alternative stories and fake realities podcast

Thank you for listening to this edition of the Alternative Stories and Fake Realities Podcast. 

 In this edition we speak to Cailean Steed, the author of a new novel “Home” which is published by Raven Bloomsbury on 19th January.  The novel deals with Zoe, a young woman who has grown up as part of a repressive religious cult who returns to rescue her sister. 

Excerpts from the audiobook of “Home” in this episode were read by Paula Masterton.  The audiobook is published on the same day as the hardback and e-book versions of the novel.

The interviewer was Chris Gregory

Sound design, editing and music were also by Chris Gregory

 To find out more about Cailean Steed you can visit their website here https://www.caileansteed.com/

 And follow them on social media here
https://twitter.com/CaileanSteed
https://www.instagram.com/caileansteedauthor/

 To order a copy of Home via the Raven Bloomsbury website follow this link https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/fiction/crime-thriller-mystery/
And follow Raven Bloomsbury on twitter here : https://twitter.com/bloomsburyraven

 If you have enjoyed this podcast please subscribe in your favourite podcast app if you haven’t already.  Just search for alternative stories wherever you listen to podcasts.  Coming up soon we have a podcast about working class writers with Amber Hall, a new audio drama “The Best of Men” by Amy Boucher and a feature on the UK Ghost Story Festival. 

 You may also enjoy the other podcasts made by Alternative Stories
 
The Seren Poetry Podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2035359
Write On! Audio, a podcast aimed at writers which we make for Pen to Print : https://anchor.fm/pentoprint
And our science fiction serial drama The Dex Legacy https://www.thedexlegacy.com/

 If you would like to contact us you can do so via office@alternativestories.com
And follow us on twitter https://www.thedexlegacy.com/
And Instagram https://www.instagram.com/stories.alt/

Midwinter Monologues is a collection of seasonal short fiction by 13 different writers.  We feature stories written and performed by Alternative Stories regulars such as Lewie Watson and Marie-Claire Wood and introduce some new writers and voices.  This anthology will put you in in a festive mood and help you to consider some alternative versions of Christmas.  We all have our own midwinter stories – what’s yours? 

 “The Hidden People” by Bean Swayer performed by Sally Walker Taylor

“To All A Good Life” by Lewie Watson performed by Lewie Watson

“Winter Monologue” by Marie-Claire Wood performed by Marie-Claire Wood 

“Home for the Holidays” by Jackie Jorgenson performed by Jackie Jorgenson

“The Sunday Morning Club” by Sally Goble read by Tiffany Clare 

“The Golden Ball” by Gessica Sakamoto Martini performed by Sally Walker-Taylor

“Turkey Story” By Jude Whiley-Morton read by Jude Whiley-Morton

“The Pond” by Carolyn Stockdale read by Tiffany Clare 

“Solstice” by Daniel Draper read by Daniel Draper 

“The Sun Stones” (A Solstice Story) by Kevan Manwaring read by Kevan Manwaring

“Monologue” By Ford Dagenham read by Chris Gregory 

“Trouble and Strife” By Janet O’Donnell read by Janet O’Donnell

“Unread Stories” By Maggie Sawkins read by Maggie Sawkins

 Thank you to all our writers and readers for their contributions to this podcast.  Special thanks to Lily Dunn, Zoe Gilbert and Ennis Welbourne of London Lit Lab for their help in finding us so many brilliant new writers for this edition.

You heard trailers for 2 new Alternative Stories productions in this podcast.
Find out more about the Dex Legacy by visiting our website https://www.thedexlegacy.com/
and subscribe to the podcast here https://www.buzzsprout.com/1868546 to hear our first episodes as they are released in January
Follow The Dex Legacy on twitter here https://twitter.com/thedexlegacy

 Write On! Audio from Pen to Print is a podcast aimed at writers everywhere.  You can subscribe here or by searching “Pen To Print” in your favourite podcast app https://anchor.fm/pentoprint
And follow Pen to Print on twitter here https://twitter.com/Pen_to_Print

 We also shared a trailer for our recent audio drama Real Boy by Cailean Steed.  Listen free here https://www.buzzsprout.com/411730/9690521-real-boy-an-audio-drama

 We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our listeners an enjoyable festive season and a creative, exciting and story-filled 2022.  From all at Alternative Stories, thank you so much for listening in 2021 and please join us again for season 6 next year.

