Best Radio Diaries & Radiotopia Podcasts (2025)

1
After 15 months of displacement...from Up First 30:08

2d ago30:08

30:08

Recently, the White House announced its plans to ask Congress to rescind funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. If the plan passes, there could be serious consequences for the public media ecosystem. Rather than tell you why we think public media is important, we are sharing this piece from NPR's Up First. This story is one of the best…

151
March of the Bonus Army 16:18

8d ago16:18

16:18

Author James Baldwin once wrote, "I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually." On this episode, we go back to 1932 when a group of World War I veterans set up an encampment in Washington, D.C., and vowed to stay until their voices were heard. It was a rema…

1
Introducing: Harlem Queen 13:37

16d ago13:37

13:37

Today we're sharing the first episode of Harlem Queen, a historical audio drama detailing the powerful story of “Policy Queen” and “gangster” Madame Stephanie St. Clair. Madame St. Clair had a powerful impact on building the Harlem community underground and aboveground and defining the Harlem Renaissance. Our goal is for you to be entertained, educ…

1
The Girls of the Leesburg Stockade 16:14

20d ago16:14

16:14

On July 19, 1963, at least 15 Black girls were arrested while marching to protest segregation in Americus, Georgia. After spending a night in jail, they were transferred to the one-room Leesburg Stockade and imprisoned for the next 45 days. Only twenty miles away, the girls' parents had no knowledge of their location. A month into their confinement…

1
Jason and Isabelle Revisit My Mother Made Me 6:09

24d ago6:09

6:09

In October 2024, Apple Podcasts launched a new initiative to highlight narrative series, including designating a new show every month as a Series Essential, celebrating the finest storytelling and the medium’s greatest achievements. My Mother Made Me is the March 2025 selection. For this special occasion, we asked Jason to sit down with his mother …

1
Alternate Realities from Embedded 27:55

1M ago27:55

27:55

Today, we're sharing the first episode of a new limited-run series from NPR's Embedded, "Alternate Realities". Zach Mack and his dad are living in separate realities, and it's tearing their family apart. Like so many Americans, Zach's dad has gotten swept up in conspiracy theories. After years of circular arguments, the father challenged his son to…

1
Guest Spotlight: Signal Hill 37:20

1M ago37:20

37:20

This week we're featuring a story from a brand new audio magazine we've been listening to called Signal Hill. "Pie Down Here" features oral history interviews with farmworkers and Communist Party members who organized a sharecroppers' union in Alabama during the Great Depression. The interviews were recorded by historian Robin Kelley for his book, …

1
Red for Revolution 6 - I Love Paris 41:30

1M ago41:30

41:30

As tensions escalate and hearts are both shattered and healed, our season one love story reaches its climax in the City of Love. Jazmine’s family surprises her with a graduation trip to Paris, but little do they know, she has a surprise of her own in store. Red for Revolution is created, written, and directed by Jana Naomi Smith with Musical Direct…

1
Making Waves: The Woman Who Warned The World 12:30

2M ago12:30

12:30

In 1939, Time Magazine called Dorothy Thompson a woman who “thinks, talks and sleeps world problems — and scares men half to death.” They weren’t wrong. Thompson was a foreign correspondent in Germany in the years leading up to World War 2, and she broadcast to millions of listeners around the world. She became known for her bold commentaries on th…

1
Red for Revolution 5 - Send in the Clowns 43:11

2M ago43:11

43:11

As tensions between Jazmine and her mother boil over, Grandma Ella steps in, guiding the three women to confront the painful reality of intergenerational homophobia. Meanwhile, back in the 1970s, the stakes soar for Ella and Lorraine’s relationship as young Ella is falsely accused of a crime. Red for Revolution is created, written, and directed by …

1
Making Waves: The Original Angry Talker 12:32

2M ago12:32

12:32

These days, we’re used to media that thrives on conflict and amplifies the most outrageous voices in the room. It's something we often trace back to shock jocks, like Howard Stern, and in-your-face talk show hosts like Tucker Carlson and Rush Limbaugh. But before all those guys, there was Joe Pyne. At the height of his career in the 1960s, the New …

1
Red for Revolution 4 - He Looked Beyond My Faults 29:22

2M ago29:22

29:22

Jazmine holds space for Ms. Lorraine as she shares her story of substance abuse, inspiring a conversation about grace and self-acceptance. Meanwhile, back in the 70s, a younger Lorraine confesses her substance abuse to Ella, generating a difficult impasse between the two. Red for Revolution is created, written, and directed by Jana Naomi Smith with…

1
Making Waves: The Happy-Am-I Preacher 18:08

2M ago18:08

18:08

In 1934, the Washington Post called Elder Lightfoot Solomon Michaux, the “best known colored man in America.” He was known as the Happy-Am-I Preacher. His Sunday services were broadcast to over 25 million listeners on CBS radio. Black America saw Michaux as a leader for racial harmony and progress. But during the civil rights movement, his reputati…

1
Red for Revolution 3 - Stormy Weather 32:06

2M ago32:06

32:06

As Jazmine grapples with self-acceptance, Grandma Ella and Ms. Lorraine feel compelled to share their respective insecurities. This leads to a poignant recollection of the day a power outage compelled a young Ella and Lorraine to reveal their deepest secrets and vulnerabilities. Red for Revolution is created, written, and directed by Jana Naomi Smi…

1
Red for Revolution 2 - Never Will I Marry 47:37

2M ago47:37

47:37

Jazmine uncovers her grandmother's journals, shedding light on previously unknown aspects of her inner life and igniting the tale of how Ella and Lorraine reconnected in 1971, New York City for a taping of the TV show Black Dreams after their passionate first encounter in Gary. Red for Revolution is created, written, and directed by Jana Naomi Smit…

