Hi! I’m Tonia Thompson—a horror writer and creator of the NIGHTLIGHT podcast. NIGHTLIGHT features horror stories written by Black authors all over the world. We’ll be debuting on June 26, 2018 with an episode based on the bestselling horror novel DREAD NATION by Justina Ireland, but first, a little story to whet your appetite.

You can read the full text of this story on Twitter.
 
======

I’ll see you on June 26. Go ahead and subscribe now so you don’t miss Justina’s story, and other strange and creepy tales by other Black writers.

This week we celebrate our very first full episode with an original story from Justina Ireland, bestselling author of Dread Nation. If you haven’t read Dread Nation yet, you’re missing out on my favorite read of this year.

Today’s story gives us a little taste of the Dread Nation world—one overrun with zombies in post-Civil War America. But don’t worry, this is a standalone story, so if you haven’t read Dread Nation, you’ll be able to fall right in and won’t hear any spoilers. And if you have read Dread Nation, well, you’ll get your fix for Black girls trained in skilled combat against the undead to hold you over until the sequel comes out.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

This week we have a story from the amazing Eden Royce. I’m a huge fan of Eden’s, maybe because her stories tend toward the darker side, maybe because of the gothic feel of them, but probably because her words haunt you long after you’ve left the world she created.

Eden is a full-time writer living in the UK, and as you’ll hear in her interview after the story, a fan of Edgar Allan Poe. Here’s her story, Basque of the Red Death, a tale of vengeance, corsets, and magic.

Content Warning: sexual predators, objectification of women

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

What happens when the devil comes to collect on a soul he was promised? This week’s story is from author Lamar Giles. Narrated by Rodney Blu.
Download transcript

You can find more of Lamar’s work by visiting lamargiles.com.
If you want to pre-order his YA mystery, SPIN, visit https://amzn.to/2u3yebR
To order his YA anthology, Fresh Ink, go to https://amzn.to/2NEmR21
And if you’re like us, and can’t wait to read more of Lamar’s work, why not grab a copy of Fake ID, his YA Thriller? https://amzn.to/2L6x2ep

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

Remember, tweet with hashtag #HiddenLove to win a Pretty Deadly print from Good For Her.

For more of Monique's work, follow her on Twitter @MoniqueDesir or on Facebook. She also blogs.

You can also buy her books:
Forbidden (urban fantasy for adults)
Moonstruck (middle grade dark fantasy)

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

What happens when intergenerational trauma becomes physical?

You can follow Nicole on her blog.
Buy her book, Escape From Beckyville, or read her work in Sycorax’s Daughters.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

You can read more of Charles Chesnutt's stories from The Conjure Woman for free on Project Gutenberg or via Amazon.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

What happens when the dead can't rest?

You can learn more about Sharon via her website or follow her on Twitter. You can read the issue of Weirdbook Magazine with Sharon's story on Kindle or paperback.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

Werewolves in space. Need we say more?

You can read more of Danny's work on EFNIKS.com or in FIYAH Literary Magazine.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

In this dystopian tale, W.E.B. Du Bois explores the color line and its political implications after a catastrophic event. It is a work of fiction reminiscent of the Twilight Zone, almost 20 years before Rod Serling was born.

Read The Comet on Project Gutenberg.

This story is narrated by Hollis Monroe, and the audio is used by permission of Escape Artists Inc. and Pseudopod, who have been active and vocal supporters of NIGHTLIGHT since day one.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

Nothing good can come of two girls playing with conjure magic. This week's episode comes to us from Linda D. Addison, who tells us what it means to have power in your blood without respecting it.

Linda D. Addison is an award-winning author of four collections, including How To Recognize A Demon Has Become Your Friend, and the first African-American recipient of the HWA Bram Stoker Award®. Her story, “The Power” was originally published in the 2004 anthology Dark Dreams.