If you would like to contact us while we're away please email us at office@alternativestories.com or follow us on  social media
 https://twitter.com/StoriesAlt
https://www.instagram.com/stories.alt/

In this special edition guest-edited by Signe Maene we look at the folklore and folk stories associated with animals, beasts and familiars.  Our guests are Terri Windling, Zoe Gilbert, Willow Winsham, Icy Sedgewick and Natalja Saint-Germain

Thank you to Signe Maene, Terri Windling, Zoe Gilbert, Willow Winsham, Icy Sedgwick and Natalja Saint German for being out guests on the podcast today.  We’ve posted links so you can find out more about our guests and follow their blogs, podcasts, websites and social media as part of these show notes.

 Find out more about our guests by visiting their websites, listening to their podcasts and following them on social media 

 Signe Maene
https://signemaene.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/MaeneSigne
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/signemaene/
Signe also co-edits the Wyrd Wednesday hashtag on twitter which you can follow here https://twitter.com/WyrdWednesday

 Terri Windling
https://www.terriwindling.com/
Twitter  https://twitter.com/terriwindling
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bumblehillstudio/

 Zoe Gilbert
http://zoegilbert.com/zoe-gilbert/
Twitter https://twitter.com/mindandlanguage
Zoe teaches creative writing, often with a folkloric twist, with London Lit Lab.  Find out more here  https://www.londonlitlab.co.uk/

 Icy Sedgewick
https://www.icysedgwick.com/ where you can link to her books and her wonderful Fabulous Folklore Podcast
Twitter https://twitter.com/icysedgwick
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/icysedgwick/

 Willow Winsham
You can find Willow’s books for sale here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Willow-Winsham/e/B01DR996L4%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
Twitter https://twitter.com/WillowWinsham
And follow Folklore Thursday which she co-runs with Dee Dee Chainey here https://twitter.com/FolkloreThurs

 Natalja Saint-Germain
Twitter https://twitter.com/bjorn_stjerne
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/natalja_stgermain/
Natalja also co-hosts the Swamp Sunday hashtag on twitter which you can follow here https://twitter.com/swampsunday

 You can listen to all our folklore and fairytale podcasts via this podchaser link
https://www.podchaser.com/lists/folklore-and-fairytale-on-alternative-stories-107a9Gdi9h

In this edition we resume the theme of storytelling, this time looking at the art and techniques of telling stories from real life. Our guest, Lily Dunn is a novelist, memoirist and teacher whose debut memoir, Sins of My Father will be out in March 2022. 

 Excerpts from Sins of My Father in this podcast are read by Lily Dunn
The interviewer is Chris Gregory
Production, sound design, music and editing are by Chris Gregory

 Lily Dunn is a writer, teacher and lecturer in creative writing and narrative nonfiction at Bath Spa University. She is the author of one novel, SHADOWING THE SUN, and co-editor with Zoe Gilbert of A WILD AND PRECIOUS LIFE, an anthology of recovery stories.

You can find out more about Lily by visiting her website here
https://lilydunn.co.uk/

And follow Lily on social media
Via twitter https://twitter.com/Lilydunnwriter
And Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lilydunnwriting/

Lily's memoir, Sins of My Father will be published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson in March.  We think W&N for permission to use excerpts from the book in this podcast.

Lily and Zoe Gilbert co-founded and teach for London Lit Lab.  If you have enjoyed listening to Zoe and Lily chatting about storytelling and the art of writing please visit their website at the address below to find out about and book onto their courses and workshops.
https://www.londonlitlab.co.uk/
For updates about London Lit Lab courses and activities follow them on social media here Via twitter https://twitter.com/londonlitlab
And Instagram https://www.instagram.com/londonlitlab/

 You can listen to part one of our Storytelling series with Zoe Gilbert and Tiffany Clare here https://www.buzzsprout.com/411730/9672055-storytelling-part-one-with-zoe-gilbert-and-tiffany-clare

Listen out for future podcasts about storytelling featuring professional storyteller Ilaria Passeri and playwright and scriptwriter Lucy Kaufman

If you have enjoyed this or any of our podcasts we would be grateful if you could provide us with a rating and review preferably on Apple Podcasts here
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/alternative-stories-and-fake-realities/id1470495562
or Podchaser here
https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/alternative-stories-and-fake-r-882341

 and if you would like to contact us, submit work or enquire about our actors, production services or course and workshops please drop us a note via office@alternativestories.com 

Mastrocherry is a tech company making poppets - highly realistic replicas of real humans.  Senior engineer Catherine Antonio and Junior Reclaim Engineer Fox Cameron have a problem.  A poppet has been returned by a VIP customer and they must diagnose the reasons for some alarming behavioural traits it has been displaying.  Can it really be possible that the poppet has become self-aware and started to display violent tendencies?

