LeVar Burton Reads
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.
Latest episodes
Feb 1, 2022 • 33min
"Open House on Haunted Hill" by John Wiswell
A sentient house, haunted by its own loneliness, exercises its powers on a skeptic. This story was published by Diabolical Plots. Content advisory: Brief discussion of death
Jan 25, 2022 • 49min
"The Final Performance of the Amazing Ralphie" by Pat Cadigan
An AI-controlled avatar built to entertain patients in deep space performs innocuous magic tricks for patients... until one day, he adds something new to his act.This story was originally published in AVATARS INC edited by Ann VanderMeer, and collected in THE YEAR'S BEST SCIENCE FICTION, VOL. 2 edited by Jonathan Strahan.PLUS! With FIYAH Literary Magazine and Tor.com, we announce the winners of the LeVar Burton Reads writing contest!Content advisory: hospice setting, death
Jan 18, 2022 • 42min
Immersive Remix: "The Galactic Tourist Industrial Complex" by Tobias S. Buckell
Get a sneak peek of our our immersive sound! A cab driver spends an ordinary day ferrying passengers around Manhattan -- until an incident involving a wealthy alien tourist imperils his livelihood. Content advisory: alien death.
Jan 11, 2022 • 40min
"The Placement Agency" by Tobias Buckell
What's the weirdest temp job you can imagine? One outside time and space...
This story appears in Tobias Buckell's collection SHOGGOTHS IN TRAFFIC AND OTHER STORIES, published by Fairwood Press.
Content advisory: some discussion of murder/death
Jan 4, 2022 • 33min
"To Jump is to Fall" by Stephen Graham Jones
A spy narrates his thoughts as he jumps from an airplane and freefalls toward his government target.If you enjoyed this story, check out Stephen Graham Jones' novel, MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW, published by Saga Press.Content advisory: death
Dec 28, 2021 • 44min
"Drones to Ploughshares" by Sarah Gailey
A sentient government surveillance drone is ensnared, and must determine his captor's motives. For more from Sarah Gailey, visit www.sarahgailey.com.
Dec 21, 2021 • 38min
"The Usual Santas" by Mick Herron
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.
7 snips
Dec 14, 2021 • 50min
"Different People" by Timothy Mudie
A man begins a relationship with a woman who has fled from a disintegrating parallel universe. For more from the author, check out his website www.timothymudie.com or find him on Twitter @timothy_mudie. Content advisory: Discussion of death
Dec 7, 2021 • 44min
"The Wishing Pool" by Tananarive Due
When Joy revisits her family's old cabin, she's reminded of childhood memories of a pond in the woods and its mysterious powers. For more from Tananarive, check out her works at tananarivedue.com and look for her new novel THE REFORMATORY and graphic novel THE KEEPER, both due out in 2022. Content advisory: Depiction of dementia/illness, brief mention of death
Nov 30, 2021 • 10min
Season 10 Announcement and a Q&A!
LeVar Burton Reads is back December 7th, featuring work from Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones and Sarah Gailey, a winter holiday story, the winning entry of the LBR Writing Contest and much more! Plus LeVar answers some of your questions about making the podcast and gives out some tips to up your "reading aloud" game.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
