PseudoPod

PseudoPod 1051: The Ghost of a Flea Oct 9, 2026 25:31 PseudoPod 1051: The Ghost of a Flea is a PseudoPod original. C/W: explicit sexual content ‘Courtyard’ by Tol, taken using a 2002 Sony DSC-F717 bridge camera. “Of course, I haven’t exactly conducted a survey,” Robert was saying, “but I get the impression that people used to see ghosts a lot more often than they do these days. Doesn’t it seem like the opposite… Source

PseudoPod 1050: This House of Hopes, This House of Bones Oct 2, 2026 48:05 PseudoPod 1050: This House of Hopes, This House of Bones is a PseudoPod original. C/W: domestic violence, murder My husband is home again. I cannot hear him well, not with the ringing in my ears and the throbbing headache making every movement agony, but the ghosts keep me informed. There he is, slipping off his coat and shoes at the door and placing his briefcase on… Source

PseudoPod 1049: An Inordinate Amount of Interest Sep 25, 2026 35:15 “An Inordinate Amount of Interest” was originally published in the Wilted Pages anthology in 2023 and reprinted in The Skull & Laurel in 2025 C/W: exploitation, violence, reference to misgendering, 2nd person PoV Green flows from your imagination onto the page, bleeding viridescent liquid through the intermediary of your brush. The handle bends to your grip like… Source

PseudoPod 1048: The Work of Smith House Sep 18, 2026 42:07 PseudoPod 1048: The Work of Smith House is a PseudoPod original. C/W: Spoiler Warning cultural appropriation, reference to suicide, male on female violence [collapse] “The Work of Smith House” is a PseudoPod original The photos hardly did Smith House justice. Its stone façade loomed above the red oak, black cherry, and eastern hemlock that had… Source

PseudoPod 1047: Growing Life Sep 11, 2026 24:05 PseudoPod 1047: Growing Life is a PseudoPod original. C/W: strong body horror, death of a parent Lucy didn’t immediately notice her dead Mama in the middle of the playground. She had been busy having fun for the first time since Mama’s funeral. Sprinting like a bullet, she was a hand, a finger, a hair away from catching Evan, the fastest runner in her grade when… Source

PseudoPod 1046: Annie’s Heart is a Haunted House Sep 5, 2026 52:26 Annie's Heart is a Haunted House was first published in THE HIDEOUS BOOK OF HIDDEN HORRORS, edited by Doug Murano, and was later published in Todd Keisling’s Stoker-nominated collection, COLD, BLACK & INFINITE

PseudoPod 1045: Turquoise Waters Aug 28, 2026 37:17 “Turquoise Waters” was first published in Women of the Weird West, edited by KC Grifant, in 2026 C/W: guns, misogyny, strong violence Author’s note: “I lived in New Mexico for six years where I taught Navajo, Zuni, and Hobi students in the Four Corners region. Growing up a fan of westerns, I longed to know about the other people in the West. You can read more weird… Source

PseudoPod 1044: The Yellow Wall Paper Aug 21, 2026 51:05 “The Yellow Wall Paper” was first published in January 1892 in The New England Magazine. C/W:emotional abuse/control, medical gaslighting It is very seldom that mere ordinary people like John and myself secure ancestral halls for the summer. A colonial mansion, a hereditary estate, I would say a haunted house, and reach the height of romantic felicity—but that… Source

PseudoPod 1043: Jerry Got Bit – Part 2 Aug 14, 2026 53:09 PseudoPod 1043: Jerry Got Bit – Part 2 is a PseudoPod original. C/W: implied child abuse, guns From the author: “One of the questions I’d always left for myself in previous stories in this setting was where Jerry the werewolf had come from. It was clear from the get-go that he was an outsider in Cecily’s family, and because of that he wasn’t necessarily welcome or… Source

PseudoPod 1042: Jerry Got Bit – Part 1 Aug 11, 2026 52:14 PseudoPod 1042: Jerry Got Bit – Part 1 is a PseudoPod original. C/W: implied child abuse, guns From the author: “One of the questions I’d always left for myself in previous stories in this setting was where Jerry the werewolf had come from. It was clear from the get-go that he was an outsider in Cecily’s family, and because of that he wasn’t necessarily welcome or… Source

