Listen to the radio program where I was interviewed about living in Denmark as a non-native speaker in: Sproglaboratoriet: At miste mælet: i et fremmed land (in Danish).
Below is an ongoing list of podcasts that I listen to regularly, or have listened to at least semi-regularly. The podcasts are divided up by country, but you can also find a description, general idea of the type of podcast, and some episode recommendations. Podcasts with an asterisk are my (current) favorites.
Updates in blue are from June 18, 2019.
Some podcast episodes that I love to get you started:
“The Living Room” from Love + Radio
“Lex” and “Love Hurts” Four-Part Series from Strangers
“How to Become Batman” from Invisibilia
“Cut Loose: Your Breakup Stories” from Death, Sex & Money
“A Letter From Young Asian Americans, To Their Parents, About Black Lives Matter” from Code Switch
“Ten Thousand Years” from 99% Invisible
“Hallelujah” from Revisionist History
“Who Is This Restaurant For?” Four Part Series from Sporkful
“I et forhold med” from Third Ear (in Danish)
“The Broken Places” from Terrible, Thanks For Asking
Podcasts for when you’re in a terrible mood (some overlap from above):
When misery loves company…
-Any episode from Terrible, Thanks for Asking (but especially the episode “The Broken Places”)
-Any episode from For a Bad Time, Call… (but especially the episode “Little Humans in Gas Metal Shells”)
-“The Living Room” by Love + Radio (an all-time favorite)
-“Lex,” “Love Hurts” Four-Part Series, and “Hi” from Strangers
-“Cut Loose: Your Breakup Stories,” “We’re Not Going To Have Karl Again” from Death, Sex & Money
-“Headstone: Breath and Bone” from Human/Ordinary
When misery needs comedy…
-Any episode from 2 Dope Queens (for stand up comedy)
-Any episode from Wait Wait–Don’t Tell Me (for a comedy talk show)
-“The Miracle Morning” from By The Book
-“Flossing” by Science Vs
When misery wants a good story…
-Any episode from Revisionist History
-“On the Ice” from 30 for 30 Podcasts
-“How to Become Batman” from Invisibilia
-Episodes from StoryCorps or The Moth (personal, engaging stories)
-“Strange Fruit” from Radio Diaries
-“Adoptive Couple vs. Baby Girl” from Radiolab Presents: More Perfect
-The S-Town series
-“638: RomCom” from This American Life (especially the last story of the episode)
-“The Run” from This Is Love
USA
*#GoodMuslimBadMuslim (Race, Religion, Women’s Voices, Discussion, Comedy, Current Events)
-Taz and Zahra are two hilarious Muslim American women who are just on point. It’s a monthly podcast, all episodes are quite similar. The segments “awkward ask a Muslim” and “fatwas” are two highlights.
—List to the most recent episodes (and go back if you love it).
—036: Saving What We Love
*2 Dope Queens (Comedy, Race, Women’s Voices, Gender)
-Jessica Williams (from the Daily Show) and Phoebe Robinson host a stand up show and they, along with their guests, are pretty hilarious. They’re also good about making sure there is a diverse group of voices.
—List to the most recent episodes (and go back if you love it).
30 for 30 Podcast (Sports)
-I’ve only listened to this for one episode, but if you’re into sports, you’re sure to like all of them. Even if you’re not, check out the one below
—On the Ice (about the first all-women North Pole expedition)
74 Seconds (Society, Race, Policing)
-The series is about the shooting of Philando Castile in Minnesota
91.5 KRCC’s Wish We Were Here (Stories, Investigative Reporting)
-Stories and investigations that are meant to challenge our preconceptions of the world.
—3: The Beginning of the End of Homelessness?
*99% Invisible (Stories)
-Stories technically based around architecture (very loosely defined) and look at aspects of society less seen.
—114-Ten Thousand Years (How to deal with nuclear waste and communicate to those who will deal with it in 10,000 years)
—243-Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle (History of the taser)
—246-Usonia (Frank Lloyd Wright and the Usonia houses he built)
—249-Church (Sanctuary, Part 1) (Beginning of sanctuary church movement)
—253-Manzanar (History of Japanese concentration camp in US)
—271-The Great Dismal Swamp (community that developed of escaped slaves)
—274-The Age of the Algorithm (how computer algorithms affect us on a daily basis)
—278-The Athletic Brassiere
—280-Half Measures
—303-The Hair Chart
1050 Bascom (Political Science, Academia)
-Interviews with professors and other researchers of political science, hosted at UW-Madison poli sci department
—Prof. Erica Simmons On Mobilization And Protest in Latin America
*Another Round (Race, Women’s Voices, Discussion, Comedy, Current Events)
-A buzzfeed podcast with two Black American women, Heben and Tracy, who offer interesting and funny points about current events and being Black women in the US. They do drink during the podcast, making it extra amusing.
