Tales In Our Times
Episodes
EP37. Adapted Narratives
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hello, beautiful readers. This week we talk about the ways in which different narratives are adapted. In a world with so many forms of media available...
EP36. Magic Systems in Narratives
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hello, readers! We are back with another episode, this time all about the ways in which writers use magic. It’s such a keystone metaphor, it feels v...
EP35. Poetry Narratives (ft. Annmarie Lockhart)
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hello again, our friends! Please join us for this incredible discussion with our friend and family member, Annmarie Lockhart. We talk about poetry and...
EP34. Readers’ Narratives
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hello, readers! It’s been so long! We’re so happy to be back with a few episodes we recorded earlier last year, and soon will be back with some ne...
EP33. Dinosaur Narratives
04 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rawwwwwr! It’s an episode about big bloomin’ lizards! Mum’s a huge dino fan, so we thought we’d look at some of the best narratives that inclu...
EP32. Dystopian Narratives
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hello, again! We’re fresh off of George’s wedding, finally back to weekly posting, first off with our episode on Dystopian Narratives! A dystopia ...
EP31. Library Narratives (ft. Amelia Zimmerman)
05 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We are so blessed to have had the opportunity to interview friend and excellent librarian, Amelia Zimmerman!!! We talk to her about the need for third...
EP30. Terry Pratchett’s Narratives
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode, we take an excursion through the work of one of our literary heroes: the excellent Terry Pratchett! The nerds talk about his...
EP29. One Hit Wonder Narratives
24 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Give it to me; ONE TIME! And then never again. That’s what we’re talking about today, those authors who crushed the assignment so completely that ...
EP28. Dark Narratives
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ooh, flippin’ ‘eck. It’s gettin’ dark in ‘ere. Today the nerds talk about the dark night of the soul! We discuss the ways in which depressin...
EP.27 China Miéville’s Narratives
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hello, dear listener! Today’s episode is our first Author Highlight episode. We told you we’d be trying new things in the second season, and this ...
EP.26 Giving Narratives
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
FINALLY. WE RISE FROM THE GRAVE. Hey all. Sorry for the wait. One of us had to move house, and it really ballsed up our scheduling. Here’s an episod...
EP.25 Philadelphia Rare Book Fair Reflections
11 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The nerds are back again with another proper late review of one of the events we went to. We took a moment at the top of the episode to remember the p...
EP.24 Philadelphia Rare Book Fair Expectations
11 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the nerds talk about their expectations leading into the Rare Book Fair in Philadelphia, hosted by the fine folks over at Fine Book F...
EP23. Thanksgiving Narratives
04 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, George and Janet review the fallacies surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday. We give a super late status update on the Booker Prize (c...
EP22. Guy Fawkes’ Narrative
31 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In their second episode of the second season, George and Janet review another holiday narrative: Bonfire Night. We review the history of the man who s...
EP21. Halloween Narratives
07 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back from a brief hiatus with our second season! Janet and George change it up for this season, discussing the recipe for a perfect Halloween ...
EP20. Season 1 Reflections
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For our last episode of what we’re dubbing Season 1, Janet and George take a look back over their favorite bits so far. Mainly, it’s another chanc...
EP19. YA Narratives
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Janet and George are joined by their second guest ever, a member of their family: Becky! She comes in to chat with us about one of Ja...
EP18. Kitchen Sink Narratives
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Janet walks us through an art movement that influenced her during her childhood: kitchen sink realism. Join in as we walk through the...
EP17. Comic Book Narratives (ft. Stevie King)
04 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s phenomenal episode, we play host to our first guest, writer and comedy genius Stevie King, as she walks us through her love of comic book...
EP16. LGBTQ+ Narratives
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Alternatively known as queer literature, our topic for this week’s episode is LGBTQ+ stories! It is as timely as ever to appreciate the beautiful st...
EP15. Southern Noir Narratives
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s episode takes us to the American South, where Janet walks us through the origin and proliferation of the Southern Noir genre. Listen in ...
EP14. Picture Book Narratives
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the first episode out of the book fest hurrah, George and Janet take a look into the wondrous world of picture books. We examine their history, why...
EP13. Post-LOC National Book Festival
23 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Janet and George are back from the LOC reading fezzy. Did they get a good story or did they come away not giving a book? Episode 13 finds our nar...
EP12. Romance Narratives
18 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode, Janet walks us through the history and development of Romance as a literary genre. We talk about some of the classics as well as the...
EP11. Pre-LOC National Book Festival
11 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We did a quick little interstitial episode talking all about what we’re looking forward to during the upcoming National Book Festival in Washington,...
EP10. Comedy Narratives
11 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For the second episode we recorded since releasing the show, we tackle the vast open field of comedy in all its glory. The storied history, the cultur...
EP09. Murder Mystery Narratives
03 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Whodunnit is the question at hand this week, dear listener! Tune in to listen to Janet walk George through the history of the murder mystery, expound ...
EP08. Horror Narratives
28 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, George and Janet talk about one of George’s favorite literary genres—Horror. The many ways in which we can relate to narratives c...
EP07. Fathers’ Narratives
24 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Of course we couldn’t leave the Dads out! For this Father’s Day episode (who’s got an inconsistent and delayed release schedule? Not us!), Georg...
EP06. Historical Fiction Narratives
24 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the first episode outside of our test group, Janet and George dive into the history behind histories. Or, sort of. We look at the genre of historic...
EP05. Mothers’ Narratives
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For our fifth episode, the last episode in our series of test run episodes, we highlight the narratives that we tell and hear about Mothers, as a trea...
EP04. The Monomyth Narrative
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our fourth episode, we look at the development of the Hero’s Journey, also called the monomyth. We dissect the monomyth’s origins, how it has i...
EP03. Biographical Narratives
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our third episode is all about the stories about the self. Janet and George explore the ways in which biographies and memoirs possess their own specia...
EP02. Mythic Narratives
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For our second episode, George and Janet dive into the origins of narrative by looking at myths. We discuss our humble beginnings as storytellers, mov...
EP01. Audiobook Narratives
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our inaugural episode, George and Janet examine the medium of audiobooks. We investigate their history, discuss their benefits and differences from...