PseudoPod 1041: Graves Basin Aug 9, 2026 34:04 PseudoPod 1041: Graves Basin is a PseudoPod original. From the author: “I’ve heard many times, from people wiser than me, that a horror writer fares best when they don’t waste their time trying to figure out what scares other people, but instead write about what scares them. So, with that in mind: I am terrified of a world where people are unable to find any value in the traditions and… Source

PseudoPod 1040: Flash on the Borderlands LXXIX (79): Ubi amor, ibi dolor Jul 31, 2026 1:02:07 PseudoPod 1040: Flash on the Borderlands LXXIX (79): Ubi amor, ibi dolor is a PseudoPod original. For CWs, please see show notes below Content warnings with timings: 03:56–16:40 ‘A Table Set And Waiting’: graphic sexual content, body horror, homophobia 18:57–26:32 ‘Third Date’: dangers of dating, physical abuse 29:44–40:52 ‘You’re Still Here’: homophobia, religion… Source

PseudoPod 1039: The Song of the Living Jul 24, 2026 24:51 “The Song of the Living” was originally published in 2025 in an anthology Tonja edited titled, “If Fists Could Speak: A Black Speculative Fiction Anthology” CW: harm to animals Please see the host commentary below for notes from the author. When the trees start to smell sharp and crisp, I know The Dead Things are coming. That warning scent perfumes the air now. Source

PseudoPod 1038: Red Ripper Jul 17, 2026 35:44 PseudoPod 1038: Red Ripper is a PseudoPod original. C/W reference to alcohol and drug abuse Listen, I could still stretch half you pups if I felt like it. Sit down and learn something about the business. Did I ever tell you about the Red Ripper? I got a special reason for telling about him, because he’s come back to settle up with me. I never cared who he was under… Source

PseudoPod 1037: Playing Tricks Jul 10, 2026 38:28 “Playing Tricks” was first published in It Was All A Dream: An Anthology Of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right, edited by Brandon Applegate, and later in Angela Sylvaine’s collection, The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls C/W: mental illness, gaslighting, child abuse Dina had never seen her dad cry until the day he left. His face was puffy and wet with tears when he… Source

PseudoPod 1036: A Greater Dark Jul 3, 2026 39:52 PseudoPod 1036: A Greater Dark is a PseudoPod original. C/W: Xenophobia, gun violence, harm to animals Gray sheets of rain as the door bangs in, Willard and his men materializing in that opaque haze and shaking the wet from their long coats. They assess the room with eyes accustomed to staring. Move across the floor and toward a table in the back… Source

PseudoPod 1035: Interstate Mohinis Jun 26, 2026 36:28 “Interstate Mohinis” was originally published in Diabolical Plots (June 2023) C/W: sexual violence, cannibalism, reference to drug abuse In the way of Death runs the Vaitarani river. We are flayed open to its woe. We are always aware of its currents in gurgling lungfuls of unease. Time spun in recursive loops since I died in a scream of metal and flame and… Source

PseudoPod 1034: Only In The Dark Jun 19, 2026 30:27 PseudoPod 1034: Only In The Dark is a PseudoPod original. The crackling sound of static fills the room as the screen lights up. We see a simple landscape with some rocks and trees. The outline of a bird appears, its wings flapping softly. The bird takes flight and the scene shifts to a small room. It looks cozy. It has big soft armchairs, shelves full of toys, a desk… Source

PseudoPod 1033: Devil is Fine Jun 12, 2026 28:01 “Devil Is Fine” was first published in Cosmic Horror Monthly, in January 2025 C/W: strong body horror, gun violence, animal harm Author notes: “I was still pretty drunk on the experience of playing Red Dead Redemption 2 when I wrote this story and wanted to write a Weird western that took place in the plains where I’m from – and of course, add my touch of Weird/ Source

PseudoPod 1032: Flash on the Borderlands LXXVIII (78): Terraeque urbesque recedant Jun 5, 2026 40:11 PseudoPod 1032: Flash on the Borderlands LXXVIII (78): Terraeque urbesque recedant is a PseudoPod original. C/W: racism, xenophobia, road death From the author: “Othertongue” began as a pastiche of H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Colour Out of Space,” provoked by real political rhetoric about languages from across the American borders. As it developed, it found its own voice and… Source