1
Red for Revolution 1 - I’ve Got a Crush On You 34:47

3M ago34:47

34:47

After the assassination of a Black female revolutionary, an unexpected romance blossoms between the two women left in her wake—an apolitical jazz singer and a radical activist. While in the present day, college-bound Jazmine embarks on a journey to find her grandmother's first love and document their love story. Red for Revolution is created, writt…

1
Radiotopia Presents: Red for Revolution 2:21

3M ago2:21

2:21

Red for Revolution is an enthralling audio drama that tells the passionate love story between jazz singer Lorraine Giovanni and activist Ella Ali. The narrative unfolds through the perspective of 18-year-old Jazmine, who is coming of age and seeking wisdom from her grandmother, Ella. As Jazmine conducts heartfelt interviews with her grandmother, li…

1
Sealab: A Home on the Ocean Floor 20:41

3M ago20:41

20:41

From ancient myths of sea monsters lurking below to Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, the ocean has long been both a source of fear and fascination. For Captain George Bond, a Navy medical officer in the 1960s, the deep sea was humanity’s next frontier. Undersea agriculture, deep sea mining, and human colonies on the ocean floor …

1
Guest Spotlight: The Memory Palace with Nate DiMeo 13:45

4M ago13:45

13:45

Happy 2025! We have a slate of new stories coming soon, but we want to start the year by shouting out fellow podcaster (and friend of the show) Nate DiMeo of The Memory Palace. He just put out his first book, The Memory Palace: True Short Stories of the Past. So to celebrate, we're featuring one of our favorite episodes from The Memory Palace, "The…

1
Best of Radiotopia - Weight For It 40:43

4M ago40:43

40:43

Best of Radiotopia 2024 - Weight For It - “Into Thin Air." It's not too late - Radiotopia’s fall fundraiser is still on! Donate to support audio with vision. Thank you! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choicesBy Radiotopia

1
Best of Radiotopia - This Day in Esoteric Political History 20:27

4M ago20:27

20:27

Best of Radiotopia 2024 - This Day in Esoteric Political History - “Dick Cheney Shoots Friend In The Face”. Radiotopia’s fall fundraiser is here! Donate today to support audio with vision. Thank you! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choicesBy Radiotopia

1
Best of Radiotopia - The West Wing Weekly 1:01:42

4M ago1:01:42

1:01:42

Best of Radiotopia 2024 - The West Wing Weekly - “The American President”. Radiotopia’s fall fundraiser is here! Donate today to support audio with vision. Thank you! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choicesBy Radiotopia

1
Best of Radiotopia - The Stoop 34:59

4M ago34:59

34:59

Best of Radiotopia 2024 - The Stoop - “This Ain't Texas, It's Africa." It's not too late - Radiotopia’s fall fundraiser is still on! Donate to support audio with vision. Thank you! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choicesBy Radiotopia

1
Best of Radiotopia - Song Exploder 27:28

4M ago27:28

27:28

Best of Radiotopia 2024 - Song Exploder - “Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Our House." It's not too late - Radiotopia’s fall fundraiser is still on! Donate to support audio with vision. Thank you! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choicesBy Radiotopia

1
Best of Radiotopia - The Recipe with Kenji and Deb 38:12

4M ago38:12

38:12

Best of Radiotopia 2024 - The Recipe with Kenji and Deb - “Popcorn”. Radiotopia’s fall fundraiser is here! Donate today to support audio with vision. Thank you! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choicesBy Radiotopia

1
Best of Radiotopia - Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative 40:15

4M ago40:15

40:15

Best of Radiotopia 2024 - Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative - “Just a Girl with a Microphone." Radiotopia’s fall fundraiser is here! Donate today to support audio with vision. Thank you! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choicesBy Radiotopia

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Radio Diaries & Radiotopia Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Radio Diaries

Radio Diaries & Radiotopia

1
Radiotopia Presents: We're Doing the Wiz

Radiotopia

1
After 15 months of displacement...from Up First 30:08

151
March of the Bonus Army 16:18

1
Introducing: Harlem Queen 13:37

1
The Girls of the Leesburg Stockade 16:14

1
Jason and Isabelle Revisit My Mother Made Me 6:09

1
Alternate Realities from Embedded 27:55

1
Guest Spotlight: Signal Hill 37:20

1
Red for Revolution 6 - I Love Paris 41:30

1
Making Waves: The Woman Who Warned The World 12:30

1
Red for Revolution 5 - Send in the Clowns 43:11

1
Making Waves: The Original Angry Talker 12:32

1
Red for Revolution 4 - He Looked Beyond My Faults 29:22

1
Making Waves: The Happy-Am-I Preacher 18:08

1
Red for Revolution 3 - Stormy Weather 32:06

1
Red for Revolution 2 - Never Will I Marry 47:37

1
Red for Revolution 1 - I’ve Got a Crush On You 34:47

1
Radiotopia Presents: Red for Revolution 2:21

1
Sealab: A Home on the Ocean Floor 20:41

1
Guest Spotlight: The Memory Palace with Nate DiMeo 13:45

1
Best of Radiotopia - Weight For It 40:43

1
Best of Radiotopia - This Day in Esoteric Political History 20:27

1
Best of Radiotopia - The West Wing Weekly 1:01:42

1
Best of Radiotopia - The Stoop 34:59

1
Best of Radiotopia - Song Exploder 27:28

1
Best of Radiotopia - The Recipe with Kenji and Deb 38:12

1
Best of Radiotopia - Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative 40:15