Happy International Podcast Day (9/30)!
Hello, hello! Young, Gifted and Abroad is still on hiatus, but I couldn't let September 30th (International Podcast Day) pass without my annual tradition of celebrating my favorite podcasts that I've discovered since September 30th of last year! And this time, in addition to posting about those shows on social media, I decided to curate a master list of all my IPD recommendations since 2018 (82 shows total, including my own of course). If anyone's wondering where I've listened to these shows, I started out listening to podcasts on SoundCloud (which I use to host YGA), then added Acast as my additional podcast player of choice, then picked up Spotify too because certain shows I was interested in were Spotify exclusives, then I heard Acast was phasing out their app and I replaced it with Pocket Casts. (So SoundCloud, Pocket Casts, and Spotify are my current mainstays.) Now, on with my recommendations! Starting with my 2022 faves and working backward by year:
2022
Black Women Finding a Way
Young, Gifted and Abroad (yours truly: POC study abroad stories)
Forties AF Season 2 (this trio of Black women besties is back with both new drama and carryover drama from last season; created by Tanisha Quilter-Williams/Tangible Films & Entertainment)
Private Affairs (a Zimbabwean auditor in Australia finds unexpected love with a doctor she meets at a Halloween party; created by Christine Kix)
Small Victories (a wise-cracking, recovering drug addict in DC tries to get her life together amidst impulsivity and grief; created by Jade Madison Scott/WGC Productions)
The Unmasked Podcast (a Nigerian-American marketing executive seeks therapy after she gets fired and her romantic life gets complicated created by Ask The Martins/Martin Solutions Group Media)
Film/Social Commentary
Cult 45 (two brothas in Houston, Brandon Lyles/Bdemdown and Random Randy Savage, hilariously walk listeners through the plots of cult classics and B movies)
Destination 180° (three Black women review horror films and make you feel like you're at an amusement park each episode; hosted by Aj, Jonné, and Brittney)
Fat Joy with Sophia Apostol (a life/writing/career coach interviews fellow fat people about "how to flourish in an anti-fat world")
Sounds Like a Cult (writer Amanda Montell and comedian Isabela Medina-Maté examine the culty-ness of various American pop culture trends)
White People Won't Save You (Cameron Mason and Jordan Clark, two Black artists on the East Coast, skewer white savior tropes in film and imagine alternatives; catch me on the "El Dorado" and "Music of the Heart" episodes!)
Delightfully Weird and/or EXTREMELY NSFW
Bawdy Storytelling (real people telling "true stories about s3x, k!nk, gender, and body image"; curated by Dixie De La Tour)
Cashmere & Friends (Black romance anthology, quiet storm radio call-in style, with the s3x dial turned all the way up; created by Emanie Antonette)
Dreamboy (a Cleveland house-sitter goes on an eery musical adventure with a masochist influencer and some non-affiliated Girl Scouts to rescue a zebra from the zoo; created by Dane Terry and Ellie Heyman)
Monstica (monster + er0tica anthology... don't knock it 'til you've listened; created by Chelsea/Cmakesp)
The Mystery Box Show (a s3x-positive storytelling show based out of Portland; produced by Reba Sparrow)
Rom-Com Gems from Meet Cute
Belle Makes Twelve (an eldest daughter balances a new relationship and overextending for her family; story by Magi Calcagne)
Green Mountain (two Black, gay siblings both meet new lovers and forge new career paths in rural Vermont; story by Casey Boykins)
The Rom-Com Room (brilliant connoisseurs Kendra Okereke and Mercedes Gonzales-Bazan revisit notable rom-com movies, and decide whether the characters' relationships are viable)
Sidewalk Confidential (a private eye and a journalist, both lesbians, team up to catch high-profile cheaters in 1980s NYC; story by Delaney Britt Brewer)
2021
"Just Because" Gems
Young, Gifted and Abroad (yours truly: POC study abroad stories)
The Bad Advice Show (returned from hiatus in 2021, Black comedian/writer friends Gordan Baker-Bone, Melanie Dione, and Cerrome Russell ragging on each other and giving intentionally bad advice)