—25: Stop Telling Women to Smile (with Tatyana Fazlizadeh)
—76: Vinegar & Honey (with Susan Rice)
—77: 2017 Can’t Tell Us Shit
—86: Spicy Double Down (with Lizzo) (great interview with MN artist)
—89: Sister Girl Bonds (with Dr. Kimberle Crenshaw) (hilarious beginning with why bats are adorable, then interview with the women who coined the term intersectionality)
—92: Sliding in on a Shrimp Sandwich (with Marcus Samuelsson)
Atlanta Monster (True Crime, Investigative Reporting)
-A podcast series about The Atlanta Child Murders, and whether the man convicted for them was actually the person who committed the crimes.
—Start at the beginning
Backpacker Radio (Hiking, outdoors culture)
-Conversations with outdoorsy people about outdoorsy places.
The Born Yesterday Podcast (History)
-Podcast of less commonly taught history lessons.
—17-The Secret History of Monopoly
*By The Book (Comedy, Cult-Followed Books, Women’s Voices)
-Two hilarious women, Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer, try out a self-help book for two weeks and they have the best things to say about it, whether it’s the praise or criticism the book deserves.
—The Miracle Morning (for a hilarious episode)
—What To Say When You Talk To Yourself (for a meaningful/thoughtful episode)
Call Your Girlfriend (Women’s Voices, Feminism, Race, Current Events, Discussion)
-Two women, Anne Friedman and Aminatou Sow, who are “long distance besties,” discuss politics, pop culture, feminism and etc. in the US. The episode directly following the 2016 election was especially good and hard to listen to but important.
—68: Rage Phase (Post 2016 election discussion)
—88-Businesswoman Special (Behind the scenes about how the podcast was created and produced)
—101: She’s Running (Women running for office)
Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio (Food, Cooking)
-A cooking podcast hosted by a world-renowned chef, with an interesting mix of recipes, interviews, listener questions, and other topics related broadly to food and cooking.
—203: The Secret History of White Meat: Why American Loves Breasts Not Legs
—The Peanut Butter Wars: A Homemaker Changes How Food is Regulated in America
*Code Switch (Race, Current Events, Politics, Discussion, Interviews)
-Should be required listening for all! A super quick panel discusses race in the US and it’s a great combination of interviews, stories and other discussion. Fantastic NPR production.
—46 Stops: The Driving Life and Death of Philando Castile
—A Letter From Young Asian Americans, To Their Parents, About Black Lives Matter
—The Code Switch Guide to Handling Casual Racism
—Hold Up! Time for An Explanatory Comma
—A Chitlins Christmas: Bah Humbug!
—Obama’s Legacy Series
—Sanctuary Churches: Who Controls The Story?
—Master of None’s Alan Yang Unpacks Season 2
—The U.S. Census and Our Sense of the US
—An Advertising Revolution: “Black People Are Not Dark-Skinned White People”
—It’s Bigger Than The Ban
Conspiracy Theories (Stories, Conspiracy Theories)
-This podcast is pretty self-explanatory and explores different conspiracy theories surrounding a particular event/place.
—Princess Diana (Part 1)
—Area 51 (Part 1)
Criminal (Stories, History)
-Interesting stories about “criminals” or however that was defined at the time, and does in-depth, less known stories.
—15: He’s Neutral (The unlikely story of a Buddha statue)
—53: Melinda and Judy (Adoption mystery)
—59: In Plain Sight (Story of William and Ellen Craft)
—70: The Procedure (Group who worked together to help women have abortions, including churches, doctors, etc.)
—73: Carry A. Nation (Woman with a hatchet on a mission to destroy bars)
The Daily (Current Events, In-Depth Stories)
-Host Michael Barbaro picks one topic relevant to recent news to investigate further and discuss. This is followed by a short run-down of most pressing news of the day.
—Listen to the most recent episode.
—When Facebook Rumors Incite Real Violence (is particularly good)
*Death, Sex & Money (Relationships, Stories, Interviews)
-The premise of the show is to talk more about the things that we think about a lot but don’t talk about much. There seems to be a much larger emphasis on death and sex than money and they are incredibly engaging and touching stories.
—We’re Not Going To Have Karl Again (Family who lost young child)
—I Had Babies To Pay For My Baby
—Cut Loose: Your Breakup Stories
—A Prison Guard in Transition (Prison guard who transitioned to being a woman while working at a state prison)
—Our Student Loan Secrets Part 1 and 2, plus the question segments
—Finding Love, And A Kidney, On Tinder
-*The Opportunity Costs Series (about wealth, inequality, and peoples’ personal experiences navigating it all)
Decoder Ring (Culture, History)
-In-depth stories about cultural phenomena that are largely left unexplored or understood.
