August 28, 2023

The Talented Miss Amina Murodova

Amina Murodova is a 14-year-old refugee from the war the despot Vladimir Putin brought down upon Ukraine. She has found her true artistic expression across a wide range of subjects and mediums. She was a student at the famous Kyiv Academy of Arts, beginning when she was six years old – before the war forced her and her mother to flee (with her cat and bunny) to America a year ago, which is certainly a story for another day. Her father has remained, in battle against the Soviet invasion. Amina’s diverse range of work is displayed here, each with its title, medium, and the artist’s age when she created it. Owl; Gouache, 13yo Still Life with Violin Acrylics, 14yo Hurricane Ian Acrylics, 14yo Amina is very dedicated to her art, including the animated movies she…

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August 24, 2023

“The Christie Pitts Riots” by Sam Rosenthal

Posted by Ruby Fink in Audio Arts

The Hogtown Experience is an innovative theatre company dedicated to telling compelling stories with an immersive “You are there” approach. Our first Podcast is a 4 episode audio drama called THE RIOT AT CHRISTIE PITS. Based on real events, it tells the story of a series of brazen anti-semitic acts that took place in Toronto in 1933, six years before the start of the Second World War. THE CHRISTIE PITS RIOT features original music from Canada’s own Measha Bruegergossman, and we are thrilled to announce that THE RIOT will be the first of many audio immersive stories yet to come. We hope you enjoyed listening to The Christie Pits Riot. If you want to hear more, you can listen to them on Spotify or Google Podcasts. And if this audio production wasn’t to your liking,…

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August 22, 2023

“The Jam,” A Short Story by Joshua Britton

Posted by Mike Rochester in Writing

A black Nissan hatchback with its lights off rolls down the street. Troy is at the wheel, and he and Brandon listen through the open windows for community unrest. But it’s dark and quiet. The lights go off at 11:00, inside and out, whether you’re ready or not. Utopic villages like this one have sprouted up all over the country, segregation as a result of a rigorous application process. Troy had tried to be admitted just hard enough to know it was futile. These communities were designed to keep out gimps like Troy and minorities like Brandon. If discovered, how they’d snuck in would cause a panic among the residents. Aided by light from the moon without the hindrance of light pollution, Troy slowly navigates the hatchback toward the main gate through the flat neighborhood…

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August 15, 2023

“Featherweight,” A Short Story by Avi Setiawan

Posted by Mike Rochester in Writing

On a warm day in May, when only a few clouds tripped across the sky like lambs, Gertrude Stocking began to float away. It was a clear day, with a sky so blue that it made Gertrude Stocking want to cry. She didn’t cry, though; she felt as if she was stewing in a huge pot of soup. It was that kind of day. Gertrude Stocking didn’t notice that she was floating at first, thinking that she was particularly light on her feet on this particular May day. But as she traveled up the street, Gertrude Stocking realized that her feet were no longer touching the ground. She stopped and looked down at her brown patent leather shoes. There was a good half-inch between her soles and the pavement. “Well,” said Gertrude Stocking. “Perhaps if…

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August 11, 2023

CBS Radio Mystery Theater

Posted by Ruby Fink in Audio Arts

In 1974 long-time radio producer Himan Brown convinced CBS to green-light a new anthology of Radio Dramas, CBS Radio Mystery Theater (CBSRMT). Radio shows from the golden era of broadcasting are part of ” Old Time Radio “, or “otr.” During the Golden Age of Radio, listeners gathered by their radio to enjoy their favorite radio programs. Radio Mystery Theater (1974-82) was a resurgence of the nostalgia of those radio days. CBS Radio Mystery Theater was meant to appeal to an audience that remembered when old time radio drama was a popular form of family entertainment. Riding on the wave of nostalgia fever, the radio show attracted many younger listeners who would stay up late, hidden under their covers to hear the program on their bedroom radio (and many of them were not able to go to sleep after listening to the…

