November is Adoption Awareness Month: Podcast Recommendations
November is Adoption Awareness Month: Podcast Recommendations
Podcasts for Adoption Awareness Month
By: Pam Uzzell, host of Art Heals All Wounds
Why is there an adoption awareness month? Mostly to promote and celebrate the act of adoption. A family gives a home to a child that needs one. Which is great, right? In many ways, yes. But… as many adult adoptees will tell you, it’s more complicated than that.
In the wake of the loss of legally protected reproductive choice, a lot of people are throwing around this idea of just putting an unwanted baby up for adoption, as if it’s no big deal. Maybe you can just leave your baby in a safe box somewhere, like at a fire station or hospital. As an adoptee and a mom, all of this sounds like a horror story! So during this adoption awareness month, I wanted to recommend some podcasts that give a fuller picture of adoption, from the perspective of adoptees and birth moms.
Podcasts for Adoption Awareness Month
Click on the images to listen
Adoption: The Making of Me
“Mariela: Home Sweet Casa: A Colombia Adoptee Shares Her Story"“
Adoption: The Making of Me feels almost like the Bible for me as an adoptee. Two adult adoptees, hosts Sarah Reinhardt and Louise Browne explore all things adoption. Each week they discuss a chapter of a book about adoption they’ve been reading. Then they have a guest who shares their adoption story and all of the stuff that goes along with it. As a listener, the stories are all unique, with feelings that are so, so relatable.
Yes I’m Adopted. Don’t Make it Weird.
“Masks that adoptees wear and why”
This podcast is hosted by Brett and Daveaux, and in this episode, they talk about masks adoptees wear and why while exploring the book Beneath the Mask, which probably many adoptees and adoptive parents have read. They also explore some of their own masks and where they have been stuck. Lots of humor! They have some great videos on YouTube too.
Twisted Sisterhood
“Guest Episode: Chelsea Moore”
Twisted Sisterhood, hosted by Ashley Mitchell and Kelsey Vander Vliet Ranyard, is a podcast from the perspective of birth mothers. In this episode, they explore the ins and outs of open adoption with guest Chelsea Moore. Chelsea shares her experience of how difficult it was to navigate the concept of open and semi-open adoptions and how birth mothers have no power when it comes to creating an open adoption that works for them.
Adapted Podcast
“Scar and Flower”
Adapted Podcast, hosted by Kaomi Lee, explores the experiences of Korean adoptees, from post-reunion stories, to living in Korea as adults, to identity and belonging, and more. This episode features poet Lee Herrick, who was adopted from Korea and brought to San Francisco in 1971. This episode is so deep and multi-layered — it discusses the role adoption plays in his work as a poet, the grief of losing a parent as an infant, and his poem for Korean adoptee Phillip Clay who was deported back to Korea in 2012 and later committed suicide there.
Adoptees Crossing Lines
“Navigating Holidays as an Adoptee: Exploring Complex Emotions and Self-Care”
Adoptees Crossing Lines, hosted by Lia Epps, is, in her own words, not a “feel good podcast.” I so appreciate the honest conversations in this podcast about some of the pain and anger that comes along with being adopted. I almost feel like this podcast really speaks to some of the most challenging feelings and I’m amazed at the awareness of Lia and her guests. I chose this episode since the holiday season is upon us.
