‘Arts & Letters’ Highlighted Among Top NPR Art Podcasts in the Country
The fan favorite UA Little Rock Public Radio program “Arts & Letters” has been highlighted as one of the top NPR art podcasts in the country.
FeedSpot named “Arts & Letters” in a list of the top 25 NPR art podcasts to listen to in 2023. The best NPR art podcasts were selected from thousands of podcasts on the web and ranked by traffic, social media followers, domain authority, and freshness.
Coming in at No. 12, “Arts & Letters” is a program celebrating contemporary arts, humanities, and social sciences, with an emphasis on authentic Southern voices.
“Arts & Letters Radio is proud to be a part of this prestigious list of the best NPR Art podcasts selected from thousands of podcasts on the web including WHYYs ‘Fresh Air’ with Terry Gross, PBS’s ‘American Masters: Creative Spark,’ and KJZZ’s ‘Word,’” said J. Bradley Minnick, executive producer and host. “These are all terrific shows in big markets. We are really proud to be included on a national stage.”
Founded in 2014, the award-winning program is broadcast on UA Little Rock Public Radio and its affiliated stations. In its ninth season, the program is supported by the Arkansas Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and from listeners. The landmark 100th episode aired last year, featuring writer, director, and producer Harry Thomason discussing his memoir, “Brother Dog: Southern Tales and Hollywood Adventures.”
This spring listeners can look forward to upcoming shows “Machete” with Texas poet Tomas Q. Morín, “The Hospice Doctor’s Widow” with Little Rock nonfiction author Jennifer O’Brien, “Book of Extraordinary Tragedies” with novelist Joe Meno, and “Fire Bones” featuring Arkansas poet Greg Brownderville.
The Arts & Letters Radio team includes Minnick, Mary Ellen Kubit, producer and story editor, and Joseph Fuller, sound production. Each episode also features original music, sound effects, and commentary from musicians, guests, and narrators.
Episodes can be streamed on Artandlettersradio.org, NPR One, the NPR Podcast page, and on over 17 podcast platforms including iTunes, Google Podcasts, Player FM, and iHeart Radio. In 2022, the program episodes had roughly 12,000 downloads with the average listener streaming three episodes.
“Once they listen, they get hooked,” Minnick added.
