Zakiya Gibbons 😍 new fiction 🪷 D&D 🐲 fake degrees 🎓
🍭 👂 TRUST US! 🌈 🤸♀️
Hi hello!
Wil Williams back at it again at Krispy Kreme (Podcast the Newsletter, because we are that sweet). It’s Valentine’s Day week, and as someone who LOVES LOVE, I am personally excited & thrilled & enthused & putting pink heart glitter on my face & buying people flowers. And as always always always, sharing my love for podcasting and the audio medium overall. Hopefully you’ll find some new loves from this edition too! 💝💖💗💓💞❣️
xoxo ww
👋q & a & q & a & q & a👋
Zakiya Gibbons
Zakiya Gibbons is an award-winning podcast producer, story editor, host, and writer based in Brooklyn. She has worked with Gimlet Media, WNYC, Radiotopia, Audible, Crooked Media, Slate Media, Storycorps, The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and more. Zakiya is a co-founder of the POC in Audio Directory, a resource created to fight the lack of racial diversity in the audio industry. Zakiya and her collaborators were recognized by Bitch Media as among the top 50 "most impactful creators, artists, and activists in pop culture" for their work in advocating for racial equity in audio. Zakiya is the host and editor of Hang Up, which was named one of the best podcasts of 2023 by Vogue and Vulture Magazine.
Describe Hang Up in 10 words or less.
intimate, juicy, funny, thoughtful, sweet, binge-worthy, tender, sexy, authentic, campy
Why are you the perfect host for this show?
Haha I wouldn’t call myself “the perfect host” for Hang Up, but I’d say I’m a great fit for hosting Hang Up because I genuinely have SO much fun hosting it because I’m such a fan of Hang Up, and so many other reality shows. So I channel my love and encyclopeadic knowledge of reality tv to this role to create my ‘reality show host persona’. But that ‘persona’ is still very largely who I am just out in the real world not on mic: someone who’s a bit nosey and asks a lot of questions to get the relationship tea.
What makes Hang Up special, in your opinion?
Honestly, so much makes Hang Up special in my very biased opinion!! I’d say our team is super special. I work super collaboratively with show creator and producer Caitlin Pierce and sound designer and co-editor Ben Montoya, different perspectives and talents, plus our shared values and goal of making a sex-positive, queer reality dating show that’s fun and thoughtful resulted in us making a truly special show. Hang Up is also special in that it’s super queer, experiments with style and format, has a unique sense of humor and campiness to it, and a special mix of heartfelt, tender, emotional moments balanced with ridiculousness and humor.
Do you like reality dating shows?
I love reality tv in general, from competition shows like Rupaul’s Drag Race to “lifestyle” reality shows like Real Housewives. I love the OG reality dating shows like I Love New York and Flavor of Love, because they’re iconic, but I never got into the Bachelor/Bachelorette. Too corny for me. I like the earlier seasons of Love is Blind and Love Island and season 8 of Are You the One (the queer season). But while I find these shows entertaining, they can also be pretty infuriating and honestly triggering to watch as there’s often misogynoir, sexism, biphobia, and toxic heteronormativity running rampant that slaps me in the face while I’m just trying to blow some steam off via the escapism of reality TV. That’s why Caitlin, Ben, and I wanted to make a reality dating show without all that toxicity, but still with the good juicy bits of reality dating shows.
How will season two be different than season one?
I’m so excited for people to hear season two, which drops this spring in May, because it’s pretty different from season one. We still have the same format and themed dates, but it’s an older crowd this time, set in the Southwest. The star of season two is a 41-year-old trans nonbinary museum curator who has two kids, and many of the callers are in their 40’s too!
🚨If u only have time for 1 thing🚨
From Holly at Tink!:
“Kiki + Dan Savage on the latest episode of Indecent = Your Unexpected Valentine. This episode is a love letter to the romantically challenged, the heartbroken, and the hopeful. Imagine tackling the mess and magic of modern love with none other than the sage of relationships, Dan Savage. It's the PERFECT blend of raw truth and heartfelt advice about navigating dating apps, ghosting, and loneliness. But they're not just talking about dating woes; they're unpacking the seismic shift in romance post women's lib, what straight couples need to learn from queer relationships, and why, despite it all, he remains a steadfast believer in love. It's a reality check, a history lesson and the Valentine's Day debrief you didn't know you needed, but won't want to miss.”