Real Boy is written by Cailean Steed and was the winner of the 2021 Pen To Print Audio Play Competition.  

In Real Boy you can hear 
Alex White as Fox
Kelley Costigan as Cat
Kirsty Woolven as Carlo
Carl Wharton as Father
Hadiya Morris as Mother
and Verity Blyth as Azure

Music, sound design, direction and production are by Chris Gregroy
Casting and character direction are by Chris Gregory and Cailean Steed 
Sound effects are from freesound.org 
The script for Real Boy is copyright Cailean Steed and the produced audio drama copyright Alternative Stories / Cailean Steed. 

 Find out more about our writer Cailean Steed by following  them on twitter at https://twitter.com/CaileanSteed

 We would like to thank Cailean for their invaluable work in the production of this drama.  

 Real Boy was the winner of the 2021 Pen to Print Audio Drama writing competition. If you are a dramatist and would like to enter the 2022 competition, please visit www.pentoprint.org for details of how to do so or to join an audio drama writing workshop.  These workshops are run by Chris Gregory from Alternative Stories and the next one will be on Thursday 20th January. 

 If you have enjoyed listening to Real Boy please check out our other audio dramas via our podcast feed.  

 Real Boy is an Alternative Stories 2021 production for the Alternative Stories and Fake Realities Podcast 

Joshua Gillingham is a fantasy writer whose work is heavily inspired by Norse Mythology and the Icelandic  sagas.  In this edition of the podcast we have an interview with Josh and we hear his short story "An Empty Thing" Read by Alex C Stewart

The presenter in this edition is Sally Walker-Taylor
Sound design and music are by Chris Gregory
The interview with Josh Gillingham was recorded over zoom and we apologise for the sound variations in the recording.
The interviewer is Chris Gregory

You can find out more about Joshua Gillingham by visiting his website  

https://www.joshuagillingham.ca

and following him on twitter where he posts as https://twitter.com/JoshMGillingham

 You can buy Josh’s book The Gatewatch directly from Crows Nest Books here 

https://www.crowsnestbooks.com/product/the-gatewatch/

In this episode we featured a trailer for the new audio drama "Darkstead" by Lucy Gibb Smith.   
You can subscribe to Darkstead via the podcast’s website here https://www.darkstead.com/

And follow Darkstead on twitter here https://twitter.com/DarksteadPod

You can book onto the Alternative Stories audio drama workshop with  London Lit Lab on 6th November here  https://www.londonlitlab.co.uk/course/live-online-audio-drama-writing-for-sound/

 And book for the Introduction to Audio Drama for Science Fiction Writers with Chris Gregory of Alternative Stories and Sci Fi writer Emily Inkpen on 8th November here 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/an-introduction-to-audio-drama-for-science-fiction-writers-tickets-180790508277?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch

In today's podcast we look at the genre of climate fiction or "Cli Fi" and preview two upcoming audio dramas we'll be sharing as part of our Autumn climate season.  We talk to the authors of the two pieces, Anna Orridge and Kevan Manwaring and get their views on Cli Fi, writing in general and the stories that inspired our upcoming dramas.

In todays' podcast, presented by Kelli Winkler you heard the voices of Anna Orridge and Kevan Manwaring.

You heard clips from our forthcoming dramas Backdrop by Anna Orridge and Black Box by Kevan Manwaring

You heard the voices of actors Marie-Claire Wood,  Harri-Rees Jones, Kelley Costigan and Kelli Winkler in the Backdrop trailer. 
In the Black Box trailer you heard Danyelle Ellett, Lewie Watson and Charlie Richards.

