LeVar Burton Reads

LeVar Burton Reads is back November 1st with stories from Stephen Graham Jones, Kim Fu, Tobias Buckell and more, in our new immersive format!

A man remembers a supernatural force from his childhood.

A reporter travels to Miami to investigate the fringes of science and faith. This story appears in THE ASSIMILATED CUBAN'S GUIDE TO QUANTUM SANTERIA.

A rideshare driver must spring into action when his passenger casts a dangerous and deadly spell. Content advisory: explicit language, violence, terrorism

LeVar Burton Reads is coming back! Plus, an immersive remix of Shirley Jackson's story about a recently widowed woman who vanishes overnight.Content advisory: violence, death“The Story We Used to Tell” is from DARK TALES by Shirley Jackson, published by Penguin Classics, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

A new immersive remix of a season one classic. An immigrant mother tries to bond with her American-born son by creating a magical paper menagerie. This story appears in Ken Liu's collection THE PAPER MENAGERIE AND OTHER STORIES, available now from Saga Press.Content advisory: Hospitals, death of a parent

William Andrews, an investment banker with Goldman Sachs, dies on September 23, 2012, and finds himself confronted with his life after death. "Afterlife" appears in Stephen King's collection THE BAZAAR OF BAD DREAMS.Content advisory: Descriptions of death, illness, sexual assault

This week: the first place winner of the LeVar Burton Reads writing contest, as co-presented by FIYAH Literary Magazine and Tor.com! A runaway and indentured thief, Eri must provide a new secret to open each new lock, at the cost of her own memory.

An aging barbarian sets out to battle a bridge troll, mano a mano, and thus prove his mettle. “Troll Bridge” by Terry Pratchett, was first published in 1992. © Dunmanifestin Limited.

Public Enemy Number One, John Dillinger, looks to escape the feds with the help of a cunning wizard. Content advisory: Gunfire

A sentient house, haunted by its own loneliness, exercises its powers on a skeptic. This story was published by Diabolical Plots. Content advisory: Brief discussion of death

An AI-controlled avatar built to entertain patients in deep space performs innocuous magic tricks for patients... until one day, he adds something new to his act.This story was originally published in AVATARS INC edited by Ann VanderMeer, and collected in THE YEAR'S BEST SCIENCE FICTION, VOL. 2 edited by Jonathan Strahan.PLUS! With FIYAH Literary Magazine and Tor.com, we announce the winners of the LeVar Burton Reads writing contest!Content advisory: hospice setting, death

Get a sneak peek of our our immersive sound! A cab driver spends an ordinary day ferrying passengers around Manhattan -- until an incident involving a wealthy alien tourist imperils his livelihood. Content advisory: alien death.

What's the weirdest temp job you can imagine? One outside time and space... This story appears in Tobias Buckell's collection SHOGGOTHS IN TRAFFIC AND OTHER STORIES, published by Fairwood Press. Content advisory: some discussion of murder/death

A spy narrates his thoughts as he jumps from an airplane and freefalls toward his government target.If you enjoyed this story, check out Stephen Graham Jones' novel, MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW, published by Saga Press.Content advisory: death

A sentient government surveillance drone is ensnared, and must determine his captor's motives. For more from Sarah Gailey, visit www.sarahgailey.com.

A group of mall Santas celebrating Christmas Eve discover that there is a stranger in their midst. "The Usual Santas" appears in Mick Herron's collection DOLPHIN JUNCTION, published by Soho Press (US) and John Murray (UK), 2021.

A man begins a relationship with a woman who has fled from a disintegrating parallel universe. For more from the author, check out his website www.timothymudie.com or find him on Twitter @timothy_mudie. Content advisory: Discussion of death

When Joy revisits her family's old cabin, she's reminded of childhood memories of a pond in the woods and its mysterious powers. For more from Tananarive, check out her works at tananarivedue.com and look for her new novel THE REFORMATORY and graphic novel THE KEEPER, both due out in 2022. Content advisory: Depiction of dementia/illness, brief mention of death

LeVar Burton Reads is back December 7th, featuring work from Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones and Sarah Gailey, a winter holiday story, the winning entry of the LBR Writing Contest and much more! Plus LeVar answers some of your questions about making the podcast and gives out some tips to up your "reading aloud" game.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A kindergartner travels through a portal to a fantastic and eerie new world. This story appears in Ellen's collection WICKED WONDERS. Find more of Ellen's writing for adults and middle grade readers at ellenklages.com.Content advisory: disappearance of a childSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A tour guide leads virtual reality “experiences” for tourists who want to know what it’s like to be Native American. Think Black Mirror meets Westworld. For more great writing by Rebecca, check out her acclaimed debut novel TRAIL OF LIGHTNING, as well as BLACK SUN, the first installment of her 'Between Earth and Sky' series. You can preorder the next book, FEVERED STAR, right now. Check out rebeccaroanhorse.com for updates on her novels, comics, and television writing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An immigrant mother tries to bond with her American-born son by creating a magical paper menagerie. This story appears in Ken Liu's collection THE PAPER MENAGERIE AND OTHER STORIES, available now from Saga Press. Ken Liu's forthcoming novel, THE VEILED THRONE, is the third installment of THE DANDELION DYNASTY and will be available November 2nd from Saga Press. Content advisory: Hospitals, death of a parent

A young woman is hired to look after an ailing man who's been ostracized by his family and sent to live in an old house by the sea.Find more from Silvia Moreno-Garcia at silviamoreno-garcia.com.

An anthropologist copes with the passing of her beloved tía abuela, experimenting with her own method of honoring her. This story was first published in SPECULATIVE FICTION FOR DREAMERS. Content advisory: Death, surgery

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 illnessOnly a few more days to enter the LeVar Burton Reads Writing Contest! Check out www.levarburtonpodcast.com/contest for details.

A veteran pilot revisits memories, and searches for remnants of her old experimental smartship. Content advisory: WarSubmissions are now open for the LeVar Burton Reads Writing Contest! Check out www.levarburtonpodcast.com/contest for details.

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 languageSubmissions are now open for the LeVar Burton Reads Writing Contest! Check out www.levarburtonpodcast.com/contest for details.

An athlete trains to win a prize that would ensure her survival.Content advisory: Discussion of degenerative illness, deathSubmissions are now open for the LeVar Burton Reads Writing Contest! Check out www.levarburtonpodcast.com/contest for details.

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.

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

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.

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. All rights reserved.Content Advisory: Blood, intimation of assault/violence

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

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.

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...

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

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 pandemics, near-drowning

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

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

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

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.

Adolescent boys are faced with the reality of friendships, old and new, as they work on plans to build their own airplane. "Flyboys" appears in Tobias Wolff's collection OUR STORY BEGINS, published by Vintage Books, and is available in audio from Blackstone Audio. Content advisory: discussion of death

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.

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

A woman struggles to understand why her elderly father has begun to spontaneously teleport. Content advisory: drug addiction, illness, death

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.

A waitress is jolted from her morning routine when she's visited by a mysterious child.

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.

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".