The Cryptonaturalist

"Crypto" is a slippery prefix, and it's best to be careful with it. Thanks to Evan Dicken for writing the bulk of today’s episode. By day, Evan Dicken studies old Japanese Maps and crunches data for medical research at Ohio State University. By night, he does neither of these things. His audio fiction can be heard performed on: The NoSleep Podcast, Pseudopod, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and Podcastle. He also writes media tie-in fiction for Legend of the Five Rings and Warhammer: Age of Sigmar. If you've got nothing better to do, feel free to visit him at www.evandicken.com.Thanks to Matthew Zahnzinger for voicing our CryptoNumismatist. Matthew is an amateur chef, a would-be world traveler, and still very much a stage actor in the Greater Boston area. If you're also in the area, check out TheatreUnCorked.com for info on his next performance in "The Lion in Winter" this December. He has been a regular cast member on The Penumbra Podcast, and a featured guest on Second Star to the Left. Reach out to him for voice acting inquiries at [email protected] theme for the CryptoNumismatist is the Song “Homeward,” by Scott Buckley. CC licensed: https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.  For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books. You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com. Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com. Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.

Autumn is full of fun, cozy traditions, like keeping watch on the knothole man so he doesn’t reach too far into our world.Thanks to Harrison Hamm for this episode’s hidden lore segment. Harrison Hamm is an LA-based poet, screenwriter, and essayist originally from rural Tennessee. Selected for fellowships with New York Stage & Film Filmmakers Workshop, Diverso's The Minority Report, and Roadmap Writers, he has also received research grants for interdisciplinary academic, creative, and pedagogic pursuits at his alma mater Loyola Marymount University. Writing can be found published/forthcoming in The Missouri Review's "Poem of the Week," West Trade Review's "Ecobloomspaces" anthology, Pacific Coast Poetry's "Poetry Goes to the Movies" anthology, Fatal Flaw Literary, Broken Antler, Hominum Journal, Susurrus & more at harrisonhamm.com.Thanks to Rhys Lawton for voicing this episode’s hidden lore. Rhys Lawton is an award winning performer, writer and director based in London. With over a decade of performance experience, and skills that include puppeteering, improvisational role play, interactive performance, and voice acting, Rhys can bring any character to life. Most recently he has been heard as Press Secretary Carson in the Silt Verses and Gryffudd in The Amelia Project. He has one cat at present.The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.  For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books. You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com. Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com. Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com. Stay Curious. Stay Wild. Stay Weird. 

Best to have a telepathic microphone when searching for cryptid dragonflies. Sometimes the simple, straightforward solutions are the best option.Thanks to Luísa Black Ellis for this week’s hidden lore poetry. Luísa is a Brazilian-American poet and self-taught ecologist methodically inspecting mosses in traditional Nansemond and Chesepian territory. She lives a quiet and devotional life in a monastery with her husband, renowned interdisciplinary artist JJJJJerome Ellis. Her loyalties lie with the lichens. Consider supporting her work with the Tidewater Solidarity Bail Fund by visiting 757bailfund.com. The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. Preorders for Jarod K. Anderson’s new memoir about loving nature and struggling with depression are now open. Visit JarodKAnderson.com for more information. To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.  For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books. You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com. Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com. 

This episode is an audiobook preview for Something in the Woods Loves You, Jarod K. Anderson's new memoir coming this September from Timber Press and Hachette Books. For more information, visit JarodKAnderson.com.

Many seemingly common corvids are cryptids. There’s a world of difference between perceiving a thing and knowing the full story.Thanks to Jamie Lackey for today’s hidden lore. Jamie Lackey lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and their cats. She has had over 200 short stories published in places like Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Apex Magazine, and Escape Pod. In addition to writing, she spends her time reading, playing tabletop RPGs, and hiking. Check out Jamie’s new short story collection Shadows on Glass and Other Stories - "From sentient stuffed animals to haunted terpsitones to friendly toasts, this whimsical and unsettling collection of weird little stories contains something for everyone."  And check out her new novel!  Toil and Trouble: A Pride and Prejudice Retelling, which is a Pride and Prejudice retelling with witches. Find out more at www.jamielackey.com. Thanks to Richard Parrington for voicing today’s field report. Richard is an amateur British voice actor who fled the U.K for Ohio after it was exposed that he doesn’t like tea. The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson.  Preorders for Jarod K. Anderson’s new memoir about loving nature and struggling with depression are now open. Visit JarodKAnderson.com for more information. To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.   For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books.  You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com.  This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com.  Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com.  Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.  Stay Curious. Stay Wild. Stay Weird. 

