This Week In Podcasts

What Sara had to say about this episode: "Learn about the legendary Afro-American newspapers and explore 125 years of black press history." Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

What Sara had to say about this episode: "Learn about Mondawmin Mall, the first enclosed mall in the country and one of the first presumably black, inner city malls in the US." Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

What Sara had to say about this episode: "Find out if there was really a shark attack in Lake Michgan." Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

"A listener's nostalgia for catching lightning bugs as a kid lead her to wonder: Are there any left these days? Our experts say they're around, just really, really fickle." Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

What Sara had to say about this episode: "Meet Bill, who was diagnosed with terminal cander." Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

What Sara had to say about this episode: "Get to know Barry Forves, a hunter and trapper." Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

What Sara had to say about this episode: "Marlo Mack's daughter was born as her son. At three years old, he told his mother that something went wrong. Since then, Marlo's son is her daughter. A gentle, personal, honest, wonderful show about their life. Start at the beginning of How to Be a Girl and get to know mother and daughter over time. Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

What Sara had to say about this show: "Meet some of the funniest (black) women in the US! Listen to every episode of 2 Dope Queens, hosted by Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson. Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

What Sara had to say about this show: "If you're done with 2 Dope Queeen and longing for more, switch over to Phoebe's other show." Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

What Sara had to say about this episode: "Everyone who loves podcasts has probably already listened to this. But I want to make sure: In Mystery Show, the charming Starlee Kine solves mysteries – and she takes you into her world. Start with Source Code if you're a Jake Gyllenhall fan." Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

What Sara had to say about this episode: "In Mystery Show, the charming Starlee Kine solves mysteries – and she takes you into her world. Start with Britney if you're a Britney Spears fan." Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

What Sara had to say about this episode: "A missing man and a bunch of tapes that he sent before he vanished. Listen to the whole first season of Archive 81, starting right at the beginning." Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

What Sara had to say about this episode: "With Flash Forward, you get to explore a different future every week. Start with Popnonymous (what happens when all pop stars use avatars). " Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

What Sara had to say about this episode: "With Flash Forward, you get to explore a different future every week. Try Expiration Date (what happens when everybody knows exactly when they are going to die)." Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

What Sara had to say about this episode: "A message from outer space, received 70 years ago. And nobody knows what it says. The problem: The people who listen to it die. Start with Episode One of The Message." Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

What Sara had to say about this episode: "Pick a city you have always dreamt about and enjoy your 15-minutes audio vacation." Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

What Sara had to say about this episode: "Pick a city you have always dreamt about and enjoy your 15-minutes audio vacation." Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

What Sara had to say about this episode: "Pick a city you have always dreamt about and enjoy your 15-minutes audio vacation." Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

What Sara had to say about this episode: No matter where you are going, prepare for your vacation with Travelogue and learn how to survive travel disasters." Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

"This week on Travelogue, our editors deconstruct the African continent for travelers, telling you where to go, when to go, and what to look for when you're there." Subscribe to the Adolescence is a Marketing Tool newsletter.

What James had to say about this episode: "Have you ever watched a show like The Colbert Report or Saturday Night Live with a conservative friend or family member, and during a bit where conservatives are meant to look stupid, your viewing buddy starts laughing? Satire is strange. Malcolm Gladwellwho, I'll say, has a very silky voicehosts a new podcast called Revisionist History, where he reexamines misunderstood phenomena from the past. In this episode, he goes after political satire's biggest problem: It makes us laugh, but it rarely changes anyone's mind." Subscribe to Hodgepod newsletter.

What James had to say about this episode: "Being a Yankees fan was a lot more fun seven years ago, but one thing I still love is when they blast "New York, New York" in Yankee Stadium at the end of each game (if they win, I do the dance). John Kander, who co-wrote "New York, New York," hosted a BBC Soul Music documentary about the song's unexpected rise from a hastily-composed number for a movie soundtrack to a pop standard with global significance." Subscribe to Hodgepod newsletter.

What James had to say about this episode: "I was listening to Kai Wright guest host The Brian Lehrer Show earlier this week, and he was talking to one of his favorite novelists, Viet Than Nguyen, about what immigrants go through to become "American." Nguyen, who is himself a Vietnamese refugee, not only won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Sympathizer; he's also great at giving interviews about more than just writing. For more crucial insights from Nguyen about what's happening in the world, I recommend his interview on the literary podcast Otherppl." Subscribe to Hodgepod newsletter.

