A genre-bending podcast about the prospect of becoming a parent during climate collapse.
i. about
Expectant is a six-part audio series that muddies fiction and non-fiction as a woman faces the prospect of becoming a parent during the climate crisis.
Through conversations with climate researchers, parents, mental health experts and childfree families, she grapples with grief, hope, and the biggest decision of her life: should she bring a child into this world?
New episodes out Thursdays.
It does lead young people to have a legitimate question, you know, is it okay to still have children?
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
ii. episodes
A new series about the decision to become a parent during the climate crisis or remain childfree. New episodes out Thursdays, starting May 11. Find the trailer transcript here.
She takes her first step out onto the fence. Find the episode transcript here.
She asks him, what if we didn’t? Find the episode transcript here.
She adds up the cost of another footprint. Find the episode transcript here.
She talks to the people who study the future. Find the episode transcript here.
She talks to her mum. Find the episode transcript here.
She listens for the answer. Find the episode transcript here.
You know, there's never the right time to have a child, and humanity has always faced enormous crises. This is perhaps a different unprecedented one.
- Britt Wray
iii. credits
Pippa Johnstone | Creator, Performer
Pippa Johnstone is a storyteller who began her career in the theatre, getting her BFA in Acting at UBC, but after getting an MA in Media Production at TMU, she found her home in the sound studio.
She’s produced radio plays, play-plays, audiobooks, documentaries, and created and hosted Word Bomb, an award-winning podcast about words with TVO for the past four years. She’s worked with CBC, Globe Content Studios, and taught a course on audio fiction at Tarragon Theatre. Mainly, she is a showrunner with Pacific Content, where her work has been nominated for Ambies and Webbys, among others.
She lives in Toronto with her partner and their cat, Goalie, but still calls the west coast home, on the unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh, and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Nations.
Laura Reznek | Composition
Laura Reznek is a Canadian, UK-based multi-instrumentalist and composer. Her work has been featured on a number of film/TV projects including Netflix’s Tiny Pretty Things, upcoming short film HIDE (dir. James Alexander - Eastenders, Call the Midwife). Her most recent composition for solo contemporary dance work a hidden playground was premiered at Canada’s National Arts Centre this spring. She is currently working on a full-length contemporary dance show Agrimony which will be toured across Canada and the UK in 2024.
Robyn Edgar | Sound Design and Mixing
Robyn is an experienced audio engineer and sound designer with a versatile skill set. Her work has been heard on both public radio and “wherever you get your podcasts”. She has engineered for APM's Marketplace in New York, mix engineered Spotify's FOGO: Fear of Going Outside, and sound designed a large variety of podcasts for Pacific Content. She's a graduate of the SALT Institute for Documentary Studies.
Karina Palmitesta | Dramaturg
Karina Palmitesta is a copywriter and editor based in Toronto. She has a decade of experience editing, writing, and managing projects for clients such as book publishers, film festivals, nonprofits, and media organizations. She holds a BFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia.
Hopefully in 15 years they'll look back and be like, can you believe that it got so bad there for a minute?
- Emma Campbell