Hoping to make their fortune (or at least climb out of debt), a trio of space traders travel on a dangerous hunt for a space whale. "An Equal Share of the Bone" was originally published at Escape Pod. Find more of Karen Osborne's work at www.karenosborne.com . Content Advisory: Animal death
Mar 23, 2021•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guided by an angel, a writer pens his greatest -- and perhaps most dangerous -- work. "Killer of Kings" appears in Anjali Sachdeva's collection ALL THE NAMES THEY USED FOR GOD.
Mar 16, 2021•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Adolescent boys are faced with the reality of friendships, old and new, as they work on plans to build their own airplane. "Flyboys" appears in Tobias Wolff's collection OUR STORY BEGINS, published by Vintage Books, and is available in audio from Blackstone Audio. Content advisory: discussion of death
Mar 09, 2021•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast A woman helps to test the artificial intelligence based on the mind of her mother, a brilliant thinker. "The Regression Test" appears in Wole Talabi's collection INCOMPLETE SOLUTIONS from Luna Press.
Mar 02, 2021•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast A government contractor deals with everyday frustrations in a small town. "Alluvial Deposits" appears in Percival Everett's collection DAMNED IF I DO. Check out other titles from Graywolf Press, including WILD SWIMS and BRING ME THE HEAD OF QUENTIN TARANTINO, at graywolfpress.org . Content advisory: racial slur, hateful language
Feb 23, 2021•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast A woman struggles to understand why her elderly father has begun to spontaneously teleport. Content advisory: drug addiction, illness, death
Feb 16, 2021•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast A teenage thief embarks on a mission to reclaim her people's sacred treasures. First published in A UNIVERSE OF WISHES in 2020 in the United States by Crown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC, New York. Find more from Rebecca at www.rebeccaroanhorse.com .
Feb 09, 2021•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast A waitress is jolted from her morning routine when she's visited by a mysterious child.
Feb 02, 2021•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast The wait is nearly over! Join us for Season 8 of LeVar Burton Reads, beginning next week and featuring stories from Rebecca Roanhorse, Tobias Wolff, Bishop Garrison, Damion Wilson and more.
Jan 26, 2021•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast LeVar talks to Africanfuturist Nnedi Okorafor about the visceral nature of her writing, writing a beautiful and green future for the Niger Delta, and how human-AI relationships can feel like parent-child relationships. Plus, she'll tell us what she thinks happens after those final tense moments in "Mother of Invention".
Dec 01, 2020•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Join us for the conclusion of this smart house story set in a future Nigeria. Will Anwuli and her child survive the storm? Content advisory: blood
Nov 24, 2020•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast A young woman in a future Nigeria finds herself in a deadly pollen storm, alone but for her smart home.
Nov 17, 2020•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast LeVar announces a special three-part series featuring one of his favorite authors!
Nov 10, 2020•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast A 200-year-old gnome desperately wants to become a father. "Little Man" is from A WILD SWAN AND OTHER TALES by Michael Cunningham, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu. Text copyright © 2015 by Mare Vaporum Corp. Used by permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, © 2015 by Mare Vaporum Corp
Oct 27, 2020•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast A recently widowed woman vanishes overnight. Content advisory: violence, death “The Story We Used to Tell” is from DARK TALES by Shirley Jackson, published by Penguin Classics, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
Oct 20, 2020•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast A chance encounter in a bar leads to an eventful Good Friday for a devout woman and a playboy.
Oct 13, 2020•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast An asteroid miner on a solo space mission finds his sense of purpose. This story appears in the anthology CONSOLATION SONGS.
Oct 06, 2020•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast A young Black girl in 1880s New Mexico territory seeks vengeance, risking life and love in the process. Content Advisory: violence, death
Sep 29, 2020•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast A young girl must negotiate her own path out of a strict community in a post-disaster desertland. Visit www.suyidavies.com for more information on Suyi's work, including his novel DAVID MOGO, GODHUNTER. Content Advisory: physical violence
Sep 22, 2020•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast A woman discovers her grandmother is being haunted by unearthly spirits. Find more of Ana Hurtado's work at www.anahurtadowrites.com . Content Advisory: Death, discussion of suicide
Sep 15, 2020•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast A family is both delighted and troubled by the visitation of a peculiar insect. "Cricket" was published in Lauriat: A Filipino-Chinese Speculative Fiction Anthology. Content advisory: violence
Sep 08, 2020•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast A family in dire straits must share their new home with a different species. This story was published in Latinx Rising: An Anthology of Latinx Science Fiction and Fantasy. Content advisory: violence, death/dying
Sep 01, 2020•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast A girl escorts her younger sister on an important and life-altering journey, while thinking back on their relationship and the nature of sacrifice. Content advisory: violence
Aug 25, 2020•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast A rideshare driver must spring into action when his passenger casts a dangerous and deadly spell. Content advisory: explicit language, violence, terrorism
Aug 18, 2020•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast What could it mean to reach into your pocket and pull out... something that wasn't there before? Find more from Amal El-Mohtar at www.amalelmohtar.com .
Aug 11, 2020•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast You heard that correctly -- we're coming back for a new season starting August 11! So make sure to hit subscribe if you haven't already, and check out LeVar's recent conversation with James McBride, author of "Goat" from our very first live show. This virtual book tour stop was presented by Linda McLoughlin Figel of {pages} a bookstore, and by Eso Won Books. We suggest ordering your copy of James McBride's new novel, DEACON KING KONG, online from either of these fine independent booksellers! www...
Aug 04, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast A financial advisor meets his new client: a hardworking, unassuming man with a curious and potentially life-changing secret. "The Foster Portfolio" is from WELCOME TO THE MONKEY HOUSE by Kurt Vonnegut. Copyright © 1968 by Kurt Vonnegut, used by permission of The Wylie Agency LLC.
Apr 14, 2020•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Join us for the conclusion to Toni Morrison's tale. Twyla and Roberta's longstanding and complicated friendship becomes more challenging as they become adults. Content advisory: archaic/derogatory language
Apr 07, 2020•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Two young girls, abandoned by the world, are drawn together. Content advisory: archaic/derogatory language
Mar 31, 2020•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast A dystopian society tackles fake news. Content advisory: violence
Mar 24, 2020•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast