LeVar Burton Reads

A man questions his current existence -- and the life he remembers from before. Originally published in Asimov's Science Fiction, and reprinted in Lightspeed. Content advisory: mention of mental illness Only a few more days to enter the LeVar Burton Reads Writing Contest! Check out www.levarburtonpodcast.com/contest for details. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for inf...

A veteran pilot revisits memories, and searches for remnants of her old experimental smartship. Content advisory: War Submissions are now open for the LeVar Burton Reads Writing Contest! Check out www.levarburtonpodcast.com/contest for details. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A woman recounts the story of her birth as a surprise twin and adoption by a Native American couple, and questions the strange presence she has felt with her since childhood. Louise Erdrich's novel THE SENTENCE will be published by Harper on November 9th. Content advisory: Adoption, medical issues, ableist language Submissions are now open for the LeVar Burton Reads Writing Contest! Check out www....

An athlete trains to win a prize that would ensure her survival. Content advisory: Discussion of degenerative illness, death Submissions are now open for the LeVar Burton Reads Writing Contest! Check out www.levarburtonpodcast.com/contest for details. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A young boy feuds with a muralist who has taken over a beloved hangout in his neighborhood. Don't forget! The LeVar Burton Reads Writing Contest opens for submissions on August 1st. Check out www.levarburtonpodcast.com/contest for details. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A girl visits a bazaar in Cairo, seeking a favor from a mysterious angelic being. This story first appeared in the anthology Clockwork Cairo: Steampunk Tales of Egypt. For more from the author, visit pdjeliclark.com . Content advisory: Fire, hospitalization Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Marty brings his family to his hometown of Lucban for the annual festival to witness a miracle: lab-grown, synthetic food made real. This story appears in Isabel Yap's collection NEVER HAVE I EVER, published by Small Beer Press. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A woman has her memories catalogued for the historical record, and must decide whether or not to divulge a painful and complicated moment from her past. Anjali Sachdeva's short fiction collection is ALL THE NAMES THEY USED FOR GOD. Epigraph used by permission from How to Lie With Maps by Mark Monmonier, published by The University of Chicago Press. © 1991, 1996, 2018 by The University of Chicago....

A man dies and finds himself reincarnated as a parrot. This story appears in Robert Olen Butler's collection TABLOID DREAMS. His forthcoming novel, LATE CITY, will be published in September. Content advisory: use of a slur Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What if those spammy emails from princes about overseas banks were... real? An exiled prince teams up with the widow of a military general to recover their fortunes from the Bank of Burkina Faso. This story appears in Ekaterina Sedia's collection MOSCOW BUT DREAMING. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for adve...

LeVar Burton Reads is back June 22nd, featuring stories from P Djeli Clark, Anjali Sachdeva, Ekaterina Sedia, Isabel Yap and more. But if you just can't wait to hear a new story -- here's a sneak peek... Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Theresa Anne has spent years watching her mother tell fortunes and work magical spells. But when she asks to protect the girl she loves, she learns the true cost and sacrifice involved in magical requests. Find more from the author at www.clpolk.com . Content advisory: Violence Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal da...

In a post-pandemic future where scientists have made great strides in eliminating disease, a young boy faces his fears and ventures out to his grandfather's island to give him an important vaccine. This story appears in the anthology Make Shift: Dispatches from the Post-Pandemic Future, edited by Gideon Lichfield and available for pre-order from The MIT Press. Content advisory: Discussion of pande...

A getaway driver and her crew are hired to steal a mysterious artifact, and inadvertently get locked into a time loop. Find more from Nicole Kornher-Stace at www.nicolekornherstace.com or on Twitter @wirewalking. Content advisory: Gun violence, gore, death Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A teenage girl is exiled to a penal colony on an icy, inhospitable island. But the island contains secrets, and so does the girl. Content Advisory: Death Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use o...

Guided by an angel, a writer pens his greatest -- and perhaps most dangerous -- work. "Killer of Kings" appears in Anjali Sachdeva's collection ALL THE NAMES THEY USED FOR GOD. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A woman helps to test the artificial intelligence based on the mind of her mother, a brilliant thinker. "The Regression Test" appears in Wole Talabi's collection INCOMPLETE SOLUTIONS from Luna Press. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A government contractor deals with everyday frustrations in a small town. "Alluvial Deposits" appears in Percival Everett's collection DAMNED IF I DO. Check out other titles from Graywolf Press, including WILD SWIMS and BRING ME THE HEAD OF QUENTIN TARANTINO, at graywolfpress.org . Content advisory: racial slur, hateful language Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for inf...

A woman struggles to understand why her elderly father has begun to spontaneously teleport. Content advisory: drug addiction, illness, death Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A teenage thief embarks on a mission to reclaim her people's sacred treasures. First published in A UNIVERSE OF WISHES in 2020 in the United States by Crown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC, New York. Find more from Rebecca at www.rebeccaroanhorse.com . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for inf...

A waitress is jolted from her morning routine when she's visited by a mysterious child. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The wait is nearly over! Join us for Season 8 of LeVar Burton Reads, beginning next week and featuring stories from Rebecca Roanhorse, Tobias Wolff, Bishop Garrison, Damion Wilson and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

LeVar talks to Africanfuturist Nnedi Okorafor about the visceral nature of her writing, writing a beautiful and green future for the Niger Delta, and how human-AI relationships can feel like parent-child relationships. Plus, she'll tell us what she thinks happens after those final tense moments in "Mother of Invention". Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information...

Join us for the conclusion of this smart house story set in a future Nigeria. Will Anwuli and her child survive the storm? Content advisory: blood Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.