My favorite to fall asleep to.

Great podcast, enjoyed listening today.

I am the type of person to listen to audiobooks at an accelerated speed, so I am no stranger to quick words. However, Kate, please speak slower, and try to add emphasis and color to your speaking voice. I’m sorry to say but your voice comes off monotone and the words tumble out a mile a minute. I do support Clarksworld Magazine because it is a trove of amazing literature. But please listen to other story tellers (like LeVar Burton) and learn how to use your voice as a proper medium, or hire someone else.

Love all the different styles and I can’t count the number of times I have come to like a story I thought was not my jam! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I’ve listened for years and years and never left a review to tell you how much I love and appreciate the show. I hope you keep going forever. Many sincere thanks.

Love the show and Kate is great narrating. I really appreciate that they feature a lot of women authors. Great stories.

Not every story is for every listener and that’s cool, it’s the same way with all the short story anthology podcasts. I happen to like the pared-down, single narrator style of each episode because my goal is to fall asleep while listening. That being said, I don’t love the narrator’s tendency to lapse into an off-kilter cadence that features a lot of random mid-sentence pauses. If you’re sensitive to the rhythm of words and the flow of speech within the context of storytelling, consider yourself warned.

Kate & the team do an amazing job, offering us compelling stories & spellbinding narration. I really look forward to these dropping, and they add a lot of value to our lives as listeners and fans of good storytelling. Thank you, Kate & team!

You guys give up on us? Vacation? Sigh Ask for feed back? Kate, it's all the above. You got stellar production Wide rage in writers. They too have wide spectrum, only other podcast? With this type, they hit about one of two, sometimes less, sometimes more, Kate is the rock of production, consistent , a constant? Escape pod gets off track. With guest narations. But yeah, stories from all over the world for us spoiled North Americans. Hitting a nine outa ten on the storied, no other show has your value. Paid once, figure you're into me for quarter a show, presently light in wallet, but that will change. And so will contribution. Maybe a kidney? No you can't have a kidney. But you are missed when not there. Maybe a transfusion. Okay? AND an early morning walk thought: these could be boxed, there are 900 plus? Got the magazine art work, hard copy, for collectors, had any suggested? Still plenny of packrats with attachment disorders out there.

The best podcast around. Truly irreplaceable.

I started listening to this podcast less than a month ago, and I’ve already listened to 100+ episodes. Thank you for providing my commute with entertaining, well-written short stories. They are captivating!

Love these stories! Keep them coming!

I’m so happy this podcast is still going strong!

Is, unquestionably , Kate Baker. Please let her legion of adoring fans know what has become of this superb voice talent now that it appears Clarkesworld is no longer making podcasts. It is truly a shame that one of the oldest, most beloved sci-fi magazine podcasts ever produced is no longer around. But it seems almost CRIMINAL that Kate’s fans are being denied the comfort her incomparable voice brings to them semi-monthly. Sincerely, Mark B

I’m so happy to have found your wonderful podcast! These stories are interesting, Kate’s voice is soothing and it’s fast becoming my favorite thing to listen to.

You take me away from all and I thank you for that.

The best science fiction I have found! And I have tried a lot. Wonderful stories that make you really think about your world. All the people involved really love what they are doing and you can tell. And Kate has a really fantastic story telling voice! She has brought me to the verge of tears several times! You will never regret this subscription.

The stories are well curated, but it is listening to Kate Baker that raises Clarkesworld from very good to sublime. To quote my wife, who would never listen to speculative fiction but for me subjecting her to it on road trips, "I can always listen to Kate. Her voice is so soothing."

Creator is a wonderful curator of content. I really love all of the stories and they narrator is really talented. I tend to fall asleep to their voice and then relisten to them to ease into my morning. And I love that she really stresses the author credits. I feel like a lot of podcasts just list them and move forward, but her explanation really reminds you how much love goes into theses stories. And thank you to the translators who give us access to stories around the world!

I love to relax and listen to some of the best writers in the genre. Thank you for all you do

Awesome collection of stories, masterfully narrated by a very friendly and savvy narrator who makes one feel at home with each new tale retold in this fine format. Give it a listen, you’ll find something special I’m sure. And to the Clark’s world staff, thank you for putting out this wonderful podcast! Ps, Keiki is pronounced Kay-ki, or kayiki. Aloha Nui Loa!

