This piece is written by Elena Fernández Collins and Amber Bulinski. You can see last month’s debuts here.

When I think about what happened in August or September, I wonder: Were those two whole separate months that happened and people were able to track days and get things done?

Wow, wild.

These days, the best way for me to track what’s happened is through birthdays or packages that I’ve sent to cheer up friends scattered across the country. In August and September, my family has a total of ten birthdays; when it comes to gifting presents, it’s basically Christmas.

There’s a lot of merging of birthdays, and, unsurprisingly, a lot of social battery recovery from too much family interaction. Once everyone leaves, I will find myself angrily washing dishes caked in melted cheese (Virgo tip: for the love of god don’t wash cheese with hot water and a scrub. it’s bad, very bad.) and sometimes, if I’m not too annoyed, I listen to a podcast. Podcast listening and cleaning go hand-in-hand. It’s like meditation and yoga, but with escapism with a dash of productivity, you know?

Helping me through it with the promise of absurdity and lonely wizards was the first on this list, Wizard Seeking Wizard. Sometimes choosing something light hearted and comedic is the best way to start when listening to podcasts in a sour mood; it truly levels the emotions and makes the journey less turbulent. I’ve learned it’s next to impossible to be upset when you hear an upbeat 80s tempo or medieval bard music, so really, putting this podcast at the top of my listen list was a no-brainer.

Not only do fiction podcasts bestow upon the audience some reprieve from the real world, but they can also provide opportunities to creatives who might otherwise not have the resources to share their stories. Co-writing this column is the closest I can come to writing a love letter to the audio fiction community. Hopefully, after scouring the internet, listening, and writing these lists can continue to help you decide what fiction podcast you’d like to have ruin your life with new characters to fall in love with or draw coffee shop AU fan art of.

Look, We all need a coping mechanism in 2020. Why not have it be a new fiction podcast?

-Amber

Wizard Seeking Wizard

Max Kreisky

Ever wonder what it would be like to have a cheesy 80s dating show hosted by an imprisoned wizard stuck in a void? Do you enjoy Hello From the Magic Tavern and The Bachelor? Chances are Wizard Seeking Wizard is exactly what you are looking for. Matchmaking wizards all across the multiverse through audio personal ads can be tough work, but it’s the only way Chemistro the Match Mage can stay sane in their crystal prison.

Glass Letters

Anna Godfrey

The world is a chaotic and stressful place, so why not get away from it all by purchasing a deserted island? Glass Letters tells a beautiful tale of someone running away to a deserted island only to find the world at her shore, in the form of messages in a bottle. With dreamy soundscapes and poetic messages, this podcast is sure to lull you into a feeling of calm and leave you yearning for something more.

The Hunt?

Eric Wong, Aaron Merrill, Armen Aroush

It turns out venturing into the wilderness to find the ghost of Bigfoot isn’t the best idea. What starts as a whimsical journey turns to a dark tale of corruption when two unlikely individuals try to find a killer. The Hunt? weaves in concise sound design and delightful commercials that help build the setting of Elk Meadows, a sleepy town in Silicon Valley.

Fireside Folktales

Dallas Wheatley, Emily Parish

Envelope your senses with this mythical show that takes you on a lush soundscape worthy of the deities it wishes to emulate. Fireside Folktales is a retelling of myths and legends, and it has the elegance and precision you’d expect from a Broadway play; the voice actors capturing the arrogance of the gods with every drawn-out line. Each season will feature a different myth, starting with the story of the Greek goddess Kore and her journey of discovery.

(exp)lore

Andrew G. Cooper

(exp)lore takes place at real sites all over the city of Calgary, but our world disappears as the first episode lures you in with a cautionary tale about indulging in your curiosities and the consequences that follow. This anthology podcast will whisk you away quicker than the fae when you step into a ring of mushrooms…which begs the question: Are you ready to (exp)lore what lurks in the shadows?

