I was delighted to narrate the wonderful science fiction story “The Contrary Gardener” by Christopher Rowe.

Both parts are now available from the Escape Pod podcast!


Escape Pod | The Original Science Fiction Podcast

It's been ages! I'll be catching up with comments soon. I hope all is well with you, my friends! While we’ve been settling into our new state/home here, other things have been happening, too! Here’s my news.

1. It was a thrill for me to narrate Ann K. Schwader’s (ankh_hpl's) chilling Lovecraftian cosmic horror story “Dead Canyons” for Tales to Terrify.

2. My two latest “Looking Back on Genre History” segments – my 100th and 101st! – are up on StarShipSofa. January’s segment is on the married science fiction duo of C.L. Moore and Henry Kuttner, and February’s segment is on the anthology Scientific Romance: An International Anthology of Pioneering Science Fiction. If you listen, I hope you enjoy!

3. I was honored to be Guest Editor for the “Celebration of Indigenous Fantasists” issue of Apex Magazine in August 2017. Now I’m overjoyed to celebrate its “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™” as a nominee for the Nebula Award! Congratulations to the brilliant Rebecca Roanhorse!

4. Dwight MacPherson’s powerful Elevator is now available as a trade paperback from Hocus Pocus Comics. I edited this graphic novel, and I’m delighted to see it in print. I love the cover art by Randy Valiente.

My latest science fiction narration is up here on the new episode of Escape Pod. I read the fantastic story “Cherry Squid” by Celeste Hollister. If you listen, I hope you enjoy!

I have two items of news today. First, my unabridged narration of Beth Goder's wonderful time-twisting science fiction tale "Murder or a Duck" is up here on Episode 545 of Escape Pod. It's a terrifically entertaining and clever story, and it was great fun to record! If you listen, I hope you enjoy.

Second, my latest critical essay, "Hogwarts in America," is now on newsstands in the December 2016 issue of Reason. (This is the essay to which I referred in my recent interview on the MuggleNet Academia podcast.)

I'll post again when this article goes up online.

More podcasting news!

It was a great treat to narrate Matthew Sanborn Smith's wonderful "Cyborg Giraffe Cleans House" for the latest episode of The Drabblecast. Here it is!

If you listen, I hope you enjoy.

Just a quick note to say my latest unabridged narration for StarShipSofa, which is of the wonderful short story "Number 73 Glad Avenue" by Suzanne J. Willis, is now available to stream or download on episode no. 335 of the podcast here. If you listen, I hope you enjoy. (A full list of links to my unabridged dramatic readings is here.)

It's list time again! Here are my picks for the spooky podcasts you don't want to miss this Halloween.

In no particular order...

* Welcome to Night Vale: This is a twice-monthly podcast in the style of community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff's Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events. Think Lake Woebegone meets Stephen King. (It's gods_lil_rocker's fault I'm completely addicted to this podcast.)



* Tales to Terrify: This weekly audio magazine is one of StarShipSofa's siblings in the District of Wonders. Hosted with flair by horror author Larry Santoro ("the Vincent Price of podcasts!"), it includes the best of contemporary horror fiction and nonfiction. (I have narrated three haunting stories for this podcast. Follow the links to hear my reading of “After the Ape” by Stephen Volk, my reading of “Jewels in the Dust” by Peter Crowther, and my reading of “Payback” by P.D. Cacek.)

* Kat & Curt's TV Re-View: In this weekly podcast, bloggers Curtis Weyant and Katherine Sas introduce Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Doctor Who to each other, watching one episode of each per week, sharing fannish delight and critical analysis. Curt, a long-time Buffy devotee, introduces the show to Kat, and newly-certified Whovian Kat acquaints Curt with the Doctor. Join them for a journey through time, space, and the halls of Sunnydale High as they battle demons, aliens, and the inscrutable process of creating quality narrative television. Perfectly timed for October, the latest episode, "Eyeballs and Entrails," includes a close-up look at Buffy's "Halloween" as well as Doctor Who's "The Girl in the Fireplace."

* MonsterTalk: This is the science show about monsters — a free audio podcast that critically examines the science behind cryptozoological (and legendary) creatures, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and werewolves. Hosted by Blake Smith, Ben Radford, and Dr. Karen Stollznow, MonsterTalk interviews the scientists and investigators who shine a spotlight on the things that go bump in the night. The episode airing dates average out to mean a new show once a month, sometimes more. (Thanks to ankh_hpl for introducing me to this great show.)

* Classic Tales: Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Wilkie Collins, Arthur Conan Doyle, Mary Shelley: what's not to love? This is a fantastic weekly podcast featuring B.J. Harrison's unabridged readings of great -- and often haunting and Halloween-friendly -- fiction.

* Atlanta Radio Theatre Company: Founded in 1984, ARTC is a staple at venues such as Dragon*Con and has a standing program year-round, performing adaptations of works by authors such as H.P. Lovecraft and H.G. Wells live. ARTC podcasts its fantastic productions.

* Pseudopod: One of the oldest horror podcasts and still one of the best, Pseudopod presents fine short horror in audio form weekly.

