Tales from the Trunk

Show notes coming soon. If you have a few extra dollars, both Sarah and I would appreciate any donations you can make towards relief efforts in the areas of Appalachia affected by hurricane Helene. We highlighted the following organizations: BeLoved Asheville World Central Kitchen American Red Cross

We're back, folks! And as promised, I'm joined this time around by none other than T. Kingfisher herself, who joins me to talk about her newest novel, A Sorceress Comes to Call, available right this very moment from fine booksellers everywhere.   Things mentioned in this episode:   DeviantArt “The Goose Girl” The Hamster Princess series, by Ursula Vernon Dracula, by Bram Stoker “Bluebeard” The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness, by Florence Hartley Swordheart, by T. Kingfisher Magic: the Gathering Commander format M:tG Arena Behold: Humanity!, by Ralts Bloodthorne Warhammer Humans are space orcs (this may not be the original, but it's what I could surface) Ursula's bluesky, tumblr, and website   Join us again in October, when I'll be talking to Sarah Pinsker!

Hello, dear listeners!   I wanted to give you all an update about the show. To whit: I'm taking a bit of a break. The last five seasons have been incredible, and season six has been and will continue to be.   Tales from the Trunk is in no way ending. We will be back on September 20th, when I'll be talking to T. Kingfisher.   In the mean time, here are some of the things that I have been enjoying from the wider media landscape:   A podcast: Friends at the Table – their eighth season, Palisade, is coming to a close right now, and it has been a Ride. A book: Bury Your Gays, by Chuck Tingle – you already know how much I loved Camp Damascus, and it should come as no surprise that the good doctor's follow-up is every bit as incredible. A TV show: Hunter × Hunter (2011) – Just a fantastic shōnen anime. And a musical twofer: Chappel Roan – come on. I'm queer. She writes good pop hooks. Suggested tracks: “Pink Pony Club” and “My Kink is Karma” Porter Robinson – if you like bouncy but also emotional EDM, give him a go. Suggested tracks: “Knock Yourself Out XD” and “Shelter”   Thanks again for your support over the years, and I look forward to returning in two months with even more amazing interviews with incredible guests.

This time around, it's my delight to welcome to the show Aliette de Bodard! Aliette joins me to talk about her new novella, Navigational Entanglements, available July 30th, 2024, from TorDotCom Books!   Things we mention in this episode:   C dramas Heaven's Official Blessing, by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu Xianxia Camp Damascus, by Chuck Tingle “The Tutelary, the Assassin, and the Healer,” by Aliette de Bodard in I Want That Twink Obliterated Worldcon Sarahs Gailey and Hollowell Dead Boy Detectives and The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman The Saint of Bright Doors, by Vajra Chandrasekera Chronicles of Elantra, by Michelle Sagara Aliette's bluesky, insta, website, and patreon

Hello, and welcome to Tales from the Trunk.   Listeners, it's June, and ya boi is tired. I was going to try to scramble to get an interview scheduled, but then I remembered the name of a Shavuot workshop that a dear friend of the show attended last year: “What if we Rested?”   Life has been nonstop for me for more than half a year now, so what if I rested? What if we all rested? Goodness knows that if you're not a white cishet allo abled person, you need it.   But also, I wanted to do something. So I'm bringing you something old and something—well, another old thing, actually, but one that hasn't appeared here before. First, here is an essay that I wrote for Trans Day of Visibility a few years ago, and after that, a short collection of essays that first aired here in June of 2020. I hope you enjoy them.   Visibility   honestly i've been sitting on this for a grip and just not quite knowing how to fit the words together, but i'm tired, y'all. so, visibility. of trans people, specifically.   it's me. i'm trans people.   it took me a long time to understand that about myself, and i didn't come to it on my own. i needed help. i needed to see that “trans” was a word that could describe me.   when i was little, i knew that i was weird. that i didn't fit. that i didn't act like the other little boys. that there were parts of me that i had to learn to hide to keep myself safe. that i couldn't talk about with anyone because i didn't have the language to capture it.   when i was in ninth grade, one of our history teachers came out as trans. we had an assembly where an administrator told us all that our teacher was a man now, that his pronouns were he/him, probably that misgendering him wouldn't be tolerated. but he didn't look like me.   i had a distant friend in high school who came out as trans. he didn't look like me, either.   years before she came out as trans, my closest friend at school told me that she was bisexual. she was the first bi person i knew i knew. we would go to goth clubs and she would make out with people while i danced or stood against the wall and nodded my head along. even before we were really friends, i was drawn to her, wanted to be her friend more than anything. we went through a lot of hard times together, but she didn't look like me.   she pierced my ears after high school. four holes i carry to this day, a little part of her with me all the time even though we haven't seen each other in a decade.   in college, my friend asked that we use neopronouns for them, then they/them. the neopronouns were hard. we were young. i knew so many queer people in college, so many trans people. none of them looked like me.   that same friend came out to me and my spouse as genderqueer sometime before our wedding. i think that was the first time i'd heard the word. but i didn't know it was something that could belong to me. not yet.   i “came out” to a friend one summer night while i was in college. we were driving to get snacks after a day of endless quaker committee meetings. i said that i'd only ever fallen for women before, but that i was open to the possibility that wouldn't always be the case. i was in my first actual relationship then. years later, my ex came out as nonbinary. i didn't think about that coming-out conversation again for a long time.   i came out as bi to my cat while i was driving her to the vet for dental surgery. she was upset because she was in the car, but i knew that she was someone i could trust with my “secret.” it wasn't for another few weeks that i came out to my spouse and a few of my friends. i used to think of outness as a binary, even though it's always been a spectrum. i'm out to some of my coworkers, mostly other queers, but not others. it's not worth the discomfort. or it's choosing the lesser of two levels of discomfort.   one time, my boss at the time said “everyone here is straight” in a meeting. he wore a rainbow strap on his apple watch in june. he'd like you to know that he's an ally. i felt deeply uncomfortable about not saying anything, but also deeply uncomfortable about the idea of saying something. after i left that job, a former coworker confided in me that this boss pulled some classic cishet white dude stuff with them. i felt grateful that i hadn't outed myself in that meeting long ago.   i found a copy of Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer at a bookstore the same summer that i left that job and bought it on the spot. i just thought it was neat. i knew that i needed it.   i read that book in a single sitting. i've re-read it more times than i can count since then.   Maia didn't look like me, but i still saw myself in eir experiences in a way that i hadn't experienced before. e was queer. queer as in weird. queer as in didn't get social expectations for eir assigned gender. queer as in, well, queer.   a month or two later, i got a tattoo of a jackalope on my arm, but if you look closely, you'll see that it's a bunny wearing a pair of antlers that are tied on under their chin. when i designed the tattoo, i explained that that was about live-action roleplaying. maybe i believed it? but that's not what it was really about, was it?   i had a gender crisis in 2020 at the start of the lockdown. if i'm being honest, i'd been having a gender crisis for years, quietly, tucked in the pages of journals hidden away where i didn't have to look at them. but suddenly, it was just two adult humans and two cats all alone in a house, doing their grocery shopping at first light, uncomfortable with the idea of other people in a new way.   there was a lot of gender going around then.   i came out as genderqueer to my cat while i was driving her to another appointment. maybe you're sensing a theme. she knows my secrets, but she'll never talk.   i came out to my partner. it was easier, in some ways, and harder in others. “i'm attracted to more than one gender” is much more straightforward than “i'm genderqueer, but my pronouns are he/him, but my experience of gender is ????” i talked to my few close nonbinary friends about it. that really helped, because we had a shared vocabulary of “gender? what the fuck?”   i came out to my therapist.   he just didn't get it. he was an older cishet white man. in one of our last sessions, he said that we should talk more about my gender. with my spouse's help, i broke up with him and found a new therapist before i had to go through that ordeal. my new therapist is queer. she asked me what pronouns to use for me in our first session and told me to tell her if that changed. i started using he/they, then they/he, then just they/them pronouns within a couple months. not everywhere at first, but most places.   bigots started challenging Gender Queer earlier this year, or maybe at the end of last year. who knows when? time is fake. they call it pornographic. they call it smut.   i call it lifechanging.   it wasn't until i was in my 30s that i started to see queer people who looked like me. it wasn't until i read a memoir by a person whose early life experiences mirrored my own that i really learned language to talk about myself.   i like where i am in my life. yes, i'm anxious, and we're all still out here with this pandemic and a global rise in fascism, but i know a lot more about myself, understand a lot more about myself at 35 than i did at 30, at 25, at 20. but that doesn't stop me from wondering what my life might have looked like if i'd seen people like me when i was growing up.   i can't change my past, but i can be visible for today's kids. maybe some weird little boy will see me in the grocery store and gain some understanding that he didn't have before. maybe a nonbinary teen will feel safer just existing knowing that they're not alone. that's what we mean when we talk about “trans visibility.” that's why it's important. because trans visibility produces trans adults, but trans invisibility produces miserable people, miserable kids. or dead ones.   trans visibility, queer visibility, is lifesaving.

