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PodCastle
Presentation
GenreFantasy fiction Short Stories, Fantasy podcast
UpdatesWeekly
Publication
Original release1 April 2008

PodCastle is a weekly audio fantasy fiction podcast.[1] They release audio performances of fantasy short fiction, including all the subgenres of fantasy, including magical realism, urban fantasy, slipstream, high fantasy, and dark fantasy. As of 2022, Shingai Njeri Kagunda and Eleanor R. Wood share editing duties with support from Assistant Editor Sofía Barker and audio producers Devin Martin and Eric Valdes, and the show is mainly hosted by Matt Dovey, with occasional guest hosts.

History

PodCastle was the third show conceived by Escape Artists, Inc. founder, Serah Eley, which also produces Escape Pod, Pseudopod and Cast of Wonders. PodCastle launched on 1 April 2008 with Rachel Swirsky as founding editor and Ann Leckie as assistant editor.[2] Swirsky left in 2010 to focus on her own writing, and went on to win the 2013 Nebula Award for Best Short Story for her "If You Were A Dinosaur, My Love".[3][4][5] While editor at PodCastle, Leckie's 2013 novel, Ancillary Justice, won multiple awards, including the 2014 Hugo Award for best novel.[6]

Editors Anna Schwind and Dave Thompson stepped down at the end of March 2015 and were slated to be replaced by Kitty NicIaian and Dawn Phynix, with Leckie continuing to serve as associate editor.[7][8] However, the new editors were unable to take the helm, and Rachael K. Jones and Graeme Dunlop began sharing editing and hosting duties instead.[9]

In 2017 the editorial reins were handed over to an international cohort headed by co-editors Khaalidah Muhammad Ali and Jen R. Albert, with Setsu Uzumé (later known as Summer Fletcher) hosting.[10] Khaalidah stepped down to concentrate on her own writing in early 2019[11] and was replaced by C. L. Clark ("Cherae"); in mid-2021, Albert and Clark both departed to concentrate on their respective careers and were replaced by Shingai Njeri Kagunda and Eleanor R. Wood.[12] Summer Fletcher stepped down from the assistant editor and host roles at the end of 2021[13] and was replaced by Sofia Barker and Matt Dovey respectively.[14]

Content

PodCastle has released hundreds of stories on a weekly basis with stories generally between 2,000 and 6,000 words long, written by authors such as Peter S. Beagle, Nancy Kress, Jeff VanderMeer, N.K. Jemisin, Kelly Link and Ken Liu. Although focused on short fiction, PodCastle has also run reviews and longer stories, both as hour-plus "Giant" episodes and as multi-part serials.

PodCastle is distributed under a Creative Commons license that allows non-commercial redistribution, requires attribution, and forbids derivatives. The fiction itself remains copyrighted by its respective authors. PodCastle contracts with authors for non-exclusive audio rights and pays semi-professional rates.[7] In 2013 the site averaged 79,900 monthly downloads of the podcast.[15] Podcasts such as Podcastle, Pseudopod, and EscapePod provide a means of accessing speculative fiction online.[16]

Reception

Eugie Foster, for The UK SF Book News Network, wrote that "short fiction audio podcast magazines like Escape Pod and its sister publications, Pseudopod and PodCastle, have caught the interest and imagination of fiction enthusiasts, and doing a wonderful job at reviving awareness in both new short fiction and classic works".[17]

