The Melting Potcast
A F Grapin and Erin Kazmark
TheMeltingPotcast.com
I listen to a lot of writing and fiction podcasts. Most of them try and cultivate a specific audience. The Drabblecast is narrowly focused on weird fiction. Ditch Diggers is specifically about the business side of writing professionally. Specificity is good, usually. But I really enjoy podcasts that go a bit broader. My own podcast, The Way of the Buffalo, is founded on the new, rather than specific genre or even medium. But I can’t think of a podcast that attempts to reach a broader audience that The Melting Potcast.
Billed as ‘a little bit of everything for everyone everywhere,’ they present flash audio fiction based on prompts, longer short stories not constrained by topic, and author interviews, amongst other content. For the sake of full disclosure, I have had one of my own stories appear on the show.
Hosts Erin and A. F. inject humor and passion into their presentations, and the quality is top-knotch. They are accompanied by regular and guest readers. The prompts so far have been clever and interesting, creating a surprising variety of stories that hit on a variety of genre and emotional beats. They’re still fairly new, but their passion for fiction, hard work, and supportive community all shine through. This is definitely a podcast to watch, because it’s only going to get better as it keeps going. Find The Metling Potcast in iTunes, or the podcatcher of your choice.
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Hugh Likes Podcasts: The Melting Potcast
October 5, 2015
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Hugh Likes Podcasts: The Voice of Free Planet X
September 21, 2015
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HLP-The Voice of Free Planet X
Produced and hosted by Jared Axelrod
Over the course of over one-hundred and seventy-five episodes, Jared Axelrod has hosted a variety of projects on his podcast, The Voice of Free Planet X. It began as a presentation of his short fiction. It has also served as a platform for his sci-fi puppetry project, “Aliens You WIll Meet.” It featured the serialized steampunk adventure “Fables of the Flying City,” which is where I jumped on board. But the latest, recently begun project revives the original title, and is an outstanding podcast production.
Ostensibly published by GPR (Galactic Public Radio) The Voice of Free Planet X is This American Life for a fantasy world, a Radio Lab of the impossible. Jared interviews stranded aliens and out-of-the-casket vampires. He talks to AI musicians and post-apocalyptic road warriors.
It is a clever response to the post-Serial podcast landscape, and the production values are top-notch. It takes a discerning ear to determine the show was made in a home studio with actors, and not on the board of a WBEZ mobile truck. But the real strength lays in Axelrod’s writing, and the performances of his interview subjects. He’s managed to take spec-fic cliches, such as vampires as metaphors for sexual deviancy, and breathe new, and interesting, human life into them. The format does an end run around suspension of disbelief, but the voice, if you will, is what sells it. These interviews aren’t pulse-pounding adventure stories. They are the best sort of feature story for people that never existed. And like the best of this flavor of fiction, it bleeds into the way we see the real world. Because you never know when that youtuber will turn out to be an incarcerated computer intelligence.
Hugh Likes Podcasts: Coxwood History Fun Cast
September 14, 2015
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Coxwood History Fun Cast
Written and Produced by K. T. Bryski
https://coxwoodhistoryfunpark.wordpress.com/
Those that don’t learn from history, are doomed.
This is the motto, nay, the mission statement of The Coxwood History Fun Cast, a full-cast audio horror comedy set in the world’s most evil living history museum. If you liked “Welcome To Night Vale,” but wish it had more hoop skirts and opium dens, this is the podcast for you.
The story centers on the park’s social media rep, Katherine Sinclair. Ms. Sinclair has it tough. Her office is a broom closet, her boss is demonically possessed, and the interpreters all make fun of her. But when disaster strikes, from witches to bloodthirsty groundhog armies, to, worst of all, fundraising, it’s up to her to save the day. And get a quick podcast recording done as well.