We're kicking off Pride this year with none other than my good friend Jay Wolf! Jay reads a snippet about their best worst boys, Egan and Petrel before we get to talking about their newest book as M. Daniel McDowell, The Shepherd in Shadow, which releases June 28th!   Things we mention in this episode:   Valerie Valdes The Gormenghast series, by Mervyn Peake Inkfort Press Self-Publishing Derby Bringer of the Scourge, by M. Daniel McDowell Glen Cook Fritz Leiber Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser The Colour of Magic and Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett Beating Hearts & Battle Axes New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine Julie Bell and Boris Vallejo M.E. Morgan X-Men ‘97 Forged in Fire Jay's socials and M. Daniel McDowell's socials

This time around, I'm thrilled to welcome to the show Meg Elison! Meg reads to us from the start of their trunked novel, Hemet, which leads us into a wonderful conversation about a whole host of topics, including her own artist's statement on spooky stuff.

This time around, it's my delight to welcome back to the show Victor Manibo! After a bit of catching up, we get into Victor's new book, Escape Velocity, which releases later this month from Erewhon Books!   Things we mention in this episode:   The Sleepless, by Victor Manibo Victor's first episode “The Cask of Amontillado,” by Edgar Allan Poe The Fall of the House of Usher (show) Gravity (2013) Funeral and Neon Bible, by Arcade Fire COWBOY CARTER and RENAISSANCE, by Beyoncé Shōgun (TV series) based on the novel by James Clavell Game of Thrones Our Share of Nights, by Mariana Enriquez ICFA Victor's website, twitter, insta, tiktok, fb, and substack   Stick around next time when my guest will be Meg Elison!

In addition to the regular strong language, this episode carries content warnings for: reclaimed gay slurs; a non-graphic depiction and discussion of non-consensual sex; depictions of consensual violence; and discussions of attempted suicide, medical trauma, experiences of psyche wards, descriptions of psychosis, forcible medication, restraint, experiences of homelessness, alcoholism, and body horror. The non-consensual sex and the consensual violence are both depicted in the reading, which is 24 minutes long, and there is some further discussion of the events from the reading following it. Perhaps even more so than usual, listener discretion is advised.   This time around, it is my complete gremlin pleasure to welcome to the show Ivy Fox! Together, we perform the entirety of her play, Strapped, which leads us into a wide-ranging conversation that touches on collaborative art, anime girls, furry music, mental health, and so much more. Seriously, this episode is over two hours long. We just kept talking!   Things we mention this episode:   Sarah Gailey Friends at the Table Toronto Fringe Buffy the Vampire Slayer Firefly JRPG Magic: the Gathering Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, by Samine Nosrat Chuck Tingle “Trust the Process,” by Hilary B. Bisenieks in Stone Soup Machine Girl The Mad Bird Kirby's Return to Dream Land US Trans Survey Rev (blue liquor) Madness and Civilization, by Michel Foucault Death of the author The Legend of Zelda AO3 Warrior Cats series, by Erin Hunter This tumblr post The Matrix Splatoon 3 MahjongSoul All Our Yesterdays, by Hilary B. Bisenieks “Chain Bastard” Metallic Rouge Blade Runner Dungeon Meshi Hunter x Hunter Hisoka Slay the Princess Revolutionary Girl Utena Together We'll Shine  Conflict is Not Abuse, by Sarah Schulman Voidreckon, by Mittsies Techdog 1-7, by Patricia Taxxon I WANT TO LOVE AGAIN, by doefriends Watership Down, by Richard Adams Ivyfoxart [at] gmail [dot] com, Ivy's cohost and ko-fi Soul Mates! on cohost Doctor Fanfiction's Monster Tableturf Battle Media Club Plus

This time around it is my absolute delight to welcome John Wiswell back to the show to talk about his debut novel, Someone You Can Build a Nest In, which just released this very week! We talk about John's favorite bits both in and no longer in the book, along with conversation about language, games, and a surprise musical performance!   Things mentioned in this episode:   Premee Mohamed Sarah Gailey Caitlin Starling “D.I.Y.” by John Wiswell “Open House on Haunted Hill” and its Japanese cover Katakana and Hiragana Hunter x Hunter (2011) Media Club Plus Starred review in The Library Journal Merc Fenn Wolfmoor “This is Not a Wardrobe Door,” by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor Sickos yes 4th Street Fantasy Worldcon John Scalzi Ted Chiang Martha Wells Chuck Tingle The Simpsons The Arcadia Project trilogy, by Mishell Baker Camp Damascus, by Chuck Tingle Miri Baker Tom Bombadil Howard Tayler Writing Excuses Schlock Mercenary Brandon Sanderson Mary Robinette Kowal Maurice Broaddus Dongwon Song Reservation Dogs Holly, by Stephen King Vacíos Cuerpos Balatro The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Baldur's Gate 3 Roguelike Deck-builder Calvinball Hades Friends at the Table Balatro stream Austin Walker Twilight Mirage and Spring in Hieron soundtracks Bandcamp Deep-fried jpegs Is It Bandcamp Friday? Web 1.0 John's twitter, bluesky, insta, patreon, and substack Escape Velocity, by Victor Manibo

This time around, it's my pleasure to welcome longtime friend of the show Laura Blackwell! Laura reads to us from her very very trunked story, “Poor Prisoners,” which leads us into a wide-ranging discussion of things we wish we'd learned sooner, writers whose work we admire, and kindness to our past selves.   Things we mention in this episode:   Story Hour LiveJournal Dreamwidth Macey's Murderboard episode All Our Yesterdays, by Hilary B. Bisenieks Quaker Spec Fic issue AO3 Omegaverse The Iliad and Odyssey, by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney and Maria Dahvana Headley Grimms' Fairy Tales Lattimore, Fitzgerald, Fagles Homers The Aeneid, by Virgil, translated by Robert Fagles Paradise Lost, by John Milton Translation State and the Imperial Radch trilogy, by Ann Leckie The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years, by Shubnum Khan Archival Quality, by Ivy Noelle Weir and Steenz The Mütter Museum Ivy's episode Just Like Home, by Sarah Gailey The Death of Jane Lawrence, Last to Leave the Room, Yellow Jessamine, and The Luminous Dead, by Caitlin Starling Megan E. O'Keefe Megan's first episode Steve Toase Amanda Cook Jo Miles SFWA HWA Premee Mohamed She Walks in Shadows, edited by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Paula R. Stiles Beneath the Rising, And What Can We Offer You Tonight, The Annual Migration of Clouds, and The Butcher of the Forest, by Premee Mohamed System Collapse, by Martha Wells Yuletide (fic exchange) The Red River of the north Lake Agassiz Marie Brennan Martha Wells Ursula Vernon Chuck Tingle Sarah Gailey Hugo Awards thing Stoker Awards Edenville, by Sam Rebelein Camp Damascus, by Chuck Tingle Hellraiser Death Note manga, netflix, and anime Potato chip eating scene Death Note: The Musical Laura's website, bluesky, twitter, insta, mastodon   Join me next month when I'll be talking to John Wiswell and Ivy Fox

To open this show's sixth season, it is my total delight to welcome A.D. Sui to talk about her forthcoming novella, The Dragonfly Gambit, available later this year!   Things we mention in this episode:   Neon Hemlock Press dave ring :unhinged_vibrating: :shaking_eyes: Fix-it fic Fanfiction dot net Even Though I Knew the End book tour episode Supernatural Carl Engle-Laird 100th episode Jared can't read vine Blue Eye Samurai Family Guy Rick and Morty Anna's twitter, insta, bluesky, and website John Wiswell Ursula T. Kingfisher Vernon  

This time around, to close out season 5 of Tales from the Trunk, I'm thrilled to welcome Jo Miles to talk about the excellent conclusion to their Gifted of Brennex trilogy, Ravenous State!    Things we mention this episode: Worldcon 76 Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie Ninefox Gambit, by Yoon Ha Lee Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin Brandon Sanderson A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin ART and Murderbot from The Murderbot Diaries, by Martha Wells Starling House, by Alix E. Harrow System Collapse, by Martha Wells Warped State and Dissonant State, by Jo Miles Jo's mailing list, bluesky, insta, and mastodon

Today, it's my pleasure to welcome back to the show Premee Mohamed! We talk about her new novella, The Butcher of the Forest, out February 27th from Tor.com books, and then feed something new to the trunk.   Things we mention this episode:   The Fifth Season, by N.K. Jemisin Hansel & Gretel Annihilation, by Jeff Vandermeer Escape from LA The Faerie Queene, by Edmund Spenser Snake Plissken LSBM Van Helsing post Dracula, by Bram Stoker Red Deer Polytechnic Thursday Next books, by Jasper Fforde The Siege of Burning Grass, The Annual Migration of Clouds, and We Speak Through the Mountain, by Premee Mohamed The Rider, The Ride, The Rich Man's Wife, by Premee Mohamed One Message Remains “The General's Turn,” by Premee Mohamed in The Deadlands Sean Markey's episode Mysterious Galaxy event with John Wiswell, on February 28th 2024 Someone you Can Build a Nest In, by John Wiswell The Two Doctors Górski, by Isaac Fellman The Vanished Birds and The Spear Cuts Through Water, by Simon Jimenez Premee's bluesky, insta, patreon, and website   Stick around next week, when I'll be talking to Jo Miles!  

