Kaleidocast

Constellations: The Octavia Project Speculative Fiction Mentorship: Professionally published authors from the Brooklyn Speculative Fiction Writers mentor Octavia Project alumni one-on-one. The mentors guide mentees as they enter into the greater writing community, contend with the business of writing, and refine a single piece of fiction with the end goal of publication. Marcy Arlin, senior mentor and managing director of Constellations, and her former mentor Leah are interviewed by Constellations founder, Cameron Roberson. Then Tatiana Grey reads an excerpt of Leah's story.

As Bright As A Pearl by Andrea Janes, Read by Tatiana Grey When you sit in Mora's chair at the salon on the Coney Island Boardwalk, her fingers will find your roots and your secrets. As for what she does with them... Andrea Janes tells ghost stories for a living. She is the co-author of A Haunted History of Invisible Women and the owner and founder of Boroughs of the Dead, a boutique tour company dedicated to dark and unusual walking tours of New York City. She is currently at work on a Middle Grade historical fantasy novel set in New Amsterdam. Her personal obsessions include weird history, slapstick comediennes, witches, ghosts, all things nautical, and beer. She lives in Brooklyn where she can usually be found by the ocean or near a cemetery. Tatiana Grey is a critically acclaimed actress of stage, screen, and of course...the audio booth. She's been nominated for dozens of fancy awards but hasn't won a single damned thing. See more at www.tatianagrey.com Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies by Brooke Bolande

A Song for Sunken Streets by Evan Berkow, Read by Lanna Joffrey Nona is a loner living in a flooded Brooklyn. She's running away from her past and looking for hope. What she finds is a mermaid on a mission. The fate of New York City depends on their ability to see past their trauma. Evan Berkow is a writer of speculative fiction in the hours when he's not lawyering. His fiction has appeared in places such as Strange Horizons, Escape Pod, and Flash Fiction Online. You can find him on Twitter @Evan_Berkow. Lanna Joffrey is an award-winning Iranian performer and writer who has worked throughout the United States and United Kingdom in theatre, film, spoken word and audio work. Her verbatim play, "Valiant" has received critical acclaim having toured throughout the UK and US and was published last year. For more info on her work please visit www.lannajoffrey.com When Two Swordsmen Meet by Ellen Kushner, Read by Wilson Fowlie In a cold, cobblestone city, when two swordsman meet, you never know what might happ

Work Life Balance by Cara Mast, Read by Tonia Ransom Amerie receives an email at work that Return-to-Work is being mandated for her office. This is a problem, as she has been secretly living in her office for the last nine months because she can't afford both rent and her out of pocket payments for her curse-based illness. As a retired tall-ship sailor, a failed academic, and a reluctant finance professional, Cara Mast gets stopped constantly in New York City and asked for directions. Cara spends their free time drinking coffee, binging words, and yelling about the Philadelphia Eagles in bars they’ve thankfully not yet been kicked out of. Your Future Life is Pending by Matthew Kressel, read by Tonia Ransom Technician Martha feeds stray dogs in her back alley, tends her sick father, and revives the unconscious, rich users of hi-tech gaming "couches." The game is the reason humans never made it to Mars, so is she wrong to wreck a little havoc? Matthew Kressel is a three-time Nebula Award finalist, whose w

Special Delivery by Carlos Delgado, Read by Wilson Fowlie A Guatemalan delivery driver struggling to make it in a climate change affected Brooklyn where the fantastic is one cyber skin away, makes a delivery that goes very badly very quickly. Carlos Luis Delgado is a Brooklyn-based speculative fiction writer and editor. As a member of BSFW, he also leads workshops and writing classes. He's been previously published as part of My Father's Files, a mystery horror podcast. This is his second publication. How the Pooka Came to New York by Delia Sherman, Read by Wilson Fowlie A pooka, a mythical creature from Ireland, immigrates to America in the early 20th century, tricked and magically bound to a boy that, like all immigrants, is more than he seems. Delia Sherman is the author of numerous short stories and novels for both adults and younger readers, somewhere in the historical-fantastical-comical-romantic-feminist vein. She is or has been a teacher, an editor, a member of the Otherwise Award Motherboard, a

