Folklore & Fiction

Episode 39: What is a superstition?

This episode of the Folklore & Fiction podcast was first published as a newsletter in February 2020. I'm recording it as a supplemental podcast now so that new listeners and subscribers have an opportunity to engage with the material. In it, I'm discussing superstitions with help from scholars Ülo Valk, Torunn Selberg, Alan Dundes, and others, discussing superstition in the context of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series of books, and providing you with an exercise on the topic. (Companion Dispatch: https://csmaccath.com/blog/what-superstition)

Episode 38: What is a rite of passage?

This episode of the Folklore & Fiction podcast was first published as a newsletter in January 2020. I'm recording it as a supplemental podcast now so that new listeners and subscribers have an opportunity to engage with the material. In it, I'm discussing rites of passage with help from scholars Arnold van Gennep, Alan Dundes, and others, discussing rites of passage in fiction, and providing you with storytelling insights related to the topic. (Companion Dispatch: https://csmaccath.com/blog/what-rite-passage)

Episode 37: Winter Solstice Dispatch and Podcast 2022

Guest author Rebecca Buchanan continues the Summer Solstice 2022 discussion of Pagan futurism via her Pagan science fiction short story, "Hysthaany." Join us for this very special edition of the winter solstice dispatch and podcast. (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/winter-solstice-dispatch-2022)

Episode 36: Winter Solstice Dispatch and Podcast 2019

Join me for a discussion of legendary sea monsters in my poem entitled "Leviathans," which was published in Strange Horizons. (Companion Dispatch: csmaccath.com/blog/winter-solstice-newsletter-2019)

Episode 35: What is a ritual?

This episode of the Folklore & Fiction podcast was first published as a newsletter in November 2019. I'm recording it as a supplemental podcast now so that new listeners and subscribers have an opportunity to engage with the material. In it, I'm discussing ritual with help from scholars Catherine Bell, Ronald L. Grimes, and others, discussing ritual use in story craft, and providing you with an example and exercise on the topic. (Companion Dispatch: https://csmaccath.com/blog/what-ritual)

Episode 34: ”The Marriage Of Sir Gawain”

A villain sends King Arthur on a quest to discover what women want, but only the ugliest woman in the world knows the answer, and she demands to wed Sir Gawain in exchange for it. Join me for a discussion of a fragmented Child ballad, and come away with a list of folkloric resources you can use in storytelling. (Companion Dispatch: https://csmaccath.com/blog/gawain)

Episode 33: What is a tall tale?

This episode of the Folklore & Fiction podcast was first published as a newsletter in October 2019. I'm recording it as a supplemental podcast now so that new listeners and subscribers have an opportunity to engage with the material. In it, I'm discussing the tall tale with help from scholars Richard Bauman, Carolyn S. Brown, Henry B. Wonham, and others, helping you analyze a tall tale, and discussing ways to bring tall tales to your story craft. (Companion Dispatch: https://csmaccath.com/blog/what-tall-tale)

Episode 32: ”Gylfaginning”

Guest poet Math Jones reads from his recent poetic adaptation of Northern Germanic mythology and discusses his creative process, while I offer a few insights into his source material and an introduction to Old English poetics. Join us for this very special edition of the dispatch and podcast. (Companion Dispatch: http://csmaccath.com/blog/gylfaginning)