Once again, it's time for an awards eligibility roundup! This episode's transcript appears in full below:   Hello, and welcome to Tales from the Trunk: Nominating the works that did make it. I'm Hilary B. Bisenieks.   Listeners, it's somehow that time of the year again, where awards nominations are upon us, and so I have once again reached out to all the wonderful guests who make this show what it is to round up works they'd like to receive your attention for nominations.   To begin, Tales from the Trunk is eligible for the Hugo Award for Best Fancast.   Sarah Gailey, who most recently joined me for our 100th episode retrospective, is eligible for Best Graphic Story for Know Your Station, and for Best Fanzine for their excellent Stone Soup.   Leigh Harlen, who joined us in August of 2021, is eligible for Best Novella with A Feast for Flies.   Dee Holloway, who joined us last May, is eligible in various categories. Her eligibility post is linked in the show notes.   Juliet Kemp, who just joined us most recently a few weeks ago, is eligible for Best Novel with The City Revealed; Best Novella with Song, Stone, Scale, Bone; Best Short Story with “Just As You Are;” and Best Series for The Marek Series. Their eligibility post is linked in the show notes.   Maya MacGregor, who appeared on the show in April of 2022, is eligible in Best Novel and Best Young Adult Novel categories for The Evolving Truth of Ever-Stronger Will.   Freya Marske, who appeared here in October of 2021, is eligible for Best Short Story with a version of the very story that she brought to this fine podcast, “One Version of Yourself, At the Speed of Light.” She is also eligible for Best Novel with A Power Unbound and Best Series for The Last Binding.   Sam J. Miller, who joined us in January of 2022, is eligible for Best Short Story with "If Someone You Love Has Become a Vurdalak."   Premee Mohamed, who last joined us in the summer of 2021, is eligible for No One Will Come Back For Us in various short story collection categories and for “Imagine Yourself Happy” for Best Short Story. Her eligibility post is linked in the show notes.   Annalee Newitz, who joined us for a book tour last January is eligible for Best Novel for The Terraformers.   Aimee Ogden, who joined us twice last year, most recently in August, is eligible for Best Novella for Emergent Properties. Her eligibility post is linked in the show notes.   Malka Older, who joined us at the start of this season in March of last year, is eligible for Best Novella with The Mimicking of Known Successes and for Best Short Story with both “The Plant and the Purist” and “The Dangers We Choose.”   C.L. Polk, who last joined us in February of last year, is eligible for Best Novelette with Ivy, Angelica, Bay, which you can read right now on Tor.com.   Caitlin Starling, who last joined us in October of last year, is eligible for Best Novel with Last to Leave the Room and Best Short Story for “Caver, Continue.” Her eligibility post is linked in the show notes: Twitter | Bluesky   Steve Toase, who joined us back in April of 2021, is eligible for Best Short Story with “Crumpled.” His eligibility post is linked in the show notes.   Rem Wigmore, who last joined us in August of 2022, has an eligible novelette, Lightrunner's Gambit, and a novel, Wolfpack.   Fran Wilde, who joined us in January of 2021, is eligible for Best Novella for The Book of Gems, Best Short Story for “The Rain Remembers What The Sky Forgets,” and Best Short Story for “No Contingency.” In addition, she would like to recommend From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi, in which “No Contingency” appears, to be considered for anthology and related media categories. Fran, along with Julian Yap, are eligible for Best Editor, Short, for their work at Sunday Morning Transport, which is itself eligible for Best Semiprozine.   If you've made it this far, I'd like to sincerely thank you for listening and nominating over the years. Your support means so much to me and all of my guests.   Next month, we're closing season five of this show out with a book tour appearance by Canadian author and definitely not a lorge beetle Premee Mohamed and a trunk reading from Jo Miles. Please note that due to some scheduling conflicts, Premee's episode will be releasing on February 8th rather than the 1st.   Also, season 6 is almost upon us! I'm still hammering out guests, so stay tuned to see what amazing authors join me!   Tales from the Trunk is mixed and produced in beautiful Oakland, California.   Our theme music is “Paper Wings,” by Lillian Boyd.   You can support the show on patreon at patreon dot com slash trunkcast. All patrons of the show now get a sticker and logo button, along with show outtakes and other content that can't be found anywhere else.   You can find the show on Bluesky at trunkcast dot bsky dot social, and I post at hbbisenieks dot bsky dot social.   If you like the show, consider taking a moment to rate and review us on your preferred podcast platform.   And remember: don't self-reject.

This time around, I'm joined again by the delightful Juliet Kemp, who joins us to talk about their new novella, Song, Stone, Scale, Bone! After a great little reading, we talk about some of the things that are hard to get on page.   Things mentioned in this episode:   Josh's episode The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, by Patricia C. Wrede A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin The Marek series, concluding with The City Revealed, by Juliet Kemp Deadlock Madeleine Sami Our Flag Means Death The Last Binding trilogy, by Freya Marske Freya's episode Juliet's website, twitter, bluesky, and mastodon

Today it is my sincere pleasure to welcome to the show weird little guy and all around splendid human being Josh Storey! Josh reads to us from his trunked novel, The Wolf That Waits at the End of All Things, which leads us into a lively discussion of the novels we wrote a few pages of when we were young, the ways we reuse ideas until they find the right home, and semiotic bullshit.   Things we mention in this episode:   Trunkcast's 100th episode Terry Pratchett's troll counting Macey's murderboard episode on We Make Books River of Teeth, by Sarah Gailey Sarah Hollowell World's largest frying pan in Iowa Jessica Mary Best's episode Machineries of Empire series, by Yoon Ha Lee Jasper Fforde Zip disk Final Fantasy Homestuck The Locked Tomb series, by Tamsyn Muir Miri's episode Mary Robinette Kowal Rock Lee System Collapse book tour A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin Baffling Magazine AO3 All Our Yesterdays, by Hilary B. Bisenieks Death (Neil Gaiman) Friends at the Table Anamnesis Brandon Sanderson Writing Excuses Mary Robinette Kowal's patreon “The Air Gap,” by Hilary B. Bisenieks in Lamplight C.C. Finlay F&SF Mary Robinette Kowal's MICE HTML Be The Serpent R.J. Theodore Peridot Shift series, by R.J. Theodore NaNoWriMo Gnome Stew Misdirected Mark network Personal Canons Cookbook My macaroni and cheese recipe (and essay) Héctor González Amal El Mohtar Bigolas Dickolas This is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El Mohtar and Max Gladstone Trigun Stampede Trigun (98) SunCoast Video L-space Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Delicious in Dungeon (Dungeon Meshi) Apocalypse Keys Hellboy Pathfinder 2.5 WotC Josh's insta, bluesky, and website Urban Phantasy blog Premee Mohamed Jo Miles

Today it's my great pleasure to welcome publisher of The Deadlands, Sean Markey, to the show! Sean talks us through the inception of the magazine, what it's like being a publisher, and where both the magazine and his press, Psychopomp, is going next!   Things we mention in this episode:   Elise Catherine Tobler Laura Blackwell Story Hour Psychopomp Shimmer Beth Wodzinski Quaker Spec Fic issue “Refuse All Their Colors,” by Annalee Flower Horne A Voice Calling, by Christopher Barzak Martha Wells episode Meg Elison Maria Haskins Vanessa Maki Avra Margariti A.R. Arthur Ancillary Sword, by Ann Leckie “The Dead Boy Inside Me,” by Angel Leal Clarkesworld C.C. Finlay F&SF Strange Horizons Chuck Tingle Sarah Gailey Fireside The Deadlands Patreon Psychopomp store Diablo 4 “Ultraviolet,” by Spiritbox (and on Bandcamp) “Peristalsis,” by Vajra Chandrasekera Rakesfall, by Vajra Chandrasekera  “The Long Way Up,” by Alix E. Harrow “Death is a Diner at 3:00 a.m.” by A.C. Wise Psychopomp twitter and bluesky The Deadlands twitter and bluesky Shimmer's twitter

Today it is my absolute pleasure to welcome to the show none other than Martha Wells! Martha joins us to read from and talk about the newest entry in her Murderbot Diaries series, System Collapse, out November 14th from TorDotCom publishing!   A transcription of this episode by Kiri from the Murderbot discord is available here   Things we mention on this episode:   Hugo Awards Nebula Awards Locus Awards Dragon Awards Network Effect, Fugitive Telemetry, and Exit Strategy, by Martha Wells Witch King, by Martha Wells City of Bones, by Martha Wells Jamie Jones The Book of Ile-Rien: The Element of Fire & The Death of the Necromancer, by Martha Wells Mammoths at the Gates, by Nghi Vo Furious Heaven, by Kate Elliott Andrea Hairston The Water Outlaws, by S.L. Huang Aliette de Bodard Martha's website, bluesky, mastodon, and insta The Deadlands   Join us on November 17th, when my guest will be Sean Markey!