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August 9, 2023

“Coddled by Mountains,” Poetry by PS Conway

Posted by Mike Rochester in Writing

coddled by mountains watercolor skyline we have forgotten the artist but recall the art on a wall, set apart while all the while Cézanne lies face down in a field surrounded, coddled by mountains carefully crafted by the same god he helped re-create ** seaside ministrations bundled warm and dry midst the juniper subtle scents of pine and lavender blend to blunt the violence of raging surf and the winds that lament with banshee song first days of February, tides carry reminders of winter’s devastations flotsam mottles waves snowflakes cascade white blur the aplomb of the horizon line springtide seems so far away, here amongst the rocks and sand, no driftwood dry enough to light a fire no reeds to weave a holy rood nor to silence the dogged banshee keen the poet has denied…

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August 3, 2023

“Dare To Question: Carrie Chapman Catt’s Voice for the Vote”

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Book Reviews, Interviews, Writing

A New Book by Jasmine A. Stirling Jasmine returns to grace these e-pages with her story of the woman who led the struggle to give American women the right to vote in the early 20th century. Yes, the twentieth century, just a hundred years ago. Yet to this day, the same kinds of issues continue to plague this so-called enlgihtened country. But who was Carrie Chapman Catt, and what exactly happened 103 years ago this month? Jasmine writes: “As a child, Carrie Chapman Catt asked a lot of questions: How many stars are in the sky? Do germs have personalities? And why can’t Mama vote? Catt’s curiosity led her to college, on to a career in journalism, and finally to becoming the president of The National American Woman Suffrage Association. Catt knew the movement needed a change,…

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July 24, 2023

“Vector Control,” A Short Story by Micah Thorp

Posted by Mike Rochester in Writing

Laughter and revelry permeated the ceremony.  At least until the explosion. Red balloons, firecrackers, a brass band and the entirety of the Mayoral staff were in attendance as the coffin was marched from the back of a flatbed truck into the midst of Portland’s South Waterfront Square. The coffin was an ostentatious thing, painted in red and gold, with the lid cracked open just enough to expose large Papier-Mache ears and giant snout, complete with whiskers and buck teeth.  The laughter was misplaced, though the participants at the City’s mock funeral celebrating the beginning of “Vector Control Week” could not have foreseen the devastation about to befall the event.  After all, when is frivolity at a mock funeral interrupted by domestic terrorism? Particularly unaware were two young men who would eventually “claim” responsibility for the explosion.  Not…

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July 21, 2023

“Gafgarn the Eternally Unfurnished” by Jeremiah French

Posted by Ruby Fink in Audio Arts

Chronosphere Fiction is a story telling anthology podcast where writers’ creations come to life with sound effects and music. Story #1 begins. Welcome to the world of Gafgarn the Eternally Unfurnished. A swords and sorcery type adventure written by Jeremiah French. Narrated with voices by Mike Bethel. Music and sound design by Daniel French at Fishbonius Sound Design. Gafgarn meets Smidgen, King of Bandits, written by Jeremiah French. Illaeda the Bounty Hunter is on a mission that brings her into the path of Gafgarn and Wither. We hope you enoyed listening to Gafgarn the Eternally Unfurnished written by Jeremiah French. If you wish to listen to more episodes, you can find them on Spotify or their website. And if it’s not to your taste, check out the Fictional Cafe’s Audio Arts Page. We have a…

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July 19, 2023

“Wind Fall,” by Ian Carass

Posted by Mike Rochester in Writing

Lila stood at the window as what passed for daybreak began to light her room. Her bed was unmade and would stay unmade until she returned to it. A twitch of the coverlet and a brief smoothing of the sheets was all she would do to make it ready for sleep. The bed bore the indentation of her body. No longer did she turn the mattress, as her mother had taught her. Sheets were washed irregularly. The mould of her form and the residue of her own body odour were comforting when she retired each night. She slept alone. Lila’s husband had left many months before, seeking work up at the Confluence. He had heard that labouring was well paid there and living was cheap, that the air was more consistently purified, that grass grew…

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