PODCAST · arts
Dispatches with Jonny Eberle
by Obscure Studios
Dispatches from the creative life. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer. In each bite-sized episode, take a dive into Jonny's writing process, hear excerpts from his fiction, and follow along as he travels the world. Learn more at www.jweberle.com. Dispatches with Jonny Eberle is a production of Obscure Studios. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
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The Most Human Thing
To celebrate the 50th episode of Dispatches with Jonny Eberle, Jonny reflects on the power of oral storytelling, from stories shared by our ancestors around the fire to today's proliferation of podcasts. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer. He lives in Tacoma, WA…
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A Light Always Burns
Just in time for Halloween, Jonny shares his ghost story "A Light Always Burns" which won second prize in the 2024 Typewriter Chicago Short Story Contest. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer. He lives in Tacoma, WA, with his family, a dog, and three adorable...
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What Do Your Characters Want?
Conflict is the engine that drives stories forward. Without it, you're pretty much guaranteed that your story will go nowhere. So how does this aspect of story get overlooked? In this episode, we'll dive into the whole story—from A to Z—in search of that missing element. Jonny Eberle is a writer,...
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Recipe for Rejection
In writing and cooking, there is a chance that you'll serve up a dish that makes someone turn up their nose. But when you get it right, there's no better feeling. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer. He lives in Tacoma, WA, with his family, a dog, and three adorable...
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The Artificial Voice
In today's episode, how do we preserve the beauty and joy of human communication with AI large language models on the rise? Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer. He lives in Tacoma, WA, with his family, a dog, and three adorable typewriters. His fiction has appeared in...
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Embracing the eReader
In today's episode, a physical book purist steps into the wide world of e-books, embracing a technology that's finally come of age, and the mental health benefits of reclaiming time from social media and doomscrolling. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer. He lives in...
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One Thought and It's Done
In today's episode, voice actor William C. McDonald narrates Jonny's newest short story, "If Your Subconscious Thoughts Were Leaked by Cognivast, You Could Be Entitled to Payment From a Class Action Lawsuit," a cautionary tale about big tech and data privacy. Plus, a bonus trailer for "The...
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The Barber and the Tyrant
In 1940, with 88% of Americans opposed to getting involved in WWII, Charlie Chaplin embarked on his most ambitious, most controversial film. The result was The Great Dictator, a movie that wears its antifascist politics on its sleeve. In today's episode, we dive into the 4-minute speech that…
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Night Watch, 1916
In today's episode, I share my latest short story, "Night Watch, 1916," which was published this spring in Culterate Magazine Issue 3. It is read by award-winning voice actor Erika Sanderson. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer. He lives in Tacoma, WA with his family…
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Decolonizing My Bookshelf
Welcome to Season 5 of Dispatches! In this episode, we discuss Juneteenth, the legacy of slavery in America, and my effort to diversify the books I read. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer. He lives in Tacoma, WA with his family, a dog, and three adorable…
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Late Nights and Stolen Moments
In this episode, a look inside my chaotic but surprisingly effective writing process as a send-off to Season 4 of Dispatches. I'll be back this summer with new episodes about writing, travel, and the creative process. In the meantime, please rate, review, and share with a friend! Jonny Eberle is…
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Resistance Writers
In this episode, I reflect on the dark political moment in the United States and the responsibility writers and artists have to stand up to authoritarianism. And we'll talk about what kinds of stories can inspire change at this moment in history. CW: U.S. politics Jonny Eberle is a writer,...
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Stories Belong to Everyone
In this episode, I talk about why J.K. Rowling and George Lucas were wrong to continually revise and reinvent their fictional worlds. These two stories are cautionary tales not only about criticism and knowing when to quit, but also about the nature of stories themselves. If you love a piece of...
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Staring Down a Blank Page
In this episode, a little writing advice for the New Year about writing first lines. The first line gets a lot of attention, from "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" to "It was a bright, cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen." But we must remember that the real...
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Obscure Origins
My film and audio production company, Obscure Studios, is 20 years old this month. To celebrate, I sat down with my friend and co-conspirator William C. McDonald to discuss our early filmmaking efforts, the agony of burning DVDs, our pivot to podcasts, and where we’re headed next. We’re also...
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Pyrocene
It shouldn't come as a surprise that a kid who grew up in the American Southwest during the worst drought in that region in over 1,000 years would grow up to write a lot about fire. Wildfires were on my mind when I wrote the short story "Pyrocene." The title was coined by Prof. Stephen Pyne to...
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Confessions of a Name-Obsessed Writer
What's in a name? Names are a powerful tool in a writer's toolbox—they can tell us a lot about a character and the world you're creating. In today's episode, we talk about literary names and where to find them. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer. He lives in Tacoma…
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Write What You Want
This is probably the most obvious writing advice, but it's the pep talk I needed to hear 10 years ago. If you're an artist of any kind, you can and should create what makes you happy. You have my permission to take risks and ignore the mainstream. You do you. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster,...
