Short Story, Short Podcast

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Chris and Kristy sit and chat, briefly, about a short story. From nutty scifi to straight dramatic realism, they're looking at it all. And if you don't like, well, it'll be over soon enough!

Chris & Kristy


    • May 12, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 18m AVG DURATION
    • 120 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Short Story, Short Podcast

    S3E35 - Replay - The Ones That Walk Away from Omelas

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2025 17:16


    S3E34 - Replay - Voices by Alice Munroe

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2024 17:15


    # Episode Notes

    S3E33 - The Huntress by Sofia Samatar

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2023 19:23


    Episode The Story! Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E32 - Sticks

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2023 17:49


    Episode Notes The Story Next: The Huntress Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E31 - Spring-fingered Jack by Susan Casper

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2023 17:00


    Episode Notes The Story Next Week - Sticks by George Saunders Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E30 - Fools by Gina Chen

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2023 23:29


    Episode Notes Fools Next Time - Spring Fingered Jack Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E29 - The Iceman

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2023 19:04


    Episode Notes The Iceman Next Time - Fools Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E28 - The Man with the Heart in the Highlands

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2023 21:43


    Episode Notes The Saroyan Story The Murakani story! Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E27 - Dave the Terrible

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2023 18:36


    Episode Notes Dave the Terrible! Next Time: The Man with the Heart in the Highlands!!! Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E26 - Rappaccini's Daughter

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2023 31:01


    Episode Notes The Story! Next time - Dave the Terrible Old Timey Crimey!!! Chris' Book!!! Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E25 - Wake for Susan

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2023 26:20


    Episode Notes! Wake for Susan! Next TIme - Rappucini's Daughter!!! Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E24 - Bartleby, the Scrivener

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2023 30:04


    Episode Notes The Story in all it's Melville Glory And next week - Wake for Susan Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E23 - The Prom Terrorist

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2023 24:23


    Episode Notes The Prom Terrorist Next Week Bartleby The Scrivener Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E22 - My Country is a Ghost

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2023 19:40


    Episode Notes https://www.uncannymagazine.com/article/my-country-is-a-ghost/ Next time- “One Rapper's Dreams of FBI Stardom” Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E21 - So Help Me God

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2023 17:59


    S3E20 - Earthquake Damage

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2023 21:00


    Episode Notes The story itself! Next Time - So Help Me God Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E19 - The Girl & The Machine

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2023 16:52


    Episode Notes The Story Next time - Earthquake Damage by Alice Adams Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E18 - The Necklace

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2023 22:28


    Episode Notes The Necklace! Next Time: Of Roses & Kings Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E17 - Hand, Cup, Shell

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2023 17:54


    Episode Notes The Story Next Week - The Necklace Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E16 - Cat Person

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2023 16:31


    Episode Notes Cat Person Next Week - Hand, Cup, Shell Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E15 - The Cold Equations

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2023 21:38


    Episode Notes The Cold Equations Next Week - Cat Person Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E14 - The Catholics

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2023 19:22


    Episode Notes The Story! Next week! Cold Equations Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E14 - Loneliness by Charles Bukowski

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2023 22:47


    Episode Notes The Story Next Week! The Catholics Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E13 - The Snow Child

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2023 22:56


    S3E12 - The Story of a Sock

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2022


    Episode Notes The Story itself! Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E11 - When It Changed by Joanna Russ

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2022 20:54


    Episode Notes The Story - When It Changed Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E10 - All the King's Horses by Kurt Vonnegut

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2022 22:18


    Episode Notes The story Next time Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E9 - The Heroine by Patricia Highsmith

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2022 13:46


    Episode Notes The Story! Next Week - All the King's Horses! Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E8 - The Landlady by Roald Dahl

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2022 13:33


    Episode Notes The Story The Short Story Short Podcast crew will be taking a few weeks off to deal with medical things, but we'll be back with the Highsmith story and then... MORE! Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E7 - Abraham's Boys

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2022 17:05


    Episode Notes The Story! Next Week!!! Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E6 - The Final Girl as a Middle Age Woman

