Spoken Alexandria Project

Casey at the Booth

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:04:03 -0500

by Alex Wilson
3 minutes, 16 seconds
Unabridged SF poem/parody
2008

A Filk of the Republic Sung in the Year 2088.

A political parody based on Ernest L Thayer's Casey at the Bat. First appeared in Inconsequential Art #4. Text online here. Cover art by Constantine Markopoulos.

Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable 04: Juno and Her Rivals, Etc

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:00:24 -0500

by Thomas Bulfinch
23 minutes, 33 seconds
Unabridged Mythology/Literature
1913

Juno and her Rivals, Io and Callisto, Diana and Actaeon, and Latona and the Rustics: an action-packed chapter in which we learn...

How the goddess Juno disposes of her husband's mistresses.
He has many mistresses.
The price one pays for seeing a virgin goddess naked.
The origin of frogs (not related to the naked thing).

Read by Alex Wilson.

An Encounter with an Interviewer

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:34:00 -0500

by Mark Twain
8 minutes, 42 seconds
Unabridged Humor/Literature
1874

Mark Twain deals with the media. Performed by Alex Wilson.

Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable 03: Apollo and Daphne, Etc

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 09:48:23 -0500

by Thomas Bulfinch
23 minutes, 11 seconds
Unabridged Mythology/Literature
1913

Here we have Apollo and Daphne and how one of them refuses the other's advances and becomes a laurel tree. Then we have Pyramus and Thisbe, the love story that inspired Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, or at least the bloody parts of it. And finally: Cephalus and Procris and how the wind is slutty and how misunderstanding can inspire uxoricide. Read by Alex Wilson.

Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable 02: Prometheus and Pandora

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 19:01:24 -0500

by Thomas Bulfinch
18 minutes, 40 seconds
Unabridged Mythology/Literature
1913

Creation myths! Read by Alex Wilson.

Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable 01: Introduction

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 10:46:13 -0500

by Thomas Bulfinch
24 minutes, 44 seconds
Unabridged Mythology/Literature
1913

An introduction to the stories and legends of ancient Greece and Rome, and an overview of the pantheon. Read by Alex Wilson.

The Kiss

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 11:04:53 -0500

by Kate Chopin
6 minutes, 24 seconds
Unabridged Short Story
1895

A short story about a woman believing and hoping (and manipulating) that she may have both her security in marriage and passions outside of it. Read by Alex Wilson.

Metamorphosis 3

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 18:59:03 -0500

Part Three of Three. By Franz Kafka.

Metamorphosis 2

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 17:59:03 -0500

Part Two of Three. By Franz Kafka.

Metamorphosis

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:59:03 -0500

by Franz Kafka
2 hours, 15 minutes
Unabridged Novella
1915

"One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin." So begins the classic existential tale about the traveling salesman who too late realizes what he's become.

Translation by David Wyllie. Read by Alex Wilson.

The Morals of Chess

Sun, 05 Nov 2006 08:42:51 -0500

by Benjamin Franklin
8 minutes, 52 seconds
Unabridged Essay
1786

American essaysist and humorist Benjamin Franklin on the game of chess, and its application to life.

Read by Alex Wilson.

NIMH: Social Phobia

Wed, 04 Oct 2006 12:30:08 -0500

from the National Institute of Mental Health
13 minutes, 37 seconds
Unabridged NIMH Informational Brochure
1999

This unabridged recording includes two freely available brochures from the National Institute of Mental Health: Social Phobia: A Real Illness and Facts about Social Phobia.

Full text (including printable and redistributable brochures) available at the NIMH website.

The Girl Detective

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 21:21:56 -0500

by Kelly Link
46 minutes, 45 seconds
Unabridged Short SF Story
1999

"Think of the underworld as the back of your closet, behind all those racks of clothes that you don't wear anymore. Things are always getting pushed back there and forgotten about. The underworld is full of things that you've forgotten about."

First published in Event Horizon in 1999. Later reprinted in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Thirteenth Annual Collection and Link's short story collection Stranger Things Happen, a Salon Book of the Year and one of the Village Voice's 25 Favorite Books of 2001.

Read by Alex Wilson.

Clarion My Wayward Son 1 of 2

Fri, 23 Jun 2006 10:13:30 -0500

by Alex Wilson
48 minutes, 4 seconds
Unabridged SF-related podcast
2006

Telltale founder Alex Wilson, preparing to attend the famous Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop, gives an introduction and "before" picture. Featuring Michael A. Burstein and Jason Erik Lundberg.

Follow along with the adventures in Alex's Clarion Journal. The theme song "Untitled Pretention Pontificated by a Passive Voice" is available separately here. Photo by Jamie Bishop.

Expect the second and final Clarion podcast in the first half of 2007.

