4 Top Non-True Crime Podcasts of 2023 - So Far!

Not into true crime podcasts? Well don’t worry I have you covered! These four great new non-true crime podcasts will definitely keep you entertained.

1. The Turning: Room of Mirrors - By Erika Lantz - iHeartPodcasts & Rococo Punch.

Knowing next to nothing about the world of ballet, the ballet famous names that are mentioned are all new to me in this brand new season of The Turning: Room of Mirrors but it doesn’t make it any less interesting! The main “character” in this podcast is choreographer George Balanchine and what can only be described as his controversial teaching methods and behaviours. We hear directly from ballerinas who were trained by and worked with Balanchine, some of whom were “under his spell” for many years. It is only with time and reflection that they have realised that not all of his actions outside of ballet were morally correct, he was always pushing boundaries! However, it is very clear that Balanchine was extremely talented and highly regarded in the world of ballet and his story is so interesting.

There are four episodes available now.

If you like this current season of The Turning podcast then be sure to listen to season one The Turning: The Sisters Who Left which I featured in My Top Podcasts for June 2021 blog and is equally captivating.

2. Svetlana! Svetlana! - Hosted By Dan Kitrosser - iHeartPodcasts.

Next up is this engaging and very witty podcast that has playwright Dan Kitrosser at the helm. Svetland! Svetlana! tells the story of the extremely complicated and unpredictable life of Joseph Stalin’s daughter Svetlana. In 1967 Svetlana:

“… braved her way over the Iron Curtain, secret memoir in tow, and landed in America as the Cold War’s most famous defector. At 40 years old, Svetlana had left everything behind for a new life in the West and the chance to finally share her story.” (Source here).

Without giving the story away, as you will probably have already guessed, Svetlana’s life in the USA is far from ordinary and essentially involves a series of crazy experiences and events which we will hear all about throughout the course this podcast.

I absolutely love the host Dan Kitrosser; his epic one liners have had me laughing out loud multiple times already. There are three episodes available so far and I can already tell that this podcast is going to be a huge hit!

3. Discarded - Hosted By Gloria Riviera - Lemonada Media.

This four-part investigative series sees host Gloria Riviera delve into the world of plastic! Yes, plastic! Plastic is truly taking over our planet and not in a good way. In this podcast we first meet Sharon Lavigne, who is described as a “modern day Erin Brockovich” and is fighting to keep one of the largest plastic manufacturing companies in the world out of her community, St. James Parish in Louisiana. This location is “set on the Mississippi River in an area known as “Cancer Alley.””. Host Riviera investigates how our plastic world came to be:

“Because plastic is everywhere – it has advanced our world, but it has damaged our environment and our health. So what do we do? We look at what’s next for all of us, and how we can learn from communities like St. James to make a difference in our own backyards.” (Source here).

There is only one episode of what I anticipate being an eye-opening series available so far with new episodes released weekly. This is definitely a show not to be missed.

4. Unreformed: The Story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children - Hosted By Josie Duffy Rice - iHeartPodcasts.

There is no denying that this podcast does not make for easy listening. The subject matter is cruel, gut-wrenching and loathsome but it is an important part of US history and the stories need to be told.

As the title suggests, this podcast series tells the story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children (now a juvenile reform school) through the experiences of some of the children (now adults) who had the absolute misfortune of enduring a period of time in this diabolical institution:

“… once called the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children or Mt. Meigs. The school opened in the early 20th century as a safe haven for Black kids, but by the 1960s, it had become something else entirely.” (Source here).

Rice investigates this institution and the far reaching consequences that it has had on those who attended the school.

There are four episodes available now.

If you've any questions, suggestions or just want to say hello, contact me via the Contact Form, Instagram (@noroadlongenough) or By Email noroadlongenough1@gmail.com