—The Laff Box
Displaced (Forced Migration/Refugees)
-Hosted by Vox Media and two humanitarians from the International Rescue Committee (IRC), this podcast talks about any and all things related to forced migration.
—Refugee Resettlement: A Conversation with Congresswoman Ilhan Omar
The Dropout (Investigative Reporting)
-The story of Elizabeth Holmes (the woman behind Theranos)
—Start at the beginning
Embedded (Investigative Reporting)
-In-depth stories based on investigative reporting that are interesting and informative.
—The School
—Police Videos Serie
FiveThirtyEight Politics (Politics, Statistics, Polling, Discussion)
-Nerdy political discussion with lots of numbers/stats (and not!) about American politics. There’s rarely consensus in the discussion (thanks Nate Silver) so it’s an interesting discussion. They also have segments like “good use or bad use of polling” and it’s an interesting viewpoint of how professional statisticians see the use of real world polls, what not. Listen to most recent episodes.
—Sparks: Why Health Care Costs So Much: 4/8/17
—Does Hillary Clinton’s Book Get 2016 Right?
—The Gerrymandering Series
Freakonomics Radio (Economics, Social Science, Interviews)
-Stephen J. Dubner really makes social science research and findings accessible to the public and he discusses a lot of obscure and interesting topics (like the books!). If you’re a fan, also check out Tell Me Something I Don’t Know.
—Earth 2.0: Is Income Inequality Inevitable?
—Are the Rich Really Less Generous Than the Poor?
—How Big is My Penis? (And Other Things We Ask Google)
—No Hollywood Ending for the Visual-Effects Industry
*For a Bad Time, Call… (Everyday Rage, Sadness, Sexism)
-An open voice mailbox dedicated to women’s anger. Women (loosely defined) can call in and cry, scream, yell, whatever about everyday life issues they face. All episodes are fantastic and short (about three to seven minutes in total). If you want to contribute, the number is 669-BAD-TIME.
—Episode 7, Little Humans in Gas Metal Shells
Guys We F****d (Sex(uality), Rape (Culture), Feminism, Comedy)
-A great reminder of the sexual and gender diversity (as well as experiences) that exists around the world and that we don’t hear too often about. The two hosts Krystyna and Corinne are absolutely hilarious, insightful and provocative and interview a wide range of people.
—DO PEOPLE ASK IF YOU’RE CONFUSED? (with Sam Escobar)
—WHAT CAN WHITE WOMEN BE DOING BETTER?
—HAVE YOU EVER HEARD ME & STEPHEN HAVE SEX?
GRE Vocabulary Podcast by VictorPrep (Vocabulary)
-If you ever find yourself needing to take the GRE or up your vocabulary game, I can highly recommend this
Happier with Gretchen Rubin (Happiness, Personal Growth)
-A show with lots of good bits and pieces of advice about how to be happier and more productive
Healing Justice Podcast (Social Justice)
-Podcast that focuses on the intersection of healing and social justice. It’s a calm, meditative space for people who want to step back and be thoughtful.
—10: New Year Practice: Cast a Spell with adrienne marie brown
The Heart (Love, Sex, Relationships)
-The show deals with topics related to love, relationships, power, and etc.
—Mrs. Claus
How to Survive the End of the World (Intersectional Feminism, Women’s Voices, Community Based Organizing and Social Justice)
-The two sisters Autumn Brown and adrienne maree brown, who both wear a million hats as activists, writers, and more, offer an interesting and thoughtful perspective on life’s problems. They’re highly influenced by other women like Octavia Butler and Ursula Le Guin.
—Star Wars: A Spoiler Extravaganza
Immigration Nation (Immigration, Minnesota, US Politics)
-A podcast series hosted by immigration lawyer Kara Lynum and it discusses migration, especially forced migration to the United States.
—All are great!
In The Dark (Investigative Reporting)
-Investigative reporting about the Jacob Wetterling case in Minnesota. The podcast started before a major turn in the case when his killer was convicted in 2016 and he explained the location of Jacob’s body. This background story started before that and provides an interesting and detailed story of what happened and how the investigation was (ineptly, frankly) conducted.
—Start at the beginning
The Indicator (Economics)
-A short (approx five-minute) podcast about interesting economic topics, a spinoff of planet money.
—Could the Republican Tax Bill Help Democrats Later?
—The Beiges (a great, short podcast that inadvertently shows why we need qualitative and quantitative research!)
Invisibilia (Stories, Science)
-Incredibly engaging and interesting stories about the invisible forces in our lives.
—Fearless
—How to Become Batman*
—Flip the Script
—Emotions (Part 1 and 2)
—Reality
—The Culture Inside
—The Other Real World
Keepin’ it 1600 (see Pod Save America and Pod Save the World)
-Podcast hosted by men in the former Obama administration pre-2016 election. They’ve since created their own media company (Crooked Media) and host a number of podcasts (Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, Lovett or Leave It, With Friends Like These, Pod Save the People).
