Author Topic: CoW Ep. 264: Little Wonders 14 – Lyrical Beauty  (Read 2402 times)

danooli

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on: September 11, 2017, 09:37:03 PM
Cast of Wonders 264: Little Wonders 14 – Lyrical Beauty

• Authors: R. K. Duncan, Nicholas Ian Hawkins, Ryan Schapals
• Narrators: Katherine Inskip, Jeremy Carter, Pete Milan, Stephen J. Carrington
• Guest Hosts: Rachael K. Jones, Tina Connolly
• Audio production by Jeremy Carter
“The Best Busker In The World” and “The Sherd” are a Cast of Wonders originals!
“The Weald Maiden’s Will” was originally published in The Best of Every Day Fiction (November 2008)
Read along with the text of "The Best Busker in the World"
Read along with the text of "The Weald Maiden’s Will"
Read along with the text of "The Sherd"
Click here to listen to Episode 264



“The Best Busker In The World”

R.K. Duncan is a lifelong Philadelphian. 26 years old, he went to Haverford College with a double major in Philosophy and Linguistics. He listens to a lot of folk music and had a story published recently in the anthology “No Sh!t, There I Was – An Anthology of Improbable Tales”. Follow him online or on Twitter.

Katherine Inskip, assistant editor of Cast of Wonders, teaches astrophysics for a living and spends her spare time populating the universe with worlds of her own. She is addicted to chocolate and Japanese logic puzzles. Follow her online or on Twitter.

In addition to being audio producer for Cast of Wonders, Jeremy Carter has produced audio for the Dunesteef Audio Fiction magazine, Far Fetched Fables, the Journey Into podcast and StarshipSofa. By day, he teaches physics and maths in the beautiful Peak District. He is a husband, father, photographer, cook and very occasional runner. Follow him on Twitter.

“The best busker in the world never plays in the same place twice.  He is too busy searching.  But maybe, just maybe, you will hear him once.  If you hear him, you will have to see him, even if the first notes of his music drift to you from streets away, completely opposite from wherever you intended to go.  Once you hear a single note, it will draw you along like an invisible string, tugging at the knot in the center of your chest where you keep your secret fears and disappointments.  Wherever you find him— a dusty back street in a sleepy town, a bustling avenue in the rush-hour of a big city, a lonely campground haunted by only a few brave souls and stubborn wanderers— the sight will burn itself into your memory almost as deeply as the music.”



“The Weald Maiden’s Will"

Nicholas Ian Hawkins is an always-reader and sometimes-writer of fantasy fiction. His short works have appeared in The Best of Every Day Fiction, Return of the Sword, Magic + Mechanica, New Realm, and FLASHSHOT. He works as writer, editor, and photographer for a major Midwestern university. Follow him online.

Pete Milan is a writer and voice actor. He has recorded several audiobooks and has worked extensively with Pendant Productions on their audio dramas. For more information, visit his website or follow him on Twitter.

The man who carried forests in his heart stood where the trees gave way to grass and sunlight. From out of the failing shadows, he peered at the cottages in the glade. A mist of memories swirled about him, whispering that this place was once his home.

He could not remember what the hamlet was called; he could not even find his own name among his muddled thoughts. Like the briars tangled in his hair, identities were scattered in his mind. Husband. Father. Woodwarden. But they seemed distant and dim. He knew only this: when he had entered the forest, he did so in service to another, one who ruled the destinies of many. But deep within the oak and fir, he had lost his way, and something else had claimed him.




“The Sherd"

Ryan Schapals is a storyteller based in Los Angeles, who grew up in Chicago. He loves rolling dice to determine terrible fictional choices. At Hyper RPG he turns tabletop roleplaying games into performance-based experiences on Twitch. Tune in at twitch.tv/hyperrpg. Right now he’s building the world of Amaurea’s Dawn with Open Legend RPG, which will be out this summer 2017. Check out the latest updates and join the Open Legend community at openlegendrpg.com. Follow him online or on Twitter.

Stephen J. Carrington is a performer; a narrator; a dreamer. He leads an escapist’s life, earning a suspect coin by assuming others’ identities (until the director calls cut, that is). Through narration and voice-over, Stephen has brought characters to life in video-games and animated web-series. He believes in storytelling… and short stories… and podcasts. He is found on Twitter as @CarringtonTV.

To find the Sherd, you will follow the path through the moorlands until you find the Quivering Peaks. At the entrance of her domain a megalith rises into the sky, balanced impossibly. Three slabs rest atop one central pillar. They jut out in three directions. One toward the peaks, one toward the moor, and one toward the vast sea. Though the earth may quake and stones tumble, this configuration remains upright as if lashed by unseen bindings. Glyphs and runes inlaid into the stone may offer you guidance but you will not understand this right away.



Tags:Cast of Wonders, change, fairies, family, fiddles, Flash Fiction, folk music, forest, guardian, identity, Jeremy Carter, Katherine Inskip, Little Wonders, loss, Memory, Nicholas Ian Hawkins, Pete Milan, R. K. Duncan, Rachael K. Jones, research, Ryan Schapals, Stephen J. Carrington, street music, Tina Connolly, Young Adult fiction
« Last Edit: September 11, 2017, 09:52:32 PM by danooli »



S J Carrington

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Reply #1 on: December 05, 2017, 09:51:33 PM
Well, the end of 2017 is fast approaching; just wanted to drop a note, and mention how much I loved working on this episode. Ryan Schapals' short story "The Sherd" was probably the most thoughtful audio piece I've worked on all year. The complete freedom I had, in terms of direction, was wonderful. I still think about this story, and day-dream of the many different perspectives it could have taken on; a very compelling, yet malleable, tale. The way the many layers drift between literal and figurative draw one back.

At any rate, I don't want to ramble. So here's to short stories... the dedicated editorial staff at Cast of Wonders... and podcasts.  :D