Spring 2026

“Booked, Episode 17: Annotating” by Jazmin Jimenez is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Booked is a weekly podcast for readers who want to be involved in all types of conversations centered on books and the book community. Tune in to stay in touch with the latest hot topics for readers everywhere. With frequent special guests and heated topics, we are diving headfirst into all conversations, debates, suggestions, and reflections!

The cover is meant to convey the podcast’s lightheartedness. I liked that the photo included earbuds, since a large portion of the book community is online and many topics are hot on BookTok, Bookstagram, Booktube, and so on. The background for the title is meant to bring in more of the podcast’s fun vibes, with a wavy feel and fun fonts to accompany it.

The podcast uses voice-overs, sound effects, and music. The podcast uses fun, bouncy music to match the fun topics and help offset the conversations that can be very polarizing. The music begins as soon as the podcast starts, but is kept low, with the voiceover as the main focus. This is done intentionally to keep the entire intro bubbly and fun. When the special guest is announced, a clapping sound effect is added and fades in to create excitement about who is joining the podcast. The voiceover is meant to be lighthearted and intriguing for anyone looking to tune in to what the book community is discussing. Our first narrator, the host, introduces the episode, and our second narrator, the special guest, adds a fun, personality-filled sneak peek toward the end.

Audio Credits

• “I Like Peanuts” by Jason Shaw (AudionautiX.com) (Creative Commons Attribution: CC BY 4.0)
• “Applause 3” by SoundJay (Royalty Free per the SoundJay Terms of Use)
• Script and Narration 1, the host, voiced by Jazmin Jimenez is licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
• Narration 2, the special guest, voiced by Lissett Paniagua is licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Photo Credits

• “Open Books on a Bed” By Book Hut (Public Domain per the Pexels Photo License)

For this post, the idea came from my love of independent and obscure films. The podcast concept is to explore older and lesser-known independent movies and talk about them in a way that reviews not only their entertainment value, but also their story ideas and the different types of nostalgia that surface when we revisit them. The podcast also reflects on the current state of the film industry and how these older works intertwine with contemporary cinema.

For the sound design, I decided to start with a classic movie-style intro and build from there. I wanted an opening that could be used universally for every episode, followed by a more specific background soundscape tailored to the film being discussed. I uploaded the track to SoundCloud because my original file was too large. When I tried using a compression website, an audible humming sound was now on the compressed version, so I just stuck with the original. I used Audacity to layer the audio tracks and a condenser mic to record the vocal narration.

Citations:

Audio:

• Camera: 3, 2, 1, Action.wav by LilMati is licensed under CC0 1.0
• Film Camera Film Reel MKH416 1 by Geoff-Bremner-Audio is licensed under CC0 1.0
• 8mm Film Projector.wav by datasoundsample is licensed under CC BY 4.0
• Music Intro: Actor life (Short v.) by szegvari is licensed under CC0 1.0
• Swamp: swamp at night with crickets and cicadas2.mp3 by mariethompson is licensed under CC0 1.0
• Bluesy Guitar: Blue Sloop.wav by BaDoink is licensed under CC0 1.0
• Script: developed in collaboration with Perplexity, an AI writing assistant.
• Vocals: Reel Relics Season 2 Episode 11 Intro by Kenneth Jones is licensed under CC BY 4.0

Visual:

• Titlecard Image: Clapperboard by Garry Knight is licensed under CC BY 2.0
• SoundCloud Image: Untitled. ©2012. by Kenneth Jones. All Rights Reserved

This is Stillness, a podcast about slowing down and enjoying what truly matters. This podcast will discuss strategies for decluttering, digital minimalism, and finding rest in a non-stop world. In this audio, the sound of waves on the beach allow the listener to escape to a place of enjoying, while quiet music plays in the background, stimulating a feeling of peace and relaxation.

Audio Credits:

wave.mp3 by sanyimol (CC0)

Acoustic Meditation by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com (CC BY 4.0)

Alyssa’s Book Club is a simple podcast recorded in my little apartment featuring various guests/friends, where we provide in-depth book recommendations while discussing each book we read together! The casual and homey atmosphere makes this podcast series a fun but relaxed experience for listeners who want to wind down and not have to focus too hard. Discussions will be intentionally curated so that readers can follow along without having to read the books we’re discussing if they don’t want to. Each episode will include a discussion (with as few spoilers as possible) of the book we previously read, as well as a brief summary of the book that will be featured next, for listeners who want to keep up with our reading.