Hey everyone, Hilary here. Due to a combination of life things and poor planning on my part, there's no new interview this time around, but I'd like to take this spooky month to highlight a great episode from the backlog with our composer and true horror ghoul, Lillian Boyd. A few other things before we get to the episode: This show is now on Bluesky at trunkcast.bsky.social, and I'm on there at hbbisenieks.bsky.social. Of the twitter-replacements, Bluesky seems to be the one where most of my writing friends have ended up, so it made sense that the show should find a home there, too. Also, a heads up that due to scheduling needs, next month's book tour with Murderbot author Martha Wells will be coming out on Monday, November 6th, rather than Friday the 3rd. Finally, thank you all so much for listening. I always appreciate hearing from fans of the show. Your support and enthusiasm helps continue making this show what it is! And now, on with the show!   It's my absolute delight, this time around, to welcome our very own composer, Lillian Boyd (@herelieslill), onto the show. Lillian reads her short-story-that-should-be-a-novella, "Inside Job" (cw: gore, skip forward 10:15 to avoid) before we just go off on an extended tangent about horror movies, noir, pulp, and being as thoroughly on our bullshit as is possible.   Things we mention in this episode:   Rank and Vile Tetsuo the Iron Man 28 Days Later My appearance on Rank and Vile The Reinvented Detective, edited by Jennifer Brozek and Cat Rambo (2023) Raymond Chandler Guy Noir: Private Eye A Prairie Home Companion Nick Danger The Firesign Theater Clive Barker Nightmare Alley Guillermo del Toro Magic for Liars, by Sarah Gailey Nick and Nora Humphrey Bogart Farewell, My Lovely, by Raymond Chandler P. Lovecraft (notable racist) Scrip Neuromancer, by William Gibson Blade Runner The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde "Panama," by Van Halen Terry Pratchett Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman The Discworld The Bromeliad Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett The Long Goodbye, by Raymond Chandler Chandler's cat letters Guards, Guards! by Terry Pratchett Carpe Jugulum, by Terry Pratchett Neil Gaiman Ichabod Crane Michael Kane Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Sandman, by Neil Gaiman "The Book Job," The Simpsons season 23, episode 6 "Falafelosophy," Arthur season 14, episode 4a "Neil Gaiman! What are you doing in my falafel?" Alanis Morisette Amanda Palmer Tori Amos Fiona Apple "Silent All These Years," by Tori Amos Where's Neil When You Need Him? The Crüxshadows Mirrormask "Mr. Sandman," by The Chordettes "Enter Sandman," by Metallica Hot Topic "Cry Little Sister," by Gerard McMann The Lost Boys Voltaire Ego Likeness The Velocipastor "Toasty" Siouxsie and the Banshees Daybreakers Placebo "Running Up That Hill," by Placebo "Running Up That Hill," by Kate Bush Velvet Goldmine "20th Century Boy," by Placebo "20th Century Boy," by T. Rex Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Queen of the Damned Twilight Failure to Adapt The baseball scene from Twilight Underworld Blade 3: Trinity Triple-H House of Wax Friends at the Table: Sangfielle The VVitch Sarah Gailey's appearance on Episode 1 of this very show Hailey Piper Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy, by Hailey Piper Trouble and Her Friends, by Melissa Scott The Mountain Goats Alien Vs. Predator Fireside Quarterly, June-July 2021 The Rank and Vile list Bride of Frankenstein And Now the Screaming Starts! Candyman II: Farewell to the Flesh The Crow: Wicked Prayer Brainscan Videodrome Audition Lillian's Twitch Hair Metal "Dream Warriors," by Dokken Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom The Books of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin Charles Vess The Farthest Shore, A Wizard of Earthsea, and The Tombs of Atuan, by Ursula K. Le Guin Keebio's Iris keyboard Bán Dénes, mrzealot Ergogen Ghost in the Shell Data Hako Royal True switches Hellraiser Lillian's website, soundcloud, and reedsy

In this, the spookiest month, I'm delighted to welcome back to the podcast, Caitlin Starling! Caitlin reads us an excerpt from her terrific forthcoming novel, Last to Leave the Room, coming out October 10th from St. Martin's Press, which leads us into a great conversation about the potential gaps left in for fanfic authors, among other things.   Things we mention this episode   The Death of Jane Lawrence, The Luminous Dead, Yellow Jessamine, and The Oblivion Bride, by Caitlin Starling Neon Hemlock And What Can We Offer You Tonight, by Premee The Crawling Moon, edited by dave ring Dracula Daily Luminescent Machinations, edited by Rhihannon Rasmussen and dave ring Turks (Final Fantasy VII) Isaac Fellman A Dark Song Archival Quality, by Ivy Noelle Weir and Steenz The White Road, by Sarah Lotz Rotten dot com Third man syndrome Ernest Shackleton The Echo Wife, by Sarah Gailey Spiderman pointing “Caver Continue,” by Caitlin Starling The Queen's Thief series, by Megan Whalen Turner Severance Shirley Jackson Caitlin's website, insta, and bluesky

We made it to the Biggest Number™ and Sarah Gailey is here today to help us celebrate with a retrospective on the last four and a half years of Tales from the Trunk! Show notes coming soon!

This time around, I'm delighted to introduce you to Jessica Mary Best! Jess and I do something a little different and perform for your listening pleasure part of the pilot episode of her trunked audio drama, Third Wheel! That reading leads us into a great conversation about the different approaches between written prose and writing for audio.   Things we mention this episode:   Stars, Hide Your Fires, by Jessica Mary Best Chuck Tingle's episode Oliver! Chekhov's Gun Brandon, Iowa All Our Yesterdays, by Hilary B. Bisenieks Sufjan Stevens Fall Out Boy Panic! At the Disco Illinois, by Sufjan Stevens “They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!! Ahhhh!” by Sufjan Stevens “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” by Panic! At The Disco “Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off,” by Panic! At The Disco “Of All The Gin Joints In All The World,” by Fall Out Boy “Stars, hide your fires” Tor dot com writeup The Strange Case of Starship Iris Tom Swifties Munch Squad Friends at the Table Sarah Gailey Lillian Boyd Welcome to Night Vale Audacity Keep it Steady  Unwell  The Bear Phoebe Bridgers Criminal Radiotopia 99% Invisible The Allusionist Articles of Interest Fearless (Taylor's Version) Jess's website and insta

This time around, it's my delight to welcome back to the show Aimee Ogden (@Aimee_Ogden)! Aimee reads a delightful excerpt of her brand new book, Emergent Properties, available now wherever you buy books, which leads us into some great conversation about the things that made this book, whether or not those things ended up in the final draft.     Things we mention this episode:   “The Cold Calculations,” by Aimee Ogden The Murderbot Diaries, by Martha Wells Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney Aimee's Clarkesworld interview Wallace and Gromit Marie Kondo “A Half-Remembered World,” by Aimee Ogden Translunar Traveler's Lounge Dropout CollegeHumor Sam Reich Game Changer Entertainment Community Fund Jeopardy! Wheel of Fortune Dungeons and Drag Queens Escape from the Bloodkeep Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien Matt Mercer Erika Ishii Robert Reich Breaking News (Dropout) Brennan Lee Mulligan Name That Bird Aimee's website Spiders Georg   Stick around next time when my guest will be Jessica Mary Best

This episode's reading carries content warnings for discussion of COVID, self harm, horror movie gore, and suicide and suicidal ideation. If you want to opt out of that, please skip forward 14 minutes from the start of the reading.   This time around, it's my delight to continue our summer of screams with Lor Gislason (@lorelli_)! They read us a moving personal essay about how they got so dang goopy, which leads us into a great conversation about horror media, finding your people, and of course all things goopy.   Things we mention in this episode:    Chuck's episode Camp Damascus, by Chuck Tingle Heel (wrestling) Lillian Boyd Hear Us Scream: The Voices of Horror Volume II, edited by Cathering Benstead American Psycho 2 Serial Killing 101 Hellraiser Clive Barker Neil Gaiman Turkey Shoot (film) Mandy (film) Dune (2021) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre House of 1000 Corpses The Devil's Rejects Foz's episode Zombie Lucio Fulci The Lion King Sisyphus Bound in Flesh, edited by Lor Gislason Dragon Ball Animorphs (series) by K.A. Applegate Artemis' turning Acteon into a stag D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths, D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, D'Aulaires' Book of Trolls, by Ingri and Edgar D'Aulaire The Mummy Mummies Alive! Street Sharks Biker Mice from Mars Mars Attacks! Ozma of Oz, by L. Frank Baum Return to Oz Wicked Sarah Gailey Sickos Sarah Hollowell “Look,” by Sarah Gailey Star Wars tweets River of Teeth, by Sarah Gailey Inside Out, by Lor Gislason Resident Evil 4 remake Control (game) SCP Foundation The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Piccolo Akira Lor's insta and blog Joe Koch  

It's my absolute delight to welcome an absolute dream of a guest this time around: Chuck Tingle (@ChuckTingle)! We read from the first chapter of Chuck's new horror novel, Camp Damascus, out July 11th from Tor Nightfire, which leads us into a great discussion on Chuck's writing process, the things that changed between first draft and published book, and of course some of his and my favorite bits.   Things mentioned in this episode:   Game theory Straight and Bury Your Gays (2024), by Chuck Tingle A More Civilized Age Kelly Lonesome Get Out Multi-level marketing Grindcore Discord Friends at the Table In the Lives of Puppets, by Tj Klune Barry Ratboys Chuck's BlueSky, Insta, Facebook, TikTok, Tumblr  