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Save My Spot on the Shelf
I have this weird compulsion whenever I'm in a bookstore to find the spot on the shelf where my future books will live. I know it's silly, but it motivates me. And it led me to a brush with a bestselling, critically-acclaimed author., who offered me a note of encouragement to keep going. Jonny...
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Reviews of Sanctuary Creek Honey Farm
To kick off Season 4 of Dispatches, I share a short story that Creative Colloquy recently published in their ninth anthology. It's a story told in the form of online reviews about a strange place that's getting even stranger. I hope you enjoy it. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker…
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Three Adorable Typewriters
Season finale! It's a recurring joke in my bio that I live with my family, a dog, and three adorable typewriters. In today's episode, we meet three vintage manual typewriters, explore their history and quirks, and find out why I like these old-fashioned writing machines so much. Consider this a...
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When It's Time to Say Goodbye to Your Books
Big changes are happening in my life. After years of collecting books, I've reached a point in my life when I need to get rid of some of my books. At first, I dreaded it, but as I went along, I realized that maybe now is the best time to let someone else appreciate the books that have brought me…
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For the Love of the Written Word
Creative Colloquy, the South Sound literary nonprofit that I'm involved with is celebrating its 10th anniversary! As someone who was there almost from the beginning, I talk a bit about the organization and why I love it. If you're in Tacoma on Monday, March 18, we're having a party with live…
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The Inspiration Trap
Happy New Year! As you make your writerly resolutions, I'd like to offer this advice—stop waiting around for inspiration and start doing the work. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer. He lives in Tacoma, WA with his family, a dog, and three adorable typewriters. His...
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The Complicated Ethics of Travel Writing
It's hard enough to make ethical choices at home, let alone on an international vacation. What duty do travel writers have to steer readers toward eco-friendly, culturally appropriate ways of travel? Can we move the tourism industry away from destructive practices and what do we do when we think…
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Fuel for the Machine
Tech giants are making billions of dollars from their A.I. chatbots, which are trained on content they scrape from websites across the internet—websites like mine. Are artificial intelligence companies violating writers' copyrights? Where do we go from here? Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster,...
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Tales of Nostalgia, Part 3: Blast From the Past
There are themes writers are drawn to over and over again. For me, one of those themes is the idea of nostalgia. In this three-part series, I'll unpack what nostalgia means and how it shapes the stories I tell. In this episode, we discuss retrofuturism—stories of the future as told through the…
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Tales of Nostalgia, Part 2: Anemoia
There are themes writers are drawn to over and over again. For me, one of those themes is the idea of nostalgia. In this three-part series, I'll unpack what nostalgia means and how it shapes the stories I tell. In this episode, we're going to focus on a type of nostalgia that transcends reality...
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Tales of Nostalgia, Part 1: A Slice of Americana Pie
There are themes writers are drawn to over and over again. For me, one of those themes is the idea of nostalgia. In this three-part series, I'll unpack what nostalgia means and how it shapes the stories I tell. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer. He lives in Tacoma…
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Firemaker
"His dreams were growing more vivid all the time. It was a side effect of the strain of time travel on the human mind." To kick off season three, Jonny reads his speculative short story, Firemaker, which was originally published in 2020 by All Worlds Wayfarer. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster,...
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Dispatches with Jonny Eberle (Trailer)
This is “Dispatches with Jonny Eberle,” a podcast about writing, travel, and the creative process. In each bite-sized episode, I take you inside the writing life. We’ll talk about everything from what it takes to write a novel to where inspiration comes from to how the places we call home…
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Interview: "Perilous Times" by Thomas D. Lee
Jonny interviews fantasy author Thomas D. Lee about his debut novel, which is out now. Perilous Times is a contemporary fantasy that pits the Knights of the Round Table against the existential threats of the 21st century, like political polarization and climate change. We discuss the inspiration...
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A Trek Through the Stars
As a kid, the Star Trek franchise had a profound effect on me, but it wasn't until I was a teenager playing a text-based roleplay game that Star Trek began to influence my growth as a writer and storyteller. While I mostly write original sci-fi these days, I'd be happy to sit down with Alex...
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A Stranger Rides Into Town
There are a lot of story structures out there—the Hero's Journey, Dan Harmon's Story Circle—but in this episode, Jonny introduces a far simpler alternative, a stranger rides into town, its history, and how to use it to drive your plot forward. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and...
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Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Human Writers?
Does ChatGPT have what it takes to compete with humans in the realm of creative writing? In this dispatch, Jonny investigates whether A.I. language models can write as well as he can—and comes to some startling conclusions about the future of the craft of writing. Jonny Eberle is a writer,...