PseudoPod 1031: Her Skin May 29, 2026 33:27 “Her Skin” first appeared in the anthology, They Walk Among Us: A Collection of Utah Horror (42 Books, April 2020). C/W: intimate partner abuse/control Notes contain possible spoilers: see Host Commentary below He found her in Hells Canyon. After that, my friend Oss liked to brag about how he’d gone fishing in the Snake River and caught a wife instead… Source

PseudoPod 1030: Keeping Up With the Conan Doyles May 22, 2026 44:34 PseudoPod 1030: Keeping Up With the Conan Doyles is a PseudoPod original. C/W: disordered eating, fat-shaming May 22nd is Conan Doyle’s birthday and Sherlock Holmes Day Jess Whitecroft’s Patreon Cautionary Tales: Photographing Fairies From the Journals of the Society for Psychical Research. Interview with Angela Patterson, housekeeper of Latham Hall… Source

PseudoPod 1029: Feeding the Choke-Tree May 15, 2026 27:00 PseudoPod 1029: Feeding the Choke-Tree is a PseudoPod original. Okja “Straws,” I said. “Why straws?” “Because they’re cute, obviously,” said Foreman. “Don’t you think?” I squinted at them. Nearly a dozen were inching around his feet. As I watched, one flopped onto his boot, looking like a second shoelace. I guessed you could have called them cute—if you happened to be… Source

PseudoPod 1028: All The Eyes That See May 8, 2026 50:21 “All The Eyes That See” was originally published in Cosmic Horror Monthly issue #42 (ed. Charles Tyra, December 2023); it also won the 2023 Australian Shadows Award for Short Fiction. C/W: child abuse, domestic abuse From the author: “This story is me once again exploring the absolute weirdness of rural Australia, like I continue to do in my Tales From The Gulp books… Source

PseudoPod 1027: This Thing of Darkness May 1, 2026 41:52 PseudoPod 1027: This Thing of Darkness is a PseudoPod original. C/W: grief, approaching death Nissa Harlow: nissaharlow.com Tina Connolly: tinaconnolly.com ‘Don’t Put a Rug on a Polished Floor’ public information film Scarred for Life on Bluesky: @scarredforlife.bsky.social Writers from the Antarctic call Anthologies and Collections 2026 call 7… Source

PseudoPod 1026: Thoughts and Prayers Apr 24, 2026 35:26 PseudoPod 1026: Thoughts and Prayers is a PseudoPod original. C/W: Gun violence, school shooting https://www.npr.org/2025/09/08/nx-s1-5317647/school-shooting-industry https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/interactive/school-shootings-database/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_shooting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Craft_(film) https://www.findlaw.com/ Source

PseudoPod 1025: Impostor Syndrome Apr 17, 2026 45:07 PseudoPod 1025: Impostor Syndrome is a PseudoPod original. The Mighty Boosh-Back to the Crunch Looking back, the first red flag was during the job interview, when Chad said their target demographic was males, ages thirteen to seventeen. “That’s pretty specific,” I said. He shrugged. “Market research.” If I had been using the critical thinking skills I obtained from five… Source

PseudoPod 1024: Flash on the Borderlands LXXVII (77): The Only Enemy You Can’t Live Without Apr 10, 2026 37:41 “Witchcraft” was first printed in Ornaments in Jade, 1924 “How I Turned My Little Brother Human” was first published in Shaky Pictures of Vanished Faces, edited by Eric Raglin, in September 2025 “Visit Seahaven” was first published in Factor Four magazine in 2024 “Get Nourished” is a PseudoPod original C/W: pregnancy and pregnancy loss, death in the family, child death… Source

PseudoPod 1023: Grandifolia Apr 3, 2026 45:15 PseudoPod 1023: Grandifolia is a PseudoPod original. C/W: Emotional control, intimate partner abuse The first time I do everything the way I’m supposed to. I wait for the new moon and walk into the woods at midnight. I carry a jar of pig’s blood and wear a wreath of nettles, ignoring as best I can the stinging on my scalp. I tread silently, carefully… Source

PseudoPod 1022: All the Good You Did Not Do Mar 27, 2026 37:57 ‘All the Good You Did Not Do’ originally appeared in Apex magazine in November of 2023 C/W: reference to PTSD, depression When the doors slide open, the screams escape. Saul is summoned from his security podium by the researchers’ howls, and he slides in his formal uniform shoes until he finds them caged in an elevator open to the atrium-style lobby. Source