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2022 18:35


    Episode Notes The Story! Nexty week - Abraham's Boys by Joe Hill Transcript by Otter.ai   SSSP-The Final Girl As A Middle Aged Woman Mon, Oct 03, 2022 3:37PM • 18:36 SUMMARY KEYWORDS horror films, killer, trope, middle aged woman, story, girl, subverted, amber, read, final, happen, murderous, jamie lee curtis, sparks, podcast, teenage girl, reasons, interesting, sexless, idea SPEAKERS Christopher Garcia, Chris Garcia, Kristy Baxter   Kristy Baxter  This final girl is fleeing like all the others flinging open the front door of a small suburban house. This final girl is screaming along hair streaming all torn t shirt and superficial injuries and sudden athletic desperation. Lightning recap in the final girl as a middle aged woman by Amber sparks what happens when the final girl is not a final girl after all   Christopher Garcia  you got a little time   Kristy Baxter  or you've got a little podcast   Christopher Garcia  this is short story short podcast. We are coming to you live.     Just That's it. That's just life.   Kristy Baxter  Well, we are a live so that's good. See that   Christopher Garcia  works. Yeah. Although I will continue doing this after I have died. It will be fantastic.   Kristy Baxter  I bet especially in October, it will get super spooky.     Yeah, cuz I'll be celebrating my birthday.   Kristy Baxter  Yeah, that's the only thing that happens in October. That's spooky.   Christopher Garcia  Exactly. Hey, you know, I kind of feel like I read something spooky recently. But I can't put my finger on it. What do you think it is?   Kristy Baxter  I can put my finger on it because it is the final girl as a middle aged woman by Amber sparks.   Christopher Garcia  This is a story that is right up my alley for four big reasons. The biggest being I do happen to like horror films.   Kristy Baxter  You're a little bit alone in that, at least in the context of hosts on this podcast. I Halloween time is the only time of year generally that I'll watch horror films, though maybe maybe I might stretch once in a while. But I struggle with them a little bit. And it's just it's something about I think of late, especially in like the even in the first decade of the 21st century, there was a lot of, hey, let's just cover everything that's happening with complete darkness. And that'll scare the viewer. And that just bugs me a lot. So there's that me being a weird snob about a genre that I have nothing to do with professionally. And there's also just I have a very weak gag reflex.   Chris Garcia  I don't like gore, which does tend to limit me to older horror films, particularly older slasher films, which this is a direct reference to. And the idea of the final girl is based on more or less Jamie Lee Curtis in the Halloween movies. And she's so good in that role. And I find it interesting that this story, which is brand spankin new, it's like less than three months old, I think.   Kristy Baxter  Yeah, I just I actually follow Amber sparks on Twitter, and she happened to tweet it and the title really, really intrigued me and I was like, boom, we got our next story.   Christopher Garcia  Yeah, and I think that this is doing a number of levels of commentary on one what the role of the final girl in a horror film is and to why is it never a middle aged woman?   Chris Garcia  Although to be fair, Jamie Lee Curtis is now in the Halloween low you could argue she may be slightly over middle.   Kristy Baxter  Hey, now let's let's not be talking about age. Except for the fact that that's kind of what the story is about. But yeah, it's this. This sense of vulnerability like the late teens girl is one of the more vulnerable characters that you can pull out. It's this this sense of who would the killer target does the killer want a challenge? Apparently not because they always go after the late teenage girl who is like, you know, wearing a white tank up and no bra. Gee, I wonder if that has something to do with it too. I don't know. Or you know the killer is going around punishing somebody for having sex for the first time, stuff like that. So definitely I feel like there there are a couple reasons both from a kind of gross like meta textual perception, and also from the actual, like, if you look at the motivations of the characters involved, especially the killer being the one who is engineering, a lot of the fear, I get like he'd pick the teenage girl. It's the same reason why all my friends say that if they were to cannibalize anybody, it would be me. It's just for fun to pick on. I'm not a teenage girl anymore, but I'm still fun to pick on.   Chris Garcia  Yeah, you know, my friends, I'll say they would eat me first. But we all know I'd be the eater.   Kristy Baxter  October is going to have a whole new meaning this year.   