Birds Eye View

Birds Eye View is a podcast created by female prisoners in the Darwin Correctional Centre in the Northern Territory, and it’s a fascinating look into a life that most of us will never experience.

Collectively hosted by 18 women, each episode centres on a core theme and uses interviews, poetry, satire and the prison soundscapes to tell the story. Themes include Survival, Payback, Work and Faith. The most recent audio extra includes prisoner tips for how to survive a COVID-19 lockdown (these include a no bake cake recipe, exercises you can do in a confined space and ideas for getting your thoughts out of your head such as writing a journal).

My favourite episode so far has been the one on the theme of Love. From how male prisoners replicate the female anatomy, to female prisoners being ‘gate gay’, it’s a brilliant eye-opener into life behind bars. Highly recommended for a difference perspective in these strange times.

★★★★ ½

Reviewed by Lisa Seltzer