Musicians Tegan and Sara are podcast obsessives. This episode, we take a peek at their extensive playlist and hear about their own idea for a podcast. Also, the hosts of the LGBTQ show Nancy share their funny and tragic coming out stories. And the Pakistani-American host of Beginner walks us through all the things she never learned as a immigrant, like biking and swimming. Plus: saving podcasts for posterity at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The Big Listen

Tegan & Sara, Podcast Super Fans (Encore)

The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle and Joseph Fink of Welcome To Night Vale talk about what it means to be a fan on I Only Listen To The Mountain Goats. Plus: Nicole Drespel mines your email InBox for comedy gold, a hotel with a radio studio in the lobby, and a podcast takes us turkey hunting.

John Darnielle and Joseph Fink Only Listen To The Mountain Goats (Encore)

We're celebrating Mother's Day with stories from all kinds of women — a single lesbian mother by choice (Not By Accident), a young woman who chose sterilization (Tie My Tubes) and a Korean mom raising a multi-racial daughter (Other: Mixed Race In America), among others. Plus, mom tributes from your favorite audio producers.

Mother's Day Extravaganza (Encore)

Comedian Nicole Byer shares some of the tips she's learned from friends on her podcast Why Won't You Date Me. Reporter Dan Lamothe tells us about reading hundreds of letters from World War II, Heather Mizeur describes how she rebuilt her politics after losing an election, and Cristen Conger and Caroline Ervin define what being Unladylike means to them.

Nicole Byer Wants To Date You (Encore)

Norman Lear's work in television and movies could fit every category, which might be why he calls his podcast All Of The Above. We also hear about the culinary delights of hotdish from Senator Heidi Heitkamp, explore the many facets of veterans with Battle Scars, and phone our rage into the For A Bad Time Call hotline.

Norman Lear Is All Of The Above (Encore)

Larry Wilmore's got a new podcast, Black On The Air! Plus: the lowdown on a possible Powerline in New Hampshire, a Slow Burn with Leon Neyfakh about Watergate, and a new book from Bill McKibben.

Larry Wilmore Is Black On The Air (Encore)

Chris Gethard describes how Beautiful/Anonymous satisfies his craving for human connection. Plus: therapy with Esther Perel, poetry with Versify, and a podcaster who invites strangers to his home.

Chris Gethard and the Art of Deep Listening (Encore)

Writer Jon Ronson traces The Butterfly Effect from the moment pirated porn became free on the web. Plus: The hosts of Terrestrial and Closer Than They Appear, and Jillian Bauer-Reese documents people in recovery with The Rooms Project.

Jon Ronson Likes Porn (Stories) Encore

John Darnielle and Joseph Fink Only Listen To The Mountain Goats

Singer/songwriter Laura Veirs talks to other musicians about how they balance work with parenthood, Annie Gilbertson investigates an officer involved in multiple shootings in Repeat, and Kameel Stanley and Tim Lloyd remind St Louis, "We Live Here!"

Laura Veirs On A Musical Motherhood

Actor Denis O'Hare tells us about Deadly Manners and the ingredients for a dismal dinner, Liz Plank talks feminism with Divided States of Women, and Joel Werner puts numbers on the air with Sum Of All Parts. Plus: Alice Wong of Disability Visibility describes all the voices she wants to hear on the radio.

Denis O'Hare and the Danger of Dinner Parties (Encore)

It's a Big Listen smörgåsbord! We'll meet Francis Lam, new host of The Splendid Table, taste chocolate with The Slow Melt and hear which food podcasts New York Times food writer Kim Severson favors. Plus: Lauren enters brunch hell with Brendan Francis Newnam.

Noshing On Food Podcasts with Francis Lam & Kim Severson (Encore)

We head back into the golden age of Hollywood with Karina Longworth, explore representation in film with Aisha Harris, and predict this year's Oscar winners with Erik Anderson. Plus: Paul Scheer talks about his affection for movies that are so bad they're good.

Lights, Camera, Podcasts! — An Oscars Special

Nicole Byer Wants To Date You

DeRay Mckesson discusses going from newsletter to podcast, Uncivil tells the untold stories of the Civil War, and Trey Kay explores our divides in Us & Them. Plus: Oral history podcast Ferguson Voices.

For DeRay Mckesson, It Started With A Newsletter (Encore)

There are tens of thousands of podcasts out there. So how do you know what to listen to? On The Big Listen — THE broadcast about podcasts from WAMU and NPR — host Lauren Ober introduces you to podcasts you might not have ever heard of, and gives you the inside scoop on shows you already love. Through interviews, listener recommendations, show snippets and more, The Big Listen helps you curate your perfect playlist.

hubhopper

The Big Listen

hubhopper