"Patsy Cline Sings Sweet Dreams to the Universe" by Beston Barnett, narrated by Wil

Original Publication Credit: Nov 2023 issue of Strange Horizons

It's Storytime was produced in 2025 by Traveler Enterprises, Inc., who holds the copyright. Our producer is Harris Lane. Our Story Producer and Director is Gabrielle de Cuir. Our Content Editor is Michael Thomas. Our Podcast is mixed, edited, and mastered by Alex Barton of PhaseShift AV. Special thanks to Wes Stevens and Christopher Black. It's Storytime is recorded at Skyboat Media in the beautiful San Fernando Valley, California. 

If you'd like to support the show and get an ad-free feed, visit ⁠patreon.com/storytime⁠ 

I'm your Creator, Executive Producer, and host, Wil Wheaton. You can find me online at ⁠wilwheaton.net⁠. 

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"The Last Lucid Day" by Dominique Dickey, narrated by Wil

This week's story hits extremely close to home for me. It's about a son,
and the father who let him down. It's about the desperate search for a
connection, before The Last Lucid Day.

Original Publication Credit: The story was simultaneously published by Lightspeed and io9; it's also been reprinted in The Best Weird Fiction of the Year, Vol. 1, edited by Michael Kelly. 

To learn more about the author, please visit: https://dominiquedickey.com/ 

It's Storytime was produced in 2025 by Traveler Enterprises, Inc., who holds the copyright. Our producer is Harris Lane. Our Story Producer and Director is Gabrielle de Cuir. Our Content Editor is Michael Thomas. Our Podcast is mixed, edited, and mastered by Alex Barton of PhaseShift AV. Special thanks to Wes Stevens and Christopher Black. It's Storytime is recorded at Skyboat Media in the beautiful San Fernando Valley, California. 

If you'd like to support the show and get an ad-free feed, visit ⁠patreon.com/storytime⁠ 

I'm your Creator, Executive Producer, and host, Wil Wheaton. You can find me online at ⁠wilwheaton.net⁠.

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"Lily, The Immortal" by Kylie Lee Baker, narrated by Wil

In the age of parasocial relationships and Influencer Culture, it's all
too easy to convince ourselves that we know someone we've never met,
when what we actually know is the carefully curated content they choose
to share. The connection we feel to that content is real and it's valid,
but that's where the relationship really ought to end. See, behind every
public face, there is a private life that it is none of our business.
This week, I have a timely story for you about an Influencer who is
beloved by millions of people all over the world, practically an
Industry, all by herself. Of course, she has a private life, and we are
extremely fortunate to be welcomed into it by the one person in the
world who truly knows Lily, The Immortal.

Original Publication Credit: “Lily, the Immortal” was read on Uncanny Magazine Podcast episode 44B in 2022

To learn more about the author, please visit: https://www.kylieleebaker.com/ 

It's Storytime was produced in 2025 by Traveler Enterprises, Inc., who holds the copyright. Our producer is Harris Lane. Our Story Producer and Director is Gabrielle de Cuir. Our Content Editor is Michael Thomas. Our Podcast is mixed, edited, and mastered by Alex Barton of PhaseShift AV. Special thanks to Wes Stevens and Christopher Black. It's Storytime is recorded at Skyboat Media in the beautiful San Fernando Valley, California. 

If you'd like to support the show and get an ad-free feed, visit ⁠patreon.com/storytime⁠ 

I'm your Creator, Executive Producer, and host, Wil Wheaton. You can find me online at ⁠wilwheaton.net⁠.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"We Will Weather One Another Somehow" by Kristina Ten, narrated by Wil

There are billions of people on planet earth, a number so huge, only a
few of us can truly grasp its enormity. I am not one of those people,
but I am one who beat the odds and found my person, the one in a billion
chance for a perfect match. We have built an incredible life together,
that I am grateful for every single day.
When two people love each other the way we do, a connection is formed,
and a promise, often unspoken, is made: I will always be here for you,
no matter what happens. It is the most precious gift we give and receive.
This week, I will tell you a story about two of these rare and lucky
humans, at the moment in their life when it happens, and that promise is
kept: We Will Weather One Another, Somehow.

