Second Hand Stories

I'm sure everybody will be checking their phones after they listen to this creepy story. Rebecca Linam's "When the Signal Ends" is narrated by Jimmy Cooper, a college student at William & Mary, who was advised by Professor Elizabeth Wiley, a professional audiobook narrator. Happy Halloween!

We asked for a creepy story and Nicholas MacDonnell came through! "A Wedding Story" features some technology in an antebellum setting, providing a mystery even Coll and Jim can't solve. Slow down and listen up on Friday October 13th!

It's October which means it's scary story time! Listen to Colleen make her narratorial debut for Trista Hurley-Waxali's "Solid." We're hoping she wrote it as an absurd humor piece and not on a day when she was mad at her boss...

We've been talking Lisa Heidle up for weeks now it seems and her story "Cranes Equal Life" does not disappoint. Saying too much about the story would ruin the fun, but be sure to stick with this one. Note: there was some recording interference around minute 20 or so, it only lasts a few seconds and hopefully you can figure out what I'm trying to say from context.

Justin Voelzke's "Black Jacket Mafia" isn't your typical mafia story - I don't think anybody says "Badda Bing!" even once...although Colleen does threaten to leave a horse head in someone's bed. Slow down and listen up!

We made a long episode before the long weekend to celebrate our long year of podcasting! Listen to sixteen of our contributors from this past year compliment us on how great we are. We're so thankful to them, as well as all of our listeners and contributors! (Even you, Mystery San Francisco Super Listener.) Special thanks to the following contributors who participated in this episode: Ryan Jiorle, Covered Eyes, Episode 1, Heart Failure, Episode 15; Daniel DeLeon, Fruit on a Vine, Episode 26; Clayton Bradshaw, How to Care for Hyacinths, Episode 18; Lynn Knight, The Stetson, Episode 9; Theodore Carter, The Great Escape, Episode 16; Carol Guess, Somehow Always Getting it Right, Episode 12; Nicholas Patrick MacDonnell, Man's Best Friend, Episode 10; Lisa Heidle, The Wailer, Episode 3; Dianalee Velie, Angel's Choice, Silent Night, Episode 8; Doug Hoekstra, Mr. X, Episode 20; Edna Garte, The Chelmites Look for Justice, Episode 14; Gary Beck, Intrusion, Episode 11, The Man Who Shot Stonewall Jackson, Episode 18; Derek Lazarski, Fake Things Aren't Real, Episode 21; Yermiyahu Ahron Taub, Flowers for Madame, Episode 13; Sarah Bigham, Memories of Smoke, Episode 6; and Laura Copan, Lilith the Bigfoot, Episode 3.

These episodes are getting longer and longer! Coll and Jim had a lot to put back together after listening to Samantha Melvin's "Reassembly Required." (And Jim isn't putting the episodes together early enough for Chloe to actually edit them...) This story deals with family, culture, and communication (or lack-thereof). Lots of calls to action at the end of this one: look for Samantha's upcoming work on Twitter at twitter.com/tiny_text; wish Colleen a happy birthday; send us some scary Halloween stories; and be sure to tune back in next week for our one year anniversary episode!

New theme! Have you ever had to "play the game" to get what you want? It's August, it's hot, and Colleen is on fire discussing Lyle Roebuck's "The Crab." Make sure you listen to hear Lyle's Frank Underwood impression and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/LyleRoebuck.

Danika Miller dazzles us with her delectable dance story "Dollface"! (There are amazing amounts of alliteration in this story.) Colleen and Jim discuss the body image themes present in "Dollface" and compare them to those in last week's "Fruit on a Vine."

Identity is a loaded word. Positive or negative, known or unknown, our unnamed narrator struggles with understanding her identity in Episode 26. Get your wine on with Daniel DeLeon's French vineyard story "Fruit on a Vine."

Colleen learns how Jim pairs together stories of octopus love and a Viking promise in Episode 25. Last week, you heard "Vikings" by Rachel Brough, and this week you'll hear "Three Hearts" by Melissa Palmer, which is part two of the pair of themed episodes. What's the theme? Slow down, listen up, and find out!

A viking and an octopus walk into a bar...Jim swears there's a punchline here but Colleen isn't so sure. This week, Rachel Brough tells us about "Vikings" (just in time for the new GOT premiere!) and next week Jim will tell us how vikings related to the octopuses in Melissa Palmer's "Three Hearts." Be sure to tune in to both episodes!

What would ruin your perfect day? Zachary Slingsby's story, "Apricot Iced Tea," follows a mother who can't seem to have the day she so perfectly orchestrated go right. You're in for some relationship assessing, parenting struggles, and a big issue with bladder control for Episode 23.

I had a conversation with Kris Baker Dersch or the No Extra Words flash fiction podcast. We give you a look under the hood about what the challenges of fiction podcasting are and why we love it. Check out Kris and No Extra Words at noextrawords.wordpress.com and wherever you get your podcasts! If you like this show, you'll definitely like hers too so give it a listen.

Some kids are just up to no good, while others seem to stumble upon trouble. But kids will be kids right? Ponder this with us while listening to "Everyone Hated Miss Loretta" by Susanna Solomon and "Fake Things Aren't Real" by Derek Lazarski.

Buckle up, Episode 20 is here to take you on a wildly emotional ride. Father-son relationships, steamy affairs, illness, and secrets, these three stories cover it all. Think of each like its own soap opera, without the bad lighting and various people waking up from a three year comas. Take a listen to "Silver Spoons" by Claude Smith, "Mr. X" by Doug Hoekstra, and "Greetings Black Wolf" by Dennis E. Thompson.

