If you’re longing for thoughtful stories and nuanced dissections of life around you, a MENA reader, then the Kerning Cultures network has something to offer in an audio space often crowded by stories a little too far away from home. The network’s podcasts vary thematically but focus mainly on stories and people from the Middle East and North Africa. Al Empire and Jasadi are both highlights on the platform which feature personal insights into interviewee’s lives. Al Empire shines the spotlight on successful figures from the region like Mashrou’s Leila’s Hamed Sinno and Al Bernameg’s Bassem Youssef, and over the course of the nearly hour-long interviews gives listeners access to some of the inner workings and childhood stories of these local icons. Jasadi is a little different but no less intimate: The hour long Arabic-language series tackles the often thorny subject of bodies through a large pool of ordinary but no less captivating interviewees guiding the discussion on topics like gender, identity and hair loss through tales from their everyday lives. It is certainly a more grounded approach to storytelling, and the anonymity of the interviewees produces honest and surprising discussions that touch the listener.