Fiction Podcast Debuts: December Roundup
Welcome to the new year, and the promise of more great fiction audio.
2019 has dissipated and with our first breaths of 2020 comes the promises of more: audio, stories, creators, ideas, community. As we start the ball rolling again after the holidays and year’s end scrambles, let’s take a brief look at some of what’s waiting for us all in fiction podcasting this year:
- Definitely Human, producers of fiction podcast hits like MarsCorp and Pax Fortuna (which debuted in 2019), has arrived right at the top of January with Down.
- Hit the Bricks, the pilot of which can be found in the August 2018 debuts, is coming January 30th.
- Tin Can Audio, who produced 201’s experimental existential podcast The Tower, are returning in February with queer Scottish horror Folxlore.
So, while we await the shiny newness of 2020 eagerly, let’s glance back over a selection of the debuts that came out this December as a final farewell to the year. I wish every podcast on this list a stellar entry to the new year!
This Planet Needs a Name
Evan Tess Murray, Trace Callahan
Imagine you’re building the future, but you’ll never get to see how it plays out. This is the life of the scientists and engineers chosen to terraform a new planet for the cryogenically-frozen people they’ve brought with them, a terraforming that will continue long after they have died. The planet’s terraformers are a little sad, a little mysterious, but all dedicated to the cause; listen to this if you need a space sci-fi that fits almost uncomfortably close to the heart.
Monkey Tales
From the creator of Moonbase Theta, Out comes this hopepunk anthology that presents different positive, optimistic stories in which we “may not always win, but always fight”. Its first monthly installment, “Stars”, features Cole Burkhardt and Sena Bryer as lovers separated by light-years, lovers who have never met; they both fill their dialogue with relaxed familiarity and bone-deep longing. The podcast will hone in on those tender moments and examination of the facets of our lives through monologues, dialogues, and other small casts formations, keeping things simple in order to make it complicated.
Tales of the Night Sky
Bibi Jacobs soothingly narrates retellings of the Greco-Roman myths behind the constellations and stars. She creates links between the characters and the stars and provides a clear interpretation of the old stories, as well as some historical context, such as that of Mount Lykaion and the wolf rites alluded to in Plato’s Republic.
(content warning for talk of rape and assault)
Storybound
Jude Brewer, Jeffrey Umbro, Justin Alvarez
Lit Hub Radio and Podglomerate celebrate fiction authors and their creations by giving them a platform to read their work aloud, with original composition designed for each story. Hearing these stories read by their authors creates a sense of deep contemplation, because they know exactly where to pause and where to emphasize to draw the eye towards or away from reality.
The Pasithea Powder
Captain Sophie Green and Dr. Jane Gonzalez are survivors of the Cassandra Wars, a long series of atrocities and death during which Pasithea Powder, a memory-altering drug, was invented. The drug can only be recreated by a handful scientists who are held as political prisoners. When Captain Green sees one of the scientists wandering around free, she has no choice but to return to her estranged friend, Jane. The Pasithea Powder is an epistolary thriller and love story about capitalism, identity, propaganda, and trauma.
Childish: The Podcast Musical
Rye Dorsey, Zachary Goldberg, Sabeen Shalwani, Jasmine Elshamy, Elyse Morales, Lucas Elijah Friedman, Kamau Wainaina
Dante wants to follow in the footsteps of his hero, Childish Gambino, and he becomes a Resident Adviser at college as a stepping stone to his dream of becoming a famous rapper. Childish is the musical story of Dante joining Z-Hall with the weirdest bunch of RAs. Every episode of Childish is a delight, with sharp lyrics, catchy melodies, and a cast that will immediately enrapture both your heart and your rage.
Brimstone Valley Mall
Kristen diMercurio, Mark Wolf Roberts, Talia Rochmann, Jeffrey Nils Gardner
From podcast production collective The Whisperforge and creator Kristen diMercurio (ars Paradoxica) comes this podcast that I derive great joy in calling a “90s period piece with demons”. Mall Rat, a band made up of five demons, is about to play the biggest gig of the millennium — except their lead singer has gone missing. Brimstone Valley Mall has mastered the sounds I associate with my childhood, with the echoing mall of the movies and lackadaisical drawl of its inhabitants.
Dark Days in Brighton
Rocky, Mia, and Parker were once teenagers in the tiny town of Brighton, Texas, who were dedicated to going on “art adventures”, or adventures in order to create art from the surroundings, to ill-advised places like the cemetery. On one such adventure, their car breaks down and the world goes hazy blue after an impromptu eclipse; a series of supernatural occurrences leads to them acquiring psychic powers.
Corrupted Files
Kate Rogers, Rachel Spigel, Nate Stemp
Fired from her paranormal investigation show, Annabelle Bright gets caught by FBI Special Agent Blair Sharp while creeping through the abandoned building outside of town and near the woods. This is a light-heartedly, creepy, three-part podcast with a vibe straight out of X-Files, complete with a skeptic reluctantly partnered with an all-in believer.
This playlist was sponsored by Podchaser. Check out Podchaser’s Creator Profiles to find your favorite podcast hosts, producers, editors, guests, voice actors, and more!
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