The Academic Life
Christina GesslerA podcast for your academic journey—and beyond! Created and produced by Dr. Christina Gessler, the Academic Life podcast is inspired by today’s knowledge-producers around the world, working inside and outside the academy. Support our show by becoming a premium member! newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 336 | Founded | 6 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | BooksArtsEducation | |||
Listen to this Podcast
Latest Episodes
Immigration agents have a frontline view of the racial, economic, and legal inequalities that undocumented migration reflects—and yet most agents do not think of the role their jobs play in those inequalities. Instead, they consider themselves law en... more
For centuries, many of the world’s most influential thinkers relied on helpers who performed tasks such as taking dictation, correcting, indexing, composing, and endless copying. In the Scholar’s Workshop: Hidden Histories of Collaboration and Author... more
Emily Dickinson was a letter writer before she was a poet. And it was through letters that she shared prose reflections–alternately humorous, provocative, affectionate, and philosophical–with her extensive community. While her letters often contain p... more
In Cast Out: A Call For A Forgiving Society in an Age of Incarceration (Beacon Press, 2026), civil rights lawyer Joseph Margulies insists that those who commit even the most heinous crimes are one of us and should be judged in a spirit of forgivenes... more
Key Facts
Similar Podcasts
People also subscribe to these shows.
Recent Guests
Host
Reviews
- Answers the questions you didn’t know you have!
You know that feeling after you finish an interesting book and have a million questions you want to ask the author? This podcast asks those questions. Dr. Gessler does a close read and stands in for the reader with thoughtful questions. I can visualize her coming to the interviews, her copy of the book about to burst with sticky notes! I’ve read so many books that I never would have found without This Academic Life.
Apple Podcasts5Alli-Dee
United States4 months ago - Engaging interviews
Dr. Gessler is such an engaging interviewer. Her guests are varied, covering all aspects of life as an academic. She brings out the best in every guest.
Apple Podcasts5Rebecca DBUnited States3 years ago
Listeners Say
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
Chart Rankings
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #138 |  Australia/Arts/Books |
Apple Podcasts | #169 |  Netherlands/Arts/Books |
Talking Points
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Audience Metrics
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
| Listeners per Episode | |
|---|---|
| Gender Skew | |
| Location | |
| Interests | |
| Professions | |
| Age Range | |
| Household Income | |
| Social Media Reach |
Frequently Asked Questions About The Academic Life
What is The Academic Life about and what kind of topics does it cover?
A thoughtful, academically oriented show that centers on books, pedagogy, and policy across higher education and public life. Episodes often feature scholars, authors, and practitioners discussing research-driven insights on topics like mental health in academia, race and gender in institutions, urban policy, and public health. The conversations tend to blend personal career journeys with practical implications for students, educators, and policymakers, often weaving in archival or historical context and highlighting the real-world impact of scholarly work. A notable strength is the breadth of guest expertise—from novel scholarship to applied practice—coupled with accessible storytelling and sponsor reads that keep the show approachable for... more
Where can I find podcast stats for The Academic Life?
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Academic Life. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Academic Life and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
How many listeners does The Academic Life get?
Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Academic Life, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.
What are the audience demographics for The Academic Life?
Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Academic Life, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
How many subscribers and views does The Academic Life have?
To see how many followers or subscribers The Academic Life has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.
Which podcasts are similar to The Academic Life?
These podcasts share a similar audience with The Academic Life:
1. The Ezra Klein Show
2. Democracy Now! Audio
3. Fresh Air
4. Freakonomics Radio
5. Past Present Future
How many episodes of The Academic Life are there?
The Academic Life launched 6 years ago and published 336 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
How do I contact The Academic Life?
Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.
Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Academic Life?
Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Academic Life from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.
View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.
How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Academic Life?
Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Academic Life. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.
What guests have appeared on The Academic Life?
Recent guests on The Academic Life include:
1. Ann Blair
2. Domhnall Mitchell
3. Cristanne Miller
4. Joe Margulies
5. Dr. Niki Elliott
6. Hope Harvey
7. John Garrison Marks
8. Christian Miller
To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.