Sound design, soundscaping and music are by Chris Gregory with effects from freesound.org

Backdrop will be out on 20th November with Black Box appearing in three parts on 28th November, 4th and 11th December

Links and social media

You can follow Anna Orridge on twitter here 

https://twitter.com/orridge_anna

 You can follow Kevan Manwaring on twitter here 

https://twitter.com/bardicacademic

 and visit Kevan’s wordpress site where you can read more of his writing here 

https://thebardicacademic.wordpress.com/


We ended the podcast with a recommendation for the novel America City by Chris Beckett

You can purchase America City from Blackwell’s here 

https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/America-city-by-Chris-Beckett-author/9781786491534

 You can download a free sample of America City here 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3H49Dxf9NTpHXrTybN80hxC/america-city-by-chris-beckett

 and you can follow Chris Beckett on twitter here 

https://twitter.com/chriszbeckett

 We are publicising the work of Culture Declares Emergency during our Autumn climate season.  You can follow them on twitter here 

https://twitter.com/CultureDeclares

 And you can pledge your support to their cause here 

https://www.culturedeclares.org/


Please note, we have bleeped out swearing in the trailer for Black Box.  When we put out the "real thing" all swearing will be fully audible (and beautifully delivered by Lewie Watson!) 

Also in the trailer for Black Box you heard Lewie singing a few lines from "King of The Road" by Roger Miller.  We don't own the rights to this and acknowledge all copyrights relating to the piece. 

In this edition of the podcast we look at spoken word poetry.  We feature a new project from Kent: a music and poetry collaboration by Nancy Gaffield and The Drift.  We look at spoken word record label Nymphs and Thugs and we hear from Lisa Mead, CEO and Artistic Director of Apples and Snakes.  The presenter is Marie-Claire Wood

There is some swearing and references to suicide and drug use  in this podcast. Please avoid if this is likely to offend

 In today’s podcast you heard: 

 An interview with Nancy Gaffield, Rob Pursey, Amelia Fletcher and Darren Pilcher of Nancy Gaffield and The Drift.   http://thedrift.uk/

 The track you heard was Wealden Part 3 : Song of The Shingle from the album Wealden published by Longbarrow Press as a book and CD pack
https://longbarrowpress.com/

 Wealden is also available as a digital download from The Drift’s record label Skep Wax  https://skepwax.bandcamp.com/

 Follow Nancy Gaffield, The Drift and Longbarrow Press on Twitter here 

https://twitter.com/nancyjgv1
https://twitter.com/thedriftkent
https://twitter.com/LongbarrowPress

 You also heard an interview with Matt Abbott, founding owner of Nymphs and Thugs.  https://nymphsandthugs.net/

 The poems you heard were 
“I Saw Goody Proctor Jogging Without a Face Mask” by Salena Godden
“Nowt Matters Now” by Toria Garbutt 

 You can buy content from Nymphs and Thugs including these recordings via their band camp page here
https://nymphsandthugs.bandcamp.com/

 Follow Nymphs and Thugs, Matt, Salena and Toria on twitter here
https://twitter.com/nymphsandthugs
https://twitter.com/MattAbbottPoet
https://twitter.com/salenagodden
https://twitter.com/ToriaGarbutt

 Our final interview is with Apples and Snakes and their Artistic Director Lisa Mead. Find out more about Apples and Snakes and link to their online content here https://applesandsnakes.org/   

and here for their excellent YouTube channel where you can see many poets performing live
https://www.youtube.com/c/ApplesandSnakesPoetry

 You heard poems by John Bernard and Adrian B Earle

 Follow Apples and Snakes, Lisa Mead, John Bernard and Adrian B Earle on twitter here
https://twitter.com/ApplesAndSnakes
https://twitter.com/applesMead
https://twitter.com/PoetBernard
https://twitter.com/Think_write_fly

 This podcast was presented by Marie-Claire Wood https://twitter.com/MarieClaireWood

 Production, sound design and editing were by Chris Gregory
Individual sound design and editing of the poems and interviews within the show were by the contributors

 We would like to thank all contributors to this podcast.  If you can please check out all the links we’ve posted, buy content from the suppliers and support artists, poets, musicians, writers and any creative endeavour you can during this difficult time. 

Ealine is travelling home from work on the day on which lockdown is announced.  Weary from her workload, anxious about the future and worried about events in her past she deviates on her route home to visit Horsenden Hill where events from the ancient history of West London, Ealine's present and future coincide.   The Hare of Horsenden Hill is the origin story of Ealine from our audio drama Hare Spell and a prequel to events in that story. 

The Hares of Horsenden Hill is written by Sarra Culleno and published by Mookychick.  

