Escape Pod

Author : Sierra Bibi Narrator : Laurice White Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1043: The Smokejumpers is an Escape Pod original. Includes wildfires and peril. The Smokejumpers By Sierra Bibi When Fern jumps from the plane into the smoke for the very first time, she believes she has nothing […] Source

Author : Premee Mohamed Narrator : Dani Daly Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “More Tomorrow” was first published in Automata Review, March 2018, and previously published as Escape Pod 713, in January 2020. A few grade-A curses. More Tomorrow By Premee Mohamed DAY 5 Anyway, it turns out trilobites aren’t very […] Source

Author : Sharon Joss Narrator : Torin Andrus Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Love in the Time of Dust and Venom originally appeared in 2013 Fiction River – Time Travelers. Includes a form of assisted suicide. Sponsored by Mixtape Stories Love in the Time of Dust and Venom By Sharon Joss Using […] Source

Author : S. C. Mills Narrator : Hugo Jackson Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1040: Gods and Spirits Our Witnesses is an Escape Pod original. Loss of an infant Sponsored by Mixtape Stories Gods and Spirits Our Witnesses by S. C. Mills We met in a public-access data booth […] Source

Author : Tim Pratt Narrator : Isabel J. Kim Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “The Many Rebirths of Karina Morita” first appeared in 2025 on Tim’s Patreon Sponsored by Mixtape Stories The Many Rebirths of Karina Morita by Tim Pratt My problems all started when I died. People didn’t die too […] Source

Author : ace tilton ratcliff Narrator : Jordan Kurella Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1038: Meet the Mets is an Escape Pod original. Contains brief moments of violence and bigotry towards a transgender character Sponsored by Mixtape Stories Meet the Mets by Ace Tilton Ratcliff 1964 Bobby didn’t know […] Source

Author : Kelly Robson Narrator : Ibba Armancas Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Adam Pracht We Who Live in the Heart originally appeared in Clarkesworld, May 1, 2017. Quantum Superposition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_superposition Cloudward Ho https://dimension20.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Cloudward,_Ho! Void Merch https://voidmerch.threadless.com/collections/escape-artists-inc-x-voidmerch-1 We Who Live in the Heart (Part 3 of 3) By Kelly Robson (…Continued from Part […] Source

Author : Kelly Robson Narrator : Ibba Armancas Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Adam Pracht We Who Live in the Heart originally appeared in Clarkesworld, May 1, 2017. We Who Live in the Heart (Part 2 of 3) By Kelly Robson (…Continued from Part 2) Ricci got into my notes. I don’t keep […] Source

Author : Kelly Robson Narrator : Ibba Armancas Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Adam Pracht We Who Live in the Heart originally appeared in Clarkesworld, May 1, 2017. We Who Live in the Heart By Kelly Robson Ricci slipped in and out of consciousness as we carried her to the anterior sinus and […] Source

Author : Jacob Seinemeier Narrator : Elie Hirschman Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1034: “An Honour to be Nominated…” is an Escape Pod original. Mild profanity “An Honour to be Nominated…” by Jacob Seinemeier TRANSGALACTIC NEWS- straight from the feed to your screed! “…and how exciting to be gathered […] Source

Author : G. M. Paniccia Narrator : Christiana Ellis Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1033: The Automatic Grocery Store is an Escape Pod original. The Automatic Grocery Store By G. M. Paniccia It took thirty-six days, four hours, twelve minutes, and fifty-five seconds after the Glorious Revolution for Automatic […] Source

Author : Victoria N. Shi Narrator : Tatiana Grey Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “milt” first apeared in Fission #5 by the British Science Fiction Association (June 2025) Contains Injury/body horror, climate grief, implied sexual behavior milt by Victoria N. Shi The others believe there’s no pulling Yobé out of his […] Source