PseudoPod 1021: Bad Doors Mar 20, 2026 39:16 ‘Bad Doors’ was originally published in Uncanny Magazine in 2023, and was a finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Short Story. C/W: pandemic, family and animal disappearance/death The country was at just over ten thousand deaths the morning that the door appeared. On Kosmo’s phone NPR was interviewing a doctor with a nasal voice about the need for social… Source

PseudoPod 1020: Walking Tour of Scarborough in Nuclear Winter Mar 13, 2026 29:08 PseudoPod 1020: Walking Tour of Scarborough in Nuclear Winter is a PseudoPod original. Rogue One final scene 30 Days Of Night trailer From the author: “All of the landmarks in this story are real places in Scarborough, where my mother grew up and where I spent many childhood summers dining on crisps and 99 Flakes, and drinking fizzy drinks and orange squash in a rented chalet with… Source

PseudoPod 1019: Superstition Mar 6, 2026 39:46 ‘Superstition’ was first published in the anthology 120 Murders: Dark Fiction Inspired by the Alternative Era Remote Viewing Clerks 1 Donnie Darko The Destructors Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand by Primitive Radio Gods The strangest gig I ever had was fetish destruction. In July of 1995 I answered an ad in a newspaper asking for… Source

PseudoPod 1018: The Polyamorous Heart of Death Feb 27, 2026 27:10 ‘The Polyamorous Heart of Death’ first appeared in the anthology And One Day We Will Die: Strange Stories Inspired by the Music of Neutral Milk Hotel CW: 2nd person PoV, transphobia, implied necrophilia The Neutral Milk Hotel The music track that inspired this particular story: HOLLAND, 1945 Which is from the album, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea M. Source

PseudoPod 1017: In the Hands of a Different God Feb 20, 2026 49:15 PseudoPod 1017: In the Hands of a Different God is a PseudoPod original. C/W for body horror, child abuse/neglect, implied homophobia Jim Kristofic novels Coyote Stranger The Sundown Killers Why Miitaries Must Destroy Cities To Save Them (Add your own air quotes as appropriate) Destroying a Quote’s History In Order To Save It Hank Green: Chemo is Weird… Source

PseudoPod 1016: Flash on the Borderlands LXXVI (76): Illume the Kingdom of the Drowned Feb 13, 2026 36:09 “Left by the Tide” first appeared in Weird Tales, March 1929 “Sirens Chasing Sirens” first appeared in The Gateway Review back in 2018 “Dread and Faith” was originally published in February 2025 in Blood Lust from Black Hare Press Far from the frenzy Of the frantic world above Two beneath the blue Could even fall in love Links: From the author of ‘Sirens Chasing… Source

PseudoPod 1015: What Haunts the Newbuild? Feb 6, 2026 39:06 PseudoPod 1015: What Haunts the Newbuild? is a PseudoPod original. When the Night Comes Out If the dead who loved her haunt an old home’s bones, what haunts the newbuild? What makes her creak and moan? Every house is a violence—and a weathered house knows this better than most—but if the trees that once stood on her land form an old home’s dead-spirit frame… Source

PseudoPod 1014: Faith, Hope and Charity Jan 31, 2026 1:00:12 ‘Faith, Hope and Charity’ was first published in Hearst’s International Combined with Cosmopolitan, April 1930. C/W strong violence, racist language Here’s a link to the Archive.org of the original text: https://archive.org/details/sim_cosmopolitan_1930-04_88_4/page/40/mode/2up Jim Kristofic novels: Coyote Stranger, The Sundown Killers 1892 Homestead Strike The… Source

PseudoPod 1013: The End Of The Story Jan 23, 2026 51:27 “The End Of The Story” was originally published in Weird Tales, vol. 15, no. 5 (May 1930). Link: Weird Tales original text Original layout from Weird Tales The Emperor of Dreams documentary Best collection of Smith’s poetry The following narrative was found among the papers of Christophe Morand, a young law-student of Tours, after his unaccountable disappearance during a… Source

PseudoPod 1012: The Book Jan 16, 2026 48:43 “The Book” was first published in 1930 in The London Mercury and later collected in The Weird (Tor Books, 2012) CW: harm to child/animal, reference to suicide On a foggy night in November, Mr. Corbett, having guessed the murderer by the third chapter of his detective story, arose in disappointment from his bed and went downstairs in search of something more… Source

