Advertise on podcast: The Cryptonaturalist

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.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 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.

All trees talk. Some trees walk. Special thanks to Ellen Weatherford for voicing today’s field report! Ellen is a co-host on the Just the Zoo of Us podcast, a family-friendly show that researches, rates, and reviews wildlife, along with hosting a wonderful variety of expert guests.

There’s a strange, watchful feeling that lingers in waiting rooms. That feeling is courtesy of a strange, watchful creature.

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.

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.

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.