You might already get some of your Monitor journalism (including this Daily) through earbuds, a smart speaker, or your car’s sound system.

Now you can listen to more.

We’re relaunching our “Rethinking the News” podcast as “Why We Wrote This.” The new weekly show, available on all podcast apps and on our site, has two big aims: to help you connect with our storytellers as people and to make clearer what sets the “Monitor lens” apart.

You’ve probably already come to know Why We Wrote This as a signature element in our stories. Think of this as an audio extension. 

We got a running start over the summer with 10 short pilot episodes. Today, we’ve added a two-minute series teaser by Samantha Laine Perfas, our main host. Next week, you’ll hear more about the thinking behind the show from the team that built it. After that, we’ll talk to the Monitor’s editor, Mark Sappenfield, about some bigger changes that are afoot. 

Then will come new interviews featuring our writers, editors, and photographers on their experiences, their processes, and their work.

All of this is meant to enrich and expand the Monitor experience for those who know us – and to offer a clear path to entry for those who’d like to get acquainted.

The Monitor’s long history in audio includes recent highlights. Just weeks ago our limited-series podcast “Say That Again?” was a finalist, among giants, for an Online News Association award.

We hope you’ll listen to the preseason episodes of “Why We Wrote This” and then make listening part of your Friday routine. Tell me what you think at collinsc@csmonitor.com. At the Monitor, we’re listeners too.