Addison is a co-editor of Sycorax’s Daughters (Cedar Grove Publishing), an anthology of horror fiction/poetry by African-American women. You can catch her work in the anthologies Dark Voices (Lycan Valley Press), Cosmic Underground (Cedar Grove Publishing), Scary Out There (Simon Schuster), and The Beauty of Death (Independent Legions Publishing). Her site: www.lindaaddisonpoet.com.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

You can read Alicia’s YA sci-fi thrillers, "The Underminers" and its sequel, "Cellblock Earth" on Kindle or paperback. Members of Kindle Unlimited can read both novels for free.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

“Sweet Justice” was previously published in Black Magic Women: Terrifying Tales by Scary Sisters.

You can learn more about Kenesha Williams on Amazon and by checking out Black Girl Magic Lit Mag.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

Thanks to librivox.org for the narration audio for this episode, and Jen Zink of the Skiffy and Fanty Show for the audio production.

You can read more of Chesnutt’s work on Project Gutenberg.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you’d like to keep this podcast alive, you can join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time donation to the podcast via Paypal.

Can technology haunt a house? You'll find out in Unwanteds.

Visit Aigner's blog, or read her published work: Mythcreants & The Five-2

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you’d like to keep this podcast alive, you can join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time donation to the podcast via Paypal.

Zombies that whisper. Memories that haunt. Sean Demory gives us a zombie story with so many feels.

Check out Sean's publishing company: Pine Float Press
Read Slow Boat to Fast City
Read or listen to The Ballad of Black Tom
Read or listen to Lovecraft Country

Buy Victor LaValle's Destroyer, Issue #1 or read for free via ComiXology

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you’d like to keep this podcast alive, you can join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time donation to the podcast via Paypal.

In this episode, we kick off the horror holiday month and share a creepy true story. What would you do if you knew you weren’t alone, and had no way of knowing who--or what--was with you and what they wanted?

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you’d like to keep this podcast alive, you can join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time donation to the podcast via Paypal.

In this bonus episode, we talk about Blaxploitation movie Abby with author Eden Royce.

Visit Eden Royce’s website for more information about her and her work, or follow Eden on Twitter @edenroyce, or on Facebook or Instagram.

Be sure to check out her middle grade novel (Tying the Devil’s Shoestrings) that will be released in 2020.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you’d like to keep this podcast alive, you can join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time donation to the podcast via Paypal.

Blacklore stories are creepypasta written by Black writers from a Black perspective. We kick this new patron-only series off with a Slenderman story.

If you like this story, or our True Frights episode from a couple of weeks ago, you’ll want to become a patron so you can keep getting new stories like these.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you’d like to keep this podcast alive, you can join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time donation to the podcast via Paypal.

What's it like to visit your loved ones in Hell?

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you’d like to keep this podcast alive, you can join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time donation to the podcast via Paypal.

Flash fiction by Aig'ner Wilson (Dead Children Stop Playing for Ungrateful Audiences) and Nicole Givens Kurtz (Lipstick Smiles).

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you’d like to keep this podcast alive, you can join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time donation to the podcast via Paypal.

What can happen when we writers take our job too seriously? Research is an important part of any good story, but where should we draw the line in our quest for an authentic tale?
Thanks to A.Z. for submitting this story. If you enjoyed it, you can find A.Z.’s work in Equal Opportunity Madness, A Mythos Anthology, and Strange Horizons. You can visit their website at azlouise.com, or follow them on Twitter at az_louise.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you’d like to keep this podcast alive, you can join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time donation to the podcast via Paypal.

For our season finale, we present a full-cast production audio drama inspired by our creator's favorite show: The Twilight Zone.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

Cast:

Ruby: Cherrae Stuart
Troy: Patrick Bazile
Mama Buford: Chachanna Simpson
Sheila: Jen Zink
Evan: Hollis Monroe
Miranda: Brea Grant
Diane (Nurse Manager): Stephanie Malia Morris
Martha (Nurse): Dionne Obeso
Sacrificial Parent: DC
Older TJ: Raiden Thompson
Baron Samedi/Narrator: Tonia Thompson

Audio production by Jen Zink and Tonia Thompson

What happens when man's best friend protects you....even in death?

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

This episode produced by Jen Zink. 

Narration provided by ChaChanna Simpson. 

Story edits by Tonia Thompson.