Christopher Garcia  I think one of the other aspects here, though, that is interesting. Is that meta textually? There are a number of reasons why it is the usually the late teen early 20s. Woman largely because one, yeah, the TNA is there, almost always to the way American box office has shown its they, you tend to peak on your drawing power as a woman in Hollywood in your 20s. And which, for better or worse, probably worse, unless you're an investor. There was actually related note, a look at the films of Lana Turner on a podcast I listened to called miracles, murders. That definitely talked a little bit about how box office Trends tend to to lead women into certain particular roles. And really an interesting little, just, it says that's a snippet of the podcast, which is well worth listening to. But the other thing that's being mentioned here is how the path of the killer follows not only very solid trope steps but more importantly, how the meaning of those to the film.   Chris Garcia  And the very interesting point that you know, this is the chase where I get killed, and then I get back up afterwards when she turns around and looks.   Christopher Garcia  And then that gets related to things that happen in the everyday life of the middle aged woman, quote, unquote, that has murdered him. I guess killed him. Technically, we could say it was justifiable homicide. But really, is it?   Kristy Baxter  Yeah. I, sort of on that same note, I enjoy. It was kind of a delightful surprise how trope savvy the killer is. He's totally in on this. He knows. And which makes sense, because like I said, he's the one who engineers the horror, he's the driving force behind it. And I love this line, the killer pauses. This has not happened in before. Is she not perhaps the final girl after all, or at all, but it's been nearly two hours and no protagonist has emerged and survived. He's like, what? How can the final girl be so old? What is happening here? This is not the way the story is supposed to go. And I just love that idea of it. He's not just some like nameless, mindless, murderous freak, who's running around stabbing people, but he actually has sort of a logic and that he is a surprised when the usual tropes are subverted.   Christopher Garcia  And that is, I think, key to the idea that if we insert ourselves into the world in which this is an actual movie, we're not seeing the first movie, we're seeing the fourth fifth sixth movie, this is this is down the line.   Kristy Baxter  Well, either that or the killer has watched a lot of movies. I feel like that's a possibility for him being trope savvy. That's that could be how the killer became probe savvy, and almost makes it more fun because he's like, a newbie, and he thinks he knows everything. And to have his his expectations is completely trashed in such a beautiful way. I think makes her somehow even more powerful in a strange way that she's like, I don't have time for your ignorance.   Christopher Garcia  Interesting. I ha, that's a good read. I think   Kristy Baxter  I think one of the different ways you can read that.   Christopher Garcia  Oh, yeah. I guess that they that would make this more of instead of a allusion to Friday the 13th it is more of a repositioning of a screen except for not funny. Yeah,   Kristy Baxter  possibly. Possibly. Yeah, there's there's that's what I love about this is such a short, short story and there's so many different things. takes you couldn't have on it so many different ways you can read different aspects of it. So I think that's really one particularly satisfying element of the story.   Christopher Garcia  And the the idea that the middle aged woman is the resilience of the potential foes for a it is what eventually defeats a, a murderous monster of a horror film is a really interesting one, it does play into one of Hollywood's worse sort of depictions of middle aged woman is that one of the reasons why people die in horror films, of course, is that they have sex. And then the idea that a middle aged woman has become sexless. And therefore she can defeat the the murderous killer, that I could see that read being there. And I can see that being a being also subverted by Amber sparks here because it's 100% out there, that she because I believe, even at the very end that she's referencing her as a mom, right? Yeah, yeah. So   Kristy Baxter  she's already begun to plan to pick the kids up from soccer and choir practice.   Chris Garcia  And so we're presented with not a mom out there defending her cubs.   Christopher Garcia  She's actually just fighting for her life. And I think that's a really interesting change too.   Kristy Baxter  Yeah, I think it's interesting that you you pointed at that the idea of, you know, the punishment for having sex and the versus midlife women being seen as sexless. And, but I really like what she does with that, because she could, she makes the killer be attracted to the middle aged woman, and he's horrified by that. And I just I just love that idea, because it's still sort of plays in to that whole idea, but also turns it on its head.   