10 Podcasts That Inspire My Writing
When I’m looking for writing inspiration, I love looking to other artists. One of my favorite tricks for how to find writing inspiration is listening to podcasts.
Here’s a round-up of some of my favorite podcasts that inspire my work!
Podcasts about writing and creativity
Creative Pep Talk
This is probably my favorite podcast right now, and despite only discovering it in 2023 have binged most of it and now listen weekly. Andy J. Pizza is a seasoned illustrator who works for some big names and has tons of great advice about growing your creative career and building a sustainable creative practice.
Favorite Episode: 3 Sources of Creative Fuel When You’re Running on Empty
VS
This is one of the best poetry podcasts out there, hands down. VS focuses on bringing marginalized voices (especially BIPOC) to the front and digging into the person behind the poetry. Lots of great insights.
Favorite Episode: Ada Limón vs Epiphany
Bitches On Comics
It’s never too late to get into something you’ve always wanted to be into. I’ve always wanted to be into comics, but it felt overwhelming. Not only does Bitches On Comics shed light on smaller comics (ie not just Marvel & DC) but they also get the writers to talk about all aspects of creative work.
Favorite Episode: Way Too Many Refrigerated Women
Poetry Unbound
I could listen to Padraig O’Tauma’s voice all day. I love Poetry Unbound because the episodes are only 15 to 20 minutes and easy to get into. He reads the poem up top, then talks about how the poem is working, then reads the poem again and it’s magical and sweet.
Favorite Episode: Prayer For Werewolves
Podcasts about fun stuff (for research!)
These podcasts are not directly related to writing, but they’re fun and teach me fun things which are valuable for life and writing.
Ologies with Allie Ward
I love this podcast for learning interesting things about the world and getting deep dives into topics. Some of my favorite pieces I’ve written have started from something I learned on Ologies.
Favorite Episode: Procyonolgy (Raccoons)
Stuff Mom Never Told You
This podcast dives into everything feminism and pop culture. They do several different series profiling real feminists, fictional femme characters, and a host of other good things.
Favorite Episode: Let’s Talk Witches: Wanda Maximoff
Exolore
I originally got into this podcast because of my work in the DND space over the course of quarantine. [The Host] builds different worlds with experts and it’s probably very useful for fiction authors, but it’s also just a fun imagination experiment.
Favorite Episode: Building Monsters with Dr. Emily Zarka
Podcasts about work and habits
Managing both a day job and a creative career takes a lot of planning, so these podcasts help with those aspects of life.
Rethinking with Adam Grant (Formely Work Life)
Work Life is technically finished as a series, but the feed features Adam’s new podcast Rethinking every week. The interviews are interesting and focus a lot on work culture, but sometimes explore general concepts and ideas, too.
Favorite Episode: The Daily Show’s Secret To Creativity
Grow The Show
This podcast is about growing a podcast. While it takes a little extra brain power, sometimes the episodes have helped me think about my creative career efforts. I think I actually found this podcast because of the Creative Pep Talk.
Favorite Episode: The Only 2 Things That You Need To Produce A Great Podcast Episode
The Growth League (formerly Professional AF)
I started listening to this podcast when it was a different name. There’s a lot of good stuff in here about navigating the workplace and life.
Favorite Episode: Why Tiny Habits Are The Secret to Transformative Change with BJ Fogg
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About the author
Abby Bland (she/they) is a nonbinary writer who also straddles the line between comic and poet in Kansas City. Her poems have appeared in numerous publications and she regularly produces shows in the KC area.