While Coxwood’s production isn’t quite as polished as “Nightvale,” it has just as much humor, wit, and heart. The oddball characters and farcical situations are brought to life by excellent voice acting, particularly P. C. Herring as one of the opium girls. The characters have a perfect mix of strangeness and likability that makes this podcast a treat. Writer and producer K. T. Bryski, (who also voices Katherine,) really knows her stuff, and pours her love of historical interpretation and podcasting into the work. I especially enjoyed the character of Old Mabel, whose youth and sanity were taken by her own full-cast podcast. And also moonshine.
The Coxwood History Fun Cast just completed its first season, and at the moment their is no word on a second, but I hope that we get another chance to visit the park, see the ballroom, complete with giant pulsing ball of evil energy, and have tea and authentic 19th century biscuits with the unspeakable horror. No raisins please, they’re the food of the devil.
You can find the RSS feed HERE, or join the Facebook fan page.
Hugh Likes Podcasts: Writing In Suburbia
September 7, 2015
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Writing In Suburbia is a podcast for professional writers. Except that it isn’t. It is, like a lot of other writing podcasts, by a professional writer for aspiring professional writers. But it is still a damn good one, and well worth your time.
A very informal solo cast, WiS comes from the brain squeezin’s of indie horror wunderkind Jake Bible. The author of the Dead Mech, as well as half a dozen more series from small press outlets, Jake is a master of ebook horror with a herculean work ethic. Bible is incredibly prolific, releasing book after book on an almost monthly basis. On the podcast, he shares the secrets of his success, which mostly boil down to planning well and putting in the work, which he can do as a full-time writer. He also gives the audience a look into the life and lifestyle of novel writing as a day job, and gives a lot of insight on daily life as well as the pitfalls of being your own small business. And he ends every episode with a mean blues-harp performance.
Fans of Jake Bible’s writing will already be familiar with his bombastic, and often not safe for work, style. His off the cuff manner is occasionally meandering, but equally charming and easy to listen to. He pulls off the rare trick of making a solo podcast sound like a conversation. If you want to really know what it’s like to write for a living, or you want some tips to improve your work (as opposed to your craft) Writing in Suburbia is a podcast well worth checking out. Find it at jakebible.com or your preferred podcatcher.
Hugh Likes Podcasts: The Dork Forest
August 31, 2015
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Hugh Likes Podcasts: The Dork Forest
Hosted by Jackie Kashian
TheDorkForest.com
There are a lot of nerdy podcasts out there. In fact, the later almost always implies the former. But The Dork Forest is a nerd podcast in an entirely different vein, and it is one of the best.
Hosted by comedian Jackie Kashian, this is an interview show that dives deeply into the unexpected and delightful things that we all dork out about. Everyone has something they love, and Jackie finds out about the unusual obsessions of celebrity geeks. This isn’t just Dungeons and Dragons and comic books, although subject have been covered in the past. Anything could be a topic, from Presidential biographies to 70’s McDonalds advertising mascots.
A show like this could focus on the bizarre and incomprehensible aspects of these dorkdoms, but Kashian approaches her subjects with an empathy and sense of humor that celebrates their interests rather than points fingers. The Dork Forest is a podcast that celebrates wonderful and weird corners of nerd culture at a time when so much of fan discussion has devolved into mean-spirited yelling, internet trolling, and attempts to dictate how other people should enjoy things.
The Dork Forest is a geeky ray of sunshine that always shows me something delightful and surprising. The show can be found in your favorite podcatcher or at JackieKashian.com
Hugh Likes Podcasts: Nutty Bites!
August 24, 2015
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Nuchtchas is not your average geek. And her show “Nutty Bites” is not your average pop culture podcast. A transplant from Long Island to Canada, she brings creativity, wit, and above all empathy to the discussion and dissection of nerd culture.
Joined by her husband/cohost/antagonist Tek, as well as other guests, Nutty debates geeky topics, interviews nerd celebrities like Paul and Storm, and generally brings the awesome to every discussion she sets her sights on.
Nuchtchas, AKA Nutty, has a particular talent for finding and bringing out the best in other geeks. Nutty Debates always feature some cool geek I haven’t heard from before. These roundtable discussions are as far-reaching as they are nerdy, ranging from lamest super-powers to favorite SF Films.
