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 ...
Insights from recent episode analysis
Audience Interest
Podcast Focus
Publishing Consistency
Platform Reach
Insights are generated by CastFox AI using publicly available data, episode content, and proprietary models.
Back-catalog monthly reach
Based on 1 signal · back-catalog reach only (show is inactive).
Built from
By chart position
- 🇺🇸United States · Performing ArtsHOME#10113K to 598K
- 🇨🇦Canada · Performing Arts#86.5K to 34K
- 🇮🇳India · Performing Arts#124.4K to 23K
- 🇩🇪Germany · Performing Arts#182.5K to 13K
- 🇬🇧United Kingdom · Performing Arts#252.2K to 12K
- Per-Episode Audience
No new episodes in 90+ days
—🎙 Sporadic cadence·191 episodes·Long inactive - Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
138K to 728K🇺🇸82%🇨🇦5%🇮🇳3%+6 more - Active Followers
Loyal subscribers who consistently listen
28K to 146K
Market Insights
Platform Distribution
Reach across major podcast platforms, updated hourly
Total Followers
—
Total Plays
—
Total Reviews
—
* Data sourced directly from platform APIs and aggregated hourly across all major podcast directories.
| Date | Episode | Description | Length | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/7/24 | "The Toynbee Convector" by Ray Bradbury | The world's only time traveler finally reveals his secrets. "The Toynbee Convector" © 1983 by Ray Bradbury Content advisory: suicide | — | ||||||
| 4/30/24 | "The November Story" by Rebecca Makkai | A reality TV show producer tries to make love happen, on- and off-screen. “The November Story” is from MUSIC FOR WARTIME by Rebecca Makkai, published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Find LeVar on Instagram Live on Monday, May 6th from 6:30-8pm Pacific, celebrating 13 seasons of LeVar Burton Reads! Join us for a Q&A and surprise guests. Follow @levar.burton on IG and sign up for reminders! | — | ||||||
| 4/23/24 | "She Builds Quick Machines" by Lyndsie Manusos | Robotics, quick machines, fugitives -- none are exactly what they seem on the surface. Find more from the author at https://lyndsiekay.wordpress.com. And find LeVar on Instagram Live on Monday, May 6th from 6:30-8pm Pacific, celebrating 13 seasons of LeVar Burton Reads! Join us for a Q&A and surprise guests. Follow @levar.burton on IG and mark your calendar! Content advisory: warfare, death | — | ||||||
| 4/16/24 | "When the Apples are Ripe" by Diane Oliver | A young boy puzzles over the behavior of his mysterious elderly neighbor, his parents, and his older brother, a budding civil rights activist. This story appears in the collection entitled NEIGHBORS AND OTHER STORIES by Diane Oliver, published by Grove Press. Content advisory: racial slur, racism | — | ||||||
| 4/9/24 | "The Coffin Maker" by AnaMaria Curtis | On a long mission to search for a new home planet, an outfitter tries to protect the crewmembers' lives. But can she protect herself from the inevitable loss and heartbreak? This story first appeared in Uncanny Magazine. For more from the author, check out anamariacurtis.com. Content advisory: pandemic, death | — | ||||||
| 4/2/24 | "The Appropriation of Cultures" by Percival Everett | A young Black musician is heckled by a group of white fraternity brothers, asking him to play "Dixie." His response surprises everyone, including himself. This story appears in the collection DAMNED IF I DO, published by Graywolf Press. | — | ||||||
| 3/26/24 | "The Hidden Forests of Earth and Mars" by Anna Zumbro | A young woman must decide her future: planting seeds and forging civilization on Mars, or caretaking for future generations on Earth. This story originally appeared in Cast of Wonders. Find more from the author at annazumbro.com. Content advisory: climate change and ecological collapse | — | ||||||
| 3/19/24 | "Mr. Mendoza's Paintbrush" by Luis Alberto Urrea | The self-proclaimed Graffiti King of Mexico brandishes his magical paintbrush, providing commentary on small-town sins. This story appears in the collection THE WATER MUSEUM. Find more from the author at luisurrea.com. Content advisory: sexism, sexual harassment | — | ||||||
| 3/12/24 | "The World Wasn't Ready for You" by Justin C. Key | An exploration of the depth of a father's love, and his attempts to keep his son happy, healthy and safe in a world rife with racism and violence. This story appears in Justin C. Key's collection THE WORLD WASN'T READY FOR YOU. Content advisory: death, police brutality | — | ||||||
