An entrepreneurial podcast takes a turn for the worst…and then just keeps going…

Content Advisory: Swearing, poverty, eating disorders, and arguing.
Oh, and smarmy entrepreneurial podcast tropes…ugh!

* * *

Credits:

Music: Ergo Phizmiz and April Moon.

Story: Christopher Gronlund.

Voice Actors: Cynthia Griffith and Christopher Gronlund.

Episode Transcript >>

A two and a half minute update about the November anniversary episode.

Short version: I’ve been sick…

Transcript >>

I will freely admit that I indulged my inner twelve-year-old with the sound design for “Booger.”

In this look behind the story, I discuss its inspiration and…its rather vile sounds…

Episode Transcript >>

A kid makes a monster in his bathtub for a very specific reason…

(What could go wrong?)

Content Advisory: Swearing, bullying. Mention of masturbation. A father who cheats on his wife. Overbearing mother. Violence: young boys fighting. Gross sound effects. (Seriously, I received more feedback about “Booger” than any other story…all about how disgusting the sound design is. It is a story about a vile monster, after all.)

* * *

Credits:

Music: Ergo Phizmiz and Yung Kartz. Additional song: Whip Yo Head,” by Dollar Boyz.

Story: Christopher Gronlund.

Episode Transcript >>

“Alone in HQ” is a satire, but maybe just barely.

Some thoughts about the illness permeating many corporations and those working for them…and the effect that had on this story. (Also, a bit about Ayn Rand and the framing device of Anthem as it pertains to “Alone in HQ.”)

Episode Transcript >>

Femurs were wielded, and CEOs fell…

After the apocalypse, a lowly office worker is alive and alone in headquarters…keeping an old way of life going in the hope that things will one day return to normal…

Content Advisory: Death of a rabbit from blunt-force trauma. Violence (mention of a CEO bludgeoning someone with a cow femur). Suspense (the general creepiness of living in an empty corporate headquarters). Overtime and the stresses of work coming before life. Loneliness.

* * *

Credits:

Music: Ergo Phizmiz and Kai Engel.

Story: Christopher Gronlund.

Episode Transcript >>

“Taller than the Moon” is the first serious short story I ever wrote. It is roughly thirty years old.

Some thoughts about those early writing days — and literary fiction in general.

Episode Transcript >>

A trip home to visit his parents brings with it a flood of memories for Michael Stokowski.

[Random side notes: I believe this is the first true short story I ever wrote. Also, it is the only story I can think of inspired by one of my dreams…]

Content Advisory: A family deals with the fallout of a suicide. Mention of drug addiction following serving in the Vietnam War.

Episode Transcript >>

* * *

Credits:

Music: Ergo Phizmiz and Kai Engel.

Story: Christopher Gronlund.

Moon Image: Luca Huter.

Most stories you’ve listened to, here, are polished first drafts.

Especially where short stories are concerned, I do not subscribe to the notion that the first draft of everything is shit.

Some thoughts about that, and how it worked with the recent Christmas episode.

* * *

Episode Transcript >>

Last year’s holiday-ish 7-Stories episode, featuring a handful of micro-fiction, was well received. So this year, it’s another handful of stories:

1. “The Crock,” narrated by Cynthia Griffith. A woman’s battles with her mother-in-law take an unexpected turn.
2. “Greetings,” narrated by Patrick K. Walsh. An out-of-work special effects makeup artist gets a job as a big-box store greeter.
3. “Naughty,” narrated by me, Christopher Gronlund. A naughty little boy gets what he deserves and learns about the the spirit of the season.

Content Advisory: “The Crock”: Swearing and family rivalry (mother in law vs. daughter in law). “Greetings”: Job loss and swearing. “Naughty”: Swearing and cigar smoking. Child torture.

Credits:

Music: Ergo Phizmiz and Chad Crouch

Stories: Christopher Gronlund

Narration: Cynthia Griffith, Patrick K. Walsh, and Christopher Gronlund.

Episode Transcript >>