Subways are just creepy. Everybody knows that. But what happens when your train breaks down in the middle of a tunnel?

Read the story transcript.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

Queer Black women kicking vampire ass in the 19th century English countryside. And just when you think it can't get it better....there's music!

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

Interview with The Percivals author, Eboni Dunbar.

Transcript coming soon.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

This week, we have another story from the Percivals universe by Eboni Dunbar. Last month, we met a Black woman in Victorian England kicking vampire ass with music–this time she squares up against werewolves, and we learn the fate of Alexander Percival.

NIGHTLIGHT would not be possible without our patrons. If you enjoy this podcast, consider joining the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon at https://patreon.com/nightlightpod. You can also make a one-time donation to the podcast via PayPal at https://paypal.me/NightlightPodcast.

You can read a transcription of the story here: https://nightlightpod.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/The-Percivals-London-Calling.pdf

If you love Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, you’re going to love this story by author Errick Nunnally. Penny tragically loses her son, but thankfully, he’s an organ donor. Unfortunately, not all organ donations end well.

You can download a transcript of this story.

NIGHTLIGHT is 100% listener funded. Thanks to the NIGHTLIGHT Legion for supporting this podcast. You can join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon, or make a one-time donation on PayPal.

Narration by Cherrae Stuart. Audio production by Tonia Thompson.

This week, we have a great story about a strained relationship, with a twist. What would it take to make you abandon your partner? What would you do for them? How much pain would you endure? This story asks that and more.

Tyhitia writes horror, fantasy, and science fiction, and sometimes dabbles in other genres. She began writing poetry as a child and ventured into fiction years later. She enjoys writing both novels and short stories, and her work has appeared in Necrotic Tissue, Lightspeed, and Nightmare magazines.

NIGHTLIGHT is 100% listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

In D is for Dancing, by Rickey Rivers Jr, we take advantage of a chill on a hot summer day.

In Roadside Assistance by Kristopher Brown, we learn why it's not always safe to drive in the dark, and why we should always listen to our mothers.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

What happens when a haunted house isn't just a house after all?

Also, learn what really creeps out author Evan Davis and host Tonia Thompson.

Narration by Georgia McKenzie. Audio Production by Jen Zink.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

This week, we bring you a post-apocalyptic story that makes us question who’s really turning into a monster. Our author is Jennifer Baker, a long-time publishing professional, and the creator and host of the Minorities in Publishing podcast, as well as contributing editor to Electric Literature. 

Story transcript available here

Narrated by Tonia Thompson. Audio production by Jen Zink. 

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

We interview Jennifer Baker, author of Expiration Date, and editor for Electric Literature, as as well as creator of the Minorities in Publishing Podcast.

Learn what editors hate to see, how to write stories with characters outside of your community with love and respect, as well as what it's like to own a podcast.

You can visit Jennifer at jenniferbaker.com, or on twitter as @jbakernyc. Check out Electric Literature and her Minorities in Publishing Podcast. You can read more of her work in Best American Essays 2018 and Everyday People: The Color of Life.

This week, we have a story of revenge in the South. With vampires!

A quick content warning: there is racial violence in this episode and if that’s something you don’t want to hear, you may consider skipping this episode.

You can read our interview with the author on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

This week, we have a story from our creator, Tonia, about revenge and werewolves.

Narrated by Dominick Rabrun. Audio production by Tonia Ransom. 

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

Fans of The Matrix will enjoy this story of a simulated reality.

Narrated by Cherrae Stuart. Audio production by Jen Zink.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

NIGHTLIGHT is back for Season 3 with a story about werewolves,  sorcerers, and demons. Be careful of cobblestone streets and mysterious  songs.

Narrated by Tonia Ransom. Audio production by Tonia Ransom.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

A full transcript of the episode is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Sound effects courtesy of:

https://freesound.org/people/RoganMcDougald/

https://freesound.org/people/sabotovat/

https://freesound.org/people/InspectorJ/

https://freesound.org/people/JonathanTremblay/

https://freesound.org/people/140178sound/

This week, a captivating story of hellhounds and conflicting ancestry.

