The Drabblecast Audio Fiction Podcast
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Creator: Norm Sherman
Synopsis:
The Drabblecast is a weekly audio fiction magazine that offers strange stories for strange listeners.
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Episodes:
Drabblecast 495 – Jared Chapel’s The First Car Ballet
Tue, 29 Oct 2024 02:37:18 +0000
Lights! Wheels! Wipers! Curtain! This week, a marvel of machines and carbureted choreography awaits you. Kay Vaindal (they/she) is a coastal ecologist and weird fiction writer. Her work has appeared in Seize the Press, Dark Matter, and anthologies including This World Belongs to Us and Death’s Other Kingdom: Horror Tales of WWI. Find them here. […]
Drabblecast 494 – Trifecta: The Sherman Evening Post
Mon, 14 Oct 2024 05:57:26 +0000
You have a ring on your door bell, and laid on your stoop is a brown papered parcel, tied with damp twine. You bring the package inside, noticing that the sky is tinged a weird green. You smell burning hair. You pull the ends of the twine, which is warm and wet and reminds you […]
Fri, 27 Sep 2024 09:00:18 +0000
Your curiosity and your inner voyeur are calling. Will you be able to meet their gaze? This week on the Drabblecast we bring you “China Doll,”by Kelsea Yu. Our artists is Matt Driver. Sydney based artist. Instagram @mdriverart Read by the Word Whore. Kelsea Yu (she/her) is a Taiwanese Chinese American writer and mother living […]
Drabblecast 492 – Doubleheader: Christine Nogle
Sun, 25 Aug 2024 04:07:17 +0000
This week on the Drabblecast, become something new! We bring you two stories about transformation by author Christine Nogle. Narrated by The Word Whore. Reach your full biological potential at the Drabblecast’s patreon. FALL INTO WATER, BECOME SOMEONE NEW by Christine Nogle Lines after lines of picnic tables are set on the plain, […]
Drabblecast 491 – Learn to Count With the Doomed Expedition
Thu, 25 Jul 2024 16:18:57 +0000
One, two, three, what’s that staring back at me? Four, five, six, I know what this viscera predicts… This week on the Drabblecast, we are going on a journey. Pack your bags, and bring extra socks for the clown. “Learn to Count with the Doomed Expedition” is a reprint story by T.B. Jeremiah. T. B. […]
Drabblecast 490 – Slime on my Hackles
Thu, 27 Jun 2024 05:33:36 +0000
This week on the Drabblecast, we have arrived in the seedy side of space. The sign on the front says, “Boffel’s”, and the sensation on your back you don’t recognize. “Slime on My Hackles” is an original story by Jessica Jewell. Jessica Jewell (she/her) is a science fiction writer. She lives in Hamilton, Ontario with […]
Drabblecast 489- The Black Waters of Lethe
Sun, 16 Jun 2024 19:18:06 +0000
This week on the Drabblecast, we bring you a dark ancient tale from a distant lost land called “The Black Waters of Lethe,” by Oliver Buckram. Also, exciting news! Norm is launching a new Kickstarter for his 3rd album, “The Instruction Book.” And how! Follow the upcoming campaign here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/drabblecast/the-instruction-book The Black Waters of Lethe […]
Drabblecast 488- From Earth to Io, with Love
Fri, 24 May 2024 08:44:44 +0000
Tickets, please! Tickets! Right this way! Coupons to the right, and fast passes to left. NO pushing, folks. Watch your tendrils! Keep your goo to yourself. All lines will get you to the newest episode, “From Earth, to Io with Love. ” by Adelehin Ijasan! Adelehin Ijasan is a Nigerian writer living […]
Sun, 21 Apr 2024 09:45:21 +0000
Our story this week is spoiling for a good time. Enjoy a delicious exploration of the human condition, “Bad Meat” by Chip Houser! Chip Houser (he/him) has stories in Bourbon Penn, PodCastle, Daily Science Fiction, and various other markets. “Dark Morsels,” a chapbook of his very short fiction, is forthcoming from Red Bird Chapbooks. He’s […]
Drabblecast 486- Those Who Forget and Those Who Perish
Sat, 23 Mar 2024 01:22:09 +0000
Our story this week is “Those Who Forget and Those Who Perish” by K. W. Colyard. Enjoy! Cover art by Steve Lillie Do you long to be a part of the mob? Did this week’s story give you mob-envy? Then do we have something akin to a mob, but less angry, and less muddy, and […]
Drabblecast 485- He Who Ruined Everything
Fri, 01 Mar 2024 03:14:48 +0000
Let us quell your unease with our favorite platitude, “When God closes a door, he opens a window, but when Tom Floss squints at the mob through his window, Roy boards up the door for him.” Our story this week is “He Who Ruined Everything” by L. N. Clarke. Cover art by Bo Kaier Do […]
Drabblecast 484- Cosmic Bowling
Tue, 06 Feb 2024 03:19:29 +0000
The Drabblecast hits the lanes this week with original story, “Cosmic Bowling” by Mike James Davis. Cover art by Shane Bevin! Drabblecast Patreon Cosmic Bowlingby Mike James Davis I’m a frequent bowler, very frequent in fact, and nothing tickles me more than when my local lanes fire up an old throwback: Cosmic Bowl. The nostalgia […]
Mon, 01 Jan 2024 03:39:27 +0000
The Drabblecast wraps up 2023 with a Drabbleganza, followed by a story about tough decisions and leaving things behind– a Drabblecast original by Em Liu, called “Snow.” Happy New Year! Drabblecast Patreon Cover art by Bo Kaier Snow by Em Liu I step out into the deep snow. In my right hand is a flashlight, […]
Drabblecast 482- That Bloody Frontier
Tue, 19 Dec 2023 19:20:18 +0000
The Drabblecast Weird West Event closes out this week with another original story– this time with epic train shoot-outs, centaurs, and manifest destiny! We bring you, “That Bloody Frontier” by Sasha Brown. Drabblecast Patreon Cover art by Tristan Tolhurst That Bloody Frontier by Sasha Brown August 2, 1855 The bones of the railroad […]
Fri, 24 Nov 2023 02:46:27 +0000
The Drabblecast Weird Wild West continues, with “The Alamo” by Cedrick May. Cover art by Tristan Tolhurst The Alamo by Cedrick May The wounded man raised his hand to point, and Sam watched as blood dribbled like raindrops from the end of his finger. “Water, boy… gimme’ some of that water there…” Sam turned to […]
Sun, 05 Nov 2023 21:44:08 +0000
The Drabblecast Weird West event continues, with “Rusty Sue” by Arthur H. Manners. Cover art by Tristan Tolhurst Rusty Sue by Arthur H. Manners The last townsfolk bolted in the night, fleeing for their lives. Gen and I had watched the evacuation all day from the overlook, though I’d ordered us abed earlier. Fatigue didn’t […]
Mon, 09 Oct 2023 21:49:20 +0000
The Drabblecast kicks off the Weird West event, with Avra Margariti’s story “Headhunting” and 100 word Drabble Quickdraw Contest winner “Taming the Larvalands” by Matt Blairstone. Enjoy! Cover art by Tristan Tolhurst Headhunting by Avra Margariti The tinfoil sun scorched the desert road as a figure rode on horseback, carrying a disembodied head by its […]
Tue, 26 Sep 2023 06:36:18 +0000
As the summer winds down and things cool down, the Drabblecast brings you a story that will give you chills! We present, “Cool Air” by H.P. Lovecraft. Cover art by Catriel Tallarico Cool Air by H.P. Lovecraft You ask me to explain why I am afraid of a draught of cool air; why I shiver […]
Drabblecast 477- The Eight-Thousanders
Mon, 14 Aug 2023 19:56:16 +0000
Mountain climbing might be more treacherous than you think. This week on the Drabblecast, we bring you Jason Sanford’s “The Eight-Thousanders.” Cover art by Bo Kaier The Eight-Thousanders by Jason Sanford He spoke once, the words whispered by frozen lips on a face so frostbitten he looked like a porcelain doll. I found him below […]
Fri, 21 Jul 2023 21:14:14 +0000
Norm talks birds on this week’s episode, before presenting Drabblecast’s production of “The Pigeon” by Michelle Knudsen. Enjoy! Cover art by Bo Kaier The Pigeon by Michelle Knudsen The pigeon stood on the concrete ledge outside the library, bobbing its head at passerby and very clearly saying the words “egg salad.” Robert froze on […]
Sun, 25 Jun 2023 20:18:00 +0000
A merry hanging and a game of jacks, this week on the Drabblecast! Cover art by Bo Kaier
Drabblecast 474- Exit the Professor
Mon, 19 Jun 2023 20:12:31 +0000
This week on the Drabblecast– mutant hillbillies! Cover art by Bo Kaier Exit the Professor by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore We Hogbens are right exclusive. That Perfesser feller from the city might have known that, but he come busting in without an invite, and I don’t figger he had call to complain afterward. In […]
Drabblecast 473- Trunk to Trunk
Tue, 30 May 2023 02:33:26 +0000
The Drabblecast brings you an original tale of interspecies aid. We present “Trunk to Trunk,” by P.B. Yeary. Enjoy! Art by Bo Kaier Trunk to Trunk by P. B. Yeary The seed that fell from the heavens did not belong where it was planted. […]
Drabblecast 472 – The Hard Problem of Consciousness
Wed, 17 May 2023 02:00:38 +0000
#Hivelife this week on the Drabblecast! We bring you “The Hard Problem of Consciousness” by Andrew Giffin. The Hard Problem of Consciousness by Andrew Giffin Rain fell and the air reeked of communication. Chemical signals trailed behind every scurrying figure. Pat shuddered at their segmented legs working in unison, a group of them passing her […]
Drabblecast 471 – The Monster-God of Mamurth
Wed, 17 May 2023 00:36:36 +0000
The Drabblecast takes you on an expedition you’re gonna have to see with your own eyes to believe! We bring you The Monster-God of Mamurth by Edmond Hamilton. Cover art by Bo Kaier The Monster-God of Mamurth by The Edmond Hamilton Out of the desert night he came to us, stumbling into our little circle […]
Drabblecast 470 – Personal Best
Tue, 18 Apr 2023 04:32:39 +0000
The Drabblecast presents an original story by Michael Bettendorf about football and growing up the hard way. Read to you by Renee Chambliss. Art by DS Oswald Personal Best By Michael Bettendorf It’s hard to see eye to eye with your parents when they’re always looking down on you. I cannot help that I am […]
Fri, 31 Mar 2023 07:26:34 +0000
Dating is weird this week on the Drabblecast. We bring you a Drabblecast original, “Yummy Tummy” by Chelsea Pumpkins, read by The Word Whore. Tasty! Cover art by Michael Butkovich Yummy Tummy by Chelsea Pumpkins The bell over the door chimes as Aaron pushes it open and holds it […]
Drabblecast 468 – The Bad Ones Are Always The Best
Wed, 22 Mar 2023 01:56:53 +0000
The Drabblecast returns with a sinister tale of generational ick. We present “The Bad Ones Are Always the Best,” by Michelle Ann King. The Bad Ones Are Always the Best by Michelle Ann King Marty’s grandson takes the cup of tea he’s offered — without saying thank you, mind — and stares at it dubiously, […]
Drabblecast 467 – Woods For the Trees
Sat, 25 Feb 2023 23:11:28 +0000
On this week’s Drabblecast, Dendrology meets Criminal Psychology. A story by Harley Carnell. Art by Bo Kaier. Woods For the Trees by Harley Carnell On the second day of our search for John Shaw, John Shaw joins our search party. Frustrated after years of incompetence and inaction from the authorities, and after Shaw recently committed […]
Drabblecast 466 – Is This a Plate?