Accolades

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2010 Parsec Awards Best Speculative Fiction Story (Short Form) "Restless in My Hand" by Tim Pratt Finalist [18]
2015 Parsec Awards Best Speculative Fiction Story: Large Cast (Short Form) "Super-Baby-Moms Group Saves the Day" by Tina Connolly Finalist [19]
2017 Academy of Podcasters Fiction PodCastle Won [20]
2018 Parsec Awards Best Speculative Fiction Story: Small Cast (Short Form) "Six Jobs" by Tim Pratt, as narrated by Stephanie Malia Morris Won[a] [21]
World Fantasy Award Special Award category PodCastle Finalist [22]
2020 British Fantasy Award Best Audio category PodCastle Won [23]
Ignyte Awards Best Fiction Podcast PodCastle Finalist [24]
Prix Aurora Awards Best Related Work PodCastle Nominated [25]
2021 Ignyte Awards Best Fiction Podcast PodCastle Finalist [26]
Prix Aurora Awards Best Related Work PodCastle Nominated [27]
Reddit r/fantasy Stabby Awards Best Audio Original Fiction PodCastle Finalist [28]
Hugo Award Best Semiprozine PodCastle Finalist [29]
2022 Ignyte Awards Best Fiction Podcast PodCastle Finalist [30]
British Fantasy Award Best Audio category PodCastle Finalist [31]
Hugo Award Best Semiprozine PodCastle Finalist [32]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Declined the award in protest at another winner's known history of abusive behaviour.[21]

References

  1. ^ "PodCastle". CastRoller. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
  2. ^ "Monthly Archives: April 2008". Escape Artists, Inc. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
  3. ^ "Spotlight On: Rachel Swirsky, Writer". Locus. 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
  4. ^ "2013 Nebula Awards Winners". Locus. 2014-05-17. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
  5. ^ "2014 Hugo Awards". April 18, 2014.
  6. ^ "2014 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. 17 August 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Submission Guidelines". Escape Artists, Inc. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  8. ^ "Pulling the Future Toward Me". 6 January 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-06.
  9. ^ "PodCastle Editorial Announcement And Submissions Update". Escape Artists, Inc. 2015-04-07. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
  10. ^ "About Us (Staff)". Escape Artists, Inc.
  11. ^ "PodCastle 559: Dying Lessons – PodCastle". PodCastle. 2019-01-29. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  12. ^ "One Last Time". PodCastle. 2021-06-01. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  13. ^ Studios, Clockpunk (2021-12-31). "PodCastle 715: TALES FROM THE VAULTS – Why I Bought Satan Two Cokes on the Day I Graduated High School". PodCastle. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  14. ^ Studios, Clockpunk (2022-01-04). "PodCastle 716: Tadpole Prophecy". PodCastle. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  15. ^ "2013 Magazine Summary". Locus. February 2014.
  16. ^ Dozois, Gardner (2011). The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Eighth Annual Collection. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-1-4299-8306-8. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
  17. ^ Eugie Foster. "The Fix – short fiction website launches today!". The UK SF Book News Network. Archived from the original on 2007-10-18. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
  18. ^ "Parsec Awards 2010 Finalists". Escape Artists, Inc. August 4, 2010. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
  19. ^ "2015 Parsec Awards Winners & Finalists – Parsec Awards". www.parsecawards.com.
  20. ^ "2017 Academy of Podcasters". Podcast Movement LLC.
  21. ^ a b Glyer, Mike (2018-12-21). "Four Winners Refuse Parsec Awards". File 770. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  22. ^ "2018 World Fantasy Award Nominations and Honorees". Baltimore Science Fiction Society (bsfs.org).
  23. ^ "2020 British Fantasy Awards Winners". Locus Online. February 22, 2021. Awarded in 2021 for 2020 works.
  24. ^ Lewis, L. D. (2020-08-17). "The 2020 Ignyte Awards Ballot". FIYAHCON 2021. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  25. ^ "2020 Aurora Award Ballot | Aurora Awards". Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  26. ^ Lewis, L. D. (2021-04-22). "Announcing The 2021 Ignyte Awards Shortlist". FIYAHCON 2021. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  27. ^ Samuels, Cliff. "2021 Aurora Award Ballot | Aurora Awards". Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  28. ^ Glyer, Mike (2022-01-31). "2021 Stabby Awards Voting Opens". File 770. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  29. ^ Kevin (2021-04-13). "2021 Hugo Award Finalists Announced". The Hugo Awards. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  30. ^ Lewis, L. D. (2022-04-18). "Announcing The 2022 Ignyte Awards Shortlist". FIYAHCON 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  31. ^ "2022 British Fantasy Awards Shortlist". Locus Magazine. 2022-07-26. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  32. ^ "Hugo Awards". Chicon 8. April 7, 2022. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.

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