Narrated by Cherrae Stuart. Audio production by Tonia Ransom.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

A full transcript of the episode is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

This week’s story is a perfect blend of noir, mermaids, and murder, with some heavy metal thrown in for good measure.

Episode Transcript

Narrated by William Lett. Audio production by Tonia Ransom.

NIGHTLIGHT is entirely listener-supported. If you want to help keep NIGHTLIGHT from joining the undead, join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion on Patreon. You can also make a one-time contribution on PayPal. As always, reviews and shout-outs on social media are always appreciated.

This week, we have a story of birds, blood, and vengeance.

Episode transcript

Audio production and narration by Tonia Ransom.

Atmospheric music courtesy of klankbeeld.

This week, a story from a voice you've heard before...but not like this. Voice actor and writer Cherrae L. Stuart spins a tale of what happens when our dreams become nightmares.

Audio production by Evan Shelton. Narrated by Josh Carter.

Transcript available here.

This week we have a Lovecraftian story to fill you to the gills with fear. Steven Van Patten imagines a beautiful lake with a dark secret beneath its waves.

Narration provided by Carl Stewart. Audio production by Davis Walden.

Don't forget: All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. We'd love to start producing weekly episodes, but we can't do that without your help. If you enjoy the show, consider supporting us for as little as $1 per month. Just go to patreon.com/nightlightpod to join and enjoy extra perks.

A full transcript of this episode is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

This week we have a story bestselling author and screenwriter, Tananarive Due. This tale of taking a wrong turn into another world is reminiscent of The Twilight Zone. Beware mysterious midday fog and isolated country houses.

Narrated by Tonia Ransom. Audio production by Tonia Ransom. Music composition by Brandon Boone.

A full episode transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

This week, we interview author of "Last Stop on Route Nine" and Executive Producer of Horror Noire, Tananarive Due.

Links mentioned in the interview:

Devil in America by Kai Ashante Wilson

Danger Word Short Film

Sunken Place Class

Searching for Sycorax

Sycorax’s Daughters

Horror Noire by Robin Means Coleman

Audio production by Tara Woolfolk.

This week's story explores what it means when something is too good to be true.

Audio production by Evan Shelton.

Narration by Matt Peters.

An episode transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Everyone knows puppets and dolls are creepy, and this tale shows us what happens when a vengeful ghost finds a new home in one. This story is a little longer than our usual fare, so this week we’ll feature Part 1 and next Friday we’ll release Part 2.

Narration by Carl Stewart.

Audio production by Tonia Ransom.

Purchase SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire

Transcript available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

This week, the conclusion of our creepy puppet story from last week.

Audio production by Davis Walden. Narration by Carl Stewart.

Episode transcript available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Should your loyalty lie with your new family, or your old? In this tale of vampire vs human families, the answer is complicated.

Audio production by Davis Walden.

Transcript available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

What happens when someone will do anything to win a reality show?

Actors:

Natasha: Cherrae Stuart

Ed: Carl Stewart

Milo: Devante Johnson

Cameraman: Josh Carter

Jacqueline: Khalila Roney

Medic: Matt Peters

Holly: Brea Grant

Liam: Raiden Thompson

Show Narrator: Tonia Ransom

Written by: Tonia Ransom

Audio production by Pacific Obadiah of CREEPY Podcast

Listen to Creepy Podcast

Happy Holidays! Enjoy this bonus story by Tananarive Due courtesy of The Dark Tome podcast.

***

Young Lettie can see things through her magic eye -  things that might be better if she not see. Grownup's secrets. Grownup's  true intentions. But when she learns of her brother's unjust arrest and  sham trial, it's her seeing eye - and some conjure magic from her Mama -  that may help change the fate of her big brother.

*** Director's  Cut, NO ADS, edited to be listened to standalone without having heard the rest of the Series. If you dig it, check out thedarktome.com or find us on iTunes / Google Play look for "Dark Tome" ***

A reimagining of Poe’s story “The Black Cat” makes us examine what love really means and how it can transcend through time and space.

