Storyological is a podcast in love with stories. Every episode, writers E.G. Cosh and Chris Kammerud choose a pair of short stories and discuss something of how they work and why they matter and what they might teach us about life, the universe, and everything.
In which we discuss, among other things, the end and beginning of this thing we call Storyological.
In which we discuss "Sweet on the Tongue" by Roxane Gay and "Parakeets" by Kevin Brockmeier, along with, among other things: love, trauma, companionship, and the plural of abyss.
In which we discuss the classic Christmas film, KISS, KISS, BANG, BANG, along with, among other things, Pauline Kael, Lethal Weapon, Val Kilmer, and caring more than you have the capacity with which to deal.
In which we discuss the classical holiday film, In Bruges, along with, among other things, assassins, Mrs. Maisel, cities in which one might prefer to die, the trouble with prepositions, and the planes of Star Wars.
In which we discuss everything that happened in 2018. More or less.
In which we discuss "When We Were Happy We Had Other Names" by Yiyun Li and "Don't Look Now" by Daphne du Maurier, along with, among other things: grief, horror, demonization, and New Girl.
In which we discuss Will Harris’ MIXED-RACE SUPERMAN (p: peninsula press), along with, among other things: Inception, Brexit, superheroes, and pronouncing bildungsroman.
In which we discuss DUSK BEFORE THE FIREWORKS and BIG BLONDE by Dorothy Parker, along with, among other things, Mike Birbiglia, laboratories of emotions, and country time lemonade.
In which we cross streams once again with the wonderful magazine, Strange Horizons: we pick stories to discuss, and they reprint those stories online (strangehorizons.com) for you to read. This time around we've pulled together a couple of our favorite story discussions from the archives, "Directions" by Judy Budnitz (1.21) and "Fisherman" by Nalo Hopkinson (1.09), which were previously unavailable online. We also added a new intro in which we talk about time and space and genre. You know. The usual.
In which we discuss GERD, THE GIRL WITH TOO MANY ARMS by Zachary Doss and THE THANKLESS CHILD by Daniel Mallory Ortberg, along with, among other things, Aimee Bender, magical vacuum cleaners, and Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors."
In which we discuss "Vox Clamantis in Deserto” by Curtis Sittenfeld and “The Empty, The Empty, The Empty” by Jenny Zhang, along with, among other things, Yuja Wang, figuring out how to be a writer, and the really real insides of people.
The Storyological Pocket Interview series features conversations with amazing short story writers about stories and life and everything. In this episode, we interview Alyssa Wong, author of Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy award-winning horror. Among other things, we spoke about sex, guilt, fear, bible monsters, growing up in the desert, and the many tiers of horror. Also, trash pigs
In which we discuss "Demon in Aisle 6" by Matthew Kressel & "Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers" by Alyssa Wong, among other things, such as eternal recurrence, the dangers of metaphors, Orange County, Lynda Barry, William Faulkner, and Shirley Jackson.
In which we discuss THE DANCING MASTER by Alexandra Kleeman. and LAST by Ali Smith, along with, among other things, Amelie, Richard Ford, gas stations, and digital product development.
In which we discuss HARRISON BERGERON by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. and THE DARKNESS BOX by Ursula K. Le Guin, along with, among other things, satire, barnacles, and the films of Wes Anderson.
In which we discuss A STRANGE TALE FROM DOWN BY THE RIVER by Banana Yoshimoto and DARLA! by Jillian Tamaki, along with, among other things, shame, sex, and sincerity.
The Storyological Pocket Interview series features conversations with amazing short story writers about stories and life and everything. In this episode, we interview Sofia Samatar, author of the World Fantasy award winning A Stranger in Olondria. Her latest book, a memoir illustrated by her brother, is called Monster Portraits. Last year, we spoke to Sofia about, among other things, jazz, identity, belonging, feeling lost in life and in stories, and how we might use language to build, and remember, home.
In which we discuss DANCE CARD by Roberto Bolaño and A KISS WITH TEETH by Max Gladstone, along with, among other things, silhouettes, monsters, and the musical stylings of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
In which we discuss THE WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A RESTAURANT by Leone Ross and THE DAUGHTERS OF THE LATE COLONEL by Katherine Mansfield, along with, among other things, Lord of the Rings, Marxist critique, and regret.
In which we discuss REPORT ON THE THING by Clarice Lispector and CAT PERSON by Kristen Roupenian, along with, among other things, princesses, karaoke demons, and the thingness of things.
In which, in the second of our holiday specials this year, we discuss that one film GROUNDHOG DAY, along with, among other things, ensouled vampires, magical girls, girls with cool hats, various sorts of existential despair, and also Magic Mike XXL.
In which we discuss that one film Home Alone along with, among other things, Lord of the Rings, snow, technicolor, magic, and the terror of Joe Pesci's face.
Our second season finale in which we discuss the state of literature. More or less. Not really. Also scrutability, adventure, and the boy who could fly.