Late Night Whenever (Comedy, Race, Women’s Voices)
-Michelle Buteau has been dubbed the third Dope Queen, alongside Phoebe Robinson and Jessica Williams, and her shows are evidence for why.
—#1: What’s Even the Point of a Buffet?
Love + Radio (Relationships, Sex, Stories)
-Personal stories about love and sex.
—Secrets
—The Living Room*
Maeve in America: Immigration IRL (Comedy, Immigration, Stories)
-Maeve Higgins is this amazing Irish comedian who hosts the show and talks about all things immigration (being an immigrant abroad, growing up with immigrant parents, etc). The show is often light-hearted and funny but also touches on serious topics.
—Children of Immigrants: Listen to Your Parents
—A Surgeon, a Comedian, and an Astrophysicist Walk Into a Podcast
The Moth (Storytelling)
-Stories selected from The Moth, a forum that has continued since 1997, where people tell true stories about their lives without notes.
—The Freedom Riders and Me: Barbara Collins Bowie
—Nate Charles & Adam Gopnik
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark (True Crime)
-A popular true crime podcast with two funny hosts. I’m really into the minisodes (mini-episodes, duh). They read stories sent in by listeners and they’re great.
The Mythology Podcast (History, Folklore)
-The purpose of the podcast is to share stories from throughout human history
—027: Haitian Vodou
—029: Legends of Lycanthropy
Nancy (LGBT)
-Show that started in 2017 as one of the first LGBT podcasts. The first episode touches on an Asian American woman (host) who had a difficult time coming out to her mother.
—#1: Hello, hello
NPR Politics Podcast (Politics, Discussion)
-The panel discusses most recent political events.
—Listen to the most recent episode
On The Media (Journalism, Current Events, Discussion, Interviews)
-Two journalists talk discuss current events, and especially how media plays a role in them.
—Race to the Bottom
—Seeing Is Believing (Trump’s Muslim Ban, EPA/Environment)
—Mind the Gap
Order 9066 (War; Interment)
-History about and stories from the Japanese internment camps during WWII. I was originally skeptical about how sad and dry it might be, but they are absolutely incredible and engaging. Start at the first episode. The “Songs of Incarceration” are especially good.
*Planet Money (Economics)
-Podcast about economics, and looks at a combination of mainstream questions and obscure/random/interesting stories.
—#577: The Kansas Experiment
—#752: Eagles vs. Chickens
—#756: The Bees Go To California
—#766: Georgetown, Louisiana, Part One (about how Georgetown University sold Black slaves to keep the university afloat and what to do about the descendants of these people; Part Two also good)
—#769: Speed Dating For Economists
—#779: Shrimp Fight Club
—#792: The Random Problem
—#829: Rigging the Economy
Pod Save America (Politics, Current Events, Discussion, Interviews)
-Former Keepin’ it 1600 members (former Obama staff members) discuss current events in the US.
—“When you open the canister, snakes pop out.” (Interesting Q&A)
—“The odorless gas of misogyny” (Interesting discussion about what Democratic Party should work on for 2018 election)
Pod Save the World (Politics, Current Events, Interviews)
-Interviews with people intimate with current events abroad.
—North Korean Nukes with Mark Lippert
—The worst humanitarian crisis since WWII
—Crisis in Venezuela
—*Pod Save the World Live! (with Ben Rhodes, Ambassador Samantha Power, and Greg Barker)
*Politically Re-Active with W. Kamau Bell & Hari Kondabolu (Comedy, Politics, Race, Discussion, Interviews)
-Two hilarious comedians W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu talk about current events in the US, especially politics and race, and both hilarious and provocative. Their interviews are great and thoughtful, intros are hilarious and on point.
—YouTube’s Akilah Hughes on #BlackWomenAtWork & Feeding The Buzz
—Michael Skolnik on Being a White Woke
—Aasif Mandvi on the Gaslighting Presidency
—Rashad Robinson & Color of Change Cancels Bill O’Reilly
—Street Heat w/ Congresswoman Barbara Lee & Linda Sarsour
The Racist Sandwich Podcast (Food, Race/Racism)
-The podcast that looks at the intersection of food and politics (especially race). Serves to offer perspectives on food and peoples’ experiences with it that are less commonly heard.