Duolingo French Podcast (true stories from the francophone world, told mostly in French, hosted by Ngofeen Mputubwele)
Forties AF Season 1 (three 40-something besties navigating their love lives and careers; created by Tanisha Quilter-Williams/Tangible Films & Entertainment)
Passenger List (a college student tries to solve the mystery of a plane that disappeared with her brother in it; created John Scott Dryden)
Film/Culture Talk (pt.1)
Back Issue (podcasting phenoms Tracy Clayton and Josh Gwynn revisit iconic Black pop culture moments)
Criticism Is Dead (Writer pals Jenny Zhang and Pelin Keskin-Liu critique the film and TV they consume)
Films to be Buried With (actor/comedian Brett Goldstein asks tons of entertainment industry peeps about their favorite films)
Here's The Thing (Black comedians KevOnStage and Angel Laketa Moore and their producer/photographer JoshyGonz chat about hot topics, entertainment, and internet culture; I've always watched this one in video format on YouTube)
Homies of Horror (two Black actor friends Erika and Roshane review horror films with humor and gusto)
Film/Culture Talk (pt.2)
The Tyler Perry season of Newcomers (hilarious comedians Nicole Byer and Lauren Lapkus watch and review TP's work for the very first time)
Pod Mortem (a sister, brother, and brother-in-law do in-depth reviews of horror films together; created by Reneé Hunter Vasquez, Travis Hunter, and John Paul Vasquez)
Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrong (Rotten Tomatoes correspondents consider whether films deserve higher or lower ratings than they got)
Three Guys On (DC-area comedians discuss current events with their other comedy/podcasting friends)
You in Danger Gurl (a Black comic/actress Janelle James hilariously picks apart erotic thrillers and dating red flags with her guests)
Debunking/The More You Know
Drunk Black History (Black historical figures' stories, unconventionally told by inebriated Black comedians; created by Brandon Collins and Gordon Baker-Bone)
Maintenance Phase (fat-positive writers Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes research and debunk wellness fads)
My Momma Told Me (Black comedians Langston Kerman and David Gborie interrogate the validity of Black conspiracy theories with fellow comedian guests)
Unsolved Mysteries (the classic investigative TV series, now in podcast form; hosted by Steve French)
You're Wrong About (writer Sarah Marshall reconsiders American cultural myths and misinterpreted events; formerly co-hosted by Michael Hobbes)
Getting Through Life
I Hate This Job (Black comedian Lawrence DeLoach interviews other comedians about their worst jobs and how they got out)
J.ill the Podcast (veteran poet/singer/actress Jill Scott and two of her most insightful friends, Laiya St.Clair and Aja Graydon-Dantzler, vulnerably discuss grown Black woman stuff)
Nosy Neighbors (Black comics Chinedu Unaka and Candice Thompson share funny stories about their and others' wildest neighbor experiences)
Period Piece (Black comedian Gordon Baker-Bone asks his friends about their periods)
Roy's Job Fair (comedian Roy Wood, Jr. and his crew have guests discuss their worst/first jobs, and who's hiring in various industries)
2020
Self/Community/Black Women Talking
Young, Gifted and Abroad (yours truly: POC study abroad stories)
The Homecoming Podcast with Dr. Thema (insight on healing from artist and qualified psychologist, Dr. Thema Bryant)
Raising Rebels (educator Noleca Radway has convos with grown-ups and kids about how to raise free Black children)
Say Your Mind (spiritual wisdom and exquisite draggings from British multi-hyphenate creator Kelechi Okafor)
Thirst Aid Kit (intersections of desire/romance and pop culture from fantastic writers Nichole Perkins and Bim Adewunmi; also check out TAK's Tumblr)
Film Reviews
The Bechdel Cast (intersectional feminist analysis witty comedians/writers Caitlin Durante and Jamie Loftus)
Black Girl Film Club (brilliant discussions and clever movie pairings from Ashley and Britney! Listen to their "Lion King" episode featuring me!)
