From playfulness to deeper feelings, and the spectrum in between

Created by Ann Heppermann and Martin Johnson, Serendipity is the podcast for the Sarah Awards, offering a unique and ethereal space for audio fiction. This very first episode features a wonderfully visceral and emotional piece about memory that blends documentary elements with fiction techniques. A complex work that gets better and better with each listen. –Cristal

Love + Radio is truly a one-of-a-kind show with some of the most challenging and well-crafted audio stories around. They plunge us into the world of morally ambiguous characters but let us make our own assessments. The show’s careful and creative sound design is especially notable. This episode about Jay Thunderbolt an ‘at home strip club manager’ is probably one of the strangest audio portraits I’ve ever listened to and features perhaps one of the most uneasy/stressful moments in podcast history (?). –Cristal

Undone is an important podcast that gives events from the past a second look–events that often address issues of race in America. It’s an understated and elegantly crafted show that uses strong journalism as a foundation for some pretty emotional takeaways. For instance, this episode about Kennewick Man (a prehistoric man whose remains Native American tribes fought to prove belonged to them) takes a scientific debate and turns it into a touching exploration of belonging and cultural identity. –Cristal

BBC’s Short Cuts is consistently one of the most beautifully produced programs around. It showcases short pieces from around the world based on a theme with fantastic host Josie Long guiding us like a best friend. This episode features a rather special piece called Dream Symphony about a man who is plagued by a musical symphony in his head after he suffers the trauma of losing a child. –Cristal

With over 400 episodes out, Comedy Bang Bang has built its own special podcast universe and mythology, with jokes and references often spanning years. Host Scott Aukerman has celebrity guests improvise different characters and with razor sharp wit he challenges the comedic premises they’ve set up for themselves–often too absurd to keep track of. This episode features regulars Jason “Heynong Man” Mantzoukas and the ever delightful Paul F Tompkins. Here he plays Cal Solomon, a founding member of The Sugarhill Gang… who cannot rap. –Cristal

How to Be a Girl is an incredibly beautiful podcast about a mom who is raising a transgender daughter. Here Be Monsters put together this stand-alone episode that features raw recording from How To Be A Girl and the mixing is so immersive. The singing at the end gets me every time. –Mira

This isn’t technically a ‘podcast episode’ but it’s such a powerful piece. I just discovered it as one of 2016’s Third Coast winners and oof…it punched me right in the gut. –Mira

I first heard this story on More Perfect even though it originally appeared on Radiolab. It’s my favourite kind of story in that it’s morally complicated. There’s no clear right or wrong. It’s all about this grey zone and they explore that grey zone masterfully. –Mira

Audio fiction is so hard to do well and Jonathan Mitchell is one of those few people who is consistently putting out remarkable work. This piece is written by Diana McCorry and demonstrates one of the key elements of an ideal audio work: sound is integral to the storytelling itself. –Mira

We worked with Jonathan Goldstein for 10 years on WireTap and we are really loving his new show. In this episode, he tries to help his 80-year-old father reconnect with his estranged brother and it’s so touching. It’s the perfect example of a personal story tapping into big, universal feelings. And the writing just nails it. –Mira

If you want to check out our own show about the messiness of human connection, you can get started with our very first episode, At A Loss For Words.