—E17: Hari Kondabolu Eats Beef
—E22: Traveling Better with Bani Amor
—E25: Do What You Wanna (w/ Ruby Tandoh)
—E26: Coffee level Over 9000 (w/ Nick Cho)
—Bonus Episode: The Pushback against White Supremacy in Portland
—E37: Minnesota Nice (w/ Amalia Nicholson, Aubry, and Kate Walch)
—E38: Ice Cream vs. Anti-Semitism (w/ Jared Goodman)
—Bonus Episode: Ohio Against the World (with Hanif Abdurraqib)
—E44: Hell in a Bread Basket (w/ Samin Nosrat)
—Kitchen Spanish (w/ Emily Hunsberger)
Radio Diaries (Stories, History)
-First person stories and “hidden chapter of history.”
—18: Strange Fruit-Voices of a Lynching
Radiolab (Science, Stories)
-A podcast about science (loosely defined).
—The Rhino Hunter
—Alpha Gal
—Shots fired: Parts 1 and 2 (about a network of women who lost family members to police violence)
—Henrietta Lacks
—The Gondolier
—The Ceremony (About launch of new currency)
—Father K
*Radiolab Presents: More Perfect (Supreme Court, Politics, History)
-Super interesting podcast about the Supreme Court. Some of the podcasts look at the history of it, others look at specific cases.
—The Imperfect Plaintiffs
—Adoptive Couple vs. Baby Girl
—Enemy of Mankind (history of human rights)
Reply All
-Loosely about the internet, but more specifically stories about our modern life.
—Shipped to Timbuktu
—The Cathedral (Story about a son with cancer and his revelation)
Reveal (Investigative Reporting)
-An investigative reporting podcast that focusing on the themes of accountability, inequality and sustainability, as well as other topics.
—Russia’s new scapegoats
—Voting rights-and wrongs
—The rise of the new German right
*Revisionist History (History, Stories)
-Podcast hosted my Malcolm Gladwell that looks at the way certain things have been presented and how we might question them.
—Hallelujah
—Blame Game
—The Satire Paradox
—McDonald’s Broke My Heart
—The Basement Tapes
S-Town (Investigative Reporting Series)
-By the same people who did Serial, this starts as an investigation of a crime, and turns into a rather personal story of a man in a small town.
—Start at beginning
Science Vs (Science, Environment)
-Hosted by an Australian American woman, this podcast looks at scientific arguments for and against different things we can’t seem to agree on.
—Flossing (really funny episode because of guest appearance)
—Immigration (unpacks arguments for and against immigration and what science says about it)
Serial (Investigative Reporting Series)
-Season one about the murder of Hae Min Lee (Adnan Syed was later convicted for it, but it’s unclear whether it was him). Season two is about Bowe Bergdahl, who was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Both seasons are interesting because they are in depth and go through Sarah Koenig’s thought process during the investigative work.
—Start at beginning
Slate’s Double X Gabfest (Women’s Issues, Politics, Discussion, Current Events)
-The premise of the show is that it’s founded by women but not just for women. Hosted by very interesting and smart women (ex. Invisibilia’s Hanna Rosin, New York Magazine’s Noreen Malone, Slate’s June Thomas and Christina Cauterucci, etc.).
—Listen to most recent episode
*Slate’s Political Gabfest (Politics, Discussion, Current Events)
-Political discussion between Atlas Obscura’s David Plotz, NYT Magazine’s Emily Bazelon and Face the Nation’s John Dickerson. The three are so quick and clever and it’s super interesting. Each episode ends with “cocktail chatter” (things you would talk about at a cocktail party, random cool things).
—Listen to most recent episode
Slow Burn (Investigative Reporting, History, Watergate)
-In-depth podcast series about Watergate
—Start at the beginning of the series
Snap Judgment (Storytelling)
-Interesting stories. Similar to This American Life in the sense that each episode will have stories based on a common theme.
—#731 Mettle
—#506: The Mercenary
*Sooo Many White Guys (Comedy, Race, Women’s Voices, Gender, Interviews)
-One of the hosts of 2 Dope Queens, Phoebe Robinson, hosts this second podcast, produced by Broadcity’s Ilana Glazer! The episodes are similarly funny to 2 Dope Queens during the beginning and ending segments (especially discussions between Ilana Glazer and Phoebe Robinson), but her interviews tend to be more serious. Each season interviews one “white guy,” but otherwise tries to interview a diverse range of people (however the second season ended up having two “white guys” because Tom Hanks offered to be interviewed, so it’s not a hard and fast rule).
—#1 Phoebe and Lizzo Get Lit
—#4 Phoebe and Hari Kondabolu Reach Peak Confidence
—#7 Phoebe and Hasan Minhaj Talk Turkey
—#8 Phoebe and Roxane Gay Toast to the Good Life
—#14 Phoebe and Margaret Cho Hope They Die Alone
—They’re all good…
*The Sporkful (Food, Society, Race, Culture, Family)
-A podcast about the intersection of food and society and the people around it. Dan Pashman, the host, is pretty hilarious, down to earth, and easy to listen to, so they’re fun, short episodes.