Volunteering is a great reminder that many of the most important things in life don’t involve money changing hands.Thanks to Bennett Berardi for this week’s hidden lore poem. Bennett is an arborist and honorary goblin moonlighting as a gardener-poet in Nevada County, California. He draws inspiration from forests, fields, and fairy realms as well as the works of Gary Snyder, Mary Oliver, and the vibrant community of contemporary haiku and eco poets around the world. You can find a trove of photographic baubles, poetic odds and ends, and the word of the day on his Instagram @poem.sowerThanks to Angela M Cowan for writing today’s Field Report. Angela is a writer, editor and hedge witch living on a small island off the West Coast of Canada. She loves strange fiction and fairy tales, and can often be found spending too much time listening to mosses and small stones. Her flash fiction has been published in Idle Ink, and poetry is forthcoming in Clarion Magazine. Follow her Substack newsletter Inksmithing for monthly-ish writing exercises, creative inspiration, occasional fiction and general witchery. When she's not wandering the woods, you can find her at www.angelamcowan.com.Thanks to Amanda Milstein for voicing Dr. Minerva Pond. Learn more about Amanda’s work at www.AmandaMilstein.com.

Contentment is both a skill and a gift we grant ourselves. The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. Preorders for Jarod K. Anderson’s new memoir about loving nature and struggling with depression are now open. Visit JarodKAnderson.com for more information. To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend. For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books. You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com. Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com.

Ebbing and flowing, teaming with life, soft to the touch. Some things are better left to themselves.Thanks to Emily Kramer for today’s hidden lore poem “An Absence of Ants.” Emily is a poet from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with an MA in English from Ohio University. She currently works at a nonprofit for domestic violence and crime survivors. Outside of work, she loves hiking, playing cozy video games, and spending time with her two cats. Her work has appeared in Ghost City Review, Split Rock Review, and more.The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. Preorders for Jarod K. Anderson’s new memoir about loving nature and struggling with depression are now open. Visit JarodKAnderson.com for more information. To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend. For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books. You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com. Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com. Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.

Night is Earth’s shadow and many creatures call it home. The moon’s shadow is a different sort of night entirely. Thanks to Nicolette Nuytten for today’s hidden lore, “Water Beetles.” Nicolette works at the library and spends her free time walking in the woods or reading everything she can get her grubby little hands on. She lives in Manitoba with her wife and a little grey chinchilla. You can find her at www.nicolettenuytten.com or on Twitter @LibraryNiiThe CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. Preorders for Jarod K. Anderson’s new memoir about loving nature and struggling with depression are now open. Visit JarodKAnderson.com for more information. To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend. For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books. You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com. Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com. Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.

What counts as a ghost is, perhaps, open to interpretation. Thanks to Steve Shell for voicing today’s field report. Steve is a co-creator, writer, and voice of the narrator on the Old Gods of Appalachia podcast. Old Gods is entering the homestretch of their fourth season and will be heading out on tour again this summer. Thanks to Emilie Lygren for today’s hidden lore poem, “Chrysalis.” Emilie Lygren is a poet and educator who has published poems in several literary journals and anthologies and developed dozens of publications focused on outdoor science education. Her first collection of poems, What We Were Born For, was selected by the Young People’s Poet Laureate as the Poetry Foundation’s monthly book pick for February 2022. Emilie lives in San Rafael, California, where she wonders about oaks and teaches poetry in local classrooms. Find her online at: emilielygren.comThanks to Leslie Anderson for reading today’s hidden lore. You know Leslie as the voice of Cassandra and the voice of the credits. You may not know that Leslie has a new horror novel coming this August from Quirk Books. The book is titled The Unmothers and it’s a folk horror-mystery about a journalist going to a small town to investigate a rumor about a horse giving birth to a healthy, human baby. “The Unmothers is exquisite and haunting in equal measure. . . . Nauseatingly tense and crushingly insightful. This book represents an absolutely vital entry into the horror canon.”—Sarah Gailey, nationally best-selling author of The Echo Wife and Just Like HomeFor preorder information, visit LeslieJAnderson.com Preorders for Jarod K. Anderson’s new memoir about loving nature and struggling with depression are now open. Visit JarodKAnderson.com for more information. To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.  The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books. You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com. Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com. Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com. 

