For those of you logging 365 stories in 365 days or taking part in the 30-Day Short Story Challenge, I’ve made this list of short story podcasts for (almost) every day of the week. (Updated Nov 2024.)
MON | TUE | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN | CHAOTIC | ARCHIVED
Monday
It is an unspoken rule that no short story podcasts shall be published on Mondays. Ever.
Tuesday
Host: Matt Dovey
Genre: Fantasy
Frequency: Weekly
Duration: 20 – 50 mins
If you love fantasy stories from new and experienced writers, check out PodCastle. They’ve been broadcasting stories from diverse authors by diverse narrators for more than 15 years, with no sign of slowing down. Each episode starts with a short introduction about the author and narrator before diving into the story, then finishes up with remarks from the author and thoughts from the host. Listener funded.
Host: Lynne M Thomas and Michael Damian
Genre: Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Frequency: Monthly on the first Tuesday
Length: ~ 60 mins
As a magazine podcast, each episode starts with this week’s news, then moves on to a selection of one piece of fiction, one poem, and an interview. Each reading comes with its own author intro and synopsis (I skip this to avoid spoilers). Some folks might not love all the digging you have to do to get to the story, but the rest of the show is pretty relevant if you are a sci-fi writer.
Wednesday
Host: Professional podcaster Jon Hagadorn
Genre: Various Public Domain
Frequency: Weekly
Duration: 15 – 45 mins
The first of three classic podcasts I listen to regularly. Jon selects stories that are fast-paced plot-wise and short in length. He begins with a teaser about the story (when will people learn that you can’t synopse without spoiling?!) and ends with a little bit about the author. I warn you that once you fall in love with Jon’s voice, you’ll also need to subscribe to his other podcasts (including 1001 Sherlock Holmes Stories & The Best of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and 1001 Ghost Stories & Tales of the Macabre, etc. and they all include novels—I’m sorry in advance).
Thursday
Host: Voice actor BJ Harrison
Genre: Various Public Domain
Frequency: Weekly
Duration: 40 – 60 mins
BJ chooses classic stories from the public domain—from authors like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, PG Wodehouse, and O Henry—and brings them to life with great voices and accents for each character. He has created a real community around his work over the years and usually starts the podcast with a little about what he’s up to before diving into the story. His podcasts are available for download, and he creates audiobooks of his recordings to sell, also. Warning for the die-hard short story fans: he sprinkles in the odd novel amongst the short fiction, but he makes them palatable (or drives you crazy) by breaking them into parts.
Host: Sam Kean
Genre: CNF, History, Science
Frequency: Weekly
Duration: ~20 min
Sam Kean wrote a collection of stories called The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements and then just kept on writing. The stories he writes for the podcast span a wide range of scientific topics across history and often find their way into his collections. Sam has a flair for the dramatic, which makes any topic he presents interesting, even if his enthusiasm can be a bit much for the introverts. The episode begins dramatic trailer for the show, followed by the intro, the episode, and Sam’s promotional speech and credits. Contains ads.
Hosts: Tina Connolly, Mur Lafferty and others
Genre: Sci-Fi
Frequency: Weekly
Duration: 20-60 mins
If you love science fiction and like hearing from up-and-coming writers, Escape Pod is great. (Who knows, you might be inspired to submit your own!) The Pod begins each episode with an introduction of the author and the narrator, a content warning, and then jumps right into the recording (Yay, no synopsis!). Afterward, the host shares a bit from the author about the piece, which is a great follow-up to the reading. The production value is a little more raw than Lightspeed or Uncanny, but that only adds to the sci-fi-ness of it all. Escape Pod releases at least one episode per week and sometimes more, but there is always something out by Sunday.
Host: Producer and radio host Jim Freund
Genre: Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Frequency: Weekly on Thursdays
Duration: 15 – 70 mins
In case you’re tired of the classics, another of my weaknesses is science fiction. Lightspeed magazine releases four of the eight stories it publishes each month, weekly, usually on Thursdays. The episodes start with a short synopsis of the story (I can’t) and a bit about the author, then jumps into the story. The podcast is beautifully produced and cozy for the ears.
Friday
Host: TC Bursey
Genre: Various from Newfoundland and Labrador
Frequency: Weekly on Fridays
Duration: 30 – 40 mins
A free weekly podcast showcasing Newfoundland Storytelling. Narrated, produced and hosted by Newfoundland-based writer TC Bursey, the show features original stories and stories by other writers across Newfoundland and Labrador. TC’s got a rich, resonant voice and a great laugh that pull you immediately into the action of the story. He begins the show with a short introduction and then jumps right in (just how we like it).
Host: Jess Milton (Stuart McLean’s long-time producer)
Genre: Humour
Frequency: Weekly on Fridays
Duration: 45 – 60 mins
When Stuart McLean died in 2017, we lost not only a very dear storyteller but the world of the Vinyl Café. Of course, we have Stuart’s books and recordings, but the thought that I would never see Dave and Morley grow old and Stephanie and Sam grow up broke me a little bit. The CBC has been consoling us every year since with a few replay recordings during the summers, but I’ve been missing my regular dose of wholesome Canadiana. Finally, in 2023, Jess Milton started putting out weekly episodes, each containing two of Stuart’s stories and some of her own behind-the-scenes tidbits. Maybe bring tissues.
