Summer Fiction Podcast Session☀️

Andreea Coscai shares five fiction podcasts perfect for summer listening

🎙️EXTRA: In Violence Week, an outburst of violence at the local high school in East Lansing, Michigan and the discovery of a gun, leads to a community reckoning over school safety, racial equity, and the role of police in schools.

Podcast artwork for Play On Podcasts, Josie’s Lonely Hearts Club, I Seduce The Dragon, World Gone Wrong, and The Truth

Curator:

👉🏽Andreea Coscai (she/her)

Why this theme?

👉🏽Fiction podcasts are criminally underrated. The effort involved — from scripting and world-building to voice acting and sound design — is huge.

Podcasting is such a unique form of storytelling, and the fiction genre deserves much more recognition. Here’s a list of top podcasts to binge this summer, featuring everything from our very own Shakespearean classics to Dungeons & Dragons adventures.

Podcast Picks

Play On Podcasts podcast cover art

Play On Podcasts are epic audio adventures reimagining timeless tales, featuring original music composition and the voices of extraordinarily gifted artists. This is where theater meets podcast, combining the modern-day audio phenomenon with the power of live performance. Directed by Art Manke and designed by Lindsay Jones, Amy Freed’s translation of The Taming of the Shrew pits the two smartest people in the room against each other in a match of wits to tame the society that surrounds them.

Josie’s Lonely Hearts Club podcast cover art

Josie’s Lonely Hearts Club is a semi-scripted audio drama set in the studio of New Mexico’s second-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.

I Seduce The Dragon podcast cover art

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

World Gone Wrong podcast cover art

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 and 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 and Jamie will try to help!

The Truth podcast cover art

The Truth makes movies for your ears. They're short stories that are sometimes dark, sometimes funny, and always intriguing. Every story is different, but they all take you to unexpected places using only sound. Listening with headphones is encouraged!

The Wild West Extravaganza

The Wild West Extravaganza is a weekly podcast covering the history of the Old West. Gunfighters, outlaws, lawmen, Native Americans, and frontiersmen — the real people and events that shaped this icon period of American history.

In the most recent episode, we discuss John Glanton and his ruthless gang of scalp hunters, the very real-life inspiration for Cormac McCarthy's “Blood Meridian.”

Violence Week

Producer and host Emily Reeves takes us to her hometown of East Lansing, Michigan, where an outbreak of violence and the discovery of a gun at the local high school ignited intense fears of school shootings and a fierce debate over policing in schools. In the weeks and months following the murder of George Floyd, East Lansing and other school districts across the country removed police from their hallways. But school shootings, along with a post-pandemic rise in violence, have caused some districts to reconsider.

For some in the community, the decision to remove police put kids in greater danger of gun violence; for others, the calls for them to return put students of color at risk.

Reach thousands of podcast listeners and creators. Learn more about our advertising options.

Community

🎤 This week in Podcast The Newsletter: Lauren Passell writes: “When I found And Away We Go!, I set aside one episode to check it out (obviously the Disneyland episode with Ben Schwartz) and it was so good, I kept going and going until I listened to every single one.”

🎧 Are you one of those people that's more interested in the politics and events leading up to history's wars rather than the wars themselves? Then this is the show for you. Join host, Emily Ross, on Why Wars Happened, as they dive into the fascinating political intrigue behind history's biggest wars.

🎙️Barometer, a contextual AI engine redefining the legacy of contextual targeting and brand suitability, and DCP, a media agency elevating underrepresented voices, have partnered to present the Black Podcast Coalition. The BPC is a collective of influential networks and shows targeting a sizable Black audience. This partnership enables BPC to track and certify podcasts for brand safety and suitability, offering a unique advertising marketplace for brands and agencies seeking to engage with Black audiences on a significant scale.

Podcast news from Podnews

Spotlight

Unsung podcast cover art

Introducing Unsung, a podcast about the sports stars you don’t know, telling the stories you can’t miss.

Join sports writer Alexis James as he goes behind the scenes of professional sport, looking beyond the headlines to introduce and celebrate its hidden stars. Meet athletics starters, snowmakers, F1 mechanics, guide runners, and unheralded athletes as Unsung shines a rare spotlight on the integral men and women in the shadows, interwoven in the fabric of sport. For while its biggest stars and household names enjoy the glory, tucked away amid sport’s small print and voiceless under its fanfare is a band of unsung heroes rarely acknowledged, let alone championed.

More podcast-related newsletters you’ll love

Beyond the PodcastEach wednesday we send you an interview with an industry-leading business person who integrates podcasting into their success story.
Podcast DeliveryThere are lots of great podcasts out there but they’re not always easy to find. Leave it to us – subscribe today and get your first podcast recommendation on Monday.

The Podcast Haven

Signup To Our Newsletter For Weekly Content Tips, Resources and People

thepodcasthaven.beehiiv.com/subscribe?_bhba=22c36cbc-57ac-4822-b249-88b6192094de