Not Your Mother's Storytime

This week we bring you “Buried Treasures” by Bram Stoker. In this story a young man must raise 100 pounds to court his love. Her father will not have his daughter living in poverty. There’s a wrecked ship and a heavy iron box involved. How much more romantic can you get? The young man pursues the buried treasure on Christmas Day. I know it’s a little late for Christmas at this point. But I love th...

I love a good Sci-Fi story and Mr. Dick is one of the best. He was kind enough to allow some of his writing to be in the public domain upon his death. Perhaps he did this because he always saw the bigger picture. The importance of telling stories warning about possible futures if we are not paying attention. The importance of paying attention, now more than ever. This story has it all: Space ship,...

This is a fun ghostly tale of unsettling encounters by a school inspector in the north of England. Edwards was an extremely talented woman exploring all the arts including painting and singing as well as writing. She also explored Egypt. She was known as the Godmother of Egyptology. She toured the US lecturing on Egypt and even contributed to the Encyclopedia Britanica on the subject of Egyptian A...

I know it’s been awhile since I gave you anything new. But you must know by now, that I love a good horror story! I couldn’t resist taking the time to record this one for your Spooky Season enjoyment. Did you know that Bram Stoker stole, and married, Oscar Wilde’s girlfriend? And even though Oscar was not happy about it, they remained friends. They met at school where Bram studied Mathematics. Thi...

Our story today is dedicated to all the authors out there. It is a delightfully fun jab at the ever tumultuous relationship between authors and reviewers. Back in her day, the only reviewers were the journalists of certain publications. Nowadays, every one is a reviewer. Which gives a review even more impact and influence. Whether good or bad. But, as you will see in this story, the politics and e...

It’s about marriage and divorce, women and men, and the complexity or simplicity of relationships.  I love Wharton’s adept turn of phrase. She can say so much in one little sentence. For example, “It was so delicious to cry over imaginary troubles!” or  “Womanlike, she wanted to turn her disobedience into a law.” While Wharton was not considered a feminist, her sympathy with her female characters...

This is a re-do! This story was my 5 th episode, back in 2017. I was going to just re-broadcast it, but I’ve learned so much since then. I want to do it more justice. So, here it is better than before. This story is a nod to the New Year. The New Year is often symbolized as an infant, and the passing year is depicted as an old man. Jack London gives us an exquisite example of youth vs. age. Both h...

What was a Thanksgiving without a turkey? “It was like a great flourish of accompaniment without any song.” That’s how Ann Mary felt about it. This week we bring you two stories by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman: “Ann Mary; Her Two Thanksgivings” and “Thankful” Thanksgiving is a holiday where no gifts are given, yet one receives so much. Even a Thanksgiving spent alone can still find one grateful. So whe...

I could not resist bringing you a new story for the spooky season. So, here is “With Intent to Steal” by Algernon Blackwood. Blackwood has a special place in my heart because he was a broadcast narrator! I also love his philosophy about horror and the human mind. He says: “ My fundamental interest, I suppose, is signs and proofs of other powers that lie hidden in us all; the extension, in other wo...

In this story, London’s intention is to show the contrast between nature and man. This story is also one of the stories the Cohn brothers included in “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”. If you’d like to hear another short story used in the film, listen to “The Girl Who Got Rattled” by Stewart Edward White. The brothers won an Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay). Well, when you have wel...

The Fly has been touted as the perfect short story by some. It definitely has an impact on the reader, or listener in this case. The Doves’ Nest is an interesting commentary on the issue of the company of men from the women’s perspective. This “nest” has all female servants, a widow, her female companion and her daughter. When a gentleman comes calling, the doves are all a flutter. Great fun! But...

This week is NYMST’s 5 th Anniversary. 5 years ago, on Halloween, was my first ever episode. Of course, I read “Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe. So for this episode, we’re doing something different. We’re breaking out of the public domain! I’ve got a new, current, author to share with you. Lee Allen, an author in Wales, writes short stories – spooky short stories. I asked if he...