🧚♀️recs from Lauren 🧚♀️
✨This Is Uncomfortable: On This Is Uncomfortable, Reema Khrais is taking a break from money conversations to share human stories from Gaza. First up, an interview with her dad, who grew up there and now lives in North Carolina. Then there’s an interview with a woman named Hana, who led a completely normal life before Israel’s military campaign began. The conversation took place over multiple zoom calls, between communication blackouts, with Reema unsure if Hana was even alive. It all seems so unbelievably terrifying, too much so to be true—Hana was evacuated from her home and is staying on the floor in a crowded home, 156 members of her extended family have been killed. But Hana’s story is eerily relatable. These two pieces, with Reema’s dad, who now tends to his garden while the city he called home is being demolished, and Hana, who is willing to open up about her darkest moments during the scariest time of her life, of anyone’s life, offer meaningful perspectives of the people of Gaza. Listen here and here.
✨Proof: Susan Simpson and Jacinda Davis have a new season of Proof about a young woman who was found murdered in a warehouse and the two men sitting in jail for doing it. Susan and Jacinda are thorough and so good at this, I really enjoy the process they use to tell the story, ask questions, and poke holes. When I hear Susan’s voice I think of Serial because of her excellent coverage about Adnan’s story on Undisclosed, and these stories have similarities. So much hinges upon tons of teenagers unsurprisingly unable to remember specific moments of important events. But some of these kids are lying. Who? Why? The episode that dropped today had some damning evidence that puts blame on the police, also unsurprising. Big episodes drop every Monday, but then every Thursday there’s a “sidebar” episode that lets them jump in with additional thoughts. I LOVE this format for true crime…so often podcasts that drop once a week leave me forgetting everything, or mixing the plot up with another series I’m listening to. This keeps the story fresh in my mind. Listen here.
✨Josie's Lonely Hearts Club: Possibly the most beautiful thing I’ve been listening to lately is Josie's Lonely Hearts Club, a love advice call in show hosted by “Josie Heller” (Joanne Holtzinger, voiced by Rache Music.) We get to eavesdrop on these funny, totally human interactions, and hear back-conversations with the show’s engineer Frank and learn about Joanne and how she became Josie. The fact that it’s “semi-improvised” gives it a certain springiness, and Josie (Joanne (Rachel)) has this perfectly seductive voice that makes every second of the show a delight. (I’m trying to think of how to describe her voice. You’ll feel like a woman with sexy legs is swinging on a swing, smoking a cigarette and smiling, blowing the cigarette smoke into the air.) (??? I don’t know, you listen and write up your own description.) The production is phenomenal…this show will take you away. Just look at the cover art (and listen.)
🔥hell yeah🔥
🎙️Today’s BlkPodNews (SUBSCRIBE!) is all about I AM STORY, a limited series hosted by Lee Saunders, the first African American President of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). I AM STORY uses archival audio to connect the history of labor movements in the past to today. This podcast is up for an NAACP Image Award, and I can’t wait to dive in.
🎙️Stormfire Productions, the studio behind Kalila Stormfire’s Economical Magick Services and Tales from the Hearth, are gearing up for the release of their new audio drama, The Ortiz Twins Are Coming Home. I’m thrilled to have more fantasy from creator Lisette Alvarez, and I can’t wait to hear the story of these twins reconnecting with their Indigenous roots while traversing the Underworld. To celebrate the launch of their first episode and their crowdfunding campaign on February 24th, the team is hosting a launch party at the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum in Alexandria, VA. The event will have food, drink, and a silent auction. Please please please go for me!
💎BTW💎
🎙️The Nightingale of Iran follows the story of father and son Younes and Farid Dardashti, two beloved Jewish singers in Iran who left the country at the height of their fame. This new limited series by PRX looks into why they left the country, unveiling the secrets of the family, from the granddaughters of Younes and daughters of Farid. The first episode dropped last week, and it’s fantastic.
