I’m back far enough from January’s foot surgery to do a lot of dog walking, and thus back to listening to podcasts.  Here are a few that I’ve rather enjoyed lately.

Through a chance meeting at Worldcon, I discovered that Adventures in Science Fiction Publishing is back on the air (they have been for a while now, but I missed it).  It was good before, and I like it even better now.  In fact, I like it so much, I sponsored them for a little bit.  Win for me (advertising) and a win for them as well.  Give them a try.  It’s not fiction – it’s interviews and science fiction / fantasy news.   Oh – and I’m giving away a copy of Mayan December over there, and a hardcover of The Silver Ship and the Sea, which has gone out of physical print as far as I can tell. There are a lot of other good nonfiction podcasts out there, too.  Starship Sofa is a favorite of mine, and SF Signal does a podcast these days as well.  Listening to any of these is kind of like listening to my friends chatter on while Nix and I walk.

I also wanted to talk up a few stories.  One is “The Fish of Lijiang” written by Chen Qiufan and read by Kate Baker.  I found it really well-done, a bit sad, and very touching.  It’s over at Clarkesworld. I found it a particularly good commentary on our lives, and I enjoyed the feel of the work and setting, which is in China.

I like bar stories.  One of my favorite settings is Larry Niven’s Draco Tavern.  So I listened to a bar story by Tim Pratt, called “On a Blade of Grass,” read by Mat Weller, way back in in an old issue of Escape Pod.  It’s a perfect little conversation, which is exactly what a bar story is supposed to be.

And for a third recommendation, I liked The Notebook of my Favorite Skin Trees, by  Alex Dally MacFarlane and read by Pamela Quevillion, and also in an older Escape Pod issue. It doesn’t stand up to any logic at all, and it’s light erotica.  I certainly wouldn’t expose kids to the story.  But on a podcast you just start from the title, and the story is really lovely.   It’s quirky and weird I enjoyed it for no good reason other than it’s sweetness and naivete.

Oh, and don’t forget to donate to the podcasters you like – most of them operate on a shoestring at best!