‘Un-Podcasting’: C3’s Carola Boehm proposes a new definition for ‘podcasting’ at EPOD 2025 in London

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At this year’s EPOD2025 in London in June, C3 Centre Co-Lead and Member, Professor Carola Boehm put forward a new defintion of what a podcast is: 

“Podcasting is an audio-focussed cultural form that is constructed by social innovation in content production”

Below is a recording of a presentation Prof Carola Boehm,  gave live in London. In the presentation, she focussed on the process of exploring the definitional boundaries of the term podcasting, drawing from the literature (Rime et al., 2022; McGregor, 2022; Chan-Olmsted & Wang, 2022; Smith et al., 2021) and her own current experimental ‘un-podcasting’ practice.

As she suggests, “this practice explores the still seldom-used music-talk show format available currently on only a few platforms, which incorporate legal music licensing. My ‘podcast’ – which some might suggest is not really a ‘podcast’ – includes music immersion with a reflective audio-narrative, recorded outside on various runs and provides audio-coached training guidance for ‘learning how to run’. It provides a follow-along, 6-week, return-to-running plan geared towards hypothyroid challenged runners that are in the process of building back up after a break.

The above rather un-snappy elevator pitch for my current experimental podcasting project (CBDB & Boehm, 2022–2024, 2025) expresses one example of the rich and creative opportunities within diverse podcasting practices enabled by different technologies or platforms, and as such, can represent an element of an ‘experimental lab’ in which – in my case – various cultural concepts are interrogated by a practice that pulls along new knowledge, new critical concepts and new conceptual frameworks for the intersections between education and training, entertainment and creative self-expression, personal but public learning journeys”.

This most recent and 4th podcast project of Boehm does not conform to the podcast definition that she herself set out at last year’s EPOD conference and which was – as she put it – outdated the moment it was written: “an audio-first show, made available in digital format via the internet through RSS feeds, stored in mp3, hosted on dedicated or shared or distributed server spaces” (Boehm, 2025). However, this project is an audio-first experience.

Considering the rise of conceptualising podcasting as a cultural phenomenon rather than a technologically enhanced medium, calling it a podcast could be argued to be the right way forward. However, pondering about the validity of what it is she created allowed her to unpick the accepted definitions and meanings, thus shining a light on the term, also signified by using the word of ‘un-podcasting’ in the title.

Using this current ‘un-podcasting’ practice as a case study, the presentation thus explored questions at the heart of this year’s theme of the EPOD Conference. First, it explored critical and conceptual frameworks to support the formation of a broader definition for the term ‘podcast’. Then it considered the tensions inherent in some explorative, personal learning journeys provided by or to a broader community, situating such podcasts between education, entertainment and music listening. Boehm argued  for its potential of minding the gap between formal education and informal learning and how it bridges the different ways of listening from music immersion to guided audio-coached training. Practices like these thus could be understood to situate itself within either commercial, private or public use contexts.

The presentation made use of existing concepts, such as Sacco’s Culture 3.0 (Sacco et al., 2018) and the author’s University 3.0 (Boehm, 2022, chap.4) for unpicking some of the nuances around the above-described tensions.

As an outcome, she puts forward a new definition for the concept of ‘podcasting’, to ensure there is a definition that is inclusive of audio innovations and experiments of expanding innovative podcasting features . 

She thus put forward a new definition:  Podcasting is an audio-focussed cultural form that is constructed by social innovations in content production.

Links: Run/Listen with Carola at CBCB Runs https://www.mixcloud.com/CeeBeeDeeBee/

Last Chance to register for Critical Ecologies Summer Symposium 2025

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Last call to participate in our C3 Critical Ecologies Symposium, July 9th 2026!

Where:    Level 3, Catalyst Building. Leek Rd. Campus, University of Staffordshire
When:    July 9th 2026 10 – 4pm

Last chance to sign up and join Rebecca Nunes and Anna Francis and other researchers whose practices intersect with climate alliance and social equity for a day of research sharing and development of exploratory future collaboration. If you would like to join us please email or Teams me: rebecca.nunes@staffs.ac.uk so we can add you in. The day will be held in Catalyst, and food and drinks will be provided.