What James had to say about this episode: "The poop trend seems to have caught on in Australia, where the ABC's Earshot podcast recently reported on the life cycle of human attitudes towards defecation. For a lot of kids, taking a poop is like leaving a present. So why do adults find it gross? And in the South of France, why is it still a tradition at weddings to put chocolate in a toilet bowl? This episode is informative and anything but crude, although the word "sh*t" is used matter-of-factly about 20 times, so heads up if you plan on listening with children around." Subscribe to Hodgepod newsletter.

What John had to say about this episode: "Perhaps the most ambitious long-form interactive project FiveThirtyEight has completed to date is this one on gun violence. To accompany its roll-out, host Jody Avirgan spends roughly fifteen minutes per day speaking with the authors of six articles on different components of the overall feature: suicide, homicide, domestic violence, mass shootings, gun control and the gun lobby, and accidents. This intro sets the stage for some really enlightening conversations." Subscribe to the Not My First Radio newsletter.

What John had to say about this episode: "Gimlet’s newest show is an Aussie import. Host Wendy Zukerman put out an earlier iteration of this podcast in 2015, but she’s taking on distinctly American subjects in this run—fracking, attachment parenting, and, yeah, firearms. Not only is this a solid companion to the What’s the Point series above, but it does a good job of dealing with the statistics that many commentators recite in the media." Subscribe to the Not My First Radio newsletter.

What John had to say about this episode: "Heavy-duty journalists and heavy-duty wonks, Ezra Klein and Matt Yglesias (typically joined by Sarah Kliff, though not this week) spend an hour talking about the metaphorical weeds of domestic and international policy. I mostly picked this one because I had naively never really given any thought to where think tanks get their money. If you’re anything like me, you may be in for a surprise. Also they talk HRC’s transition team and demographics of Trump supporters." Subscribe to the Not My First Radio newsletter.

What John had to say about this episode: "Radio Diaries is a window into a lot of compelling lives. This is a re-broadcast, but it’s a relevant one: Its subject Claressa Shieldswho records herself and people in her life throughoutjust won gold again in Rio, as she predicts she would in this very episode. She's the first American boxer ever to win in two straight Olympics. What's cool about this is that when she started recording for NPR, she hadn't even gotten through her first Olympic trial (she was 17 at the time)." Subscribe to Hodgepod newsletter.

What John had to say about this episode: "Scott Aukerman and Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation, Party Down) talksometimes earnestly and sometimes with great ironyabout a band they both actually really like. It’s a low-concept podcast that by its fifth episode kind of takes on a life of its own. This first installment sets the stage for all that weirdness, though. Also: You don't have to be a U2 fan to enjoy." Subscribe to the Not My First Radio newsletter.

What Invisibilia's Alix Spiegel had to say about this episode: "Do you know what it means to be "swatted"? In this episode, Reply All explains how pranksters will fool police into sending a SWAT team to a stranger's house. It takes me into a world that I don't know anything about! And I love that." Subscribe to the earbud.fm newsletter.

What Hot Pod's Nicholas Quah had to say about this episode: “I'm going for mundane pleasures here. I'm a big fan of the Longform podcast, and they consistently do good work. This episode with Tavi Gevinson is a delight, partly because she's a prodigy of all kinds, but mostly because it's a really well-done interview." Subscribe to the earbud.fm newsletter.

What WAMU's The Big Listen host Lauren Ober had to say about this episode: "The show's tagline pretty much sums it up ‘Learn, laugh, play ... It's like Blue's Clues only more black, gay lady like!’ OK, so maybe it doesn't. But it piques your interest, right? Nnekay FitzClarke and James Arthur are the hosts of this chat show gem. The two-pals-gabbing format isn't unique, but these voices are ones not often heard in podcasting. In episode 38, the pair talks about ‘straight’ pride, police violence and black Olympians, past and present, among about a million other topics." Subscribe to the earbud.fm newsletter.

What Between Two Earbuds had to say about this episode: "In an episode dedicated to the show's first and last unpaid interns, host Megan Tan reflects on the ethics of free work with 99% Invisible's Roman Mars." Subscribe to the Between Two Earbuds newsletter.Subscribe to the Between Two Earbuds newsletter.

What Between Two Earbuds had to say about this episode: "I love it when my favorite podcasts join forces. In this one, Death, Sex Money's Anna Sale talks candidly with host Hillary Frank about her first few months as a new mom. " Subscribe to the Between Two Earbuds newsletter.

What Between Two Earbuds had to say about this episode: "In the final segment of the Silent Evidence Project, reporter Tennessee Watson brings listeners along as she attempts to seek justice for her childhood sexual abuse." Subscribe to the Between Two Earbuds newsletter.