And the Raucous Depths Abide by Sam Schreiber, Read by Rish Outfield An alien empire sends a drone to monitor Earth, but things go awry and the device's CPU and backup end up at cross purposes. After centuries at the bottom of the ocean, the CPU has gone mad and is bent on destroying humanity. The backup finds a way to save the day, though there is of course pain involved. But life is pain. Anyone who says anything different is selling something. Sam Schreiber is a writer living in Brooklyn with his wife and two cats. His work can be found in such markets as Tales to Terrify, PodCastle, Escape Pod, Analog Science Fiction and Fact and Asimov's Science Fiction magazine, where this story first appeared. Keep up with his work at https://www.thesamschreiber.com/ or on Twitter @ahzimandias Rish Outfield is a writer, narrator, and podcast host who magically reverts to childhood every time he hears a strange sound out in the woods in the night. Maybe it was just an owl, or an elk, or a will o' the wisp, or an es

The Only Living Cabby In New York City by Jason Smith, Read by Laurice White A woman in the not-so-far future hails a cab home during a heavy storm and experiences a rare phenomenon: a human cab driver, persevering through the automation and technological advances of his competition. Jason A. Smith is a Brooklyn based science fiction author. His work can been heard in Kaleidocast, seen in the Fall 2022 Issue of the Brooklyn based Zine "Open Book," read in a college literary magazine from 14 years ago, and that's about it. He hopes that his publication in this season of Kaleidocast marks the beginning of an ever-growing list of credits, or at the very least an adventurous, life-long attempt at such a thing. tw: @wowanotherjason | insta: @wowanotherjason Laurice White was born and raised in Detroit, MI and currently lives just outside the city. She has a BA in Theatre. I Built This City for You by Cassandra Khaw, Ready by Wilson Fowlie and Clover Fowlie Cassandra Khaw is an award-winning game write

The Bodies Upstairs by Divyansha Sehgal, read by Tony Perry A person haunted by zombie-like apparitions seeks to cure his condition with a specialist who claims he can help and is taught in the ways of mending otherworldly wounds.... Divyansha Sehgal is a speculative fiction writer currently based in New Delhi, India. She is also an associate editor and actor on the Kaleidocast.nyc Tony Perry is an actor and singer-songwriter. He narrated the film Lost and Found, and the audio comic The Captain Punishment Adventure Hour. He has performed in English and Yiddish, and he’s happy to talk about all things Doctor Who. The Five Stages of Grief by Nadia Bulkin, read by Alexandra Palocz A family mourns the loss of a loved one in a world where the dead haunt their waking hours, hungry and malicious. Nadia Bulkin is the author of the short story collection She Said Destroy. She grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia with her Javanese father and American mother, before relocating to Lincoln, Nebraska. She has two politi

Treatment and Cure by Katie Story, Read by Lanna Joffrey Your unexpected stay in the COVID wing takes a nightmarish turn. Something at the hospital is hungry. Katie Story is a Brooklyn-based graphic designer, illustrator, and writer who fosters cranky, toothless cats. She studied creative writing at Pratt Institute and is a member of Brooklyn Speculative Fiction Writers. Lanna Joffrey is an award-winning actor, spoken word performer and writer based in London who works extensively in the US and UK in theatre, film and has voiced numerous audio projects from video games to podcasts to audiobooks. For more about her work visit www.lannajoffrey.com Clearly Lettered In A Mostly Steady Hand by Fran Wilde, Read by Tatiana Grey It’s a disturbing, opaque trip into an old-fashioned freak show; directed by one of the people who plays a part in the show. But something is wrong and its not what you think. "Two-time Nebula Award-winner Fran Wilde has (so far) published seven novels, a poetry collection, and over

Jean Genii by Randee Dawn, Read by Sally Hourigan A Brooklyn lawyer unwittingly frees a genie from its lamp while cleaning out the closet of a deceased coworker, and uses her training and wits to find the happy ending that's so hard to come by. Randee Dawn is a Brooklyn-based entertainment journalist whose debut novel, Tune in Tomorrow, about a fantastical TV reality show, published in August. She writes about show business for Variety, The Los Angeles Times, Emmy Magazine and Today.com and is the co-author of The Law & Order: Unofficial Companion. Find out more at RandeeDawn.com Sally Hourigan is a Brooklyn-based actor and voice artist. She is a graduate of Seton Hall University, where she studied Theatre Performance and Communications. In addition to her VO work, she has appeared onstage in several NYC theatre festivals and off-Broadway plays, and recently made her on-camera debut in The Jane Doe Murders on Oxygen. When not performing, she enjoys running, cooking, baking, and playing with her tuxedo cat,

No Version Like Home by Liam Burke, Read by Tatiana Grey A group of activists stage an attack against an evil conglomerate. When their plan goes horribly wrong, an unexpected ally appears to guide them to safety through a string of alternate dimensions, offering a proposition that could prove the salvation or damnation of the multiverse. Liam Burke is an independent author with a passion for juxtaposing biting humor along with the sharp teeth of horror, razor code of cyberpunk, and back alley deals of urban fantasy. When not crafting worlds, he’s playing in someone else’s via tabletop, LARP, or Digital RPGs. He is a proud father, and husband, and is still confused how he got so lucky in that regard. Hold-Time Violations by John Chu, Read by Tatiana Grey Ellie is on her way to visit her mother when her sister sends her to repair the skunkworks of the universe, one of many generated by the ancient machine beneath it all. When she finds the problem she'll have to make one of the hardest choices in her life.

