Our podcasts

  • Central Valley of California image, used for MisInformed, narrative nonfiction podcast idea from writer Laura Joyce Davis

    (Mis)Informed

    Laura’s first podcasting idea, (Mis)Informed, looked at US-Mexico immigration through real-life stories from across literal and political borders. Laura conducted 22 interviews around the country for the show, and set up partnerships with Ethical Storytelling, the Mexico Department of Immigration, and four Mexican universities. The plan also included living in Mexico starting in the summer of 2020.

    (Mis)Informed was a finalist for a 2020 Fulbright scholarship, and the trailer was also a finalist at the 2019 WNYC podcast accelerator contest.

  • Season three logo for award-winning narrative nonfiction podcast Shelter in Place

    Shelter in Place

    Shelter in Place is an award-winning narrative nonfiction podcast reimagining life through creativity and community. In 200 episodes from March 2020-May 2022, the show blended open-hearted personal essays and intimate interviews. Shelter in Place was ranked in the top 1% globally of all active podcasts in 2021-2022.

    With musicians' ears, writers' pens, and voices that invite you in, we examined life's timely events and timeless questions. Listen, learn more, get background on each season, and find show notes at the Shelter in Place website.

  • Logo for the next podcast from Narrative Podcasts: person diving off the words RISKING DELIGHT with orange rising sun in background.

    Risking Delight

    The news cycle serves up a daily menu of our despair: political divisions, climate change, systemic racism, disease, and war. But what if instead of giving in to cynicism, we reached out toward delight?

    Set in the year 2075, Risking Delight imagines a world restored. From sewage treatment plants-turned-bird sanctuaries, to solar-powered classrooms in rural Malawi, delightful solutions exist today—just on a small scale. From welcoming home the unhoused to healing the planet, Risking Delight tells the story of what our world could be—if we are willing to take the leap.

 Shelter in Placeseason three trailer

“An uplifting fusion of art and honesty, full of insights into our strange cultural moment.” —jsk75gate reviewing Shelter in Place on Apple Podcasts

What ties our shows together is the belief in the value of well-told stories: to help us understand ourselves and others, to prompt us to recognize and celebrate our common humanity, to build bridges, not walls between us, and to fuel the spark of divinity within each of us.

Honors & awards

  • Goodpods top 5 podcast in creativity, awarded to Shelter in Place, from Narrative Podcasts, leaders in podcast training and workshops

    Goodpods ... top 5 creativity podcasts

    We were tickled to get this honor, two years after releasing our final episode of Shelter in Place! See the full list here, or head over to the Shelter in Place site for episodes, show notes, and the rest.

  • Sonic Bloom Awards ... finalist

    This is a new competition from She Podcasts celebrating new, indie, female, and trans-identifying creators. Shelter in Place is a finalist in two categories: “big budget sound” and “best intro.” (Winners to be announced in December.)

  • 2022 W3 silver award graphic, awarded to Shelter in Place podcast episode "Dancing Saved My life" for  scriptwriting.

    W3 Awards ... silver award winner

    A beautiful bicultural story of how you have to leave home to find it, our episode “Dancing saved my life” earned a silver award in the “best scriptwriting” category amongst 3,000+ entries in this digital media award show in its 17th year.

  • Podcast Magazine "top 22 influencers for 2022" badge earned by Laura Joyce Davis, co-founder of Narrative Podcasts and podcasting lecturer at the Stanford Storytelling Project

    Podcast Magazine "top 22 influencers for 2022"

    Editors said of the list — mostly household names and big execs — “Whether inspiring, informing, and/or entertaining, each has made unique and powerful contributions to the medium.” A great vote for indie storytelling!

  • 2021 International Women's Podcast Awards winner badge, earned by Shelter in Place podcast episode "An Affront to Zeus

    International Women's Podcast Awards

    Our episode “An Affront to Zeus” won the category “Changing the World a moment at a time.” The show, from Skylark Collective, attracted hundreds of entries from 13 countries.

  • Golden Crane Awards nominee badge, earned by Shelter in Place podcast episode "hyphenated identity" for best stories reflecting the Asian-American experience.

    Golden Crane Awards honorable mention

    Our April 2021 episode “Hyphenated identity” won an honorable mention in the “best stories reflecting the Asian experience” category for the 2021 awards, hosted by the Asian-American Podcasting Association.

  • Descript Studio Sound awards finalist

    Laura’s sample video showing how she used Descript’s new Studio Sound feature to improve a clip was a finalist in this contest. Descript is an advanced audio-to-text editing tool which we use to create every single episode of Shelter in Place!

  • WNYC Podcast Accelerator finalist

    Laura’s first podcasting project, “Misinformed,” was a finalist for the 2019 accelerator contest, held at the Werk It! podcasting conference in Los Angeles. Judges were from WNYC, one of the country’s premier public radio stations.

Make the next great narrative podcast: yours

  • Logo for the Narrative Podcasts self-paced course, the most comprehensive one-semester course for podcasting and creative living

    In-depth independent learning

    The same curriculum based on our award-winning Intensive, but available for pure self-paced study. (Students who purchase the course still receive exclusive discounts, and the option for private coaching session add-ons.

  • Logo for Narrative Podcasts workshops, where we cover key aspects of creating a story podcast in one two-hour session

    Two hours, lasting benefits

    Each session covers one of the key building blocks of narrative podcasting: scriptwriting and editing; recording and narration; and audio editing and sound design. Join live, or get the video and slides later.

Still looking for more? You can also check out the podcast Laura executive produces at her day job the last two years, State of the Human from the Stanford Storytelling Project.