Christopher Garcia  Yeah, the there's a overarching pseudo academic look at horror films that see the killers in particular, they've referenced Michael Myers of not so much Freddy Krueger, but definitely Jason Vorhees as actually being presented as children inhabiting monsters bodies. And in that read here, he is not necessarily a child, he's actually experiencing, he's being presented more as an adult who has somehow turned into a killer. And I love that. The other thing is, I love how we're not given a very good description of the killer at all.   Kristy Baxter  I like that. I like that because middle aged women are so often like nameless, faceless voids in media. So for once, let's turn that on its head. But with regards to what you said about the whole child, thing, like messed up child's being a crazed serial killer, I really like how Amber sparks invokes the mother and says that that's what middle aged women do. That to me has those vibes of women who get, you know, horrible things in their DMS or whatever, rape threats, unsolicited dick pics, stuff like that, and how they, some of them will track down the mother of the sender and forward all that shit and be like, Hey, this is what your son's up to? That's just fine. I thought you might want to know. Yeah. Oh, go ahead. Go ahead. No, you go ahead.   Christopher Garcia  You know. I think one of the other aspects here that I really like is that it is incredibly short. Yet it pushes on every edge of this potential story.   Kristy Baxter  Yeah, you're right about that. I sort of had, I think, sort of subconsciously noticed that but not really put it into words. It really does. It's a very full story for how short it is.   Christopher Garcia  And I think what I like about that is, I think when you recognize that a trope heavy genre as horror films are, you can use very small nuggets to get you further and particularly when you are showing how they are subverted and how they can be played for both laughs and for thoughtful investigation. It allows you to expand everything. So every word and this means more I think   Kristy Baxter  yeah, it feels like it's more. Yeah, it's more meaningful in a way. And I'm glad that's not just me because I thought that maybe it was just be as a woman who, I guess could be considered middle aged. I hate that this taste that came into my voice there. I'll try to I'll try to work on that, as I deal with this. But But yeah, I thought it was just me like, taking more meaning out of it, because it's a very close story to my own experience. But you know, I don't have to kill her. But I, you know, I there are my friends who want to cannibalize me. So really, any minute they can come down and down the door and start slashing second eye, they're, they're my friends. They love me. And they will love me with garlic and butter. Butter, but yeah, so I'm glad that it's not just me, it feels like the story can connect to, you know, men as well, for instance?     That's right. Yes.   Christopher Garcia  I love this one. I   Chris Garcia  think it's one of the more fun.   Christopher Garcia  This might be the shortest story we've read.   Kristy Baxter  My Pain, my pain. Oh, no girl can make you concave. Better. Oh, Gal. That's right. That yeah, that was super short.   Chris Garcia  Yes. And the two are, are incredibly similar. It's It's remarkable.   Kristy Baxter  This is a really good venue, I think, for this kind of fiction, that points out aspects of gender and sexuality and gender relations and such, you know, the sort of expectations of society, I think, because those are stories where it can be really easy to accidentally overstep the line and become too preachy about it, and risk turning off the reader. So when you have that short time span, you have to make every single word count in multiple ways. And that's, you know, this flash fiction is actually a lot harder than some other fiction simply because of that, but I think it's also a wonderful venue for these explorations of gender relations and tropes, etc   Christopher Garcia  Correct. As usual, this one   Kristy Baxter  no, I just I really, really enjoyed it. I'm glad that I follow Amber sparks on Twitter. I usually follow her too. She She's interesting. It's I think it's I'll find it right now because it's in the author's noticing. At Amber Noel and O E. LL. E. So yeah, give her give her a follow and read some more of her stuff. Because this this feels like she's got more in or she's got more. It's just got some good stuff waiting around the corner of appealing.   Christopher Garcia  Oh, absolutely. Yes. Hey, Christy. Yes. What might we want to read next week?   Kristy Baxter  Next week. I think we might want to hit up Joe Hill for his story, Abraham's boys. So we're going from the final girl to the boys.   Christopher Garcia  And Joe Hill, who wonderful human being. Yeah, well till next week. This has been short story, short podcast. Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E5 - A Place in the Sun by Jennifer Haigh