Sat, 11 Feb 2023 04:46:15 +0000
Ever feel Déjà vu on the road supposedly less traveled? Truth and lies on this week’s Drabblecast, we bring you an original story from Bob McHugh called “Is This a Plate?” Enjoy! Produced by Adam Pracht Read by Dominick Rabrun Beyond this point, two paths lie One you live, one you die Ask one […]
Drabblecast 465 – Trifecta: Love Hurts
Mon, 09 Jan 2023 04:55:31 +0000
This week’s show has it all: vampires, evolutionary biology, and quivering jacked up Taylor Swifts. We bring you three flash fiction pieces about the complications of being in love: Taylor Swift by Hugh Behm-Steinberg, The Evolution of a Breakup by Etgar Keret, and May I Come In by Adrienne Ryan. Narrations provided by Avery Alexander, […]
Drabblecast 464 – The Follower’s Revel
Fri, 23 Dec 2022 04:38:42 +0000
This week we the Drabblecast brings you some interesting original historic found footage uncovered by author Jonathan Louis Duckworth called, “The Follower’s Revel.” Enjoy! Art by Bo Kaier.
Drabblecast 463 – A Hymn Upon the Lips of the Dead
Fri, 11 Nov 2022 06:04:52 +0000
Episode Sponsor– Mothmen 1966 The secret’s out on this week’s Drabblecast, and nothing will ever be the same. We bring you an original Drabblecast story called “A Hymn Upon the Lips of the Dead,” by Mav Lux. Oh and Norm sings us a song about singing that he should have just told you. Enjoy! Cover […]
Thu, 03 Nov 2022 09:25:46 +0000
An uncanny episode of original fiction this week on the Drabblecast– we bring you, “The Tenant” by Sarah E. Stevens. Cover created by Bo Kaier in concert with the midjourney text-to-image AI (and unidentifiable, scraped contributors). We hope to experience your enjoyment. The Tenant by Sarah E. Stevens Vanessa […]
Drabblecast 461 – How to Impress a Top Food Critic and Put Your Restaurant on the Galactic Map
Fri, 30 Sep 2022 02:02:43 +0000
Finally, a Drabblecast episode for weird foodies. We bring you a Drabblecast original called, “How to Impress a Top Food Critic and Put Your Restaurant on the Galactic Map” by P.A, Cornell. Enjoy… Episode Sponsor– Mothmen 1966 Cover created by Bo Kaier in concert with the midjourney text-to-image AI (and unidentifiable, scraped contributors). How […]
Drabblecast 460 – Distributed Denial of Sexytimes
Wed, 24 Aug 2022 02:07:03 +0000
Episode Sponsor: Mothman 1966 In this week’s Drabblecast story, the only scenes that aren’t sex scenes are crime scenes. We bring you an original Drabblecast story by Tim Pratt about a dark future of vigilante justice sex toys, called “The Distributed Denial of Sexytime.” Also, Norm and guest Executice Producer Bart Epstein treat us to […]
Drabblecast 459 – 7099 Brecksville Road, Independence, Ohio
Wed, 03 Aug 2022 03:33:33 +0000
Norm is cryptic this week in terms of offering information on the featured story, “7099 Brecksville Road, Independence Ohio,” by JR Hamentaschen. He will say that that’s the story, and that’s the author. And to listen with headphones on. And also, check out our episode sponsor this week, pixel-pulp video game Mothmen 1966! Available on […]
Drabblecast 458 – Plans for Expansion
Mon, 11 Jul 2022 01:53:32 +0000
The Drabblecast is molting! Norm shares some exciting news in the intro this week, Drabblecast has launched a Patreon, and a new quarterly magazine, “The Tentaculum.” Also, welcome new Managing Editor Cameron Howard! Finally, we close out HP Lovecraft “Month” with an original story by Aliya Whitely called, “Plans for Expansion.” Stones contain stories. The […]
Drabblecast 457 – When the Sun Hits
Wed, 13 Apr 2022 05:39:00 +0000
This week’s show brings you an original commissioned HP Lovecraft mythos story by Nick Mamatas called “When the Sun Hits.” Afterwards, Nick talks about the story in an Author’s Note and Norm gives everyone an existential crises in a Drabble News presentation on The Boltzmann Brain. When the brain is liberated from the body, only […]
Drabblecast 456 – In My Brain in My Body
Tue, 08 Feb 2022 01:34:12 +0000
Shark week on Drabblecast has never been so unnerving! Enjoy an original Drabblecast story this week from Evie Mae Barber about what lurks even deeper in the depths… The great white looked like he was having a good time, swimming upside down, bone-white belly above water, teeth gnashing playfully. Like a puppy dreams of finally […]
Drabblecast 455 – How Lovely Are Your Branches
Sat, 01 Jan 2022 19:43:45 +0000
Norm closes out the year and existence as we know it, due to the phenomena known as “The Continuation,” with the Drabblecast annual holiday Tim Pratt story, an original commission called “How Lovely Are Your Branches.” Enjoy! Somebody was murdering people, but the killer’s name wasn’t showing up on my naughty list. That got me […]
Drabblecast 454 – The Doom That Came to Sarnath
Mon, 08 Nov 2021 05:05:03 +0000
The Drabblecast kicks off H.P. Lovecraft Month with the grandfather of Weird Fiction’s cautionary dark fantasy, “The Doom That Came to Sarnath.” There is in the land of Mnar a vast still lake that is fed by no stream and out of which no stream flows. Ten thousand years ago there stood by its shore […]
Drabblecast 453 – Trifecta: Modern Fairy Tales
Wed, 20 Oct 2021 21:46:17 +0000
The Drabblecast brings you three original stories this week (Modern Fairytales, if you will) from authors Alice Gauntley, Matthew Sanborn Smith, and Kevin D. Anderson. Enjoy! Our birthday was the first of March, and for two weeks beforehand it was all Caleb could talk about—cake, presents, and, most importantly, whom to invite. He would chatter […]
Drabblecast 452- Watch Anya Blume
Sat, 09 Oct 2021 03:58:00 +0000
We’re getting back to nature this week on the Drabblecast, with Michael Piel’s original story, “Watch Anya Blume.” Enjoy! Anya Blume showered, slept, and showered again. Yes, she thought, she was beginning to feel human. Exhausted, sure, but human. She popped five Advil and closed the medicine cabinet. There, at the bottom of the mirror […]
Drabblecast 451 – How to Get Back to the Forest
Wed, 29 Sep 2021 05:47:43 +0000
Warning: some explicit language. Join us this week for a little Camp Dystopia! The Drabblecast brings you a story about growing up the hard way by Sofia Samatar, called “How to Get Back to the Forest.” Enjoy! Episode Sponsor- “You Know It’s True” by J.R. Hamantaschen “You have to puke it up,” said Cee. […]
Drabblecast 450 – A Good Man Is Hard to Find
Wed, 25 Aug 2021 00:49:30 +0000
Episode Sponsor: You Know It’s True by J.R. Hamantaschen This week on the Drabblecast, we bring you a classic story by Flannery O’Conner about simpler times and a summer family vacation gone awry. Enjoy! Warning: This story is being presented in it’s original form and contains an instance of outdated cultural language. “Now look here, […]
Drabblecast 449 – The Tyrant Lizard (and Her Plus One)
Tue, 03 Aug 2021 03:29:18 +0000
Dinosaurs gone awry on this week’s Drabblecast! We bring you an original story by John Wiswell called The Tyrant Lizard (and Her Plus One), enjoy! Episode Sponsor: J.R. Hamentaschen’s horror anthology, “You Know It’s True” Free on Kindle Unlimited! Dinosaurs don’t want to kill you; they just don’t care that you’re there. More people have […]
Tue, 06 Jul 2021 01:54:26 +0000
This week’s episode is brought to you by J.R. Hamentaschen’s fourth horror fiction anthology “You Know It’s True.” Grab a copy for kindle or otherwise, here! For our story this week, take a trip with us to the Fourteenth Floor, where you are every guest. We bring you “Stay,” by Davian Aw. You were every […]
Fri, 25 Jun 2021 21:50:08 +0000
The Drabblecast is on the scene this week, with an original story by Gail Ann Gibbs, read by Starla Hutchton, that reminds us that it’s ok to be a little weird. Or maybe even, SUPER weird… I like the way Richard smells. The next time a psychiatrist asks me what makes me happy, I’ll say […]
Drabblecast 446 – The Wichita Drive
Thu, 17 Jun 2021 09:43:45 +0000
Weird things are afoot in the west this week on the Drabblecast! Enjoy an original, previously unpublished story about snails of the plains gone awry by Joshua Bush called “The Witchita Drive.” Yeehaw! They were down in a gully watering the cattle when Billy came thundering down the ridgeline on his sorrel mare, waving his […]
Drabblecast 445 – Love Is the Plan the Plan Is Death
Fri, 21 May 2021 10:35:10 +0000
Drabblecast wraps up Women & Aliens month with a gritty and intense story by James Tiptree Jr., aka Alice B. Sheldon. Hope you’re hungry! Remembering— Do you hear, my little red? Hold me softly. The cold grows. I remember: —I am hugely black and hopeful, I bounce on six legs along the mountains in the […]
Drabblecast 444 – The Hands of Heroes
Tue, 27 Apr 2021 08:39:19 +0000
What makes a hero? The Drabbecast brings you an original commissioned story by Cat Rambo this week called “The Hands of Heroes.” The thing is, I was never a hero. The first wave of aliens taught me that. The war with them – my older brothers became heroes there, one died in the stand-off at […]
Drabblecast 443 – The Day I Didn’t Get A Pet Nebula
Fri, 16 Apr 2021 05:30:07 +0000
Who says Drabblecast doesn’t do Young Adult Fiction? This week we launch Women & Aliens Month with a fresh, original Drabblecast commission by Effie Seiberg. We’re grateful to be able to bring you this story this week! On the day I turned nine I didn’t get a pet nebula. I’d really really wanted one, just […]
Drabblecast 442 – The Secret of Theta Pi
Fri, 26 Mar 2021 20:31:36 +0000
Sea creatures and sorority sisters on this week’s Drabblecast! We bring you an original tale by Stephanie Gray called, “The Secret of Theta Pi.” Enjoy! We travel back to Tandy’s Cove in a caravan of three, Cindy Q’s Miata leading, followed by the rented van, dirty white with the windows rolled up, and Beneeta G’s […]
Drabblecast 441 – Trifecta: Strange Futures
Thu, 04 Mar 2021 06:48:27 +0000
This week on the Drabblecast– three stories about Strange Futures. We bring you Drabblecast originals, “Department of Invention” by R.L. Thull, “The One’s Who Won’t Be” by Martin Munks, and “Cannabilism in the Inhuman Age” by Jaye Viner. Closing Music by 19 Action News Saul broke down in an unusual way for a robot. Saul […]
Drabblecast 440 – The Earth-Brain
Sat, 20 Feb 2021 04:21:45 +0000
On this week’s show, every day is Earth Day when you’re living on an Elder God! We bring you a hidden gem from the 1930’s pulp science fiction era, written by Pulp Master General Edmond Hamilton!