PseudoPod 1011: Tailpiece and The Second Awakening of a Magician Jan 10, 2026 30:13 “Tailpiece” first appeared in More Ruthless Rhymes, 1930, and “The Second Awakening of a Magician” first appeared in The London Mercury, November 1930 C/W: fire My son Augustus, in the street, one day, Was feeling quite exceptionally merry. A stranger asked him: ‘Can you tell me, pray, The quickest way to Brompton Cemetery ?’ ‘The quickest way? Source

PseudoPod 1010: A Rose For Emily Jan 2, 2026 33:13 “A Rose For Emily” was first published in The Forum, April 30, 1930 C/W for racial slurs [n-word], mental illness, misogyny, homophobia and Spoiler poisoning [collapse] I When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to… Source

PseudoPod 1009: Christmas Eve at Beach House Dec 26, 2025 1:00:03 ‘Christmas Eve at Beach House’ was first published in Routledge’s Christmas Annual, 1870. C/W murder, intimate partner violence To support us during our year-end campaign, go to https://escapeartists.net/support-ea The Oldhammer Fiction Podcast Eliza Lynn Linton Dr. Frizzle on Bluesky It seemed as if the Mackenzies were under a spell, and that none of… Source

PseudoPod 1008: Cyanide Constellations Dec 19, 2025 31:45 “Cyanide Constellations” was published in the collection Cyanide Constellations and Other Stories by Sara Tantlinger in October 2025. C/W: Suicide, 2nd person PoV To support us during our year-end campaign, go to https://escapeartists.net/support-ea Author’s note: This story ended up being the title piece for my debut fiction collection… Source

PseudoPod 1007: The Children of the Event Dec 12, 2025 41:25 “The Children of the Event” was first published in the collection ‘Portraits of Decay’ by Carson Winter, published by Salt Heart Press in June 2025. To support us during our year-end campaign, go to escapeartists.net/support-ea Notes from the author: As long as I can remember, I’ve been a Godzilla fan. My fate was set at the age of six, when me and a neighborhood boy rented… Source

PseudoPod 1006: Give A Dog A Bone Dec 5, 2025 36:26 PseudoPod 1006: Give A Dog A Bone is a PseudoPod original. From author: “Give A Dog A Bone” is the third story in the series of tales following the exploits of a married couple of werewolves whose relationship is under some unusual stresses. Both of the previous stories, “Licking Roadkill” and “Last Supper” also appeared at PseudoPod, and were inspired by a real-life conversation I had… Source

PseudoPod 1005: Do It Dec 2, 2025 45:28 “Do It” was first published in the anthology ‘120 Murders: Dark Fiction Inspired by the Alternative Era’ C/W: gun violence, knife violence Note from author: The pizza joint in the story is based on a locally (local to me) famous spot in Boston’s South Shore. Having been raised on the North Shore I take umbrage at this city having ‘shore’ anywhere near it in geographic… Source

PseudoPod 1004: Madame Painte: For Sale Nov 21, 2025 30:51 “Madame Painte: For Sale” was first published in Behold! Oddities, Curiosities and Undefinable Wonders, edited by Doug Murano (Crystal Lake 2017), and then in the Word Horde collection ‘Lost in the Dark and Other Excursions’, in August 2025. C/W: 2nd person POV “This?” the man behind the counter says. “Why, this is Madame Painte.” The figure is short… Source

PseudoPod 1003: House Traveler Nov 14, 2025 47:40 “House Traveler” originally appeared in Bourbon Penn #34, Dec. 2024 and is reprinted in Thomas Ha’s debut collection, “Uncertain Sons and Other Stories” C/W: alludes to alcoholism The five of us were gathered on the floor of one of the last houses, trying to decide which of the group would be the one to go outside. Sitting around an electric camping lantern… Source

PseudoPod 1002: The Squatters Nov 7, 2025 43:20 “The Squatters” originally appeared in the 2025 Anthology, Silk and Sinew C/W for mass graves, genocide The government begins excavating the bones in late February to coincide with the events planned to commemorate the massacre. It is meant to gesture that they truly do intend to follow through on their promise of “truth and reconciliation” and with the upcoming… Source