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2022 18:24


    Episode Notes The Story! Next Week - The Final Girl as a Middle-Aged Woman by Amber Sparks! Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    place in the sun jennifer haigh amber sparks
    S3E4 - The Cask of Amontillado

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2022 18:45


    Episode Notes The Story Next week - A Place in the Sun by Jennifer Haigh Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E3 - The Eternal Cocktail Party of the Damned by Fonda Lee

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2022 13:24


    Episode Notes The Story from our friends at Uncanny! Next Week's story! Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E2 - The Glacier

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2022 15:14


    Episode Notes Notes go here The Story! Next week's story https://www.uncannymagazine.com/article/the-eternal-cocktail-party-of-the-damned/ Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S3E1 - Last Night of the World by Ray Bradbury

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2022 14:54


    Episode Notes You can find the story here - https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a14340/ray-bradbury-last-night-of-the-world-0251/ And you an read The Glacier for next week here - https://yalereview.org/article/novey-fiction-the-glacier Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S2E24 - Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2022 20:50


    We're back in late August!!!!! Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S2E23 - Tangles by Seanan McGuire

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2022 13:46


    Episode Notes Next week - Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather! Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S2E22 - The Sin of America

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2022 14:05


    Episode Notes The Sin of America Next week - Tangles Transcript - Accuracy 90%ish   SSSP-TheSinOfAmerica Tue, 7/5 12:30PM • 14:06 SUMMARY KEYWORDS story, america, sheridan, gluttony, personal favorites, sin, feel, living, woman, setting, rewarded, sparrows, aspect, case, scene, whimsical, remarkable, week, lottery, sin eater SPEAKERS Chris Garcia, Kristy Baxter   Kristy Baxter  Lightning recap. A woman is given a tremendous task that will change everything and nothing.   Chris Garcia  You've got a little time,   Kristy Baxter  We've got a little podcast.   Chris Garcia  This is short story short podcast. I am here today with   Kristy Baxter  Kristy L. Baxter   Chris Garcia  And, you know, I felt so good all week, I really, what I really need to do is to get into a a group of things in which all but one of them will lose, so that I might feel better about my future of losing.   Kristy Baxter  But you say that would be kind of like a lottery of sorts. I was thinking   Chris Garcia  more like a series of nominees.   Kristy Baxter   Oh, okay. All right. I see. Like, like a slate.   Chris Garcia  Similar, yes. Or a granite. But what granite? member would we be reading this week?   Kristy Baxter  This week, we would be reading the scent of America by Katherine M. Berlin de   Chris Garcia  now. Hi, can we have red cat before? By car? They sparrows? Bold,   Kristy Baxter  they radiant car? They sparrows do something on that one? Yeah.   Chris Garcia  Yeah, that's still easier than a alpiq overpass. But this story in particular, is one of those stories, that one you have to be willing to read deeper than just the surface. And you're 100% rewarded by having knowledge, in this case of Christ's symbology. And also American history. And a lot of writers trying to write this, it would feel exceptionally heavy handed. And maybe this is, but it's so beautifully written that I don't notice.   Kristy Baxter  A grade and I don't I don't think it's heavy handed at all. I think she uses a nice depth light touch with everything and sort of comes at the central idea of the story more sideways than directly, which is I think part of what helps to kind of ease the reader into it.   Chris Garcia  And she's using one of my favorite techniques where it is the ordinary, the humdrum, the scenes that we are encountering all the time if we live in our long, busy highways. But at the same time, there's a fantastical element that is, in this case, I would say us lyrically, it is to fold over this scene with just magnificently constructed writing   Kristy Baxter  yeah, there's so much that is just like beautiful about this, that it's really the writing that pulls you in and and overcomes any any issues of heavy handed ness and is she's really good at setting the scene, but not in like a standard pedestrian kind of way. It's it's a very it's a more I don't want to say whimsical because it's too deep to be whimsical. You know it's not it's not light and airy or anything like that, but there's just a lot of gorgeous imagery. And we learned that a group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope which is my favorite Fun Fact of the week now. I am so happy about that.   Chris Garcia  And I think what's great about cats riding overall is how that ability to structure language in a way that hits the poetry section of the brain is, is really remarkable palimpsest, her novel from about 1215 years ago. amazing example of that six guns Snow White, and novella she did about maybe eight, nine years ago now. Beautifully done and my one of my personal favorites of all time, space opera. It's Eurovision in space really. And it is just absolutely remarkable. It opens with tickets Enrico and Enrico Fermi segment that makes me happy. But what one thing that you can always count on is this butting up of popular culture that happens and you know, one of my personal favorites. It was Lenny, who had hung up all those felt the NFL champion pennants in chronological order, starting with the Cleveland Browns in the year of her birth, dangling over the revolving pipe display case and terminating abruptly in the 1982. Washington Redskins, whose solemn mascot frowns down on the cash register. I mean, it is a sentence that does nothing to move the story forward. It is a sentence that does everything to move, not only the setting forward, but the character's involvement with the setting.   