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Skylight Books Podcasts
Sister Imrana discusses the story behind the story. Digging into the concept and background of the ideas shared in gripping books. Inspire FM - Positively Inspiring the Community
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Litreading brings classic short stories to life—expertly narrated with care, clarity, and just enough character to keep things lively. From Poe to Twain, Wolfe to Hemingway, each episode features a complete tale designed for immersive, thoughtful listening in a few minutes to an hour. In addition to timeless tales from the past, explore New Tales Told—a podcast of original short stories that echo the tone and texture of the classics, but are entirely new. Search New Tales Told wherever you g ...
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Storytelling and the Writing Craft with Sergio Troncoso are discussions, readings and interviews by the author of Nobody's Pilgrims, A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant's Son, and as editor Nepantla Familias: An Anthology of Mexican American Literature on Families in between Worlds. A Fulbright scholar and past president of the Texas Institute of Letters, Troncoso has been inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame. He teaches at the Yale Writers' Workshop.
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Better Than the Movie Halloween Special 2: GIVE YOURSELF GOOSEBUMPS!
2:02:10
2:02:10
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Mwahahaha! The Better Than the Movie crew have gathered again to celebrate R.L. Stine's GOOSEBUMPS horror series for young readers. Rather than just talk ABOUT the books, as they did on the last Halloween special, they talk THROUGH a book. Justin reads a GIVE YOURSELF GOOSEBUMPS title (a kind of CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE sub-series from the late 19…
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The Skylight Room – A Classic Short Story by O. Henry
17:28
17:28
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O. Henry had a gift for wrapping heartbreak in humor. His stories feel light, almost playful—until that last line hits and you realize he’s been quietly aiming for your chest the whole time. In The Skylight Room, we meet a bright, hopeful young woman renting the smallest, loneliest room in New York. But she still finds a way to fill it—with imagina…
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The Tell Tale Heart-A Classic Horror Story by Edgar Allan Poe
14:54
14:54
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Halloween is the season of the macabre and one the greatest authors of dark frightening fiction was Edgar Allen Poe. You can cover the body. Hide the blood. Swear you’re sane. But you can’t silence the sound. Beneath the floorboards… something still beats. Considered to be the finest American Gothic writer of all time, Edgar Allen Poe loved to pen …
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The Hanging Stranger–a Retro Sci-Fi Horror Story by Philip K. Dick
38:28
38:28
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This is one of those scary stories that sneaks up on you. It looks like just another day in small-town America, sometime around the early 1950s. But then, something is wrong. Something is hanging there. And what’s most unsettling isn’t the horror itself — it’s how calmly everyone else reacts. Philip K. Dick wrote The Hanging Stranger in 1953, and i…
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The Haunted Mind–a Scary Season Story by Nathaniel Hawthorne
13:56
13:56
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Since the dawn of our species, we have been bewildered by about that strange period of altered consciousness that occurs just before, during, and at the end of our daily slumber. Our next story expressively explores this activity that we all share and which still eludes understanding. This piece was more of an observational essay than a classic sho…
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Diary Of A Madman–a Classic Tale of Terror by Guy de Maupassant
15:02
15:02
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In this truly chilling tale, we explore the darkest parts of the human mind - the hidden recesses where derangement resides. A word of caution: this tale is very dark and is not suitable for younger children. We are expanding our universe of short story podcasts on our new podcast channel, Short StoryVerses. Listen to some of Don's new, original sh…
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The Cats of Ulthar-a Classic Scary Story by H. P. Lovecraft
10:18
10:18
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Every October, we creep into the scary season on Litreading, digging deep into the trove of classic horror tales from around the world. Some of the most frightening stories of all time were penned more than 100 years ago by authors like Mary Shelly and Edgar Allen Poe. One of the greats of the early 20th century was H.P. Lovecraft, and this is one …
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Yuki-Onna–a Scary Season Story by Lafcadio Hearn
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10:43
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Ghost stories have been told around the world and are often based on mythical creatures or spirits. Those living in the cold, snowy regions of Japan created the legend of a winter spirit called Yuki-Onna (or snow woman) whose beauty allows her to prey on those lost in brutal winter storms. We are expanding our universe of short story podcasts on ou…
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Murder of Crows – an Original Short Story by Don McDonald
27:22
27:22
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Please note: "Murder of Crows" is one of the early episodes of my new podcast, New Tales Told. I published it here to share it with my large Litreading audience. However, it will eventually only be available on New Tales Told. If you haven't yet done so, please search for New Tales Told on this podcast service or visit shortstoryverses.com to liste…
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The Most Dangerous Game–a Classic Thriller by Richard Connell
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47:58
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We reprise another classic thriller from Litreading's archives for this year's scary season, In this episode, we go on an adventure off the coast of South America, as a famous big game hunter finds himself stranded on an island where hunting has been elevated to a new and frightening level. It’s time to play “The Most Dangerous Game.” "The Most Dan…
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The Black Cat–a Classic Scary Story by Edgar Allen Poe
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25:36
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Here is one of the greatest gothic horror stories of all time, originally produced for Litreading in 2019. As Halloween approaches, our tales of horror grow more grisly with a classic scary story, The Black Cat by one of America’s greatest devisers of dread, Edgar Allen Poe We are expanding our universe of short story podcasts on our new podcast ch…