This episode's reading carries content warnings for children in perilous situations and description of injuries. The reading is 10:30 long.   This time around, it's my pleasure to welcome Foz Meadows (@fozmeadows)! Foz reads an excerpt from his trunked novella, “Blood Penance,” which leads us into a great conversation about idea magpies, internet purity culture, horror, and kink.   Things we mention in this episode:   A Strange And Stubborn Endurance, by Foz Meadows Captive Prince, by C.S. Pacat Halloween The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Scream series Allegory of the Cave, by Plato “Hotel California,” by The Eagles Lillian Boyd Rank & Vile Death of the author Watership Down, by Richard Adams Watership Down (movie) All the Hidden Paths, by Foz Meadows Finding Echoes, by Foz Meadows Luminescent Machinations, edited by Rhiannon Rasmussen and dave ring The Untamed Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu Heaven Official's Blessing Beyond Evil KinnPorsche Stray Kids “Red Lights,” by Stray Kids “Venom,” by Stray Kids OnlyOneOf Foz's tumblr and tiktok

It's my distinct pleasure, this time around, to welcome Emma Mieko Candon (@EmmaCandon) to the show to talk about their incredible new book, The Archive Undying, out June 27th, 2023, from Tor Dot Com! After a reading from the book's opening, we descent almost immediately into gremlin mode about the inspirations for the book (our favorite podcast (you know the one)), Star Wars, and the intersection of cultures.   Things we mention this episode:   Friends at the Table Mike's episode Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie Pacific Rim NieR:Automata Carl Engle-Laird Just Like Home, by Sarah Gailey The Genesis of Misery, by Neon Yang Lindsey Hall The Tensorate Series, by Neon Yang Docile, by K.M. Szpara The Kingston Cycle and Even Though I Knew the End, by C.L. Polk The Locked Tomb series, by Tamsyn Muir Margate Lock (Palisade character) (spoilers for Palisode 03) Star Wars COUNTER/Weight Castlevania Hellboy Cowboy Bebop Gundam Newtype Studio Ghibli Partizan Waypoint A More Civilized Age Lancer Bluff City Marielda Sangfielle Donna Haraway cyborg Jack's music COUNTER/Weight and Partizan soundtracks “The Long Way Around,” by Jack de Quidt “TANAGER. PERFECT. TOUCHPAPER.,” by Jack de Quidt Trigun Stampede Bigolas Dickolas Gundam: The Witch from Mercury Utena Trigun (1998) Trigun (manga) Amal El-Mohtar new Tor deal “Seasons of Glass and Iron,” by Amal El-Mohtar Three Parts Dead, by Max Gladstone This Is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone Ronin, by Emma Mieko Candon Star Wars: Visions Star Wars: The High Republic Andor The Mandalorian The Poppy War, by R.F. Kuang Wookieepedia Emma's insta and tumblr Seasons of Hieron

This episode's reading carries a content warning for brief, non-graphic vomiting. You can skip forward 8:10 from the start of the reading to 0:13:00 to avoid this. This time around, it's my pleasure to welcome Dee Holloway (@_deeholloway) to the show! Dee reads from her trunked YA novel, River's End, which leads us into a great discussion of writing about place, what we did during the height of the pandemic, and Dee's forthcoming novella, Little Nothing.   Things we mentioned this episode:   Stuart Dybek The Complete History of New Mexico, by Kevin McIlvoy Sabrina & Corina, by Kali Fajardo-Anstine Lady Bird Joan Didion California State Railroad Museum Sacramento History Museum QueryTracker Little Nothing, by Dee Holloway “The Highwayman,” by Alfred Noyes Devil's Cup, by Dee Holloway The Craft Blue Crush Equus, edited by Rhonda Parrish Luna Station Quarterly “MONTERO (Call My By Your Name),” by Lil Nas X Tim Curry John Milton Paradise Lost, by John Milton The Odyssey, by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson The Iliad, by Homer The Aeneid, by Virgil Pitchfork John Grisham Bigolas Dickolas This is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone Kotaku and Polygon writeups Camp Damascus, by Chuck Tingle Lamplit Underground Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St. John Mandel The Glass Hotel, by Emily St. John Mandel Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma, by Claire Dederer Burn You the Fuck Alive, by B.R. Yeager Dee's insta and itch

This time around, I'm delighted to welcome back to the show Megan E. O'Keefe (@MeganEOKeefe) to talk about her brand new book, The Blighted Stars, out May 23rd from Orbit Books! In between saying “spaceship books” a lot, we talk about some things that got left out for the betterment of the book, some beloved tropes, and what else you can look forward to from Megan!   Things we mention in this episode:   Megan's previous episode Val's last episode K.B. Wagers' last episode Jaime Jones' cover The Archive Undying, by Emma Mieko Candon Friends at the Table (of course) The Imperial Radch Trilogy, by Ann Leckie Ninefox Gambit, by Yoon Ha Lee Velocity Weapon, by Megan E. O'Keefe The Scorched Continent Trilogy, by Megan E. O'Keefe The First Omega, by Megan E. O'Keefe Cormac McCarthy Philip K. Dick Terry Pratchett Final Fantasy XIV The Bone Shard Daughter, by Andrea Stewart Megan's website, insta, twitch, and github  State machines Pico air monitor Micropython Purple Air Dev Ludum Dare Johnny 5 Seek the Light, on Megan's itch  

This episode's reading carries a content warning for discussion of online harassment. If you would like to skip the reading, fast forward to timestamp 0:17:25 from the start of the reading.   This time around, it's my absolute delight to welcome to the show Brandon O'Briend (@therisingtithes)! Brandon reads from their story, “Content is Cuisine,” before we launch into a wonderful conversation about the intersection of poetry and game design, how recipes and poems are alike, and how H. P. Lovecraft was accidentally kinda hip-hop.   Things we mention in this episode:   Suzan's episode Mike's episode Speculate! Valerie Valdes Girl By Moonlight Iori Kusano Jeoi Gawain Lin FB moderation expose Sin-eater All Our Yesterdays The Moon Wants Me To Leave You Anteater tumblr post Can You Sign My Tentacle?, by Brandon O'Brien Interstellar Flight Press Uncanny Magazine Lovecraft's cat (CW: racial slurs) Sarah Gailey's Personal Canons Cookbook Shing Yin Khor “Trust the Process,” by Hilary B. Bisenieks Elgin Award Amelia Atwater-Rhodes Gregory A. Wilson Blades in the Dark Slugblaster Lasers & Feelings Evil Hat Productions Friends at the Table (of course) The Rookie “Call ACab,” by Sam Stone Sam Waterston Aaron Sorkin The Newsroom Nickel Creek Pavement “Spit on a Stranger,” by Nickel Creek Brandon's insta and newsletter and website Fiyah

This episode's reading carries content warnings for implied child abuse and violence. If you would like to skip the reading, please skip forward to the 0:21:00 mark from the start of the reading.   This time around, it's my pleasure to welcome Ladz (@LadzWriting) to the show! They join us to talk about their forthcoming debut novella, Ice Upon a Pier, releasing April 11th, 2023, from Robot Dinosaur Press!   Things we mention this episode:   Robot Dinosaur Press The Chipped Cup Collective Sarah Loch Rekka Merc Fenn Wolfmoor Andi C. Buchanan Just Like Home, by Sarah Gailey Dark Souls The Last Podcast on the Left - Richard Kuklinski Disney World Ryszard Kukliński Tales of Symphonia Natuto Greenpoint (NYC) Aleta Perez Last Call, by Elon Green The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer, by Philip Carlo Ladz's blog Terry J. Benton-Walker on Ladz's blog “Problem for Tomorrow's You,” by Ladz on itch.io Better Call Saul Darkest Dungeon II Frostpunk Light novels Bakemonogatari Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust Vampire Hunter D (light novels) Poppy Z. Brite Gormenghast trilogy, by Mervin Peake Leech, by Hiron Ennes Edward Gorey The Hobbit cover Smaug Sarah Gailey's original River of Teeth map Ice Upon a Pier cover reveal on Sarah Gailey's Stone Soup The Balde Between, by Sam J Miller The Sleepless, by Victor Manibo The Bruising of Qilwa, by Naseem Jamnia Ladz's insta, blog, and newsletter   Join me again in two weeks, when my guest will be Brandon O'Brien!

This episode's reading carries a content warning for ableist themes around deafness. If you would like to skip this, skip ahead to the 11-minute mark to bypass the reading.   This time around, it's my pleasure to welcome fellow gremlin Suzan Palumbo (@sillysyntax) to talk about…something. Suzan reads their trunked story, “Fricatives,” which leads us into a discussion about walking away from stories we've written that aren't ours to tell. And then bagged pickles. We do get things back on track, amazingly, and have some great conversation about the place of emotion versus professionalism in writing, the current discourse around so-called “artificial intelligence” (large language models), and the baseball of crying.   Things we mention this episode   “Every Day is Halloween,” by Ministry Joyce Carol Oates “Apolépisi: A De-Scaling,” by Suzan Palumbo Welcome to the Black Parade, by My Chemical Romance Give Up, by The Postal Service Plans, by Death Cab for Cutie Pickle tweets Shut the fuck up Friday Friends at the Table “Bloody Therapy,” by Suzan Palumbo Shimmer Elise Tobler John Wiswell Personal Canons Cookbook Miri's episode Clarkesworld AI submissions D. Perry's Resident Evil novels Harley Quinn Poison Ivy “Soup Boys” and “NYC Cops” by Heems “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell,” by Das Racist “Douen,” by Suzan Palumbo Skin Thief: Stories, by Suzan Palumbo dave ring Cult of the Lamb “Temple,” by River Boy Interview with the Vampire Tell me I'm Worthless, by Alison Rumfitt Sergei Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet Suite, by Sergei Prokofiev “The Death of Tybalt,” by Sergei Prokofiev Suzan's insta, mastodon, and website   Join us next month, when my guests will be Ladz and Brandon O'Brien!