An early morning record focusing on starting the day The CryptoNaturalist way. Thanks to Joseph Giglio for today’s hidden lore, “The Sky.” Joseph is currently an MFA student at George Mason University and originally from Buffalo, NY. He has been previously published in Corvus Review and Dead Fern Press amongst others. He is often somewhere he shouldn't be looking for birds or ghosts, but never bird ghosts. You can find him @JoeWritesWeird on Twitter.Thanks to Ella Watts for voicing today’s hidden lore segment. Ella is a queer, disabled director, writer and producer of audio fiction in all of its many forms. She's currently Head of Production at Six to Start, the company behind audio drama and fitness app ZRX. She's also releasing an audio drama series she wrote and directed called Camlann. It's a post-apocalyptic urban fantasy inspired by folklore and Arthurian legends. Ella is an advocate for audio fiction in all of its forms, and longtime fan of The Cryptonaturalist.To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend. The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books. You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com. Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com. Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com. Stay Curious. Stay Wild. Stay Weird.

There’s something playing music just down the path, but that isn’t the only worthy mystery beneath the trees. Today’s hidden lore was “The Bone Mother’s Daughter” by Tim Goldstone. Tim Goldstone is based on a true event. He has roamed widely and currently writes in remote rural Wales  Published internationally in numerous print and online journals and anthologies, including The Speculative Book, Altered States, Veil: Journal of Darker Musings, Selcouth Station, I Become The Beast, DarkWinter, Medusa’s Kitchen, Pyre, Toil & Trouble, Coven Poetry, Dark Fire Fiction, Red Wolf Periodical, and forthcoming in Flash - The International Short-Short Story magazine, among other venues. His prose sequence was read on stage at The Hay Festival, and his poetry presented on Digging for Wales. Scriptwriting credits for TV, radio, theatre. Loiters in twitter @muddygoldThanks to Amanda Milstein for voicing this episode’s hidden lore. Amanda Milstein is a personal friend of the podcast, amateur voice actor and full-time nerd. You can also hear her as Vendetta Violent on the Violent Life Podcast. Find her at: amandamilstein.com/To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.  The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books. You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com. Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com. Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.

The Feather Fountain is as beautiful as it is deadly and it’s plenty of both. Thanks to Cecil Baldwin for voicing the Stairway Keeper. Cecil has long been one of my favorite voices in podcasting and you can hear him on the show that first inspired me to create audio-fiction, Welcome to Night Vale. Thanks to Kathryn Nuernberger for today’s hidden lore poem. Kathryn is the author of THE WITCH OF EYE, essays about witches and witch trials, and RUE, poems about plants historically used for birth control. ADVANCED POETRY, a textbook on reading and writing poetry co-authored with Maya Jewell Zeller was just released in January. She is currently writing a collection of essays about symbiotic mutualism, mutual aid, and ways of being together in an age of climate crises. Find her online at: kathrynnuernberger.comTo find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend. The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books. You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com. Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com. Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.

The mirror falls, like all water, links us to many other versions of ourself. Thanks to Cat Stone for lending her voice to this episode. Hidden lore poetry by Matt Dennison. Matt is the author of Kind Surgery, from Urtica Press (Fr.) and Waiting for Better, from Main Street Rag Press. His poetry has appeared in Verse Daily, Rattle, Bayou Magazine, Redivider and Cider Press Review, among others. His fiction has appeared in ShortStory Substack, THEMA, GUD, The Blue Crow (Aus), Prole (UK), The Wondrous Real, and is forthcoming in Story Unlikely.To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend. The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books. You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com. Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com. Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.

The Uneasiness waits and watches somewhere beyond dark windows. Thanks to Tim Murphy for his hidden lore poem “Wildness Unafraid.” Tim Murphy (he/him) is a disabled, bisexual poet who lives in Portland, Oregon. His writing explores disability and our complex, tenuous relationship to the more-than-human world. Tim's poetry appears in Wordgathering, Remington Review, Writers Resist, The Long COVID Reader, and more. “Wildness Unafraid” originally appeared in Writers Resist. You can find him on Instagram and Twitter (@brokenwingpoet). To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend. The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books. You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com. Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com. Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.

