Behind the Mic With Kirkus Reviews

Jo Reed

tbeer@kirkus.com

For verified host and producer emails, sign up to view.

Booking Overview

This audiobook-review podcast features host Jo Reed in conversations with contributor guests who assess new releases, authors’ performances, narration, and audiobook craft. PR agencies could credibly pitch audiobook critics, literary reviewers, narrators, audio-publishing professionals, and authors or performers with strong expertise in audiobook production; booking difficulty is likely low because the show regularly features professional contributors rather than highly prominent public figures.

Metrics

Episodes: 1915

Frequency: Weekly

Rating: 4.6/5.0

Estimated listeners: 1k-10k

Gender skew: Unknown

Location: USA

YouTube: 7.9k subscribers

Instagram: 3.7k followers

Contact Information

tbeer@kirkus.com

For verified host and producer emails, sign up to view.

Host

Jo Reed - Jo Reed is the host of Behind the Mic, where she discusses audiobook releases, performances, and recommendations with professional contributors.

Booking Intelligence

Booking Requirements

low
Typical Credentials:  
Professional audiobook reviewers, literary critics, narrators, authors, or publishing and audio-industry professionals with demonstrated expertise in evaluating or producing audiobooks.
Required Achievements:  
Professional audiobook or book reviewing experience, Expertise in narration, literary criticism, or audio publishing, Author, narrator, or producer credits in the audiobook industry

Recent Guest Discussions

Michele Cobb - Golden Voice Narrators, Historical Fiction, Romance, Psychological Thrillers, And Ensemble Audiobook Performances.

Stephen Cummings - Celebrity Memoirs, Author-narrated Audiobooks, Performance Style, Fame, Illness, Ambition, And Personal Storytelling.

Kendra Winchester - Short-story Collections, Cast Narration, Speculative Fiction, Satire, Fairy Tales, And Emotional Texture In Audio.

Recent Topics

Audiobooks, Narration, Book Discovery, Fiction, Literary Criticism

Episodes

Here's the recent few episodes on
Behind the Mic With Kirkus Reviews
:

Golden Voices: Hollywood, Romance, and Revenge

July 09, 2026

Host Jo Reed talks with contributor Michele Cobb about three audiobooks full of unexpected turns, each narrated by Golden Voice performers at the top of their craft. Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Howard Hughes feel uncannily real in The Original by Priya Parmar, as Cassandra Campbell's nuanced narration blurs the line between historical fact and imaginative fiction. Walter Mosley's Ghalen: A Romance in Black begins as a love story before shifting into a coming-of-age story of family, gri...

Writing a Life, Reading It Aloud

July 02, 2026

Host Jo Reed talks with contributor Stephen Cummings about three celebrity memoirs that reveal the many ways that authors tell their own stories in audio. They begin with Arsenio by Arsenio Hall and Alan Eisenstock, narrated by Hall, whose lively, charismatic performance revisits the groundbreaking years of The Arsenio Hall Show and its cultural impact. Then they discuss Famesick, written and read by Lena Dunham, a candid and often unsettling memoir that examines fame, illness, ambition, and ...

Listening to Short Stories That Linger

June 25, 2026

Host Jo Reed talks with contributor Kendra Winchester about three inventive story collections that reveal just how expansive audiobook storytelling can be. They begin with Fat Swim by Emma Copley Eisenberg, performed by a seven-person cast including Marin Ireland and Samantha Desz, where stories centered on fatness, vulnerability, and community take on added intimacy through distinct narrative voices. Then they discuss My Dear You by Rachel Khong, narrated by Xiaoling Pan, Rachel Khong, Zhen ...

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