Hello, and welcome to season five (5) of Tales from the Trunk, where it's my distinct pleasure to welcome Dr. Malka Older to the show to talk about her brand new novel, The Mimicking of Known Successes, out in just a few days on March 7th, 2023 from Tor dot com publishing! Malka reads us a couple of excerpts from the book, and then we geek out about putting puns in books because we can!   Things mentioned in this episode:   Infomocracy, by Malka Older Tor.com Publishing Brent Lambert NaNoWriMo Juliet Kemp's episode The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles, by Malka Older The Archive Undying, by Emma Mieko Candon C.L. Polk's recent book tour Even Though I Knew the End, by C.L. Polk Malka and Cee's event, March 9th, 3:00 pm Pacific at Loyalty Bookstore “Narrative Disorder,” by Malka Older …and Other Disasters, by Malka Older Daniel Jose Older Meru, by S.B. Divya The Terraformers, by Annalee Newitz A Scatter of Light, by Melinda Lo Malka's mastodon, insta, and tumblr   Join us again in two weeks, when I'll be talking with Suzan Palumbo!

This time around, to close out our fourth (4th!) season, it's my pleasure to welcome Aimee Ogden (@aimeeogden@wandering.shop) to the show! Aimee reads from her delightful trunked YA novel, Starstruck, which leads us into a lovely conversation about lesbian radishes, the exhausting nature of submitting work, and short fiction magazines we love.   Things we mention this episode:   Aimee Kuzenski's episode Network Effect, by Martha Wells Gregory A. Wilson Beauty heart (watermelon) radish Cat Valente Tamora Pierce The Wings of Fire series, by Tui T. Sutherland Redwall series, by Brian Jacques Diggers, Guards! Guards!, Hogfather, and The Last Continent, by Terry Pratchett “The Cold Calculations,” by Aimee Ogden Be the Serpent Sarah Gailey's Personal Canons Cookbook Skies of Wonder, Skies of Danger, edited by John Appel, Mary Agner, and Jo Miles Mary Robinette Kowal F&SF Clarkesworld Ann Leckie Analog Translunar Traveler's Lounge Friends Journal QSFF issue Emergent Properties, by Aimee Ogden “A Love Letter Written at the Heat Death of the Universe,” by Aimee Ogden The Deadlands Shimmer Fireside Augur Local Star, by Aimee Ogden “Flower Daughter, Soil Seed,” by Eugenia Triantafyllou “Sturgeon Moon Jam,” by Jennifer Hudak The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart, by Stephanie Burgis Everything Everywhere All At Once My Neighbor Totoro Aimee's website   Join us again next month, when our guests for the start of season 5 will be Malka Older and Suzan Palumbo!  

This time around, it's my joy to welcome back World Fantasy Award winner and fantastic human being C.L. Polk (@clpolk@wandering.shop) to talk about their newest novella, Even Though I Knew The End. After hearing an excerpt from the book's first act, we get into its unexpected origin story, the things we write for our nine (9) goblin friends, and an introduction to Cee's other books!   Things we mention in this episode:   The Kingston Cycle and The Midnight Bargain, by C.L. Polk Detroit Red Wings Chicago Blackhawks Supernatural AO3 Hardboiled fiction The Magicians Discord Guy Noir, Private Eye A Prairie Home Companion Phillip Marlowe Raymond Chandler An American Werewolf in London Hermie (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) The Witching Hour, by Anne Rice Masters of Magic Dragon Age Dragon Age: Absolution The Spare Man, by Mary Robinette Kowal The Lady Astronaut series, by Mary Robinette Kowal Cee's website Groundhog Day   Join us again in two weeks, when my guest will be Aimee Ogden!

This time around, it's my delight to welcome Juliet Kemp (twitter @julietk, mastodon @juliet@zirk.us) to the show! They read from their trunked sci-fi novel, Between Stars, Between Minds, which leads us into a discussion of messy first drafts, lived-in science fiction worlds, and finishing a four-book series.   Things we mentioned in this episode: Chipped Cup Collective Andor Friends at the Table Austin Walker A More Civilized Age “Blocking,” by Juliet Kemp in Strange Bedfellows Angry Robot Books The City Revealed, by Juliet Kemp Ocean's series Alien Quadrilogy Lois McMaster Bujold Terry Pratchett Macey's Murderboard method “Monday,” by Hilary B. Bisenieks LiveJournal Lockie Hunter A Starbound Solstice, by Juliet Kemp “At the Lighthouse Out by the Othersea,” by Juliet Kemp Our Flag Means Death Black Sails A League of Their Own The Hands of the Emperor and At the Feet of the Sun, by Victoria Goddard Flotsam, by R.J. Theodore Juliet's website   Join us next month, when I'll be talking to C.L. Polk and Aimee Ogden!

It's awards time again! A full transcript of the show is included below.     Hello, and welcome to Tales from the Trunk: nominating the works that did make it! I'm Hilary B. Bisenieks.   Friends, it's been another amazing year for science fiction, fantasy, horror, and beyond, and I'm here once more to let you know about some of the amazing works by my fantastic guests, which you can nominate for this year's awards!   Andi C. Buchanan, who joined us in April of 2022, has a number of eligible works including their novel, Sanctuary, and the essay “Human not machine: how autistic writers are writing new space for themselves.”   A link to their eligibility post is included in the show notes. https://andicbuchanan.org/2022/12/18/2022-publications/    C.L. Clark, who just joined us in December, is eligible in most novelette categories for "Your Eyes, My Beacon: Being an Account of Several Misadventures and How I Found My Way Home," published in Uncanny May/June 2022   Amanda Cook, who joined us in June of 2022, has six stories eligible for short story categories: “The Impossible Task of Bringing Water,” “Germinating Everyday Magic,” “Weaving Serenity,” “Lily and Ink,” “Print a Soul in Six Easy Steps, a Primer by Clover Silverbrook,” and “When Dreams Do Show Me Thee.”    A link to her eligibility post is included in the show notes. https://acooksbooks.com/2022/11/28/babys-first-awards-eligibility-post/   Marion Deeds, who made her debut on this show in May of 2022, has an eligible novella, Comeuppance Served Cold, which you can hear an excerpt of on that episode, along with an eligible novel, Golden Rifts.   Ruthana Emrys, who appeared on the show in July of last year, has an eligible novel, A Half-Built Garden, and her column, Reading the Weird, is eligible for Best Related Work.   A link to her eligibility post is included in the show notes. https://twitter.com/R_Emrys/status/1592598551364005888   Sarah Gailey, this show's patron saint, joined us again last year in support of their eligible novel, Just Like Home. Among their other eligible works are their newsletter, Stone Soup, and their original comic miniseries, Know Your Station.   A link to their eligibility post is included in the show notes. https://sarahgailey.com/awards-eligibility-2022  Victor Manibo, who joined us in December of 2021, is eligible for his debut novel, The Sleepless.   Freya Marske, who joined us in October of 2021, is eligible in the various novel categories for A Restless Truth, the excellent sequel to her 2021 debut, A Marvellous Light.   Sam J. Miller, who joined us last January, has an eligible novella, Kid Wolf and Kraken Boy, as well as a collection, for such awards as have categories for collections, Boys, Beasts & Men.   Scientist, and definitely not a multi-colored beetle, Premee Mohamed, who last joined us in August of 2021, is eligible for Best Series for the first time for her Beneath the Rising series, which concluded with eligible novel The Void Ascendant. She also has several eligible short stories, including “All That Burns Unseen.”   Her eligibility post is included in the show notes. https://www.premeemohamed.com/post/2022-eligibility-post   Aidan Moher, who joined us back in October after far, far too long, is eligible with Fight, Magic, Items for Best Related work. He's also eligible for Best Fanzine for Astrolabe, and for Best Fan Writer for his work all over the place.   Aidan's eligibility post is included in the show notes. https://astrolabe.aidanmoher.com/p/2022-award-eligibility-hugos-nebulas   Hailey Piper, who joined us to open season four of the show back in March, has an eligible short story, “We Frolic Within the Leviathan's Heart,” a novella, Your Mind Is a Terrible Thing, and a novel, No Gods for Drowning. C.L. Polk, who will be returning to the show next month, has an excellent eligible novella, Even Though I Knew The End.   dave ring, patron saint of queer small-press publishing, is eligible for Best Editor, short form, for his work on Baffling Magazine as well as many other fine publications. His work with Marianne Kirby on Neon Hemlock Live is also eligible for Best Related Work.   A link to dave's eligibility post is included in the show notes. https://www.dave-ring.com/news/2022/11/18/2022-eligibility-post   Valerie Valdes, who joined us again this past August, is eligible for Best Novel (Science Fiction, where applicable) for Fault Tolerance, for Best Series for Chilling Effect, for Best Short Story for both “Team Building Exercise” and “Working from Home,” and for Best Semiprozine for Escape Pod, which she edits with Mur Lafferty.   Val's eligibility post is linked in the show notes. http://candleinsunshine.com/news/awards-eligibility-for-2022/    Fellow Warren Wilson alumnus Fran Wilde has various short stories eligible but is most excited to be eligible, for the first time this year, for Best Editor, Short Form, for her work at The Sunday Morning Transport!   John Wiswell, excellent human being, has many, many eligible short stories, including “D.I.Y.” and “Demonic Invasion or Placebo Effect?”   John's full eligibility post is linked in the show notes. https://johnwiswell.substack.com/p/all-the-short-stories-i-published   Finally, I have 100% more eligible work this year than last! In addition to this very show, Tales from the Trunk, which is eligible for Best Fancast and other podcast and audio categories, I also published a game, All Our Yesterdays, which is eligible for the Nebula Award for Best Game Writing.   Thanks so much for tuning in, and thank you to everyone who nominates and votes in any of our genre's awards! That's very cool of you.   Join us again next week, when my guest will be Juliet Kemp!   Tales from the Trunk is mixed and produced in beautiful Oakland, California.   Our theme music is “Paper Wings,” by Lillian Boyd.   You can support the show on patreon at patreon dot com slash trunkcast. All patrons of the show now get a sticker and logo button, along with show outtakes and other content that can't be found anywhere else.   You can find the show on Twitter and Tumblr at trunkcast, and I tweet and tumbl at hbbisenieks.   If you like the show, consider taking a moment to rate and review us on your preferred podcast platform.   And remember: don't self-reject.  