In which we discuss "A City Inside" by Tillie Walden and "The Transplant" by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Along with, among other things, Blade Runner 2049, Hayao Miyazaki, and the space and time of comics.
In which we chat with author Violet Allen about, among other things, intertextuality, metafiction, the one power all superheroes share, and the hope and purpose of art. Also, Flash Gordon and the theme song to the television show Frasier.
In which we discuss "Sleep It Off Lady" by Jean Rhys and "Agata's Machine" by Camilla Grudova. Along with, among other things, sex, death, and wonder.
From episode 2.02, we discuss "The Venus Effect" by Joseph Allen Hill and "Where We Must Be" by Laura van den Berg. Along with, among other things: fate, politics, and bigfoot.
In which we chat with writer Carmen Maria Machado, author of Her Body and Other Parties, about, among other things, sex, gender, television, and the revelation of Kate Winslet's body.
In which we discuss "Pop Art" by Joe Hill and "Walkdog" by Sofia Samatar. Also. Pity, compassion, and footnotes.
In which we discuss "The Dead Father's Cookbook" by Ashley Blooms and selections from The Teeth of the Comb & Other Stories by Osama Alomar. Also. Friendly horrors, romanticism, and The Cones of Dunshire!
In which an interview with recent Hugo-award winning writer Amal El-Mohtar about, among other things, moons, musicals, orchards, friendship, Star Trek: The Next Generation, the wonderful wobbliness of time and space, and the little bits of magic you find as you travel along the way, there and back again.
In which we discuss selections from "Super Mutant Magic Academy" by Jillian Tamaki and "My Friend Janna", from Through the Woods, by Emily Carroll. Also. Twelfth Night, dead rabbits, and queering the gothic.
In which we discuss "The Sweet Sop" by Ingrid Persaud and "Swimmer Among the Stars" by Kanishk Tharoor. Along with, among other things, John Green, Nutella, and death.
In which we chat with writer and community organizer, Sam J. Miller, about, among other things, growing up gay in upstate New York, struggling with body image and an eating disorder, transforming some of this experience into his first novel, *The Art of Starving*, transforming lies about the plot of *Jaws* into a career in fiction, loving *Sense8* more than anything, loving love more than anything, loving justice more than anything, and exploring in fiction the ways in which love can be naive and ignorant and even the most evil motherfucker believes the evil shit they do is justified.
In which we discuss "Whatever Happened to Interracial Love" by Kathleen Collins and "The Embassy of Cambodia" by Zadie Smith. Also. Idealism, fads, and The White Stripes.
In which we post Strange Horizons podcast of En El Último Reducto by Eduardo Goligorsky, as part of our crossover this week.
In which we post Strange Horizons podcast of The Last Refuge by Eduardo Goligorsky, as part of our crossover this week.
In which we post Strange Horizons podcast of Created He Them by Alice Eleanor Jones, as part of our crossover this week.
In which we discuss stories by "Created He Them" by Alice Eleanor Jones and "The Last Refuge" by Eduardo Goligorsky. Also, Rebecca Solnit, Pan's Labyrinth, and semicolons.
In which we discuss "The Debutante" by Leonora Carrington and "An Unborn Visitant" by Vita Sackville-West. Also. Illusions, time travel, and E.G.'s obsession with bags of bloody feet.
In which we discuss "Hey Come On Out" by Shinichi Hoshi and "Bring Your Own Spoon" by Saad Hossain. Along with, among other things. Emotional baggage, Grayson Perry, and that old song hope.
In which we talk with Adam Ehrlich Sachs about, among other things: fathers, shadows, contraptions, the uncertainty of reality, and the poignancy of precision.
In which we discuss THE UNDIGNIFIED MELODRAMA OF THE BONE OF CONTENTION Dorothy Sayers and FRANNY J.D. Salinger. Also. Scooby Doo, eating disorders, and reading for comfort or surprise.
In which we discuss "Starver" by Daisy Johnson & "Trauma Plate" by Adam Johnson. Also. Frustrations, privileges, universalities, and Bob's Burgers.
In which we discuss "Sabbath Wine" by Barbara Krasnoff and "The Future Looks Good" by Lesley Nneka Arimah. Also. Hope. Lies. And bungee running.
In which we discuss "The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees" by E. Lily Yu & "The Janitor in Space" by Amber Sparks. Also. Men in Black, colonialism, and archetypal wasps.
In which we discuss "Love" by Yuri Olesha and "The Boy Who Never Cried for Me" by Juliana Delgado Lopera. Along with, among other things, soviet architecture and the language of love.
In which we discuss "When It Changed" by Joanna Russ and "Fairy Tale" by Alexandra Kleeman. Also, feather dusters, social justice, and cowcatchers.
In which we discuss "The Venus Effect" by Joseph Allen Hill and "Where We Must Be" by Laura van den Berg. Also, fate, politics, and bigfoot.
In which we discuss "Seasons of Glass and Iron" by Amal El-Mohtar and "What is Lost" by Su-Yee Lin
A miniature episode in which we discuss that one episode of Doctor Who, A Christmas Carol.