Drabblecast 439 – Rocket Surgery
Sat, 06 Feb 2021 11:25:38 +0000
We’d tested plenty of missiles before, but Teeny was the only one that convulsed when we cut him open. Oh, your listeners need more background? OK, I’ll back up a bit. Lemme tell ya, kids today don’t know their history. Even locked up in here for the past ten years, I can tell. No education. […]
Drabblecast 438 – Midnight Clear, or, How Santa Claus Killed the Sun
Sat, 09 Jan 2021 04:53:58 +0000
Norm brings in the New Year with an original Drabblecast story by author Tim Pratt! This story is a sequel to last year’s Holiday Special story, “Comfort and Joy,” check that one out here! She was a blonde — the kind of blonde to make a bishop bite through his altar cloth. I used to […]
Wed, 30 Dec 2020 06:32:23 +0000
A classic Drabblecast Tim Pratt story, presented to you by Guest Host, Avery Alexander! The apartment was a bustle of twenty other people more extroverted and festive than himself, all dressed in the requisite hideous holiday sweaters, drinking bourbon punch and rum punch and some sort of strange vegan eggnog, flirting and joking and ranting […]
Drabblecast 437 – The Shallow One
Sun, 13 Dec 2020 00:08:20 +0000
The Drabblecast wraps up HP Lovecraft Month this year with a mythos story unlike any variety you’ve likely heard before! We bring you “The Shallow One,” an original Drabblecast story by Matthew Sanborn Smith. Norm closes out with a song about awkward romance called “There’s a Fetus in Your Kitchen.” I first met Madeline at […]
Drabblecast 436- The Wallpaper Out of Space
Fri, 20 Nov 2020 08:48:40 +0000
Our next original Drabblecast-commissioned story for HP Lovecraft month installment, “The Wallpaper Out of Space!” by Adam-Troy Castro read by Jacob Boris. All right, so it’s Cheryl’s kid, okay? I didn’t know she had a kid until we were two months in and already deeply involved, and then she tells me she has a sixteen […]
Drabblecast 435 – Maternal Instinct
Sat, 14 Nov 2020 00:17:31 +0000
Lovecraft and love life mix on this week’s Drabblecast! As our first offering HP Lovecraft month, we present “Maternal Instinct,” by Chris Lester. They say you can find absolutely anything on the Internet. The authenticity and good condition of said “anything,” however, is by no means guaranteed. This caveat applies to rare movies, import CDs, […]
Drabblecast 434 – The Shadow Over Innsmouth Pt. 2
Sat, 31 Oct 2020 20:57:29 +0000
Part two of a Drabblecast production of H.P. Lovecraft’s classic The Shadow Over Innsmouth. The reality of what I had been through was highly uncertain in my mind, but I felt that something hideous lay in the background. I must get away from evil-shadowed Innsmouth—and accordingly I began to test my cramped, wearied powers of […]
Drabblecast 433 – The Shadow Over Innsmouth Pt. 1
Sun, 18 Oct 2020 07:49:29 +0000
The Drabblecast Annual Halloween Special kicks off this year simultaneously with HP Lovecraft month on the show, a full month of original Drabblecast-commissioned stories playing around with elements of Lovecraft’s style and mythos. We kick things off this year with a fullcast adaptation of one of Lovecraft’s most popular stories– The Shadow Over Innsmouth. Do […]
Mon, 05 Oct 2020 02:05:11 +0000
Weirdness is in the air at Drabblecast as we bring you an original story about spousal life and home ownership by author Ao-Hui Lin. “Hey babe, where did the closet go?” The Hubby, Victor, gives me a blank look, like the word “closet” is Swahili for “bratwurst”. He neither understands the question nor the purpose […]
Thu, 03 Sep 2020 03:01:41 +0000
This week’s Drabblecast features a poignant story about patience, perspective, parenthood and the paranormal. We bring you “A Promise,” by Jennifer Hudak. Enjoy! I reach out nonexistent fingers to catch your arm, the hem of your shirt. You, there. Sitting on the edge of the bed, head bowed, dripping with sorrow. Your hair is thinning, […]
Drabbleclassics- Maybe the Stars
Wed, 26 Aug 2020 21:56:35 +0000
Drabblecast fan Jen Fischer hosts another Drabbleclassics episode this week, bringing you a touching H.P. Lovecraft mythos story called “Maybe the Stars,” by Samantha Henderson.
Drabblecast 430 – Notes from the Assistant’s Intern
Mon, 17 Aug 2020 11:17:24 +0000
This week on the Drabblecast: dirty jobs. We bring you a quirky original tale by Bryan Miller about mad scientists and henchmen gone awry. Enjoy! The bulletin board posting specifically stated that the internship required “special skills,” “unorthodox hours,” and an “old-fashioned go-getter,” so I can’t really complain as I’m digging up coffins in search […]
Drabblecast Director’s Cut – On a Clear Day You Can See All the Way to Conspiracy
Sun, 26 Jul 2020 01:24:09 +0000
“Get Your Home Improvement On, Sucka…” Norm and author Desmond Warzel sit down and talk about fiction, ghosts, aliens, and of course his hit stor which frst appeared on the Drabblecast back in August of 2014, “On a Clear Day You Can See All the Way to Conspiracy.” You’re listening to the Mike Colavito Show […]
Drabblecast 429 – Letter from Lynchburg
Fri, 17 Jul 2020 00:22:16 +0000
Alternate history on this week’s show– an original story by Edward J. Knight about the American Civil War that we perhaps only narrowly missed! 7 August 1865 My darling Emily, I do not know if this letter will reach you, but if it does, I hope it finds you well. General Lee has sent word […]
Drabblecast 427 – Doubleheader- Matthew Sanborn Smith
Sat, 04 Jul 2020 07:17:50 +0000
On this week’s Drabblecast, Norm and author Matthew Sanborn Smith bring you a dose of perspective during these crazy times where weirdness seems to be the norm. Remember those invisible things around us that support and hold us no matter what our struggles our, and remember to cherish each moment of every day. I wonder […]
Drabblecast 426- Trifecta: Friends Close, Enemies Closer
Mon, 22 Jun 2020 03:37:39 +0000
This week, another Drabblecast Trifecta, this time with the theme: Friends Close, Enemies Closer. We bring you three stories, with three different narrators, by three different authors! Time Cookie Wars, by Benjamin C Kinney, Sandy, by Bruce McAllister, and Oh What a Privilege to Dwell in the Grand Palace of the Tungerils! by Kelly Moore. […]
Fri, 22 May 2020 09:02:16 +0000
Another gripping and macabre tale from Drabblecast fan favorite Tim Pratt. Finding that first body wasn’t so bad, though it rattled me at the time. The dead man was curled up on a piece of cardboard in the alleyway I cut through sometimes on my way to the good coffee shop, and I would have […]
Drabblecast Director’s Cut – Necessary Cuts
Tue, 12 May 2020 04:15:40 +0000
“My headlights were streaked pink with frog blood…” Norm and author comedian/writer Bryan Miller about comedy and horror, editing and frog country, Lovecraft and fish horror. Also, Bryan’s H.P. Lovecraft-inspired story, “Necessary Cuts.” The manuscripts I read are haunted. Commas vanish forever into the void. Subjects and verbs struggle in bloody disagreement. Infinitives are cleaved […]
Drabblecast 425 – Unlike Most Tides
Sun, 03 May 2020 05:52:53 +0000
Norm pays tribute and bids farewell to the greatest unsung hero of the podcast for the past two years: editor Sandra Odell. This fantastic story and many others have been brought to your ears through her hard work! Our story is another original Drabblecast commissioned story for Women & Aliens month, this week by Darcie […]
Drabblecast 424 – On the Feeding Habits of Humans: A Firsthand Account
Tue, 14 Apr 2020 07:24:54 +0000
Our first Women & Aliens Month commission for 2020– It’s a goodie, a full-cast production of a Drabblecast original by Rachel K. Jones and Khalida Muhammed-Ali. Wash up, it’s time for dinner! On this diplomatic mission, I, Scholar, have two objectives: first, to advise Master Feeder TikTik on Earth customs and linguistic differences, and second, […]
Drabblecast 423 – The Martians Claim Canada
Wed, 01 Apr 2020 03:10:12 +0000
The Drabblecast begins it’s 9th Annual Women & Aliens Month”– a full month of original commissioned stories by women about (you guessed it) aliens. First though, the Drabblecast presents a story by author Margaret Atwood about musicals, fungus, aliens and… well, you’ll see! The Martians descend to Earth in their spaceship. They intend to go […]
Drabblecast 422 – The Full Moon Group
Thu, 19 Mar 2020 10:37:10 +0000
On this week’s show Norm makes a case for adult diapers in preparation for the apocalypse before giving us a taste of “The Peoria Plague,” a 1972 radio drama that doesn’t feel so “1972” at all. The feature story this week, “The Full Moon Group” by Dianne M. Williams is a Drabblecast original and reminds […]
Drabblecast 421 – The Life You Save May Be Your Own
Fri, 21 Feb 2020 04:39:51 +0000
Norm begins this episode with a metacast update on what’s been going on behind the scenes at the Drabblecast lately. He initiates a call to action for all Weird Nation to consider registering as organ donors and to find out more at www.organdonor.gov Our story this week by short story legend Flannery O’Connor explores the question, […]
Drabblecast 420 – Comfort and Joy
Thu, 16 Jan 2020 05:40:39 +0000
This year’s Drabblecast Christmas Special brings you another original commissioned holiday story from the master of Christmas weirdness himself: Tim Pratt. Happy Holidays Weirdo’s! I was in a grubby little bar down in Florida, sitting on a stool beside a plastic palm tree decorated with Christmas lights, when I heard a cough, and smelled cold […]
Drabblecast 419 – Trifecta: Halloween Special
Sun, 08 Dec 2019 11:35:55 +0000