What Between Two Earbuds had to say about this episode: "Listeners dial in to share stories of their tragic, unexpected, and sometimes funny friendship break-ups." Subscribe to the Between Two Earbuds newsletter.

What Between Two Earbuds had to say about this episode: "My first time tuning in to this one and I had the goofiest smile glued to my face the whole way through." Subscribe to the Between Two Earbuds newsletter.

What Between Two Earbuds had to say about this episode: ""Fashion therapist" Tim Gunn tells Michael Ian Black about his first years teaching, how coming to terms with the pocket square led to a mental breakthrough, and his sole experience with heartbreak." Subscribe to the Between Two Earbuds newsletter.

What Between Two Earbuds had to say about this episode: "Legendary feminist Gloria Steinem tells host Jay Buim about her early days as a journalist, her dread of public speaking, and the things that still inspire her." Subscribe to the Between Two Earbuds newsletter.

What Between Two Earbuds had to say about this episode: "A fantastic upload on the legendary life of Steve Prefontaine, who once held every American track record between 2,000 and 10,000 meters." Subscribe to the Between Two Earbuds newsletter.

What Between Two Earbuds had to say about this episode: "Australian Olympians share their favorite memories of the Games with senior sports journalist Nicole Jeffery, who's been covering the event since 1992." Subscribe to the Between Two Earbuds newsletter.

What Between Two Earbuds had to say about this episode: "Mariya Koroleva remembers her first years competing in synchronized swimming as a young immigrant from Russia. Now, she's headed to the Olympics for the second time as a member of Team U.S.A." Subscribe to the Between Two Earbuds newsletter.

What Between Two Earbuds had to say about this episode: "In one of the most memorable Radiolab uploads I've ever heard, the crew examines the factors that make Kenyan runners in the Kalenjin tribe so extraordinary." Subscribe to the Between Two Earbuds newsletter.

What Between Two Earbuds had to say about this episode: "A fascinating listen about the universal nature of athletes' responses to victory and defeat, according to professor of psychology and former Olympic judo coach David Matsumoto." Subscribe to the Between Two Earbuds newsletter.

What Between Two Earbuds had to say about this episode: "Six incredible Olympic tales from Back Story, Voices on Anti-Semitism, Stuff You Missed in History Class, and other great podcasts." Subscribe to the Between Two Earbuds newsletter.

What Anne had to say about this episode: "If you already worship at the church of Radiolab and This American Life, you probably listen to Invisibilia. If you aren't, what are you waiting for? Producers from both Radiolab and TAL are joined this season by Hanna Rosin of Slate's DoubleX. Their first episode is all about men who cry on oil rigs and stoic Russians McDonald employees learning how to smile, and their second I'm saving for my next run." Subscribe to the Hop on my Pod newsletter.

What Anne had to say about this episode: "Let's learn about journalism, housing discrimination and school segregation with bad ass journalist, Nikole Hannah-Jones. I think it's safe to say that if you've read anything regarding school segregation, you were probably reading something by Nikole Hannah-Jones. Longform interviewed Jones in which they talked about her career and her latest piece for the New York Times Magazine, which is a must read before listening to the interview." Subscribe to the Hop on my Pod newsletter.

What Anne had to say about this episode: "What it feels like to be literally dying of thirst. This was probably the worst podcast to listen to while running since the subject of the podcast is what happens to your body when you die of thirst. Yes it made me thirsty, but it also kept me entertained! Did you know your blood basically becomes sludge when you're dying of thirst? At that point, you could get slashed and no blood would come out because it's too thick to run out of the cut. Disgusting! I loved it." Subscribe to the Hop on my Pod newsletter.

What Anne had to say about this episode: "What it feels like to be literally dying of thirst. This was probably the worst podcast to listen to while running since the subject of the podcast is what happens to your body when you die of thirst. Yes it made me thirsty, but it also kept me entertained! Did you know your blood basically becomes sludge when you're dying of thirst? At that point, you could get slashed and no blood would come out because it's too thick to run out of the cut. Disgusting! I loved it." Subscribe to the Hop on my Pod newsletter.

What Anne had to say about this episode: "If you want to hear about the ballsiest journalistic endeavor ever: Reveal focused their hour on the Mother Jones reporter who went undercover as a prison guard at a private prison. For those of you intimidated by the insane word count (around 35,000 words) of the article, this podcast is a great condensed way to learn about the misery of private prisons." Subscribe to the Hop on my Pod newsletter.