Maximum Film! (formerly Who Shot Ya?; film critics and entertainers who aren't primarily straight white dudes)
Medium Popcorn (friends/hilarious comedians Brandon Collins and Justin Brown spoiling movies spectacularly)
Micheaux Mission (Philly-based duo Len Webb and Vincent Williams examining the entire historical and contemporary catalogue of Black film)
Audio Fiction/Audio Drama
The Bright Sessions (mental illnesses are actually superpowers, and you get to listen in on atypical people's therapy sessions; created by Lauren Shippen)
Centered (a recent college grad enters a yoga retreat to escape her overbearing mom and re-calibrate her life; created by Beandrea July)
Deadbeats, Inc. (a single mom starts an agency that tracks down deadbeat dads and makes sure child support gets paid; created by Aisha Casey)
MOONFACE (a young Korean-American man struggles to find direction in life and also come out to his mom; created by James Kim)
Past Due (a 30-year-old writer/performer fights for her dreams and has a lot of scintillating guy-related mess; created by Crystal Judkins/Xperience Jay)
Bonus/For Fun
By The Book (Kristen Meinzer and Jolenta Greenberg test out self-help books and share their findings)
Four Layered Takes (friends in Atlanta discuss TV/film with much humor and no filter)
Lovecraft Country Radio (official 'Lovecraft Country' commentary from two Black women writers, Shannon Houston and Ashley C. Ford)
Margaritas & Donuts (rom-com about a 40-something doctor finding love unexpectedly; created by Faith McQuinn/Observer Pix)
Masala Jones (comedy about a man trying to become the world's first Indian-American adult actor; created by Venk Potula and Leland Frankel)
2019
[The list was short, so I didn't come up with any themes or categories for IPD 2019.]
Young, Gifted and Abroad (yours truly: POC study abroad stories)
Black on Black Cinema (hilarious and thoughtful film reviews by four friends who share Baltimore roots; hosted by Jay, Micah, Terrence, and T'ara)
The Need to Fail (learning from other artists' failures; hosted by comedian Don Fanelli)
RedHanded (true crime stories from two clever and funny British women, Suruthi Bala and Hannah Maguire)
Fruitloops: Serial Killer of Color (true crime stories with ample historical/cultural context, presented by Wendy and Beth)
2018
Group 1
Young, Gifted and Abroad (yours truly fave)
The Read (OG fave; hosted by Crissle West and Kid Fury)
RISK! (storytelling fave; hosted by Kevin Allison)
The Black Guy Who Tips (daily fave; hosted by Rod and Karen Morrow)
Group 2
Jade + X.D. (random fave; hosted by Jade of All Jades and Xavier D'Leau)
My Brother, My Brother and Me (fun advice fave; hosted by the McElroy Brothers)
Jinjja Cha (K-pop fave; hosted by Girl Davis and April Jay)
The Truth (radio story fave; produced by Jonathan Mitchell)
Group 3
She's All Fat (fat girl fave; hosted by Sophia Carter-Kahn and April K. Quioh at the time)
Le Tchip (French fave; hosted by Mélanie Wanga, Kévi Donat, and François Oulac)
Black Men Can't Jump [In Hollywood] (film analysis fave; hosted by Jonathan Braylock, Jerah Milligan, and James III)
The BBX/The Babyboy Experience (formerly BabyBoy Podcast; paywall fave)
Group 4
Kiffe ta race (new French fave; hosted by Rokhaya Diallo and Grace Ly)
Common Sense Podcast (new education fave; originally hosted by Patrick Harris and Antonia)
Another Round (hiatus fave; hosted by Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton)
Therapy for Black Girls (therapy fave; hosted by Dr. Joy Harden Bradford)
I hope that you've enjoyed this list, and that it helps you find some new favorites of your own! Can't wait to see what new (to me) podcasts I'll discover between now and September 30th next year. But in the meantime... back to hiatus I go! See y'all in January (?) 2023!
Danielle G. is the creator, host, and producer of Young, Gifted and Abroad. You can find her other writings at DeelaSees.com.