Wil Williams Writes

Hello again from a refresh six years after I last updated this list. I cannot believe I have been doing this for this long!

So, let’s talk about what this list is and is not.

• This list is just straight up an exported OPML from my Pocket Casts. The links are direct links to the feeds via Pocket Casts.
• This list is not a list of endorsements or recommendations. You can read my actual posts here, my MuckRack with links to my external publications, or my recommendations in Tink’s Podcast the Newsletter for those.
• This list is not every podcast I have listened to, or even every podcast I listen to regularly. I clean out my subscriptions a lot; otherwise, this list would be somewhere around 500 podcasts long instead of ~165. There are plenty of podcasts I listen to without subscribing, too.
• This list does include podcasts I work on! Those have been marked with a 🏠 emoji for my production company, Hug House (though Tuned In, Dialed Up is not a Hug House production).
• This list does, of course, include many (but not all!) of my all-time favorites. I have marked those with a 💖, and I am extremely picky about which podcasts receive that marker. They have to be podcasts I have never missed an episode of — or podcasts that I return to over and over again — for years and years.
• If you @ me or comment or contact me or email me or message me or say at my face to me that you’re mad that something isn’t on this list or didn’t get a heart, I will hate you forever and ever and block you and never talk to you again forever.

Last updated: 3/25/2024
Previous update: 5/31/18

If you’re curious about a specific podcast, I recommend typing CTRL+F so you can search for a specific podcast title instead of going through the list in its entirety. The podcasts are sorted alphabetically; I exported them from PocketCasts, so sorry about all of the “The”s being grouped together. I simply do not care enough to fix that.

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1972 – The Chisholm Campaign Trail and the Davis Trial

Upon the 50 year anniversary of the historical events of these two famous Black women (Chisholm’s campaign for the presidency of the U.S. and Davis’s Trial for conspiracy to murder); comes “1972” by highly acclaimed, independent audio drama creator, Yhane Washington Smith. “1972” is a seven-part historical audio drama series detailing the powerful story of these two amazing Black women in U.S. history.

The show portrays the true story of Black women empowerment; of two African American women who refused to be ignored and silenced by a society too comfortable with the status quo.

Our goal is for you to be entertained, educated, empowered, uplifted and love the amazing stories of Black women in U.S. history! Written and independently produced by Yhane Washington Smith an A’ Lelia Bundles Scholar at Columbia University and ten time LMCC grantee. You can follow on Instagram: @Yhane.Writes.Audio, Twitter: @AudioHarlem, web site: https://YhaneWashingtonSmith.com. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://harlemqueen.substack.com/ Thank you for listening and reading!

💖36 Questions – The Podcast Musical

Hear what The New York Times calls “the future of musicals”… 36 Questions, a three-part podcast musical starring Jonathan Groff and Jessie Shelton.

36 Questions is produced by Two-Up, the producers of Limetown and The Wilderness.

Thank you for listening.

💖5-4

5-4 is a podcast about how much the Supreme Court sucks. It’s a progressive and occasionally profane take on the ideological battles at the heart of the Court’s most important landmark cases; an irreverent tour of all the ways in which the law is shaped by politics.

Subscribe to our access our premium episodes & much more at https://fivefourpod.com/support

Listen each week as hosts Peter, Michael, and Rhiannon dismantle the Justices’ legal reasoning on hot-button issues like affirmative action, gun rights, and campaign finance, and use dark humor to reveal the high court’s biases. Presented by Slow Burn co-creator Leon Neyfakh, and hosted by Rhiannon Hamam, Peter Shamshiri, and Michael Morbius. 5-4 is a production of Prologue Projects.

Note from Wil: Part of the YWA Extended Universe

8th Layer Insights

Get ready for a deep dive into what cybersecurity professionals often refer to as the “8th Layer” of security: HUMANS. Welcome to 8th Layer Insights (8Li). This podcast is a multidisciplinary exploration into how the complexities of human nature affect security and risk. Author, security researcher, and behavior science enthusiast Perry Carpenter taps experts for their insights and illumination. Topics include cybersecurity, psychology, behavior science, communication, leadership, and more.

Afflicted: A Horror Thriller Audio Drama

Lovecraft Country meets True Blood in this new series from award-winning producers Tonia Ransom and Jen Zink. In season one, a small East Texas town suffers supernatural disasters caused by a demonic book bound in human flesh…and only hoodoo can save the town from its affliction.

All Songs Considered

Since launching in 2000, All Songs Considered has been NPR’s flagship program for music discovery, artist interviews and conversations with friends and fellow music lovers about the really big questions, like what was the best decade for music, are there albums everyone can agree on, and what do you put on when you need a good cry? Weekly, with host Robin Hilton and the NPR Music family.

Among the Stars and Bones

A team of xenoarchaeologists travel to distant worlds searching for traces of a now-vanished alien race. Each season brings a new site, new secrets and new dangers.

Archive 81

Archive 81 is a fiction podcast about horror, cities, and the subconscious.

New episodes will be released every other Wednesday.

Start from “01 – A Body In A New Place”

Arden

On December 25th, 2007, movie star and heiress Julie Capsom crashed her car into a tree in Northern California, walked into a nearby clearing, and vanished, leaving behind a male torso in her trunk. 10 years later, reporter Bea Casely and private detective Brenda Bentley are going to reopen the case. Each has a personal tie to the story. Each thinks they know what happened. And each knows the other is going to screw this whole thing up. Join Bea, Brenda, and the rest of the Good People at Wheyface Radio as they attempt to answer once and for all: what happened to Julie Capsom?

Aria Code

Aria Code is a podcast that pulls back the curtain on some of the most famous arias in opera history, with insight from the biggest voices of our time, including Roberto Alagna, Diana Damrau, Sondra Radvanovsky, and many others. Hosted by Grammy Award-winner and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Rhiannon Giddens, Aria Code is produced in partnership with The Metropolitan Opera.

Each episode dives into one aria — a feature for a single singer — and explores how and why these brief musical moments have imprinted themselves in our collective consciousness and what it takes to stand on the Met stage and sing them.

A wealth of guests—from artists like Rufus Wainwright and Ruben Santiago-Hudson to non-musicians like Dame Judi Dench and Dr. Brooke Magnanti, author of The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl—join Rhiannon and the Met Opera’s singers to understand why these arias touch us at such a human level, well over a century after they were written. Each episode ends with the aria, uninterrupted and in full, recorded from the Met Opera stage.

Aria Code is produced in partnership with WQXR, The Metropolitan Opera and WNYC Studios.

💖Articles of Interest

Articles of Interest is a show about what we wear.

Produced and Hosted by Avery Trufelman

Beach Too Sandy, Water Too Wet

A comedy podcast featuring dramatic readings of one-star reviews written by real people with not-so-real problems. Hosted by Xandy and Christine Schiefer. Produced by the Forever Dog Podcast Network.

Behind the Bastards

There’s a reason the History Channel has produced hundreds of documentaries about Hitler but only a few about Dwight D. Eisenhower. Bad guys (and gals) are eternally fascinating. Behind the Bastards dives in past the Cliffs Notes of the worst humans in history and exposes the bizarre realities of their lives. Listeners will learn about the young adult novels that helped Hitler form his monstrous ideology, the founder of Blackwater’s insane quest to build his own Air Force, the bizarre lives of the sons and daughters of dictators and Saddam Hussein’s side career as a trashy romance novelist.

Note from Wil: This is an incredible podcast description. More descriptions should be written like this.

Believe in Magic

Jamie Bartlett, host of the hit podcast The Missing Crypto queen, is back with another gripping, investigative serial.

In his new series, Jamie tells the story of Megan Bhari, an inspirational 16 year old girl who in 2012 launches a charity to grant wishes to seriously ill children. The charity is called Believe in Magic and it attracts the support of the biggest boy band in the world: One Direction. Believe in Magic soon becomes a household name in the child cancer community, putting on parties, sending thoughtful gifts and organizing trips to Disney. Megan is adored by all those she helps and is given an award by the then Prime Minister David Cameron.

What’s even more remarkable is that Megan is herself extremely unwell. She announces that she has been diagnosed with a brain tumour. She raises money online for life saving treatment in the United States.

But a group of internet sleuths start to suspect that Meg isn’t ill at all. When they discover Megan is in a Disney resort rather than a US hospital, they decide to hire a private detective to prove Megan is faking her illness–and expose the truth to the world. But events take an unexpected turn. And the internet sleuths-who are all parents of seriously ill children themselves-begin to wonder if they’ve got it all wrong. “It wasn’t meant to end like this,” says one.

Author Jamie Bartlett and producer Ruth Mayer investigate the truth about Megan Bhari, tracing back over the sleuths’ incredible discoveries, meeting Megan’s old friends and supporters, and exploring the medical profession’s most mysterious condition. After months of investigation, Jamie and Ruth discover a secretive investigation into the truth about Megan’s medical condition. The conclusion is shocking–and will have far-reaching consequences for everyone involved.

Believe in Magic is a BBC Studios production.

Benjamen Walker’s Theory of Everything

Personally connecting the dots. All of them. Benjamen Walker’s Theory of Everything is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Learn more at https://radiotopia.fm.

