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Hugh Likes Podcasts: The Roundtable Podcast

October 16, 2014

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Hosted by Dave Robison, plus guests

ARCHIVOS: Podcasts

The Roundtable Podcast is one of my favorite writing podcasts.  There are a lot of really excellent podcasts about writing, both podfaded and current, but The Roundtable is something else.  I like podcasts that introduce me to new authors.  I like podcasts that delve into the craft and business of writing, helping me to improve my own work.  I really like podcasts that are fun, and show a more personal side of my favorite authors.  The Roundtable podcast is all three.
Originally hosted by Dave Robison and Brion Humphrey, The Roundtable is a bridge between aspiring and professional authors.  They divide the show into two types of episodes: “Twenty Minutes With” interview segments, and Roundtable Workshop sessions.  In the former, Dave and a second chair conduct an informal interview with a professional writer.  These are always fantastically inspiring and entertaining rap sessions, although they always go at least twice as long as advertised.  Theres’ so much goodness in each one that I’d feel cheated if they trimmed it down, though.  In the Brainstorming sessions, they bring on a less experienced writer, and help them brainstorm a story idea.  These are also great.  Not only is it a rarely-seen peek on the creative process, it is an affirmation that perseverance and hard work pays off in an industry that all too often seems governed by luck and chance.
Every second of The Roundtable Podcast is infused with Dave’s vibrant and effervescent personality.  Combining a wonderful talent for research and an otherworldly skill for promotion, he introduces each guest writer and host with a flare that is uniquely his own, and relentlessly positive.  The show is firmly rooted int the philosophy that with enough effort, thought, and encouragement, every writer can transform their story ideas from dross to literary gold.
I myself have benefitted from taking a story on the show.  It isn’t finished yet, but someday I hope to publish it, and be ‘knighted’ by the hosts.
Find The Roundtable Podcast on the web, or subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher.

Hugh Likes Podcasts: Hidden Harbor Mysteries

September 30, 2014

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Produced by Bryan Lincoln
Written by Jay Smith
hiddenharbormysteries.com

“Hidden Harbor Mysteries” is a lost 1930’s radio drama that never existed.  Dreamed up by HG World creator Jay Smith, and brought to live by Fullcast podcast-producting powerhouse Bryan Lincoln, the podcast recreates the feel of a radio show with an astounding level of verisimilitude, and touch of weirdness.
Supposedly recorded in 1936, and set in a vision of post-World War II America locked in a hot war with the Soviet Union, Hidden Harbor Mysteries is a pulp serial in the tradition of “The Shadow.”  The series stars Veronica Giguerre as “The Femme Phantom,” a crime-fighting socialite with as yet mysterious powers, and features an array of talented podcasters and voice actors including Dave Robbison, Rish Outfield, and Renee Chambliss.  With three episodes released as of this review, it is classic pulpy fun, with a few clever nods to the genre.
I will admit that I haven’t listened to Smith’s other projects, but this one has me hooked.  The writing is sharp and sly, mixing a modern sensibility with period style.  The delivery is also top notch, with great performances by Veronica and Dave in particular.  But the real hook here is the presentation.  Smith’s writing, the cast’s performances, and Producer Bryan Lincoln’s masterful skills with audio editing software recreate the experience of tuning in to a 1936 broadcast with 2014 technology.  It is challenging enough for a fullcast producer to create the illusion that the actors are in the same room.  Bryan has managed to do one better, bringing a live on-air both from eighty years ago back to life.  This illusion is further sold by the stylish intros and outros, complete with cigarette ads touting doctor recommendations.
Hidden Harbor Mysteries is a classic pulp adventure for the modern podcast listener.  Check it out at their website, or subscribe in iTunes.

Hugh Likes Podcasts-The Drabblecast

September 14, 2014

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Staff:  Norm Sherman (Editor in Chief) Nicky Drayden (Managing Editor) Nathan Lee (Submissions Editor) Matthey Bey (Editor at Large) Bo Kaier (Art Director) Tom Baker (Archivist)

The Drabblecast is one of the first fiction podcasts I listened to, and it is still my favorite.  Hosted by musician and madman Norm Sherman, The Drabblecast is strange fiction, by strange authors, for strange listeners, such as yourself.  They present ‘weird’ stories:  horror, science-fiction, and fantasy that you wouldn’t hear anywhere else.  While genre fiction is a staple of fiction podcasts, The Drabblecast is instantly recognizable and distinct.  This is the place to go to hear stories about reformed zombies and Lovecraftian mythos tales related through passive-aggressive post-it notes.  These stories are never what you expect, and they’re always executed with a high degree of artistry and technical skill.
The Drabblecast is named after the drabble, a kind of flash fiction that is exactly one hundred words long.  Norm usually opens the show with one sent in by a listener.  Drabbles are tricky because a hundred words is just about too long for a joke and too short for a short story.  Writing a good one is a balancing act, and so is writing the sort of odd stories that are The Drabblecast’s style.
The show is also notable for its high production values.  They produce a variety of narratives, from solo reads to full-cast productions, but Norm and his crew’s distinctive voice and excellent ear for music elevates the work.  His skewed sense of humor is icing on the cake.
If you’re looking for a fiction podcast that is a step away from the ordinary, The Drabblecast has a huge archive of stories for your listening pleasure.  They recently began a curated best-of feed as well.  Check them out at drabblecast.org.

Hugh Likes Podcasts: Flash Pulp

July 13, 2014

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Flash Pulp is the work of Skinner Co, a three-person team of Canadians, and just about the most friendly bunch of podcasters you’d ever want to meet.  With an impressive catalog of episodes already online, Flash Pulp presents short pulp fiction with a more modern slant than Howard and Boroughs.  The universe is a massive web of stories, featuring a variety of characters across different times.  There’s Frontier Occultist Blackhall, and his modern counterpart Will Coffin, private detective Mulligan Smith, and zombie outbreak survivor Ruby.  And at the center, at the end of all things, is Kar’Wick, the Cthulhu-like spider-god.  These stories all bend and twist around one another in interesting and unexpected ways, leading listeners deeper into the over-all story of Skinner Co’s universe.
Flash Pulp is a perfect example of serialized storytelling done right.  Every story is a jumping-on point for new listeners, while at the same time rewarding fans who have heard all of them.  It’s a tricky maneuver to pull off, but Skinner Co does it with skill.
Their process is also worth nothing.  JRD writes the stories.  Opopinax narrates them and creates episode art.  Jessica-May records and edits them.  The shared workload keeps everything moving smoothly, and prevents the prolonged delays and pod-fading that plagues the medium.
The other very cool thing about Flash Pulp is The Mob.  Flash Pulp’s loyal and very cool fan community, of which I am a part.  The Skinners work very hard to cultivate the Mob, and stay connected with them.  It’s not a fandom.  It’s a network of friends, and also a fictional evil corporation, but that’s neither here nor there.  The podcast also has a (nearly) weekly Flash Cast episode, where the three  hosts catch up, read from the mail bag, and share segments recorded by members of the Mob.
If you have any interest in podcast story telling, check out the Flash Pulp podcast, and get to know these classic characters and their creators.

Visit Skinner.fm to listen for yourself!

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