This time around, it's my distinct pleasure to welcome a fellow podcaster, Annalee Newitz (@annaleen), to talk about their forthcoming novel, The Terraformers, out January 31st, 2023, from wherever fine books are sold! We get to hear an excerpt from the book that leads us into a great discussion about transit gays, flying moose romance, and robot trans culture, among other things.   Things we mention on this episode:   Tumblr Mastodon I-5 cattle ranches Dune, by Frank Herbert Friends at the Table Jeffrey Tumlin Plate tectonics Chuck Tingle Michael Hobbes Maintenance Phase If Books Could Kill Freakonomics, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari Charlie Jane Anders Our Opinions are Correct The myth of progress episode Brad DeLong  Four Lost Cities, by Annalee Newitz Annalee's website and tiktok

It's my distinct pleasure, for this, our post-NaNo episode, to welcome C.L. Clark (@C_L_Clark) to the show! Cherea reads a pair of excerpts from their trunked novel, The Bitch of Maradon, which leads us into a great conversation about formal and informal writing education, interrogating our biases, and how awkward it can be to revisit our old writing in the context of actually reading it out loud. Cherea also shares the story of her journey from NaNoWriMo to publication for their amazing novel, The Unbroken.   Things we mention this episode:   The Unbroken, by C.L. Clark Héctor's episode My episode with Sharon Hsu George Carlin NaNoWriMo Brandon Sanderson Scrivener Podcastle Frodo it is done dot gif #DVPit Just Like Home episode The Faithless, by C.L. Clark Writers of the Future Tor.com “Sisyphus,” by C.L. Clark Queers Destroy SF Seanan McGuire Lockie Hunter Steering the Craft, by Ursula K. Le Guin Wonderbook, by Jeff Vandermeer The Expanse, by James S.A. Corey The Godkiller, by Hannah Kaner Small Gods and Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett Cherae's website and insta Maslowe's Hierarchy of Needs The Skeleton War “SFF's Big Fat Problem,” by R.K. Duncan   Join us next month, when I'll be talking to Annalee Newitz and Juliet Kemp, plus our annual awards roundup!

Happy NaNoWriMo, for all of you who observe! This time around, we're joined once again by R.J. Theodore (@bittybittyzap) to talk about the crazy act of writing a novel in a single month and the freedom that comes with actually deciding to finish a thing. Rekka brings us a compare and contrast reading of two different beginnings of their novel, Flotsam, first from the NaNo when she first finished the book and the second from the version you can go and buy for yourself!   Things we mention in this episode:   NaNoWriMo ML Rekka's book tour We Make Books The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Pumpkin Landing xkcd 483 Neal Stephenson The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins Rekka's first episode The Peridot Shift series, by R.J.Theodore Murderboard podcast episode Writing book three of a duology with Premee podcast episode Stephen King Sarah Gailey Coffee shop AU Legends & Lattes, by Travis Baldree Our Flag Means Death John Wiswell Just Like Home, by Sarah Gailey Bridge to Elsewhere, edited by Alana Joli Abbott & Julia Rios Neon Hemlock Press Quick Sip Reviews Robot Dinosaur Press Chipped Cup Collective Merc Fenn Wolfmoor Sarah Loch Andi C. Buchanan Novae Caelum Nia Quinn Carlie St. George Juliet Kemp Rekka's website, insta, and patreon   Join us next month, when I'll be talking to C.L. Clark!

This time around, it's my distinct pleasure to welcome back to the show Jordan Kurella (@kurellian) to talk about his new collection, When I Was Lost, available now wherever fine books are sold! He reads a previously-unpublished story, “The Hero and the Leviathan,” out of the collection, which leads us to ponder the question: what if a spaceship had PTSD?   Things we mention in this episode:   Trepidatio Press Mikio Murakami “Jewel of the Vashwa,” by Jordan Kurella in Apex Magazin Keanu Reeves Apex Magazine Jason Sizemore Friends at the Table - HOUNDS Farscape PTSD Aaron Rosenberg Gen Con The Imperial Radch trilogy, by Ann Leckie “How the Carrion Crew Stopped Courting Death and Other Methods of Lost Hope,” by Jordan Kurella in Fusion Fragment #6 “A Promise of Dying Embers,” by Jordan Kurella in Diabolical Plots King's Quest III  “The Warsong of Berra and Irrit,” by Jordan Kurella in Lamplight Magazine Lamplight Magazine E Catherine Tobler Shimmer Magazine The Deadlands “The Air Gap,” by Hilary B. Bisenieks in Lamplight Magazine Jacob Haddon Mary Shelley I Never Liked You Anyway, by Jordan Kurella Orpheus and Euridice Am I the Asshole? Dead Collections, by Isaac Fellman Archive Of Our Own Final Fantasy XIV MMO World of Warcraft Clue The Sandman (Netflix) Mythic Quest Siren Queen, by Nghi Vho Jordan's first episode Jordan's website   Join us again in two weeks, when my guest will be R.J. Theodore!

This time around, it's my distinct pleasure to welcome Héctor González (@Mexicanity) to the show! Héctor reads a pair of spooky, voidy stories from the latest issue of v o i d j u n k , which leads us into a wide-ranging conversation about kindness, viscera, technology, chairs, and fandom.   This episode's readings carry content warnings for descriptions of viscera, possession, and transformation, and for sexual themes. If you would like to skip them, the two readings are from 3:50 to 8:05 and 15:15 to 19:31.   Things we mention in this episode: v o i d j u n k dave's episode Sarah Loch Héctor's linktree “Gracias, Orlando: A Genre Film and a Queer Body Awakening,” by Héctor González Hector of Troy Spider-Man Batman Superman Bachan Frank Miller Xanga John Picacio Worldcon 76 Mexicanx Initiative John Scalzi Alejandro Jodorowski George R.R. Martin Isaac Asimov Robert Heinlein Arthur C. Clarke Hugo Loser's Party Aidan Moher Sarahs Gailey and Hollowell The Dot-Com Bubble Sarah Gailey's Personal Canons Héctor's essay Momo challenge Momo and The Neverending Story, by Michael Ende Terry Pratchett The Dispossessed, by Ursula K Le Guin River of Teeth and Taste of Marrow, by Sarah Gailey Unmasking Autism and Laziness Does Not Exist, by Devon Price We're Here 2020, edited by C.L. Clark and Charles Peyseur Charles Peyseur C.L. Clark “The Captain and the Quartermaster,” by C.L. Clarke Babel, by R.F. Kuang Superliminal (game) Portal Key & Peele Nope Dave Chapelle (fuck that guy) Reboot Buster Keaton Paul Rudd Héctor's insta   Tune in next month, when my guests will be Jordan Kurella and R.J. Theodore!

This time around, it's my delight to welcome (finally) Hugo-winning fan writer, Aidan (@adribbleofink) Moher to the show! We're talking about his new book, Fight, Magic, Items, which just released October 4th! Aidan reads from the introduction to the book, which leads us into a deep discussion of the games that shaped our childhoods.   Things we mention in this episode:   A Dribble of Ink Final Fantasy Dragon Quest The Offspring NOFX Warcraft II LAN Party Doom II Final Fantasy VI Xenogears Hironobu Sakaguchi Yuji Horii Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan Game Boy Final Fantasy Legend II The Legend of Zelda Akitoshi Kawazu Doom Final Fantasy III Game Players Electronic Gaming Monthly Nintendo Power Chrono Trigger The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien The Sword of Shannara, by Terry Brooks Magic: the Gathering Dragon Ball Z Shōnen Super NES Playstation 1 Final Fantasy XV Final Fantasy XIII Final Fantasy VIII Final Fantasy IX Final Fantasy X Grandia Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete Tales of Destiny Visual Novels The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Final Fantasy Adventure Mana series Kirby's Dream Land 2 Pokemon Red Final Fantasy VII The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan Tetris Star Trek: 25th Anniversary (Game Boy game) Carl Jung Gnosticism K'Nex Metal Gear Solid Suikoden III Hideo Kojima Sega Saturn Panzer Dragoon Saga Grandia (Sega Saturn) Vagrant Story Aidan's localization piece (not published yet, link TK) Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection Power-Up, by Chris Kohler Final Fantasy V, by Chris Kohler Press Reset and Blood, Sweat, and Pixels, by Jason Schreier Pure Invention, by Matt Alt Sailor Moon Aidan's website fighmagicitems.rocks Astrolabe Patrick Klepek Less Than Jake   Join us again in two weeks, when my guest will be Héctor González! 