Special Guest Host Cryptkeeper Norm hosts this year’s Drabblecast Halloween special. The Drabblecast brings you a special 3 original stories from Editors past and present, all centered around the history of a lonesome Texas Graveyard. We present to you,The Lich Gate Trifecta: They Went Into the Graveyard, One by One by Matthew Bey The Armadillo […]
Drabblecast 418 – Not Recommended for Guests of a Philosophically Uncertain Disposition
Wed, 30 Oct 2019 09:01:35 +0000
Episode Sponsor- I’m From Nowhere by Lindsay Lerman Damita managed The Fracture’s visitor centre and gift shop, while Jem took the guided tours. There was also a cafe, which always had fresh coffee and an inventive selection of hot sandwiches, although Damita had never met anyone who worked in the kitchens. ‘They’re all very industrious, […]
Drabblecast 417 – Love in the Balance
Fri, 11 Oct 2019 15:38:48 +0000
Episode Sponsor- I’m From Nowhere, a novel by Lindsay Lerman. This week’s Drabblecast explores unrequited love and how relationships, like anything in life, are susceptible to change. We bring you a full cast production of David D. Levine’s space opera story “Love in the Balance,” read to you by Mike Boris, Lauren Synger, Veronica Giguere, Adam […]
Drabblecast 416 – Necessary Cuts
Tue, 01 Oct 2019 14:44:09 +0000
Closing out this year’s H.P. Lovecraft month, we bring you another Drabblecast original, this time from author by Bryan Milller, about editing a manuscript as if the whole world depended on it… The manuscripts I read are haunted. Commas vanish forever into the void. Subjects and verbs struggle in bloody disagreement. Infinitives are cleaved with […]
Thu, 05 Sep 2019 09:39:20 +0000
In this Drabbleclassics episode, author and Drabblefan Weirdo Abbie Hilton breaks down the hit Drabblecast story Boojum, by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette. The ship had no name of her own, so her human crew called her the Lavinia Whateley. As far as anyone could tell, she didn’t mind. At least, her long grasping vanes […]
Drabblecast 415 – The Best Scarlet Ceremony Ever!
Tue, 03 Sep 2019 12:58:24 +0000
Sweet Valley High and the Babysitters Club meet cult life and H.P. Lovecraft mythos, as we continue our special Lovecraft anthology month this week, bringing you an original story by Shaenon K. Garrity. The Wakefields were the worst family in Oakes Isle. Even the grown-ups knew it. Whenever a chicken was stolen or the air […]
Drabblecast 414 – Dance, Siege, Swoop
Tue, 20 Aug 2019 19:24:37 +0000
Lovecraft Month continues as the Drabblecast brings you an original, commissioned piece of H.P. Lovecraft mythos fiction, “Dance, Siege, Swoop” by award-winning author Robert Reed. Be sure to keep a night light on, this one will chill you to the core! Story Excerpt: “My foot did not discover the prize, nor was I the first […]
Drabblecast 413 – The Rats in the Walls
Sat, 10 Aug 2019 02:48:11 +0000
Kicking off this year’s H.P. Lovecraft month with a classic from the man himself. It’s not your mind playing tricks it’s The Rats in the Walls! On July 16, 1923, I moved into Exham Priory after the last workman had finished his labours. The restoration had been a stupendous task, for little had remained of […]
Drabblecast Trailer – 1977 by Carrie Vaughn
Wed, 07 Aug 2019 07:08:23 +0000
Official Video Trailer for Drabblecast 412– 1977 by Carrie Vaughn. Read by Naomi Mercer, Norm Sherman, Mike Boris and Veronica Giguere. Do The Hustle!
Wed, 31 Jul 2019 12:29:34 +0000
This week, the Drabblecast presents a full cast production of “1977” by Carrie Vaughn. “Have another one,” the guy said, and Megan did because she was thirsty, though a martini was probably not what she should be drinking. She was too far gone to question. She downed the drink in three swallows while the guy […]
Drabblecast 411 – Wholesale Solution
Fri, 19 Jul 2019 23:23:56 +0000
This week on the Drabblecast, something a little different! “Wholesale Solution” is a full cast radio play set in a dystopic science fiction universe where nothing is as it seems. Written and produced by Fred Greenhalgh and Jack Bowman, buckle in for a ride to Europa! Story Excerpt: We are inside a holding cell containing […]
Fri, 05 Jul 2019 07:52:53 +0000
On this week’s Drabblecast, Norm and NPR’s Chioke I’Anson bring you stories about the voices in your head, including “Go Between” by acclaimed writer China Mieville. “Go Between” tells the tale of a man who, for several years, has been receiving strange instructions to deliver seemingly random items from location to location. Agonizing over effect […]
Drabblecast 409 – The Dandelion Man
Thu, 20 Jun 2019 04:38:19 +0000
The Drabblecast presents an original story: “The Dandelion Man” by Jack Nicholls. A tale of coming of age, a tale of survival; a fight to discover who is of the soil and who is of the air… Story Excerpt: Teo and Paulus stood at the shore of the pampas, where the grass grew twice as […]
Drabblecast 408- Doubleheader: Robert Reed
Tue, 11 Jun 2019 10:33:16 +0000
This week the Drabblecast brings you two new, previously unpublished stories by SF genre luminary Robert Reed. Reed published his first novel, The Leeshore in 1987. Since then he has received nominations for both the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award, as well as numerous other literary awards. In 2007, he won his first Hugo […]
Drabblecast 407 – The Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change
Tue, 04 Jun 2019 05:51:45 +0000
This week we bring you “The Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change” by Kij Johnson. This story depicts a world in the aftermath of “The Change,” a mysterious event whereby all domesticated mammals spontaneously gain near-human intelligence and the ability to speak. It was shortlisted for the 2007 […]
Drabbleclassics 30- Doubleheader featuring Mur Lafferty (150)
Sun, 19 May 2019 07:04:04 +0000
In this Drabbleclassics episode, fan and audio producer Fred Greenhalgh presents two classic Drabblecast stories by acclaimed author Mur Lafferty exploring the dichotomy of pie and cake. In “The Blueberry Pie” successfully slaying the titular food item stands as the first rite of passage for a child wishing to officially join the tribe of the pie […]
Drabblecast Director’s Cut – The Box Born Wraith
Sun, 12 May 2019 01:19:42 +0000
“Just Lookin’ for Chocolate.” Norm and author Kevin Anderson discuss the horror genre, the origins of Cryptkeeper Norm, and of course, the hit story “The Box-Born Wraith” featured as Drabblecast episode 87 back in 2008 and published as our second official Halloween Special. “We all die in the dark, Benny…” Another Drabblecast Director’s Cut bringing […]
Drabblecast 406 – Beauty Tips for the Apocalypse
Thu, 09 May 2019 19:29:22 +0000
Today The Drabblecast brings you an original story commissioned by Karen Heuler: “Beauty Tips for the Apocalypse.” Karen Heuler wrote her first novel when she was eleven, and she’s been worshiping books at the altar ever since. Story Excerpt: In times such as these, with the world shaken to its core, it is all too […]
Thu, 25 Apr 2019 16:23:57 +0000
This week The Drabblecast presents “Wet Fur” by Jeremiah Tolbert. From Jeremiah: “This story came to me wholly formed in a dream one day. I wrote it in a white hot tear, desperate to capture all the details and emotions that had seemed so immediate in the dream. It’s about how our pets live such […]
Drabblecast 404 – Witches for Mars
Sat, 20 Apr 2019 18:57:56 +0000
Closing out Women and Aliens month, The Drabblecast brings you another originally commissioned story: “Witches for Mars” by Eden Royce. It’s a surreal tale about considering greener pastures… Story Excerpt: No one expected the government to allow it. To acknowledge it even, but Maira was looking at the advertisement above a webpage she was […]
Drabbleclassics 29 – Primary Pollinator (191)
Tue, 16 Apr 2019 04:00:33 +0000
Drabbleclassics: A fan-hosted Series that features fan-picked stories from the Drabblecast archives, remastered and brought to you by fans like our host this week, Bart Epstein. Enjoy! This week for Drabbleclassics Bart Epstein brings your Primary Pollinator, by Nicole Kimberling. When Dr. Lopez came for me, I was plunging the geo lab toilet. She carried […]
Drabblecast 403 – The Translator
Sun, 31 Mar 2019 09:14:03 +0000
Next up in Women and Aliens month: a Drabblecast original commissioned from author Eboni J. Dunbar, “The Translator.” Eboni Dunbar resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her partner and specializes in queer and black speculative fiction. She is also a VONA Alum, an associate editor for PodCastle and a freelance reviewer. Story Excerpt: […]
Drabblecast 402 – The Moving Stars
Wed, 27 Mar 2019 00:34:09 +0000
We’re in the thick of Women and Aliens month, and we’re keeping it going with an original commissioned story— “The Moving Stars” by Premee Mohamed. Premee Mohamed is an Indo-Caribbean scientist and specfic auhor based out of Canada. Her short fiction has appeared in Analog, Pseudopod, Mythic Delirium, Automata Review, and other venues. Her debut […]
Drabblecast Director’s Cut – Sing
Mon, 18 Mar 2019 06:48:11 +0000
“A Musical on a Submarine” Norm and author Kristine Kathryn Rusch discuss her story from way back in 2008 for Drabblecast #53. This is the “Director’s Cut – Sing.” We also dive into a discussion about unsung women in Science Fiction, like Leigh Bracket and James Tipree Jr. Why use a pen name after all? […]
Drabblecast 401 – We Who Stole The Dream Pt. 2
Sat, 16 Mar 2019 00:03:50 +0000