—Who Was This Restaurant Made For Series* (about the ways in which restaurants can be inclusive or exclusive, who might feel welcome where or not and why)
—The Great Office Coffee Election
—Is Sandwich Sexism Real?
—Comic Maeve Higgins Is On The Michael Fassbender Diet
—Searching For Rosa Parks’ Pancakes
—Patti LaBell Brings Her Frying Pans On Tour
—How to Be Fat (with Lindy West)
—Your Mom’s Food Series (stories of how food plays a role in our lives, from everything from how parents of adopted children try to balance what food to make to couples deciding how to balance this as well
—Modern Family’s Ty Burrell Cases Hollywood Parties For Free Food
—As Hot Chicken Gets Hotter, Who Benefits?
—The Holy Smoker
—Other People’s Holidays
—Searching For The Donut King
StoryCorps (Stories, Personal Experiences)
-These are short episodes with incredibly powerful stories. The organization’s mission is to record, preserve, and share the stories of all Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs. Interviews are also stored in the Library of Congress.
—528: Allie n Steve
State of the Re:Union (Storytelling, Politics, Community)
-Telling the story of America, one community at a time, in an attempt to bring people closer.
—Bayard Rustin-Who Is This Man? (Answer: major civil rights activist you never heard about because his sexuality was used against him)
—Twin Cities: World Within Two Cities
Still Processing (Culture, Politics, News)
-Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham of the New York Times have really interesting conversations about current events and culture and are super fast/sharp/funny.
—Listen to most recent episode
—We Have a Theory About Oprah
—We Talk Beychella
*Strangers (Stories, interviews)
-Lea Thau does a great job of interviewing people and getting their stories in a way that connects the listeners to other strangers and their stories
—Love Hurts Series
—Lex (Warning: violent episode)
—Eleven Up
—Franky Carrillo: Life (and Life Now)
—Jack Be Nimble (Parts 1 and 2) (Warning: story of abuse)
—A Filipino-Albino-Gay-Straight-Boy-Girl-Poor-Privileged-Immigrant-American Life
*Terrible, Thanks for Asking (Stories, Interviews)
-Host Nora McInery, well, she tells it best: “Bummer alert! A few years ago I miscarried my second baby, lost my Dad to cancer and then my husband, Aaron, died from a brain tumor, all within weeks of each other. These are all really sad stories, but they are not *only* sad stories. They are love stories and life stories and sometimes even funny stories.” She hosts and invites others on to talk about their “bummer” stories.
—Happy(ish) Holidays I and II
—25: The Broken Places
—Live with Dessa, Alyssa Limperis and Geoffery Wilson
*This American Life (Storytelling, Interviews)
-Potentially the most well-known podcast (up there with Serial!). Hosted by Ira Glass, each week, the team picks a theme and finds stories linked to that theme.
—#585: In Defense of Ignorance (Chinese American family story, amazing)
—#607: Didn’t We Solve This One? (Refugees)
—#621: Fear and Loathing in Homer and Rockville (Undocumented immigration debated)
—#625: Essay B
—#632 & 633: Our Town Part One & Two (Immigration into Albertville, Alabama)
—#643: Damned If You Do…
This Is Love (Storytelling, Interviews, Romance and Love)
-A new podcast hosted by the woman who hosts Criminal (Phoebe Judge) about love, relationships, and the sticky stories surrounding them.
—The Run
—Something Large and Wild
The Uncertain Hour (Economics, Welfare System)
-Podcast documentary series that looks at the US welfare system 20 years after reform.
—Start at the beginning
Undisclosed (Crimes, Courts)
-A podcast that looks at some major cases in depth, made up in series.
—The State v. Adnan Syed Series
—The Killing of Freddie Gray Series
The UnMute Podcast (Philosophy, Race, Ethnicity, Teaching)
-Podcast about philosophy with a focus on young contemporary philosophers and focuses quite a bit on issues of race
—017: Tom Digby on Masculinity
—024: Larry Blum on Teaching Race (how to teach race at high school and university level)
—027: Lori Gruen on Prisons
—028: David Livingstone on Dehumanization
Unladylike (Feminism, Sexism, Women’s Voices, History)
-This podcast explores “what happens when women break the rules – those unwritten but all too real bullsh*t expectations of how we should live our lives.”
—1. How to Pay for an Abortion
—2. How to Ride a Bicycle
—10. How to Break the Silence
Up First (News)
-NPR’s (short; approx. 10 minutes) morning news podcast with news highlights for the day
—Listen to most recent episode (released daily Monday-Friday)
V Single (Dating, Single Life)
-Two women talk about single and dating life, and invite on guests to contribute to it. It’s pretty funny and interesting to hear about these different experiences
—#4 – Alexi Wasser
Vox’s the Weeds (Politics, Discussion, Interviews)
-A podcast about current events and politics, discussion between Ezra Klein, Sarah Kliff, and Matthew Yglesias.
