The art of storytelling is having a renaissance. The medium that has most powerfully expressed the narrative tradition is podcasting, making it a boon for book lovers, with more than two million podcasts with 48 million episodes in 2021, according to the latest statistics from Podcast Insights 2021.
Now BookTrib for the first time has revealed our list of Podcasts to Listen to in 2022. We’ve chosen podcasts known for sparkling banter, well-constructed episodes, and a flair for storytelling, no matter the subject matter.
Here are the 10 podcasts:
The Daily Beans
News and Politics –The Daily Beans (MSW Media), hosted by Allison Gill. This woman-led social justice and political news podcast has “just the right amount of snark.” Known as AG to her fans, she stormed the airwaves with her 2019 Webby People’s Voice Award-winning podcast Mueller, She Wrote and now has The Daily Beans and the MSW Book Club, where the hosts dive into some of the best new books. Gill is an insightful voice for rational government and the people it is supposed to serve, and she isn’t afraid to speak truth to power.
Reading Women
Literature – Reading Women is a literary podcast with a truly international perspective. Co-hosts Sachi Argabright, Jaclyn Masters and Sumaiyya Naseem and their team of contributors from around the world share their love of books by and about women, including reviews and interviews. Each month they choose a theme — in 2021 topics included Middle-Grade Magic, Incarceration, Nature Writing, Black Joy and She Writes Crime. With the way female writers are underrepresented in major literary awards, Reading Women gives them the attention they deserve.
The Prof G Pod
Business – The Prof G Pod (Vox Media) hosted by bestselling author and educator Scott Galloway answers questions about who is winning, who is losing, and how you can get ahead. Professors, practitioners and entrepreneurs join the good professor to add their expertise, ideas and opinions to help listeners thrive at work.
Be Antiracist with Ibram X. Kendi
Culture – Be Antiracist with Ibram X. Kendi (iHeartRadio). Imagining what an antiracist society might look like and how we can all play a part, Harvard professor Ibram X. Kendi hosts this podcast inspired by his New York Times bestselling book, How to Be Antiracist. Kendi does more than explore our nation’s problems with race — he explores solutions that can be implemented at a personal and systemic level.
Meet Cute
Scripted Fiction – Meet Cute is reminiscent of the radio plays of the mid-20th century — each episode is a short rom-com presented by writers, directors and actors from around the world telling stories that display the full spectrum of love. It’s hope in your headphones.
Therapy for Black Girls: The Podcast
Health and Fitness – Therapy for Black Girls: The Podcast with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford (iHeartRadio). Making mental health topics accessible and relevant for Black girls and women, Dr. Bradford, a licensed clinical psychologist, breaks down the shame and stigma keeping Black women and girls from getting the mental health care they need. She uses pop culture references to illustrate psychological issues and make them relevant and accessible and helps listeners get the care they need — and deserve.
And That’s Why We Drink
Comedy – And That’s Why We Drink with hosts Christine Schiefer and Em Schulz (Stitcher). This fan-favorite podcast hilariously combines the paranormal, true crime and boxed wine. The podcasting world is full of true crime programs, but only Schiefer and Schulz make the terrifying tales something to laugh at. What more catharsis do we need during the time of Covid? Or, as the hosts say, “The world is a scary place. That is why we drink.”
Disgraceland: A Rock and Roll True Crimes Podcast
Music – Disgraceland: A Rock and Roll True Crimes Podcast by Jake Brennan is about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very, very badly. The half-hour episodes meld music history, true crime and transgressive fiction as they trace the most insane criminal stories surrounding the most interesting and infamous pop stars. It’s eye-popping entertainment inspired by actual events.
Spartan Up
Inspiration – Spartan Up, hosted by Joe De Sena, founder and CEO of the Spartan Race. De Sena has demonstrated his entrepreneurial drive since his pre-teens and now is a living definition of the word entrepreneur. He travels the world chasing down the secrets to success in all aspects of life and interviews successful athletes, authors, entrepreneurs, professors, monks, moms and adventurers who can shed light on what it takes to get to the top and stay there.
Should This Exist
Technology – Should This Exist with Caterina Fake (WaitWhat). How is technology impacting our humanity and how can we use it to its best potential? Fake, a well-known venture capitalist and co-founder of Flickr, invites creators of radical new technologies to discuss the human side of their creations and open their minds to explore the greater good.
Whatever your interest, there’s a podcast that discusses it — including a bounty of shows dedicated to all aspects of writing, books, literature, improvisational theater, radio plays and serial novels. And with so many ways to listen, it’s a medium whose time has come.