Critical Ecologies Summer Symposium 2025

Critical Ecologies is a grassroots research hub, generating a community of practice holding space to focus discussion and innovation around nature recovery and environmental justice.

The outcomes of our collaboration throughout the day will form a Research Document, which will be shared immediately after the Symposium with all participants and will inform our ongoing efforts for the next year’s cycle of Critical Ecologies Seasonal Gatherings for 2025/26.

Symposium Date: Wednesday, 9th July 10 – 4

Level 3, Catalyst Building. Leek Rd. Campus, University of Staffordshire 

“Speak to the earth and it will teach you”: a theological Bestiary for the ecological crisis

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A slime mould, as imagined by AI
A virus, as imagined by AI

In “Speak to the earth and it will teach you”, C3 member PETER KEVERN is seeking to recover the wisdom of the mediaeval Bestiaries to rethink our relationship to the natural world.

Professor Peter Kevern is a theologian whose research focuses on the influence religious ideas and images have on our individual and social wellbeing. He is currently working on a project to use the thinking behind the mediaeval Bestiaries to inform our response to the ecological crisis.

The mediaeval Bestiaries were books of ‘beasts’, often imaginatively written and richly illustrated. Although they are often treated as manuals of early (and very inaccurate) natural history, they are more concerned with theology and ethics. In most examples, each creature is considered to display some deep truth about human beings, God, or good and evil, meaning that can be discerned by thoughtful reflection on the creature’s properties and behaviour.

The Bestiaries emerge out of a world where human beings were inseparably linked to creation and believed the natural world to be charged throughout with deepest meaning and wisdom. In an age when our alienation from the natural world is bringing it, and us, to the brink of collapse, the pattern of thought behind the Bestiaries may have something to teach us.

“In this project I seek to recover some elements of that pattern, and apply them to creatures (such as viruses, slime moulds, black holes and Schrodinger’s cat) which were undreamt of by our forebears. In the process I hope to recover for our own time this sense of a world charged with meaning, and develop a set of practices that respond to its prompting.”

Contact Peter Kevern or the C3 Centre at C3Centre@staffs.ac.uk if you want to know more.

C3’s Professor Carola Boehm joins the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) College of Experts

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Carola Boehm, Professor of Arts and Higher Education from the C3 Centre for Creative Industries and Creative Communities at the University of Staffordshire, has been recruited to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) College of Experts. She will be joining 58 external experts from across academia and industry, forming a diverse and experienced community of experts. The DCMS College of Experts members have been called upon to provide external expertise and apply innovative scientific methods to support government policy.

Her expertise will contribute to helping DCMS tackle complex challenges across their policy areas with research insights.

Professor Carola Boehm said:

“I am delighted to be collaborating with fellow college members and DCMS colleagues and look forward to supporting evidence-based policymaking, driving forward impactful solutions for our creative and cultural sectors.”

Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Tom Crick said:

“We are delighted to welcome our new members of DCMS College of Experts. Since 2021, the College of Experts has made a significant impact on our department, ensuring that our policy design, development and implementation is grounded in the most rigorous and robust research and evidence available. Your engagement will help us continue to tackle the complex and interdisciplinary challenges across our policy areas with confidence and insight. We look forward to engaging with you and building on the meaningful collaboration that has shaped and informed impactful decision-making.”

 The College of Experts has expertise across the DCMS portfolio. The College supplements any existing relationships that teams have established with experts and offers a diverse breadth of scientific and technical knowledge that colleagues can draw upon dynamically. This allows the department to benefit from longer-term, systematic working relationships and addresses the increasing need for on-demand expert advice to underpin policy work.