* The H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast: In each weekly podcast, Chris Lackey and Chad Fifer discuss a specific H.P. Lovecraft story – what it’s about, how it reads, why it may have been written and what other works of art it’s influenced. Since concluding Lovecraft’s stories, they’ve been covering other weird fiction that inspired the author, mostly from his essay "Supernatural Horror in Literature." They regularly have talented guest readers and contributing composers for our music sections. The majority of the Lovecraft episodes are free. The podcast is now mostly subscription-only, but it's well, well worth the modest cost.



What other spooky podcasts do you recommend?


“Good things come to those who wait. But so do really malevolent and scary things. In fact, probably more of those. Better keep moving.” - Welcome to Night Vale

“Don't worry. Someday you'll find that person who is perfect for you. They can't hide forever. We have satellites.” - Welcome to Night Vale

“Big news in the science world! Scientists announce that they have discovered the world’s deadliest spider — a previously unknown species that is as hard to spot as its bite is hard to survive. Apparently the specimen was found when your dead body was examined. They say you were a portrait of agony, your skin a myriad of pulsing, angry colors and... Oh... You know what? I’m sorry. This report is from next week. Aw, things have gotten so confusing ever since the wire services started using time machines. Never mind. No need to worry about that report for a few days.” - Welcome to Night Vale

I'm doing double duty on this week's episode of StarShipSofa. I narrate M. Bennardo's haunting story "Water Finds Its Level," and I also kick off a three-part series (recognizing the 125th anniversary of the Autumn of Terror) that explores the ways in which science fiction has wrestled with the mystery of Jack the Ripper. If you listen, I hope you enjoy!



Tonight I'm off to attend a special reception with Jon "Pulitzer Prize" Meacham before seeing him give a public talk at Lenoir-Rhyne University. Should be terrific!

Happy February to all!

* My latest unabridged narration for StarShipSofa, which is of Jerry Oltion's beautiful short story "In the Moment," is now available to stream or download on the newest episode of the podcast. If you listen, I hope you enjoy. (A full list of links to my unabridged dramatic readings is here.)

* I'm very pleased to say that I'll presenting my talk "Why Kendra Dumbledore? Harry Potter in His Native American Context" at the PotterWatch 2013 Conference on Harry Potter. Just a reminder: the call for papers is still open if you're interested in taking part! I hope to see some of you there.


* On the recent "new TV" front, I have two reports:

1. Ripper Street: Brilliant! I'm so pleased to see a well-written and well-researched series based on the time period. I've been flailing and referring to my books in delight after each episode, in appreciation for the dedication and craftsmanship represented by this series. Well done indeed. Beautifully written, gorgeously acted. Two thumbs up!

2. The Following: Alas, I've already kicked this show to the curb. Why on earth would one base a series on Edgar Allan Poe and then not read Poe? If the producers asked an unpaid intern to read the back flap of a Edgar Allan Poe for Dummies, it certainly doesn't show. To quote Sherlock, do your homework. Sheesh. What an insult. And what a waste of significant acting talent.

Happy belated birthday to time_shark and alitalf, and happy early birthday to mayree, infostudent, akaihyo, vonjunzt, wiredwizard, and griffith_gwyn! May all of you enjoy many happy returns of the day.


For the love of Trek, here's the Super Bowl trailer. I can't wait for this film (but I will).

I've seen The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey twice now, and I'm planning to work up a proper review shortly. Nutshell version: it's definitely a flawed film (mostly related to the writing and special effects), but the positives far outweigh the negatives, and I enjoyed it more than any of Jackson's adaptations since The Fellowship of the Ring. The acting, in particular, is fantastic. Martin Freeman is J.R.R. Tolkien's, Ian Holm's, and his own Bilbo Baggins, all at the same time, brilliantly. Richard Armitage's Thorin Oakenshield and Ken Stott's Balin are both exactly how I always imagined them, only better.

A few notes:

* The Call for Papers is now available here for "The Future of Harry Potter: The 2013 PotterWatch Conference" at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (April 6, 2013). I was the Keynote Speaker for the 2012 PotterWatch Conference, and I had a fantastic time at the event. If you're interested, I highly recommend taking part. (Thanks to gods_lil_rocker.)

* Great news for fantasy lovers: G.L. Gregg's wonderful novel The Sporran is now available for Kindle.

* My narration of Jeff Carlson's novel The Frozen Sky is now available not only on Audible (where it's currently $12.97 for members as part of the site-wide sale), but also on Amazon and on iTunes.


POLL TIME! What new Spring 2013 TV programs (if any) are you going to watch?

[Poll #1885008]

We're planning to give The Following and Ripper Street a try in January.

For Fall 2012, we "test drove" several disappointing "clunkers" (Elementary, Revolution, 666 Park Avenue, and Copper), but we've ended up enjoying Last Resort thus far - which, of course, means it was cancelled.

(After living in Nashville for seventeen years and knowing so many people in the industry and locations where it's filmed - including my alma mater - we also have to watch Nashville. It's particularly fun to see the talented Kimberly Williams-Paisley in an interesting role. Her husband, Brad Paisley, not only graduated from and supports Belmont University, but he's also said publicly lovely things about the experience and impact of having my husband as his professor, so it's no surprise that I have a huge soft spot for him!)