Story by Alexis Brooks de Vita. Originally published in The Horror is Us. A transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Narrated by Cherrae Stuart

Produced by Davis Walden of the Viridian Wild Podcast

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

*****

We interview Alexis Brooks de Vita, author of “Her Faithful Black Cat”, episode 401. We talk about the history of Black horror literature, Poe, Lovecraft Country, and her work as a scholar of African-American Literature.

Alexis Brooks de Vita was born in Watts shortly before the Riots and was taken to Uganda with her mother and brother just as Idi Amin staged his bloody coup.  With three degrees in Comparative Literature, specializing in the literature of African-descent women in English, French, Italian, and Spanish, she is the author of The 1855 Murder Case of Missouri versus Celia, an Enslaved Woman, Mythatypes:  Signatures and Signs of African/Diaspora and Black Goddesses, and Dante's Inferno:  A Wanderer in Hell.  The first two books of her Books of Joy trilogy, about the supernatural powers of an enslaved Mississippi community, are available through Double Dragon: Burning Streams and Blood of Angels.

Links to items discussed:

Alexis’ Books of Joy:

Burning Streams

Blood of Angels

Pauline Hopkins: Of One Blood

Harriet Wilson: Our Nig

Kai Ashante Wilson: The Devil in America

The Bond Woman’s Narrative

Pauline Hopkins: Talma Gordon

This week, a story of an obsessed dead twin and a magical tree from Tonya Liburd.

Originally published in Chiral Mad 5, out summer 2021. A transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Narrated by Tonia Ransom.

Produced by Davis Walden of the Viridian Wild Podcast

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

We interview Tonya Liburd, author of “The Drunken Tree”, episode 403.

Tonya Liburd shares a birthday with Ray Bradbury and Simeon Daniel, which may tell you a little something about her; and while she has an enviable collection of vintage dust bunnies to her credit, her passions are music (someday!) and of course, words. One day she hopes, when introducing herself as a writer, she won't feel all weird about it. Her poetry has been nominated for the 2017 & 2018 Rhysling Awards, and longlisted in the 2015 Carter V. Cooper(Vanderbilt)/Exile Short Fiction Competition. Her work is used in Nisi Shawl's workshops and Tananarive due’s UCLA Horror course (the latter of which was crashed by Jordan Peele of Get Out Fame) as examples of code switching. Her fiction has been praised by Publisher’s Weekly and at Barnes & Noble’s SFF blog. She is the recipient of an Ontario Arts Council writer’s grant in 2020. She is also the Senior Editor of Abyss & Apex Magazine. You can find her blogging at https://www.spiderlilly.com or on Twitter at @somesillywowzer.

Links to items discussed:

The Night Sun by Zin E Rocklyn

Ace of Knives - Apex Magazine

10 Steps to a Whole New You - Fantasy Magazine

Let’s Play White by Chesya Burke

Black Horror Anthology Announcement

Black Panther: Sins of the King on Serial Box

www.spiderlilly.com

Twitter: @somesillywowzer

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TonyaLiburd

A doubleheader this week: a tale of what happens when the apocalypse comes to the hood, followed by a story of an unlikely victim of an unusual siren song.

A transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

You Call This an Apocalypse narrated by Devanté Johnson.

Siren’s Song narrated by Khalila Roney.

Produced by Davis Walden of the Viridian Wild Podcast

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

We interview Errick Nunnally, author of “You Call This An Apocalypse?” and Nicole Givens Kurtz, author of “Siren’s Song”.

Errick Nunnally was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, and served one tour in the Marine Corps before deciding art school was a safer pursuit. He enjoys art, comics, and genre novels. A graphic designer, he has trained in Krav Maga and Muay Thai kickboxing. He has appeared in several anthologies and is best described as “dark pulp.” His work can be found in FIYAH MAGAZINE, GALAXY’S EDGE, LAMPLIGHT, THE FINAL SUMMONS, PROTECTORS 2, NIGHTLIGHT PODCAST, and the novels, LIGHTNING WEARS A RED CAPE, BLOOD FOR THE SUN, and ALL THE DEAD MEN. Visit erricknunnally.us to learn more about his work.

