(Sort of) The Story

Send us Fan Mail Trigger Warnings for murder and domestic violence. In 1895, Bridget Cleary was a happily married, fashionably dressed, well-respected woman in rural Ireland. She made extra money for her family by working as a seamstress and delivering eggs, and she loved fairy stories. And then one day, Bridget found herself living in one of those stories. But unlike a fairytale, in real life the...

Send us Fan Mail Buckle in as Janey tells us  a Chinese tale that makes humans think "maybe we're the drama," and Max tells us all about a brother and sister who should definitely spend more time apart... Janey’s Sources - The Ungrateful Wolf by Ma Chung-hsi “A Chinese Anthology” edited by Raymond Van Over  Raymond Van Over bio  Wikipedia entry on The Red Scare  Max’s Sources - The...

Send us Fan Mail Union breaking, machine gun massacres, courthouse dramas and intense military standoffs rock a tiny West Virginian town in the 1920s. If you're ready to scream and shout for workers rights, this episode is for you! Sources:  Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC)  “What Made the Battle of Blair Mountain the Largest Labor Uprising in American History” by Abby Lee Hood...

Send us Fan Mail A bayou beauty with a death wish and a game of "Light as a Feather" that goes terribly wrong-- what more could you want?! Janey’s Sources - King Peacock "Cajun Folktales"   by JJ Reneaux  “Remembering my friend and storyteller, JJ Reneaux” by Mama of Letters  JJ Reneaux biography from August House    Lève Tes Fenêtres Haut (Raise Your Window High) – JJ Reneaux...

Send us Fan Mail Mysterious visitors, conspiracy theories, and one woman taking on the entire Global Luciferian Regime-- all this and more on today's episode of (Sort of) Off Topic!   Support the show Check out our books (and support local bookstores!) on our Bookshop.org affiliate account! Starting your own podcast with your very cool best friend? Try hosting on Buzzsprout (and get a $20 Ama...

Send us Fan Mail On today's very French episode Max is going to tell us all about a man caught between two witches, and  Janey is going to tell us the horrifying tale of what happens when you don't tell your cousin about the pair of red eyes you saw under her bed. Max’s Sources - “The Witch of Lok Island” “Celtic Tales: Fairy Tales and Stories of Enchantment from Ireland, Scotland, Britt...

Send us Fan Mail Happy November, you little blood suckers! On this Off Topic episode, Max is going to tell Janey and Alex (What?!) the probably true story of the mysterious Count of St. Germain. Note how careful we were to not accidentally invite him into our home? We hope he and David Blaine got the message! Sources: “Saint-Germain: The Immortal Count” article by Stephen Wagner  Free text of “The...

Send us Fan Mail Hello! Welcome to yet ANOTHER episode where we sort of tell you stories! Today Janey is going to tell us about a house on a hill that is filled with ghosts and stuff, and Max is going to tell us about brothers that need therapy (and the queen that has to deal with them.) Let's get freaky!   Janey’s Sources - The House That Was Filled With Ghosts “The Sister Who Ate Her Brothe...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever wondered how cats became such an unlucky symbol in the West? Well, wonder no more! On this episode, Janey is going to tell us all about how cat's went from being worshipped in Egypt to being number 1 on Pope Gregory IX's Holy Sh*t List. Happy Halloween! Sources:  When Pope Gregory IX Declared War on Cats  Vox in Rama Wikipedia   Cat-Burning Wikipedia   The...

Send us Fan Mail Today, Janey is going to introduce us all to the other gender with the tale of Prince Lindworm! and Max is going to terrify us yet again with a story about an innocent hermit's hut in the middle of a snowy forest... Happy Halloween, you Skadegamutces! Janey’s Sources - Prince Lindworm  Free “Prince Lindworm” PDF from Project Gutenburg  “King Lindworm” Wikipedia  Max’s Sources...

Send us Fan Mail Max tells us the true crime story of a mysterious skeleton found hidden in a tree (and the haunting graffiti that begs the question: Who put Bella in the wych-elm?) Sources: Book, “Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? Volume 1” by Alex Merrill  Book, “Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? Volume 2” by Alex Merrill  Book, “Bella in The Wych Elm” by Andrew Sparke  Article: ““Who Put Bella Down t...

Send us Fan Mail On today's episode, Max is going to tell us the most entertaining story ever about a fussy little goblin who can't seem to catch a break! And Janey is going to tell us a Swahili story about a woman verbally gut punching three men over some milk and meat. Enjoy!  Max’s Sources - The Bogie and the Farmer “Faeries, Elves & Goblins: The Old Stories” by Rosalind Kerven  “...

