when i dropped the podcastle feed a little under a year ago we'd gone months (that i remember) with two reocurring themes: patriarchs iconoclast & capable matriarchs. powerful wizard actually has alzheimer, hobbit senator brought low, grandfather gets his comeuppance, goblin matron outwits warmongers.
The powerful wizard with alzheimers really wasn't a patriarch brought low issue at all. The theme of that story was "alzheimers" and it was, by the author's own words, inspired by someone he loved being diagnosed with the disease. This is where, I think, perceptions about what Podcastle's staff's percieved "agenda" end up outweighing the actual themes of the stories.
I might give you Senator Bilbo--but I'm pretty sure Andy Duncan is talking about racism, and it's not as a male patriarch that the Senator is brought low, but as a racist. But since indeed a "patriarch" is brought low in that story, I'll give you that one.
The thing is, from where I'm sitting, I don't see a strong "woman power" theme running through the cast. And I'm remembering the beginning, that first few months, when some folks claimed the stories were obviously chosen with a feminist agenda, and all about woman power and hating men and such, when, in fact, nearly all of the stories we'd run so far were chosen by Steve. It's hard for me not to wonder if the same assumptions would have played a part if the new editor had been someone male, or really, anyone but Rachel.
when we got to intelligent design i had a personal bet whether it would be about an iconoclast god or a matronly earth goddess, it was both. when the preview for the next story suggested a creation myth with a woman busying herself over an oven i decided that i wasn't getting the variety that i wanted.
Any story about God is going to be either a confessional (and possibly platitudinous) document, or else iconoclastic, and Podcastle is very unlikely to run that sort of confessional story, so that's an easy bet in any event.
By the creator over an oven, do you mean the Vylar Kaftan about the gingerbread cookies? That was about as different from the one about beetles as you could get.
anyway, here's a much blunter perspective on why some people think podcastle is feminine. it's a year out of date and things have undoubtedly changed but it probably still has some relevance.
Here's my blunt perspective--the same mix of stories, chosen by Steve, would excite no speculation as to the gendered nature of Podcastle. My basis--the fact, as stated above, that stories chosen by Steve
did excite such speculation when the audience thought Rachel had chosen them.
As to "traditional" fantasy vs "modern" I think personally that there's a sort of type of fantasy that's in vogue right now, and of course it's easier for us to find work by current authors. And as I said in an earlier post, it's hard to get work from older authors, or dead ones. And Podcastle can only run stories that are either submitted, or that the editor finds (say, in years best anthos, or just reading magazines) and asks for--and that's assuming that those solicited authors are willing or able to grant permission. This is a not inconsiderable impediment to bringing you old-fashioned spells & swords type stuff.
I know all the EA editors have said before, and I'll say here again, if you know of an author who you'd love to see on EP, or PP, or PC, contact them if you know how, and email the editor of the appropriate cast to suggest the story--it helps if you give not just a title and author, but where the story might be found, so the editor can read it.
