BEST DIY: Inside Mae Nagusky’s Playful Approach to Audio Storytelling
26m | Oct 16, 2026What does a podcast sound like when you never quite know where the next episode will take you?
Part sonic playground, part personal diary, part box of aural surprises, Creatures of the Wind is an independent podcast by audio maker Mae Nagusky, whose episodes move freely between formats and lengths. From capturing three years of her sister's childhood in a few minutes to collaging the complicated and intensive experience of childbirth, each episode is its own little world, held together by Mae’s playful curiosity and her instinct for finding meaning in the seemingly ordinary.
On this episode, host Cory Choy, Festival Director of the New York City Podcast Awards, sits down with Mae Nagusky, whose Creatures of the Wind won Best DIY Podcast at the 2026 New York City Podcast Awards. In this conversation, Cory and Mae discuss:
- How Mae uses audio and interviewing to make sense of growing up, relationships, and the world around her
- What gave her the confidence to take the leap and start her own podcast
- How creative challenges help her grow as an artist
- What she learned from making a new podcast episode every day for a month in Brooklyn
- Why she embraces imperfect, unpredictable sounds -- including the wind -- as part of her storytelling
- How she navigates the boundaries between making work and living her life, especially when the two overlap
Listen to Creatures of the Wind
Submissions for the 2027 New York City Podcast Awards are now open. Find out more at podcastawards.nyc.
Craft, Content & Creators is a production of the New York City Podcast Awards. This episode was produced by Vivien Schütz and mixed by Christian Cucinello, with support from Ivan Bronson, Lauren Molina, and Zach Treanor. Our theme music is by Santiago Aramburu.