Women and Aliens Month continues with Part 2 of “We Who Stole The Dream” by James Tiptree Jr., aka Alice Bradley Sheldon. If you have not heard part one, you can find that here. Sadism, slavery, power and oppression… are we ever truly innocent? Or is there the potential of cruelty in all of us? […]
Drabblecast 400 – We Who Stole The Dream Pt. 1
Sat, 09 Mar 2019 14:35:20 +0000
The Drabblecast launches its 8th Annual Women and Aliens Month with Part 1 of “We Who Stole the Dream” by James Tiptree Jr. This is a dark, dystopian tale about sadism and slavery, and the potential for cruelty in all of us. Published postmortem in the 1990 compilation “Her Smoke Rose Up Forever,” this story […]
Drabblecast Director’s Cut – Trifecta: Things We Made
Tue, 05 Mar 2019 08:59:26 +0000
“My Kids Think I’m Nuts” Norm and Drabblecast Audio Producer Adam Pracht talk about the Maker’s Movement, everything wrong with Gloucester, the finer points of audio production and of course the three stories in this classic Trifecta Special themed around “Things We Made.” Drabblecast Director’s Cut Specials are regular monthly features where we bring back […]
Drabblecast 399 – Trifecta: We Don’t Talk Any More
Sun, 24 Feb 2019 04:39:59 +0000
This week the Drabblecast presents a Trifecta Special: “We Don’t Talk Any More.” “One in Four Adults” by Catherine Schaff-Stump Cath Schaff-Stump writes fiction for children and adults, from humor to horror. She is the author of the Klaereon Scroll series, the most recent of which is The Pawn of Isis, coming in March, 2019. […]
Drabblecast 398 – The Day After The Day The Martians Came
Sat, 09 Feb 2019 21:23:27 +0000
This week The Drabblecast presents “The Day After the Day the Martians Came” by Frederik Pohl. Jokes can teach you a lot about the underlying anxieties of a culture. The old line “take me to your leader” was actually a jab at President Eisenhower’s leadership during the Cold War. This story is about jokes and […]
Drabblecast 397 – Fruit and Words
Wed, 30 Jan 2019 12:20:13 +0000
This week The Drabblecast presents “Fruit and Words” by Aimee Bender; a story about words and their meanings. Aimee Bender is an American novelist and short story writer, known for her surreal plots and characters. Bender’s works have been published in GQ, Harper’s, Opium Magazine, and several anthologies. She has also been heard on This […]
Drabblecast 396 – Trifecta: Losses & Sacrifices
Wed, 23 Jan 2019 08:34:30 +0000
This week the Drabblecast brings you three stories about shipwrecks, murder, and Nazis. It’s a Losses and Sacrifices Trifecta! “Seven Losses of Na Re” by Rose Lemberg This is a brooding look back on things taken, things lost, and things always remembered. Rose Lemberg is a queer, bigender immigrant from Eastern Europe and Israel. Their […]
Drabbleclassics 28 – Happy Old Year (308)
Tue, 15 Jan 2019 03:06:58 +0000
Drabbleclassics is a fan-hosted monthly series that features fan-picked stories from the Drabblecast archives. Our fan-host this month is listener Zimmerman Bledsoe, who presents author Tim Pratt‘s take on New Year’s resolutions with his original Drabblecast Commissioned story, “Happy Old Year,” featured as Drabblecast episode 308 and read by Matt Hayes. This story features “Elsie,” […]
Drabblecast 395 – The Slaying of the Dragon
Sat, 12 Jan 2019 12:15:22 +0000
This week on the Drabblecast we present “The Slaying of the Dragon” by Dino Buzzati. Enjoy this rare piece of translated fiction by Italian novelist and short story writer Dino Buzzati, about what might happen today if we discovered a dragon. Dino Buzzati was a painter, playwright, poet, novelist, short story writer, opera librettist, mountaineer, […]
Drabblecast Director’s Cut: The Worm Within
Thu, 10 Jan 2019 12:31:34 +0000
“…And Then What?” Norm and author Vincent Eaton revisit a parasite-oriented listener favorite with this “Director’s Cut Special: The Worm Within.” This classic episode originally aired way back in 2007. Norm and Vincent talk about effective storytelling, disturbing body horror, and then they delve into variations on the “Meet the Parents” movie theme. Yeah, things get […]
Tue, 25 Dec 2018 13:00:18 +0000
Merry Christmas strangers! The Drabblecast has something rather wicked fixed up for you this holiday season! We present to you a festive tale from fan-favorite Tim Pratt! It’s called “Dirty Santa.” It’s a story that takes us on a journey with one awkward, balding, twenty-something to a Christmas party where he meets a mysterious stranger […]
Drabblecast 393 – Diamante and Strass
Wed, 19 Dec 2018 14:10:46 +0000
Today the Drabblecast brings you “Diamante and Strass” by Lucy A. Snyder. Lucy A. Snyder is a five-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author, appearing in publications such as Pseudopod, Strange Horizons, and Weird Tales. She lives in Columbus, Ohio and is faculty in Seton Hill University’s MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction. Our story today has […]
Drabblecast Director’s Cut: Jelly Park
Mon, 17 Dec 2018 04:38:46 +0000
“It’s about getting on the bus…” Norm and author Aliya Whiteley talk double decker busses, double decker tacos, embracing weirdness for what it is and reinventing yourself. They also get into the in’s and out’s of the first ever Drabblecast People’s Choice Award Winner for “Best Story” back in 2007, for this “Director’s Cut: Jelly […]
Drabblecast 392 – Single Parent
Wed, 12 Dec 2018 06:51:10 +0000
The Drabblecast brings you “Single Parent” by Sarah Gailey. Sarah Gailey is a Hugo Award-winning author of fiction and nonfiction, and a regular contributor for Tor.com and Barnes & Noble. Single Parent follows one father’s journey to face the monsters in his son’s closet and some demons of his own. It was originally produced for […]
Drabbleclassics 27 – Go Beep (173)
Fri, 07 Dec 2018 00:51:38 +0000
Drabbleclassics is a fan-hosted monthly series that features fan-picked stories from the Drabblecast archives. Our Drabbleclassics host this time around is Jen Fisher, who presents author Aliya Whiteley’s take on mindless marketing, the grunge rock anti-establishment, and the struggles of a young couple trying to fight a bizarre takeover, in her story “Go Beep.” Oh, […]
Drabblecast 391 – Day of The Dog
Fri, 30 Nov 2018 21:58:21 +0000
Today, The Drabblecast brings you “Day of the Dog” by Aliya Whiteley. We’ve still got a few bones to pick with our dog-eat-dog micro theme. So if you enjoy last week’s tail, here’s another one to sniff you nose at (and, yes, a few more incollarable puns). Aliya Whiteley is a writer of dark tales […]
Drabblecast 390 – I Will Remain
Mon, 26 Nov 2018 08:52:12 +0000
Today the Drabblecast brings you “I Will Remain” by David Steffen. It’s a show for all our weird listeners out there that are dog people…maybe literally. Yes, it’s a ruff day in paradise. (Oh yeah, we’re barking up the dog pun tree.) We think you’ll thank us when you hear what we’ve unleashed. The author […]
Drabblecast 389 – Night of the Living POTUS
Thu, 15 Nov 2018 06:21:29 +0000
The Drabblecast presents “Night of the Living POTUS” by Adam-Troy Castro. Every President Elect has “the briefing.” You know the one. The President opens a binder and learns the awful truths of the world. They all have to learn the same lesson. This is the story of one President who learns the horrifying truth and […]
Drabblecast 388 – Skullpocket: Part 2
Thu, 08 Nov 2018 22:40:28 +0000
The Drabblecast completes its triumphant return with the conclusion of this two-part Halloween special: “Skullpocket: Part 2” by Nathan Ballingrud! In this riveting finale we learn the origins of the Orchid Girl, the mystery behind Skull Pocket Fair, and the horrible truth behind the Extinction Event. A freak show awaits you indeed! Story Excerpt: But […]
Drabblecast 387 – Skullpocket: Part 1
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 03:06:23 +0000
The Drabblecast is finally reborn with this special two-part Halloween story: “Skullpocket” by Nathan Ballingrud! It’s been a long year and a half(ish), folks. Death just isn’t what it used to be. Frankly it’s boring. Everyone screaming and crying at each other, the incessant heat, obsessive social media addicts—it gets old, ya know? Can’t we […]
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 07:41:42 +0000
The Drabblecast Reborn! Yeah, it’s happening! There’s just 48 hours left to be a part of it, folks. That’s right, our Drabblecast Reborn Kickstarter Campaign comes to a close this Wednesday, October 17th @ 7 pm EST/4 pm PST. In our recap, Norm wraps up the final Drabblecast Relaunch Prelaunch episode with gratitude, news, and […]
Drabblecast Presents: In Search of The Burmese Floridian Python
Sun, 14 Oct 2018 21:21:54 +0000
Cryptozoologist Connor Choadsworth deep into the Florida Everglades in search of the elusive and decidedly misplaced “Burmese Floridian Python…” Pallid, oddly-accented Choadsworth and his slack-jawed, knuckle-dragging camera man Jeff embark on an exhaustive trek deep into f&$%ing Florida! Seriously, what kind of creatures actually live in f&$%ing Florida? Meet the Burmese Floridian Python: A snake […]
Drabblecast Presents: The Adventures of Connor Choadsworth
Sun, 14 Oct 2018 20:37:32 +0000
Three days left in the Drabblecast Reborn Kickstarter! You’ve still got time to get in there and get some awesome Drabblecast rewards. In this Relaunch Prelaunch episode, you’ll hear excerpts from Drabblecast resident Cryptozoologist Connor Choadsworth’s past adventures, and also about how you can help fund his next adventure by helping us reach our 45K Kickstarter […]
