Arcane Carolinas

Join Charlie and Michael for the long-delayed second half of the 2025 Spooky Season Kickoff, recorded live at Arcana Durham in front of an enormously enthusiastic crowd of friends and community members! And for real, put down the Boglin already. Links: Arcane Carolinas Vol. 3  (Charlie's newest entry in our series of nonfiction volumes!) Children of Solitude  (Michael's latest horror novel!) Micha...

Join Charlie and Michael for the first half of the 2025 Spooky Season Kickoff, recorded live at Arcana Durham in front of an enormously enthusiastic crowd of friends and community members! Links: Arcane Carolinas Vol. 3  (Charlie's newest entry in our series of nonfiction volumes!) Children of Solitude  (Michael's latest horror novel!) Sea and Land (referenced in the episode)   Upcoming Live Appea...

Happy Halloween! Join Charlie and Michael around Charlie's kitchen table to celebrate what we love about this season and tell a couple of spooky stories! Links: Arcane Carolinas Vol. 3  (Charlie's newest entry in our series of nonfiction volumes!) Children of Solitude  (Michael's latest horror novel!)   Upcoming Live Appearances: Book Ferret  (Winston-Salem, NC -  November 13 ) -  Michael solo  (h...

Just in time for Halloween, did you know the North Carolina legislature once included an accused werewolf? Join Michael and Charlie on a historical deep-dive into one of the more surprising political history stories in the state! And, as a bonus minisode, join Charlie, Michael, and Tally Johnson as they talk about Fairy Stones from the Blue Ridge Mountains! Links: Arcane Carolinas Vol. 3  (Charlie...

One of the Carolinas' most interesting phenomena--and most easily experienced for one's self--is that of Gravity Hill. Ride along with Charlie and Michael as we take a roundabout route to discussing this fascinating legend! Links: Arcane Carolinas Vol. 3  (Charlie's newest entry in our series of nonfiction volumes!) Children of Solitude  (Michael's latest horror novel!) Upcoming Live Appearances:...

Have you ever walked into a room and smelled a phantom's cigar? Join Charlie and Michael for the true and tragic history--and subsequent haunting--surrounding a fireman and a firehouse in Charlotte, NC! Links: Arcane Carolinas Vol. 3  (Charlie's newest entry in our series of nonfiction volumes!) Children of Solitude  (Michael's latest horror novel!) Upcoming Live Appearances: SplatterFlix Film Ser...

Did you know the Cape Fear River has a centuries-old mermaid legend--and it kinda-sorta ties to our favorite Revolutionary War villain? And have you heard the vicious tale of the Santer? Join Charlie and Michael live from Durham's beautiful South Regional Library as they dive deep into the waters of myth, folklore, and newspaper archives! Links: Arcane Carolinas Vol. 3  (Charlie's newest entry in...

Battleship North Carolina has a distinguished history as part of the Allied victory in World War Two, and for decades has served as a living museum and monument to that effort and to the technological innovations in its design. But it's also one of the most haunted places in the Carolinas! Come aboard for a deep dive discussion with Charlie and Michael about one of the Carolinas' most iconic locat...

What's that sound racing down the road outside at night? Could it be the ghost of a horse in search of its fallen rider? Join Michael, Charlie, and special guest Tally Johnson for a deep dive into the history behind a local legend, a couple of quick companion stories from Tally, and a surprise eye-witness account from the convention audience! Links: Arcane Carolinas Vol. 3  (Charlie's newest entry...

We've discussed the Grey Man of Pawley's Island, SC, and the other Grey Man of Pawley's Island, SC, and we've discussed Theodosia Burr, the Grey Lady of South Carolina, so now it's time to talk about the other Grey Lady of South Carolina! Join Michael and Charlie on a deep-dive into the multiple histories funneling into one of the Palmetto State's more obscure legends! Links: Arcane Carolinas Vol....

Behold the return of an old "friend"! Recorded live at Ret-Con 2025 Links: Arcane Carolinas Vol. 3  (Charlie's newest entry in our series of nonfiction volumes!) Children of Solitude  (Michael's latest horror novel!) Upcoming Live Appearances: Killer Pride  (Williamsburg, VA - September 26-28, 2025)  - Michael solo  (he'll be on panels and in the vendor room selling books) SplatterFlix Film Series...

Join Charlie and Michael on a deep-dive into the bizarre world of primate agression, recorded live at Ret-Con 2025! OUT NOW: Arcane Carolinas Volume 3 by Charlie Mewshaw! Foreword by Jason Tapp of SpookyCLT! Links: Arcane Carolinas Vol. 3  (Charlie's newest entry in our series of nonfiction volumes!) Children of Solitude  (Michael's latest horror novel!) Upcoming Live Appearances: Spooky Season Ki...