Saturday
Host: Radio host and voice actor Don McDonald
Frequency: Randomly whenever he durn well feels like it
Genre: Classic Public Domain
Duration: Usually 10 – 30 mins
Like The Classic Tales Podcast, LitReading tackles the classic works by the mothers and fathers of the short story form. Dan begins each episode with a little synopsis (*side eye*) of the story before he gets down to the reading and ends with a little about the author. His voice has that crisp resonant quality that radio advertisers love, and each episode is edited with precision. I have sensitive ears, so I dial the reading speed down to .9 for optimum enjoyment.
Sunday
Host: New Yorker fiction editor Deborah Treisman
Genre: Literary Contemporary
Frequency: Weekly
Duration: 20 – 60 mins
Modern literary fiction from one of the most coveted short story publishers in the industry, read by the writers themselves. Each episode begins with a tiny introduction from Deborah, then gets right to a recording of one of the authors from the latest issue of The New Yorker reading their own story. At the end, she lets you know where you can find more of the author’s stories, and it’s over—no muss, no fuss. I enjoy hearing an author bring their own work to life, and I love being able to read along when I’m subscribed. A little warning: Due to The New Yorker’s literary leanings, this podcast can be a little heavy.
Genre: WTF, Horror, Thriller, Sci-Fi
Frequency: Weekly
Duration: 15 – 60 mins
Disorienting stories for your reading pleasure. Stories written by staff writers and contributors, read by various narrators. Well produced with subtle background noises to add a bit of extra ambiance. After a short (very short) intro, the story begins, then is followed by a quick rattling off of credits. Ad sponsored.
Chaotic
And in case the daily dose don’t quite fill the void, here are some podcasts that release at various times during the month:
Host: Alan V Hare and various narrators
Genre: Speculative, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Frequency: 3rd and 17th of the month.
Duration: ~25 mins
While most podcasts broadcast fiction by various authors, Makeshift Stories boasts 300 episodes (and counting) of original fiction written and produced by Alan V Hare. That’s right, this guy writes two stories EVERY MONTH, has them narrated, and produces them into podcast episodes. Each episode begins with a single-sentence introduction, then gets right to the story and finishes cleanly with show credits (just the way we like it). Listener supported.
Host: Nate DiMeo
Genre: CNF, historical
Frequency: Twice per month on random days
Duration: ~12 mins
Definitely my favourite CNF podcast. Nate has been writing down stories of important but unnoticed historical events for more than sixteen seasons. His stories are carefully constructed, and his voice is masterfully honed by his years on the job. (And he finally published a book!! The Memory Palace: Stories of the Past on shelves Nov 19, 2024) After a short introduction, Nate jumps right into the story, then follows up the ending with a long pause before the credits, letting the listener take in the story (let this be an example for others!). Listener supported.
Host: Alasdair Stuart
Genre: Horror
Frequency: Weekly on random days
Duration: 25 – 60 mins
Maybe the only horror podcast that’s been in production for almost twenty years, PseudoPod is a great show. They are an audio magazine with a laid-back nerdy vibe that broadcasts contributors’ stories on the podcast and then publishes the story itself in the show notes on its website. Just like Escape Pod, each episode begins with an introduction of the author and the narrator, a content warning, the jumps to the recording. After the story, the host shares his thoughts on the story and thoughts from the author.
Host: New Yorker fiction editor Deborah Treisman
Genre: Literary
Frequency: The 1st of each month
Duration: ~ 60 mins
Each episode of Fiction does double duty by delivering the story and an analysis. After a little introduction from Deborah, a recent contributor to The New Yorker reads one of their favourite stories from the magazine’s archives. Then the two of them collaborate on an analytical deep dive into the story. Extremely satisfying and one of my faves to listen to while working on my latest LEGO build.
Archived
These podcasts are no longer in production, but their archives are still available.
Host: LeVar Burton (of Reading Rainbow and Star Trek)
Genre: Various contemporary (but plenty of speculative)
Frequency: Archived
Duration: 30 – 60 min
Excellent stories, curated from all over the genre spectrum, read by LeVar Burton himself. Each episode begins with a little introduction and a deep breath, then finishes with LeVar’s thoughts on the story or its theme. The pieces he selects are mostly contemporary (with a few older goodies) and sometimes only available in the collections they come from (yay, sneak peeks!). He is careful to choose stories from a variety of authors writing about diverse characters, cultures, and themes, and they almost always land a four-star rating and above for me. I only wish new stories came out every week of the year, but I suppose the man needs a break.
Is your favourite podcast missing from my list? Do you host a short story podcast? Throw it in the comments so we can all check them out!
![[Review] The Last Five Minutes of a Storm](https://theshortstoryeditor.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/the-last-five-minutes-of-a-storm-img.png)
WORDTheatre Weekly brings together the best authors and the best actors for performances of great short stories. A new story is posted weekly! Check it out wherever you get your podcasts!
I’ll give it a listen!
L.