Kristy Baxter  A great great and then you have beautiful lines like the blue bison Diner is a ghost living room and is serving the sin of America. I mean, that's, that's just it just knocked me for a loop ghost living room. I'm going to call everything that ghosts living room now. But yes, I love that. That intersection of character and setting and how they play with each other, how the setting tells us more about the characters and the characters then tell us more about the setting, they sort of inform each other. And that that I can really appreciate I think if somebody is looking for a primer on how those two aspects affection can work well together, I think this would be a good example to use.   Chris Garcia  This is the other quadrant of the the extra world interior world positivity of human emotion thing that I would say, Richard the Third lays on the exact opposite side of where it is the physical description of the exterior of the person and TRT world that they're living in. And I think that is amazing. I think there's something here too. It's serving the Center of America, what serving the Center of America is this? America of of people who live along Highway. And that is an interesting statement in and of itself, and one that I actually see as being smarter than I would have thought it to be. If you were to describe, you know, the average American and someone who lives with dinars in their blood, I would say no, that's not true. It's mostly but then I kind of realized, well, in a way it is, in a way it always is. And that I think is what makes it interesting is that it's serving the sin of America. In both senses,   Kristy Baxter  in both senses, yes, it's this sort of, there's an aspect of homespun capitalism, I guess I would call it it's really hard for me, I think that the best description I'm going to come up with, but it's just this very like countrified backwoods down home, but still got to make $1 Still gotta earn your living, you know, still gotta make money. And then sort of added with that into sort of a sense of feeding into gluttony. You beat me to it. Whoa, cross the finish line. Yeah,   Chris Garcia  that this idea that the ultimate sin of America somehow has to do with gluttony, and the restaurant and all these sorts of ideas, I think actually plays very well. And again, you are rewarded for having because this is a Christ allegory in a way. And I think that that the more you know, into that realm, you know, if you can add all this Christian symbology, and so forth, and technology and all the other stuff that ended ologies that once you can combine all that you can look through the story through a couple of different lenses. And I think what's interesting is if you look at it as this is what this is how we view America, and this is how we view the religion aspect of that, at some point, the two are at the exact right level away from your eyes to form a full form picture. It's like a stereo graph. And I liked that idea. And I can see me doing that with little thing.   Kristy Baxter  And then the eye doctor comes in and says, which is better one or 2142?   Chris Garcia  Same? Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep. Yes. And I like this story. It's less of a I don't know if I'd say it's as much of a it's not a go out there knocking around actions don't   Kristy Baxter  know, it's not it's not but it does still feel like there is a lot at stake. You know, nothing will change.   Chris Garcia  Wow, you just described a whole lot.   Kristy Baxter  That is true. Yes.   Chris Garcia  Gigantic button, nothing ultimately will change. Yeah. Kinda like this is written about the world at large over the past billion years.   Kristy Baxter  Almost, like almost.   Chris Garcia  I have to say, I enjoyed this. I don't know, if I would like writing wise, I would put it as the number one thing we've read so far. I think there's, there's literally I can think of maybe three people one of which being Ted Chang and the other one being Rachel Swirsky. Who have this level of ability to create in sentence and I think that this is a a wonderful read. It's not exactly what I'm looking for in a story necessarily. But it's when I encounter it I enjoy it.   Kristy Baxter  Personally, I think the writing is good enough that this it's good enough to wave me into putting this in my my number one spot so far   Chris Garcia  think I you know, I could see that. I've got it. Maybe it's just that I have a real soft spot for Twitter.   Kristy Baxter  Oh, gee, I wonder in what direction you might be leaning.   Chris Garcia  Lean in every direction at once it's my superpower. Got any other thoughts here there Christie?   Kristy Baxter  Just that this story is like if the lottery and the what was it the Death Eaters? Oh, yeah. If they got together and had a baby and then that baby got selected to go and sacrifice itself upon the altar of capitalism and gluttony and all those wonderful things.   Chris Garcia  The Sin Eater   Kristy Baxter  was it the sin eater?   Chris Garcia  Yeah, the one who was eating all the sin.   Kristy Baxter  Okay. All right. So this is so it's very much like that the the baby?   Chris Garcia  Well, yes, and I think I think that that's a good, that's a good way to combine it. It's a as far as if you then use I would say that is a Okay, good. I'll take it. Hey, hey. Hey, Christy.   Kristy Baxter  Did you get stuck there? Yes.   Chris Garcia  What should we read next week?   Kristy Baxter  I think that next week, we should read another Hugo nominated story. tangles by Seanan McGuire.   Chris Garcia  Excellent. Another person who I have damn well fondness for. So until that week. This has been short story, short podcast Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co