Better Offline

Better Offline is a weekly show exploring the tech industry’s influence and manipulation of society – and interrogating the growth-at-all-costs future that tech’s elite wants to build.

Combining narrative-form storytelling, one-on-one interviews and panel-based discussions, Better Offline cuts through the buzzwords and obfuscation of the tech industry, investigating and evaluating the schemes and scams of everyone from cryptocurrency scumbags to the greediest of the venture capital elite. Tech industry veteran Ed Zitron and a dynamic coterie of guests will help listeners understand the who, how and why of how tech’s most powerful players are changing the world – for better or for worse.

Beyond All Repair

Imagine you’re accused of something horrific. You swear you didn’t do it, but someone says they witnessed it: your own brother. Sophia Johnson was newly married with a baby on the way when she became the prime suspect in her mother-in-law’s brutal murder. WBUR’s Amory Sivertson reexamines a case unsolved, a family torn apart, and the woman who wasn’t believed.

Big Mood, Little Mood

Every week, Danny M. Lavery brings on a guest to answer questions from listeners before diving into conversation about relationships, dissatisfaction, drives, regrets, estrangement, embarrassment, self-assessments, and feelings from the monumental to the minute.

Black People Love Paramore

A humorous podcast about the seemingly random, underrepresented interests of different niches of Black people! Episode topics include Paramore, anime, astrology, Tony Hawk, UNO and more. We hope to help Black people feel scene… get it? New episodes every other Thursday. Hosted by Sequoia Holmes. Theme song by prod.joelteon. Cover artwork by Pedro Fequiere.

Blades of Mayari

Dive into ‘Blades of Mayari,’  a Filipino-Canadian led, fantasy actual play podcast inspired by pre-colonial Filipino mythology. Powered by Fate Core and set in a version of ‘The Islands of Sina Una’. Embark on an epic journey with Game Master Ross and our four adventurers – Kevin, The Noise Witch, Ren, and Mickee – as they confront tempests, battle aswang, and unravel the mysteries within the mist-shrouded island that mysteriously emerged off the coastline. Will they triumph over the challenges that await, or succumb to the perils lurking in the shadows?

New episodes every other Monday.

Blind Plea

In 2017, Deven Grey, a young mother, shot and killed her abusive partner in a remote trailer in rural Shelby County, Alabama. She claimed self-defense and filed a Stand Your Ground claim.

Instead of freedom, she was handed a “blind plea” – an option to take an unknown sentence in exchange for pleading guilty. As a Black woman who shot and killed a white man in Alabama, she did the only thing she could: She took the plea. Deven’s sentence became the final link in a chain of deceit, haunted land, generational trauma, false identity, coercive control, and a broken justice system.

Hosted by Emmy Award-winning journalist Liz Flock, Blind Plea asks: Who do we believe, and why? And in America, who has the right to self defense and a fair trial?

Breaker Whiskey

BREAKER WHISKEY is an ongoing, daily microfiction podcast exploring one woman’s journey to find additional survivors in an America made empty by an unknown event in the late 1960s.

In 1968, two women find themselves in rural Pennsylvania during what turns out to be some kind of apocalyptic event. By the time they discover that everyone else is gone, it’s too late to figure out what happened. Despite not liking each other at all, the women work together to survive, until six years later one of them sets out on her own, driving around the country to find other survivors. This is her, calling out to anyone who might listen.

BREAKER WHISKEY is made by Lauren Shippen and recorded on a 1976 Midland CB Radio. It releases daily, Monday through Friday. If you would like the entire week’s episodes as one single download, released on Monday, you can support the show at patreon.com/breakerwhiskey or by becoming an Atypical Plus supporter at atypicalartists.co/support.

Please visit https://breakerwhiskey.com for more information or to send a message to Whiskey.

Cancel Me, Daddy

The pearl clutching about “cancel culture” and “censorship” has become louder and more absurd while also getting more and more play in the media. Journalist Katelyn Burns sees this panic for what it is though: a grift. They take a closer look at these temper tantrums, dispelling myths, laughing at the most outrageous takes, and shedding light on which perspectives are actually being suppressed and left out of the conversation.

You can join our community and support our work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cancelmedaddy

Note from Wil: I was on an episode! Talking about how mad I am at Podcast Movement!

CARAVAN

CARAVAN is a story about getting through Hell with the people you love. When Samir and his best friend Carlyle take a camping trip to the Canyon, they don’t plan on getting caught in a thunderstorm. Even worse, they don’t plan on Samir falling into the Canyon. When he wakes up, Samir finds himself in a new world, where ghosts, demons, vampires, and other monsters terrorize the locals like any villains in a western. Samir joins up with a caravan—a vigilante train of supernatural bounty hunters—to delve deep into the Canyon depths, and find a way out of Hell once and for all.

Note from Wil: You can read my interview with creator Tau Zaman here.

Cirque du Sound

A great creative idea can come from anywhere, at any time. The trick is – knowing how to spot it. Cirque du Soleil is widely known as a beacon of creative thinking. For decades, they’ve thrilled audiences with imaginative, interdisciplinary live experiences drawing creative inspiration from art, science, nature, philosophy, and the magic of everyday life. Cirque du Sound is a brand-new podcast from the creative minds at Cirque du Soleil. It’s an immersive sonic trip exploring the creative ideas at the root of some of Cirque du Soleil’s most beloved shows. Do you want to bring more creativity into your work, or your life? Join host Michel Laprise, renowned director, and Creative Guide at Cirque du Soleil, for deep-dive conversations with modern visionaries from all over the globe. Conversations bent on widening the definition of creativity, all while looking through the unique ‘cirque-oscopic’ lens of Cirque du Soleil.

💖Code Switch

What’s CODE SWITCH? It’s the fearless conversations about race that you’ve been waiting for. Hosted by journalists of color, our podcast tackles the subject of race with empathy and humor. We explore how race affects every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, food and everything in between. This podcast makes all of us part of the conversation — because we’re all part of the story. Code Switch was named Apple Podcasts’ first-ever Show of the Year in 2020.Want to level up your Code Switch game? Try Code Switch Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at https://plus.npr.org/codeswitch

Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

Big laughs. Smart takes. Every day. Commotion is where you go for thoughtful and vibrant conversations about all things pop culture. Host Elamin Abdelmahmoud calls on journalists, critics, creators and friends to talk through the biggest arts & entertainment stories of the day, in 30 minutes or less.

Subscribe to Sounds Good: CBC’s Podcasts newsletter for the finest podcast recommendations and behind-the-scenes exclusives.

Conference Call

Starring Elizabeth Henstridge, Jeff Ward, Gregory Stees and Emma Roberts, Conference Call follows Julie Burke as she partners with eccentric entrepreneurs “The Toade Bros.” Julie patiently helps the Toades desperately pitch their half-baked ideas to a string of bewildered investors. Poring over hours of cringeworthy recorded phone calls from this oddball tech company, our (fake) investigative podcaster, Charlotte Dunn, delivers a story of incompetence, fraud, and betrayal. After the Toades manage to do the unthinkable, Julie is left with no choice but to take action.

Conversations with People Who Hate Me

Dylan Marron explores what happens when online feuders step out from behind the keyboard and get to know the human on the other side of the screen.

Culture Study Podcast

A podcast about the culture that surrounds you — with Anne Helen Petersen and a bunch of very smart co-hosts

https://culturestudypod.substack.com

💖Darknet Diaries

Explore true stories of the dark side of the Internet with host Jack Rhysider as he takes you on a journey through the chilling world of hacking, data breaches, and cyber crime.

Note from Wil: You can read my review of Darknet Diaries here.

Dear Alana,

Host Simon Kent Fung explores the life of Alana Chen, a 24-year-old woman who disappeared from Boulder, Colorado in 2019. Alana left behind two dozen journals chronicling a deep faith, love of fashion, and dream of becoming a nun. She also harbored a secret. At 14, she confessed to her priest that she was attracted to women and was instructed not to tell her parents. Over the next seven years, Alana covertly received conversion therapy which her family believes played a role in her fate. Simon, who sought to change his sexual orientation through conversion therapy for nearly a decade in his efforts to become a priest, is compelled to understand the truth of what happened to Alana—and finally face what happened to him. “Dear Alana,” is an unraveling mystery and a poignant spiritual memoir about teenage rebellion and spiritual manipulation, the price we pay to belong and the systems that pay no price at all.

Explore more at https://www.dearalana.com

Note from Wil: You can hear me talk about how much I loved this podcast on KQED’s Forum.

Dear Prudence

Slate’s premier advice column, featuring Jenée Desmond-Harris, helps you navigate the thorniest questions of relationships, work, and life.

Death by Dying

The Obituary Writer of Crestfall, Idaho finds himself deeply in over his head as he investigates a series of strange and mysterious deaths… when he is supposed to simply be writing obituaries. Along the way he encounters murderous farmers, man-eating cats, haunted bicycles, and a healthy dose of ominous shadows. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/deathbydyingpod

Note from Wil: You can read my review of Death by Dying here.

💖Decoder Ring

Decoder Ring is the show about cracking cultural mysteries. In each episode, host Willa Paskin takes a cultural question, object, or habit; examines its history; and tries to figure out what it means and why it matters.

Note from Wil: You can read my review of Decoder Ring here.