Drabblecast Fan Picks: To Whatever
Sat, 13 Oct 2018 06:47:16 +0000
Drabblecast Fan Zimmerman goes over his first Drabblecast love, remembering his trip through the Wrangell Mountains of Alaska, in this Drabblecast Relaunch Prelaunch fan pick. The smallness we feel in big places; the conversations we have with ourselves. The real lesson of life is to laugh. “Because life, no matter how dark, when read as […]
Drabblecast Presents: Far Far Away
Wed, 10 Oct 2018 05:47:27 +0000
A special throwback episode. With One week left in the Drabblecast Reborn Kickstarter, Norm presents one of his favorite surreal stories from deep in the archive by Hootingyard writer and Resonance FM radio personality Frank Key, and gives us a teaser about Frank’s commissioned story for Drabblecast Kickstarter Supporters The bullet-riddled corpses of our dead […]
Drabblecast Fan Pick: Followed
Mon, 08 Oct 2018 06:00:34 +0000
The Drabblecast Reborn Kickstarter campaign continues! Today, Fan Picks: Followed, by Will McIntosh as chosen and introduced by Drabblecast fan Boo Yeah. Hear her thoughts on an unsettling story about living with the consequences of our actions… This story originally aired in 2011. Story Excerpt: She came wandering down the sidewalk like any other corpse, […]
Drabblecast Fan Pick: The Belonging Kind
Sat, 06 Oct 2018 02:25:50 +0000
As the Drabblecast Reborn Kickstarter campaign continues, we bring you another Fan Pick: The Belonging Kind. Drabblecast fan Kyle Sellers introduces this eerie story about how hard fitting in can be sometimes… It might have been in Club Justine, or Jimbo’s, or Sad Jack’s, or the Rafters; Coretti could never be sure where he’d first […]
Wed, 03 Oct 2018 23:06:28 +0000
A very special throwback story from our editor/founder/host and general bon vivant Norm Sherman. Listen to 11 year old Norm take us to the edge of the unknown with a story he wrote for 7th grade English class back in the day. And speaking of mishearing those words as “Backing Today,” check out the Drabblecast […]
Drabblecast Presents: Editor Lagerklatsch
Sun, 16 Sep 2018 23:45:37 +0000
An Editor Lagerklatsch! Just what the hell is a Lagerklatsch? Well if you’ve been to a convention or two you might be familiar with the phrase “coffee klatsch.” You can probably do the linguistics from there, replacing coffee with something…hoppier. Made up German words are fun! In fact, that’s a special charm of the German […]
Drabblecast Fan Picks: The Last Dog
Thu, 13 Sep 2018 01:42:04 +0000
The leadup to our Relaunch Kickstarter campaign continues with this Fan Pick: The Last Dog. This was a favorite of one of our newest team members, Jen Fisher, d(r)abbler of all things and master of none. We’ll be doing more of these with opportunities for fans to record their own introductions to their favorite stories […]
Drabblecast Compilation: Top 5 Drabbles and Twabbles
Tue, 11 Sep 2018 07:40:26 +0000
As a lead up to our Relaunch, The Drabblecast brings you a compilation of our Top 5 Drabbles and Twabbles. That’s 100-word stories and 100-character stories, for those new to the show. They might also known as “flash fiction.” This compilation comes from you, our listeners and fans. Wanna tell us your favorite? Have some […]
Drabblecast Presents: The Parasite Parade
Sun, 09 Sep 2018 19:20:25 +0000
The Drabblecast presents “The Parasite Parade,” an audio version of an original children’s book written by Norm Sherman. The illustrations are by Caroline Parkinson. It’s a children’s book about—you guessed it—parasites! Why, you ask? Seriously, kids these days just seem too normal. With their green energy and their social awareness. Children need disturbing realities too […]
Drabblecast Compilation: Drabble News
Sat, 01 Sep 2018 10:47:28 +0000
This week, The Drabblecast brings you a compilation of our “Drabble News” segments, including songs and skits from the past 10 years. We’ve mined through the years to dig up some our favorite subjects, including fan favorites expressed to us through social media. Subjects might include: Monster Jellyfish Utah Fast Food Rap Zombie Ants RPS: […]
Drabblecast Director’s Cut: Jimmy’s Roadside Cafe
Thu, 16 Aug 2018 04:16:19 +0000
“Birds are what come after…” We present to you a special Relaunch Prelaunch episode—”The Director’s Cut: Jimmy’s Roadside Cafe.” This story was written by Ramsey Shehadeh and originally aired back in 2012. In it, Norm and author Ramsey Shehadeh talk about grief, Mr. Rogers, the apocalypse, and his popular story about compassion in the end […]
Drabblecast Presents: The Top 10 Post Apocalypse Short Films
Sun, 12 Aug 2018 04:54:09 +0000
Relaunching and Prelaunching continues: Norm shares and reviews his top 10 best (and free online!) post apocalypse short films in this special video podcast. #10– “Sepsis” written and directed by Artur Llobell #9– “Senior” directed by Noel Paul & Stefan Moore, music by Royskopp #8– “Cargo” written and directed by Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke […]
Drabblecast Director’s Cut: Flying On My Hatred of My Neighbor’s Dog
Tue, 07 Aug 2018 04:55:46 +0000
The Relaunch Prelaunch continues with another listener-requested “Director’s Cut: Flying On My Hatred of My Neighbor’s Dog.” When this story originally aired in 2013 it was an immediate hit with the Drabblecast Community, winning Best Story in the People’s Choice Awards of that year. It seems the potentially energizing power of hate is still a […]
Drabblecast Presents: Inside Drabblecast Audio
Mon, 30 Jul 2018 23:52:23 +0000
This episode takes you inside Drabblecast audio production. Ever wonder how we produce an episode of the Drabblecast? Wonder no more! We dig into all the technical aspects like voice acting, sound editing and mixing, foley effects, music and more. Preproduction? Reading? Acting? Yeah, it’s all here folks, all the blood sweat and tears that […]
Drabblecast Presents: Bases Covered
Tue, 24 Jul 2018 06:16:43 +0000
In this week’s Relaunch Prelaunch a chunk of classic Drabblecast musical joy: Bases Covered – “For His—or Her—or Its—or Their Glory” This (fake) album unites all faiths (fake or not) into one perfectly fine and marketable sales campaign! Maybe we’re all just part of some weird baby mouse dream, or maybe Zeus is going to turn […]
The Drabblecast: 10 Years of Strange Stories (Part II)
Wed, 18 Jul 2018 03:06:54 +0000
And now we present the thrilling conclusion, Drabblecast: 10 Years of Strange Stories (Part II). The Drabblecast had several editorial shifts over the years. We made friends. We won awards. And we were off to the races. What kind of races? I like to think they were wiener dog races (yes, that’s a thing). Tiny, […]
The Drabblecast: 10 Years of Strange Stories (Part 1)
Sat, 14 Jul 2018 14:47:55 +0000
In honor of the eleventh tenth year of the podcast, we thought we’d take you back in time through 10 years of strange stories for strange listeners. That’s right we’re going back to our oh-so-humble beginnings. And they’re pretty humble. And humiliating. Ain’t that show business, folks? Origin story! Yeah that’s the phrase. Every culture’s […]
Drabblecast Director’s Cut: Morris and the Machine
Sat, 07 Jul 2018 06:45:32 +0000
The Relaunch Prelaunch marches forward as we present the listener-requested “Director’s Cut: Morris and the Machine.” This fan-favorite story originally aired in 2010. It is a haunting tale about relationships, time travel, and the poisonous nature of nostalgia. Author Tim Pratt lives in Berkely, CA and has been featured on the Drabblecast many times. He […]
Drabblecast Compilation: Holiday Specials
Tue, 03 Jul 2018 00:12:53 +0000
A compilation of our holiday highlights, including songs, skits and intros from 10 years of Drabblecast Holiday Specials, including: ~ “How the Government Saved Christmas” ~ Conclusion of the Mongolian Deathworm Saga ~ Cryptkeeper Norm segments ~ “Here Comes Phantom Claus” ~ “Twas the Night” ~ “The Thirteen” (Yule Lads)
Drabblecast Director’s Cut: Charlie the Purple Giraffe Was Acting Strangely
Mon, 02 Jul 2018 01:19:39 +0000
As a part of the Relaunch Prelaunch we revisit a listener favorite with special insight from the author, David D. Levine. Enjoy the “Director’s Cut: Charlie the Purple Giraffe Was Acting Strangely.” Our feature originally aired in Episode # 113 way back in 2009. It is a unique tale set inside a televised cartoon world. […]
Drabblecast Director’s Cut: Teddy Bears and Tea Parties
Tue, 26 Jun 2018 06:04:15 +0000
As a part of the Relaunch Prelaunch we revisit a listener favorite for the “Director’s Cut: Teddy Bears and Tea Parties.” This story was written by S. Boyd Taylor and was originally aired in 2010. It’s a heart-breaking horror story about little girls, stuffed animals, and hunger. Excerpt: Shadows move on the mantelpiece and the […]
Fri, 22 Jun 2018 06:21:27 +0000
“That is Not Dead, Which Can Eternal Lie.” What is the Relaunch Prelaunch? The Drabblecast is back in business, with ambitious plans that you won’t want to miss hearing about. Every week we’ll be digging through the archives to bring you fan favorite stories with author commentary. We’ll also be featuring some fun compilations, news, […]
Drabblecast 386 – Garen and The Hound
Mon, 02 Jan 2017 05:32:35 +0000
This week the Drabblecast presents an originally commissioned story: “Garen and the Hound” by Jeremiah Tolbert. It is a story about the dream world and the relentless pursuit of something dark and sinister. This story is part of our Lovecraft Month, a celebration of all things H.P. and Old Ones. Story Excerpt: The veils of […]
Drabblecast 385 – The Innsmouth of the South
