Looking for narrative non-fiction podcasts hosted by women

December 30, 2014 7:17 AM

After finishing Serial, I realise I would like more non-fiction podcasts hosted by women. I don't mind if there's some interviewing in it, but I don't want the point of the podcast to be interviews. I do not want fiction.

Other podcasts I enjoy in this vein are TAL, 99% Invisible, Life of the Law, Criminal, Under the Influence (I think I am getting tired of this last one). I don't mind if there are co-hosts, but they should be both women.

posted by jeather to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (19 answers total)

If by interviews, are you weeding out the back-and-forth, or do you not want the topic to focus on one individual's personal story? If it's just the back-and-forth you don't like, you might like Strangers. I seem to recall they are edited to mostly just be the subject's voice.
posted by fiercecupcake at 7:30 AM on December 30, 2014

How about 'Stuff you missed in history class'?
posted by Toddles at 7:32 AM on December 30, 2014

A good number of the reports on Planet Money are done by women. If comedy or trivia is your bag, I can recommend Ask Me Another, Good Job Brain (two women, two men), and the BBC 4 News Quiz (part of the Friday Night Comedy podcast).
posted by General Malaise at 7:40 AM on December 30, 2014 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Not interviews as a primary part of the podcast. Not a big cohost group that has both men and women. Narrative style non-fiction that is hosted by a women (or multiple women).
posted by jeather at 7:46 AM on December 30, 2014

Best answer: Gastropod!
posted by O9scar at 7:49 AM on December 30, 2014

You're Canadian, so you probably are aware of this, but Definitely Not the Opera is a CBC Radio show that is distributed by podcast each week and is hosted by the most awesome Sook-Yin Lee. Not sure if a radio show-cum-podcast fits the bill.
posted by urbanlenny at 7:57 AM on December 30, 2014

I think Stuff Mom Never Told You fits your criteria.
posted by Gymnopedist at 8:00 AM on December 30, 2014 [2 favorites]

I''ve been listening to the first 6 episodes or so of You Must Remember This, which I've found really interesting.
posted by Hypatia at 8:07 AM on December 30, 2014 [3 favorites]

Z List Dead List (it's British and the letter Z is spoken as "zed" which rhymes with dead). Non-fiction narrative presented by Iszi Lawrence about various people from history who were very interesting though not very famous. Also - Short Cuts by Josie Long, who puts together short documentary pieces on a theme, sort of like This American Life but on a smaller scale.
posted by cilantro at 8:36 AM on December 30, 2014 [2 favorites]

nthing Gastropod
Destination DIY
Amicus
posted by sparklemotion at 8:38 AM on December 30, 2014

you would love Criminal. it ticks all your boxes :-)

EDIT: whoops. clearly that was in your original post. apologies.
posted by isaacq at 8:47 AM on December 30, 2014 [1 favorite]

DoubleX Gabfest from Slate. There are typically three hosts in each session but occasionally there's only two.
posted by fuse theorem at 8:48 AM on December 30, 2014

TLDR was started by two dudes but starting with episode 39 it's written by a woman and produced by another.
posted by radioamy at 9:23 AM on December 30, 2014

Fugitive Waves by the Kitchen Sisters, maybe.

Not exactly narrative-style nonfiction, but Book Hoarders Anonymous is two women discussing books.

Radiotopia will soon be adding some new shows with female hosts: The Heart Radio and a new show by Helen Zaltzman (who also hosts the Sound Women podcast).

And I stumbled across an episode of For the Love of Podcasts with Julie Sabatier (of the Destination DIY podcast), in which she apparently discusses some other female-hosted podcasts she likes.
posted by Lexica at 9:26 AM on December 30, 2014

Oh, and three more I found (but haven't listened to yet — apologies if they're not what you're looking for) that sound interesting: Invisibilia, Not All Women, Gravy.
posted by Lexica at 9:37 AM on December 30, 2014

Spark, hosted by Nora Young, who also hosted the original DNTO (which I currently find almost completely unlistenable -- YMMV).
posted by maudlin at 9:37 AM on December 30, 2014

Best answer: This won't happen for a while, but part of the stretch goal for Radiotopia's recent Kickstarter was to add more shows, and it was specifically stated that it would even out the host gender balance in their ecosystem. One of the new ones is Criminal (yeay!), another is an untitled show by Helen Zaltzman, and the third is The Heart.
posted by radioamy at 11:03 AM on December 30, 2014

I just listened to a preview of Invisibilia, a new NPR podcast premiering next week. Hosted by two women. It sounds interesting!
posted by radioamy at 10:01 PM on January 1, 2015

Response by poster: I have downloaded a bunch of these, thanks. So far I have only listened to the first episode of Gastropod but it is exactly what I wanted and I can't wait to try the others.
posted by jeather at 4:19 PM on January 4, 2015