LeVar Burton Reads
Stitcher Podcasts
The best short fiction, handpicked by the best voice in podcasting and presented in 3D immersive audio. In every episode, host LeVar Burton (Roots, Reading Rainbow, Star Trek) invites you to take a break from your daily life, and dive into a great story. LeVar’s narration blends with gorgeous soundscapes to bring stories by Stephen King, Toni Morrison, Nnedi Okorafor, Kurt Vonnegut, Ken Liu and more to life. So, if you’re ready, let’s take a deep breath... Our immersive audio is best with headphones! If you'd prefer to listen without immersive audio, visit levarburtonpodcast.com/mono.
Location:
United States
Networks:
Stitcher Podcasts
Description:
The best short fiction, handpicked by the best voice in podcasting and presented in 3D immersive audio. In every episode, host LeVar Burton (Roots, Reading Rainbow, Star Trek) invites you to take a break from your daily life, and dive into a great story. LeVar’s narration blends with gorgeous soundscapes to bring stories by Stephen King, Toni Morrison, Nnedi Okorafor, Kurt Vonnegut, Ken Liu and more to life. So, if you’re ready, let’s take a deep breath... Our immersive audio is best with headphones! If you'd prefer to listen without immersive audio, visit levarburtonpodcast.com/mono.
Language:
English
Episodes
Immersive Remix: "An Equal Share of the Bone" by Karen Osborne
4/4/2023
Hoping to make their fortune (or at least climb out of debt), a trio of space traders travel on a dangerous hunt for a space whale.
"An Equal Share of the Bone" was originally published at Escape Pod. Find more of Karen Osborne's work at www.karenosborne.com. Content Advisory: Animal death.
Our immersive audio is best with headphones! If you'd prefer to listen without immersive audio, visit levarburtonpodcast.com/mono.
Duration:00:39:47
"D.P." by Kurt Vonnegut
2/28/2023
In a small German village, an orphaned boy lives at a home for "displaced persons," and puzzles over where he belongs.
"D.P.” from the book WELCOME TO THE MONKEY HOUSE by Kurt Vonnegut. Copyright © 1950, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968 by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Used by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
Duration:00:37:51
"The Destination Star" by Gregory Marlow
2/21/2023
As a generation ship hurtles toward a distant star, one of its crew members receives a rare and precious opportunity. For more from Gregory Marlow, visit www.greganimates.com/writing.html.
Content advisory: illness, death
Duration:00:49:34
"Mister Dawn, How Can You Be So Cruel?" by Violet Allen
2/14/2023
An artist works as a dream concierge, creating augmented dream packages for clients. For more from Violet Allen, visit her on Twitter @blipstress.
Content advisory: mind / body control
Duration:00:53:05
"The Golden Hour" by Jeffrey Ford
2/7/2023
A time traveler is stranded in a small town. This story appears in SOMEONE IN TIME: TALES OF TIME-CROSSED ROMANCE, published by Solaris. Find more from Jeffrey Ford at well-builtcity.com.
Content advisory: suicide
Duration:00:57:43
"The Lady of the Yellow-Painted Library" by Tobi Ogundiran
1/31/2023
A hapless salesman flees the librarian hell-bent on retrieving her lost library book. This story appears in Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction, published by Tordotcom in hardcover and e-book, and by Recorded Books in audiobook format. For more from the author, visit tobiogundiran.com.
Content advisory: Explicit language, gore
Duration:00:50:25
"Wok Hei St" by Guan Un
1/24/2023
A story of a stolen wok, magic, and manipulation. This story was originally published in Strange Horizons. You can find more of the author's work at guanun.com.
Duration:00:42:45
Immersive Remix: "The Foster Portfolio" by Kurt Vonnegut
1/17/2023
A financial advisor meets his new client: a hardworking, unassuming man with a curious and potentially life-changing secret.
Duration:00:46:43
Immersive Remix: "Silver Door Diner" by Bishop Garrison
1/10/2023
A waitress is jolted from her morning routine when she's visited by a mysterious child.
Duration:00:49:07
Immersive Remix: "The Simplest Equation" by Nicky Drayden
1/3/2023
A struggling college student gains new perspective on her studies from her classmate, who's come to study from another planet. Find more of the author's work at www.nickydrayden.com.
Duration:00:35:22
Immersive Remix: "The Truth About Owls" by Amal El-Mohtar
12/27/2022
A young girl explores her own power, and finds kinship with a bird of prey.
Duration:00:49:19
Immersive Remix: "The Last Cheng Beng Gift" by Jaymee Goh
12/20/2022
A family matriarch takes up residence in the Underworld.
Duration:00:37:27
Immersive Remix: "The Usual Santas" by Mick Herron
12/13/2022
A group of mall Santas celebrating Christmas Eve discover that there is a stranger in their midst.
"The Usual Santas" appears in Mick Herron's collection DOLPHIN JUNCTION, published by Soho Press (US) and John Murray (UK), 2021.
Duration:00:40:30
"River's Giving" by Heather Shaw, Tim Pratt, and River Shaw
12/6/2022
A mystical phenomenon brightens the dreary days of winter — until one year, when it suddenly stops.
Duration:00:41:01
"The King of Bread" by Luis Alberto Urrea
11/29/2022
A boy discovers his father's hidden kingdom.
This story appears in the anthology Small Odysseys: Selected Shorts Presents 35 New Stories, published by Algonquin Books. Find more from Luis Alberto Urrea at luisurrea.com.
Duration:00:50:22
"Family Cooking" by Ana Maria Curtis
11/22/2022
A tale of complicated family relationships and magical cooking. This story was first published in Uncanny Magazine.
Duration:00:46:54
"Down in the Dim Kingdoms" by Tobias Buckell
11/15/2022
An adventurer carried back spoils from a journey to the center of the earth. Now, his family joins him on a return trip, hoping to ensure their access to his fortune.
This story appears in the anthology LOST WORLDS AND MYTHOLOGICAL KINGDOMS, available now in hardback, e-book and audio.
Tobias Buckell's collection SHOGGOTHS IN TRAFFIC AND OTHER STORIES is available in paperback, e-book and audio.
Content advisory: Violence, death
Duration:00:42:59
"#ClimbingNation" by Kim Fu
11/8/2022
When an Instagram-famous rock climber comes to an untimely death, his friends and admirers gather to memorialize him.
This story appears in Kim Fu's collection LESSER KNOWN MONSTERS OF THE 21ST CENTURY, published by Tin House.
Content advisory: Description of death
Duration:00:49:54
"I Was a Teenage Space Jockey" by Stephen Graham Jones
11/1/2022
While on a quest to beat the high score at his local arcade, a sixth grader has an unusual, life-altering experience.
For more from Stephen Graham Jones, visit www.demontheory.net.
Content advisory: Descriptions of violence, death
Duration:00:43:35
We're Back for Season 11!
10/25/2022
LeVar Burton Reads is back November 1st with stories from Stephen Graham Jones, Kim Fu, Tobias Buckell and more, in our new immersive format!
Duration:00:03:15