Pastime | Podcast

Cast of Wonders

The Young Adult Speculative Fiction Podcast

Cast of Wonders 702: A Starry Sort of Hope

Oct 02 2026 | 00:31:23

Author : Torrance Elizabeth Narrator : Kat Kourbeti Host : Katherine Inskip Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter Cast of Wonders 702: A Starry Sort of Hope is a Cast of Wonders original. death and grief Image by Mollyroselee from Pixabay A Starry Sort of Hope by Torrance Elizabeth Danika knew Astraea’s starship would never reach […]

Cast of Wonders 701: His Voice is a Beast, Wild it Runs

Sep 29 2026 | 00:37:24

Author : Nathan Susnik Narrator : Ben Gideon Host : Katherine Inskip Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter First published in Frivolous Comma in January 2024 fist-fighting, hunting scenes, domestic violence His Voice is a Beast, Wild it Runs by Nathan Susnik I. Berit’s voice is a beast. Cunning and clever, it runs on sinewy legs. […]

Cast of Wonders 700: Perfect Statues And Their Broken Shapers

Sep 27 2026 | 00:38:09

Author : Adrian Ward Narrator : Alasdair Stuart Host : Katherine Inskip Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter Cast of Wonders 700: Perfect Statues And Their Broken Shapers is a Cast of Wonders original. child abandonment and abuse, war, deliberate injury, scenes of surgery Image by Glass Art Animals Perfect Statues and Their Broken Shapers by […]

Cast of Wonders 699: Little Wonders 53 – Doomed Relationships

Sep 23 2026 | 00:22:43

Authors : Eleanor Lennox, Leona Penrose and Jenna Hanchey Narrators : Kitty Sarkozy, Kelley M. Frank and Torin Andrus Host : Amy Brennan Audio Producer : Andrew Jack Cast of Wonders 699: Little Wonders 53 – Doomed Relationships is a Cast of Wonders original. post-apocalypse; prejudice Petrichor by Eleanor Lennox The golden hour had begun, […]

Cast of Wonders 698: The Green Man’s Guest

Sep 13 2026 | 00:41:00

Author : Juliet E McKenna Narrator : Jeremy Carter Host : Katherine Inskip Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter First published in the collection Different Times and Other Places from NewCon Press in 2024 Image by Ken from Pixabay The Green Man’s Guest by Juliet E. McKenna Trees die, like every living thing. Left to their […]

Cast of Wonders 697: Little Wonders 52 – Modern Myths

Sep 01 2026 | 00:17:12

Authors : Rachel Gutin and Gina Palma Narrators : Elizabeth Green and Yaroslav Barsukov Host : Amy Brennan Audio Producer : Andrew Jack Cast of Wonders 697: Little Wonders 52 – Modern Myths is a Cast of Wonders original. Airline Security Jars and Bags and Boxes by Rachel Gutin When Dora asks if we can […]

Cast of Wonders 696: The Purpose of a Pyromaniac Descendent

Aug 27 2026 | 00:17:21

Author : Wen Wen Yang Narrator : Pine Gonzalez Host : Alicia Caporaso Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter First published in Tales & Feathers, February 2025 Episode art by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay The Purpose of a Pyromaniac Descendent by Wen Wen Yang I don’t know why I expected the afterlife to be different from my […]

Cast of Wonders 695: Goldenrod

Aug 26 2026 | 00:16:55

Author : Alexandra Resnick (A. James) Narrator : Katie Gill Host : Alicia Caporaso Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter Cast of Wonders 695: Goldenrod is a Cast of Wonders original. Non-graphic body horror Goldenrod by A. James It was Krissy who loved the old McCarson house. I didn’t see the appeal. It had a frightening […]

Cast of Wonders 694: Ready to be Seen

Aug 25 2026 | 00:35:16

Author : K J Isley Narrator : Katherine Inskip Host : Alicia Caporaso Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter Cast of Wonders 694: Ready to be Seen is a Cast of Wonders original. Image by 1234hadar from Pixabay Ready to be Seen by K. J. Isley My Soul-Ripening ceremony is over at last. The cake has […]

Cast of Wonders 693: Twenty-Four Hours

Aug 10 2026 | 00:40:59

Author : H. H. Pak Narrator : Rebecca Ahn Host : Katherine Inskip Audio Producer : Andrew Jack First published in Clarkesworld, June 2024 Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Twenty-Four Hours by H H Pak Six hours left. “What do you want to eat sweetheart?” She looks at me expectantly, holding out her phone […]