Rumor has it the mecha-shrew is extinct, but not all rumors are trustworthy.  Thanks to Emily Benson for this episode’s hidden lore poem, “On the Question of the Happiness of Clams.” Emily Benson lives in Western New York with her husband and two sons. Previous publications include Deep Wild Journal, Gastropoda, Literary Mama, Moist Poetry Journal, Paddler Press, and The Dillydoun Review. Her work can be found at www.emilybensonpoet.com. To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend.   The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson.  For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books.  You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com.  This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com.  Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com.  Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.

The Shadow Fly drinks from your shadow, which, in turn, drinks from you. Thanks to Hannah Ringler for this episodes hidden lore poem. Hannah Ringler is a poet, parent, and gardener from North Carolina. She is the coordinator for the North Carolina Poetry Society's Poetry in Plain Sight program, which is a community outreach program across North Carolina to bring North Carolina poets and readers together. To find bonus content and a variety of strange rewards, support our show by visiting Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist. You can also help the show by rating, reviewing, and telling a friend. For books and poetry collections by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson, visit CryptoNaturalist.com/books. You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. This show is produced and edited by Tracy Barnett. You can find them online, anywhere at TheOtherTracy or TheOtherTracy.com.

The patchwork islands of greenery nestled on the edges of roadways hold secrets worth our attention.Hidden Lore fiction by Olivia Williams. Olivia is a student of geoscience and literature. She writes short fiction, poetry, science articles, funding applications, and D&D sessions, but when she’s not doing any of that you can find her in the woods looking for cool fungus. Her writing and opinions about rocks live on Twitter @OliviaOnCampus.Willow Armstrong was played by Lucille Valentine. Lucille Valentine is a desert rat masquerading as a voice actor, poet, visual artist, and LGBTQ+ community advocate whose works often include themes of poverty, womanhood, queer and trans experience, along with whatever her current existential crisis is. You can hear her in the podcasts The Six Disappearances of Ella McCray, the upcoming second season of Unplaced, among a number of other upcoming shows, or by pressing your ear up against a cactus skeleton on a windy night. You can find her disappointing every grammar elitist over on twitter @severelytrans.

Beneath our feet, the under hawks glide in search of shadows to pluck from the surface of the world.Hidden Lore poetry by Eli Reeve. Eli is an aspiring artist and writer from Norway nesting in the jungles of Hawaii. Find her on Instagram at username eli.reeve (instagram.com/eli.reeve).

There’s a wilderness inside every library. This episode visits one of the nocturnal residents after closing time.Hidden Lore poetry by Lucille Valentine. Lucille is a desert rat masquerading as a voice actor, poet, visual artist, and LGBTQ+ community advocate whose works often include themes of poverty, womanhood, queer and trans experience, along with whatever her current existential crisis is. You can hear her in the podcasts The Six Disappearances of Ella McCray, the upcoming second season of Unplaced, among a number of other upcoming shows, or by pressing your ear up against a cactus skeleton on a windy night. You can find her disappointing every grammar elitist over on twitter @severelytransA special thanks to my friend Saker for playing the voice of Jed VanDorn. Saker is a cohost of It's All Been Done: A Barenaked Ladies podcast. It’s a comedy podcast in which two pals take a journey through BNL’s entire discography a song at a time. You can find it on your favorite podcast catcher. Saker also has a nerd hip-hop group called 2d6, online at 2d6music.com.

A strange visitor joins the CryptoNaturalist around the campfire for a pleasant, if one-sided, conversation.Special thanks to Tim Sniffin for being the voice of The Transmission. Hear more of Tim on the Hello From The Magic Tavern podcast as the Mysterious Man, and find more of Tim's work at timsniffen.comOh, and subscribe to our new YouTube channel for upcoming bonus videos. We’re currently working on a CryptoNaturalist makeup tutorial video, which is just as strange as it sounds.Hidden lore fiction by Madison Trupp. Madison is a Canadian writer and artist with a love for haunted fantasy, escapism, and standing under streetlights on rainy nights. She writes novels for children and blog posts about writing. You can find more of her work at www.madisontrupp.com.