Depresh Mode with John Moe

Join host John Moe (The Hilarious World of Depression) for honest, relatable, and, yes, sometimes funny conversations about mental health. Hear from comedians, musicians, authors, actors, and other top names in entertainment and the arts about living with depression, anxiety, and many other common disorders. Find out what they’ve done to address it, what worked, and what didn’t. Depresh Mode also features useful insights on mental health issues with experts in the field. It’s honest talk from people who have been there and know their stuff. No shame, no stigma, and more laughs than you might expect.

Note from Wil: You can read my review of The Hilarious World of Depression here.

🏠Desperado

Blood magic, Voodoo magic, old gods, new gods: We’ve got it all! Follow the story of misfits from all over the world, as they try to survive and protect their heritage from modern-day crusaders. Created by Samy Souissi.

Digital Folklore

Digital Folklore is an immersive audio adventure that takes place inside a fictional universe, but explores the real-world truths behind various expressions of internet culture and how each holds up a mirror to the society from which they emerge.

This podcast is great for audio fiction fans who really really want to enjoy interview-based shows, or for listeners who love expert interviews and insights but long for something unique and unexpected.

Join Perry Carpenter and Mason Amadeus as they explore the wild and wonderful world of online folklore, encountering a wide range of characters—both real and fictional—who provide a wealth of folkloric insight while simultaneously creating new lore. With topics ranging from the absurd to the unsettling, the Digital Folklore podcast is an accessible and entertaining way to learn about folkloric concepts and societal truths. Oh…and be sure to listen carefully—you never know what you might find.

Do You Copy?

SEASON ONE OUT NOW!

When Red Tail National park shuts down due to a possible ecological disaster, three campers continued their trips, and two park rangers stayed to keep an eye on the radios. Recordings from these individuals were recovered and due to a mistake that cost a lot more than expected, [REDACTED] must sort through the recordings and try to make sense of what happened.

Written and Edited by Delaney Sutton

Staring the Voices of: Jack Fulmin, Stephen Indrisano, Cody Heath, Eilidh Nicholson, Kale Brown, Rowan Farlow, and Delaney Sutton

Contact us at doyoucopypodcast@gmail.com

Earwitness

One July night in 1995, Deputy Sheriff William G. Hardy was shot behind the Crown Sterling Suites hotel in Birmingham, Alabama. At the same time as the murder, at least ten people saw Toforest Johnson four miles away, at a popular nightclub called Tee’s Place. But detectives zeroed in on him as a main suspect in Deputy Hardy’s murder anyway, ultimately resulting in Toforest being tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. For over a quarter century, Toforest has been confined to a 5’ by 8’ cell on Alabama’s death row.

In 2019, investigative journalist Beth Shelburne began covering the case, going down a disturbing rabbit hole revealing many unsettling facts that cast grave doubts about Toforest’s guilt. The facts she found tear at the very foundation of the American criminal justice system: No eyewitnesses or physical evidence tied Toforest to the murder; the state tried to convict a different man for the same crime; and perhaps most disturbing of all, Toforest’s conviction relied on an ‘earwitness’ – a woman who claimed to have eavesdropped on an incriminating phone call, a woman whom prosecutors paid for her testimony, in secret. That payment was not disclosed to the jury, Toforest, or his lawyers until after he had been on death row for 17 years.

From the team behind the award-winning hit podcast Bone Valley, Lava for Good’s Earwitness is an 8-episode docuseries that asks the question, “How did an innocent man end up on death row — and why is the state still trying to execute him over the objection of the prosecutor who put him there?” Shelburne’s unprecedented access to key players—the lead detective, lead prosecutor, witnesses, jurors, and the earwitness herself— illuminate a story filled with disturbing twists, frustrating ambiguities, and shocking admissions. The story of Toforest Johnson and the state’s enthusiasm for the death penalty in the face of such troubling evidentiary flaws brings to light the failings of a criminal justice system run amok.

Earwitness is available every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts. To hear episodes 1 week early and ad free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.

Endless Thread

Hosts Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson dig into the internet’s vast and curious ecosystem of online communities to find untold histories, unsolved mysteries, and other jaw-dropping stories online and IRL.

Ethics Town

Ethics Town is a cosmic horror podcast about philosophical conundrums in a weird small town! We’re not going to answer the big questions for you, but we are going to dance around them in a fun and theatrical manner!

Listeners will follow January, a tired and wired Ethics local, and Artemis, a young girl lost in the woods, as they try to unravel what exactly is going on down in the town of Ethics now that the new mayor has taken office. Statistics and probability are exchanged for conspiracy theory logic as the pair try to explain weirder and weirder happenings.

Everything is Alive

Everything is Alive is an unscripted interview show in which all the subjects are inanimate objects. In each episode, a different thing tells us its life story–and everything it says is true.

Note from Wil: You can read my review of Everything Is Alive here.

Feed the Queue

The ultimate podcast discovery podcast! We’re feeding your queue with episodes of our favorite shows. Join the team from Tink Media and creators from across the industry to learn about shows you’ll love. Think of it like a char-queue-terie of podcasts, full of delicious sounds and flavors.

Finally! A Show

Come hang out in a different woman’s life on each episode. It’s everything you love about reality TV, just on the radio, with 100% more reality. Just women sharing their actual morning to night — days that are anything but ordinary. Curated and crafted by Jane Marie (The Dream, This American Life, Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast) and Joanna Solotaroff (TeamCoco, 2 Dope Queens, Scattered). Try on some other lives while you do whatever you want with yours.

Note from Wil: The full title of this podcast is actually Finally! A Show About Women That Isn’t Just a Thinly Veiled Aspirational Nightmare. This entry is how the title is listed in podcatchers, though.

Flyest Fables

Flyest Fables brings you anthology style and critically acclaimed hopepunk fables for the 21st century. Created by Morgan Givens.

Folxlore

Folxlore tells the stories of queer people living literally and figuratively between two worlds.

In one sense, we try to live normal lives while the world tells us we are not normal.

In another sense, our normal lives are interrupted by a very not-normal rift opening up between our world and another plane of existence filled with nightmarish horrors.

This pilot series deals with themes of first romance, hate crime related trauma, and queer parenthood

Folxlore is rooted in everyday Glasgow, where monsters are always on the edge of your periphery.

A collaboration between In The Works and Tin Can Audio

Foretold

Paulina Stevens grew up in an insular Romani American family, destined to leave school, marry young, and become a fortuneteller. By 17, her fate was sealed — until she decided to leave it all behind. “Foretold” follows Paulina as she navigates the consequences of her decision to leave her community and redefine her identity. Hosted by Los Angeles Times reporter Faith Pinho, “Foretold” will take you past the neon “psychic” signs and trendy tarot cards to unravel myths and stereotypes that have followed the Romani people for centuries.

Forgive Me!

Forgive Me! tells the story of Father Ben, a try-hard young Catholic priest who was recently reassigned from Binghamton to St. Patrick’s, a new parish in an unnamed Upstate New York town, under mysterious circumstances. Each episode follows Ben into the confessional with another eccentric parishioner from around town, exploring the intertwined lives of this new community and the funny, sad, and sometimes painful experiences that come out of the Catholic experience.

Gay Girl Gone

Of all the young revolutionaries in Syria during the Arab Spring, Amina is different. An out lesbian in a country where homosexuality is illegal, she bravely documents her life on the blog Gay Girl in Damascus. Her candid posts attract readers from around the world, and soon she has a wide, ardent following. But then a post appears saying Amina has been abducted. Her fans mobilize, desperate to track down and save their fearless heroine. What they find shocks them. Journalist Samira Mohyeddin investigates what actually happened to the infamous Gay Girl in Damascus in this 6-part series. The result is a twisted yarn that spans the globe and challenges our thinking on love, politics and identity in cyberspace. Listeners can access every episode for free weekly on Wednesdays (6 episodes total). If you want early, ad-free access, visit https://apple.co/cbcstories.

Gender Reveal

Welcome to Gender Reveal, a podcast about nonbinary and transgender folks. Join us as we interview notable trans guests, analyze current events, answer advice questions and get a little bit closer to understanding what the heck gender is.

Ghost Story

Host Tristan Redman is a seasoned journalist who doesn’t believe in ghosts. But weird things happened in the bedroom he lived in as a teenager. When he discovers years later that subsequent occupants of the same house have been visited by the ghost of a faceless woman, he’s curious. Because it just so happens that Tristan’s childhood home is right next door to the house where his wife’s great grandmother, Naomi Dancy, was murdered in 1937 – killed by two gunshots to the face. Could there be a connection between the ghost and the murder? Tristan decides to investigate and soon finds himself going where no son-in-law should go, deep into his wife’s family history, asking questions no one wants answered.

Follow Ghost Story on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Ghost Story ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.

If you have a really great ghost story or a wild family drama, reach out to us at GhostStory@wondery.com or call us at 1-347-460-9473 to share more details. Please include your best contact info, so we can follow-up if we’re interested in learning more. Who knows? Your story could be the basis for Ghost Story season 2.

Disclaimer: Please note, by submitting your idea, you acknowledge Wondery may already have similar ideas, Wondery is not obligated to you in any manner if Wondery obtained such ideas from sources other than yourself and that you are representing that you are the sole author of the material and this material doesn’t violate any third party rights. You also acknowledge other terms and conditions may apply.

