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In this Halloween-themed episode, Story Radio talks to author S.A. Sizemore about her debut horror novel, Whispers of the Pale Witch, the first instalment in the Beckett Coven trilogy, published by Rowan Prose Publishing. Partially inspired by Sizemore's own ancestral connection to the Salem witch trials, the novel is released on 29 September 2026 and has already won several awards, including American Fiction Awards Winner for Best Occult/Horror Novel and Finalist for Best LGBTQ Novel. S.A. Sizemore was drawn to the stage from an early age and began writing professionally while studying theatre arts in college. After producing several plays regionally in Southern California, she pivoted to the themed entertainment industry before turning to fiction. You can find her at her author website, beckettcoven.com. This episode was produced by Tabitha Potts. Tabitha Potts is a podcaster, short story writer and novelist, recognised with an Honourable Mention in the Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize. Her debut novel was published by Rowan Prose Publishing in June 2026. Donate We are a volunteer-led organisation and appreciate any donations towards our running costs. Buy us a coffee Become a patreon Contact us Visit our our website Storyradio.org

Tabitha Potts interviews Beulah Van Rensburg, who helps run the writers' and artists' residency at the Chateau d'Orquevaux, about its history and aims. We then hear a selection of poets' and writers' works-in-progress. Alison Clarke is a poet, historical fiction and fantasy author, and visual artist. She is the author of M: The Mystical Odyssey of Harriet E. Wilson and Phillis: A Poetry Collection (University of Calgary Press, 2020), a #1 Amazon bestseller, as well as the award-winning YA fantasy series The Sisterhood, for which she won Diversity Magazine's 2016 Writer of the Year. She received the 2020 Fil Fraser award for her contributions to literary and visual art, and was a panellist at Seattle Worldcon 2025. Alison believes that stories can change the world. Buy M: The Mystical Odyssey of Harriet E. Wilson: UK: amzn.eu/d/f1sUgPn USA: a.co/d/6NqDbom Canada: a.co/d/1i8bo2f Eli Schaub: Eli is a fourth year creative writing major at the University of South Dakota, yet has been writing since his sophomore year of high school. He has written poems, plays, and short stories over the years. His goal when he graduates is to become a fantasy author, although he also loves writing stories in different genres and modes. Sophia Bea: @sophiabea.dot on Instagram Karin Hadadan is a three-times author, filmmaker, speaker and teacher, and the author of When Nothing Makes Sense: Finding God in the Gap Between Prayer & Answer. She also runs the PORTAL app and a Substack newsletter. Follow her at @icietnu on Instagram. Michelle Lizet Flores is the author of the chapbook Cuentos from the Swamp, alongside the titled works Invasive Species, Places We Build in the Universe and Carlito the Bat. Follow her at @shellyflowers on Instagram. Anna Maria Manalo is a recipient of the Denis Diderot award as a literary artist in residence at the Chateau d'Orquevaux, and holds a residency at Studio Faire for autumn 2027. She is the first Filipina-American author writing in the supernatural historical suspense genre, and the first to bring a creative nonfiction approach to it. A former screenwriter and therapist, her screenplays Under Tango Road, The Tulpa Effect and Uncharted Darkness have placed as quarterfinalists and top-ten finishers in competitions. Drawing on true accounts of the paranormal gathered across 27 countries, she is the Amazon bestselling author of Haunted Heirlooms and Unholy Structure. She lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Follow Anna Maria at annamariamanaloauthor.com or @TheSinisterArchives on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Substack. To contribute a true encounter to her blog, email [email protected]. Tabitha Potts is the host of Story Radio and the author of the gothic novel The House of Dust and Shadows (Rowan Prose Publishing), as well as the short story collection A Book of Short Stories (Wish Hounds Press). She holds a creative writing MA from Birkbeck and attended a residency at the Chateau d'Orquevaux, where she began work on her second novel, The Devil's Picture Book, a historical novel set in 1980s Oxford. In this episode, she reads from her work in progress.

