About Cast of Wonders
Cast of Wonders is the leading voice in young adult speculative short fiction, founded in 2011 by Graeme Dunlop and Barry J. Northern. It became a part of the Escape Artists family of podcasts in 2016 alongside genre siblings Escape Pod, PseudoPod and PodCastle. It is edited by Katherine Inskip.
Cast of Wonders is defined by being not entirely definable. It takes a broader view of YA fiction than its literary cousins, defining its scope as the absence of graphic or explicit adult elements, rather than stories featuring children or young adult characters. The show aims to demonstrate the versatility and breadth of young adult fiction, and to welcome new and diverse voices to the conversation.
Episodes cross all speculative boundaries and have featured everything from hard science fiction, to urban fantasy, horror, steampunk, superheroes and more. Its stories share only a deep emotional resonance, clear-eyed examination of the issues presented, and that critical spark of wonder that surprises and entertains.
Featured stories include the serialized novella Camp Myth: Phoenix Watching by Chris Lewis Carter, genre classics by Roger Zelazny, Hans Christian Andersen and M.R. James, and multiple award-winning and nominated authors including S. B. Divya, Eugie Foster, Sarah Gailey, Rachael K. Jones, Tina Connolly, Rick Kennett, Cassandra Khaw, Alethea Kontis, Daniel Jose Older, Matt Wallace, and Ursula Vernon.
Cast of Wonders’ Staff Picks page is the recommended starting place for new listeners, and features stories individually selected by its staff as a cross-section of what the show represents.
Published weekly by Escape Artists Inc., Cast of Wonders is produced and distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works license.
Trailer
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 0:55 — 1.7MB)
Transcript
Cast of Wonders, the free YA fiction podcast from Escape Artists.
“Prince Theobald examined the dragon in its birdcage as his little sister, the princess Rosmerta, danced around her very pink bedroom.”
“So, I did the only thing I could: I went to live under a porch. It wasn’t proper or even fancy, but it was a roof over me ‘ead.”
Every week, one story told well.
“On the day I turned nine, I didn’t get a pet nebula.”
Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, find us on the web at Cast of Wonders dot org, and on Patreon under EAPodcasts.
“And I spake unto the lord, saying, ‘Hey, buddy, you seem beat. Come, stay with me. Eat of my pizza.’”
Logo and Images
- Cast of Wonders uses the Tablet Gothic family of fonts, and Calluna for serif
- Links/primary: #980b09
- Sub-headers: #fcefc0
- Navigation: #fdd530
Awards
- “Random Play All and the League of Awesome” by Shane Halbach, narrated by Justin Thomas James. 2018 Parsec Award finalist (Small Cast, Short Form)
- “Hacker’s Faire” by Rati Mehrotra, narrated by Wilson Fowlie. 2018 Sunburst Award finalist.
- Cast of Wonders is a 2015 Parsec Award finalist in the Best Magazine or Anthology category
- CAMP MYTH: PHOENIX WATCHING by Chris Lewis Carter, narrated by Kate Baker, Adam Black, Tina Connolly, Graeme Dunlop, Christiana Ellis, Marguerite Kenner, Alethea Kontis, Barry J. Northern, Alasdair Stuart, and Ian Stuart. 2014 Parsec Award finalist (Long Form)
- “Now Cydonia” by Rick Kennett, narrated by Marguerite Kenner. 2013 Parsec Award winner (Small Cast, Short Form)
Updated December 2022