Go Touch Grass

“Go touch grass” is the internet’s not-so-nice way of telling someone to log off and get outside. On this very online comedy podcast, hosts Milly and Alise will recap the whole week in trending topics so listeners can do just that.

Catch all new episodes every Wednesday starting December 13th.

Greater Boston

Greater Boston is a bi-monthly full-cast audio drama that blends the real and the unreal, the historical and the fantastical. It all begins with the death of Leon Stamatis, a man for whom the least hint of uncertainty makes life unbearable. But by leaving the world, he has irrevocably changed it.

Greater Boston is written and produced by Alexander Danner and Jeff Van Dreason.

A production of ThirdSight Media LLC.

Note from Wil: You can read my review of Greater Boston here.

Hang Up

Love reality dating shows but tired of the obsession with marriage? Welcome to Hang Up, a reality dating show with no rings attached.

In each season, one person is matched with six prospective love interests. They go on dates over the phone and never see each other. After the dates, the Star chooses one person to “hang up” on and eliminate from the show.

And there’s a twist— in the end, the winning caller makes their own choice: to either choose the Star back and take an all-expenses-paid vacation together or hang up on the Star and take a cash prize instead.

Heavyweight

Maybe you’ve laid awake and imagined how it could have been, how it might yet be, but the moment to act was never right. Well, the moment is here and the podcast making it happen is Heavyweight. Join Jonathan Goldstein for road trips, thorny reunions, and difficult conversations as he backpedals his way into the past like a therapist with a time machine. From Spotify Studios.

HEMOPHOBIA

SEASON I: Camp Havenside, coming October 29th 2023 . . .

I tell you these stories not with my voice, not with my words. But with my blood.

HEMOPHOBIA is an anthology horror podcast, telling a new multi-chapter story in each season. Stories of blood, our blood, and all the pain, truth, and horror that blood embodies. Each season is unrelated to one another, and can be listened to in any order.

If you enjoy HEMOPHOBIA and want free merch, early access to new episodes, or even a chance at having a mini-episode made based off of you / your nightmares, consider supporting the show on ⁠PATREON⁠, with subscriptions ranging from $3 to $15 a month. Linked here: ⁠http://patreon.com/cswhorror.

Follow the show on Twitter @CSW_Horror, join the Facebook page, or visit https://www.cswhorror.com for all updates.

Hi Nay

Hi Nay, literally translated to “Hi Mom”, is a supernatural horror fictional podcast about Filipina immigrant Mari Datuin, whose babaylan (shaman) family background accidentally gets her involved in stopping dangerous supernatural events in Toronto. Written, directed, produced, and created by Motzie Dapul and co-created by Reg Geli.

Hit the Bricks

100 years after L. Frank Baum’s saga that began with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Gale Family Farm sits abandoned in what’s left of the great Kansas prairies. After her parents’ messy divorce, Jessi Hugson and her mother move to Dorothy’s old neighborhood for a new beginning. Things were already off to a shaky start, but when Jessi and her cousin Wallace find a jewel-studded bracelet in Dorothy’s front yard…things get twisted. Twister’d, even.

Holy Ghosting

Lindsay, Meg, Sarai & friends – a bunch of former church kids who came of age in 80s and 90s American Evangelicalism – are Holy Ghosting.

🏠How to Act Fereldan: A Dragon Age Fancast

How to Act Fereldan is your podcast field guide to all things Dragon Age. Join Anne Baird, Wil Williams, and Giancarlo Herrera as they play through the fantasy RPG series Dragon Age. They’ll ask the important questions, like What Is This Dragon Age? But also — what are the sociopolitical ramifications of the architecture in the Emerald Graves? How do the mechanics change from game to game? Is Anders a war criminal? Your hosts will also bring you fanfic recommendations, lore analysis, and more in each episode.

How To Destroy Everything

The true story of a man who wreaks havoc on a community: “He taps phone lines, steals notary stamps, gets banned from restaurants, hacks emails, and forges signatures. He inspires a support group comprised solely of people he traumatized. In court, he references arcane British case law and submits literally thousands of motions to delay and obstruct, leaving anyone who stands in his way not only penniless but emotionally bankrupt and utterly destroyed. He was also my dad.”

I Am In Eskew

Trapped in the horror-filled and impossible city of Eskew, a man makes endless recordings of his day-to-day experiences, hoping to reach the outside world.This show routinely contains body horror and other disturbing scenes. See the website for detailed warnings. https://iamineskew.com/episodes

I Seduce The Dragon

A rocket scientist, a cowgirl, a p*rnstar, and a mom walk into a dungeon … and those are just the players. I SEDUCE THE DRAGON is an actual play D&D podcast that requires absolutely no prior knowledge of Dungeons & Dragons to love! High production value, engaging characters and incredible chemistry make a great time for even casual listeners.

💖ICYMI

Join Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim twice a week as we gaze deep into the online abyss—and tell you what’s gazing back.

Note from Wil: I was on an episode to talk about Welcome to Night Vale!

💖If Books Could Kill

The airport bestsellers that captured our hearts and ruined our minds

Note from Wil: Part of the YWA Extended Universe

Imaginary Worlds

Imaginary Worlds sounds like what would happen if NPR went to ComicCon and decided that’s all they ever wanted to cover. Host Eric Molinsky spent over a decade working as a public radio reporter and producer, and he uses those skills to create thoughtful, sound-rich episodes about science fiction, fantasy, and other genres of speculative fiction. Every other week, he talks with comic book artists, game designers, novelists, screenwriters, filmmakers, and fans about how they craft their worlds, why we suspend our disbelief, and what happens if the spell is broken. Imaginary worlds may be set on distant planets or parallel dimensions, but they are crafted here on Earth, and they’re always about us and our lived experiences.

In The Dark

Serial investigative journalism, with host Madeleine Baran and a team of reporters. Season 1 looked at the abduction of Jacob Wetterling in rural Minnesota and the accountability of sheriffs in solving crime. Season 2 examined the case of Curtis Flowers, who was tried six times for the same crime. Also, a special report on COVID-19 in the Mississippi Delta.

inc: The Podcast

Bethany and Jonas are two pencil-pushing aliens living and working on a company ship that incorporates whole planets by the dozen, tasked with organizing all of the data that is recovered from said planets. They get through the endless days by occasionally adding meaningful stories that they discover to the Extraneous But Interesting folder, all the while navigating the complex web that is friendship and life in this corpo-futuristic nightmare. A science fiction podcast where Douglas Adams meets The Office. Where Severance and Mad Men meet Robert Heinlein. Happiness is productivity. Productivity is happiness.

Incarnation Read – a Horror Podcast

INCARNATION READ (“red”) is a horror anthology podcast. Released every 2-3 weeks, it catalogues moments where the reality we have long found comfortably monotonous is distorted to reveal something much more sinister at play, something dark and sentient waiting just under the surface of everyday life. When the veil of the natural world is peeled back, we are introduced to an existence where the stuff of nightmares is not only to be feared; it is to be expected. And the further we travel down this dark path, somewhere among these horrific and paralyzing events, a pattern begins to emerge . . . Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/c-s-w/support

It Could Happen Here

It Could Happen Here started as an exploration of the possibility of a new civil war. Now a daily show, it’s evolved into a chronicle of collapse as it happens, and an exploration of how we might build a better future. Every day Robert Evans, Garrison Davis, Mia Wong, James Stout and Shereen Lani Younes take you on a jaunty walk through the burning ruins of the old world and towards a better one that lays just on the horizon.

Josie’s Lonely Hearts Club

Josie’s Lonely Hearts Club is a semi-scripted audio drama set in the studio of New Mexico’s 3rd-best romantic advice call-in show.

On-air, listeners eavesdrop as Josie squares off against top improvisers and is only occasionally helped by her puckish engineer Frank. Off-air, witness her journey from melancholy Joanne Holtzinger to nationally syndicated sensation Josie Heller. What results is an often hilarious and surprisingly human show exploring the risks we idiots take every time we fall in or out of love.

Josie’s Lonely Hearts Club was created by Maximilian Clark (Superhuman Public Radio)  and Rachel Music. Our story editor is Aliza Brugger. This podcast is brought to you by the Good Story Guild (https://goodstoryguild.co/) . Keep track of us at goodstoryguild.co and stay cozy, cuties.

Kane and Feels: The Horror Noir Podcast

In a city that never sleeps, the veil between waking and dreaming can fray at the edges. Enter Lucifer Kane an academic who’s knowledge of the other side is unparalleled, and Brutus Feels, an empathic ex cop with fists of iron. . If you’ve strayed where you shouldn’t, heard what you oughtn’t or looked where you mustn’t, you may require the services of Kane and Feels.

Note from Wil: You can read my review of Kane and Feels here.

Landslide

In the mid-1970s, the Republican Party looked on the verge of self-destruction. Until 1976. A political earthquake: A cutthroat, razor-close, deeply personal battle for the Republican nomination, and the party’s identity. It resurrected the GOP, remade it as a conservative party, and pulled the country sharply to the right. Landslide is the story of the closest presidential primary race in American history, what followed, and how it reshaped the political parties — opening the partisan rifts that divide us today. Hosted by award-winning public radio journalist Ben Bradford.