The Cryptonaturalist is lost and then found in the usual place, a twisted scientist’s volcano lair.Hidden lore poetry by Leslie J. Anderson. Leslie’s writing has appeared in Asimov’s, Uncanny Magazine, Strange Horizons, Daily Science Fiction, and Apex, to name a few. Her collection of poetry, An Inheritance of Stone, was released from Alliteration Ink and was nominated for an Elgin award. Poems from it have won 2nd place in the Asimov’s Reader’s Awards, and were nominated for Pushcart and Rhysling award. Find Leslie at www.lesliejanderson.com or @inkhat on twitter.

The CryptoNaturalist is missing, but Cassandra is on the case.Hidden lore poetry by Emily Olorin Emily is a writer from Down Under (whether the depths of hell or Australia is open to interpretation). They are interested in body horror, sci-fi, and pretty poetry - preferably in combination. Further works can be found at: olorinwrites.wordpress.com

Today we visit an elusive cryptid that hides in plain sight and borrows human voices.Hidden lore poetry by Alice Pow. Alice Pow allegedly saw Mothman in a Chicago neighborhood during the summer of 2017. She is a writer of prose, poetry, and the upcoming podcast Stone Soup for the Gut. Find her on twitter @Alicepow and if you like her work, feel free to reach out. She is always in search of the most abundant, yet elusive cryptid: friends.

We’re all made of star stuff, some of us more literally than others.Lauren Dee was played by Julia Schifini. Julia is a podcaster, historian, and big fan of professional wrestling. She is the co-host of Spirits Podcast, a boozy tour of mythology, legends, and folklore, as well as a voice actor on several audio dramas. To find out more about her work, visit juliaschifini.comLauren Dee was named for Patreon supporter Lauren Dermody. Thanks to Lauren for her support.Thanks to Phoebe Wagner for contributing the poem “Glacial.” Phoebe Wagner grew up in Pennsylvania, the third generation to live in the Susquehanna River Valley. She currently lives in Reno, Nevada with her tree-climbing husband Andy and their two cats: Mab and Mith. When not writing, you can find Phoebe at the nearest riverbank.

This week we visit home territory and visit a special grove of sassafras trees.Hidden lore segment poetry contributed by Suzannah Dalzell. Suzannah lives on Whidbey Island north of Seattle, Wa where she divides her time more or less equally between writing and land conservation. Among the journals her work has appeared in are Flyway, Pilgrimage Magazine, About Place, Earthspeak and The Raven Chronicles. She is currently working on a collection of poems that explore the places where her ancestry bumps up against race, class and environmental damage.

What creature swims through the ocean of the sky? What could graze within the storm? I know the answer. Listen and you will too.Poetry by Priyanka Sacheti. Priyanka is a writer based in Bangalore, India. Raised in Oman and educated in United Kingdom, she has been been published in Guardian, Art Slant, The Establishment, Gulf News, and Brownbook among others. She is presently an editor at Mashallah News. Her literary work has appeared in various journals and anthologies. She tweets @priyankasacheti1. A collection of her writing can be found at priyankasacheti.contently.com

When you find the dirt road with the unnamed creature, obey the rules, respect the emptiness, and make peace with the fact that not everything is there for your convenience.Cara Ehlenfeldt is a writer, sound studies grad student, and co-creator of the upcoming audio drama podcast the Godshead Incidental. She originally hails from the New Jersey Pine Barrens, although she considers the forests of the Pacific Northwest to be her true home. The Indegogo campaign for Godshead Incidental can be found at: https://igg.me/at/godsheadpod (Launching on Monday, 9/17/18).

This week we explore safety, discover a very unusual snake, and receive an important update about squirrels.Saker played the voice of Jed VanDorn. Saker is a cohost of It's All Been Done: A Barenaked Ladies podcast. It's two boys talking about almost anything but Barenaked Ladies. You can find it on your favorite podcast catcher. Saker also has a nerd hip-hop group called 2d6, online at 2d6music.com.