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The Willow Walk–a Classic Thriller by Sinclair Lewis
1:18:49
1:18:49
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This dark, thriller deserves to be included in our reprise of classic stories for the scary season. Written by one of America’s greatest writers, Sinclair Lewis, "The Willow Walk" features some fascinating characters, shocking twists, and powerful imagery. It is also one of our longest stories clocking in at over one hour. In addition to winning a …
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In Angel City, alchemy is everything. Red City is the new fantasy novel from Marie Lu (Legend, Stars and Smoke). Bookseller Keila Cone-Uemura talks to Lu about the difference between writing for an adult audience and for a YA audience. During this wide-ranging talk, they discuss the inspiration that Lu pulled from her own life and from the city of …
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Empire of the Ants–a Classic Scary Sci-Fi Story by H.G. Wells
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What is the scary season without a classic monster story? Like the campy creature features of the 50s and 60s, this story features a tiny annoyance turned into a killing machine. First published in 2020, this story returns to send chills down your spine. Late 19th and early 20th-century science fiction writers were fascinated with the wild and rela…
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Luella Miller–A Chilling Classic Short Story by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
35:36
35:36
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Everyone in town has a story about Luella Miller. She never seems to lift a hand, yet somehow, help is always at her side. And those who give it—well, they never quite look the same afterward. Some tales of horror are loud and bloody. This one is quiet, gentle… and suffocating. Mary E. Wilkins Freeman spins a ghostly puzzle where the most dangerous…
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The Boarded Window—a Scary Season Story by Ambrose Bierce
13:08
13:08
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What led a man to live an isolated life at his ramshackle cabin, with a boarded up window, in the former American wilderness? What is the tragic story that led him to this doleful existence? Here is his traumatic tale. We are expanding our universe of short story podcasts on our new podcast channel, Short StoryVerses. Listen to some of Don's new, o…
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A Haunted House–a Classic Ghost Story by Virginia Woolf
8:23
8:23
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As the owner of a 19th-century home, I often think about those lives lived here before us and what they must have been like. As our homes are so much a part of us, those who have gone before us leave traces of their lives and loves behind. Here is a very short, yet poignant tale of just such an old house. It seems that the author experienced the fe…
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The Monkey's Paw–a Classic tale of Terror by W.W. Jacobs
25:05
25:05
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25:05
Humans are rarely content with their lot in life. We long for something more and, all too often, believe that, given the right opportunity, our lives can be made better in an instant through some fortunate event, like winning a lottery. We are expanding our universe of short story podcasts on our new podcast channel, Short StoryVerses. Listen to so…
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The Pale Man–a Classic Scary Story by Julius Long
16:57
16:57
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Here is a relatively obscure tale of suspense for the scary season. After checking into a small hotel to convalesce for the summer, a man becomes curious about an enigmatic guest who has taken up residence and the other end of the hall. About the story: As I can only read stories in the public domain, you might wonder about the reference to a Hitle…
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The Judge's House–a Classic Ghost Story by Bram Stoker
48:26
48:26
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When a young man seeks the perfect place to study for his universitymathematics exams, he finds an isolated house that seems ideal—too ideal. The locals whisper about the Judge's House and about the cruel magistrate who once lived there. But he is a man of science, dismissive of superstition. He believes in mathematical theorems, not ghost stories.…
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The Damned Thing–a Classic Scary Story by Ambrose Bierce
20:18
20:18
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As Halloween approaches, here is the story of a mysterious death in the 19th-century American wilderness. We are expanding our universe of short story podcasts on our new podcast channel, Short StoryVerses. Listen to some of Don's new, original short stories on the "New Tales Told" podcast. Look it up on your favorite podcast player. Hosted on Acas…
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A Wireless Message–a Classic Frightening Story by Ambrose Bierce
6:57
6:57
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As Halloween approaches we begin a time for scarier stories. For this short tale with a chilling twist we turn to prolific 19th century stories Ambrose Bierce for "A Wireless Message." Ambrose Bierce is considered one of the 19th Century finest authors of shockingly realistic short stories. His most famous tale “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” i…
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The Furnished Room–a Classic Short Story by O. Henry
17:33
17:33
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Rather than your typical October horror story, This chilling tale is a unique variation on your run-of-the-mill ghost story with a wicked twist at the end from the master of narrative misdirection, O. Henry. O. Henry, whose real name was William Sydney Porter, is considered one of the all-time masters of the short story. Known for his inventive twi…
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The Cask of Amontillado–a Chilling Short Story by Edgar Allan Poe
17:13
17:13
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While Halloween is the season for scary stories, their popularity is timeless. That is why this dark tale of revenge still send chills down listeners spines after almost two centuries. The Cask of Amontillado was first published in the November 1946 issue “Godey’s Lady’s Book” which demonstrates the universal fascination with scary stories. Poe und…
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Doctor Chevalier's Lie–a Classic Short Story by Kate Chopin
4:48
4:48
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Kate Chopin’s Doctor Chevalier’s Lie is a moving meditation on compassion in the face of tragedy. Set against the backdrop of a harsh and unforgiving city, the story turns on a doctor’s quiet decision: whether to report what he sees with unflinching honesty, or to soften the truth for the sake of those left behind. Chopin invites us to consider the…
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