What's big, weird, and extremely niche? The Grafton Monster, that's what! Join us for the first of a THREE-PART live episode recorded at Ret-Con 2025! Also, a couple of tickets got returned by some folks who can't make it on Thursday, September 11, for the Arcane Carolinas Spooky Season Kickoff, so grab 'em while you can if you want to go! OUT NOW: Arcane Carolinas Volume 3 by Charlie Mewshaw! For...

Just a quick reminder for folks who may not see the Facebook posts: our Spooky Season Kickoff is at Arcana in Durham, NC, on September 11! Tickets are free, and there are only a handful left. It'll also be a launch party for  Arcane Carolinas Volume 3 ! Get your Spooky Season Kickoff tickets here!

We know plenty of legends based on and built around real people, from the Hunter of Purgatory Mountain to Lavinia Fisher to Hezekiah Jones. But how often do we see a legend spring up around a person as events unfold? Join Charlie and Michael for the summer road trip episode about a notorious driver and a couple of legend-encrusted vehicles! Links: Children of Solitude (Michael's new horror novel!)...

Join Charlie for two AC Case Files interviews regarding strange experiences, one on the coast of North Carolina and one on the streets of Pittsburgh, PA! Links: Children of Solitude (Michael's new horror novel!) Grafton Monster Fest Upcoming Live Appearances: PBO Pride  (maybe? - Michael solo - June 6 & 7, 2025) Grafton Monster Festival   (Charlie Solo - June 13 & 14, 2025) ConGregate   (Michael s...

Salem Black River Church near Maysville, SC, is one of the oldest churches in South Carolina and has a rich history as a place of worship and community. From it sprang many other local institutions and activists of tremendous importance also. But the Internet holds that today it is a place of disturbing phenomena from hauntings to monsters. Is any of that true? Go creepin' around with Michael and...

Bertie County, NC, is a place of rural beauty--and possibly of an angry ghost engaged in some questionable parenting from beyond the grave! Join Michael and Charlie for a deep dive into the history of one of the state's oldest counties, a fun spooky legend,  and  the many ways this legend connects to the history of the community where it's set. Links: Sign up for pre-order info for Michael's next...

Late on a rainy, foggy night, as you drive through the early settlement of Jamestown, NC, a young woman may flag you down in hopes of refuge from the weather and a ride to her home. This is a familiar legend in the Carolinas, but it isn't unique. Is there real history behind this instance of the well-known tale of a hitchhiker from beyond? And just how common is  this story? Join Charlie and Micha...

Look, up there in the sky! It's a drone! It's an alien! It's... live-action folklore in the making! Join Charlie and Michael for a quick, informal chat about the wave of "drone"/UFO/UAP sightings being reported (and sometimes recorded, and maybe sometimes manufactured) nationwide! Originally this was the intro to the  next episode, but we went on long enough we thought this deserved to be its own...

Now that Spooky Season for 2024 has drawn to a close, and Michael and Charlie have gotten a bit of a rest, let's... rewind time to the start of Spooky Season! Join Charlie, Michael, and an enthusiastic crowd as we talk about three fun and spooky stories and places from the Carolinas and beyond! Note: if you listen to the show with kids, the jokes in this are a little more risque than usual, so tak...

On stormy nights the spectral figure of a woman in blue dashes through the darkness to climb the stairs of the old Rear Range Light on Hilton Head Island. Why is her mission so vitally important she continues it from beyond the grave? Join Michael and Charlie as they dig deep into folklore and history in search of another Shady Lady haunting one of the Carolinas' most iconic locations! A content w...

It's been a little over four years, and Charlie's new show  Lost Monster Files is about to premiere, so we think it's a good time to re-introduce ourselves to folks who might be new to the show. And while you're at it, take a dive into a legend shared by more than one of the indigenous peoples of the Carolinas as Charlie tells the tale of the Catawba River Runner! If you're looking for a way to he...

Did you hear the story of that video game that drove that kid mad? It happened just one town over! My cousin's friend told me he heard about it at summer camp!  Join Charlie and Michael for a deep-dive into the history of an urban legend straight out of the arcade age: Polybius, the original killer app! But is there any truth behind this story? There just might be! If you're looking for a way to h...

This episode is the second half of our history deep dive into the Heroes of America, an anti-Confederate secret society that started in the "Quaker Belt" region of NC.  If you're looking for a way to help people affected by Hurricane Helene in the Carolinas and beyond, consider donating to the American Red Cross' Hurricane Helene efforts . If you see this on Facebook, there's a link in the show no...