In case you missed the announcement at the start of our last episode, with Neon Yang, my new game, All Our Yesterdays, is available now for pay-what-you-want on my itch!  This time around, it's my absolute pleasure to welcome to the show Aimee Kuzenski (@aimeekuzenski)! Aimee reads to us from her novel, Tilted, which leads us into a great discussion on the interiority of writing, thoughts about reading aloud, and how important a good fight scene is.   Things we mention in this episode: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Viable Paradise John Appel Karen Osborne Valerie Valdes Scrivener Third person omniscient The Earthsea Cycle, by Ursula K. Le Guin The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien Jane Austen Karen's twitch “Fractured,” by Aimee Kuzenski The Murderbot Diaries, by Martha Wells The Locked Tomb series, by Tamsyn Muir The Broken Earth series, by N.K. Jemisin The Raven Tower, by Ann Leckie Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie Blade Runner Wow, cool robot Hayao Miyazaki The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien “The Shadow out of Time”, by racist uncle Howard Beneath the Rising series, by Premee Mohamed The Innsmouth Legacy series, by Ruthanna Emrys Ruthanna's episode Dune, by Frank Herbert “How I Became Coruscating Queen of All the Realms, Pierced the Obsidian Night, Destroyed a Legendary Sword, and Saved My Heart's True Love,” by Baker and Dovey No Shit, There I Was, edited by Alex Acks Story Hour Skies of Wonder, Skies of Danger, edited by Agner, Appel, and Miles “The Raven,” by Edgar Allan Poe Castle Fix My Fight Scene on Twitch and Youtube K.B. Wagers Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen Sense and Sensibility Emma Thompson Kate Winslet Persuasion  Clueless What Moves the Dead, by T. Kingfisher The Fall of the House of Usher, by Edgar Allan Poe Just Like Home, by Sarah Gailey

As mentioned at the top of the show, I have a game out, All Our Yesterdays, which you can find on my Itch.io!   It's my absolute pleasure, this time around, to welcome Neon Yang to the show to talk about their brand new book, The Genesis of Misery, out September 27th, 2022, from Tor books! Neon reads to us from the start of the book, which leads us into some great discussion about why doing multiple rewrites can be good, actually.   Things we mention in this episode:   Neon's Tensorate series Joan of Arc Gundam Sarah Gailey's latest book tour Just Like Home, by Sarah Gailey Dongwon Song Friends at the Table PARTIZAN Monster Hunter Rise Devil May Cry Elden Ring Neon's insta   Join us next time, when my guest will be Aimee Kuzenski!

This time around, we're joined once again by Rem Wigmore (@faewriter), who brings us a delicious excerpt from their trunked novella, Considine's Counsel, which leads us into a great conversation about the study of story forms, actual play podcasts, and an opportunity, as if we needed one, to just be 110% on our bullshit.   Things we mention in this episode:   Foxhunt and Wolfpack, by Rem Wigmore Lake Taupō The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien Friends at the Table The Tiffany problem Dungeons & Dragons Miri's episode The Witcher (TV Series) Newgrange Passage tombs CoNZealand Codex writers group  C.L. Polk Neon Hemlock Kai Ashante Wilson's novellas F&SF “Time Bomb Time,” by C.C. Finlay Villanelle (poetry) And What Can We Offer You Tonight By Premee Mohamed Premee's book tour episode Tor.com publishing River of Teeth, Taste of Marrow, and Upright Women Wanted, by Sarah Gailey The Tensorate series, by Neon Yang Emily Tesh The Murderbot Diaries, by Martha Wells The Blacktongue Thief, by Christopher Buehlman K.J. Charles' Will Darling Adventures Kurangaituku, by Whiti Hereaka Eat the Rich, by Sarah Gailey Squad, by Maggie Tokuda-Hall The Girl and the Sea, by Molly Knox Ostertag The Witch Boy, by Molly Knox Ostertag Brennan Lee Mulligan Escape from the Blood Keep Critical Role Matt Mercer Ify Nwadiwe Exandria Unlimited Erika Ishii Last Shooting  Doctor Who Queen of Swords Press Rem's previous episode Rem's website   Stick around next month, when my guests will be Neon Yang and Aimee Kuzenski!

This time around, I'm very pleased to welcome back one of my guests from this show's very first season, Valerie Valdes (@valerievaldes), to talk about the conclusion of her Chilling Effect trilogy, Fault Tolerance, which just released this Tuesday, August 2nd, 2022! Val reads to us from the opening chapter, which leads us into a lively discussion of video game tropes, fanfic, screenwriting, and who Val mains in Super Smash Bros.   Things we mention in this episode:   Val's first-season episode Chilling Effect, by Valerie Valdes Garrus Mass Effect Fix-it fic Thane Chekhov's gun Mario Kart Mad Max: Fury Road Portal Super Smash Bros Pokémon Transformers Assassin's Orbit, by John Appel The Memory War series, by Karen Osborne Megan E. O'Keefe K.B. Wagers The NeoG series, by K.B. Wagers Annihilation Aria, by Mike Underwood Imperial Radch trilogy, by Ann Leckie The Machineries of Empire, by Yoon Ha Lee D.J. Older Mike Chen Rebecca Roanhorse Doctor Aphra, by Alyssa Wong Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Rarepair Austin Walker Five plus one fic Harold (improv) Conrad Verner Tekken 2 Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Jigglypuff Link Zelda/Sheik Samus Kirby Shang Tsung Tron Bonne Servbot Roll Jill Marth Mr. Game & Watch Horizon Zero Dawn Hades Val's twitch Guardians of the Galaxy (2021) Girl by Moonlight Blades in the Dark Magical girl genre Persona series Serial Experiments Lain Brandon O'Brien Mike Underwood Iori Kusano Jeoi Gawain Lin ArvanEleron on twitch Arvan Eleron's Youtube channel Stone the Crows, by Grant Howitt Friends at the Table Partizan Beam Saber, by Austin Ramsay Scum and Villainy Ms Marvel Our Flag Means Death Moon Knight Knights and Bikes   Join us again next time, when Rem Wigmore will be returning to the show!

This time around, we're joined by the one and only Miri Baker (@MiriBaker). Miri brings us a trunked story from ye olden days, all the way back in 2011, plus a lot of great conversation about the load-bearing parts of our personalities, cosplay, and how genuinely liking the things we like is good, actually. This episode's reading carries content warnings for blood, extremely unsafe handling of swords, and extremely incorrect understanding of swords. It is just under 20 minutes long.   Things we mention on this episode: Blue at War, the cape Miri made for Amal El-Mohtar for the 2020 Hugos Lillian Boyd Machine of Death and This Is How You Die, edited by Ryan North, Matthew Bennardo, and David Malki The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde Duotrope's Digest The Submission Grinder Wondermark! By David Malki Steampunk Fence, by C.S. Pacat Sarah Rees Brennan The Demon's Lexicon, by Sarah Rees Brennan In Other Lands, by Sarah Rees Brennan Monstrous Affections, edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant Be the Serpent Worldcon 76 Fullmetal Alchemist Himoru Arakawa Neil Gaiman's Journal Tumblr Arthur, season 14, episode 4, ­“Falafelosophy” Miss Snark's Blog Query Shark George Clponey John Scalzi's Whatever Chuck Wendig's Terrible Minds Mary Robinette Kowal's My Favorite Bit Sarah Gailey's Stone Soup Writing Excuses Schlock Mercenary, by Howard Tayler LiveJournal Fantasy Rants Gaia Online NaNoWriMo Uncanny Magazine Viable Paradise Sarah Gailey River of Teeth, by Sarah Gailey Sarah's Star Wars tweets Amanda Cook's episode The Hugo Awards Yaya Han's ultimate bodysuit pattern SFWA Annalee Flower Horne Anime Weekend Atlanta Friends at the Table Gravity Falls Steven Universe She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Archive of our Own Fanfiction dot net Arcane Riot Games League of Legends RWBY Rooster Teeth Red vs. Blue Halo Persona 5 Royal Steam The Locked Tomb series, by Tamsyn Muir Nona the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir Cybergoth freeway rave Miri's portfolio Rekka Jay This is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone   Stick around next month for the return of Valeria Valdes and Rem Wigmore!

This time around, it's my pleasure to welcome Ruthanna Emrys (@R_Emrys), who joins us to talk about her new novel, A Half-Built Garden, which comes out on July 26th from Tor Dot Com publishing. We talk about ecological sci-fi, the things that got left on the cutting-room floor, and Ruthanna's current reads.   Things we mention in this episode: Winter Tide, by Ruthanna Emrys David Bowie The Innsmouth Legacy series, by Ruthanna Emrys Seanan McGuire Field Guide to Invasive Species of Minnesota, by Amelia Gorman Light From Uncommon Stars, by Ryka Aoki Ruthana's Patreon Reading the Weird on Tor.com Anne M. Pillsworth The City We Became, by N.K. Jemisin   Tune in next time, when my guest will be Miri Baker!