We started the Behind the Mic podcast in the fall of 2018 with the idea that written reviews were not the only way we could “talk” audiobooks. We create brief conversations about recommended titles each weekday, and include a specially chosen sound sample. In the 6 or so minutes of each episode, we cover a lot of ground. Our podcast host Jo Reed is a master at bringing out the highlights of each audiobook and asking good questions about the narrators and authors. Now, we have recorded 1500 episodes of Behind the Mic and gathered legions of podcast listeners to our conversations. Sometimes quirky or funny, sometimes unexpected, but always fresh and honest, our short chats reflect our personal listening interests. Jo Reed's interview skills really shine in our long-form—bonus—interviews with narrators and authors.
To celebrate this milestone of 1500 episodes, we created five "Meet the Voices Behind the Mic" episodes to introduce the current editors: Kendra Winchester, Alan Minskoff, Emily Connelly, Michele Cobb, and Robin Whitten. We highlight our favorite episodes and talk about our personal listening preferences. Listen to these episodes below, and you can take a deep dive into all of the episodes at audiofilemagazine.com/podcast.
Meet the Voices Behind the Mic
Host Jo Reed
Jo Reed is a compulsive listener of audiobooks. She was the program director of the book and theater channel on XM Satellite Radio, where she created, produced, and hosted “This Is Audible” and “Writers on Writing.” She also created, produced, and hosted the literary show “On the Margin” for WPFW, where it ran for 18 years. Jo hosts AudioFile’s podcast “Behind the Mic.”
Robin Whitten
Robin Whitten founded AudioFile Magazine in 1992 based on her passion for audiobooks and the voices of the gifted narrators who make the listening experience. She always works audiobooks into any conversation about reading, or about which book to read or listen to next. Recommending audiobooks comes naturally, and she is always looking for ways to engage listeners whether in print, online, or in the podcast form. Her favorite audiobook is the brilliant full-cast production of THE GOLDEN COMPASS by Philip Pullman.
Likes: mysteries & thrillers, historical fiction
Michele Cobb
Michele Cobb is such a fan of audiobooks that she wears many hats in the industry, including Publisher of AudioFile Magazine. She regularly travels around the globe talking about the growth of the format. Her favorite audiobook is BLINDNESS by José Saramago, read by Jonathan Davis.
Likes: celebrity biographies, business books, “weird" fiction
Emily Connelly
Assistant Editor Emily Connelly enjoys working with AudioFile’s wonderful team of reviewers. She is a former wildlife biologist, an avid reader, and a parent to two book-loving little kids. Emily first discovered audiobooks as a child at her local library and now works in the public library helping others find just the right book—and audiobook, naturally. She is balancing her work coordinating reviewers, managing AudioFile’s articles, and contributing to AudioFile’s podcast with working at the library.
Likes: kids & YA audiobooks, romance, sci-fi & fantasy
Kendra Winchester
Kendra Winchester is the newest contributor to AudioFile’s Behind the Mic podcast. As well as being an AudioFile reviewer, Kendra is also a contributing editor for Book Riot and the founder of Read Appalachia, an initiative that celebrates Appalachian literature and writing. Previously, Kendra co-founded and served as executive director for Reading Women, a podcast with LitHub Radio. In her off hours, you can find her posting photos of her corgis on Instagram and Twitter @kdwinchester.
Likes: literary fiction, essays & memoirs, Appalachian lit, audiobooks about disability
Alan Minskoff
Alan listens to audiobooks as he commutes from his house in Boise to his work at the College of Idaho in Caldwell, and when he walks his flat-coated retrievers along the Boise river or on the greenbelt. Alan is also the author of the book The Idaho Traveler. He says that his odd looking “wireless bone conduction headphones” get the occasional stare, but they are especially helpful hearing the nuances of narrators.
Likes: audiobooks about food and the environment, literary fiction, history & contemporary culture
Be sure to follow Behind the Mic on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast listening app so you can get recommendations on the best new audiobooks—and hear our exclusive author and narrator interviews.
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