Note from Wil: You can read my review of Landslide here.

Leaving Corvat

They call me Sleeper. I worked the same brain dead job, at the same fast food place, all of my life. And I’ve always lived in the same town. No one that lives in Corvat, ever leaves. Until today. Today I leave. An audio drama podcast, by the creator of THE DECA TAPES.

Less Is Morgue

Less is Morgue is an award-winning comedy fiction podcast about Riley, a paranoid ghoul, and Evelyn, a cheerful ghost who died at a Nickelback concert in 2004. Together, they host a basement talk show where paranormal chaos is par for the course.

Set in an alternate Tallahassee, Florida, where monsters are mundane and the supernatural is typical, you can expect a whirlwind of absurdist horror-comedy, more eccentric characters than you can possibly imagine, and a strangely touching story about friendship, found family, and personal growth.

Let’s Make A Horror

From the team that brought you the Webby award-winning Let’s Make A Sci-Fi, a New Yorker Best Podcast of 2022, and the hilariously heartfelt Let’s Make A Rom-Com, comes season three: Let’s Make A Horror. This time, comedians Mark Chavez, Maddy Kelly, and Ryan Beil will make you laugh while they try to make you scream. Over 10 episodes, Mark, Maddy, and Ryan will learn what it takes to make truly frightening horror, interviewing Hollywood writers, directors, and enthusiasts; probing their deepest fears; and eventually taking a stab at writing and directing their own shocking short film.

💖Limetown

Ten years ago, over three hundred men, women and children disappeared from a small town in Tennessee, never to be heard from again. In this podcast, American Public Radio reporter Lia Haddock asks the question once more, “What happened to the people of Limetown?”

Limetown is produced by Two-Up, the producers of 36 Questions, The Wilderness and Shipworm.

Note from Wil: The 💖 here is exclusively for the podcast’s first season. You can read my episode-by-episode analysis of the first season here.

Lost Terminal

How do you learn to be human if there’s no-one around to teach you?

A hopepunk podcast following the journey of a little satellite trying to understand what has happened after Earth stops returning his calls.

Lowlines

Lowlines is a sonic scrapbook and a passport to roam. Following one woman’s pull to tune into the pulse of place – befriending strangers along the way.

Feeling pranged out by the London business hustle, food entrepreneur Petra Barran brought an audio recorder and set off with no itinerary, guided simply by a hunger to get lower and closer to the ground.

The series is a holiday for the ears, taking us to the heartbeat of New Orleans, the low-slung wetlands of South Louisiana, the slow gyrations of the Amtrak to Tucson. Down to the brittle rasp of the Sonoran desert, the rich, volcanic soil of Mexico City’s Aztec allotments and further, to the soaring jungle chorus of the Peruvian Amazon.

Main Accounts: The Story of MySpace

MySpace was the first major social media company. And it was the first major social media company to collapse. But what happened on MySpace would have broad implications for all the platforms to follow. What was this internet sensation in aughts? Log on with Joanne McNeil and revisit MySpace through the people who lived it.

💖Maintenance Phase

Debunking the junk science behind health fads, wellness scams and nonsensical nutrition advice.

Note from Wil: Part of the YWA Extended Universe

Make Your Damn Bed

@MYDBpodcast is a bite sized, real talk, daily motivation podcast to play while you make your bed every morning. Build momentum – better your life.

Each season is 66 days long to encourage long term healthy habit integration into your daily life.

Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

All content, including text, graphics, images and information, is for general information purposes only. This content is presented on an “as-is” basis.

Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed.

Marsfall

Jacki and her crew left Earth and its problems behind for a chance at giving humanity a fresh start on Mars. But mysterious aliens, malicious AI, and the expected difficulties of colonizing this inhospitable planet leave them all questioning if they’ve made the right choice to abandon their home.

Marsfall takes place in 2047 and follows the first colonists to settle on Mars as they face problem after problem. This high-intensity show features scenarios such as harsh storms, shadowy alien attacks, and forced assimilation by an artificial intelligence. It’s full of adult themes including violent disasters, death and betrayal, and philosophical questions. This show is not recommended for younger audiences.

Note from Wil: You can read my review of Marsfall here and my interview with the creators here.

Material Girls

A scholarly podcast about pop culture hosted by Hannah McGregor and Marcelle Kosman, produced by Witch, Please Productions.

💖Meteor City

Meteor City is an alternate history sci-fi audio drama. In 2008, a freak meteor shower hit Detroit, killing hundreds and displacing thousands. Bianca Diaz, a vlogger returns to Detroit, nearly a decade after fleeing with her mother, after the death of her brother and father. Wanting a change of pace, Bianca decided to come back home for the 10 year anniversary, to tell the stories of the dead, the missing, and the remaining citizens of Meteor City.

Shortly after returning, Bianca realizes that Meteor City, New Detroit, and the people left behind are not what they appear to be. One frustrating question after another leads Bianca to the truth.

Note from Wil: You can read my interview with Madelyn Dorta, creator of Meteor City, here.

Midnight Burger

When Gloria took a waitressing job at a diner outside of Phoenix, she didn’t realize she was now an employee of Midnight Burger, a time-traveling, dimension-spanning diner. Every day Midnight Burger appears somewhere new in the cosmos along with it’s staff: a galactic drifter, a rogue theoretical physicist, a sentient old-timey radio, and some guy named Caspar. No one knows who built Midnight Burger or how it works, but when it appears there’s always someone around who could really use a cup of coffee. “When the waves of the universe crash unrelentingly, when the stars seem indifferent to your plight, suddenly there is a diner.” We open at 6.

Movement Memos

An ongoing call to action for movement work and mutual aid efforts around the country. Kelly Hayes connects with activists, journalists and others on the front lines to break down what’s happening in various struggles and what listeners can do to help.

My Brother, My Brother And Me

Free advice from three of the world’s most qualified, most related experts: Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy. For one-half to three-quarters of an hour every Monday, we tell people how to live their lives, because we’re obviously doing such a great job of it so far.

Never Post

A podcast about and for the internet, hosted by Mike Rugnetta

🏠Nevermorphed

Wil, a 31-year-old nonbinary war-hating weirdo who loves unsettling media, reads all 54 Animorphs books for the first time. You are welcome for podcast art that isn’t them slowly turning into a creature. Join them in this New Year’s resolution along with a cadre of Animorph-loving podcaster guests. Nevermorphed is a Hug House production.

No Bad Ideas

The No Bad Ideas Podcast is the creation of Gabriel Urbina, Sarah Shachat, and Zach Valenti, three writer and artist-types who, in order to stay fresh creatively, have an excuse to hang out with each other once a week, and check in on what they’re working on, take a terrible idea they found on the Internet each week and turn it into a compelling narrative. Or as close as they can get in 30 minutes.

If you’re someone trying to be creative yourself or even if you just appreciate a good story, you’ll enjoy listening to Zach, Sarah, and Gabriel figure out how to make sense of the best (or worst?) absurdities the internet has to offer. We guarantee there have definitely been worse ideas.

Note from Wil: I’ve been on to have a good time and talk about VALENCE!

Normal Gossip

Normal Gossip delivers juicy, strange, funny, and utterly banal gossip about people you’ll never know and never meet. Host Kelsey McKinney discusses reader-submitted comedic gossip with guests, diving into the lives and decisions of complete strangers. The second-hand truth really is stranger than fiction. Produced by Alex Sujong Laughlin. Show art by Tara Jacoby.

https://linktr.ee/normalgossip

💖Null/Void

Null /Void is a science fiction audio drama about a young woman, Piper Lee, whose life is saved by a mysterious voice named Adelaide. Piper soon uncovers a malicious plot by a monopoly of a tech company and must work with her friends and an unusual ally to help foil their deadly plot.

OBITCHUARY

Each week hosts Spencer Henry (Cult Liter Podcast) and Madison Reyes sit back and read outlandish, hilarious, and sometimes scathing obituaries. Every Thursday they come to the table with bizarre history, strange funeral traditions, and so much more! Each episode ends with a ‘dumb criminals’ segment in which they each talk about hilarious run-ins with the law.

Oh No, Ross and Carrie

Welcome to Oh No, Ross and Carrie, the show where we don’t just report on fringe science, spirituality, and claims of the paranormal, but take part ourselves. Follow us as we join religions, undergo alternative treatments, seek out the paranormal, and always find the humor in life’s biggest mysteries. We show up – so you don’t have to.

On Our Watch

When correctional officer Valentino Rodriguez first stepped behind prison walls, he wasn’t just starting a job, he was joining a family. What he didn’t know was that he was now bound by an unwritten code that would ultimately test his loyalty to his oath and his fellow officers. Five years later, Valentino’s sudden death would raise questions from the FBI, his family and his mentor in the elite investigative unit where they both worked. This season, join us as we follow in Valentino’s footsteps to uncover the secrets hidden inside the most dangerous prison in California: New Folsom.

If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at onourwatch@kqed.org.

Palimpsest

Palimpsest is a (mostly) single-voiced audio drama about memory, identity, and the things that haunt us. Each ten-episode season is a unique and self-contained story, exploring the spaces between horror, fantasy, and psychological realism. #embracewhathauntsyou

Note from Wil: You can read my review of the first season of Palimpsest here.

