Each week we trawl the continent of Europe for the most interesting stories to cover and the most fascinating people to interview. This semi-serious, semi-silly, Brexit-free show, from a reporter in Paris and an opera singer in Amsterdam, will make you seem clever to friends and make you feel like you've got two NEW friends in Katy and Dominic. You probably didn't realise you needed a European podcast in your life, but this will fill the gap that you didn't even know was there.
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Libraries: the safest spaces we have?
What comes to mind when you imagine a library? Rows of books, probably. But across the continent, libraries are transforming into places that serve communities in all sorts of other ways. This week we hear from two very different libraries about how they're doing just that: Bojana Grujic of the Novi Sad City Library in Serbia and Myrto Tsilimpounidi from the Feminist Library at the Feminist Autonomous Centre in Athens. We're also talking about the fallout from Macron's trip to China, the international fight against Hungary's homophobic law, and the hallucinogenic adventures of early Europeans.
Bojana and Myrto's libraries are taking part in the European Cultural Foundation's Europe Challenge. The hunt for new participants begins soon; keep an eye on the ECF's website for updates, or subscribe to their newsletter.
This week's Isolation Inspiration: Birdsbesafe cat collars, available via the Royal Belgian League for the Protection of Birds, and 'The Shadow King' by Maaza Mengiste. Bonus: Katy's amazing Notion template.
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FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/libraries-the-safest-spaces-we-have
00:22 No Easter eggs for Dominic
02:43 Messy / Bad Week: Macron and von der Leyen's trip to China
14:47 Good Week: The fight against Hungary's anti-LGBTQ law
23:06 Interview: Bojana Grujic and Myrto Tsilimpounidi on the reinvention of Europe's libraries
35:51 Isolation Inspiration: Birdsbesafe cat collars and 'The Shadow King' by Maaza Mengiste
40:59 Happy Ending: Early Europeans' psychedelic dabbling
Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
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