The Cryptonaturalist

The Brambleberry Scrambler is just on the edge of being real, which is a perfectly lovely place to call home.

Hidden Lore poetry by Katelyn Allred. Katelyn is a writer and student currently working towards a Bachelor’s Degree in English. Her work has been featured in The Merrimack Review, and you can find her on Instagram @katelynallredwrites.

Special thanks to Matthew Zahnzinger for playing Professor Taylor Hoyt. Matthew is a stage actor in the Greater Boston area, a devotee of Peter Cushing, a board gamer and a collector of walking sticks. He’s a regular cast member on The Penumbra Podcast and he was a guest performer on the debut season of Second Star to the Left. Reach out to him for voice acting opportunities via his Twitter handle, @MatthewofBoston.

In this episode, The CryptoNaturalist shares a homemade winter tradition and ponders the importance of making meaning, ritual, and gratitude.

 Check out Field Guide to the Haunted Forest by Jarod K. Anderson wherever books are sold.

 Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.

 Mailing Address:

 The CryptoNaturalist

PO Box 837

Delaware, OH 43015

 Exclusive stickers, pins, shirts, and access to bonus content and strange expertise on strange topics awaits you at our patreon page. Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist.  

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. 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.

Humans once believed that doorways were a separate place  – neither one room nor the other, but their own distinct world.

 Broadly speaking, people don’t believe that anymore, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.

Exclusive stickers, pins, shirts, and access to bonus content and strange expertise on strange topics awaits you at our patreon page. Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist.  

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. 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.

Thoughts about loving ourselves in an imperfect world in a strange tavern on a dark hill.

Thanks to Andrew Collins for the use of his song Farewell my Old Friend. I borrowed it with his permission from a 2020 YouTube performance. I just love Andrew’s playing. Find out more about his music and check out his mandolin lessons at www.andrewcollinstrio.com.

 Hidden lore poetry by Eric Fisher Stone. Eric Fisher Stone is a poet and writing tutor from Fort Worth, Texas. He received his MFA in writing and the environment from Iowa State University. His poetry collection, The Providence of Grass, was published by “Chatter House Press” in 2018. His second poetry collection, Animal Joy, is forthcoming from “WordTech Editions” in October 2021.

I recently put out a call for help on social media asking folks to contribute to my work via Patreon or Ko-Fi and I have received a truly awe-inspiring amount of support. I’d like to specifically thank Jennifer Reed for her generosity in joining my Patreon at the CryptoNaturalist level. You are exceedingly kind.

Check out Field Guide to the Haunted Forest by Jarod K. Anderson wherever books are sold. If you’d like a signed bookplate for your copy, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

Jarod Anderson

PO Box 837

Delaware, OH 43015

Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.

Exclusive stickers, pins, shirts, and access to bonus content and strange expertise on strange topics awaits you at our patreon page. Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist.  

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. 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.

Cassandra recalls an old friend and a nameless fish.

 The CryptoNaturalist is written by Jarod K. Anderson and Leslie J. Anderson. Cassandra is voiced by Leslie J. Anderson. The CryptoNaturalist is voiced by Jarod K. Anderson.

 Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.

 Exclusive stickers, pins, shirts, and access to bonus content and strange expertise on strange topics awaits you at our patreon page. Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist.

  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.

 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.

Special thanks to Sarah Rhea Werner for reprising her role as Valentina Blackwood. Sarah has so many wonderful projects, including The Write Now Podcast and Girl in Space. Sarah has all sorts of ways to entertain, educate, and inspire you and you should really learn more about her at sarahwerner.com.

 And double-special thanks to Elena Fernández Collins for voicing Ave María’s field report. Elena Fernández Collins is a genderfluid podcast critic and reporter and a forensic sociolinguist living in Portland, OR. She curates a biweekly newsletter about audio fiction, Audio Dramatic, where she reviews episodes and provides essays and news for the community. She also covers the audio fiction podcast beat for The Bello Collective, an indie online publication about podcasting, and is a contributor to The AV Club’s Podmass, among others.

 Check out Field Guide to the Haunted Forest by Jarod K. Anderson wherever books are sold.

Welcome to the Cassandra Logs. In this episode, Cassandra visits with a dragon.

Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.

Exclusive stickers, pins, shirts, and access to bonus content and strange expertise on strange topics awaits you at our patreon page. Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist.

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. 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.

The thing about an unexplainable RV is that it’s unexplainable, but let’s give it a shot anyway.

Thanks to Fara Tucker for this week’s hidden lore poetry. Fara Tucker is a writer, poet, storyteller, teacher, photographer, former therapist, and current therapy client. She is currently wading through liminal space, which is occasionally good for producing poetry, and consistently good for producing anxiety. You can find her on IG @faratucker where she shares reflections on this beautiful and devastating life in poetry and prose. Her blog and links to published work can be found at faratucker.com.

Check out Field Guide to the Haunted Forest by Jarod K. Anderson wherever books are sold. If you’d like a signed bookplate for your copy, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

 Jarod Anderson

PO Box 837

Delaware, OH 43015

A jellyfish is part ghost part flower and part trap. Is it any surprise that some defy explanation?  

Check out Field Guide to the Haunted Forest by Jarod K. Anderson wherever books are sold. An audio version as well as signed bookplates are coming soon.

Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.

Ticking clock sound effect courtesy of: www.freesfx.co.uk

The forest. The fire. The guitar in the wind. The covered bridge that has no business being there.

Background guitar music was “Three Ravens” by Axletree. Downloaded from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Axletree.

Thanks to Meredith Smith for this episode’s hidden lore poetry. Meredith is a flash fiction writer and micropoet in Seattle, WA. She is an alumna of the Hugo House and student of writers who are students of Raymond Carver. She lives in a brick building by the lake with her tiny human. Learn more about her work and her re-released zine Movement at meredithsmith.com.