Sometimes the only way forward is through fire. The only way to stay true to yourself is to change. Sometimes that can change the world. Read by Lanna Joffrey and Tatiana Grey, our grand finale comes from Amal El-Mohtar and Merc Fenn Wolfmoor. A poem of survival from Amal and a story of revolution's dawning from Merc. Resistance for the sake of love. Theirs are the words we truly need to hear, now more than ever. "A Tale of Ash in Seven Birds" by Amal El-Mohtar, Read by Lanna Joffrey Amal El-Mohtar is an award-winning author and critic. She's the science fiction and fantasy columnist for the New York Times Book Review and the author, with Max Gladstone, of This Is How You Lose the Time War. She lives in Ottawa. Lanna Joffrey is an actor, spoken-word performer and writer working in the United States and United Kingdom based in London. She has earned a New York Fringe, IRNE and Ovation Award in Performance. And her verbatim play of women’s war stories, "Valiant" has traveled the U.K. and U.S. to critical ac

We're not always aware of the world we're creating for ourselves and for others. We don't always understand our impact. But there is impact nonetheless. Read by Tatiana Grey, Maria brings us a story of the world that crept up on us screaming for our attention. Read by Lucie Pohl, Brit's story is about a hero who is rescued by the city she loves. "The Kleptographer" by Brit E.B. Hvide, Read by Lucie Pohl Brit E. B. Hvide is a writer and a Hugo Award-nominated editor. She studied creative writing and physics at Northwestern University. Originally from Singapore, she now lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their dog. Follow her on Twitter @bhvide Lucie Pohl is a German-born-NYC-raised comedian, actor, writer & creator of Edinburgh Fringe & OFF B'way solo hits 'Hi, Hitler', 'Apohlcalypse Now!' a.o. Lucie has been featured on NPR, in The NY Times and is also the voice of Mercy on Blizzard's Overwatch. Acting credits include Red Dwarf, Homeland and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. "The Scav

The rarest and wisest characters tell their own tale and create their own mythology. C.S.E. Cooney, Mimi Mondal, and Joshua A.C. Newman bring you characters that refuse to conform. "The Foxgirl Cycle" by C.S.E. Cooney, Read by C.S.E. Cooney, produced by Jeremy Cooney and Stefan Mark Dollak C.S.E. Cooney is the author of World Fantasy Award-winning Bone Swans: Stories. Her short novel The Twice-Drowned Saint is included in Mythic Delirium’s anthology The Sinister Quartet. Her forthcoming novel Saint Death’s Daughter will be out with Rebellion in Spring of 2022. Other work includes Tor.com novella Desdemona and the Deep, and short fiction and poetry in Jonathan Strahan’s anthology Dragons, Ellen Datlow’s Mad Hatters and March Hares: All-New Stories from the World of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, Rich Horton’s Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy, and elsewhere. Aspiring dungeon master, audiobook engineer, podcaster, and musician, Jeremy Cooney draws inspiration from bawdy pirate tales, Irish a

"Is it ever too late to start living? Is it ever too late to find your love? E.C. Myers and Liz Riegel give two very different but oh so compelling answers to this question. Stories read by the fantastic Bradley Robert Parks and introducing Q-Lim with a fantastically moving perfromance Liz Riegel is a queer collage artist, sometimes-beekeeper, and writer who is endlessly inspired by the natural world. ​Bradley Robert Parks is a writer and sometimes singer, and founded the Brooklyn Speculative Fiction Writers in 2010. His publication credits can be found on his website, bradleyrobertparks.com. He lives in Brooklyn with his husband and one perfect cat, Ms. Magoo. "The Land of the Morning Calm" by E.C. Myers, Read by Q-Lim E.C. Myers was assembled in the U.S. from Korean and German parts and raised by a single mother and the public library in Yonkers, New York. He is the author of six young adult novels, including the Andre Norton Award–winning Fair Coin, The Silence of Six, and RWBY: After the Fall.