Author : Filip Hajdar Drnovšek Zorko Narrators : David D. Levine and S.B. Divya Hosts : Alasdair Stuart and Tina Connolly Audio Producers : Summer Brooks and Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1031: The Anatomy of Miracles (Flashback Friday) is an Escape Pod original. Escape Pod branded SleepPhones Kameron Hurley – The Last Few Years Broke […] Source

Author : Rodrigo Culagovski Narrator : Julia Rios Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1030: The Smell of the Planet I Was Born On is an Escape Pod original. The Smell of the Planet I Was Born On By Rodrigo Culagovski There are two moons visible, a large one right […] Source

Author : Myna Chang Narrator : Amanda Ching Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Graduated Justice originally appeared in Translunar Travelers Lounge, February 2025. Graduated Justice: An Amelia Li Mystery By Myna Chang I was leaning against my desk in the Mars Dome cop shop, rubbing nano-repair gel on my prosthetic leg, when […] Source

Author : Aimee Ogden Narrator : Isaac Harwood Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Copious helpings of harsh language descriptors found here. Don’t miss Parts 1 and 2: Escape Pod 1026: What Any Dead Thing Wants (Part 1 of 3), Escape Pod 1027: What Any Dead Thing Wants (Part 2 of 3) […] Source

Author : Aimee Ogden Narrator : Isaac Harwood Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Copious helpings of harsh language descriptors found here. Don’t miss Part 1: Escape Pod 1026: What Any Dead Thing Wants (Part 1 of 3) What Any Dead Thing Wants (Part 2) by Aimee Ogden Quiet is a rare […] Source

Author : Aimee Ogden Narrator : Isaac Harwood Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “What Any Dead Thing Wants” originally appeared in Psychopomp (February 2024) Copious helpings of harsh language descriptors found here. What Any Dead Thing Wants (Part 1) by Aimee Ogden The third week of a planetary exorcism is the […] Source

Author : Diana Wynne Jones Narrator : Emma Newman Hosts : Mur Lafferty and Alasdair Stuart Audio Producers : Adam Pracht and Mat Weller Samantha’s Diary originally appeared in Stories: All-New Tales Edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio and on Escape Pod, episode 427 on December 22, 2013. Samantha’s Diary By Diana Wynne Jones Recorded on BSQ SpeekEasi […] Source

Author : Laura Pearlman Narrator : Laura Pearlman Hosts : Alasdair Stuart and Summer Fletcher Audio Producer : Summer Brooks This story was originally published in Mothership Zeta, May 2016, and republished in Escape Pod 650: Some Things I Probably Should Have Mentioned Earlier (LIVE) This is a live reading from Worldcon 2018. Some Things […] Source

Author : David DeGraff Narrator : Brian Lieberman Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Mackson’s Mardi Gras Moon Race” originally appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Mackson’s Mardi Gras Moon Race by David DeGraff Turtles were built for short-haul Lunar prospecting, not treks across […] Source

Author : Kal M Narrators : Valerie Valdes, Eric Valdes, Dominick Rabrun and Alasdair Stuart Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Butter Side Down originally appeared in Writers of the Future (volume 40) – May 2024. Butter Side Down (Part 2 of 2) By Kal M   (…Continued from Part 1)   […] Source

Author : Kal M Narrators : Valerie Valdes, Eric Valdes, Dominick Rabrun and Alasdair Stuart Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Butter Side Down originally appeared in Writers of the Future (volume 40) – May 2024. Butter Side Down (Part 1 of 2) By Kal M DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT CASE FILE […] Source

Author : Natalia Theodoridou Narrator : Ibba Armancas Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Summer Brooks When They Come Back was originally published in Crossed Genres (Issue 22), in October 2014, and in Escape Pod Episode 550 Frank though not explicit reference to human sexual anatomy When They Come Back by Natalia Theodoridou They […] Source

Author : Renan Bernardo Narrator : Ben Gideon Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1019: Baron Quits The Payloaders is an Escape Pod original. Death of loved ones. Baron Quits The Payloaders By Renan Bernardo This story starts with a gig. Half a million people from all corners of the […] Source