    S2E21 - Proof by Induction

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2022 14:57


    S2E20 - Mr. Death - 2022 Hugo Nominated Short Story

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2022 36:40


    Episode Notes Read it here! Next week - Proof by Induction Listen to Kristy's Old TImey Crimey Give Chris' various things a gander! Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    S2E19 - The Parsley Garden by William Saroyan

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2022 18:52


    Episode Notes The Story itself Next Week - Mr. Death by Alix Harrow (Hugo Nominated Short Story!) Join us every friday (except when schools are on holiday) for discussion of short stories! saroyan writing fiction shortfiction Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    S2E18 - Lamb to the Slaughter

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2022


    Episode Notes The Story Next week's story - The Parsley Garden Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    S2E17 - The Story of Your Life

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2022 16:28


    Episode Notes The Story Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    S2E16 - Spider the Artist

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2022 24:28


    Episode Notes The Story!!!!!! Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    S2E15 - Unknown Number

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2022 15:21


    Episode Notes The story Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    S2E14 - The Kings of Norway

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2022 18:09


    Episode Notes The Story!!! Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    S2E13 - The Lady, or The Tiger by Frank R. Stockton

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2022 17:12


    Episode Notes Read the story... if you dare!!! Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    tiger pinecast frank r stockton
    S2E12 - An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2022 17:36


    Episode Notes The Story Itself Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    S2E11 - Jeeves Takes Charge

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2022 15:35


    Episode Notes The Story Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    S2E10 - Brokeback Mountain

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2022 23:31


    Episode Notes The story from The New Yorker Find out more at https://short-story-short-podcast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

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