Send us Fan Mail The Bay of Pigs, the Vietnam War, the US plans to rapture Cuba-- all this and more on today's (Sort of) Off Topic episode! Sources:  “Operation Mongoose: The Story of America’s Efforts to Overthrow Castro, and how they helped seal America’s fate in Vietnam” by Max Boot  This Day in History: April 17, 1961. “The Bay of Pigs Begins” History.com  “Fidel Castro” on History.com  S...

Send us Fan Mail Hello, you little minx! This week we're celebrating Max's birthday with an unplanned Devil episode! Max will tell us why it's not a good idea to drink and race horses, and Janey will tell us a story that ends with a naked man in the woods. Enjoy! Alternate episode title: The Great Awankening Janey’s Sources - Duffy and the Devil “The Maid of the North: Feminist Folk...

Send us Fan Mail What was Max thinking about this week? Molasses! Listen and rage with us about capitalism (and maybe use the link below to get the recipe for Max's amazing molasses cookies!) Sources: “Why the Great Molasses Flood was So Deadly” by Emily Sohn for the History Channel  “‘There was no escape from the wave’: These are the 21 victims of the Great Boston Molasses Flood” by Dialynn...

Send us Fan Mail Greetings, weary travelers! This week we are celebrating our 50 episode milestone by retelling Arthurian Legends! Huzzah! Sit back as Janey regales us with tales of incest and murder (sheesh with the old timey incest, we GET IT), and Max amazes us all with the VERY steamy story of the "The Green Knight." Excelsior! Janey’s Sources - Morgause Morgause in Legend of King Ar...

Send us Fan Mail Why are the Greek goddesses written so vastly different from the gods? What's up with Hera, the goddess of marriage , being in such a toxic relationship from which she can't escape? How did mythology spring up from Ancient Greek women's real lived experiences? This week, Janey's going Off Topic to detail what it was like to be an Athenian woman in Ancient Greec...

Send us Fan Mail On today's episode, Max will tell us a horrifying Irish tale that tries to answer the question "Where do missing children go?" And Janey will haunt us with a ghost story about phantom lovers (using her absolute best old white British man accent.) Is it spooky season already?! Max's Sources - The Giant's Stairs "Fairy Tales of Ireland" by W. B. Ye...

Send us Fan Mail Hello, sluts! Welcome to yet another week where Max scares the ever living sh*t out of us! On today's episode, Janey is going to tell us a Japanese tale "The Story of the Man Who Did Not Wish to Die," and Max is going to tell us all about the Russian figure, Father Frost. Alternate episode title: Frost Side Story. Janey's Sources - The Story of the Man who Did...

Send us Fan Mail Ah yes, another totally normal episode where Janey and Max wow you with how totally normal they are as human beings. Welcome! On this episode Janey is going to tell you part of an Icelandic saga about a f***ed up family, and Max is going to explain to us why dogs and cats will never get along. "Mommy needy drinky." -- Max Higgins, 2022. Janey's Sources - Sigmund and...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 46, the one with all the piss jokes. If you make it through this, urine real trouble! (good god how did we end up here?)  Anyway! Max tells a Japanese ghost story about paranormal body dysmorphia, and Janey pisses everyone off with the tale of poor old Pee Wit. Enjoy! Max's Sources - Jikininki Free text of "Jikininki"  " Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of...

Send us Fan Mail Hello and welcome to the very special episode where Janey has Covid! Today we're being cute by telling our favorite myths from Ovid's Metamorphoses! Janey will tell us about Arachne's badass Tell-All Tapestry, and Max will pump  us all up with the bad*** adventures of Atalanta! Stay safe and wear a mask (with a filter!) Janey’s Sources - Arachne “Ovid’s Metamorphosi...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to another episode of Janey and Max barely holding it together! Today Max will tell us a Haitian story called "Bouki Dances the Kokioko" that will make you want to get up and move. Janey will make us all feel old and achy with her retelling of "Li Chi Slays the Serpent". Keep your hands on your sack, and remember that the Constitution is made of pa...

Send us Fan Mail Hello and welcome to another episode! This week Janey will tell us the tale of child serial murderer-in-training, Molly Whuppie! And Max will take us through a rags to riches to rags to Bluegrass career with "Of Nettles and Roses: A Yiddish Cinderella."   Janey's Sources - Molly Whuppie “Molly Whuppie” (From Folk & Fairy Tales , edited by Martin Hallett and Barb...

Send us Fan Mail Hello and welcome to the wholesome episode! Today Max is going to retell the Thai tale, "Drinking with Yommaban, the King of the Dead," and Janey is going to tell us all about "Bella's Glorious Adventure." Pack a picnic and snuggle up with a warm blanket, this episode is going to be cozy as hell! Max's Sources - Drinking with Yommaban, the King of the...