Author : Marie Vibbert Narrator : Isabel J. Kim Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Knit Three, Save Four” first appeared in Fantasy & Science Fiction (November 2019) Knit Three, Save Four by Marie Vibbert The ship was two days overdue for docking, more or less. As a stowaway, I didn’t have […] Source

Author : Andrew Dana Hudson Narrator : Valerie Valdes Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1017: The Love Pyramid: A Rocky Cornelius Consultancy is an Escape Pod original. F-Bombs and frank discussions of sex. The Love Pyramid: A Rocky Cornelius Consultancy By Andrew Dana Hudson “What do you mean you […] Source

Author : N.K. Jemisin Narrator : Stephanie Malia Morris Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Valedictorian” was originally published in After: Nineteen Stories of Apocalypse and Dystopia. It then appeared in Escape Pod 450, and in a Flashback Friday episode in Escape Pod 677 Valedictorian by N. K. Jemisin There are three […] Source

Author : Elly Bangs Narrator : Christiana Ellis Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Space Pirate Queen of the Ten Billion Utopias” was first published in Lightspeed Magazine in November 2021 Copious amounts of casual strong language. This story was written in the summer of 2020, while the police were rioting and […] Source

Author : Elizabeth Bear Narrator : Jess Lewis Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Here Instead of There was originally published in COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN, 2023, Jonathan Strahan, Ed. Includes some grade-A cursing. Here Instead of There (Part 2 of 2) By Elizabeth Bear (… Continued from Part 1) With the launch gone, there […] Source

Author : Elizabeth Bear Narrator : Jess Lewis Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Here Instead of There was originally published in COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN, 2023, Jonathan Strahan, Ed. Includes some grade-A cursing. Here Instead of There (Part 1 of 2) By Elizabeth Bear Waking up sick in a punk house shouldn’t be a […] Source

Author : J. R. Dewitt Narrator : Rebecca Wei Hsieh Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1012: Hot Bot Summer is an Escape Pod original. Contains depictions of war violence. Hot Bot Summer by J. R. Dewitt “God, these bots are gorgeous,” says Sergei as he snaps another photo. And even though […] Source

Author : Kelsey Hutton Narrator : Kat Day Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Once Upon a Planet originally appeared in Augur Magazine, Issue 7.1 – August 2024. Once Upon a Planet By Kelsey Hutton Once upon a time, there were three boring, totally normal planets lazily circling their sun. One was too […] Source

Author : Cooper C. Wilms Narrator : Eric Valdes Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1010: Grifting the Zaxonite is an Escape Pod original. Grifting the Zaxonite by Cooper C. Wilms Of all the cons in his little black book, Trevor McKay liked his current grift the best. Small-fish stunts […] Source

Author : Arden Baker Narrator : Jess Lewis Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Adam Pracht The Combat Pilot’s Dictionary was originally published in Aurealis #167, Febuary 2024. Wartime action and injury. The Combat Pilot’s Dictionary By Arden Baker Boot Rookie pilot. See also – nugget. You called us ‘boots’ when we turned up to […] Source

Author : Tim Pratt Narrator : A Kovacs Host : Alasdair Stuart Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Observer Effects” originally appeared in Diet Soap (2007), and was originally presented in Escape Pod 350 Contains harsh language Escape Pod is proud to say that we have partnered with Sleepphones headphones to provide a special Escape Pod […] Source

Author : Hans Ege Wenger Narrator : Sevatividam Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1007: 35 / F / Lane’s Creek, Oklahoma is an Escape Pod original. 35 / F / Lane’s Creek, Oklahoma By Hans Ege Wenger Sandra loaded. Boxes and pallets, mostly. Full of avocados, computer chips, plastic […] Source

Author : Albert Chu Narrator : Hugo Jackson Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “When the Oracle Speaks” was first published in Metaphororsis, July 2023 When the Oracle Speaks (Part 2) by Albert Chu Outside the warehouse, the rain fell in sheets. It whipped the Azure River into a frenzy, and the […] Source