This month on Story Radio, Tabitha Potts and Martin Nathan talk to Marc S. Perlman about his debut novel, The Riddle of the Trees, published by Koehler Books on 10th March 2026. The novel opens with two journeys that will soon collide. In Belarus, a physicist is murdered by a KGB agent; in America, Jack Miller boards a flight to Eastern Europe hoping to understand the rift that has divided his Holocaust-surviving father and grandfather for decades. Before too long, their stories intersect in a tense international conflict focused on the Polish and Belarusian borders which meet in the Belavezskaya Forest. It's a fast-paced espionage novel with a fascinating backdrop. We talk to Marc about how he was inspired to write the novel while cycling through the Belavezskaya Forest from Poland into Belarus, about how he worked on the motivations for his main character and how he researched the spycraft used in the story. Marc S. Perlman lives with his wife and son in New York City, where he works as a lawyer and does much of his writing after his son finally agrees to go to bed. A graduate of Bowdoin College and Cardozo Law School, he has a lifelong interest in history and has travelled extensively throughout Eastern Europe. The Riddle of the Trees is his first novel. Produced by Martin Nathan. Martin Nathan has worked as a labourer, showman, pancake chef, fire technician and a railway engineer. His short fiction has been published by Tangent Press, HCE and Grist and his poetry has appeared in Finished Creatures, Erbacce and Aesthetica. His novel, A Place of Safety, is published by Salt Publishing. Story Radio CIC is supported by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and Allia Impact. Support Story Radio Podcast

In this episode, Martin Nathan and Tabitha Potts speak to Darren Coffield, artist, author and host at the Colony Room Green, about his book Hen, Mistress of Mayhem: A Portrait of Henrietta Moraes. We learn about Moraes' appalling childhood, her work as a writer, her life in Bohemian Soho, her friends, lovers and husbands and what it was like to be a muse and model for Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud and Maggi Hambling. This episode was produced by Martin Nathan.Martin Nathan has worked as a labourer, showman, pancake chef, fire technician, and a railway engineer. His short fiction has been published by Tangent Press, HCE and Grist and his poetry has appeared in Finished Creatures, Erbacce and Aesthetica. His novel – A Place of Safety is published by Salt Publishing. Donate We are a volunteer-led organisation and appreciate any donations towards our running costs. Buy us a coffee Become a patreon Contact us Visit our our website Storyradio.org Story Radio CIC is supported by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and Allia Impact.

Tabitha Potts is interviewed by Martin Nathan about her debut novel, The House of Dust and Shadows, published by Rowan Prose Publishing on June 16th 2026. The House of Dust and Shadows is a Gothic mystery novel about the death of a famous painter and how it affects his three daughters when he disinherits all three of them in favour of someone else. We discuss ghosts, art and monstrous fathers in our first ever video interview. The House of Dust and Shadows is available for pre-order and is being published by Rowan Prose Publishing on June 16th, 2026. Tabitha Potts is a podcaster, short story writer and novelist, recognised with an Honourable Mention in the Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize. Her debut novel was published by Rowan Prose Publishing in June 2026. Story Radio CIC is supported by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and Allia Impact.

In Wolf.Normal., a divorced mother impulsively decides to go on a challenging wilderness hike with a group of strangers. Over a day's hiking and a night sleeping in a remote cabin, she finds a strength and power within herself that she never realised existed before. Wolf. Normal was written and read by Lynne Curry. The producer was Tabitha Potts. The short story was first published in Literally Stories on March 27, 2026. Alaska/Washington author Lynne Curry—nominated for the 2025 Best of the Net Anthology, the 2024 Pushcart Prize and Best Microfiction—founded “Real-life Writing,” https://bit.ly/45lNbVo and publishes a monthly “Writing from the Cabin” blog, https://bit.ly/3tazJpW and a weekly “dear Abby of the workplace” newspaper column. Curry has published twenty-six short stories; seven poems; two articles on writing craft, and six books. Sound: Wolves - Yellowstone National Park by Nivatius -- https://freesound.org/s/519592/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Photo of wolf courtesy of Scott Liddell at Morguefile.com It has come to our attention that individuals posing as Story Radio have been approaching writers asking for payment to be on the show. We never ask writers to pay to submit to us; you can visit our Submissions page and send us a story for free or contact us via email to offer us an author interview. If you want to support us, we do have a Patreon and other ways to donate on our website (below). Support Story Radio Podcast