PseudoPod 1001: A Coven of Cats Under the Light of the Moon and The Halloween Parade Oct 31, 2025 36:45 PseudoPod 1001: A Coven of Cats Under the Light of the Moon and The Halloween Parade is a PseudoPod original. C/W: implied animal harm (Coven) On this night, we escaped from our homes—we darted through the open doors, we leaped over the privacy fences, we fled under-bush to converge on this place. Some of us have traveled many miles, our paw-pads scraped raw… Source

PseudoPod 1000: Novel of the White Powder Oct 31, 2025 1:41:20 “Novel of the White Powder” first appeared in The Three Impostors in 1895. C/W: drug abuse, delusions The Angels of Mons: The Bowmen and Other Legends of the War by Arthur Machen The Angel of Mons Jess Nevins on The Novel of The White Powder White Lines by Grandmaster Flash Godzilla Minus One My name is Leicester; my father, Major-General Wyn Leicester… Source

PseudoPod 999: Barghest Oct 24, 2025 30:27 ‘Barghest’ was first published Modern Folklore: A Comma Press Course Anthology, in August 2025 C/W: bullying From the author: “The idea for Barghest came from reading legends surrounding the existence of mythical ‘black dogs.’ These were supernatural, ghostlike, or demonic hellhounds. When I discovered that the legend of one of these creatures, the Barghest… Source

PseudoPod 998: The Story-Stealer’s Night Oct 17, 2025 44:22 PseudoPod 998: The Story-Stealer’s Night is a PseudoPod original. C/Ws from author: Body horror, creature horror, brief suicidal ideation, cancer, child abuse, child death and parent death Story-teller, Story-screamer Tell your tales into this night. The words of the poem rush into Durga’s foggy mind with unbidden clarity. She waits quietly at her school gate… Source

PseudoPod 997: Flash on the Borderlands LXXV: Together is Our Favorite Place to Be Oct 10, 2025 38:32 “The Wind Beneath” originally appeared in Cosmic Horror Monthly “They Still Haven’t Found Stevie” has previously been featured on the No Sleep Podcast “Precious Darlings” originally appeared in Bag of Bones: This is Too Tense C/W: pandemic, mass death; child abduction; second-person PoV, body horror Our family doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful. Source

PseudoPod 996: The Suitable Surroundings and The Resurrection of Chilton Hills Oct 4, 2025 49:41 “The Suitable Surroundings” was first published in the San Francisco Examiner, July 14, 1889 “The Resurrection of Chilton Hills” first appeared in Harper’s Monthly Magazine in October 1929. C/W: suicide (The Suitable Surroundings) Ben Phillips’s music ? Painful Reminder ONE midsummer night a farmer’s boy living about ten miles from the city of… Source

PseudoPod 995: Data Ghost Sep 26, 2025 53:56 “Data Ghost” originally appeared in Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology When the station stats popped up on the screen, the Interface said, Anomalous. Deni batted at their ear and muttered, “No, no, quit it.” In the second cockpit seat, Winnie threw them a look. “What?” At Deni’s shrug, her brows stayed up, skeptical. “Use your words, Tulip.” “It’s the Interface.”… Source

PseudoPod 994: The Bride Sep 19, 2025 32:47 “The Bride” was originally published in Black Static in 2020 C/W necrophilia, sexual assault, physical assault, control As you drive south, the heat rushes up to greet you like your name is in the guestbook and it has your room prepared. A wet, eager heat, scarlet and citrus, the heat of orange crayons melting under a windshield, a heat that already feels like a… Source

PseudoPod 993: Home, Laced in Web Sep 12, 2025 48:08 “Home, Laced in Web” was previously published by The Dodge on July 15, 2024 C/W: mutation, body horror, spiders I follow behind Butcher. A lot of nights spent imagining what I’d say to him. But there’s not been much talk on the road. Pretty used to silence anyway. Don’t hate it. Leaves room for possibilities, for what could happen when the right moment comes. Source

PseudoPod 992: Chattering Spines Sep 5, 2025 26:19 PseudoPod 992: Chattering Spines is a PseudoPod original. C/W immolation, guns, animal harm From the author: Oh Spines. I wrote this while at a writing conference called Superstars Writing Seminars back in February of 2022 after attending a session run by Kevin Ikenberry. I forget the details of the class (and my notes are AWOL), but I came out of it obsessing over the… Source