| 3/5/24 | "Quarropts Can't Dance" by Rodrigo Culagovski | A human street performer breaks out his boombox for an unauthorized and unwelcome performance on Planet Drx. For more from the author, visit https://culagovski.net. Content advisory: references to ecocide | — | ||||||
Want analysis for the episodes below?Free for Pro Submit a request, we'll have your selected episodes analyzed within an hour. Free, at no cost to you, for Pro users. | |||||||||
| 2/27/24 | "Folk Hero Motifs in Tales Told by the Dead" by KT Bryski | A trickster storyteller brings camaraderie and hope to the land of the dead. Find more from the author at ktbryski.com. Content advisory: Death and dying; references to the death of a child | — | ||||||
| 2/20/24 | "The Destroyer" by Tara Isabella Burton | A scientist explores (and transcends) the limitations of the human body, using her daughter as a test subject. This story was first published by Tor.com. Find more from the author at www.taraisabellaburton.com. Content advisory: Death | — | ||||||
| 2/13/24 | Watch Out, Lucky Season 13 is Coming! | LeVar Burton Reads is back with all-new episodes starting February 20th, but if you don't want to wait, you can get a taste right here! Look out for stories from Rebecca Makkai, Luis Alberto Urrea, Justin C. Key and more. We think 13 might be our lucky number... | — | ||||||
| 2/6/24 | Atlas Obscura presents: Mafra Palace Library Bats | We champion the work of librarians at LeVar Burton Reads, not least because they preserve books and maintain archives of important information for generations to come. Today, we’re sharing a story from our friends over at Atlas Obscura. They'll introduce you to an altogether different species of librarians: The Mafra Palace Library Bats, who make sure the palace's rare book collection is well kept! Atlas Obscura is an audio guide to the world’s strange, incredible, and wondrous places. Co-founder Dylan Thuras and a neighborhood of Atlas Obscura reporters explore a wonder every day, Monday through Friday. In under 15 minutes, they’ll take you to an incredible place, and along the way, you’ll meet some fascinating people and hear their stories. Listen to Atlas Obscura wherever you get your podcasts. | — | ||||||
| 12/19/23 | A 99% Invisible / LeVar Burton Crossover! | If you’ve been listening to LeVar's new podcast Sound Detectives, you know there's something irresistible about a missing sound. That’s why we teamed up with our friends at 99% Invisible to tell the story of the first music streaming service, a 200-ton instrument called the Telharmonium whose sound has been lost to history. 99% Invisible is a podcast about the unnoticed design that shapes the world we live in. This is their latest episode, a collection of mini-stories that weren’t quite big enough for a whole episode. You’ll hear about time measured in decimals, a rogue unlicensed Italian architect, and the ghost kitchens that power food delivery apps. And then yours truly, telling the story of the Telharmonium. Listen to 99% Invisible wherever you get your podcasts and visit 99pi.org for more. | — | ||||||
| 12/12/23 | "Waystation City" by A.T. Greenblatt | Adrift in a mysterious time and place, and with the ground roiling and churning beneath their feet, a brother and sister try to return home to 1970s London. Find more from the author at atgreenblatt.com. | — | ||||||
| 12/5/23 | "Three Roses" by Karmen Špiljak | A mysterious pub draws in lost souls on Christmas Eve. This story appears in the author's collection ADD CYANIDE TO TASTE: A COLLECTION OF DARK TALES WITH CULINARY TWISTS. | — | ||||||
| 11/28/23 | "The Pilgrim and the Angel" by E. Lily Yu | An angel surprises a humble coffee shop owner in Cairo. This story appears in E. Lily Yu's collection JEWEL BOX, published by Erewhon Books. | — | ||||||
| 11/21/23 | Immersive Remix: "The Takeback Tango" by Rebecca Roanhorse | 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. | — | ||||||