Original Publication Credit: Diabolical Plots, June 2021: https://www.diabolicalplots.com/dp-fiction-76b-we-will-weatherone-another-somehow-by-kristina-ten/ Story Hour, Sept. 2025: https://youtu.be/u56vj3Cg-Ts?si=UJhsvRVCeRVRT5MB (recording of online reading series) 

To learn more about the author, please visit: https://www.kristinaten.com/

It's Storytime was produced in 2025 by Traveler Enterprises, Inc., who holds the copyright. Our producer is Harris Lane. Our Story Producer and Director is Gabrielle de Cuir. Our Content Editor is Michael Thomas. Our Podcast is mixed, edited, and mastered by Alex Barton of PhaseShift AV. Special thanks to Wes Stevens and Christopher Black. It's Storytime is recorded at Skyboat Media in the beautiful San Fernando Valley, California. 

If you'd like to support the show and get an ad-free feed, visit ⁠patreon.com/storytime⁠ 

I'm your Creator, Executive Producer, and host, Wil Wheaton. You can find me online at ⁠wilwheaton.net⁠. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Magnificent Maurice, or the Flowers of Immortality" by Rati Mehrotra, narrated by Wil

Original Publication Credit: Lightspeed Magazine, November 2020 / Previous audio version: Audio reprint in CatsCast episode 6, September 2022

To learn more about the author, please visit: https://ratiwrites.com/

It's Storytime was produced in 2025 by Traveler Enterprises, Inc., who holds the copyright. Our producer is Harris Lane. Our Story Producer and Director is Gabrielle de Cuir. Our Content Editor is Michael Thomas. Our Podcast is mixed, edited, and mastered by Alex Barton of PhaseShift AV. Special thanks to Wes Stevens and Christopher Black. It's Storytime is recorded at Skyboat Media in the beautiful San Fernando Valley, California. 

If you'd like to support the show and get an ad-free feed, visit ⁠patreon.com/storytime⁠ 

I'm your Creator, Executive Producer, and host, Wil Wheaton. You can find me online at ⁠wilwheaton.net⁠. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Wend-Way-Go" by Tim Pratt, narrated by Wil

Aesop, of the Fables, wrote that no act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted. If you've listened to me for any amount of time, you know how committed I am to choosing kindness, celebrating kindness, and encouraging kindness in others.

Today's Storytime is all about kindness with a capital K. It's also about Family with a capital F. Now, to me, Family are the people who love you no matter what, who always show up for you without question or judgment. When you are with Family, you are safe. Family can be your siblings, your parents. It should be, but not all of us get that, and for us, it can also be -- and frequently is -- chosen and assembled from friends, coworkers, and extended relations who are willing to do the hard work of being a Family.

We're just a moment away from meeting Wade, a man who is a little lonely, and a little lost. His cousin, Keifer, who is a bigger part of Wade's capital F family than I think Wade realizes, is pulling into his driveway. It seems that Kiefer knows Wade needs his Family right now, and he's here to drive him exactly where he needs to go, using his brand new Wend-Way-Go.

Original Publication Credit: Uncanny, September/October 2025 issue

To learn more about the author, please visit: https://www.patreon.com/timpratt 

It's Storytime was produced in 2025 by Traveler Enterprises, Inc., who holds the copyright. Our producer is Harris Lane. Our Story Producer and Director is Gabrielle de Cuir. Our Content Editor is Michael Thomas. Our Podcast is mixed, edited, and mastered by Alex Barton of PhaseShift AV. Special thanks to Wes Stevens and Christopher Black. It's Storytime is recorded at Skyboat Media in the beautiful San Fernando Valley, California. 

If you'd like to support the show and get an ad-free feed, visit ⁠patreon.com/storytime⁠ 

I'm your Creator, Executive Producer, and host, Wil Wheaton. You can find me online at ⁠wilwheaton.net⁠. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The Skin of a Teenage Boy is Not Alive" by Senaa Ahmad, narrated by Wil

Original Publication Credit: Nightmare Magazine in Aug 2019, with an accompanying audio version read by Stefan Rudnicki. Also reprinted in the 2022 Short Story Advent Calendar (Hingston and Olsen).

To learn more about the author, please visit: ⁠https://senaa-ahmad.com/

It's Storytime was produced in 2025 by Traveler Enterprises, Inc., who holds the copyright. Our producer is Harris Lane. Our Story Producer and Director is Gabrielle de Cuir. Our Content Editor is Michael Thomas. Our Podcast is mixed, edited, and mastered by Alex Barton of PhaseShift AV. Special thanks to Wes Stevens and Christopher Black. It's Storytime is recorded at Skyboat Media in the beautiful San Fernando Valley, California. 