Sun, 11 Dec 2016 23:04:53 +0000
The Drabblecast continues Lovecraft Month with “The Innsmouth of the South,” an originally commissioned story by Rachael K. Jones. Imitation and authenticity are as much a part of the H.P. Lovecraft mythos as any of the Old Ones in today’s open source fiction universe. If one theme pierces all of Lovecraft’s work it is that […]
Drabblecast 384 – The Cats of Ulthar
Mon, 05 Dec 2016 05:55:09 +0000
We begin our month-long celebration of H.P. Lovecraft with a dramatic reading of “The Cats of Ulthar.” Lovecraft Month is our yearly celebration of H.P. and his sprawling mythos. All this month you’ll enjoy some awesome original stories commissioned just for Drabblecast listeners. We’re excited to be featuring works by three of our favorite authors, […]
Drabblecast 383 – SUN MOON CAT MAN
Mon, 05 Sep 2016 23:50:06 +0000
The Drabblecast concludes Women and Aliens month with “SUN MOON CAT MAN” by Julia Reynolds. This is a story about #Language#. #Language# is a key. #Language# can open doors of emotion, of empathy, and of connection. It unites us, it bonds us. #Language# can also lock those doors and keep us together alone. Story Excerpt: […]
Drabblecast 382 – Down the Well
Sat, 20 Aug 2016 22:13:06 +0000
Women and Aliens month continues with “Down the Well” by Alaya Dawn Johnson. Alaya is the author of speculative and historical fiction and has written six novels. Her stories have been featured in Asimov’s, Fantasy and Science Fiction, and Welcome to Bordertown. She is also a recipient of the Cybils and Nebula awards. Story Excerpt: […]
Drabblecast 381 – Unathi Battles the Black Hairballs
Sun, 08 May 2016 22:42:04 +0000
Women and Aliens Month slithers forward with this week’s story: “Unathi Battles the Black Hairballs” by Lauren Beukes. Lauren Beukes is an award-winning, best-selling novelist who also writes comics, screenplays, and TV shows. Her novels include The Shining Girls, Broken Monsters and Zoo City. Story Excerpt: Unathi was singing karaoke when the creature attacked Tokyo. Or […]
Drabblecast 380 – The Four Generations of Chang E
Thu, 21 Apr 2016 12:50:54 +0000
We kick off Women And Aliens Month with “The Four Generations of Chang E,” by Zen Cho. It’s a dystopian space story steeping in Eastern mythology and tradition. And rabbits. Moon rabbits. Story Excerpt: In the final days of Earth as we knew it, Chang E won the moon lottery. For Earthlings who were neither rich […]
Mon, 04 Apr 2016 15:55:18 +0000
This episode of the Drabblecast presents “Water Spots,” by Rebecca Gomezrueda, a troubling tale of murk, darkness, and the complexity of the human experience. Is it something in the water? Consider yourself warned. Story Excerpt: “They found your brother…” Her mother leaves the sentence unfinished, and she wants to tell her not to go on. He […]
Drabblecast 378 – Giraffe Cyborg Cleans House!
Wed, 02 Mar 2016 08:09:05 +0000
A plate, a plate, another plate burst upon the kitchen tile. This one broke into three large pieces and assorted ceramic crumbs. Giraffe closed her long-lashed eyes and prayed to her many makers. Why in the world would the people make one hard thing that was so likely to smash into a second hard thing? […]
Drabblecast 377 – Here There Be Monsters?
Wed, 17 Feb 2016 08:01:08 +0000
The canary yellow shirt read “Camp Fit,” but it didn’t quite fit the bulbous, pre-adolescent boy cringing in the cabin’s corner. Rows of bunks lined both sides of the room. Standing over the boy, Worgly raised his shaggy brown arms and roared with his terrible roar. “You’re going to eat me!” And the monster gnashed […]
Drabblecast 376 – A Last Kiss for Lazarus Winters (A Saint Darwin’s Spiritual)
Mon, 18 Jan 2016 06:14:50 +0000
This episode of the Drabblecast brings you “A Last Kiss for Lazarus Winters,” another story in D.K. Thompson’s Saint Darwin’s Spirituals series. D.K. Thompson was the host and co-editor of PodCastle, a fantasy fiction podcast, for five years, and has narrated audiobooks by Tim Pratt, Greg van Eekhout, and James Maxey, among others. Story Excerpt: […]
Drabblecast 375 – Ghost in the Coffee Machine
Sat, 02 Jan 2016 02:41:39 +0000
When it comes to ghosts, my grandmother has one solution: brew a pot of coffee. Like today, in Sadie Lancaster’s kitchen. Sadie clutches her hands beneath her chin and stares at our percolator, her eyes huge. The thing gurgles and hisses as if it resents being pressed into service. My own reflection in its side […]
Drabblecast 374 – Jump I’ll Catch You
Fri, 18 Dec 2015 21:35:34 +0000
Anton drew his legs up underneath him. The car seat was huge and puffy, and the leather made a breathy creak when he moved. It sounded like it was sighing. ‘How much longer?’ he said. For a while, nobody answered. He thought maybe they hadn’t heard him, but then his mother said, ‘We’ll be there […]
Drabblecast 373 – Trifecta: Things We Made
Mon, 30 Nov 2015 15:12:38 +0000
Sato lay on the cement floor of the workshop in a pool of his own blood and tried desperately to get Kuro-4’s legs working again. The robot, in turn, tried to deal with the gaping wounds in Sato’s smashed leg and pelvis. Useful Objects by Erica L. Satifka After he passes the age of […]
Drabblecast 372 – Delicate Parts
Fri, 27 Nov 2015 22:08:49 +0000
Earnest was in kindergarten when Jackie the Janitor got fired for “choking the chicken” in the girls’ bathroom. That phrase, along with his best friend Bradley Watson’s accompanying hand gestures, stuck in Earnest’s head so hard that whenever he looked at the thing between his legs, all he could see was a bald, pointed bird […]
Drabblecast 371 – Old Dead Futures
Mon, 16 Nov 2015 06:54:33 +0000
There are two things I love, and one is the tiny grey owl outside my window. He is not afraid of me. He hoots and hops to my windowsill so I can stroke his downy head and feed him worms I’ve saved in my pocket. It is hard to get the worms from my pocket, […]
Drabblecast 370 – The Little Mermaid of Innsmouth
Sun, 13 Sep 2015 09:42:11 +0000
The Drabblecast presents: “The Little Mermaid of Innsmouth” by Caroline M. Yoachim. This is a new take on the classic Hans Christian Andersen fish tale, replete with all the Lovecraftian lore you should expect from The Drabblecast! Story Excerpt: Tomiko knelt at the table, across from her father, carefully holding her back rigid and […]
Drabblecast 369 – In The Walls
Sun, 06 Sep 2015 17:27:27 +0000
The deadliest things in war are not bullets and guns, but hunger and desperation. I’m hungry. Penny gets the bed tonight, I’m on watch, Erik is out looting for food and supplies. If he were white, he tells us seriously, the press would say he was scavenging. But for him, it’s looting. Not that there’s […]
Drabblecast 368 – Restless in R’lyeh
Sun, 30 Aug 2015 21:37:29 +0000
Dear Doctor Saperstein, I’m a 44-year-old librarian from Kansas and a loyal reader of askdoctorsaperstein.com. Last night, after a relaxing day spent gardening, binge-watching “America’s Got Talent,” and organizing my snowglobe collection, I had a nightmare. A hideous octopus-headed monster performed a ukulele solo on “America’s Got Talent,” then killed and ate Howard Stern. Afterwards, […]
Drabblecast 367 – The Whisperer in Darkness pt. 2
Thu, 20 Aug 2015 05:20:48 +0000
Then, apparently crossing my incoherent note and reaching me Saturday afternoon, September 8th, came that curiously different and calming letter neatly typed on a new machine; that strange letter of reassurance and invitation which must have marked so prodigious a transition in the whole nightmare drama of the lonely hills. Again I will quote from […]
Drabblecast 366 – The Whisperer in Darkness pt. 1
Sun, 09 Aug 2015 23:37:03 +0000
Bear in mind closely that I did not see any actual visual horror at the end. To say that a mental shock was the cause of what I inferred – that last straw which sent me racing out of the lonely Akeley farmhouse and through the wild domed hills of Vermont in a commandeered motor […]
Drabblecast 365 – This Secular Technology
Mon, 13 Jul 2015 02:26:40 +0000
Leah woke up, said the blessing upon waking, then turned on her overlay with a mental command. She hissed with displeasure — it was a _gevurah_ day, again. She was supposed to contemplate restriction, discipline, withdrawal. She was beginning to wonder if her teachers were doing this on purpose; the assignments were said to be […]
Drabblecast 364 – All of Our Past Places
Mon, 06 Jul 2015 03:18:55 +0000
Aoife always told me that you could go anywhere, as long as you had the right map. So when it happened, my first thought, when I let myself into her apartment after not hearing from her for three days, was this weird feeling of pride. She’d done it. She was gone. All of […]
Sat, 04 Jul 2015 04:27:28 +0000
Clutch has killed somebody recently. This goes without saying. For as long as Clutch can remember, he has always killed somebody “recently.” If not within the last few hours, then certainly within the last few days. He may have gone as long as a couple of weeks without, from time to time, when circumstances conspired […]
Drabblecast 362 – Starter House
Mon, 15 Jun 2015 02:06:40 +0000
Dale looked up through the ribbed Lucite dome of Asteroid Cintas II, his eyes lit from within by thoughts of a bright future. “I never thought,” he said, “I’d own a purebred house.” Pam locked her eyes on his. “I knew you would. I knew we would. This makes it all worth it.” They kissed. […]
Drabblecast 361 – Time to Say Goodnight
Wed, 10 Jun 2015 04:51:11 +0000