Patient 11

SEASON 5: Patient 11 (2024)

Following the death of her brother, young mother Alexis Quinn seeks temporary respite in NHS psychiatric care, never imagining that three days, would turn into more than three year ordeal that would ultimately expose a national scandal.

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Get obsessed with us. Five days a week, Pop Culture Happy Hour serves you recommendations and commentary on the buzziest movies, TV, music, books, videogames and more. Join arts journalists Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Stephen Thompson, and Aisha Harris – plus a rotating cast of guest pop culture aficionados. The Happy Hour team leaves room at the table for exploring a range of reactions and opinions on every bit of the pop universe. From lowbrow to highbrow to the stuff in between, they take it all with a shot of cheer.Make your happy hour even happier with Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus! Your subscription supports the podcast and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at https://plus.npr.org/happyhour

🏠Radio Drama Revival

Radio Drama Revival is dedicated to showcasing the diversity and vitality of modern audio fiction.

Re: Dracula

Re: Dracula takes the famous horror tale, breaks it up chronologically (every entry of this epistolary novel has a date), and sends the story directly to your podcatcher as it happens. Every time something happens to the characters, Re: Dracula will publish an episode, in as close to real time as it happens. Some entries will be brief, and others will be long and intense.

Note from Wil: You can hear me talk about how much I loved this podcast on KQED’s Forum.

💖Reasonably Sound

We start with audio, but where we end up is anyone’s guess.

💖Rough Translation

How are the things we’re talking about being talked about somewhere else in the world? Gregory Warner tells stories that follow familiar conversations into unfamiliar territory. At a time when the world seems small but it’s as hard as ever to escape our echo chambers, Rough Translation takes you places.

Scam Goddess

“Scam Goddess is a podcast dedicated to fraud and all those who practice it! Each week host Laci Mosley (aka Scam Goddess) keeps listeners up to date on current rackets, digs deep into the latest scams, and breaks down historic hoodwinks alongside some of your favorite comedians! It’s like true crime only without all the death! True fun crime!”

🏠Scoring Magic

There are so many guides out there for how to make a podcast, and for how to make an audio drama. But there’s a difference between reading an article and hearing the reality behind the process.

Scoring Magic follows creators at Hug House Productions as they create fiction podcasts. They’ll share tips, tricks, and resources, but also what it’s like to work on a massive creative project with friends.

Seasons 1 and 2 follow the creation of the 3-season urban fantasy podcast VALENCE. Season 3 will cover an upcoming solo (or mostly solo) project.

💖Small Victories

A recently recovered drug addict tries to start her new lease on life, too bad life has it out for her. This dramatic comedy follows Marisol through the ups and downs of a year in her life.

Note from Wil: You can read my review of Small Victories here.

💖Song Exploder

Song Exploder is a podcast where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made. Each episode features an artist discussing a song of theirs, breaking down the sounds and ideas that went into the writing and recording. Hosted and produced by Hrishikesh Hirway.

Station Blue

Desperate to find meaning in his life, troubled Matthew Leads takes a job as the caretaker of an Antarctic Research Facility. An atmospheric isolation horror following his struggles with mental illness, a broken heart and the suffocating presence of Station Blue.

Stories from Ylelmore

Stories from Ylelmore is a scripted audio drama about the every day adventures of Keryth (a witch), Rion (a werewolf), and Elas (possibly cursed?) in the mundanely magical world of ylelmore

Switched on Pop

A podcast all about the making and meaning of popular music. Musicologist Nate Sloan & songwriter Charlie Harding pull back the curtain on how pop hits work magic on our ears & our culture. From Vulture and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Note from Wil: You can read my review of Switched On Pop‘s Daft Punk series here.

Terrible, Thanks For Asking

Subscribe within Apple Podcasts for ad-free listening, bonus episodes, and access to our full archive.

For all those perks and more, including a supportive community of Terrible listeners, mail surprises and live sessions with our team, join us on Patreon.com/ttfa!

It’s a question we ask (and get asked) all the time: “How are you?” And normally we just respond with “Fine!” even if we’re totally dying inside, so everyone can go about their day.

But it’s not always all that fine, is it?

“Terrible, Thanks For Asking” is a show by author Nora McInerny that lets real people get real honest about how they’re really doing. It’s sometimes sad, sometimes funny, and almost always both. A production of Feelings & Co.

The 13th Step

An investigation into the widespread culture of sexual misconduct and abuse persistent in the addiction treatment industry.

💖The Allusionist

Adventures in language with Helen Zaltzman. https://TheAllusionist.org

The Amendment

This election year, our democracy hangs in the balance. We need news coverage that cuts past punditry and gives a voice to the new electorate – the marginalized folks that depend on a functioning democracy. Enter: The Amendment, a new podcast about gender, politics and power from The 19th News and Wonder Media Network, hosted by award-winning journalist and 19th editor-at-large Errin Haines.

Each week, Errin sits down with people who have fresh perspectives on the state of our country – and asks questions that center the voices of women, queer folks, and people of color. The Amendment adds much needed asterisks to America’s most pressing political conversations – and gets clear on the unfinished work of our democracy.

The Anti-Trans Hate Machine: A Plot Against Equality

Day by day, the attacks on trans kids grow louder, and more anti-trans bills keep moving through state legislatures. In this season of The Anti-Trans Hate Machine, we illuminate how the right wing has fueled these bills by generating a breathtaking and wide-ranging disinformation campaign. Christian Nationalists are manufacturing pseudoscientific theories and using the entire anti-trans hate machine to pipe them out into the mainstream to create a rationale for these bills. And it’s catching on. We will show you how their anti-trans propaganda is working and ultimately being laundered by some of the most powerful newsrooms in the world.

Note from Wil: Please listen to this:

The Bakersfield Three

When two friends go missing back-to-back, and in between their disappearances, a third friend is murdered, their mothers begin their own investigation. As the connections between the three cases are explored, the mothers navigate devastating twists and turns, including one revelation that shakes the community to its core.

The Bechdel Cast

The Bechdel Cast is a podcast about the portrayal of women in movies hosted by Caitlin Durante and Jamie Loftus.

The Big Loop

The Big Loop is a biweekly anthology series from the co-creator of The Black Tapes. Hosted by Paul Bae (co-creator of The Black Tapes & PNWS), each episode is a self-contained narrative exploring the strange, the wonderful, the terrifying, and the heartbreaking. Stories of finite beings in an infinite universe.

Note from Wil: You can read my review of The Big Loop here.

The BookMarks

An improv comedy podcast about two friends reviewing fake books.

The Cerca Guide to Disney World

Welcome to Cerca! We’re putting the world’s best travel guide on your phone. Download the free Cerca App now.

Welcome to the Happiest Place on Earth. Welcome to Walt Disney World! And what a world it is.  Since its grand opening in 1971, Disney World has become the largest and most visited theme park in the world – by far. But calling this global icon a “theme park” doesn’t even begin to capture the magic, wonder, innovation, and cultural staying power of Disney World. Walt Disney envisioned Disneyland’s bigger sibling as not just an amusement park but a model for the cities of the future. That might not be how we see the park today, but at twice the size of Manhattan, it is certainly a city – or even a country – of its own. One that still has the power to make even the most jaded adult feel like a kid again. In this Cerca Guide, Lauren Passell, proud Disney Adult and founder of Tink Media (named after Tinkerbell, naturally) will take you on a magical tour of all 4 Disney World parks and show you how to have the most magical time possible in the most magical place on earth.

Download the Cerca app – get bonus content, maps, and info on the restaurants, attractions and hotels mentioned in our episodes.  Listen, become inspired and plan all without worrying about taking notes – because the info you need is waiting for you in the Cerca App.

Whether you’re planning your first or your 50th visit, you’re in the right place. This is what we do.

~This Cerca Guide was written and voiced by Lauren Passell

The Daily Zeitgeist

There’s more news and less comprehension today than any historical period that didn’t involve literal witch trials, and trying to stay on top of it all can feel like playing a game of telephone with 30 people, except everyone’s speaking at the same time and like a third of them are openly racist for some reason. From Cracked co-founder Jack O’Brien, THE DAILY ZEITGEIST is stepping into that fray with some of the funniest and smartest comedic and journalistic minds around. Jack and co-host Miles Gray spend up to an hour every weekday sorting through the events and stories driving the headlines, to help you find the signal in the noise, with a few laughs thrown in for free.

The Dream

From Little Everywhere and Pushkin Industries, and hosted by Jane Marie, comes the third season of The Dream. Past seasons of this award-winning investigative podcast looked at pyramid schemes and the world of wellness. This season we’re getting to know the gurus and life coaches who claim they know the secret to living our best lives. Is it all in our mindset? Or our privilege? Or are we all under a spell? Find out this September.

Note from Wil: You can read my review of The Dream here.

The Far Meridian

Peri is an agoraphobic young woman whose home starts to show up in a new location every day, as she searches for her missing brother.

Note from Wil: You can read my interview with Eli Barraza, creator of The Far Meridian, here.

The Film That Blew My Mind

Filmmakers, actors, and creators of all kinds answer one simple question: What is a film that blew your mind?!