Between the Devil

Justin Jones and Natalie Jones

The ocean can turn on a dime, and one’s life can change in an instant. This is very much the case in Between the Devil, a show that tells the tale of Sammy, a high seas adventure seeker who soon realizes just how dangerous the waters can be. With soundscapes that sway like a ship on the vast ocean, Between the Devil lures you into a false sense of whimsy. But swashbucklers beware: you never know what may happen when you are out to sea.

In Astra

Bee Dellepiane

When he’s sent to the prestigious Delphic Peak Preparatory School, seventeen-year-old Joaquin Moreno expects rich kids in uniforms who party too much. But he soon finds something far more unsettling. In Astra weaves in a therapeutic audio diary with experimental intermissions that have serious Invasion of the Body Snatchers vibes. This queer-led sci-fi tale is everything you would want from a YA novel, in the form of a fiction podcast.

White Privilege

Natasha Lewin

White Privilege is the story of Esther Edelsen, a Black and Jewish reporter who takes a much-needed job with Sly News, an ultra conservative network that doesn’t do “race rhetoric.” She gets the job by passing as white and is known to everyone in news as Ashley Allen, But Esther has to manage her emotions and expectations when confronted both by Sly News’ catering to white nationalists and by the world’s new approach to her white woman façade. White Privilege presents a full, descriptive view of Esther’s experiences, which are based on the Old Testament story of Queen Esther.

The Heart of Ether

Val West

The Heart of the Ether opens up with a letter to Rose. Writing letters to a loved one can be a soothing habit that turns into a diary of sorts to help to get one through everyday life, but this letter is different. It’s a letter that will never be sent with a feeling of a memory that leads into uncertainty of both past and future when the protagonist comments on a patch of mold in their home that they never noticed before. There’s the promise of something strange afoot in this horror mystery sprinkled with the essence of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper.

Station Arcadia

Eliana Esdi, Becker Hoang, Tovah Brantner

Each story in this diverse anthology is told by a different host, all broadcasting from a radio station on a mobile island. The characters and stories pass by like ships in the night, allowing Station Arcadia to be shrouded in mystery with promises of revolution in a dystopian world. Enjoy listening to the many moving mechanical gears of this anthology and discovering how they meld together to build a fantastical world.

No Small Rolls

David Knight, Ben Galpin, Chris Watts, Darrel Bailey, Grace Kelly Miller, Vicky Gaskin, Sean French-Byrne

In this D&D actual play, a charming small group of actors play strangers who wake up in a dark cave, unsure as to why they’re there or even where the exit is. An actual play where people play well together makes for a wonderfully entertaining experience, and this group clearly knows the value of the yes, and theory of improv in a tabletop game. If nothing else, make sure you listen to their original, extremely adorable theme tune.

The Path Down

Leslie Gideon

Vanessa Ortega is a telepath in her freshman year at college, struggling to control her powers and keep her friend Lucero from drifting away. Dexter Sullivan lost his parents two years prior, and is busy avoiding his grief while starting college to be an animator. They meet in class, head out to a diner, and maybe as they attempt to support their workload, they learn to support each other too. The Path Down is a science-fiction slice of life, created by Leslie Gideon (The Van, Sidetackle), and it handles grief, inner demons, and the inherently complicated nature of family and romantic relationships with tenderness.

Forgive Me!

Jack Marone, Bob Raymonda, Christie Donato, Adam Raymonda

The rules of the confessional are more like guidelines than official rules in the parish of Binghamton, New York. In this satirical religious comedy (which takes place entirely inside the confessional) young Father Ben steps in as a replacement priest and discovers an eccentric community often set in their ways. Forgive Me! features emotional, hilarious dialogues that reflect on sins and consequences, and the Catholic experience, and which propel you right back into those histories with clever sound design.

