Podcasting is so hot these days, it has its own paid critics. We talk to one. Plus, Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris of the New York Times dish about their new buddy podcast,Still Processing. And we sample some delicious canapés and crudités with the gents from theDinner Party Download.

We're hitting the highways and byways of America for our cross-country podcast tour. We cruise through Appalachia, hike through the deserts of Nevada and rouler on down to the Big Easy to hear what's happening across America. Buckle up!

Best-selling author Gretchen Rubin has a podcast. So does her teenage daughter, Eliza. They're basically a mother-daughter podcasting duo.

Warehouses are great places to listen to podcasts (says one former warehouse worker). Comedian Phoebe Robinson talks whether she'd date Terry Gross, and Nate Dimeo gives us the scoop on his favorite podcast genre.

Election day is here! We celebrate with some favorite politics pods. Sam Sanders tells tales from the campaign trail, we gab with The Pollsters and laugh off the election with comedian Negin Farsad.

We take a field trip to the Government Accountability Office, learn about Sharia law on #GoodMuslimBadMuslim, occupy some federal lands and learn what podcasts the host ofGravy is snacking on.

We meet Lauren's Scandinavian doppelganger, then explode songs with the host of Song Exploder. Then we chat with the makers of the hit show,In The Dark. And radio Renaissance man Al Letson tells us what he's listening to.

We nerd out with the women of Nerdette, then we get our slumber party on with the host ofSleepover, public radio's first reality show. Plus, Jesse Thorn ofBullseye tells us what he's listening to.

The host of The Show About Science gives Lauren some hot tips on interviewing, and we talk to the producer ofHistorically Black about the stories of everyday objects in African-American families.

Hosted by Lauren Ober, The Big Listen introduces listeners to podcasts they might have never heard of, and gives them the inside scoop on shows and creators they already love.