For most of my life, I was convinced horror was not for me. The content I came into contact with was almost exclusively through film and TV and the images overflowed my dreams for weeks. When I let friends talk me into watching 28 days later in a cinema, I'd wake up months later with a pounding pulse and check my boyfriend's eyes to make sure they hadn't turned red. Then I'd get out of bed and check the dog too. I decided I would not let my dreams be ruined anymore and I banned horror from my life for good.
Now, almost ten years later, I've rediscovered horror as a written medium, and come to the conclusion that I can enjoy stories both in audio and in text form, and still sleep at night. Who knew?
Since this aha-moment, I've been making up for lost time, and binging stuff from the backlists of a number of awesome and swoon-worthy podcasts. One of the first ones I discovered, through sister-pods Escape Pod and Podcastle, was Pseudopod.
They have primer new listeners can use to get to know their vibe and style. Of course I started there and I'd advise you to do the same.
Once you work your way through that, here are my favourite episodes of the last year:
650: The Detweiler Boy One thing I adore about Pseudopod is the way they bring back vintage pieces. We devour new stories all the time, meet new characters to fall in love with. But good stories don't deserve to be forgotten. This audio adaptation of a 1977 story uses stereo sound to plant you right in the middle of the action.
651: The Coven of Dead Girls This has got to be my absolute favourite so far. The writing alone is stellar and chilling and all the things. And then, narrator Nika Harper does her thing and elevates the whole story in a way that absolutely inspires me in my own narration work.
654: Flash on the Borderlands XLVIII: Parts & Maintenance Every now and then, our lovely tentacled friends compile a trio of flash pieces. In this episode, I especially loved Kintsugi.
660: Tiny Teeth Both terrifying and heartbreaking. Everyone who has ever struggled with bodily autonomy needs stories like these. And those that don't understand struggling with it or fighting for it, need them even more.
661: The Happiest Place I have no words for this one. Only shudders, as it should be.
673: Venio OK, I confess. This one almost kept me from sleeping, but I felt much better after I got up and closed the bedroom door.
675: The New Mother A vintage story that feels so much younger than its years
679: The Woman Out of the Attic Absolutely chilling piece
681: A Night of Many Months A Christmas story like you've never heard before
Of course, with ten years of audio fiction at the tips of your tentacles, there's so much more to discover. Take a deep breath, dive in, and enjoy the ride.
If you have other Pseudopod favourites, I'd love to hear about it.
Hugs
Jasmine
As a writer, finding the right community–the right tribe–makes all the difference.
For me, that’s the INKubator. I’m one of the admins there, and I have to say I’ve never been more proud of something I helped build, than I am of the INKubator.
We help each other improve, lovingly drown each other’s drafts in red ink, and help each other brainstorm.
But we’re more than a writing club. We’re a family. We root for each other as we submit pieces for various publication venues.
We cheer and join in victory dances when a piece is accepted. We support each other through the disappointment of the inevitable rejections.
We hang out, playing as hard as we work, and from the madness of our conversations, more stories are born.
As a community, we span the globe, with members from Asia, Australia, Europe and the US, so chances are there will be someone there if you should decide to drop in.
If we’re quiet, that’s because we’re writing.
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