If you stop to check, it turns out that not all barns are barns.The voice of Valentina Blackwood was played by Sarah Rhea Werner. Sarah Rhea Werner is a professional writer and podcaster who loves to help creators find confidence and success. She is a contributor to Forbes, and creator of the Girl In Space and Write Now podcasts. She currently lives in the Midwest with one husband, two rescue cats, and a ceiling full of spiders. Learn more at sarahwerner.com.Hidden Lore Segment poetry contributed by Amber Bulinski. Amber is an artist and writer trying survive the thralls of the Sonoran Desert by respectfully fearing the heat from indoors. Find her on twitter @ResinQuotes

This week the show takes a half-remembered expedition to a strange forest that manipulates minds, shares secrets, and consumes memories.The voice of Cryptonaturalist Max Dean was played by Adal Rifai. Adal is the voice of Chunt on the podcast Hello from the Magic Tavern, as well as one of the hosts of Hey Riddle Riddle.Hidden Lore Segment poetry contributed by Eric Fisher Stone. Eric is originally from Fort Worth, Texas, though now lives in Ames, Iowa as a third year MFA candidate in creative writing and the environment at Iowa State University. His poems have appeared in about 20 journals including The Hopper, The Lyric and Jersey Devil Press. His first full length poetry collection, "The Providence of Grass," has just appeared in print, published by Chatter House Press.

On this episode we visit a special amphibian perfectly adapted to life in parking lots.Special thanks to Cal Cleary for playing the Kroger employee.John Muir life and times: https://www.nps.gov/jomu/learn/historyculture/people.htmA good sample of John Muir’s essays: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/john-muir/

This episode explores the wildest parts of your home. Featuring a guest voice by podcasting icon and journalist Justin McElroy. You can hear Justin on the podcasts My Brother, My Brother and Me; The Adventure Zone; and Sawbones. For more information on Justin’s work, visit www.McElroyShows.comBy Day, Evan Dicken studies old Japanese Maps and crunches data for all manner of fascinating medical research at "The" Ohio State University. By night, he does neither of these things. His fiction has most recently appeared in: Analog, Strange Horizons, and Apex, and he has stories forthcoming from publishers such as: The Black Library and Tales to Terrify. Visit Evan’s website at www.evandicken.com

Today we meet a tiny spider that defies the laws of physics in a place that is, at best, semi-real. We also hear a transmission from another Cryptonaturalist in the field and read some flash fiction by Jamie Lackey.Jamie Lackey lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and their cat. She has had over 130 short stories published in places like Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Apex Magazine, and Escape Pod. Her debut novel, Left-Hand Gods, is available from Hadley Rille Books, and she has two short story collections available from Air and Nothingness Press. In addition to writing, she spends her time reading, playing tabletop RPGs, baking, and hiking. You can find her online at www.jamielackey.com.

We pass the long miles with a story of a rare and dangerous cryptid that lurks in the dark, lonely wilds. Not all visitors are friendly and a light in the darkness isn’t always a sign of hope. My old friend Russell Van Atta learned these hard lessons in the dark woods not far from Parkersburg, West Virginia.

A visit to Oregon’s Sky Lake Wilderness brings us a glimpse of a rare bird that fishes from its perch in the vast abyss of outer space. Hidden Lore segment contribution by Leslie J. Anderson. Leslie J. Anderson’s writing has appeared in Asimov's, Strange Horizons, Apex, Pseudopod, and Daily Science Fiction to name a few. Her work has been nominated for a Pushcart and a Rhysling Award. Her collection of poetry, An Inheritance of Stone, was nominated for an Elgin Award. She lives in a white house beside a cemetery with her husband and three dogs. www.lesliejanderson.com

A fateful trip to the hidden island of Lower Nantucket brings us face-to-face with the legendary Teacup Whale (and other assorted wonders of the deep). Hidden Lore segment contribution by Judith Skillman. Judith Skillman’s recent book is Kafka’s Shadow, Deerbrook Editions, 2017. She is the recipient of a Eric Mathieu King Fund Award from the Academy of American Poets, and Washington Trust grant. Visit www.judithskillman.com, jkpaintings.com, https://www.facebook.com/judith.skillman

The confluence of Waffle House and blue spruce set the stage for new breakthroughs in the field of cryptonaturalism. A new cryptid is discovered beneath the blue spruce.