Professor Carola Boehm’s research focusses on creative and cultural industries and has already been featured in the UPEN Study on how Arts and Humanities research influence public policy making (https://upen.ac.uk/resources/how-does-arts-and-humanities-research-influence-public-policymaking/). Her work underpins various strategic initiatives, from Cultural Leadership Programmes, such as Create Place Programme (https://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/createplace/), or supports the work of Cultural Compacts, such as Stoke Creates, where she is currently the chair (https://stokecreates.org.uk/). She has recently published a book in Emerald’s book series, Great Debates in Higher Education, titled Arts and Academia: The Role of the Arts in Civic Universities.

Her public output can be accessed or requested from EPRINTS/STORE BOEHM

The Universit press release can be read at https://www.staffs.ac.uk/news/2025/06/staffordshire-professor-joins-the-department-of-culture-media-and-sport-dcms-college-of-experts

Critical Ecologies Symposium 2025

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Symposium Date: Wednesday, 9th July 10 – 3
Where: Catalyst Building, Leek Road, University of Staffordshire
Expression of Interest in Contributing: Friday June 20th, by 5pm
Registration via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/critical-ecologies-symposium-2025-tickets-1376317244929
PDF Details and Programme: https://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/c3centre/wp-content/blogs.dir/1790/files/sites/1790/2025/06/CriticalEcologiesSymposium-2025-1.pdf  

Critical Ecologies is a grassroots research hub, generating a community of practice holding space to focus discussion and innovation around nature recovery and environmental justice.

The 2025 Symposium supports shared visioning for future collaborations and practice-led research connections. We invite all researchers and practitioners interested in these themes to come together via an experimental, generative format, where throughout the day, we will propose provocations that generate knowledge around specific enquiries.

We invite you to propose either a 10-minute sharing provocation of your practice and/or research or a 30-minute hands-on making activity that responds to one of the enquiries.

The Enquiries:
1. Nature Recovery Strategy:
In this session, we will consider the Local Nature Recovery Strategies being prepared nationally; what role and purpose they need to fulfil, and how we, as creative and academic practitioners, might inform the processes or support communities in having a voice within the proceedings. What role can the strategy play in our research and practice in the coming years? More broadly, how can our work as practitioners and researchers better inform policy development?

2. Declaration of Intent:
This session aims to create a shared understanding of the Critical Ecologies Research Hub and to formulate a declaration of intent for the upcoming seasonal cycles. We will discuss the current functions of the hub, which include providing space for resistant research, supporting practice-led research, and fostering transdisciplinary connections and networks. How can we strengthen and build upon these aims?

3. Body/Brain:
Through a haptic experience of the subject themes, this session will enable us to synthesise the insights gained throughout the day, making them visible through practice-led guided engagement with material processes. From this collaborative process, visual motifs will emerge that will reinforce the strategic directions of the research hub moving forward. This session will also facilitate the cross-pollination, discussion, and experimental generation of ideas that occur during a practice-led workshop or workshops.

The outcomes of our collaboration throughout the day will form a Research Document, which will be shared immediately after the Symposium with all participants and will inform our ongoing efforts for the next year’s cycle of Critical Ecologies Seasonal Gatherings for 2025/26.

Symposium Date: Wednesday, 9th July 10 – 3
10 -10.30 – Introduction and framing the day.
10.30 – 11.30 – Enquiry 1: Nature Recovery Strategy
11.30 – 12.30 – Enquiry 2: Convening a Declaration of Intent
12.30 – 1.30 – LUNCH
1.30 – 2.30 – Enquiry 3: Body/Brain
2.30 – 3.00- Wrap Up

Expression of Interest in Contributing
To send in an Expression of Interest to
• present a 10 minute sharing provocation of your practice and/or research or
• a 30 minute hands-on making activity which responds to one of the enquiries,
please send us up to 500 words indicating which of the enquiries you are responding to, and what you intend to present or share by 5pm Friday June 20th to rebecca.nunes@staffs.ac.uk

Attending the Symposium:
If you would like to simply attend the Symposium, please sign up via our EventBrite link above. (We will contact you to ascertain any dietary requirements etc).
Further detail to follow.
We look forward to sharing the day with you.