—Sara and Ezra Interview Obama About Obamacare
—Weeds in the Wild: Postville (Example of immigration’s effect on local American communities)
Wait Wait.. Don’t Tell Me! (News/recent events, Comedy, Talk Show)
-An NPR news show that keeps you up with the news through humor.
—Listen to most recent episode (especially episodes with Paula Poundstone)
With Friends Like These (Discussion/interviews)
-The premise of the show is to have “awkward” and open discussions about important topics. Podcast under the same umbrella as Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, etc.
—”The Help Is Coming From Inside the House” (Discussion about suicide and depression)
—”Nothing messier than sex” with Kim Cavill
—”Too Tired to be Angry” w/ Rembert Browne
*What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law (Law, Current Events, Politics)
-Law professor Elizabeth Joh co-hosts this podcast with 99% Invisible’s Roman Mars, where she uses examples from Trump’s Presidency to explain Constitutional Law. They’re short, sweet and delicious episodes.
—Start at the beginning and listen to them all (they’re short and amazing). If you have to choose one, go with:
—20-Deadly Force
What’s the Point (Statistics)
-One of FiveThirtyEight’s Podcasts that looks at how data changes our lives.
-Listen to most recent episode
(Plus a really cool series where people visualized their podcasts here.)
The World in Words (Language)
-A podcast about language for us language nerds.
—The rules of bilingual love (specifically looking at Finnish and Swedish correspondence)
Denmark
A Seat At The Table (Race, Society, Denmark)
-A group discussion between black Danish women and their guests
—”Danmark er et pas- og papirland”
DIIS Podcast (Social Science, Current Events, Politics)
-Podcast that analyzes current events or particular topics in depth (almost exclusively in Danish but not entirely).
—NATO-Europas muligheder i en usikker fremtid
—Yemen-den glemte krig
—Kurderne i Irak holder kontroversiel afstemning om selvstændighed
—Political Football: Masculinity, Nationhood and Politics in Sports
—Climate resettlement – lessons from the field
Eksistens (Philosophy)
-Philosophy podcast that looks at different societal questions (in Danish).
—Sort, hvid, rød, gul, brun* (Looks at issues of race and racism in Denmark)
Mads & Monopolet (Advice Show)
-Mads and a panel discuss dilemmas that listeners send in (in Danish).
—Listen to the most recent episode
Man kan aldrig vide (Investigative reporting, interviews and stories)
-Podcast host Morten Narvedsen follows the history of a con artist known as Mads Andersen and trail of the disaster he leaves behind him.
—Start at the beginning
Min Lille Hassan (Discussions, Masculinity)
-Discussion based podcast based around men talking about things they are not generally accustomed to or “supposed” to talk about (especially feelings; in Danish).
—Far
—Martin Østergaard
—Martin Lyngbo
Orientering-Kort og Godt (News, Current Events)
-Approximately 15-minute episodes with the most important news stories out of Denmark.
Orientering Weekend (News, Current Events)
-Weekly podcast with highlights from that weeks news, giving the topics a more in depth analysis. A good combination of Danish and international news (in Danish).
—Listen to the most recent episode
*P1 Dokumentar (Documentary Series)
-Danish documentary series that looks at stories primarily from within Denmark that are often less known (in Danish).
—Kunst i stedet for bandeskyderier
—Livet på tålt ophold (About the experience of those who cannot leave Denmark but were not granted residency, leaving them in a limbo)
—Bag om dokumentarismen (Discussion about new documentary about sex with open and honest discussions)
—Et usikkert liv på arbejdsmarked
—Unge grønlændere ofre for dansk sprogkaos
—I østtysk propagandatjeneste
—Byen der ikke ville forlades (Aleppo)
—De glemte børn
—Operation Bøllebank-kampen om sandheden (New information about the Danish operation in Bosnia in the 1990s)
—Sjælsmark – en mark uden sjæl
Poplaboratoriet (Music)
-Music podcast that recommends new artists and songs both inside and outside of Denmark (and actually seem to have a bit of a Swedish obsession; in Danish).
—Listen to the most recent episode
Rushys Roulette (Politics, Race, Immigration/Integration, Society)
-Rushy Rashid Højbjerg hosts a weekly discussion-based podcast that looks at certain societal issues, particularly related to issues of immigration, discrimination, etc. The panels are diverse in opinion (in Danish).
—Asyl efter dokumentar
—Vi har altid migreret
—Diskrimination af unge med minoritetsbaggrund i nattelivet
—Skuddene i København
—”Hvorfor hader han dig, mor?”