No film is off limits as each episode centers around one guest and one film that has had a profound impact on their life, work, and art. Co-hosts John Cooper and Tabitha Jackson, former directors of the Sundance Film Festival, call upon decades at the forefront of independent film to bring their insider knowledge, lived experiences, and signature chemistry to conversations that dive straight into the heart and soul of cinema.

From Molly Shannon on The Wizard of Oz, and Jon Hamm on Cinema Paradiso, to Ryan Coogler on Un Prophete, and Jinks Monsoon on the Hollywood classic All About Eve, each episode explores a film that has shaped one of the most dynamic artists working today.

The Goblet Wire

A surreal MicroFiction Podcast.

“A role playing game hums within a global network of power lines, fiber optic cables and obsolete satellites. Players who gain access to this mysterious phenomenon create a projection and are guided by the Dictator to realms not yet known to the conscious mind.”

The Great Chameleon War

Welcome to the Nesting Zone: a surreal rim of jungle around Mt. Tahoma prowled by transdimensional reptiles. The Amanuensis catalogues his expedition up the volcano slope and records stories of explorers caught in the evolving dreamscape. Paleo-mythic lizard pyromancy. Blood whisper secrets. Carnivorous astronauts. Cursed poem hallucinations. Staying sane is not an option: a fiction podcast by Justin Hellstrom – rated M for mature.

The Heart

Since 2014 this longstanding podcast favourite has been creating hard-hitting cinematic stories about love, bodies and all of the things between humans that we don’t know how to name. Creator Kaitlin Prest works with her friends, idols and all kinds of loved ones to bring you into an expansive sonic universe that is both tender and raw. From Mermaid Palace and Radiotopia.

The Newest Olympian

Has the Percy Jackson series been slept on by society? Join Mike Schubert as he journeys through the Riordanverse for the first time with the help of longtime PJO fans to cover the plot, take stabs at what happens next, and nerd out over the Greek mythology throughout. Whether you’re looking for an excuse to finally read these books, or want to re-read an old favorite with a digital book club, grab your blue chocolate chip cookies and listen along. New episodes release on Mondays wherever you get your podcasts!

The Nightingale of Iran

It was a golden age for Jews in Iran. In the 1950s, a religious Jew – Younes Dardashti – became a national celebrity, singing at the Shah’s palace and on the radio. In the 1960s, his son Farid became a teen idol on TV. They were beloved by Iranian Muslims. But at the height of their fame, they left the country. It has always been a mystery to our host Danielle Dardashti and her sister Galeet – Why did their family leave Iran? Now, in a documentary podcast series, the sisters reveal painful secrets unspoken for generations. The Nightingale of Iran is a story that will resonate with outsiders everywhere.

The Once And Future Nerd

When three high school students from modern-day Pennsylvania find themselves trapped in a world of wizards, elves, and feudal intrigue, they must learn to survive in their new surroundings, and undertake an epic quest to save the world from the encroaching forces of chaos.

WARNING: This Audio Drama contains adult language, graphic descriptions of violence, and explicit discussions of sexuality. This is, of course, in the interest of historical realism. We hope you enjoy our story about wizards and elves.

THE ONCE AND FUTURE NERD updates on the final Sunday of every month. For more, including series news, information about the cast and crew, and bonus content, visit onceandfuturenerd.com, and follow the show on Twitter (@_toafn).

Note from Wil: You can read my reviews of The Once and Future Nerd here and here.

The Orbiting Human Circus

Discover a wondrously surreal world of magic, music, and mystery. This immersive, cinematic audio spectacle follows the adventures of a lonely, stage-struck janitor who is drawn into the larger-than-life universe of the Orbiting Human Circus, a fantastical, wildly popular radio show broadcast from the top of the Eiffel Tower. WNYC Studios presents a special director’s cut of this joyous, moving break from reality. Starring John Cameron Mitchell, Julian Koster, Tim Robbins, Drew Callander, Susannah Flood, and featuring Mandy Patinkin and Charlie Day.

Season one of The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air) is a co-presentation of WNYC Studios and Night Vale Presents.

The Recipe with Kenji and Deb

Hi, we’re Deb Perelman (Smitten Kitchen) and J. Kenji López-Alt (Serious Eats, The Food Lab, The Wok). We’re professional home cooks, which means we can – and will – make the same meal 57 times in a row on the quest for the perfect recipe. Is it crazy? For us, no, because we do this for a living. But for you? Yes, probably. Which is why you should listen to The Recipe with Kenji and Deb. You’ll hear us talk about what goes into writing our recipes — the techniques we test, the ingredients we taste — so that you can be on your way to creating your own perfect recipe. Whether you’re cooking meatloaf, pancakes, or chicken soup in all its forms, we got you, and you’ve got this.

The Recipe with Kenji and Deb is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a network of independent and listener-supported podcasts. Discover audio with vision at https://radiotopia.fm.

The Vanishing Act

The Vanishing Act is globetrotting farce about a German magic enthusiast, an American conman in Paris, an unfortunately-named engineer, a disappearing French magician, and a duck.

The Watch

Every week, The Ringer’s Andy Greenwald and Chris Ryan — longtime friends and pop culture addicts — break down the latest in TV, movies, and music.

This Ends at Prom

This Ends at Prom is a weekly podcast analyzing the staying power of womanhood featured in coming-of-age and teen girl movies from the queer, feminist cisgender and transgender perspectives of wives BJ Colangelo and Harmony Colangelo.

Throughline

The past is never past. Every headline has a history. Join us every week as we go back in time to understand the present. These are stories you can feel and sounds you can see from the moments that shaped our world.Subscribe to Throughline+. You’ll be supporting the history-reframing, perspective-shifting, time-warping stories you can’t get enough of – and you’ll unlock access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at https://plus.npr.org/throughline

Til Death Do Us Blart

The creators of My Brother, My Brother and Me and The Worst Idea of All Time review the film Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 every American Thanksgiving from now until the end of linear time. They may never yield. They will never be freed. This is their curse. This is their podcast.

True Tales of the Illuminati

True Tales of the Illuminati is about conspiracies.

Ah, yes, conspiracies–where the strings of history are carefully pulled from behind the scenes to dance for the powerful like a puppet. In True Tales, the powerful are less puppet-masters and more… finger puppet-masters. At best.

Promoted from the Department of Cover-Ups to Direct Action, Deputy Head Underboss Rebecca and her crew of hapless idiots intrigue, scheme, and stab their way into ruining every Illuminati conspiracy. Supervisors hastily deploy staff to cover mishaps, suddenly and inexplicably lose interest in the projects they proposed, and hand down endlessly diverse and contradictory demands. The result is an absurdist, farcical office comedy where going to work involves collecting thousands of birds and creating an elaborate snake-based series of traps. Why? Well, if you want to know the Illuminati’s Secret Occult Knowledge, you’ll just have to listen.

Illuminati, Ollominoto!

🏠Tuned In, Dialed Up

Join podcast journalists Wil Williams and Gavin twice a month as they come together to discuss shining moments in their pod-fan lives, discuss topics relevant to podcasting, share new shows they’ve found, and make at least two horrible puns per episode.

Note from Wil: LISTEN. WE KNOW. WE MISS IT TOO. I PROMISE. Gav and I no longer work in fields where we can simply get on mic and talk shit. If you want to pay us $100k + benefits annually each to bring it back, we may consider it.

TV, I Say w/ Ashley Ray

TV, I Say w/ Ashley Ray is a podcast dedicated to all things TV, hosted by Ashley Ray, the internet’s leading TV pop culture expert! A writer for Vulture, Variety and Emmy Magazine, each week Ashley keeps listeners up to date on the shows everyone is talking about, digs deep into classic tropes, and breaks down the best moments in television with some of your favorite comedians, actors, TV writers and more! TV, I Say with Ashley Ray is the hangout sitcom of a podcast you’ve been waiting for.

💖Twenty Thousand Hertz

A lovingly crafted podcast that reveals the stories behind the world’s most recognizable and interesting sounds.

Unruly

The Unruly Podcast by Calen Otto hosts experts who have much to share when it comes to nature, budget travel, anti-specisiesm, queerness, alternative living, and more.

Tune in for epic adventures, exceptional storytelling, and practical ways to kickstart your adventures, regardless of income.

Unseen

UNSEEN is the new urban fantasy audio fiction podcast by Long Story Short Productions. The premise behind it is simple: in a world where magic is real but invisible to almost everyone, for the few magical beings that exist every day is a struggle just to be seen

Season one of UNSEEN will feature ten different stories of identity, connection, and personhood (and, of course, magic) in the modern world. Some of them will be thrilling adventures. Others may be sad and melancholic. Some may be creepy and unsettling. Each of them will feature a single performer, guiding the audience through a new, original modern fantasy landscape.

Note from Wil: You can read my interview with the creators of Unseen here.

Untold: The Retreat

Untold is a new podcast from the special investigations team at the Financial Times. On Untold: The Retreat, host Madison Marriage examines the world of the Goenka network, which promotes a type of intensive meditation known as Vipassana. Thousands of people go on Goenka retreats every year. People rave about them. But some go to these meditation retreats, and they suffer. They might feel a deep sense of terror, or a break with reality. And on the other side, they’re not themselves anymore. Untold: The Retreat launches Jan. 24.

Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery

Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery is a new audio drama from HartLife NFP.

Releases every other week during season.