London’s EPOD conference set to highlight education through podcasting in June

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Education through Podcasting (EPOD) is organising its second conference on 26th and 27th June 2025 at Morley College London. A group of educators, podcast practitioners and industry experts will gather to discuss ‘Between entertainment and education’. Speakers will share how they use podcasts, best practices, and themes around ethics and inclusivity.

This conference continues a partnership formed between University of Staffordshire’s C3 Centre, Routledge, Morley College London, the University of Leeds and the University of South Florida. Industry sponsors include Audio UK, Broadcast Radio, HHB, Morley Radio, Routledge, and The Radio Academy.

It was announced also on the Podnews’s newsletter at https://podnews.net/press-release/epod-conference-25, which has a distribution of 32,457.

Carola Boehm, EPOD committee member and C3 member, said: ‘This is a fabulous conference that highlights the opportunities of podcasting to lean into higher education, and universities to lean into podcasting’.

This year’s keynote speakers include freelance producer and presenter Meera Kumar, recently named Producer of the Year 2024; Naomi Mellor, host and producer; and Stephen Coleman, author and emeritus Professor of Political Communication at the University of Leeds.

Camilo Salazar, EPOD committee member and manager at Morley Radio in London, said: ‘We are excited to host this event again. It will be so interesting to bring together people from all over the world and hear how media industry expectations apply in educational contexts.’

Each year, speakers will be given the opportunity to write up a chapter for a book in the EPOD book series, published by Routledge. The first book from the inaugural conference is due for release later this year. For more information about the event or to get tickets to attend, visit: https://www.epod.org.uk/epod-conference-2025

 

Critical Ecologies Spring Session on the IKON Slow Boat

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Ikon Slow Boat will be in Stoke-on-Trent throughout April and May, and provides an excellent space for our next Critical Ecologies Session.

https://www.ikon-gallery.org/news/view/ikon-slow-boat-stoke-on-trent-2025

For our next session we will be considering the Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Staffordshire, and asking what we feel priorities should be for both rural and urban areas.

Given the significant loss of habitat we have seen across continents in the past 50 years, and the recent attack on the environment by the current US government, while closer to home reports of tree felling across cities and recent threat to the Dartington Forest – there has never been a more pressing time to think about what we as researchers might be able to do to advocate for nature.

In this session we will experience the new public art trail installed along the Caldon Canal, celebrating biodiversity, before a session aboard the Ikon Slow Boat, where we will consider the importance of our post-industrial water ways as nature corridors through urban landscapes – which then move out to more rural areas.

In the context of the LNRS for Staffordshire currently being prepared, we will hear from Nicola Lynes of Support Staffordshire, Chair of the Community Advisory Panel for the Staffordshire LNRS, who will share information about the Public Consultation underway and consider with us what we would recognise as priorities for Nature Recovery.

As always, this will also be an opportunity to discuss what you are working on currently, and an open discussion on potential for collaborations and information about our July Symposium, while enjoying the experience of the Slowness of Canal Travel on a boat ride.

We will share a reading list with those that sign up for the event, but for now a couple of relevant links:

Link to book a place: Critical Ecologies Spring Session on the IKON Slow Boat Tickets, Wed, May 14, 2025 at 1:00 PM | Eventbrite

C3’s Prof Carola Boehm joins the Birmingham and West Midlands Conference Ambassador Network

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As Professor of Creative and Cultural Industries, Chair of Stoke Creates Cultural Compact, and as part of the leadership team of the C3 Centre: Creative Industries and Creative Communities at the University of Staffordshire, Prof Carola Boehm has been inmvited to join the Birmingham and the West Midlands Conference Ambassador Network.