Listen to Dan Leach's suburban hell-raisers try to pull off a classic prank in "A Multitude of Sins." We hope it gets you in the summertime mood!

This four-part episode focuses on stories of war and combat and the various effects it has on the psyche. With Memorial Day right around the corner, we figured it was the perfect time to run these stories, some of which are written by veterans. Claude Smith ("R&R") leads off the episode, followed by Clayton Bradshaw ("How to Care for Hyacinths"), Christine Estopare ("Fate and Starlight"), and Gary Beck ("The Man Who Shot Stonewall Jackson"). As a warning to our listeners, all but one of our stories grapples with suicide in one way or another and deal with some mature content and themes.

Our Mother's Day episode! Listen to a story about an expecting mother trying to enjoy a last summer's day with her tween son ("A Meandering Blue" by Amy Ballard, www.amyballard.com) and another about a boy's constantly evolving relationship with his mother and step-mother ("Boy" by Carole Glasser Langille). Rate and review us on iTunes! Slow down and listen up.

Theodore Carter's ("The Great Escape") debut is magical, and Michael Anthony's ("White") is supernatural. Slow down and listen up to these fun stories about make-believe and intrigue!

Learn about life, death, and fate in alternate realities! Ryan Jiorle ("Heart Failure") returns and Heather Whited ("Ellison Once") makes her debut. Let us know what you think about this episode, in a review on iTunes, an email, or a post on Facebook or Twitter!

Tune in for modern re-tellings of classic folk and fairy tales by Edna Garte ("The Chelmites Look for Justice") and Warren Rochelle ("Feathers")! Be sure to check out our latest feature on Bookstr (https://www.bookstr.com/article/storytelling-retold-the-art-of-fiction/3350) and sign up to receive SHS episodes in your inbox (secondhandpodcast.com/newsletter).

In this week's episode, Alice Kouzmenko ("Lavender") and Yermiyahu Ahron Taub ("Flowers for Madame") tell stories about the strangers who come into our lives uninvited, at home and abroad. Find more of Yermiyahu's work on his website www.yataub.net. Do you have a story for us? Check our guidelines (secondhandpodcast.com/guidelines) and submit your story!

Emily Roese ("The Art of BODYCOMBAT") and Carol Guess and Elizabeth Colen ("Somehow Always Getting it Right") explore empathy, obsession, and intimacy in today's episode. Find more of Carol Guess's writing at carolguessbooks.com and find Elizabeth Colen's latest book, What Weaponry, at blacklawrence.com. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter (secondhandpodcast.com/newsletter) and review us on iTunes!

Hear the full version of Sally McElwain's story, "Eating Spaghetti in Brooklyn, 1978"! The first page and a half of her story was missing from the original recording but we bring you the full version in Episode 11.5. This episode was meant to be about empathy, but it's more about one person getting some insight into another person’s life, for better or for worse. Sarah ("Sally") McElwain of Writers Read NYC (writersreadnyc.com) reads her story "Eating Spaghetti in Brooklyn, 1978" and Nancy Beck reads husband Gary Beck's (garycbeck.com) story "Intrusion."

You never know what you've got until it's gone - sometimes you pave paradise and put up a parking lot, but sometimes the parking lot turns into paradise. Scott Wilson's story "Everything For Sale" and Nicholas MacDonnell's "Man's Best Friend" riff on this perspective. Featuring another author-read submission!

Lynn Knight reads her own story called "The Stetson" and I read A. R. Robins's story "The Cowbell" in another Christmas-themed episode!

Dianalee Velie shares two Christmas stories from her short story collection, Sole Proprietorship: Women in Search of Their Souls, available on Amazon! And Kathy McMullen reads her own "Secret Santa Club" featuring the Mulberry family. Find out more about Dianalee at http://dianaleevelie.com/ and Kathy at http://neighborsnorth.wordpress.com. Happy holidays! Slow down and listen up again soon.

Devin Murphy's story, "Red. Off. Red. Off.", really embodies the saying, "What you are I once was, what I am you will surely become." It's a reminder that there are Good Samaritan's all around us, especially during this holiday season. Enjoy!

Let's tell some stories about our favorite elderly people on this family holiday. Sarah Bigham and Adrienne Lockhart take us from wistful memories of some generous geriatrics to the comedic reality our older folks live in. Listen with your family today!

Jesse Mardian and Zak Goldberger tell stories of people who may have found themselves in the wrong profession. Thanks for listening!

Tanya Perkins's riveting story, "The Dry Season," is the only one we need for this episode. Thanks for slowing down and listening up with us!

Three stories in our third episode! We deal a lot in the unknown, from the mysterious people in our lives, to the mysteries within ourselves and all around us. Pete Stavros's fast-paced "Old Man in the Coffee Shop Writing in His Journal (I Forget)", Laura Copan's funny "Lilith the Bigfoot", and Lisa Heidle's emotional "The Wailer" pack a punch in this three story episode. Thanks for slowing down and listening up with us!

Kathy Stevenson's "The Pink and White Terraces of New Zealand" reminds us that evil ways will meet an evil end and Zachary Amendt's "No Love Lost" teaches us to never play catch with an autographed baseball. Thanks for slowing down and listening up with us!

Featured authors Ryan Jiorle ("Covered Eyes") and Samuel Cole ("Potion Number Us") bring us some fantastic stories in Second Hand Stories's debut episode. Both feature questions of when (and if!) relationships have ended. Thanks for slowing down and listening up with us!