Author : Albert Chu Narrator : Hugo Jackson Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “When the Oracle Speaks” was first published in Metaphororsis, July 2023 When the Oracle Speaks (Part 1) by Albert Chu One year after the war’s end, the royal court welcomed a hundred orphan boys into our ranks. They […] Source

Author : David von Allmen Narrator : Pine Gonzalez Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1004: The Girl Who Came Before is an Escape Pod original. Child death and disease; grief. The Girl Who Came Before By David von Allmen When me and my family pulled into our driveway, my […] Source

Author : Vanessa Ricci-Thode Narrator : Valerie Valdes Host : Mur Lafferty Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1003: Billionaire’s Tears is an Escape Pod original. Includes cursing, death by communicable disease (albeit not by the usual means). Billionaire’s Tears By Vanessa Ricci-Thode I wake up to the sound of screaming, and know I’m […] Source

Author : Risa Wolf Narrator : Julia Rios Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Tigers for Sale was first published in Clarkesworld Magazine in July 2023 Content warnings: colonialism, implied genocide, psychological manipulation Tigers for Sale by Risa Wolf Past the sparrow-dark dust fields of Far Euniply, at the edge of the […] Source

Author : Ryan Cole Narrator : Tatiana Grey Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Escape Pod 1001: Death by Pink in the Lollipop Apocalypse is an Escape Pod original. Death by Pink in the Lollipop Apocalypse By Ryan Cole In the dark of her bed, curled up in her sheets, Susie tried […] Source

Author : Matt Wallace Narrator : Mur Lafferty Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks Escape Pod 1000: A Thousand Names for God and Infinite Mustard is an Escape Pod original. Contains some harsh language A Thousand Names for God and Infinite Mustard by Matt Wallace Kimo found God hiding out inside a […] Source

Author : Rachel Swirsky Narrator : Mur Lafferty Hosts : Alasdair Stuart and Norm Sherman Audio Producers : Adam Pracht and Mur Lafferty Eros, Philia, Agape originally appeared on Tor.com and first appeared on Escape Pod on Episode 250, July 22, 2010. Marital strife and implied child abuse Eros, Philia, Agape (Excerpt) By Rachel Swirsky The […] Source

Author : Kelsey Hutton Narrator : Samantha Loney Host : Tina Connolly Audio Producer : Adam Pracht The Carina Nebula originally appeared in Analog Science Fiction & Fact, July/August 2023. Includes a few A-grade curses. The Carina Nebula By Kelsey Hutton I heard the soft shit shit shit just when I’d almost floated past the blue […] Source

Author : Alexis Ames Narrator : Eric Valdes Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Sanctuary” first appeared in Kyanite Press, Winter 2020 Don’t miss “Sanctuary, Part 1” Sanctuary (Part 2) by Alexis Ames 3. Eilan slept for thirteen uneventful hours while I sat at the helm and wondered if it was possible […] Source

Author : Alexis Ames Narrator : Eric Valdes Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Summer Brooks “Sanctuary” first appeared in Kyanite Press, Winter 2020 Sanctuary (Part 1) by Alexis Ames 1. The king of the galaxy died the day before the biggest holiday of the year, and six hours before I was supposed to […] Source

Author : Jeremiah Tolbert Narrator : Serah Eley Hosts : Alasdair Stuart and Serah Eley Audio Producers : Adam Pracht and Serah Eley This, My Body originally appeared in Interzone 2005. Contains graphic sexual and culinary scenes. Rated X. This, My Body (Excerpt) By Jeremiah Tolbert I am the lover. I am the chef. I am the […] Source

Author : Esther Alter Narrators : Hugo Jackson, Jess Lewis, Serah Eley and Joe Moran Host : Valerie Valdes Audio Producer : Adam Pracht Escape Pod 994: Magical Girl Antifa War Machine is an Escape Pod original. NSFW. Includes violence, death, mental health issues, global disaster, explicit sex, consensual BDSM, war trauma, a brief mention […] Source