Ealine and the narrator were played by Stevie Skinner 
Amy Forrest played the hares 
Chris Gregory was the voice of the ancient storyteller
Original music was by Inge Thomson
Sound effects were from Freesound.org
Sound design, mixing and production were by Chris Gregory

In this episode we include an excerpt from the new podcast called The Portal by British musician and composer Martin Green.  As one third of the band Lau Martin has played numerous gigs and festivals.  He's also released a good deal of solo work and collaborated with other musicians in producing his work.   The Portal is Martin's venture into the world of podcasting and we're sure listeners of Alternative Stories and Fake Realities will enjoy it.   Listen to The Portal by searching "the portal martin green" in your favourite podcast app or follow the link below

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-portal-by-martin-green/id1532707187

To find out more about Martin and his music follow this link

https://www.martingreenmusic.co.uk/

To find out more about Sarra Culleno and her work please follow her on twitter here 

https://twitter.com/sarra1978

The Hares of Horsenden Hill is published by Mookychick.  Heres'a link to their website so you can read the original story and check out their other wonderful content 

https://www.mookychick.co.uk/

1st October is National Poetry Day in the UK.  This edition celebrates some of the poetry we have broadcast on the podcast in the last year and the poets and publishers we have worked with. 

In this podcast you can hear the following poems 

Thus I Became a Heart Eater by Phoebe Stuckes from her collection Platinum Blonde published by Bloodaxe Books and read by Marie-Claire Wood

Then I Reconsidered Prayer by Maria Taylor from her collection Dressing For The Afterlife published by Nine Arches Press and read by Tiffany Clare

Ty Draw by Peter Finch from the collection Machineries of Joy published by Seren Books and read by Nerys Howell

Black Crow Woman by Sarah Corbett from the collection The Witch Bag published by Seren Books and read by Jade Matthew

The Overwhelming Urge by Ella Frears from the collection Shine Darling published by Offord Road Books and read by Tiffany Clare

Greenman by Sarra Culleno read by Annabelle Broad first broadcast on the Alternative Stories and Fake Realities Podcast

Catch 22 in Simplified Language by Jennifer Wong from the collection Letters Home published by Nine Arches press and read by Jennifer Wong

Dark Moon by Sarah Corbett from the collection The Red Wardrobe published by Seren Books and read Amy Forrest

Boots by Peter Finch from the collection Machineries of Joy published by Seren Books and read by Dafydd Morse

East West by Mary J Oliver from the collection Jim Neat: The Case of Young Man Down on his Luck published by Seren Books and read by Charlie Richards

To the Uninhabited Island of Cara by Mary J Oliver read by Tiffany Clare 

We would like to thank all the poets, publishers and readers of these poems.

This edition is presented by Hollye Sangster
Music, sound design and production is by Chris Gregory
Sound effects are from Freesound.org

To contact the podcast please send us an email to office@alternativestories.com

or contact us on social media  
https://twitter.com/StoriesAlt
or https://www.instagram.com/stories.alt/

When three women receive letters from a sender in Devon they are intrigued enough to accept the invitation within and set off to travel to Dartmoor to meet the mysterious Sally Whitehorn.  What will they find there and will Sally's outlandish claims prove to be true? Our story explores real folk stories about hares and the mythology associated with them. 

Hare Spell is written by Terri Windling, Fay Hield , Sarah Hesketh and Sarra Culleno with additional material, editing and collation by Chris Gregory. 

You heard 
Amy Forrest as Molly
Sarah Golding as Sally
Stevie Skinner as Ealine
Nadia Wyn Abouayen as Katherine
Marie-Claire Wood as Amy
Chris Gregory as the hotel receptionist

Music was by Fay Hield and Inge Thomson

The songs "When She Comes" and "Hare Spell" are taken from the Topic Records album "Wrackline" by Fay Hield.  Copyright is held by Fay Hield under exclusive licence to Proper Music Publishing Limited.   We would like to thank Fay Hield, Topic Records and Proper Music Publishing Ltd for their kind permission to use these tracks.  