Ava Glass: The Hiding Season This week on Story Radio, Tabitha Potts and Martin Nathan talk to Ava Glass (shortlisted for the CWA Steel Dagger and dubbed "the new Queen of spy fiction" by The Guardian) about her compelling new novel, The Hiding Season, published by Penguin on 26th March 2026. The Hiding Season marks a bold departure from Ava's acclaimed Emma Makepeace series. Where those novels followed a trained British intelligence officer, this book places an entirely ordinary woman — Maya Landry, recently escaped from a broken marriage and working at a remote Montana ski resort — at the centre of a deadly conspiracy. When Maya witnesses a murder and finds herself with no one to believe her, she is forced to abandon her identity, her home, and everything she knows in order to survive. In this conversation, we find out what drew Ava to write a different kind of spy story, told in the first person, set firmly on American soil, and focused on the collateral damage an intelligence operation can inflict on those who stumble, unwittingly, into its path. We learn about the craft decisions behind The Hiding Season: the novel's distinctive time structure, which resists a straightforward linear narrative; the challenge of writing a resourceful but untrained protagonist; and the atmospheric weight that the landscapes of Montana, Texas, and Chicago bring to the story. We also talk about what it means to reinvent yourself — a theme that resonates far beyond the world of espionage — and about the two figures at the novel's heart: Maya, who must outwit her pursuers on instinct alone, and Riley Maguire, the FBI agent whose motives she cannot quite bring herself to trust. Drawing on her years working alongside British intelligence and her earlier career as a crime reporter in America, Ava Glass brings a rare depth of knowledge to The Hiding Season, her most personal novel yet. Produced by Martin Nathan.Martin Nathan has worked as a labourer, showman, pancake chef, fire technician, and a railway engineer. His short fiction has been published by Tangent Press, HCE and Grist and his poetry has appeared in Finished Creatures, Erbacce and Aesthetica. His novel – A Place of Safety is published by Salt Publishing. Story Radio CIC is supported by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and Allia Impact. Support Story Radio Podcast

In this episode of Story Radio, we are delighted to welcome Lottie Moggach to discuss her gripping new novel, Mrs Pearcey (published by Phoenix Books on 5th February 2026). Inspired by the true crime that scandalised 1890s London, the novel follows Hannah Teale, a bright young woman whose life becomes entwined with the trial of Mary Pearcey - a woman accused of a brutal double murder in Camden Town. When Mary's fiance Cosmo, a journalist, is undercover in an asylum, Hannah decides to try to help him by investigating the case and writing about it herself. We discuss researching historical novels and learn about Moggach's fascinating connection to the real life Mrs Pearcey, how Fleet Street journalism evolved, how close Hannah is to being a Victorian 'New Woman' and the reasons for our cultural obsession with true crime. I inhaled Mrs Pearcey. What an incredible book. Gripping and creepy and compulsive, yet deeply touching . . . brilliant - Sabine Durrant About Lottie MoggachLottie Moggach is the acclaimed author of Kiss Me First, Under the Sun, and Brixton Hill. She lives in North London with her husband, son and dog. This episode was produced by Tabitha Potts. Tabitha Potts is a podcaster, short story writer and novelist, recognised with an Honourable Mention in the Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize. Her debut novel was published by Rowan Prose Publishing in June 2026. Story Radio CIC is supported by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and Allia Impact.