She is also a participant in the Dog Days of Podcasting. Going on every August, this is a project to record a podcast every day leading up to Dragon*Con. Nutty uses the opportunity to interview geeks from across the web. These mini-episodes act as ten to twenty-minute windows into the lives of podcasters, artists, writers, and other interesting geeks. For propriety’s sake, I will put in the disclaimer that I was a participant in this year’s set of podcasts.
In addition to her own show, Nutty also is a member of specficmedia.com’s Beyond The Wall “Game of Thrones” podcast, and a frequent contributor to CHSR’s Epic.
Nutty visits all corners of the nerd community, and she’s enthusiastic about everything. In an internet where so much of the conversation has become a battle, even Nutty Debates are friendly, fun, and above all positive. I always find out something I didn’t know, or become a fan of a podcaster, writer, cosplayer or artist I hadn’t heard of before. This is required fan listening in my book. Visit NIMLAS.org and listen to this illuminating podcast.
Hugh Likes Podcasts: Ditch Diggers
March 30, 2015
Hugh Likes Podcasts, Reviews Ditch Diggers, HLP, Hugh Likes Podcasts, Matt Wallace, Mur Lafferty, review Leave a comment
Ditch Diggers
Hosted by Mur Lafferty and Matt F. Wallace
www.matt-wallace.com/tag/ditchdiggers
“Ditch Diggers” is a different kind of writing podcast. Hosted by Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace, with special guests from throughout the SF writing community, this is less a writing podcast and more a writing-adjacent business advice show.
The Campbell award-winning Lafferty is perhaps best known as the host of “I Should Be Writing,” an also excellent podcast featuring encouragement and practical advice for aspiring writers. This is the other show, where she gets more down to earth with business advice for writers who know how to put one word in front of the other. Co-host Matt Wallacer contributes his own expertise as a novelist and screenwriter. The podcast actually springs from a segment on ISBW called “Good Cop, Bad Cop,” in which the pair answered letters, with Mur offering encouragement, and Matt giving over the top criticism.
While they aren’t in character on this podcast, “Ditch Diggers” has the same energy as those old segments, and the banter between the two is a delight. They’ve also featured guest authors, including Kameron Hurley and Chuck Wendig, to talk about their career successes and failures.
While “Ditch Diggers” is geared towards writers looking for career advice, it is still an entertaining listen if you aren’t looking for an agent or an editor. It’s a peek behind the the curtain into the real world of how books get from manuscript to bookstore shelf, with a pair of wry, witty hosts who work well together. “Ditch Diggers” can be found at their website, via Mur Lafferty’s site, or in your favorite podcatcher. It’s all the fun of going to a writer’s convention, without the bar tab.
Hugh Likes Podcasts: Welcome To Night Vale
March 10, 2015
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Welcome to Night Vale
Hosted by Cecil Baldwin, and others
Produced by Commonplace books
“Welcome to Night Vale” a podcast that almost needs no introduction at this point. This wildly popular program is a podcast drama formatted as bulletins from a community radio station in a small desert town. It features notices from the town’s active secret police, a kid’s fun-fact science corner, updates on the mysterious lights in the sky and the war-like subterranean culture located beneath the local bowling alley. And of course, the weather. Night Vale is a weird place, but these are just the everyday foibles you might find in any isolated community, as far as W2NV is concerned. And that is what makes this podcast brilliant.
Written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, Welcome To Night Vale is not only a delightful satire of horror and weird fiction tropes, it is a clever and often heartbreaking look at tolerance and what it means to be a community. From the bourgeoning romance between radio host Cecil and mysterious and well-coifed scientist Carlos, to the struggles of a young girl trying to fit in despite the fact that she is in fact an adult man’s detached hand, the plots of the show revolve not just around the inexplicable and the fantastic, but real human interaction, even if it is presented in completely silly ways.