At the core of every mind numbing horror, there is a joke waiting for its time to shine. I dare you not to laugh out loud when listening to Kris Dikeman's perfectly paired story (read it with wine for the spit take), and Sam Schreiber takes you on a noir whodunnit with a werewolf too curious for his own good. "A Singular Event, In Several Courses" by Kris Dikeman, Read by Mary Boughey Kris Dikeman lives and works in New York City. Her stories have appeared in Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Strange Horizons, Analog and Mad Hatters and March Hares, among other places. She is currently at work on a novel about carnivorous plants. You can read more of her work at her website: www.krisdikeman.com. A career performer and storyteller, Mary Rodgershas acted in plays, musicals, television and film and was the lead singer/keyboardist for an all-women's rock band for a number of years. She is also a published novelist and screenwriter, with a focus on near-future science fiction, contemp

The past lives in the walls. It lives just over our shoulder. It stares at us without blinking. It stares from the mirrors. It can never just be. So neither can we. Charlie Jane Anders and Bradley Robert Parks bring us two ghost stories. One takes lives while the other saves them, one punchline at a time. "Sustenance" by Bradley Robert Parks, Read by Bradley Levine Bradley Robert Parks ​is a writer and sometimes singer, and founded the Brooklyn Speculative Fiction Writers in 2010. His publication credits can be found on his website, bradleyrobertparks.com. He lives in Brooklyn with his husband and one perfect cat, Ms. Magoo. ​Bradley Levine is a NYC based actor, creator, and producer. Recent stage credits: James & the Giant Peach (James, The Argyle Theatre), Casse Noisette (world premiere, Bridge Street Theatre), Camp Rolling Hills (NYMF). Original Devised pieces include: Gathering Sparks (Bangkok Exploriment Festival/ Theatre Row), Down the Urinal Hole & Around the Corner (Dixon Place, KC Fringe). Tr

What happens to the not-heroes when the story's over? Max Gladstone and Ted Rabinowitz peak through the window of those characters who must live without the benefit of plot armor. "Centaur's Lament," by Ted Rabinowitz, Read by Rish Outfield Ted Rabinowitz Ted Rabinowitz is an author and copywriter whose previous careers include electrician, script reader, and professional card player. His first novel, The Wrong Sword, was published in 2012, and his writing has appeared in the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, the Business International Money Report, the Valley Sun, Hollywood Scriptwriter, and elsewhere. Rish Outfield is a podcaster, writer, and audiobook narrator who loves Horror, the word "chalupa," Star Wars, Sean Connery, and hopes to be remembered for his lovely singing voice . . . despite his many monstrous crimes. "Late Nights at the Cape and Cane" by Max Gladstone, Read by Wilson Fowlie ​Max Gladstone has been thrown from a horse in Mongolia and nominated for the Hugo, John W Campbell, and La

Monsters know you better than they know themselves. Val Rigodon and Zin E. Rocklyn bring you stories inspired folklore and heartache. "Little Red" by Val Rigodon, Read by Tony Perry ​Val Rigodon is a poet, writer, and occultist from Brooklyn, New York. She is a 2019 Poets’ House Fellow and a member of Brooklyn Speculative Fiction Writers. She is also a J.D candidate. One day she hopes to own a house by the sea. Val is extremely honored to have her story featured on the Kaleidocast. Tony Perry is an actor and singer-songwriter. He narrated the film Lost and Found, and the audio comic The Captain Punishment Adventure Hour. He has performed in English and Yiddish, and he’s happy to talk about all things Doctor Who. "Summer Skin" by Zin E. Rocklyn, Read by Laurice White ​Zin E. Rocklyn is a 2017 VONA, 2018 Viable Paradise (22), and 2020 Clarion West student. Her work can be found the anthologies Forever Vacancy, 2017 Bram Stoker Nominated Sycorax's Daughters (of which her story Summer Skin was long-listed fo

Memories of a country that never was, and the world behind the door at the top of the stairs. Nothing every trully belongs to us. Sarah Pinsker and Nikki C Smith give us bitter sweet stories that complicate the narratives we tell ourselves. "That Our Flag Was Still There," by Sarah Pinkser, Read by Stacie Chaiken Sarah Pinsker's novel A Song For A New Day won the Nebula Award for best novel, and her collection Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea won the Philip K. Dick Award. She has been nominated for the Hugo, Locus, World Fantasy, and more. She lives in Baltimore with her wife and dog. Find her online at sarahpinsker.com and on twitter @sarahpinsker. Writer-performer Stacie Chaiken’s full-length solo plays include The DIG, What She Left, and Looking for Louie. Saint Vibiana, Pray4US and Don’t Flinch !! are part of Yovaar : Porciuncula, an ongoing performance/excavation of the block where she lives in Downtown Los Angeles. ​ "All The Things You Will Never Know," By Nikki Caffier Smith, Read by