Musicians on Fay Hields tracks are Fay Hield, Sam Sweeney, Rob Harbron, Ben Nicholls and Ewan MacPherson with production by Andy Bell

The instrumental soundtrack recordings you heard are written and performed by Inge Thomson, copyright Inge Thomson and commissioned by the Alternative Stories and Fake Realities Podcast 

Direction, sound design and production of the audio drama is by Chris Gregory

Casting was by our writing team

 Sound effects are from freesound.org 

The presenters are Holly Sangster and Kelli Winkler

If you'd like to learn more about the participants in this drama the links below will point you to their websites or twitter feeds 

Fay Hield : https://fayhield.com/ 
Terri Windling : https://www.terriwindling.com/
Sarah Hesketh : http://www.sarahhesketh.co.uk/
Sarra Culleno :  https://twitter.com/sarra1978
Inge Thomson : https://www.ingethomson.com/
Amy Forrest: https://twitter.com/amyforrest26
Sarah Golding : https://twitter.com/SarahofGolding
Stevie Skinner: https://twitter.com/Stevieskinner_
Nadia Wyn Abouayen : https://twitter.com/NadiaWyn
Marie-Claire Wood: https://twitter.com/MarieClaireWood

and please follow Alternative Stories on : https://twitter.com/StoriesAlt for information on past and future editions of the podcast. 

As lockdown eases in London a group of friends decide to meet up for the first time in three months.  As they travel they reflect on what lockdown meant to them.  This is a collaborative audio drama project with some of our actors writing and performing their own parts in the production.

Out of the Darkness was written by Katherine Priddy, Charis McRoberts, Marie-Claire Wood and Chris Gregory with additional material by Warren Graham.

Warren Graham played Michael
Katherine Priddy was Freya
Marie-Claire Wood played Georgia
Sophie Macnair was Alex
Chris Gregory played David

The presenter was Karen Cooper

Sound Design, soundscapes and production were by Chris Gregory
Sound effects were from freesound.org
The news clips were from public domain sources including Downing Street Press Briefings
The Song "Wolf" was written and performed by Katherine Priddy and produced by Simon J Weaver.
Additional music was by Chris Gregory

This podcast is dedicated to anyone who lost a loved-one, their job or livelihood during the pandemic.  Our thoughts are with you.  We are aware that many people were much more seriously affected by the events of the last few months than the characters in this drama.  The story is not intended to be representative of the entire population but merely to the experiences of the characters depicted. 

Katherine Priddy is a folk singer from Birmingham. You can find out more about her and her music by visiting her website  http://www.katherinepriddy.co.uk/ and you can buy "Wolf" and the EP it appears on by clicking on Store via this link.  There is also a video for the song which you will find by searching for Katherine's YouTube channel.
You can follow her on twitter here https://twitter.com/KatherinePriddy
and Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/katherinepriddy/

Please follow our other actors on twitter to find out more about their work and upcoming projects and if you are an audio drama producer wishing to hire them
Marie-Claire Wood https://twitter.com/MarieClaireWood
Warren Graham  https://twitter.com/wg973
Sophie Macnair https://twitter.com/liloldsoph
and Charis McRoberts https://twitter.com/CharisMcRoberts

This is the final podcast in season 2 of Alternative Stories and Fake Realities.  Thank you to all the actors, writers, musicians and poets who have appeared in this series.

Thank you also to our loyal and valued listeners.  We do hope you have enjoyed this finale to the season and that you will join us again in season 3 which will be starting in September. 

Undertow is a short story by Nicholas John inspired by and featuring music from British acoustic duo Show of Hands. 

Undertow is written and performed by Nicholas John with music by Show of Hands
Show of Hands are Phil Beer and Steve Knightley
The presenter of this edition of the podcast is Karen Cooper
Sound design and editing are by Nicholas John and Chris Gregory

Nicholas John is a writer and music journalist.  You can find out more about him by following him on twitter https://twitter.com/WordSong_

Show of Hands are a folk / acoustic duo from Devon.  The band comprises Steve Knightley and Phil Beer. You can follow them on twitter here https://twitter.com/showofhandsnews.
and visit their website here https://www.showofhands.co.uk/

Given events of the year so far it is more important than ever that you support musicians and performers  wherever possible.  Like all other forms of live entertainment revenue from gigs and performances has completely dried up for most bands and artists.   There is no better way of supporting the music industry than by ordering a CD, digital download or other item of merchandise from artists you enjoy.  If you've enjoyed this podcast please take a listen to more by Show of Hands and consider supporting them by ordering their new album from their online store.  https://smarturl.it/bfielddancefloor

Copyright on the story Undertow: Nicholas John

Publishing Copyright on the song Undertow: (Steve Knightley/MCPS Ltd)
Sound Copyright is owned by Show Of Hands and is used by kind permission of Hands On Music.
The original version of the song Undertow is taken from the Show Of Hands 2006 album 'Witness'

Jennifer Wong is a poet living and working in London and originally from Hong Kong.  Her poems deal with the idea of life in a city and culture very different from our own.  As well as her poems, in this podcast Jenny offers insight into her writing process and provides background to the 5 poems we feature. 