At its heart, “Welcome to Night Vale” is about The Other, The Weird, amorphous Unknown that kept H. P. Lovecraft up at night. But what the Mythos never addresses, and part of what makes it problematic today, is that one person’s incomprehensible horror is someone else’s Tuesday. Cecil Baldwin, who plays coincidentally-named station host Cecil Palmer, recently contributed an excellent short essay about his experiences working on the project to the Queers Destroy Science Fiction Kickstarter. The thing he really loves about the podcast, and I agree, is that in all of Night Vale’s strangeness and paranoia, the same-sex relationship between Cecil and Carlos is never even considered unusual or different from a straight one. That’s the subtext for Welcome to Night Vale. The things that we do not understand or find inexplicable are just life seen from a different angle. It’s an unexpected direction, almost stealth schmaltz, but it’s the most original thing in Podcasting, and it brings a delightful little bit of weirdness and joy to my feed twice a month. Find Welcome to Night Vale in your preferred podcatcher, or visit Commonplacebooks.com.
Hugh Likes Podcasts: The Adventure Zone
January 30, 2015
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The Adventure Zone
Hosted by The McElroy Brothers & Clint McElroy
Maximum Fun Network
The Adventure Zone is a very recent podcast from Griffin, Travis and Justin McElroy, the hosts of the longer-running “My Brother, My Brother and Me” advice podcast. They are joined by their father, comedian and radio personality Clint McElroy in this new podcast, in which they play 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons.
While all four are experienced improvisers and podcasters, aside from Griffin, they have very limited gaming knowledge. This differentiates T.A.Z. from typical gaming podcasts, which tend to be hosted by passionate players with more limited technical or performing skills. This also makes it a fun and engaging show for listeners of all levels of gaming interest.
As both GM and podcast producer, Griffin does a good job of keeping things moving along and teaching his players, and the audience, what they need to know to keep up. This is a nice feature for listeners who have never played D&D before who would like to see what it’s like. The personality of all four hosts comes through in their characters and choices. This is engaging for experienced gamers who’ve all played with that guy, or been that guy themselves. Clint, playing cleric Merle Highchurch is completely new to roleplaying, and is trying to figure things out and see what he can do. Justin, playing the wizard Taako, pronounced like the food, is there to make funny voices and generally goof around. And Travis, playing fighter Magnus Burnside, cheats like crazy.
The audio quality is great, and at about an hour long, each episode is a fine background for a commute, cleaning, or video game session.
The Adventure Zone is a great podcast for podcast listeners who aren’t sure if D&D is right for them, or gamers looking for a good laugh. You can find in in iTunes, or subscribe via maximumfun.org/shows/adventure-zone.
Hugh Likes Podcasts: Astronomy Cast
January 13, 2015
Hugh Likes Podcasts, Review Astonomy Cast, Frasier Cain, HLP, Hugh Likes Podcasts, Pamela Gay, review, Science 1 Comment
Hosted by Dr. Pamela Gay and Fraser Cain.
astronomycast.com
Astronomy Cast is an astronomy and citizen science podcast that takes listeners on ‘a fact-based journey through the cosmos.’ Neither too simplistic nor overly technical, It is a great peek into the universe for amateur astronomers and science fans alike.
The show is hosted by Universe Today publisher Fraser Cain and Astronomer Dr. Pamela Gay. While it is not always consistently published due to the hosts busy schedules, it does cover a wide range of topics. They discuss science news such as current mission like Rosetta and Cassini, astronomical phenomena such as sun spots and finding water in space, and more! They have recently begun a fascinating series of biographies of modern female astronomers such as Joceylyn Bell Burnell, a discoverer of pulsars!
As a lover of science fiction, but someone who didn’t do great studying science in school, this is a great podcast. They present astronomy with wit, and grace, and explain clearly without talking down to the listener. This is an engaging and entertaining podcast for the non-scientist who has watched “Cosmos,” but is ready for something more challenging. It’s even a gateway to citizen science projects such as Cosmo Quest, which assists in mapping heavenly bodies!
Astronomy Cast is available from iTunes, astronomycast.com , or your favorite podcatcher.
Hugh J. O'Donnell 