Waiting for the Zephyr

Wed, 31 May 2006 10:19:03 -0500

by Tobias S Buckell
13 minutes, 19 seconds
Unabridged Short SF Story
2000

When the fuel went, Mara's town turned to windpower. They struggled on as the lights left, as the cities fell fallow, and plastic became a memory. Their only link to the outside world is the Zephyr, and now it too has not shown up. Originally published in Jackhammer. Narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal of the Willamette Radio Workshop.

Dulce et Decorum Est

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 14:44:13 -0500

by Wilfred Owen
2 minutes, 5 seconds
Unabridged Formal Poetry
1920

The classic war poem written by a British soldier during World War I. Read by Alex Wilson.

The Gettysburg Address

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 11:17:42 -0500

by Abraham Lincoln
2 minutes, 22 seconds
Unabridged Speech
1863

"Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the propisition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great Civil War..." Given by US President Abraham Lincoln on the battlefield November 19, 1863, after the hard-fought, casualty-ridden, and turning-point Civil War battle near Gettysburg, PA.

This speech is inscribed, along with Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Read by Alex Wilson.

Getting Past Being Joe Blow Neopro 6

Sat, 18 Feb 2006 21:30:59 -0500

(6 of 6) Plan Your Career Now. By Tobias S Buckell

Getting Past Being Joe Blow Neopro 5

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 21:30:59 -0500

(5 of 6) Taking it Up a Notch. By Tobias S Buckell.

Getting Past Being Joe Blow Neopro 4

Sat, 11 Feb 2006 21:30:59 -0500

(4 of 6) Professionalism. By Tobias S Buckell

Getting Past Being Joe Blow Neopro 3

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 21:30:59 -0500

(3 of 6) Original Source Creativity. By Tobias S Buckell.

Getting Past Being Joe Blow Neopro 2

Sun, 05 Feb 2006 21:30:59 -0500

(2 of 6) Putting in the Time. By Tobias S Buckell.

Getting Past Being Joe Blow Neopro

Wed, 01 Feb 2006 01:25:06 -0500

by Tobias S Buckell
1 hour, 17 minutes
Unabridged SF-Related Essays on Writing
2003

Science fiction and fantasy author Tobias S. Buckell talks about a much-ignored period in the working writer's career: after one makes that first major professional story sale, but before he or she has turned that exception into the rule. Buckell discusses "the benefits, the experience, and the dangers of being a Joe Blow Neopro," along with "some strategies to move out of this stage in of our careers."

These six columns originally appeared in Speculations in 2003, when Buckell was still a neopro. His advice is likely worth reading because his first novel, Crystal Rain, comes out this month from Tor Books. Columns included:

An Introduction
Putting in the Time
Original Source Creativity
Professionalism
Taking it Up a Notch
Plan Your Career Now

Spoken Alexandria podcasted the column twice weekly between February 1st through 18th, and now the bundled downloads are available free. Read by Alex Wilson.

Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death

Wed, 18 Jan 2006 15:17:45 -0500

by Patrick Henry
6 minutes, 51 seconds
Unabridged Speech
1775

Patrick Henry's address to the second Virginia Convention in March 23, 1775, where he offered a resolution that put the colony in a state of defense leading up to the American Revolution.

A bestselling Telltale recording (and one of the first), now available free with a Creative Commons License. Read by Alex Wilson.

Kubla Khan & The Pains of Sleep

Tue, 04 Oct 2005 11:46:09 -0500

by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
6 minutes, 58 seconds
Unabridged Formal Poetry
1816

Two poems by one of the founders of the Romantic Movement.

Coleridge claimed that "Kubla Khan," one of his most famous works, came to him in an opium-inspired dream. Coleridge's symbolic pleasure-dome of Xanadu in this poem is referenced and even built in Orson Well's classic film, Citizen Kane. The full title of the poem is "Kubla Khan Or, a Vision in a Dream. A Fragment."

"The Pains of Sleep" by contrast is a more conversational and emotional piece, dealing with nightmares instead of utopian fantasies, but it is very likely that this poem, too, was inspired by Coleridge's continued opium use.

Though both poems were first published at the same time in 1816, Coleridge wrote "Kubla Khan" a good 6 years before 1803's "The Pains of Sleep," revealing very different mental reactions to his continued drug use. 1816 was also the year when Coleridge finally sought help for his addiction.

Read by Alex Wilson.

NIMH: Men and Depression

Tue, 26 Jul 2005 18:09:48 -0500

from the National Institute of Mental Health
1 hour, 1 minute
Unabridged NIMH Informational Brochure
2003

A detailed booklet describing what you need to know about depression in men: how it looks, how it feels, getting help, and getting better. Read by Alex Wilson.

Full text (including a printable and redistributable brochure) available at the NIMH website.

Have you known a man who is grumpy, irritable, and has no sense of humor? Maybe he drinks too much or abuses drugs. Maybe he physically or verbally abuses his wife and his kids. Maybe he works all the time, or compulsively seeks thrills in high-risk behavior. Or maybe he seems isolated, withdrawn, and no longer interested in the people or activities he used to enjoy.