Interested readers can purchase a copy of Lightning Wears A Red Cape directly from the author.

bookshop.org/shop/erricknunnally

amazon.com/author/erricknunnally

erricknunnally.us

@erricknunnally

Nicole Givens Kurtz is an author, editor, and educator. She's the recipient of the Horror Writers Association's Diversity Grant (2020). She's been named as one of Book Riot's Best Black Indie SFF Writers. She's also the editor of the groundbreaking anthology, SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire. Her novels have been a finalist in the Dream Realm Awards, Fresh Voices, and EPPIE Awards for science fiction. She's written for White Wolf, Bram Stoker Finalist in Horror Anthology, Sycorax's Daughters, and Serial Box's The Vela: Salvation series. Nicole has over 40 short stories published as well as 11 novels and three active speculative mystery series. She's a member of Horror Writers Association, Sisters in Crime, and Science Fiction Writers of America. You can support her work via Patreon and find more about her at http://www.nicolegivenskurtz.net.

Social Media:

Twitter- nicolegkurtz

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/NicoleGKurtz

Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/NicoleGKurtz

This week, a story from the Harlem Renaissance featuring none other than Zora Neale Hurston.

A transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Narrated by Cherrae Stuart.

Produced by Davis Walden of the Viridian Wild Podcast

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

We interview Michele Tracy Berger, author of “Etta, Zora, and the First Serpent”.

Twitter: @micheletberger

Instagram: @bergermichele2005

Facebook

Blog: micheleberger.wordpress.com

Author Site: micheletracyberger.com

This week, another double feature with two flash fiction stories from L. Marie Wood and Tyhitia Green..

A transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Narrated by Elijah Ramsey and Tonia Ransom.

Produced by Davis Walden of the Viridian Wild Podcast

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

******

We interview L. Marie Wood, author of Family Dinner. We discuss pantsing vs plotting, screenwriting, and more.

L. Marie Wood is an award-winning psychological horror author and screenwriter. She won the Golden Stake Award for her novel The Promise Keeper. Her screenplays have won Best Horror, Best Short Screenplay, and Best Afrofuturism/Horror/Sci-Fi awards at several film festivals. Wood’s short fiction has been published widely, most recently in Slay: Stories of the Vampire Noire and the Bram Stoker Award Finalist anthology, Sycorax's Daughters. Learn more about her at www.lmariewood.com or join the discussion on Twitter (@LMarieWood1).

Buy her books:

Telecommuting

The Realm

The Promise Keeper

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

Show Notes:

This week, short fiction from Victoria Hutchinson that explores what it’s like to seek out pain you cannot feel.

A transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Narrated by Tonia Ransom.

Produced by Davis Walden of the Viridian Wild Podcast

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

******

This week, we interview Victoria Hutchinson, author of "Bloodlust" and discuss the story's premise and inspiration, writing dark vs lighthearted fiction, and discipline as a writer. Plus, video games!

You can follow Victoria on Twitter @bunnymintt, or visit her at bunnyminttblog.com.

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

Show Notes:

This week, a double feature from Rickey Rivers Jr and Samantha Frye wherein body parts have a mind of their own and a twist on monsters hiding in a child’s closet.

A transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Narrated by Cherrae Stuart and Walt Livingston.

Produced by Davis Walden of the Viridian Wild Podcast

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

Tonia interviews Samantha Frye, author of Playthings. We discuss MFA programs, genre writing, story inspiration in cartoons, and Southern Black culture.

Samantha Frye is a writer who grew up in south Alabama listening to classic R&B and stories about hanks and other-worldly creatures. Born in San Antonio, Texas, she moved to Alabama with her parents after her father’s retirement from the Air Force. Samantha graduated from Xavier University of New Orleans with an English degree and earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Florida International University. By day, she continues a tradition as a third-generation educator at Coastal Alabama Community College where she strives to foster students’ care of and respect for the art of writing. By night, she’s baking, reading, or working to breathe life into characters and worlds on the page. She’s in a constant struggle to properly entertain her Morkie, Pebbles, who can be a task master at times, even for a lap dog. Some of Samantha’s musings and a bit of her writing can be found at http://eccentriccricket.blogspot.com.