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The Observable Universe
"I want to swim in the canals on Mars," says the mysterious man in Jonny Eberle's 2014 short story, "The Observable Universe," a piece about life, death, and our place in the vast universe. The story originally appeared in Creative Colloquy Vol. 1, which you can find at creativecolloquy.com.…
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The Brutal, Delicate Art of Revision
It this dispatch, Jonny lays out his evolving thinking on how to revise fiction with a simple framework—chainsaw edits vs. scalpel edits—and how it took him so long to finally accept that editing is an integral part of the writing process. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and...
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How I Finished the First Draft of My Novel
In today's dispatch, Jonny explains how he went from a concept to the first draft of a novel in four months with three simple ingredients: an unpredictable sleep schedule, Google Docs for iPhone, and a whole lot of determination. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer.…
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Bad Air and Bitter Herbs
In today's dispatch, Jonny reads his short story "Bad Air and Bitter Herbs" published by Creative Colloquy in 2020. This piece of fiction asks us to imagine a world where the medieval plague doctor never entirely disappeared and the legacy of the Black Death lingers over a modern-day pandemic....
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In Search of Monkeyshine
Happy Early Lunar New Year! In today's dispatch, Jonny shares his first experience of participating in monkeyshines, a quirky annual tradition where glass artists hide handcrafted floats and medallions around the city of Tacoma to create a massive annual scavenger hunt. Special thanks to my...
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Mickey Mouse Killed the Public Domain
In 1998, a mouse changed U.S. copyright law forever—and nearly destroyed the public domain in the process. In today's dispatch, Jonny talks about the importance of the public domain for artists and writers, how corporations have pushed for absurd extensions to copyright terms in order to profit…
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For Auld Lang Syne
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? In today's dispatch, Jonny shares a piece he wrote on New Year's Eve 2019, just weeks before a global pandemic upended everyone's lives. In the before times, he reflects on the turning of a new decade and what we bring with us from the...
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The Evidence for Coal
Sit back and pour yourself some hot cocoa because in today's dispatch, Jonny shares his holiday-themed short story, "The Evidence for Coal." Special thanks to William McDonald for his narration. You can learn more about William on his website. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and...
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The Writer Goes to NYC
New York, New York. In today's dispatch, a story about writing, creativity, and travel takes us all the way to the Big Apple. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer. He lives in Tacoma, WA with his family, a dog, and three adorable typewriters. His fiction has appeared…
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Return to Earthsea
Only in silence the word, only in dark the light. In today's dispatch, Jonny revisits Ursula K. LeGuin's groundbreaking fantasy novel "A Wizard of Earthsea" and how it influenced his development as a writer. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer. He lives in Tacoma, WA...
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Writing When You Don't Have the Time or Energy
How does anyone write when life gets in the way? In today's dispatch/confession/pep talk, Jonny talks about when to push through creative roadblocks and when to rest, reset, and come back to your writing later. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer. He lives in Tacoma…
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The Many Faces of Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving! In today's celebratory dispatch, Jonny reflects on a lifetime of Thanksgivings and his evolving understanding of the holiday's roots. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer. He lives in Tacoma, WA with his family, a dog, and three adorable…
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Meet Your Host
Whose podcast is this, anyway? In today's dispatch, we back up a little and get to know our host, Jonny Eberle, by talking about his published fiction, film, and audio drama projects, discussing his love for storytelling, and teasing what you can expect in future episodes of the show. Jonny…
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How to Steal Copper Wire
In today's dispatch, Jonny reads his 2017 short story, "How to Steal Copper Wire" which was published by Creative Colloquy and later appeared in Grit City Magazine. He also talks about the inspiration behind the piece and cautions against actually committing this crime. CW: Violence. Jonny Eberle...
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The First Great Pandemic Novel
In today's dispatch, Jonny reviews the novel Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel and discusses the difficulties of writing about a fictional pandemic while you're living through a real one. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer. He lives in Tacoma, WA with his...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Dispatches from the creative life. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer. In each bite-sized episode, take a dive into Jonny's writing process, hear excerpts from his fiction, and follow along as he travels the world. Learn more at www.jweberle.com. Dispatches with Jonny Eberle is a production of Obscure Studios.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
HOSTED BY
Obscure Studios
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Dispatches with Jonny Eberle have?
Dispatches with Jonny Eberle currently has 51 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Dispatches with Jonny Eberle about?
Dispatches from the creative life. Jonny Eberle is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and photographer. In each bite-sized episode, take a dive into Jonny's writing process, hear excerpts from his fiction, and follow along as he travels the world. Learn more at www.jweberle.com. Dispatches with Jonny...
How often does Dispatches with Jonny Eberle release new episodes?
Dispatches with Jonny Eberle has 51 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Dispatches with Jonny Eberle?
You can listen to Dispatches with Jonny Eberle on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Dispatches with Jonny Eberle?
Dispatches with Jonny Eberle is created and hosted by Obscure Studios.
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