🎙️Material Girls takes on breaking down Dungeons & Dragons to its basic fundamentals for a loving look at this recently hyped tabletop game system. We’ve had a lot of D&D explainers over the years, but this is my favorite in recent memory. It’s a cute, sweet, fun conversation that asks the real questions newbies have. It’s a great listen if you, like me, recently finished Baldur’s Gate 3.
🎙️The most recent episode of the always fascinating Darknet Diaries was WILD. It goes into the business practices of Axact, a company that sells fake degrees. And then sells more courses you “need” to finish your fake degree. And then also keeps extorting you. And your all of your data sent to the “school?” Oh boy. Oh boy. Oh boy. It’s a great listen — I always love episodes where you can tell how stunned host Jack Rhysider is.
🎙️Catching up on the Financial Times’ limited series Untold: The Retreat has been illuminating, to say the least, as someone who had Goenka meditation retreats recommended to me all the time when I was a Troubled Teen™️. Very glad I didn’t go after listening to this harrowing, moving series so far. Be warned for very heavy themes around mental health before you dive in — but if you do, be sure to start with the first episode.
🎙️Ask Your Father is the newest audio drama from Gideon Media, and its first two episodes are out now! I’ve loved Gideon Media’s work since the truly singular Steal the Stars, and their quality remains some of the highest across the board in fiction — without ever feeling too glossy or clean. This new adventure centers on a man stranded on a space ship with only his AI companion and questions sent from his kids back on earth. Questions of family, power, authority, humanity, and home are sure to unfold in this gorgeously designed story. Start with the first episode!
🎙️I love you!
📦 From the Archives 📦
Every Valentine’s Day I love talking up my favorite podcast about love (though I would not call it a love story), Two-Up Productions’ 36 Questions. This three-episode podcast is a full musical starring Jonathan Groff and Jessie Shelton as a married couple who recently became estranged due to long-running lies bubbling to the surface. The show is structured around the “36 Questions that Lead to Love,” and constantly asks the listener to engage with what they believe about identity, trust, and of course, love. 36 Questions has been one of my top-5 favorite audio dramas since it was released, and I return to it — and its incredible soundtrack — often. The characters are memorable, fascinating, and awful in very human and specific ways. The jokes always land, the chemistry is real, and the writing moves gracefully from tense to intimate to frustrating to heartbreaking to joyful, all the while reminding you that another shoe must certainly drop. I am still, forever, asking: 36 Questions vinyl when!!!
🎧From the Desk of Tink🎧
Today we’re talking to Dr. Kerry McInerney and Dr. Eleanor Drage of The Good Robot.
Who is it for?
Our show is for anyone with an interest in new technologies and how they're shaping our world, and especially those who want to think about technology through a feminist and pro-justice lens. We originally made our podcast for people working in the tech industry, but we draw listeners from government, policy, law firms, universities, even schools!
Which episode to start with?
This is such a hard question! Kerry personally loves Sneha Revanur's episode on youth activism and algorithmic injustice - Sneha is incredible (and now on Time's list of 100 in AI!) and it's a great introduction to why AI's harms aren't way off in the future, but happening right now.
Favorite listener interaction:
Eleanor once had a listener come up to her in a pub (the local Wetherspoons, for anyone based in the UK) and ask if she was THE Eleanor Drage! We absolutely love listener interactions, so this really made her day. Kerry loves hearing from listeners about how the podcast has helped them feel more understood or less lonely - to any of our listeners who feel like they're fighting a battle alone, we are thinking of you.
Dream guest:
Kerry's dream guest would be the science fiction writer Ted Chiang, who writes some of her favourite short stories (like Story of Your Life, the story that the film Arrival is based on), or Timnit Gebru, the founder and executive director of DAIR (the Distributed AI Research Institute).
Would love to be a guest on…
Kerry absolutely adores the podcast Maintenance Phase, which explores health and wellness through a critical lens. She'd love to go on and talk about how ideas about race and food shape approaches to wellness culture in the US. Eleanor would love to be a guest on the BBC Radio 4 show In Our Time, hosted by Melvyn Bragg; she's a huge BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4 Fan!
What do your parents/family think you do?
Eleanor's friends and family think that she does everything from imagining better worlds through to sex education! Kerry's friends and family think that she gets paid to talk about anything and everything, which is a very good fit for her.