An amazing assortment of Sci-fi and Speculative fiction. The story choice and narration are top rate.

I binge listened to Clarkesworld during the pandemic. When I couldn’t handle any more bad news Kate Baker’s silky smooth voice and expert narration gave me an escape. The stories are excellent, from a diverse range of sci-fi writers. Thank you Neil Clarke, Kate Baker, and the team that make it all happen.

Many of the stories are amazing, and there are just so many stories! They range from excellent to terrible, making it hard to wade through. I could do without the second rate "woke" stories - it seems that the trend is that its okay to lower the bar, as long as your protagonist identifies as LBGTQ. There are more high quality stories, than low, which is what makes listening worth it. The sheer quantity of listening hours is impressive, overall, a good podcast.

We get it, the publishing industry is very woke and hates straight cisgender white people. Please just go back to publishing science fiction, not catering to your echo chamber on Twitter that wants you to believe demonizing the majority of the population and centering those who hate them is somehow leading to a better future for anyone. I would like to think that at least a small number of gatekeepers in the publishing industry still remember that their job is to seek out good stories, not unquestioningly platform the identity politics of those who shout left-leaning buzzwords in their faces on social media. It’s ok if a white majority country publishes a majority of white authors. It’s also ok if they’re straight and cisgender and were born in the country they still live in and don’t hate themselves. It’s ok to publish stories that represent the country they’re being published in. You don’t have to cater to leftist fringe writers whose only publishing credits are just the industry’s version of diversity hires. You can publish based on talent and appeal to the people, not just the fringe who hate them. It’s possible. Even in 2022. Not everyone in America is an angry minority on Twitter. You can still maintain a readership without catering to that group, as much as they would like you to believe otherwise (so they can keep getting published, since it’s all self-serving.)

So glad I found this podcast. The shows have been great. My only criticism, is that I wish you gave a synopsis of the shows. Other than that… keep up the great work.

This was disappointing. I wanted good science fiction but the first two stories were ridiculous. So irritating that I had difficulty finishing the second story. Give the Woke crap a rest. Robert

This was just the BEST story. I fell in Love with the protagonists and their creations. The final line broke me (in a GOOD way), well done! Love.

I’ve listened to many, many stories. Binging. The stories are good and the voice of the reader can add to the experience. I can only listen to 3 or 4 stories before I have to stop. The problem is how softly ( low volume) she gets. Her normal speaking voice is good, easy to understand. But she’s got this persistent habit of getting breathy - not whispering- just breathy. The volume goes down and the breathy words bear no relationship to the text. It gets hard adjusting to the lower and lower volume. Why not just speak? It’s a lovely speaking voice.

A sci-fi podcast featuring primarily LGBTQ+ and Chinese authors. The reader, Kate, is good IMO despite some reviews here not liking her. Big note though, she is reading stories, these are NOT audiodramas with any additional production. As such, some are dramatic and some are frankly word salad when read aloud and you just zone out. I call this one hit or miss, there are some classics in the catalog, give it a try (including older episodes) and see if it's for you. I've found that the last year or so, they just don't keep my interest though.

If an author’s sexual orientation and lifestyle choices are more important than writing ability, then this is the podcast for you. Virtually every story introduction is seized as an opportunity to shove these irrelevancies into your face. It is boring, monotonous, and completely unnecessary.

I’ve been listening to Kate Baker narrate stories for Clarkesworld since 2017, including a good bit of their back catalog. The narration is great quality, as is the selection. I highly recommend this podcast for anyone who loves sci-fi.

Sci-fi isn’t one of my favorite genres so I skip stories here and there if they don’t interest me. I do try to give them all a chance though and most are really good. The thing that makes this podcast exceptional though is Kate. Hands down best narrator of all the podcasts I’ve been listening to. I prefer single narration to overproduced audio shows but Kate does such a great job that I often forget it’s just one person. Between accents, voices and style of speaking you will feel like it’s a full cast production. So glad I gave this a chance!