The poems in this edition are; 

• Arrivals 
• Dim Sum at Joy King Lau
• The Colour of Race 
• Catch 22 in Simplified Language
• Diary of a Miu Miu Salesgirl 

All poems are written and performed by Jennifer Wong
Music, sound design, soundscapes and production are by Chris Gregory
Sound effects are from Freesound.org
The presenter is Holly Sangster
Letters Home, Jenny's 2020 poetry collection, is published by Nine Arches Press and we thank them for allowing us to recreate these poems in this podcast

If you'd like to learn more about Jennifer Wong you can visit her website here
https://jenniferwong.co.uk/
And you can follow her on twitter here https://twitter.com/jennywcreative

You can learn more about Nine Arches Press and purchase Letters Home here
https://www.ninearchespress.com/
You can follow Nine Arches Press on twitter here https://twitter.com/ninearchespress

Please check out our other poetry content including podcasts featuring Ella Frears, Mary J Oliver, Sarah Corbett and Peter Finch by subscribing to the podcast in your favourite podcast app or in a streaming service such as Spotify. 

Jenny recorded the content for this podcast at home without access to professional recording equipment.  We hope the variable sound quality does not spoil your enjoyment of this podcast. 

Thank you once again to Jenny for sharing her poems with us in this podcast. 

Through the trees is an anthology about trees and woodlands, their folklore and mythology.  Dealing with the subjects of transformation and change into and from trees our writers use poetry and monologue to tell their stories inspired by folk and fairy stories, classical mythology and lived experience.

The pieces in part 1 are
Laurus Nobilis written and performed by Charis McRoberts
Changing by Sarah Corbett performed by Amy Forrest
I'll Be Gone Soon written and performed by Tanya O'Sullivan

Music, sound design and production are by Chris Gregory with sound effects from Freesound.org.  Original music is published by Scared Crow Music.

This edition is presented by Kelli Winkler

In the next part of Through The Trees we'll have writing by Sarra Culleno, TAK Erzinger, Sarah Corbett and Signe Maene and performances by Kelsey Griffin, Tiffany Clare and Amy Forrest

You can find more about Charis McRoberts by following her on twitter here https://twitter.com/CharisMcRoberts
Sarah Corbett here https://twitter.com/sarahcorbett70
And to hire Tanya O'Sullivan for voice acting or writing assignments click here https://www.fiverr.com/tanyaosullivan

You can hear more by Charis McRoberts in our podcast called Raven (Season2 episode 27) and Sarah Corbett in the episode called The Witch Bag (Series 2 episode 15)

Allison and Jenny have been together for 6 months but Jenny is falling out of love with New York City.  Can their relationship survive if she moves away from the city?

Out of Towners is a comedy drama written by Jackie Jorgenson and Mary McDonald and based on the characters, Allison and Jenny which originally appeared in our audio drama The Out of Towners Club which appeared at Christmas 2019 (series 1 Episode 22)

Allison  : Mary McDonald
Jenny : Jackie Jorgenson
Kylie : Caroline Mincks
Dan: Miguel Antonio

The presenter is Kelli Winkler
Additional material was written by Chris Gregory
Music, sound design and production were by Chris Gregory
Sound effects are from Freesound.org
Music is published by Scared Crow Music

Out of Towners is an Alternative Stories 2020 production for the Alternative Stories and Fake Realities Podcast

You can follow Jackie Jorgenson and find out more about her work by following her on twitter https://twitter.com/jackiejorgenson
Follow her podcast Tales From The Aether here https://anchor.fm/talesfromtheaether

Follow Mary McDonald here https://twitter.com/MaryMcDonald_

You can follow Alternative Stories on twitter here https://twitter.com/StoriesAlt
And on instagram here https://www.instagram.com/stories.alt/

The National Theatre stage production of Small Island by Andrea Levy will be available to watch worldwide on the NT At Home YouTube channel from 7PM on Thursday 18th June for a week.  Amy Forrest who has appeared in recent episodes of this podcast was part of the cast playing the role of Mrs Ryder and in this short edition she discusses the importance of the play, how she was cast in it and the importance of the arts during the coronavirus crisis.