Perhaps this man is you. If so, it is important to understand that there is a disease of the brain called depression that may be underlying these feelings and behaviors. It's real: scientists have developed sensitive imaging devices that enable us to see it in the brain. And it's treatable: more than 80 percent of those suffering from depression respond to existing treatments, and new ones are continually becoming available and helping more people. Talk to a healthcare provider about how you are feeling, and ask for help.

Or perhaps this man is someone you care about. Try to talk to him, or to someone who has a chance of getting through to him. Help him to understand that depression is a common illness among men and is nothing to be ashamed about. Encourage him to see a doctor and get an evaluation for depression.

For most men with depression, life doesn't have to be so dark and hopeless. Life is hard enough as it is; and treating depression can free up vital resources to cope with life's challenges effectively. When a man is depressed, he's not the only one who suffers. His depression also darkens the lives of his family, his friends, virtually everyone close to him. Getting him into treatment can send ripples of healing and hope into all of those lives.

Depression is a real illness; it is treatable; and men can have it. It takes courage to ask for help, but help can make all the difference.

Dubliners: Araby

Tue, 19 Jul 2005 12:00:18 -0500

by James Joyce
15 minutes, 54 seconds
Unabridged Short Story
1914

The adventure and frustration of a first crush.

"Every morning I lay on the floor in the front parlour watching her door. The blind was pulled down to within an inch of the sash so that I could not be seen. When she came out on the doorstep my heart leaped. I ran to the hall, seized my books and followed her. I kept her brown figure always in my eye and, when we came near the point at which our ways diverged, I quickened my pace and passed her. This happened morning after morning. I had never spoken to her, except for a few casual words, and yet her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood."

The third coming-of-age story in James Joyce's collection Dubliners, classic tales dealing thematically with miscommunication, isolation, class differences, and emotional paralysis in Joyce's Ireland. Read by Alex Wilson.

NIMH: Eating Disorders

Tue, 12 Jul 2005 16:06:34 -0500

from the National Institute of Mental Health
15 minutes, 56 seconds
Unabridged NIMH Informational Brochure
2001

Facts about Eating Disorders and The Search for Solutions

A detailed booklet that describes symptoms, causes, and treatments, with information on getting help and coping.

Full text (including a printable and redistributable brochure) available at the NIMH website.

Most of My Friends Are Two-Thirds Water

Tue, 05 Jul 2005 00:01:01 -0500

by Kelly Link
27 minutes, 20 seconds
Unabridged Short SF Story
2001

"Sexy blond aliens invade New York City?" A short story from Link's short story collection Stranger Things Happen, a Salon Book of the Year and one of the Village Voice's 25 Favorite Books of 2001.

Read by Alex Wilson.

Jason Erik Lundberg (Small Press Startup) Interview

Tue, 19 Apr 2005 17:41:23 -0500

by Jamie Bishop
1 hour, 15 minutes
Unabridged Interview
2005

Publisher and writer Jason Erik Lundberg of Two Cranes Press talks to multimedia artist Jamie Bishop about the ups and downs of launching a small press startup, collaborating with fantasy artist Janet Chui, publishing science fiction and fantasy work by Jeff VanderMeer, Nalo Hopkinson, Bruce Boston, Mike Jasper, and others, and releasing a short story collection by Big Fish author Daniel Wallace. Candid, informative listen for anyone interested in starting up her or his own publishing venture.

The Dumb Man

Tue, 01 Mar 2005 17:33:36 -0500

by Sherwood Anderson
4 minutes, 28 seconds
Unabridged Short Story/Prose Poem
1921

Prose-poem? Short story? Riddle? A short narrative as told by a mute narrator, free to download to celebrate Telltale Weekly's first anniversary.

Read by Alex Wilson.

The Bill of Rights

Tue, 21 Dec 2004 17:27:44 -0500

from The Constitution of The United States of America
4 minutes, 27 seconds
Unabridged Reading of a Historical Document
1789 / 1791

The ten original amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America--passed by Congress September 25,1789 and ratified December 15, 1791. This recording may be freely shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license.

Read by Alex Wilson.

Inaugural Address 1961

Fri, 27 Aug 2004 09:45:36 -0500

This recording is in the public domain. You may redistribute it without restriction.

by John F. Kennedy
15 minutes, 4 seconds
Unabridged Formal Poetry
1961

On January 20, 1961, Kennedy called on Americans to be active in their citizenship. This recording is in the public domain.

The Dungeon

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 09:28:58 -0500

by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
2 minutes, 21 seconds
Unabridged Formal Poetry
1798

A poem by one of the founders of the Romantic Movement.

Read by Alex Wilson.

The Glove and the Lions

Fri, 27 Feb 2004 09:10:33 -0500

by James Leigh Hunt
1 minute, 54 seconds
Unabridged Formal Poem
1836

"'No Love,' quoth he, 'but vanity sets love a task like that...'" A famous lyrical poem by James Leigh Hunt.

Read by Alex Wilson.