She said: “As an academic and a cultural leader of our region, we regularly bring audiences, visitors and delegates to our city-region. Visitors contribute so much when joining us in our cultural and academic events that make our creative place what it is, the quintessential creative city with a deep and long history of producing creative products, services and creativity-underpinned knowledge & innovation. From medium-scale academic conferences to large-scale international festivals, from music concerts to boutique cultural gems, as a place with two universities and a multitude of vibrant creative and cultural organisations, we want to share our city with visitors.”

https://www.meetbirmingham.com/can/ambassadors

The West MIdlands Growth Company, under Chief Executive Neil Rami, set up the network to help reinforce the international reputation for excellence in academic research and contribute to our ongoing economic growth in the region.

“The Birmingham and the West Midlands Conference Ambassador Network has been created as a platform for the region’s greatest minds and leaders to work together in pursuit of a common goal – to contribute to our ongoing economic growth and reinforce our international reputation for excellence in academic research and business.”

“Ambassadors are influential in their field and play a key and active role in attracting their association conferences or connecting us with other people in the region who might be interested in working with us.”

The Birmingham & West Midlands Convention Bureau’s purpose is to promote the West Midlands and the wider region as a leading destination for events. The Bureau offers  support for large-scale event bids, and help win and deliver events, assisting also with accommodation booking for delegates and marketing support.

More information from: https://www.meetbirmingham.com/can

C3 Research Group Leads and Thematic Leads 2025

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Just a quick update on our C3 2025  line-up of C3 leadership team. If you have any questions about our research groups, do feel free to contact us on c3centre@staffs.ac.uk

C3 Lead – Agata Lulkowska

C3 Co-Leads – Rebecca Nunes, Agata Lulkowska, Andy Stubbs, Carola Boehm

Research Theme Leads (Horizontal):

  • C3 Impact Lead – Anna Francis
  • PGR – Andrew Stubbs
  • C3 Website – Carola Boehm

Research Group Leads (Verticals) :

  • Music and Sound – Mark Estibeiro, Dave Payling  (Themes a, d)
  • Art, Environment, Society – Anna Francis, Rebecca Nunes (Themes a, b, c)
  • Art and Design Research Group – Ian Brown   (Themes a, c)
  • Ceramic Cultures, Practices and Debates – Neil Brownsword (Themes a, c)
  • Philosophy & The Humanities – Phil O’Connor, David Webb  (Themes d)
  • Digital & Creative – Carola Boehm & Elhadj Benkhelifa  (Themes a, b, c, d)
  • Practice as Research – Agata Lulkowska   (Themes c, b, c, d)
  • (NEW) Film Research Cluster – Andrew Stubbs-Lacy  (Themes a)
Research Themes:

a)        Creative Industries and Creative Communities (Music Sector, Ceramics & Film Cluster, Arts-led Regeneration)

b)       Co-creation & Co-production Processes for the Creative Sectors (Culture 3.0, Cultural Policy, Participatory Processes, Citizens as Researchers)

c)        Artistic Practices, Methods, Theoretical Frameworks & Identities (Audio-visual work, Media productions, Ceramics, Artworks, Performances, Compositions)

d)       Arts, Culture and Higher Education (Arts and Academia, Research Pedagogies in the Arts, Practice-as-Research Education Philosophy)

REBELLIOUS RESEARCH: Create Practice Research Seminar Series – Round 4

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Welcome to Round 4  of the Rebellious Research Seminar Series focusing on Creative Practice Research. The seminar series returns yet again, with some truly exquisite guests. As always, free and open to all (all sessions run online via MS Teams), this initiative aims at widening support and understanding around practice research in a friendly and inclusive manner, with some top experts sharing their experience and advice.

Download your Round 4 (2024/2025) PROGRAMME 

For more info and to be added to the mailing list please contact Agata Lulkowska (Agata.Lulkowska@staffs.ac.uk)

Download your Round 4 (2024/2025) PROGRAMME 

​All the past sessions are available on a dedicated YouTube channel

Any changes ot the programme will be announced on: https://www.agatalulkowska.com/seminar-series