Small Island is by Helen Edmundson based on the original novel by Andre Levy and will be available between 18th and 25th June via the National Theatre Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pac-Furijsw
If you watch please consider making a donation to the National Theatre to support its work and employees during lockdown.

If you would like to find out more about Amy Forrest please follow her on twitter https://twitter.com/amyforrest26 and listen to her appearances on Alternative Stories including in the audio drama The Seeing Trees

If you have enjoyed this podcast please subscribe to hear more from Alternative Stories and Fake Realities 

A psychological drama in which Kirsty Monroe, a busy young executive in London struggles to maintain a relationship with her younger sister whilst holding down a difficult job.  When Helena disappears Kirsty must track her down and try to patch up their failing family. 

In the Lake Isle you can hear 

Kelsey Griffin as Kirsty Monroe
Sophie MacNair as Helena Monroe
Carl Wharton as Mr Monroe 
Warren Graham as Michael, the counsellor
Chris Gregory as the man in the coffee shop

The Lake Isle is written by Chris Gregory and Clarke Wainikka with script review by Sophie MacNair and Kelsey Griffin
Music, sound design and mixing are by Chris Gregory
The presenter is Kelli Winkler

If you’d like to find out more about writer Clarke Wainikka you can follow her on twitter via  https://twitter.com/clarkewainikka at her webpage https://www.clarkewainikka.com/

If you’re a regular listener and would like a namecheck on the podcast or access to Alternative Stories bonus material and merchandise please contact us via office@alternativestories.com  Please contact us also if you would like to recommend a writer, poet or dramatist for inclusion in future editions.

You can contact us via twitter https://twitter.com/StoriesAlt
and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/stories.alt/

This edition is called Raven.  It features the short story "The Raven's Call" by Charis McRoberts and a preview of The Seeing Trees, our forthcoming audio drama which features a raven. This podcast also includes interviews with Charis McRoberts, Kaitlin Felix author of "The Seeing Trees" and Amy Forrest.

The Raven's Call is written and performed by Charis McRoberts with music by Chris Gregory.  It is reproduced with Charis' permission.

The Seeing Trees trailer features the voices of Lewie Watson, Tiffany Clare, Charlie Richards and Amy Forrest.  The Seeing Trees is written by Kaitlin Felix and will be published on the podcast on Friday 4th June.  You can also hear a short interview with Kaitlin

We also reproduce an interview from the BBC's Podcast Radio Hour in which Amy Forrest talks about the ways in which Alternative Stories has adapted to the Covid 19 pandemic.  This is the full version of a piece which was truncated for the BBC broadcast.

Sound design, music and mixing are by Chris Gregory.  Music is published by Scared Crow Music.

The presenter in this edition of the podcast is Kelli Winkler

Find out more about Charis McRoberts by following her on social media where she posts as https://twitter.com/CharisMcRoberts

Find out more about Kaitlin Felix by following her on twitter https://twitter.com/KatiGirl90 and at her website https://katifelix.com/

You can follow Amy Forrest on Twitter https://twitter.com/amyforrest26

Join us for The Seeing Trees, the full audio drama in our next podcast.

In this edition, the second in our series featuring women poets from Cornwall in the South West of England, we feature the work of Mary J Oliver.  We also look at Cornwall itself and its enduring influence on artists, writers and poets with presenter Hollye Sangster.

The poems featured in this podcast are

"To the uninhabited Island of Cara" read by Tiffany Clare with music and soundscape by Chris Gregory
"Torso to Torso" read by Tiffany Clare
"Undressing the Dead" and "Play to Win" both read by Piers Owen with music by Judith Bailey performed by Deborah Came (piano)
"NGO Lunch Break : Accra" read by Jade Matthew with music and soundscape by Chris Gregory

Some of the poems in this podcast are included in Mary's 2019 book "Jim Neat : The Case of a Young Man Down on His Luck" which is published by Seren Books

We would like to thank Mary J Oliver for her help and cooperation in the making of this podcast and for her ongoing support of our podcast.

The presenter in today's edition is Hollye Sangster with additional contributions from Kelli Winkler

Sound effects used in this podcast were from Freesound.org

If you would like to find out more about Mary J Oliver please follow her on twitter https://twitter.com/mjoliver4

and to read more about Mary and her book, "Jim Neat" (the subject of a previous Alternative Stories Podcast) please click here  https://www.jimneat.com/

You can purchase "Jim Neat" directly from Seren Books by clicking here https://www.serenbooks.com/