We speak to Sally Page, best-selling author, about her new novel Six Little Words. Six Little Words follows two strangers embarking together on a Shakespeare-inspired scavenger hunt only to learn that you’re never too old to find love or pursue your dreams. We discuss mid-life romance, friendship, exploring your creativity, writing the male voice, lies, synaesthesia, painting and more. Blackstone Publishing is the US publisher and the publication is 24 Feb 2026. HarperCollins is the UK publisher and the publication day is 12 March 2026. About Sally Page: Sally Page is the internationally bestselling author of The Keeper of Stories, The Book of Beginnings, and The Secret of Flowers. After studying history at university, Sally moved to London to work in advertising. In her spare time, she studied floristry, eventually opening up her own flower shop, an experience that offered a unique window into people’s lives that has inspired her writing. She has two daughters, bestselling author Libby Page and Alex, a doctor. She lives in Dorset. This episode was produced by Martin Nathan. Martin Nathan has worked as a labourer, showman, pancake chef, fire technician, and a railway engineer. His short fiction has been published by Tangent Press, HCE and Grist and his poetry has appeared in Finished Creatures, Erbacce and Aesthetica. His novel – A Place of Safety is published by Salt Publishing.

Long hidden in an attic, vivid and revelatory poems shine a new light on the life and loves of Iris Murdoch. In the dusty attic of Iris Murdoch’s Oxford home lay a battered, black chest. In 2016, when the chest was finally opened, Murdoch’s life in poems was revealed. Renowned for her fiercely intelligent novels and groundbreaking philosophy, Murdoch was one of the great writers of the twentieth century. Yet she is also known for her equally radical life – intense friendships, relationships with both men and women, and an open marriage – about which much has, often controversially, been written. Now, her tightly wrought and vivid poems reveal a new, deeply personal account in Murdoch’s own voice. They range over the preoccupations closest to her heart, from the state of Ireland to memories of a first love lost in the Second World War. We speak to Dr Miles Leeson, one of the editors of Poems from an Attic by Iris Murdoch, to learn more about this exciting discovery and how it adds to our understanding of the work of the famous philosopher and novelist. Dr Leeson also reads three poems from the book, 'Reverie in Winchester Cathedral', 'I find that honesty is a hard thing', and 'Macaw in the Snow'. Dr Miles Leeson is Director of the Iris Murdoch Research Centre at the University of Chichester and Visiting Research Fellow at Kingston University. He is Lead Editor of the Iris Murdoch Review, Series Editor of Iris Murdoch Today with Palgrave Macmillan, host of the Iris Murdoch Podcast, and has published widely on Murdoch’s work. He published Iris Murdoch: Philosophical Novelist in 2010, the edited collection Incest in Contemporary Literature (2018), the festschrift Iris Murdoch: A Centenary Celebration (2019), the co-edited collections Iris Murdoch and the Literary Imagination (2022) and Iris Murdoch and the Western Theological Imagination (2025), co-edited her selected poetry Poems from an Attic: Selected Poems 1936-1995 (2025), and is currently writing Visiting Mrs Bayley and Other Essays (2026) Iris Murdoch and Feminism and editing The Oxford Handbook of Iris Murdoch (2028). You can find out more about him and his work here: https://www.chi.ac.uk/people/miles-leeson/ Iris MurdochIris Murdoch was born in Dublin in 1919. After working in the Treasury and in the UN, she discovered philosophy, eventually becoming Fellow at St Anne's College, Oxford. Her philosophical concerns are at the heart of the 25 novels for which she became famous, gaining the Whitbread Prize for The Sacred and Profane Love Machine and the Booker Prize for The Sea, The Sea. Until her death in 1999, she lived in Oxford with her husband, the academic and critic, John Bayley. She wrote poetry all her life. The Iris Murdoch Society Buy the book: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/470920/poems-from-an-attic-by-murdoch-iris/9781784746124 Music: “The Silver Swan” (O. Gibbons), performed by Denis Carpenter, Clara IMSLP (CC BY 3.0): https://clara.imslp.org/work/51148 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ IMSLP+1 This episode was produced by Tabitha Potts. Tabitha Potts is a podcaster, short story writer and novelist, recognised with an Honourable Mention in the Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize. Her debut novel was published by Rowan Prose Publishing in June 2026.