PseudoPod 991: The Hermit Crab God Aug 29, 2025 37:06 PseudoPod 991: The Hermit Crab God is a PseudoPod original. C/W: harm to animals, mental illness Notes from the author: I recently spoke with a nature photographer who was very passionate about hermit crabs, and he made me want to not give up. I suppose just because horror is often hopeless doesn’t mean I have to be. Maybe horror can just be a way to get the nihilism out… Source

PseudoPod 990: Hearts and Half-Measures Aug 22, 2025 42:39 PseudoPod 990: Hearts and Half-Measures is a PseudoPod original. C/W: · Transphobia · Body horror · Murder · Gore · Grief · Death of a parent · Cannibalism From the author: The Manananggal (“self-segmenter” – the creature in this story) is a Filipino Aswang (evil spirit) that detaches her torso from her lower half and then takes flight during the night to eat infants. Source

PseudoPod 989: Dimorphism Aug 16, 2025 33:57 “Dimorphism” first appeared in SEASONS OF SEVERANCE, an anthology-collection hybrid published by Cemetery Gates Media in 2023. “Dimorphism” was later mentioned as a standout in the Summation section of The Best Horror of the Year Vol. 16. The short story features reoccurring characters who appeared throughout the rest of York’s mini collection within SEASONS OF SEVERANCE. Source

PseudoPod 988: Anthropology 201 Aug 12, 2025 35:33 PseudoPod 988: Anthropology 201 is a PseudoPod original. C/W: references to mental illness, second-person PoV College is a crucible. You go in a dumb kid, and with luck, you leave a less dumb adult, ready to take your place in the world. It took me a little longer than the standard four years. I had a job throughout, slowing down the matriculation process. Source

PseudoPod 987: Reflections on Bloody Mary Aug 1, 2025 31:30 PseudoPod 987: Reflections on Bloody Mary is a PseudoPod original. CW: domestic abuse, coercive control, alcoholism The Pixel Project, https://www.thepixelproject.net, has a list of shelters worldwide “Maaa-reee,” my husband taunts. “Oh, Maaa-reee. Come out now, dear. We need to talk.” Wrong, I think but don’t say. My mother used to say, “A real lady knows when… Source

PseudoPod 986: The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs Jul 25, 2025 38:51 “The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs” originally appeared in Bourbon Penn, and will appear in Ellen Datlow’s Year’s Best Horror #16 C/W: death by drowning In the predawn dark, Annie found herself in a bed, holding onto another hand beneath the cool weight of the pillow. Floral case, it was the trailer—her trailer—and slowly she came back to herself, to her body… Source

PseudoPod 985: Think of Me Jul 19, 2025 38:53 “Think of Me” was first published in the anthology DARK RAINBOW: QUEER EROTIC HORROR (Riverdale Ave., 2018) CW: explicit sex, self-harm, transphobia, body horror, S&M kink Strange Darling Sasha and Taylor are fucking and Sasha is thinking about me. She tries to stop, but the harder she tries to push me out of her head, the more space she makes for me there. Source

PseudoPod 984: Flash on the Borderlands LXXIV: Thy Shields Between Them and the Light Jul 11, 2025 46:41 PseudoPod 984: Flash on the Borderlands LXXIV: Thy Shields Between Them and the Light is a PseudoPod original. “My Heart in a Snow Globe” – C/W: child death “Exposed, Every Inch Visible” – C/W: body horror “We Told You of the One Who Lives in the Mound” – C/W: second-person, child abduction “My Heart in a Snow Globe”: The idea for this story came to me while thinking… Source

PseudoPod 983: Grave Worms Jul 4, 2025 52:48 “Grave Worms” originally appeared in Cassilda’s Song: Tales Inspired by Robert W. Chambers’ King in Yellow Mythos an anthology edited by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. The grey flannel suit might have looked masculine on the rack, or on another woman, but the close cut of the cloth, and the way the expensive fabric skimmed over the lines of her straight, slender figure was intensely… Source

PseudoPod 982: The Haunter of the Dark Jun 28, 2025 1:46:52 “The Haunter of the Dark” first appeared in Weird Tales, December 1936 CW: xenophobia H.P. Lovecraft The Horror of the Heights Federal Hill, Providence Voluminous: The Letters of HP Lovecraft Episode 82 Lovecraftian horror — and the racism at its core — explained Lovecraft’s Most Bigoted Story, No Really: “The Horror at Red Hook” We Can’t Ignore H.P. Source

