"Tonight she was going to see a unicorn, a real live one just like in the movies. She knew because Uncle Tom had said so. He'd said that every full moon the unicorns all came out to eat the apples in the old orchard. Mum had shushed him and sai

The Sun-Soaked Kitchen

Aug 1st, 2015 12m 55s

"What do you wear to meet your lover's lover on an August summer's evening that calls for light clothes, light make up. Lightness? When all you want to do is hide away alone and allow your thoughts to rise in the darkness as you try to work out

Birds and Burds

Jun 24th, 2015 27m 54s

Poet Georgi Gill met up with our Jess to do some bird-watching from an Edinburgh tower. We also establish the rules for the 'port of rejection' and listen to the most poetic shipping forecast ever to come out of dry land. Poetry by Georgi Gi

Call for Submissions

May 31st, 2015 19m 21s

A slightly different podcast this time round: we chat to our (fairly...) new editors and fellow mischief makers about their website The Rookery in the Bookery and -- drum roll please! -- announce our latest call for submission. Music by Gurdon

Trying again, 10am

May 7th, 2015 17m 50s

The Far Off Places podcast is back! For real this time. We introduce new podcast host Jessica Johanneson Gaitan and talk about why reading out loud is special -- and how it can go wrong. Plots are hatched. Coffee is drunk. Poetry is read. Po

Bloom's Day Special

Jun 15th, 2014 18m

Happy Bloom's Day! It's 110 years since Leopold Bloom and Stephen Daedalus wandered through Dublin, going to funerals and brothels and forgetting to buy soap. We're celebrating with a podcast dedicated to James Jocye's Ulysses, presented by Far

Stilettos in a Snowstorm

May 18th, 2014 11m 28s

"The insistent door knocker pounds its way from the other side of the house up the stairs. It feels like three in the morning. No hum of passing traffic. I roll over in bed. 11.40 glows green. Peering out, I can see snow softening suburban soun

Blowing Out the Stars

Mar 24th, 2014 9m 32s

"Monster had come to Boy to scare him, as was the agreement between monsters and children, but when he arrived the worst had already happened and Boy had no want or need of fear. Monster found pity and wound his thick tail around Boy's ears to

Pandora

Feb 24th, 2014 18m 56s

'The mother wakes early, fumbling for her only pair of heels by the light of a cancerous moon. Glimpsing its baldness, she feels stifled, her chest tight with that old, rising swell. She tries to pry open the window, searching the dark for sig

Not your normal nativity play

Dec 27th, 2013 12m 5s

A merry Christmas one and all! We have some seasonal and rather less seasonal short prose from Dave Clark and Liam Hogan. Creepy Christmas music by SackJo22. To be consumed with Christmas cake.

The Readers

Dec 6th, 2013 13m 5s

"Always keep your readers close. If possible, keep one in every room, so that when you wake up too early, instead of waiting for a cue, you can simply wave a hand past the calamity of your own words and receive an instant kick of other, much mo

Urban Wilderness

Nov 15th, 2013 7m 48s

"Ellis had slept under the bed for a week now. Ever since the windstorm had come, she'd been frightened. Not afraid of anything in particular, no concrete fear. She wasn't afraid of wind, after all — she'd played with wind, throwing leaves at i

Guising

Nov 1st, 2013 7m 32s

"Pumpkins — the only fruit that rhymes with oranges. When I was young, we had none; we carved turnips, with a lid which stank in the candle's heat." (All Hallow's Eve, Colin Will)

Looking for a Bogle

Oct 18th, 2013 12m 58s

"Excuse me," I said. The Policeman leant forward over the counter. "Yes boy, what can I do for you?" "I wonder, have you seen a Bogle?" "A Bogle? Have you lost one?" "No, no, but I'm looking for one." "Well, nobody has been in

Far Forest

Oct 4th, 2013 10m 16s

"It was as if I had been in a story, walking down a lane to a house and a door, with cut-out birds and cut-out stairs." -Red Riding, Chelsea Cargill. Whimsy of a poetical nature written and read by Chelsea Cargill. Hoorah! Music

A Stroll Amongst Equals

Sep 6th, 2013 13m 10s

"There are two things you should know when facing down a leopard. One: Don't run. Two: Don't run. And three, which I know I didn't mention earlier, but am going to list anyway because facing down a leopard does strange things to struct

The Hustle

Aug 23rd, 2013 13m

"The airport road is one of those roads that are perpetually overcast and blustery regardless of season. Empty crisp packets and newspapers tumble incessantly. A steady stream of traffic is flanked by tired industrial units. Everyone drives. No

The Shadow of a Grin

Aug 9th, 2013 8m 13s

"The van was old and threatened to break down before destination. Among clangs and shrieks it struggled across the desert making its way through the haze that blurred the horizon, the only discernible border that obviously moved farther and far

Taking Their Cue From Stars

Jul 26th, 2013 6m 53s

"The sky glows orange in the distance and as we walk I feel the ground begin to ramp. The smell of birch in the air, sweet and light. According to the map there's a good campsite nearby but no one seems ready to stop. I mean sure, my boots are

Through the Woolly Woods

Jul 12th, 2013 10m 26s

"It was a place where nothing, especially not the genuinely mundane, was allowed to be simply ordinary. Where a girl might arrive and find a doll's house awaiting her, perfect in every minute detail: with shingled roof, working lights and a ki

Exploration

Jun 21st, 2013 7m 36s

"If you were a set of drawers, I'd let you into the top ones." (Explorations, Nicole Strachan) Spoken whimsy to tickle your taste buds from Nicole Strachan and Simon French. Machine wash. Do not tumble dry. Music courtesy of Gurdenark.

At Yesnaby

Jun 9th, 2013 10m 26s

"This Orcadian quest was his first venture out of Canada since she'd gone. He had hopped from Halifax to London to Aberdeen and was now waiting to break through mist and vapour on the descent into Kirkwall. It seemed the cauliflower clouds want

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