—Det norske valg, kvoteflygtninge og en kinesisk-dansk kærlighedshistorie fra dengang mennesker blev udstillet i Tivoli
Schøtministeriet (Politics, International Affairs, Denmark)
-Michael Schøt is a fantastic Danish comedian who has been making clips for Facebook and finally started a podcast. Weekly episodes discuss current events and interviews dive deeper into particular topics
—Interview: Henrik Dahl
Sproglaboratoriet (Language, Denmark/Scandinavia)
-Podcast about language. The podcast has ended now, but the episodes often looked at topics within Danish language, but some of the most interesting episodes are those that compare nuances in Danish with Swedish and Norwegian (in Danish but occasional other languages as well).
—At miste mælet. I et fremmed land* (includes an interview with me here)
—Nordiske venner og falske venner
—Kebabnorsk, Rinkebysvensk og gadedansk
—’Skamdinavisk’
Stille før optagelse (#metoo Movement, Gender, Sex, Relationships)
-A podcast dedicated to the #metoo moment. The two women (Iben Maria Zeuthen and Iben Thranholm who host the show have rather different views of the movement and how it should/is playing out, offering interesting perspectives and interviews.
—There are too many episodes to keep up with (multiple a week, sometimes even multiple a day), so just find the one that looks the most relevant to you
*Third Ear x Politiken (Stories, Investigative Reporting)
-The podcast tells interesting stories, some of which are told from others, some of which are told by the hosts of the podcast through their investigation of the story (in Danish).
—I Et Forhold Med* (Engaging relationship story)
—Farfars To Liv (Learning about their grandfather’s “two lives” after his death)
—Kvinden Med Den Tunge Kuffert Series (Series that follows the story of a con artist who traveled around Denmark and Norway)
Arabic Language Podcasts
Arabic (by Ismaeil Elrehaima) (Arabic Language, MSA)
-Short podcasts that can be used for individual consumption or classroom learning, includes cultural references in language (in Arabic only, for intermediate and advanced students).
Arabicpod – Learn Arabic (Arabic Language, Culture, MSA)
-Short podcasts for self-taught Arabic that include cultural lessons, translations into English, and lots of repetition (for beginner and intermediate students).
Mumtaz Arabic (Arabic Language, Culture, MSA)
-Short podcasts about Arabic language and culture (for beginners)
Australia
*Common Ground (Australian Politics, Discussion and Debate)
-A short series hosted by a journalist and social scientist, where four Australians discuss the most hotly debated issues (a broken political system?, marriage equality, euthanasia, Australia Day, immigration, and climate change). It’s a really great way to hear a variety of opinions and everyone is very civil, nice, and thoughtful.
—Start at the beginning
Human/Ordinary (Storytelling)
-Non-fiction stories exploring what it means to be human (particularly in Australia).
—Headstone: Breath and Bone (Warning: story of a baby who died and the experience of the parents)
Late Night Live (News, Discussion)
-Podcast that looks at current political issues and news both inside and outside of Australia
—Listen to most recent episode
The Minefield (Philosophy, Discussion)
-Philosophy podcast that looks at societal questions through a philosophical lens)
—Good food? The ethics of what we eat
—Penalty rates: Why should Sunday stay special? (Penalty rates are like overtime rates in the US)
*Not By Accident (Story, LGBT, Motherhood)
-Podcast about an Australian woman who moved to Denmark and her story through dating, realizing she was lesbian, wanting to become a mother and choosing to do it while single. Super interesting and candid story.
—Start from the beginning
Norway
Aftenpodden (Politics, Society, News)
-A Norwegian politics podcast associated with Aftenposten, where three Norwegian journalists/editors discuss the politics and recent events.
—Aftenpodden Feb 8 (large discussion about immigration politics, comparative across Europe)
—Live-kveld fra Sentrum Scene – og hele Pod Save America i Oslo and Aftenpoddsave America fra NHOs årskonferanse (Two podcasts from Pod Save America’s visit to Oslo, different from the show released on the Pod Save America feed)
Bra damer (Interviews, Women’s Voices)
-A Norwegian podcast that interviews various women throughout the country.
—Listen to the most recent episode</span
Lørdagsrådet (Advice Show)
-A Norwegian advice show with a rotating panel.
—Listen to the most recent episode</span
Sweden
P3 Dokumentär (Documentary Series)
-Podcast documentaries about events in and outside of Sweden (in Swedish).
—Tvångssteriliseringarna av transpersoner
—Black metal-morden
—Annika Österberg och polismordet i Lakeport
United Kingdom
The Guardian UK: Politics Weekly (Politics, UK, EU, Discussion)
-Interesting summary and discussion of current events and politics in the United Kingdom (with a particular focus on the recent election and Brexit negotiations and progressions).
—Listen to the most recent podcast
Samantha Ruth Brown 