11 Fascinating Interview Podcasts

The hosts of Long form podcast have interviewed a vast array of nonfiction writers and journalists for more than 500 episodes so far, and they consistently generate fascinating conversations. Aaron Lammer, Max Lynskey, and Evan Ratliff excel at framing their questions in a way that allows guests to talk about their personal and professional lives and the fascinating ways they manage both. With no jargon or gating, this is a podcast by and for professional writers that’s just as interesting to non-professionals.

This is another example of a podcast that has been around for a while (about five years and over 130 episodes) and continues to improve over time. Produced by the Independent, presenter Tuck Woodstock is an educator, editor and journalist who also works as a consultant to many high-profile companies and publications on gender equality in the workplace. But Gender Reveal is where he really gets to play, and it shows in the joyous nature of the interviews. Woodstock interviews trans people from a variety of backgrounds, passions, and life experiences not just about gender, but about their lives as well as trans and queer culture. The conversations can be heavy and don’t shy away from the devastating effects of anti-transgender legislation and cultural attacks in the United States, but they certainly always touch on the joy of being transgender, peppered with a little humor around the general absurdity of life. Also, a very cool aspect of the podcast is that it gives back: Woodstock uses Gender Reveal to raise money for grants and mutual aid for trans people.

This podcast from the Poetry Foundation and Post Loudness was hosted by poetry royalty Danez Smith and Frannie Choi for its first five seasons, and has established itself from the jump as a place where creativity and connection can lead to expansive, transformative conversations. Now Ajanaé Dawkins and Brittany Rogers have taken the helm as co-hosts, interviewing a poet each week, and the podcast is still as transporting and beautiful as ever. If you need a creative boost or a little inspiration, then this is the podcast for you.

Sometimes unexpected moments change lives, and the ways in which they change lives can be just as unexpected. That’s the theme of this podcast from Lit Hub Radio — writers and artists talk about moments in their lives that marked a moment when they were never the same. Hosted by Jordan Kisner, whose book Thin places was NPR’s Best Book of 2020 and who contributes to Atlantica and New York Timesamong other outlets, she is busy with these moments herself and facilitates in-depth conversations with all sorts of big names like Ocean Vuong, Jhumpa Lahiri and Kiese Laymon.

If you’re looking for the best interview podcast, look no further. From Tin House, this one is as deep and deep as it gets. Host David Nymon, an accomplished writer himself, is such an in-depth interviewer that it’s both inspiring and a little mind-boggling. Between the Covers has almost 250 episodes that regularly run over two hours, but you’re almost guaranteed to be hooked throughout. Naimon never fails to do his research and manages to be very intuitive with his guests, resulting in long conversations with plenty of room for insight and connection. Lately, he’s been releasing a series of episodes where he talks to guests specifically about how Ursula K. Le Guin has influenced their craft.

It’s a classic and for good reason. Death, sex and money by WNYC has been around since 2014 with the tagline that it’s “about the things we think a lot and need to talk about more,” which remains as accurate now as it was when it launched. Host Anna Sale interviews regular listeners and a host of celebrities about topics that can often be difficult for people to deal with. Talking about any of these topics can be a practice of vulnerability, and Sale is excellent at making room for these difficult conversations. The results of these interviews can range from funny to sad to thought-provoking and often profound. And with a shorter runtime, it’s an excellent option if you’re looking for a good listen that isn’t for long.

Let’s get this out of the way: This podcast was at its absolute best when current co-hosts Ira Madison III and Louis Wirtel were joined by the brilliant Aida Osman (a rising star now on Issa Rae’s hit show, Rap Sh!t), but Keep it by Crooked Media, is still an incredibly fun listen. Ira and Lewis are sharp and funny pop culture commentators with a fantastic rapport and engage in fascinating and engaging conversations with a range of up-and-comers and legends in the entertainment industry, from screen and stage actors to singers and writers.

t4t from Independent just aired its 14th and final episode, and while its run was short, it sure was sweet. Hosted by Canadian writer Hazel Jane Plant, author of the Lambda Literary Award-winning novel Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian) and the upcoming novel Any other city (April 2023), this podcast talks to trans writers and musicians about their writing process, creativity, and navigating their industries. Plant’s approach is gentle and encouraging to her guests, and the conversations she facilitates, both with established artists like Tori Peters and Vivek Shraya and new voices, are gems.

It’s no secret that the life of a parent is difficult, filled with unknown variables and constant adaptation, but actress and mother Katie Laws is here to help. From iHeart Radio, Lowes interviews stars like Tia Mowry, Sarah Drew, Gabrielle Union and Jenny Slate, as well as a host of experts in the field such as clinical psychologist Dr. Dobrow DiMarco and fertility expert Dr. Natalie Crawford. Katie’s crib offers something for every parent seeking knowledge, comfort, joy and everything in between.

Jemele Hill is a sports and culture journalist who rose to prominence in her decade-long career at ESPN. Since then, she has been a staff writer at Atlantica and started his own podcast production company, Unbothered Network, which produces this show for Spotify. The three-time Webby Award-winning podcast features big names from across a huge swath of culture like Sheryl Lee Ralph, Dr. Roxanne Gay, Dwayne Wade, and Laurence Fishburne (to name a few recent guests) for engaging and in-depth conversations about their personal lives. politics and culture in general.

This podcast from Earwolf does pretty much exactly what the title says: the people host Chris Gethard talks to are anonymous, and they all have stories. Whether they are all beautiful stories is more subjective, but one thing that Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People illustrates is that there is a lot of humanity out there, and perhaps also that when people are anonymous, they are freed to say a lot. The trick is also that Gethard can’t hang up first and that the call will last an hour. In addition, the topics cover a lot of emotional, political and cultural terrain. Sometimes people admit something to each other. Sometimes they ponder philosophy. Sometimes they reveal family secrets or talk about life-changing events… or a lot about themselves. Gethard is talented at bringing these conversations to life, all with a humorous twist.

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Sarah Neilson is a freelance culture writer and interviewer whose work regularly appears in Seattle Times, themand Shondaland, among other outlets. They are graduates of the intensive craft at Tin House and their memoirs have been published in Catapult and Ligeia.

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