| 11/20/23 | Sound Detectives! Episode 2 | Enjoy more LeVar, more Detective Hunch, and more Audie with Episode #2 of LeVar's new podcast, SOUND DETECTIVES! SOUND DETECTIVES is a funny, engaging, and thought-provoking podcast that invites elementary school-aged kids to explore the magic and mystery of sound. In this episode, the Sound Swindler is still at large, and LeVar is anxious for help! Audie is a-buzz about the mystery sound, but Hunch insists that she needs some detective training first. Hunch knows just the thing: Detective Solvall's Handbook for Young Detectives! Listen to SOUND DETECTIVES on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. | — | ||||||
| 11/14/23 | "Galaxy Girl and the November Monstrosity" by Aleksandra Hill | A superhero returns home for Thanksgiving. Find more from Aleksandra Hill at aleksandrahill.com and khoreomag.com. | — | ||||||
| 11/13/23 | Introducing: Sound Detectives! | LeVar Burton presents SOUND DETECTIVES – a funny, engaging, and thought-provoking podcast that invites elementary school-aged kids to explore the magic and mystery of sound. Breaking News – Across the globe, sounds are mysteriously going missing! Waves aren’t crashing, crickets aren’t chirping, and the familiar jingle of the ice cream truck is a distant memory. Follow Detective Hunch (Vinny Thomas) and his new sidekick Audie the Ear (Jess McKenna) as they solve sound mysteries and track down the nefarious Sound Swindler … all with a little help from LeVar Burton himself! Equal parts fun and informative, SOUND DETECTIVES encourages listeners to engage with the sound mysteries that surround us, while unlocking the door to people and cultures around the globe. Join the team on this semi-improvised comedy caper and help return the mystery sounds before the world falls silent! Listen to SOUND DETECTIVES on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. | — | ||||||
| 11/7/23 | "The Many Taste Grooves of the Chang Family" by Allison King | Siblings try to jog their ailing father's memory through his sense of taste. They discover that as much as he's lost -- he's retained his sense of humor. Find more from the author at www.allisonjking.com. Content advisory: person living with dementia | — | ||||||
| 10/31/23 | "Sin Eater" by Ian R. MacLeod | A robot "sin eater" is called to perform a vital service for the last human on earth. This story appears in the author's collection, entitled RAGGED MAPS. Content advisory: violence, death | — | ||||||
| 10/24/23 | "Those Fantastic Lives" by Bradley Sides | A chain-smoking psychic is ready to retire, but first, she's got to see one last client. Find more from the author at www.bradley-sides.com. Content advisory: reference to child death | — | ||||||
Showing 25 of 191
Pitch Fit is a Pro feature
See how bookable this show is for guests, which brands already advertise, the per-episode ad value, and the best-fit guest and sponsor profile. The numbers are blurred on the free plan.
How readily this show books outside guests like you.
How proven this show is for host-read sponsorships.
For Guests
ProFor Advertisers
ProUpgrade to Pro to unlock guest cadence, sponsor categories, fit scores, and per-episode ad value for this show.
Similar Audience Demographics
Podcasts that attract a similar listener profile
Freakonomics Radio
Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
The Sporkful
Dan Pashman
Literally! With Rob Lowe
Stitcher & Team Coco, Rob Lowe
The Atlas Obscura Podcast
SiriusXM and Atlas Obscura
No Stupid Questions
Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
People I (Mostly) Admire
Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
The Dream
Little Everywhere
Glamorous Trash: A Celebrity Memoir Podcast
Chelsea Devantez
Chart history for LeVar Burton Reads
Peaked at #4 in New Zealand, top 10 in 6 of 50 tracked markets, currently #4 in New Zealand.
| Market | Genre | Peak | Current | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | — | #4 | #4 | — |
| KE | — | #4 | #4 | — |
| AE | — | #7 | #7 | — |
| Canada | — | #8 | #8 | — |
| United States | — | #10 | #10 | — |
| Norway | — | #10 | #10 | — |
| India | — | #12 | #12 | — |
| KE | — | #13 | #13 | — |
| CO | — | #15 | #15 | — |
| Germany | — | #18 | #18 | — |
| BE | — | #20 | #20 | — |
| NG | — | #20 | #20 | — |
| Spain | — | #24 | #24 | — |
| United Kingdom | — | #25 | #25 | — |
| TW | — | #26 | #26 | — |
| HU | — | #27 | #27 | — |
| Australia | — | #32 | #32 | — |
| MY | — | #32 | #32 | — |
| Canada | — | #33 | #33 | — |
| HK | — | #34 | #34 | — |
Chart Positions
50 placements across 43 markets.
Chart Positions
50 placements across 43 markets.