to hide something from a black person, you put it in a book.” I don’t think that’s why III love reading, but it’s something I’ve always remembered.

After getting a bachelor’s degree, finishing a dual master’s program, teaching middle school, and life whipping my ass for a few years, I lost my love of reading. I didn’t prioritize it, I no longer had the attention span to complete the text, and honestly trying to get up each time life knock’s you down doesn’t leave much room for leisurely reading.

That changed in 2022 with the launch of the Black Podcaster’s Association, and subsequently the BPA Book Club. My podcast had been on hiatus because, motherhood aka life whooping my ass, and the book club gave me an entry point to feel connected to other podcasters in our community.

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Tune-in to our upcoming BPA Book Club discussion on Twitter Spaces

February 22, 2023 - Click Here For Reminder

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Our first book was a more journalistic read, Sound Reporting: The NPR Guide to Audio Journalism and Production. I was hype to fine tune my craft and learn some “real” audio journalism skills. We checked in with each other throughout the month, suggested to one another not to read it cover to cover, but instead, tune in to what we most needed at our own levels in our podcasting journey. It was the first time in a while where reading wasn’t made to feel linear. Where there was no pressure to get from beginning to end, despite there being a deadline to chat about it.

We held each other accountable to consume the information we each found valuable, without any unnecessary expectation to inhale the whole text. It was an acknowledgment that we all had other shit to do, but we all also could be made sharper by something this book had to offer.

That was followed up by Lead from the Outside by Stacey Abrams. This book was part autobiography, part professional development. It also opened my eyes to the benefit of audiobooks. I’m an old school nerd who typically prefers pen and paper to digital things; but as a parent, this audiobook was CLUTCH! One it was read by the author, so it was nice to experience the text from their perspective. Two, I was able to get so much done while also reading. It was an engaging text that could be useful for podcasters who are done being a team of one. Those of us looking to up our indie game in a way that attracts the help we need, and those of us building teams we plan to keep.

I won’t take you through the whole year book by book, just know that there were some bangers in there, that really got us talking, implementing change, or just; reading again.

This Wednesday February 22, 2023. The book club is reuniting to discuss our first book of 2023 Atomic Habits by James Clear. Our meeting will be held on Twitter Spaces so all are welcome to join, whether you’ve read the book or not. That’s another thing that’s dope about the BPA Book Club, we welcome members to participate in the meeting even if they haven’t finished the book. Sometimes the thing you need to get you sold on a book is hearing the aha moment another reader experienced. And again, life be life-ing.

I’m excited for the come back! We’ve restructured, allotting more time to get through each selection, and moved our discussions to Twitter to give the public a glimpse into our community. I look forward to debriefing Atomic Habits, I’m glad they chose it. I misunderstood the title all of the other times it had been suggested in the past, and it turns out it was just the book I needed to start of my New Year.

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What books would you suggest for the BPA Book Club? Our theme next quarter is PRODUCTIVITY.

Lets us know in the comments.

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Shamiko Reid is an Independent Podcast Host/Producer & Voice Talent. She’s created a template for podcasters to track all their podcasting expenses. Get clear on where your funds are going, whether podcasting is a hobby or your business, and break down all you’ve invested just in time for Tax Season. Download it Here