“Then Duck left Mr. Tomkin’s farm and went to swim in Glacier Lake, just like he’d always wanted.” Mommy looked up from the last page, but Clara wasn’t sleeping. “And then what did Duck do?” Clara asked. “That’s all there is.” “Duck died?” Mommy had explained about dying on the way home from visiting Grandpa. […]
Drabblecast 360 – Trifecta: Locked Boxes
Mon, 01 Jun 2015 01:27:25 +0000
I didn’t kill God; we should clear that up right away. I just captured him and put him in a little box. It sounds harder than it actually was. Hannah helped me make it. Her dark, sad eyes so serious and focused behind the wire-rimmed glasses she always wore, her slender fingers tracing the passages […]
Drabblecast 359 – Trifecta: Unnatural Growth
Sat, 09 May 2015 21:15:27 +0000
My twin brother had been a dry-eyed baby, and he grew into a dry-eyed boy. “Yaakov, why don’t you ever cry?” I asked him the day we buried my uncle’s family. He shrugged. “Maybe you carry all the tears for both of us, Anna.” I thought he might be right. In the past month I […]
Drabblecast 358 – DoubleHeader: Rachael K. Jones
Mon, 04 May 2015 02:23:39 +0000
10. _Influenza siderius_ begins as a general malaise. That is always the first symptom. Perhaps you wish to doze on the sofa, but your husband suggests a little fresh air instead. You do feel better after the walk, but by the next morning the listlessness has returned tenfold. Your husband complains when you order takeout […]
Drabblecast 357 – Trifecta: Embarrassing Personal Problems
Sun, 03 May 2015 08:32:28 +0000
It looks like a quantity of strawberry jam squeezed into a cheap polythene shower cap. Even down to the darkened pips and the intimation someone’s attempted to pick it up and squished it in the middle. Clint adjusts the telescopic sight and tilts his head, upping the magnification, but knocking the thermal readout to the […]
Drabblecast 356 – An Exodus of Wings
Fri, 17 Apr 2015 04:01:36 +0000
Before Heidi came along, Michael did everything he could to keep the damn faeries out of his apartment. Every night he washed and dried his dishes, never left one dripping in the drying rack. Always fished the food particles from the drain, took the trash out, sealed his cereal in glass jars. […]
Drabblecast 355 – Kiriki Grocery
Tue, 07 Apr 2015 04:39:38 +0000
The last day of orientation at New Plymouth University, Work Placement called students up in pairs. Rhonda Morillo took the chair next to a big-boned blond girl–Deirdre, pretty sure–as their peer advisor announced their “exciting cultural opportunity”: stocking shelves at Kiriki Grocery. Kiriki Grocery by Tory Hoke The last day […]
Drabblecast 354 – DoubleHeader XVIII: Sylvia Spruck Wrigley
Wed, 25 Mar 2015 04:10:57 +0000
Alone — but not lonely. Three days, we’ve been on this planet. Over a year, Earth-time. But we don’t talk about Earth-time anymore. It weakens morale, says Sir Overgeneral Halfish. My morale went out the window when I found out that I was sentenced to be transported off planet. Alienated […]
Drabblecast 353 – Primrose or Return to Il’maril
Sat, 21 Mar 2015 16:47:21 +0000
“I will not leave this cavern,” the voice said as soon as I stepped into the cave mouth. A baritone decaying into vibrato, an old man’s voice, full of dignity and pride. I tried to pinpoint its source, but the air was thick with fog. The haze seemed to originate from inside the chamber, where […]
Wed, 18 Mar 2015 05:56:51 +0000
The shovel bit through the foamy snow on the top stair of my front porch, then stopped with a clang. I scraped away the snow to see what was beneath. Ice. Serve me right for not shoveling after the snow had fallen last night. It had thawed, then the temperature had dropped into the deep […]
Drabblecast 351 – DoubleHeader XVII: Camille Griep
Sun, 08 Mar 2015 08:22:29 +0000
The fiery orange sun hung high over the Bangkok skyline to the south. Professor Tina Montri rearranged her skirt and adjusted the alligator skin briefcase on her lap which held the presentation and research notes from her talk at the university. A breeze stirred on the back of her neck, warm and relaxing. She could […]
Drabblecast 350 – Trifecta XXX: Something Fishy
Wed, 18 Feb 2015 09:20:36 +0000
Izam’s fingers moved on their own. They found his sunken chest. And counted his ribs. His father would have slapped his hand away. A stupid habit of a stupid boy. A stupid starving boy who counted his ribs when he was hungry even though it only made him hungrier. Izam knew it was stupid but […]
Drabblecast 349 – The Island of White Houses
Mon, 09 Feb 2015 03:59:47 +0000
Today I am going to the island. I climb the slick wood stairs down to Whitmuth beach. The wind blows fierce through the town like usual and swirls back out to sea, smoky with our coal fires and smacking with hot oil from the fry shops up and down the boardwalk. […]
Drabblecast 348 – DoubleHeader XVI: LiAnn Yim
Sun, 25 Jan 2015 21:27:29 +0000
The fish were restless. They spun the water mossy dark until the pond was the color of crushed bottles. Pey held onto her sister’s hand. They peered down at the water. This morning, their mother opened her eyes and said she was too cold to get out of bed, so their father said they would […]
Drabblecast 347 – Why I Hate Zombie Unicorns
Sun, 11 Jan 2015 04:02:01 +0000
The good news is, zombie unicorns almost never bite. The bad news is, even a tiny scratch from a zombie unicorn horn will turn you into a zombie. Mom discovered that by accident. Why I Hate Zombie Unicorns by Laura Pearlman The good news is, zombie unicorns almost never […]
Tue, 30 Dec 2014 10:17:56 +0000
Susan found her boss’s feelings drawer by accident. She drank too much and took a wrong turn in Sundrun’s apartment at the office holiday party, while looking for the bathroom. It had been all the rage five years ago, getting your feelings surgically removed. After a sensectomies, some people had the feelings stuffed or encased […]
Drabblecast 345 – Cat With Blue Fur Trifecta
Fri, 19 Dec 2014 23:58:59 +0000
A collection of stories from the Cat With Blue Fur Writing Contest. Meow Meow Bang Bang by Oliver Buckram She was the kind of dame you never forget. Lips as moist and pink as smoked salmon. Legs as long and well maintained as the […]
Drabblecast 344 – Doubleheader XV
Mon, 08 Dec 2014 02:00:23 +0000
The chair first appeared on a Thursday afternoon on the sidewalk in front of the Dollar Bank and Trust on Lancaster Street in Pulaski, Kansas. Nobody saw how it got there. At least, no reliable eyewitnesses have ever come forward, so we are unable to pinpoint the exact moment of its arrival. Customers began to […]
Drabblecast 343 – Captain Confederation
Sun, 23 Nov 2014 22:19:13 +0000
Captain Confederation was annoyed when he got off the elevator and it showed. It would have been so simple and logical for him to land on the roof of the Superhero Administration Centre, or in the ample grounds surrounding it, but these alternatives were no longer open to him. Last month Transport Canada had proposed […]
Drabblecast 342 – I’m Bill Kurtis
Mon, 10 Nov 2014 19:55:30 +0000
Nate had expected the first serial killer. In fact the first thing he’d said to Kelly once their Ford rolled to a stop on the shoulder was, “This is serial killer country. We’re finished.” She made scaredy-cat eyes and drew a finger across her throat. “Finished,” he enunciated. She’d heard his bake before, something to […]
Drabblecast 341- The Litany of Earth
Tue, 04 Nov 2014 05:49:13 +0000
After a year in San Francisco, my legs grew strong again. A hill and a half lay between the bookstore where I found work and the apartment I shared with the Kotos. Every morning and evening I walked, breathing mist and rain into my desert-scarred lungs, and every morning the walk was a little easier. […]
Drabblecast 340 – On a Clear Day You Can See All the Way to Conspiracy
Sun, 05 Oct 2014 16:54:09 +0000
You’re listening to the Mike Colavito Show on Cleveland’s home for straight talk, WCUY 1200. The opinions expressed on this program do not reflect those of WCUY, its management, or its sponsors. Fair warning; I’m in a mood today, folks. We’ve got a mayor whose only talent seems to be showing up at luncheons and […]
Drabblecast 339 – Trifecta XXVIII: Offbeat Afterlife
Thu, 18 Sep 2014 21:30:28 +0000
The ghost in my attic is Margaret, but she lets me call her Margie. She was seventy-six years old when she died, and now that she’s a ghost she sits in her rocking chair day and night, holding a tiny baby in her arms. The baby rarely moves and almost never cries. His name is […]
Drabblecast 338 – The Crevasse
Thu, 11 Sep 2014 23:59:27 +0000
What he loved was the silence, the pristine clarity of the ice shelf: the purposeful breathing of the dogs straining against their traces, the hiss of the runners, the opalescent arc of the sky. Garner peered through shifting veils of snow at the endless sweep of glacial terrain before him, the wind gnawing at him, […]
Drabblecast 337 – The Only Game in Town
Thu, 04 Sep 2014 23:34:57 +0000
Walking back up the road toward home, I saw Rich Hartzell locking up his cabin. His car was stuffed to the roof with cardboard boxes and black trash bags; only the driver’s seat was empty. The Only Game in Town by Desmond Warzel Walking back up the road […]
Drabblecast 336 – The Mouth of God
Thu, 21 Aug 2014 14:43:49 +0000
There’s a dream you have. It’s not a proper dream. It’s impatient, fired with urgency. It arrives without warning, veering suddenly out of the night. You’re kneeling on the bridge. It’s late afternoon. Clouds mass low in the sky, seagulls wheel over the bridge spans, humidity hangs thick in the air. Cars speed by on […]