This is a fun one for you! Stockton is best known for his children's stories, but there are a few gems in his repertoire for adults. I love his humor and his timing. Just sit back and enjoy a light and uplifting little story from Frank Stockton.

This week we bring you “Roads of Destiny” by O. Henry. Do you believe in Destiny? Can we somehow avoid our Destiny by taking a different road? Is O. Henry a fatalist? I dare say he is. It is said that Henry collected ideas by loitering in hotel lobbies and observing and talking to people there. He relied on this technique to gain creative inspiration throughout his writing career. Maybe he met a p...

Let me start by saying, I am a girl afraid of a dog. I was bitten severely in the face as a young child and the surprise and horror has stayed with me. I can’t look a dog in the eyes. So, I can relate to this poor little girl and the anxiety she feels when the thought of encountering this dog overwhelms her. This story is described as a children’s story. I disagree with that. I think adults can fi...

We have choices that are presented to us throughout our lives. “Doors” that appear in the form of opportunities and pathways. If one decides not to go through a door or take a certain pathway, what are the consequences? How could one ever know? Would one have been happier if a certain door was chosen? Ah. Elusive happiness. We can’t find it when looking for it. But it pops up throughout our lives,...

This story is a sweet look at a couple married for 5 years. It’s interesting that she writes about marriage. Ferber never married and had no children. She was known for being outspoken and having a quick wit. Once, after a man joked about how her suit made her resemble a man, she replied, "So does yours.” Although she never married, she is able to capture married life after 5 years pretty accurate...

This is the story of two women who set out on a journey of 120 miles across a prairie in Canada during a very wet September. I’m not sure what to think about this story; a couple of 20 something women take a wagon through treacherous territory, in the most unpassable conditions. I guess women weren’t as frail as we thought they were back then. Perhaps women have never been frail. Enjoy!

It’s Turkey Week! So, I thought a story about food would be good. But this story is about the lack of food. It is said the plot in “Love of Life” was found in the real-life events in Alaska that London read about in a newspaper. One where a gold hunter with a badly sprained ankle barely made it to a populated area. Another where a gold miner got lost and almost died. The facts about food hoarding...

It is, after all, Halloween! This story was requested by a listener and since we’ve just finished Winesburg, Ohio the timing was perfect for a dark horrifying story. And who better to bring us such a story, than H.P. Lovecraft. It is said Lovecraft was inspired by the nightmares he had as a child. He was truly haunted by the dark underworld of evil and decadence. Enjoy!

Anderson has saved his best for last. I think you’ll find the final scene in Winesburg very touching. I hope you’ve enjoyed our journey to a little midwestern town in Ohio!

Not the most cheerful topics. I’ve received feedback from a few of my listeners that these stories are very grim. Yes, I guess they can seem that way. To that, I quote @sparksofher (Khatija Khan) “Today, when we sugar coat fictions so pink that the black reality hurts like pointed straw in our heels...” Can it be, that modern fiction is so “pink” that when we hear stories too close to reality, it...

We are getting to know these characters well, wouldn’t you say? There are a total of over 100 characters named in the book, some appearing only once and some recurring several times. Let’s crunch some numbers:  According to literary scholar Forrest L. Ingram, "George Willard recurs in all but six stories; 33 characters each appear in more than one story (some of them five and six times). Ninety-on...

In “Loneliness; concerning Enoch Robinson” some scholars have noted the apparent parallels between author and character, since Anderson also left his hometown, married, had children, and worked in advertising to support his family. What Enoch does with charcoal and paintbrush, Anderson did with pen and typewriter. Yet, biographer Kim Townsend contends, the more obvious inspiration for Enoch is And...

Did you know, Anderson was self-educated and rose to become a successful copywriter and business owner in Cleveland and Elyria, Ohio. He worked for a marketing company that marketed egg incubators. One of the manufacturers he marketed, produced a large batch of defective incubators. Soon, letters addressed to Anderson (who personally guaranteed all products sold) began to arrive from customers bot...