Cast of Wonders 692: Laser Eyes Ain’t Everything

Jul 31 2026 | 00:26:13

Author : Effie Seiberg Narrator : Jairus Durnett Host : Katherine Inskip Audio Producer : Andrew Jack Originally published in Diabolical Plots, May 2025 Image by Jean-Marie from Pixabay Ableism Laser Eyes Ain’t Everything by Effie Seiberg The Super-Abled 501 Local Union building wasn’t ADA compliant. I sat in my wheelchair next to the three […]

Cast of Wonders 691: Little Wonders 51 – Unusual Pets

Jul 29 2026

Authors : Marisca Pichette and Jeff Stehman Narrators : Eve Upton and Tina Connolly Host : Katherine Inskip Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter Cast of Wonders 691: Little Wonders 51 – Unusual Pets is a Cast of Wonders original. Episode art created from images by JL G from Pixabay How to safely store your dragons […]

Cast of Wonders 690: The Universe and Miss Debbie

Jul 15 2026 | 00:45:36

Author : Cindy Phan Narrator : Rebecca Wei Hsieh Host : Katherine Inskip Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter Image by Mollyroselee from Pixabay First published in khōréō magazine, Issue 4.3, September 2024 Content warning: non-graphic body horror The Universe & Miss Debbie by Cindy Phan Her name was Deb (Miss Debbie to the staff), but […]

Cast of Wonders 689: All these inscriptions are for me

Jul 11 2026 | 00:25:33

Author : Carol Scheina Narrator : Sandy Parsons Host : Katherine Inskip Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter Image by StockSnap from Pixabay First published in translunar travellers lounge in February 2025 All These Inscriptions Are for Me by Carol Scheina On the outside, there was no indication that the warehouse down the street from my […]

Cast of Wonders 688: Forestborn

Jun 26 2026 | 00:20:02

Author : Sylvia Heike Narrator : Ville Meriläinen Host : Amy Brennan Audio Producer : Andrew Jack First published in Gamut in February 2017. Image by Jerzy from Pixabay Forestborn by Sylvia Heike “I am forestborn,” the girl with a wild bird’s nest for hair said to me. “I can’t live in houses.” I thought […]

Cast of Wonders 687: Little Wonders 50 – Quest Tropes

May 23 2026 | 00:20:23

Authors : David Hankins and Lisa Para Narrators : Matt Dovey and Alethea Kontis Host : Katherine Inskip Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter Cast of Wonders 687: Little Wonders 50 – Quest Tropes is a Cast of Wonders original. The Last Quest of Corbin the Coward was originally published in Factor Four Magazine, June 2022. […]

Cast of Wonders 686: The Marrow Gatherer and the Rotten One

May 17 2026 | 00:46:23

Author : Nichole L. Lightner Narrator : Katrin Kania Host : Katherine Inskip Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter Cast of Wonders 686: The Marrow Gatherer and the Rotten One is a Cast of Wonders original. Content warning: horror themes, gaslighting, gore, power asymmetries, pyrrhic victories. Image by biglinker from Pixabay The Marrow Gatherer and the […]

Cast of Wonders 685: Sunset at the Western Front

Apr 22 2026 | 00:43:45

Author : Christine Lucas Narrator : Justine Eyre Host : Alicia Caporaso Audio Producer : Andrew Jack First published in ZBN Presents & ZBN Presents Year 2 in July 2024 Image by Iris,Helen,silvy from Pixabay War. Multiple f-words. Sunset at the Western Front by Christine Lucas Millie craned her neck from behind the rusted bench […]

Cast of Wonders 684: Little Wonders 49 – Aging Memories

Apr 20 2026 | 00:26:03

Authors : Nadia Radovich and Mia Xuan Narrators : Karen Menzel (née Bovenmyer) and Rish Outfield Host : Alicia Caporaso Audio Producer : Andrew Jack Cast of Wonders 684: Little Wonders 49 – Aging Memories is a Cast of Wonders original. Death, terminal illness, dementia. Some f-words. The Girl Detective by Nadia Radovich You: twelve, […]

Cast of Wonders 683: Born of the Mountain’s Chill

Apr 09 2026 | 00:25:22

Author : Louise Hughes Narrator : Katherine Inskip Host : Katherine Inskip Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter First published in The Future Fire in May 2025 Image by Celio Nicoli from Pixabay Colonialism Born of the Mountain’s Chill by Louise Hughes I was born on a day of deepest cold, on a mountain wrapped in […]