PseudoPod 981: The Shambler from the Stars Jun 21, 2025 41:45 “The Shambler from the Stars” first appeared in Weird Tales, September 1935 I have nobody but myself to blame for the whole affair. It was my own blundering that precipitated that unforeseen horror upon us both; my own stupidity that caused our downfall. The acknowledgment of my fault does not help us now; my friend is dead, and in order to escape an impinging doom worse than… Source

PseudoPod 980-B: Jesus Christ in Georgia Jun 19, 2025 51:44 “Jesus Christ in Georgia” was printed in The Crisis in the 1911 Christmas issue. It later appeared as “Jesus Christ in Texas” in Darkwater: Voices from the Veil. Use of the n-word 2010 interview with author Edward J. Blum about his 2008 book, W. E. B. DuBois, American Prophet: https://religiondispatches.org/iw-e-b-du-bois-american-propheti/ Source

PseudoPod 980: Nesters Jun 13, 2025 48:34 “Nesters” originally appeared in the anthology Lovecraft’s Children CW: Animal death They killed the last calf that morning. Ma wanted to hold off, give the poor thing a chance, but Pa said it were cruel to let a body live like that. He cracked the hammer on its head—a sick, sad sound. Later he slit the calf open and showed Sally the animal’s stomach… Source

PseudoPod 979: Two Esoteric Texts: Old Things are Meant to Be Found and Shared and The Secret in the Tomb Jun 10, 2025 56:39 “Old Things are Meant to Be Found and Shared” first appeared as “Of Lovecraft and ‘He’” in The Book of Starry Wisdom. “The Secret in the Tomb” originally appeared in the May 1935 issue of Weird Tales. From Leanna Renee Hieber: “Much like the introduction to this story will have you believe, I am, in fact, a licensed New York City tour guide who leads haunted and weird history… Source

PseudoPod 978: Where the Brass Band Plays May 28, 2025 38:02 PseudoPod 978: Where the Brass Band Plays is a PseudoPod original. CW: environmental horror, parent loss; grief, reality vs. illusion, nostalgia, willful blindness From the author: “This story grew out of the feeling that we live in an increasingly polarised world. More than at any time I can remember, it seems as though people exist in different realities… Source

PseudoPod 977: The Fruits Of May 20, 2025 29:15 “The Fruits Of” originally appeared in the online Spring 2024 edition of Club Chicxulub CW: dementia, death of a family member and suicidal ideation. They’d long since passed the point where road gave way to trail gave way to forest. Bright green ferns now rose to their knees. Around them, old-growth redwoods loomed forth. It had been like this for miles: only… Source

PseudoPod 975: James Courtney Goes Home May 16, 2025 48:12 PseudoPod 975: James Courtney Goes Home is a PseudoPod original. Get Out The personal effects of the late Mr. James Courtney found their way to me some months after his passing, once the stipulations of his will had been addressed and the remainder of his belongings had been picked over by his friends and family. He had made a promise to me long ago, and I to him, and now… Source

PseudoPod 976: Every Last Gossamer Strand May 12, 2025 42:53 PseudoPod 976: Every Last Gossamer Strand is a PseudoPod original. CW: narcissism, family abuse and especially spiders. C.J. Dotson’s upcoming novel, The Cut Jess Lewis’s website Brene Brown: When Narcissists Get Older Fleetwood Mac, The Chain The high windows of the Bluebird Lake Lodge ballroom let in warm afternoon sunlight. Source

PseudoPod 974: The Half-Pint Flask May 7, 2025 45:55 “The Half-Pint Flask” was first published in The Bookman, May 1927 Racism https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/what-is-gullah-geechee-food-and-how-do-you-make-it https://discoversouthcarolina.com/articles/theres-history-in-every-bite-of-gullah-cuisine https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/8/1/1960612/-The-Gullah-Geechee-have-owned-land-since-the-1800s… Source

PseudoPod 973: Flash on the Borderlands LXXIII: Perpetuation Apr 25, 2025 40:08 PseudoPod 973: Flash on the Borderlands LXXIII: Perpetuation is a PseudoPod original. Shallow Fangs: C/W for second-person PoV “The First Mrs. Edward Rochester Would Like a Word”- From the author: “Many readers want better for the attic wife from Jane Eyre. We see her only in a diminished state, and the person who tells her story is the man who wants to leave her. Source

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