Solstice Story: Nutcracker and the Shape Shifter - Extended Version

Celebrate the solstice with a story that intertwines the magic of the Nutcracker with the urgency of world peace and environmental and climate action. Jack Eidt reads from his short story ‘Nutcracker and the Shapeshifter,’ a re-imagined classic that dances to the tune of environmental and social justice. Featuring a blend of fantastical characters and real-world issues, this episode of EcoJustice Radio is a call to action, wrapped in the wonder of a holiday tale, set to the enchanting music of Tchaikovsky’s ballet. Enjoy this tale of rebellion, peace, and the power of the natural world. Based on The Nutcracker, a two-act ballet, with an 1892 score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The ballet libretto was adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Here we present Jack’s own pro-peace-environmental re-imagining of that story, called The Nutcracker and the Shape Shifter, published in 2022 in the Fifth Fedora Anthology of Weird Noir and Stranger Tales, Published by Borda Books. We also feature excerpts of Tchaikovsky's ballet, the Nutcracker, Opus 71, recorded by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin, featuring Boys' Choirs Rijnmond, Rivierenland and Waterland conducted by Arie Hoek [https://youtu.be/tk5Uturacx8?si=TIKVwp0zz_7R_zaH]. Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs. Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Story by Jack Eidt Background Music: The Nutcracker, Opus 71, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Performance by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin, featuring Boys' Choirs Rijnmond, Rivierenland and Waterland conducted by Arie Hoek Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Episode 201 Photo: Jack Eidt