Lillian Harper moves to the small town of Mt. Absalom, Ohio, to care for her estranged mother Dorothy after an injury. Living in the town’s boarding house which has been run by her family for generations, she discovers conspiracies, ghosts, and a new family in the house’s strange assortment of residents.

Note from Wil: You can read my review of Unwell here.

🏠VALENCE

In the city of New Candler, magic is scarce by design. A tech mogul wants to keep it that way. And a magic user wants freedom. Welcome to New Candler, cultural epicenter of the United States. | VALENCE is a serial fiction podcast meant for adult audiences. See our website for transcripts and content warnings for each episode.

Weight For It

Weight For It unpacks the nuanced thoughts of fat folks, and of all folks who think about their weight all the time. Through narrative storytelling, host, Ronald Young Jr. hopes to have the conversations that we tend to avoid when it comes to our bodies.

Welcome to Night Vale

Twice-monthly community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, where every conspiracy theory is true. Turn on your radio and hide. Never listened before? It’s an ongoing radio show. Start with the current episode, and you’ll catch on in no time. Or, go right to Episode 1 if you wanna binge-listen.

What Happens In Between

mercurial process of creating something meaningful, between taking your first steps to develop your idea and mastery. Each episode, the conversation centers on the guest’s process of developing or deepening relationship to creation. Join Athena Sayaka for weekly installments and learn how others are navigating the unsexy parts of creating a platform.

artists, and creators who have a burning desire to impact their world, but don’t necessarily have all the answers yet. Come along with us as we discuss the plans, the missteps, and the feelings of moving blindly forward. In each episode, you’ll find key takeaways, and the understanding/reminder that you are not alone in your struggle.

Each interview focuses on the space between, whether hearing from an emerging creator or an established expert, the conversation is always focused on process.

💖What’s The Frequency?

A psychedelic noir audio drama podcast set in 1940s Los Angeles. Recently radio broadcasts in the city have been reduced to static, leaving a popular radio serial as the only remaining show on the air. Even then the show finds itself continuously interrupted by a mysterious broadcast. A lone distorted voice reaching out for help. Follow Walter “Troubles” Mix and his partner Whitney as they search for a missing writer and navigate through a city quickly falling into madness. Could the mysterious voice be the culprit? Will anyone be able to stop the madness from spreading? And… What’s The Frequency?

What’s the Frequency is created and written by James Oliva.

Produced by Alexander Danner

With music composed by Kurt C. Nelson.

Note from Wil: You can read my reviews of What’s the Frequency? here and here and here. One day, when I have time and a brain, this will be my next relisten series.

Where the Stars Fell

Dr. Edison Tucker is having a very weird life. Not being able to die tends to color things that way. Lucille Kensington is the literary scene’s biggest enigma. That’s just the way she likes it. When the pair find themselves sharing a cabin in the strangest town in America— Jerusalem, OR— they’re prepared for a housemate situation from hell. What they’re not expecting is tidings of a stranger sort: Ed is the antichrist, Lucy her guardian angel, and if they can’t find a way to work together soon, the rapture is set to take first the town, then the world… but neither of them know that yet. Welcome to Jerusalem, OR, where what doesn’t kill you is just another mystery.

Who Replaced Avril Lavigne? Joanne McNally Investigates

Avril Lavigne was a punk pop sensation who topped the charts in the early noughties, and she still performs to sold-out crowds today. But what if the Avril we’ve been following all these years is not the same Avril we fell in love with? What if — as a curious theory claims — Avril was replaced by a look-alike at the height of her fame? In ‘Who Replaced Avril Lavigne” comedian Joanne McNally searches far and wide — from Avril’s hometown to the underbelly of the internet — to find out if the rumours are true. Along the way, she immerses herself in a mind-bending world of fake celebrity deaths, doppelgangers, conspiracy theories, and downright absurdity.

Who Replaced Avril Lavigne? Joanne McNally Investigates is produced by What’s The Story Sounds – for BBC Sounds and CBC.

Windfall

Ever since the castle first appeared in the sky above the city of Windfall, its residents have been building upward. Now the city consists of towers where the wealthiest residents live at the top while the poor eke out a living on the ground. Our podcast follows Cas, Shaima, and Argus, three brothers who live with their Uncle Vern after being orphaned during the grounder rebellion twenty years earlier. They find themselves drifting apart as Argus, the youngest, falls hopelessly in love with the much-older Helina, a foreign merchant haunted by her past; Cas, the middle brother, works in secret for the local crime boss; and Shaima, the oldest, struggles to keep their uncle’s scrap shop from going under. When Cas’s best friend, Kendall, is offered a position with the Wolfpac, Windfall’s military cult that acts as the city’s police, Cas is forced to decide where his loyalties lie. Meanwhile, something sinister looms over the city itself, threatening the lives of all who live in Windfall, from the wealthiest residents to the ground-level poor. Start at Episode 1.00.

Note from Wil: You can read my review of Windfall here.

💖Wolf 359

Life’s not easy for Doug Eiffel, the communications officer for the U.S.S. Hephaestus Research Station, currently on Day 448 of its orbit around red dwarf star Wolf 359. He’s stuck on a scientific survey mission of indeterminate length, 7.8 light years from Earth. His only company on board the station are stern mission chief Minkowski, insane science officer Hilbert, and Hephaestus Station’s sentient, often malfunctioning operating system Hera. He doesn’t have much to do for his job other than monitoring static and intercepting the occasional decades-old radio broadcast from Earth, so he spends most of his time creating extensive audio logs about the ordinary, day-to-day happenings within the station. But the Hephaestus is an odd place, and life in extremely isolated, zero gravity conditions has a way of doing funny things to people’s minds. Even the simplest of tasks can turn into a gargantuan struggle, and the most ordinary-seeming things have a way of turning into anything but that. Wolf 359 is a radio drama in the tradition of Golden Age of Radio shows. Take one part space-faring adventure, add one part character drama, and mix in one part absurdist sitcom, and you get Wolf 359.

Note from Wil: You can read my review of Wolf 359 here. Episode 41, “Memoria,” has been my single favorite podcast episode since it dropped.

💖Wooden Overcoats

Award Winning Sitcom || Rudyard Funn and his equally miserable sister Antigone run their family’s failing funeral parlour, where they get the body in the coffin in the ground on time. But one day they find everyone enjoying themselves at the funerals of a new competitor – the impossibly perfect Eric Chapman! With their dogsbody Georgie, and a mouse called Madeleine, the Funns are taking drastic steps to stay in business…

World Gone Wrong: a fictional chat show about friendship at the end of the world

Malik and Jamie were roommates when the world ended. Now separated by half the country, literal acid rain, werewolves, aliens, and more, they start a chat podcast to stay in touch and work through the increasing uncertainty of their new apocalyptic reality.

Each episode, Malik & Jamie will tackle topics like: should I change my office hours to accommodate vampire students? What if the body snatcher that took over my ex is nice? When did the kudzu start humming like that? Malik & Jamie will try to help!

World Gone Wrong releases every other week on Tuesdays.

Wrong Station

Wrong Station is an award-winning podcast anthology of original horror and weird fiction. Drawing on the tradition of The Twilight Zone and the classic radio serials that inspired it, Wrong Station transports the listener into the darkest corners of appalling new worlds with each episode.

Wrong Station is not suitable for anyone. It may however be enjoyed by viewers of David Cronenberg, by readers of Shirley Jackson, and by listeners of Quiet Please.

Listen to Wrong Station. Let it Change you.

For more about Wrong Station, visit our website at https://www.wrongstation.com. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Bluesky @thewrongstation or on Facebook. For exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening, behind-the-scenes content, and more, you SIMPLY MUST explore our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/thewrongstation.

Wrong Station is an entirely independent production that relies on Patreon subscribers to produce the show and pay performers. Your support, tribute, and burnt offerings are what make Wrong Station possible.

You Didn’t See Nothin

Part investigation and part memoir, “You Didn’t See Nothin” follows Yohance Lacour as he revisits the story that introduced him to the world of investigative journalism, and examines how its ripple effects have shaped his life over the past quarter-century.

In 1997, Lenard Clark was beaten into a coma by a gang of older white teens simply for being Black in a white neighborhood. One of Lenard’s attackers was from a powerful Chicago family. The media quickly turned towards stories of reconciliation and racial healing, with cooperation by Black leaders and the attacker’s family.

Yohance wasn’t having any of it.

At the time of the attack, he was in his early 20s, writing plays, selling weed, and living at his dad’s house on the South Side of Chicago. Unable to stand by silently, he began working with a neighborhood newspaper to investigate the vicious hate crime. Reporting on the incident led him to grow increasingly disillusioned with journalism.

From USG Audio and the Invisible Institute – creators of the 2020 Pulitzer Finalist podcast “Somebody” – “You Didn’t See Nothin” finds Yohance back in Chicago after a 10-year prison sentence, tracking down key players to examine how this story connects to our present moment.

You’re Wrong About

Sarah is a journalist obsessed with the past. Every week she reconsiders a person or event that’s been miscast in the public imagination.

Note from Wil: Part of the YWA Extended Universe

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Have any podcasts you think I should add to the list? Have any questions about the shows listed above? Feel free to give me recommendations or ask questions in the comments below!