The Vanishing Act

Ian Geers, Lauren Grace Thompson, Daniel Etti-Williams

It’s 1933, and three extremely unlikely companions are hunting for the answers to the famous 1699 disappearance of magician Jean Jacquline Lemarque. The Vanishing Act is a satire in the vein of bleak and absurd British comedy, that includes recurring portrayals of the rise of fascism and antisemitism in the 1930s, with snark aimed directly at the oppressors. This story of theater, heists, and murder is perfect for fans of Victoriocity or Clue.

Love Don’t Live Here Anymore

Terrell Jackson, Ember Stone

Naomi Martin didn’t expect to find music producer Dwayne Washington in a bar, and she certainly didn’t expect to step into bed and business with him. But after the violent death of her mother, Naomi is ready to reach for her dreams in singing again. Love Don’t Live Here Anymore is an impressive two-person production, featuring music from several different Black artists.

Station Obscura

Zak Adams

The Station Obscura Earth team are constantly busy broadcasting the stories collected by intergalactic explorer Dr. Steve Apollo. In three-part entries, Dr. Apollo sends along whatever tales he picks up with his frequency interceptor, starting with “What Lies Beyond.” When a doctor gets lost on Mars, his partner must argue with the corporation who sent them to mount a rescue mission. What follows is a surprising and intimate exploration of humanity and artificial intelligence.

The Cast Perilous

Jeff Hessell, Josh, Kate, Tracey

For those who like their actual play to be as rules-light as possible, The Cast Perilous adventures into Dolmenwood, a weird faerie-tale forest found in the lore of Wormskin, with the Low Fantasy Gaming system. Their own homemade foley and occasional environmental soundscaping seeks to support the balance of dark atmosphere and whimsical moods this story has.

Hope’s Hearth

Izze Sykes, Danielle, Lindsey, Amber, Will

If you like your actual play to eschew the conventions of a Game Master at all, Hope’s Hearth has you covered. Playing through a variety of GM-less roleplaying games, this group intends to explore identity, community, and finding strength together in a dire situation. They open with a cute 4-episode run of Apotheosis, in which players build a culture together and change a legend over the course of time.

Forties AF

Tanisha Quilter-Williams, Steve Sneed

This slice-of-life podcast centers around three 40-odd-year-old friends who are single and overburdened with romance, family annoyances, and social expectations. Hope, Chanise, and Brianna support each other as they pick up the pieces and figure out if what they want is out there for them. This podcast is earnest and honest, digging in deep to romance, love, and what it means to open your heart.

The Elvet Mysteries

Kym Deyn, Jordan Montgomery

This horror mystery miniseries is set in Durham, a university town in England, where everything is steeped so much in history that the ghosts walk next to you on the street, as Livvy Jones discovers. Livvy documents the supernatural and weird, inviting the student body of her university to share whatever question they have that seems to have no answer. The writing shines in The Elvet Mysteries, gifting Livvy a voice made for uncertainty and shaky ground.

The Golden House

Ross Sutherland

From the creator of Imaginary Advice comes this experimental miniseries that doubles as a puzzle for audiences to solve. It centers on The Golden House, a podcast from a highly secretive tech company that released six episodes in 2018 before they were unceremoniously pulled down. Sutherland is a renowned creator of weird and complex audio stories, and this foray into fiction is one of his best yet.

CHOKKA

Luke Barnes, Nathan Powell

CHOKKA, a production between playwright Luke Barnes and youth theater program 20 Stories High, follows 16-year-old Jem as she deals with the feeling of being othered, finding a supportive community, and grappling with unexpected love. CHOKKA is an experimental production in which Jem’s story is paused in order for the members of 20 Stories High to share their own art reflecting on the situation portrayed.

This playlist was sponsored by Podchaser. Check out Podchaser’s Creator Profiles to find your favorite podcast hosts, producers, editors, guests, voice actors, and more!

The Bello Collective is a publication + newsletter about podcasts and the audio industry. Our goal is to bring together writers, journalists, and other voices who share a passion for the world of audio storytelling.

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