Cast of Wonders 682: The Bear Wife

Mar 22 2026 | 00:48:51

Author : Catherine George Narrator : Samantha Loney Host : Katherine Inskip Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter Episode art from an image by ImaArtist from Pixabay First published in Metaphorosis in February 2019 This story can be read as a postpartum depression allegory The Bear Wife by Catherine George The bear wife took the cub […]

Cast of Wonders 681: Little Wonders 48 – Coping Mechanisms

Mar 11 2026 | 00:23:01

Authors : E. M. Linden and Elisabeth Ring Narrators : Dan Carter and Valerie Valdes Host : Katherine Inskip Audio Producer : Andrew Jack Cast of Wonders 681: Little Wonders 48 – Coping Mechanisms is a Cast of Wonders original. Episode art adapted from an image by Hello Cdd20 from Pixabay A Chest Full of […]

Cast of Wonders 680: Firecrackers on 28 Mott Street

Feb 17 2026 | 00:12:15

Author : Angela Liu Narrator : Rebecca Wei Hsieh Host : Katherine Inskip Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter First published in Worlds of Possibility in February 2024. Image by Pfeilgiftfeder from Pixabay Firecrackers on 28 Mott Street by Angela Liu The children wield firecrackers as they enter the old shop on Mott Street. Copper wind […]

Cast of Wonders 679: Sometimes It Happens That Way (Staff Picks 2025)

Feb 15 2026 | 00:36:10

Author : Jamie Lackey Narrator : Jason Arquin Host : Katherine Inskip Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter First published as Cast of Wonders 631, February 2025 Sometimes it happens that way by Jamie Lackey I stood on the platform bundled up in one of my pa’s old work coats, its stained, fraying cuffs hanging well […]

Cast of Wonders 678: It Grows Back (Staff Picks 2025)

Jan 27 2026 | 00:26:31

Author : Grant Collier Narrator : Wilson Fowlie Host : Jeremy Carter Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter First published as Cast of Wonders 662, October 2025 Broken bones, body horror, monster under the bed. It Grows Back by Grant Collier When Billy was four, a tall construction man’s arm broke beside the street. Billy was […]

Cast of Wonders 677: Your Hold is Ready (Staff Picks 2025)

Jan 26 2026 | 00:14:00

Author : Laura Duerr Narrator : Dani Cutler Host : Andrew Jack Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter First published as Cast of Wonders 658, October 2025 homophobia, censorship, fascist dystopia Your Hold Is Ready by Laura Duerr The news is spreading. We try to keep working through our English tests, but it’s becoming impossible to […]

Cast of Wonders 676: A Siren Stranded in a Sea of Grass (Staff Picks 2025)

Jan 25 2026 | 00:27:58

Author : Courtney Farr Narrator : Jo Moran Host : Ryn Yee Audio Producers : Andrew Jack and Jeremy Carter First published as Cast of Wonders 665, November 2025 Content note: transphobia and queerphobia, family intolerance A Siren Stranded in a Sea of Grass by Courtney Farr 1. Sowing The Great Plains can be disorientatingly […]

Cast of Wonders 675: Habitat (Staff Picks 2025)

Jan 19 2026 | 00:38:55

Author : Juliette Beauchamp Narrator : Alexis Goble Host : Denise Sudell Audio Producers : Andrew Jack and Jeremy Carter Image by Kohji Asakawa from Pixabay First published as Cast of Wonders 652, September 2025 spider-like creatures Habitat by Juliette Beauchamp The orb appeared on a Friday. Just popped up in the northeast corner of […]

Cast of Wonders 674: Witches Racing Cars (Staff Picks 2025)

Jan 18 2026 | 00:29:08

Author : Nadav Schul-Kutas Narrator : Alicia Atkins Host : Adri Joy Audio Producers : Jeremy Carter and Andrew Jack Image adapted from a photo by JAMES OKAJA from Pixabay First published as Cast of Wonders 650, August 2025 Witches Racing Cars by Nadav Schul-Kutas A small crew is waiting at the starting line. They’re […]

Cast of Wonders 673: Chloe Chew and the Museum of Undead Art (Staff Picks 2025)

Jan 08 2026 | 00:34:13

Author : Olivia B. Chan Narrator : S. Qiouyi Lu Host : Rebecca Ahn Audio Producer : Jeremy Carter First published as Cast of Wonders 645 in July 2025. Image by Camila Denleschi from Pixabay Chloe Chew and the Museum of Undead Art by Olivia B. Chan In Chloe Chew’s suffocating hometown, there’s only one […]