You're about to listen to a BBC podcast, but this is about something else you might enjoy.

My name's Katie Lecky and I'm an assistant commissioner for on demand music on BBC Sounds.

The BBC has an incredible musical heritage and culture and as a music lover, I love being part of that.

With music on sounds, we offer collections and mixes for everything, from workouts

to helping you nod off, boogie in your kitchen, or even just a moment of calm. And they're

all put together by people who know their stuff. So if you want some expertly curated music

in your life, check out BBC Sounds. Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something

you may not know. My name's Linda Davies, and I commissioned podcasts for BBC Sounds. As you'd expect,

at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality, featuring the most knowledgeable experts

and genuinely engaging voices.

What you may not know is that the BBC makes podcasts about all kinds of things, like pop stars,

poltergeists, cricket, and conspiracy theories. And that's just a few examples.

If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC Sounds.

This is the BBC.

Hello, today we take pioneering strides in many directions. Later, I'll be venturing into the

imagined future of groundbreaking science fiction writer Octavia E. Butler, and looking at taboo-busting women.

But we start with a quest across the American wilderness in search of giant beasts, who may be real, imaginary, or simply mythical.

These creatures are the spur for an exploration of the frontier landscape and the human heart.

In West,

the wonderful debut novel from lauded short story writer Karas Davis.

Set in the early 1800s, her tale begins as grieving widower Cy Bellman abandons his young daughter, Bess, and his Pennsylvania home, to seek out a mammoth creature whose skeleton has been uncovered in Kentucky.

During his epic journey across an uncharted continent,

...