I used music at the beginning for a fun start, followed by a page flipping sound effect as a transition (which is also used at the end, as well). In the background is a softer audio of a home environment, featuring the nostalgic sound of cicadas in the distance, to hopefully give a more intimate and calm feeling throughout. Recording vocal audio was tricky since I don’t have any formal equipment, but I managed with just my computer (and I even roped my friend into giving a very brief appearance in the podcast). Balancing the audio volumes was also a tricky endeavor.

Audio Credits:

• “Funny Children Reggae (short ver.)” by AudioCoffee licensed by CC BY-NC 4.0.
• “Flipping book pages #2.MP3” by SoundsForHim licensed by CC0 1.0.
• “passby w_grunt and cicadas.wav” by patchen licensed by CC BY 4.0.
• “Alyssa’s Book Club Narration” by Alyssa Mitchinson licensed by CC BY-NC 4.0.

Photo Credits:

• “Bookshelves filled with various books in a library.” by atelierbyvineeth … licensed by Unsplash.

My podcast will be a podcast about what goes on in the public library from patron interactions to job duties to dealing with other outside forces that affect the job. We would gather actual stories from real librarians that could be submitted anonymously and share them on the show. The sound elements used for this piece were the sound of pages being fanned through quickly, a mysterious sounding song, and a voice over done by me.

Photo Derivative: “Beneath the Stacks” by Savannah Whitby licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Photo adapted from: “trinity college library – dublin” by dan boss licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Audio adapted from:

“mystery+puzzle music – piano version (drums)” by ZHRØ licensed under CC BY 4.0

“Paging through book.wav” by ItsTheGoodstuff licensed under CC BY 4.0

“Beneath the Stacks (Voice)” by Savannah Whitby licensed under CC BY 4.0

Derivative: “Beneath the Stacks full intro” by Savannah Whitby licensed under CC BY 4.0

This podcast series explores how read-aloud experiences shape classroom culture and student connection to stories. In this 30-second episode opener, narration is paired with a page-turn sound effect and soft piano background music to create a calm and inviting classroom atmosphere.

This podcast includes original narration recorded using an iPhone microphone and edited in Audacity. A page-turn sound effect was recorded to simulate the read-aloud experience. Ambient piano music sourced from Freesound was layered to create a calm classroom atmosphere. All elements were mixed to ensure balanced sound and smooth transitions.

Media Credits

Album Art:
AI image generated using the prompt: “cozy classroom reading space with warm lighting and an open book, calm storytelling atmosphere” by DALL·E (OpenAI) February 2026.

Narration:
Narration written and recorded by Jennifer Gayle. Licensed under the CC BY-NC 4.0.

Sound Effect (Page Turn):
Page turn sound recorded by Jennifer Gayle using iPhone Voice Memos and edited in Audacity. Licensed under the CC BY-NC 4.0.

Background Music:
“Memories of a Sweet Summer Music Loop” by xkeril from Freesound.org. Licensed under Creative Commons 0 (CC0).

Overall Podcast License:
This podcast, Stories That Stay With Us, is licensed under the CC-BY-NC 4.0.

The Daily Pour Podcast is a cozy internet corner dedicated to all things coffee. From history to culture to geography, the podcast explores the world of coffee one delicious pour at a time. I opened the podcast with some calm, jazzy background music and the sound effect of coffee beans being poured into a grinder. After establishing the relaxed mood, I added in quiet yet observable background chatter to set the ambience a couple of seconds before I began narrating. I wanted the podcast to feel like a cozy conversation with friends in a laid-back, cafe setting.

Sources

Audio

• COFFEE pouring beans.wav by juskiddink is licensed under (Attribution 4.0(CC BY 4.0))
• Cafe Ambience Day – 3 – Sound Devices 702 – Senn K6.WAV by lunchmoney is licensed under (Creative Commons 0 (CC0 1.0 Universal))
• Denis Pavlov_Smooth Jazz Loop_80BPM by DenisPavlovMusic is licensed under (Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0))

Narration

• The Daily Pour Podcast Narration by Alih Rosa is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Overall Project License

• The Daily Pour Podcast by Alih Rosa is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).