Story Radio interviews Mathew Gostelow, the editor of Silent Screams: An Anthology of Quiet Horror, about trends in the horror genre, the meaning of 'quiet horror', the child's perspective in horror writing, contemporary vs historical fiction and many other topics such as Twin Peaks and Frankenstein. We listen to a reading of 'Barnabas Calstock's Last Wish' by the author Terry Holland (Trigger warning: this story contains references to war and violence that some listeners may find disturbing). About Mathew Gostelow Mathew Gostelow haunts a leafy suburb of Birmingham, UK. His CV is a chaotic patchwork quilt, including journalism, pheasant farming, catering, and marketing. Mat’s taste in art, music, film, and literature is equally eclectic, although he tends to gravitate towards anything with a creepy, dreamy aesthetic.  If you catch him staring intently into the middle distance, Mat is either thinking about Twin Peaks or cooked breakfasts.  Some days he wakes early and scribbles strange tales.  Mat has written several books, including two speculative short story collections entitled An Ill-Stitched Menagerie and See My Breath Dance Ghostly, and a novella-in-flash; Dantalion is a Quiet Place. Mat has also co-written a horror-thriller novella called Watcher with his friend JP Relph, and edited an anthology of quiet horror short stories, titled Silent Screams. He has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Best Microfiction.  You can find Mat on Twitter: @MatGost, and BlueSky: @MatGost. Website: https://weirding-words.blogspot.com/p/about.html Substack: https://matgost.substack.com/  About Terry Holland Terry Holland grew up in Essex, England, before studying in London and Berlin. He has dabbled in the theatre, music, journalism, translation and the occult and currently lives in the Netherlands with his black cat, Mackem, who is a reincarnation of a wise woman and herbalist known as Black Meg, persecuted as a witch in the northeast of England in the seventeenth century. He writes flash and short stories and will never, ever write a novel. He bleats his Wordle scores @terryholland.bsky.social The Producer was Martin Nathan. Martin Nathan has worked as a labourer, showman, pancake chef, fire technician, and a railway engineer. His short fiction has been published by Tangent Press, HCE and Grist and his poetry has appeared in Finished Creatures, Erbacce and Aesthetica. His novel – A Place of Safety is published by Salt Publishing. Cover image by Eric Brenner www.ericwbrenner.com

A man who is the main carer for his stubborn and independent elderly mother experiences increasingly eerie encounters with mysterious creatures in the marshy landscape surrounding her home. Written by Daniel Jeffreys Dr Daniel Jeffreys works as a university lecturer with a special interest in the weird tale. His fiction has appeared in Esquire, LITRO, AMBIT and The London Magazine. Read by Nigel Fyfe Nigel Fyfe is a British actor and voice artist based in North Yorkshire. He has built a diverse career across stage, screen, and voiceover work. Produced by Tabitha Potts Tabitha Potts is a podcaster, short story writer and novelist, recognised with an Honourable Mention in the Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize. Her debut novel was published by Rowan Prose Publishing in June 2026. Effects Bowers Marsh SoundScape by naturenotesuk | License: Attribution 4.0 Sounds

August 6, 2025 marked eighty years since the nuclear bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. "The Misappropriation of Clouds" is a fictional short story based on a member of the writer's own family. This individual unwittingly played a part in one of the most devastating tragedies in human history — Hiroshima.  Following the 80 year commemoration of the bombing of Hiroshima, "The Misappropriation of Clouds" is an elegy to those who lost their lives in the bombing and a poem for all those who carry on the hope that we can do better. About Amy Waddell Amy Waddell is a writer and film director living between Paris, France and Sedona, Arizona. She has just completed Mask Maker, a novel about American artist Anna Coleman Ladd who found an innovative way to help WW1 soldiers disfigured in trench warfare reintegrate into society after having been ostracized by the French government. Amy has also written several original scripts for Pan Européenne in Paris, adapted David Lodge's novel "Thinks", and created documentaries for the Annenberg Foundation on subjects ranging from genocide in Darfur to Native American struggles. Her work spans narrative fiction, screenwriting, and documentary storytelling. CREDITS: Writer: Amy Waddell Producers: Amy Waddell & Helen Fitzgerald  FX & Sound Editor: Daniel Lawrence Voice Actor: Gerard Maguire Music Composer: Yuval Ron Music:  Arden-ohmanOrchestraVfrankLuther-CanThisBeLove1930.mp3 (archive.org) Sad War Music 01 by Magmi.Soundtracks License: Creative Commons 0 Photo: Courtesy of Seemann at Morguefile.com

