This is an alternate history story set in the 1880s and concerns the underground activities of a group of first-wave feminists. It has been released under a Creative Commons, Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share Alike license, and the full text c

Beneath the Language, by Ken Liu (Season 2, Episode 4)

Aug 21st, 2017

This is a story in the form of a long-form magazine article, which I think is a neat way to write a bit of speculative fiction. It’s a story about art and machine learning. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommer

The Lincoln Train, by Maureen McHugh (Season 2, Episode 3)

Aug 20th, 2017

A bit of Civil War alternate history, this story won a Hugo Award in 1996 (I said 1995 in the episode, which is the year it was written). It has been released under a Creative Commons, Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share Alike license, along wit

Welcome to the Federation, by Mark Onspaugh (Season 2, Episode 2)

Aug 19th, 2017

The text of this story and can be found online here. It was released under a Creative Commons, Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share Alike license. The other stories in the collection, Thoughtcrime Experiments, are released under the same license.

The Book of Jashar, by Benjamin Rosenbaum (Season 2, Episode 1)

Aug 18th, 2017

The text of this story can be found at the Strange Horizons website where it was originally published, here, or in the author's short story collection, The Ant King and Other Stories, which was released under a Creative Commons Attribution, Non

The Cask of Amontillado, by Edgar Allan Poe (Season 1, Episode 4)

Aug 3rd, 2017

The Celestial Omnibus, by EM Forster (Season 1, Episode 5)

Aug 3rd, 2017

Is He Living or Is He Dead, by Mark Twain (Season 1, Episode 3)

Aug 3rd, 2017

The Other Side of the Hedge, by EM Forster (Season 1, Episode 2)

Aug 3rd, 2017

The Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges (Season 1, Episode 1)

Aug 2nd, 2017

The Other Side of the Hedge by E.M. Forster (Season 1, Episode 4)

Nov 22nd, 2010 14m 6s

E. M. Forster's classic allegory of modern progress.

Episode 31: Tobermory by Saki

Jun 9th, 2009 19m 31s

This is the second of two stories with the theme "Cats Who Are More Than Just Cats." It's by Saki, who wrote our previous episode "Sredni Vashtar;" the tone on this one is similarly biting and funny. It concerns a cat who is taught to speak,

Episode 29: Old Time Radio Show by James Davisson

May 9th, 2009 11m 44s

This was written, produced, and performed by me in a single day for the University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt.

Episode 14.2 Hymn to God, my God, in my sickness by John Donne

Dec 4th, 2008 1m 45s

So, John Donne was this excellent dude in the 17th century, which, if you look hard enough, you can see was full of excellent dudes.John's poetic career happened in two stages. First, he got married to a wicked excellent chick who he loved so

Episode 14.1: After dark vapours have oppressed our plains by John Keats

Nov 25th, 2008 1m

Episode 13.1: To Autumn by John Keats

Nov 20th, 2008 1m 49s

Episode 12.5: On the Grasshopper and Cricket by John Keats

Nov 15th, 2008 47s

Episode 12.4 Jabberwocky by Lewis Carrol

Nov 14th, 2008 1m 10s

Episode 12.3: Weird-Bird and Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

Nov 13th, 2008 1m 13s

Episode 12.2 Nothing is Lost by Noel Coward

Nov 12th, 2008 1m 14s

The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe (Season 1, Episode 3)

Oct 30th, 2008 16m 12s

This is the Library of Babel special Halloween episode. The Cask of Amontillado is my favorite Poe tale. The story is well-paced, with just the right blend of dread and suspense building throughout till the climax.