Books discussed:

Pattern Master: Octavia Butler

The Vampire Who Drinks Gospel Music: Peter Harris

I Tituba, Black Witch: Maryse Condé

*****
All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

This week, the first part of a two-part cyberpunk horror about a mysterious box and unusual pandemic.

A transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Narrated by Felicia Renee.

Produced by Davis Walden of the Viridian Wild Podcast

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us at patreon.com/nightlightpod for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

This week, the second part of our cyberpunk horror about a mysterious box and unusual pandemic.

A transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Narrated by Felicia Renee.

Produced by Davis Walden of the Viridian Wild Podcast

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us at patreon.com/nightlightpod for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

We interview Tracy Cross, author of Red Box. We discuss dystopian fiction, The Twilight Zone, hoodoo, and writing good monsters.

Tracy Cross has had work appear in anthologies and magazines, including: Tales of the Lost Vol. 2, The Ones That Got Away (upcoming from Kandisha Press in 2021), 99 Tiny Terrors and the Midnight and Indigo: 22 Speculative Stories by Black Women. She has appeared on several websites and podcasts: Dark Fire Fiction, New American Legends, The Greatest Indoor Reading Series Podcast and Tales to Terrify. She is the recipient of the 2020 Ladies of Horror Fiction Grant. She is a supporting member of the Horror Writers Association. Tracy hails from Cleveland, Ohio, and loves her current home, Washington, DC. She also makes a really delicious apple pie.

twitter: @tracycwrites

instagram: @tracycrosswrites

website: tracycrossonline.wordpress.com

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

This week, be careful about who you choose to marry.

A transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Narrated by GP Mckenzie.

Produced by Jen Zink.

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us at patreon.com/nightlightpod for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

******

This week, short fiction from Crystal Connor that turns the magical negro trope on its head.

A transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Narrated by Tonia Ransom.

Produced by Jen Zink.

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

******

This week, a story from New York Times Bestseller Lamar Giles that mixes religion with deadly premonitions.

A transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Listen to Lamar’s first NIGHTLIGHT episode, Wilson’s Pawn and Loan.

Narrated by Tonia Ransom.

Produced by Jen Zink.

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

Today, an interview with Lamar Giles, author of "Power and Purpose" (episode 420), and "Wilson's Pawn and Loan" (episode 103).

Listen to Lamar’s first NIGHTLIGHT episode, Wilson’s Pawn and Loan.

Produced by Jen Zink.

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

*****

This week, an old god emerges from primordial slime.

A transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Narrated by Josh Carter.

Produced by Davis Walden of the Viridian Wild Podcast

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us at patreon.com/nightlightpod for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

******

We interview Khalifaziz, author of Mitochondrial Assimilation. We talk about the story and its inspiration, and Black horror.

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

******

This week, we have a series of flash fiction tales, starting with a story from our host Tonia Ransom that explores funerary rituals.

A transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Narrated by Tonia Ransom.

Produced by Davis Walden of the Viridian Wild Podcast.

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

******

Today, flash fiction from Del Sandeen that cautions us to be careful what you wish for.

A transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Narrated by Hood Horror.

Produced by Jen Zink.

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

******

This week, one more flash fiction story from Tonya R. Moore.

A transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Narrated by GP Mckenzie.

Produced by Jen Zink.

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

******

Show Notes:

This week, fiction from Terence Taylor that ponders a strange shared living situation.

A transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Narrated by Devante Johnson.

Produced by Davis Walden of the Viridian Wild Podcast.

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

******

For our season finale, dreams really do come true.

A transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Timothy played by Raiden Thompson.

Mom and Shadowban played by Tonia Ransom.

Written by Tonia Ransom and Raiden Thompson, with some help from Jen Zink.

Produced by Jen Zink.

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

******

This week, a double-feature gothic story from Jamie Grimes with special hosts from Pseudopod – Alex and Kat.

A transcript is available on the NIGHTLIGHT website.

Narrated by Devante Johnson.

Produced by Jen Zink.

Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom

*****

All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.

******