Poppet is the story of a young girl growing up in a hippy commune in rural England in 1976. She resents her mother, their social worker and most of all the commune leader, Dion. Over a long harvest season, Poppet learns what she must sacrifice in order to be free. A folk-horror inspired short story by Tabitha Potts, Poppet won an Honourable Mention in the Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize in 2022 and you can read it on their website. We will be taking a short production break for summer, so our next episode will be on October 1st. Tabitha Potts is a podcaster, short story writer and novelist, recognised with an Honourable Mention in the Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize. Her debut novel was published by Rowan Prose Publishing in June 2026. Sound effects: bonfire flames sizzling by florianreichelt -- https://freesound.org/s/563764/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 bongos_2.flac by KJose -- https://freesound.org/s/610357/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Skylark recording - author's own Image used for podcast credit: By AliAsterix - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=125885918 Support Story Radio Podcast

Our Writers' salon on the theme of libraries explores characters as diverse as saints, memories, universities, the necessity of writing novels, dystopian visions of the future and seed banks. We chose the theme of Libraries because at a time of book burning and censorship the Library remains a place of freedom of thought and expression. Our first reading is 'Members of Dead Libraries' written by Declan Geraghty. He is a working class writer and poet from Dublin. He’s had poetry published in Shanghai Poetry Lab, Epoque Press, Militant Thistles, Cry of the Poor and the Brown Envelope Book. His latest short story featured in Lumpen London issue 11. He has won a mentorship with Words Ireland, and their national mentoring program for new writers. He's recently won a scholarship place with The Stinging Fly Play It Forward Programme, and been awarded a mentorship with Skylight 47. The story is read by Simon Roberts. Our next reading 'All Saints' is by Lindsay Gillespie. Lindsay was born in South Wales, and lives in the South Downs. In between she has been a graphic designer and illustrator, lived in New Delhi, Washington DC, France and taught English in Tokyo. In 2018-2019, she was enrolled in the Creative Writing Programme of New Writing South. She writes short and not-so-short stories and was a Costa 2021 Short Story Award finalist. A year later, she was a finalist for the Bridport Short Story Prize. Other short stories have been shortlisted in nine competitions in recent years including Fiction Factory, Exeter, Oxford Flash Fiction, Fiction Factory Flash, Rhys Davies, Frome, ChipLit, Edinburgh and Fish. Martin Nathan reads his short story, 'D is for Dentist'. Martin’s short fiction and poetry has appeared in a range of journals and his novel A Place of Safety is published by Salt Publishing. His dramatic writing has been shortlisted for the Nick Darke award and the Woodward International Prize. Simon Roberts, based in West London, performs his short story 'Does the world need any more novels?' alongside Jananne Rahman. Simon Roberts writes short stories and flash fiction. His story Dirty Chicken & Rice was a 2024 Plaza Prizes finalist, and his adaptation of The Slaves of Solitude was produced by Questors Theatre in 2024. He was a finalist in this year's Fish Flash Fiction Prize. ‘The Library’ written and read by Martha Stutchbury explores the transformation / decline of a university library, through the eyes of a librarian working on the special collections floor. Martha Stutchbury is an events producer living and working in London. She studies creative writing part-time at Birkbeck University, and has worked as a researcher on creative non-fiction projects including Kate Summerscale’s ‘The Book of Phobias and Manias’, commissioned by the Wellcome Foundation. Finally, founder and co-host of the Story Radio Podcast, Tabitha Potts is a short story writer and novelist, and has been published in various literary magazines and anthologies. She received an Honourable Mention in the Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize for her story Poppet and is publishing her debut novel in 2026 with Rowan Prose Publishing. She reads from her original short story 'The Hum'. The photograph used as the podcast cover for this episode was taken by Tabitha Potts and shows the Library at Charleston House.