If you'd like to support the show and get an ad-free feed, visit ⁠patreon.com/storytime⁠ 

I'm your Creator, Executive Producer, and host, Wil Wheaton. You can find me online at ⁠wilwheaton.net⁠.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The Other Side of Mictlān” by M.M. Olivas, narrated by Wil

Hi, I'm Wil and it's Storytime.

I have an interesting life. I get create art and share it with a loyal

All of that is interesting, and it feels pretty good ... but it isn't even the best part of being me. That part of me, the most important and

The very best part of being me, is being married to Anne, and being Ryan

Today's storytime is about a family that loves each other the way we do.

Original Publication Credit: Uncanny Magazine Issue 49, edited by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas

To learn more about the author, please visit: ⁠https://olivasthewriter.wtf/

It's Storytime was produced in 2025 by Traveler Enterprises, Inc., who holds the copyright. Our producer is Harris Lane. Our Story Producer and Director is Gabrielle de Cuir. Our Content Editor is Michael Thomas. Our Podcast is mixed, edited, and mastered by Alex Barton of PhaseShift AV. Special thanks to Wes Stevens and Christopher Black. It's Storytime is recorded at Skyboat Media in the beautiful San Fernando Valley, California. 

If you'd like to support the show and get an ad-free feed, visit ⁠patreon.com/storytime⁠ 

I'm your Creator, Executive Producer, and host, Wil Wheaton. You can find me online at ⁠wilwheaton.net⁠.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The Coffin Maker” by AnaMaria Curtis, narrated by Wil

I will never understand the reckless inaction humanity seems to have chosen in the face of catastrophic climate change. Last time I looked, Earth was the only planet we have, and taking care of her should probably land real close to the top spot on our species' to do list.

Catastrophic Climate Change is scary, it's real, and it's dangerously close to inevitable because it is so scary, we tend to look away and pretend it's going to somehow be okay.

Y'all, it is not going to be okay unless we choose to make it okay. And one of the ways we can inspire people to do that is through fiction that suggests what our future may look like, if we continue to choose inaction.

This week, we're boarding The Guiding Light, a research vessel that's been sent on a desperate mission from a dying world to find someplace new to live. They've been looking for a long time, and all they've found is death. Maybe this planet will be different. Let's find out, as we join The Coffin Maker.

Original Publication Credit: Uncanny Magazine

To learn more about the author, please visit: https://anamariacurtis.com/

It's Storytime was produced in 2025 by Traveler Enterprises, Inc., who holds the copyright. Our producer is Harris Lane. Our Story Producer and Director is Gabrielle de Cuir. Our Content Editor is Michael Thomas. Our Podcast is mixed, edited, and mastered by Alex Barton of PhaseShift AV. Special thanks to Wes Stevens and Christopher Black. It's Storytime is recorded at Skyboat Media in the beautiful San Fernando Valley, California. 

If you'd like to support the show and get an ad-free feed, visit ⁠patreon.com/storytime⁠ 

I'm your Creator, Executive Producer, and host, Wil Wheaton. You can find me online at ⁠wilwheaton.net⁠.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“A Cure for Solastalgia” by E.M. Linden, narrated by Wil

When we leave home for the first time, and enter the so-called Real World, we become responsible for so much more than our laundry, our food, and our bills. We truly become responsible for ourselves. We choose our values, we choose who we will trust to share those values, and when we come home for the first time, we will do everything we can to convince our parents that the values we are now living should also be their values.
The resulting, deeply disappointing and frustrating experience, is commonly called "The Generation Gap" and some of you are noticing a rueful grin has appeared on your face just now because you have experienced this for yourself. Some of you, like me, have experienced it from both sides of the gap. 
Today's Storytime is about someone who is very special, just as their mother intended them to be. They carry their mother's talents, shaped and nurtured by her teaching. They've been away from home long enough to discover that the way they use those talents is very different from the way their mother intended. There is no bridge that can cross their Generation Gap, and if I told you why, there wouldn't be much of a story left. So, we are about to join them, in their Real World, while they work to claim their talent for themselves, to make it their own, as they seek A Cure for Solastalgia.
A Cure for Solastalgia was originally published in January 2024, issue 1, of Strange Horizons.
E.M. Linden (she/her) is a speculative fiction writer from Aotearoa New Zealand who likes coffee, books, and owls. Her work has previously appeared in The Deadlands, Flash Fiction Online, Weird Horror, and elsewhere.

To learn more about the author, please visit: emlinden.blog or @emlinden.bsky.social.

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