Having listened to most if not all of this type of broadcasts. (Sci-fi fantasy) I find that Clarkesworld is the only program I can tolerate on a regular basis. Most other programs have annoying special effects and somewhat carnival aspect. This program takes itself seriously and allows me to do the-same. Special mention goes out to Kate Baker. Her ability to differentiate characters with subtle voice alterations allows me to follow the story without being distracting. The quality and variety of stories keeps me interested and prevents boredom. I am a financial supporter and recommend this option to others so this excellent program continues to grow and excel.

Simple narration let’s the stories stand on their own. Lots of good ones.

I believe it’s a style choice that the narrator changes the volume of her voice. To me it’s a form of manipulation that I don’t enjoy. I don’t want to be manipulated by the narrator, I want the story to drive the action. So, after many tries, I give up. It’s simply too much work to hear.

I've been enjoying this podcast for more than three years, now, and have come to appreciate host Kate Baker's delivery. At first I was put off my a single presenter, but now enjoy having a consistent lens through which to view the differing styles of writing. I've recenty started listening to the entire archive from the beginning, and the breadth of available material is impressive. There are thirteen years of great stories to explore, along with the current productions. Good stuff!

Some really original SF and a nice voice to carry it. What else to ask for?

Each story, read aloud by narrator Kate Baker, is a treat. It’s like being able to read the magazine but on your own terms and places. Narration is good, stories are riveting!

I listened to a podcast on this channel several months ago. It wasn’t narrated by Kate Baker but it was a male instead. It was about a man in a hotel room being tormented by the devil in the form of a child. Something about birthing the Antichrist or something. If someone can please let me know what this is so I can listen again I’d be so happy!!

Just listened today, this story from Nov 2015, titled So Much Cooking by Naomi Kritzer. You have to listen to it!!! Talks about a virus, wearing face masks and social distancing, vaccines 😳😳😳 ... I kept thinking what the author felt when the real nightmare began...

This is a wonderful short story podcast with an amazing narrator. My only wish is that after the story there would be a mini discussion with a second or even third host. Making this show feel like a a book club rather than just an audiobook version of the magazine would really up it’s game. Maybe even one episode a month the hosts could discuss all the stories of the month.

Potential to be a fantastic podcast. I appreciate the effort to bring us amazing new sci fi stories, especially in the current, difficult climate, and all for free. However, (and I think I’m in the minority here), I can’t get on board with Kate Baker’s narration. She mispronounces SO MANY words, stumbles over SO MANY phrases, and every time, it takes me out of the story. She has an undeniably smooth and easy voice, but I would love to hear many of these stories read by someone else.

Great story Kate, desperately needed now. FiVe thumbs up.

Look, I listen to a LOT of audiobooks. Like, a lot lot, for years. Kate Baker, the Clarkesworld Magazine narrator, is one of the best storytellers I’ve found. The inflections in her soothing voice are natural and lulling, the voices of her characters feel unforced yet distinct, her pronunciations from various languages, alien and real, are unassailable, her rhythm and flow are hypnotic, and her words paint entire worlds on the veil in my brain between reality and daydreams.

The stories that have been read in the past year have not been as good as previous years.

Stories are a little hit and miss, to be expected for a show with the premise it does... mostly they are good and well chosen stories. Some of them are really really good. And some are just... like what even is this about? And not in an interesting way. No accounting for taste though I guess. Someone out there probably likes those. I do love that an effort is made to include writers of a wide variety of backgrounds and that’s actually really cool of the show. Not in love with the narrator though. She’s got this really weird, breathy thing she does with almost all proper nouns, inexplicably, and just kinda for no reason sometimes and it’s super jarring to me and a little annoying.

An amazing podcast. They come up with stories from authors we just never hear of here in the West, and most are just top notch. Great stories, consistently. An the narration is just great! I would listen to Kate Baker read the phonebook. (Are there still phonebooks? Well, you get the idea.) 11/10, would recommend to anyone who likes fiction, esp. good science fiction.

The stories selection is good and the narration is even better. I would love to hear her narrate for Audible.

I’ve always supported Clarkesworld the magazine, and their podcast has consistently lived up to their reputation. Kate Baker is an AMAZING narrator and really sets this podcast head and shoulders above the rest! Don’t change a thing guys and gals. 😁