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Short stories, tall ideas.....mythic to modern, grim to whimsical.

Sound Design by Brent Robison and Tom Newton.

Audio Engineering by Tom Newton.

Image above by Bryan Maloney.

The Strange Recital is also available on:  iTunes,  SoundcloudFacebook,  TuneInYouTube, Spotify and iHeart Radio.

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Short stories, tall ideas.....mythic to modern, grim to whimsical.

Sound Design by:
Brent Robison and Tom Newton.

Audio Engineering by Tom Newton.

Image above by Bryan Maloney.

The Strange Recital is also available on:  iTunesSoundcloud,  FacebookTuneIn, YouTube and iHeart Radio.

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Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse

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Under the Blue Bridge

Released on March 1st 2026

Episode 26031

"The month was October, the day brilliant. Bareheaded, bald too young but well-bearded, a man not long past his youth strode along Bleecker, his comfortable shoes belying the business-like focus of his venture. His water-flow way of dodging fellow walkers was well-practiced, a city-dweller's skill used even as he hunted."

 

Three lives intersect for reasons unknown. One has a strange gift: a poet who may be a seer. Does he really know the history and future of the world? Or maybe this is some sort of love story, who knows?
"The month was October, the day brilliant. Bareheaded, bald too young but well-bearded, a man not long past his youth strode along Bleecker, his comfortable shoes belying the business-like focus of his venture. His water-flow way of dodging fellow walkers was well-practiced, a city-dweller's skill used even as he hunted."

 

Three lives intersect for reasons unknown. One has a strange gift: a poet who may be a seer. Does he really know the history and future of the world? Or maybe this is some sort of love story, who knows?

Narrated by Brent Robison.

Narrated by Brent Robison.

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The Monkey and The Metallurgist

Released on February 1st 2026

Episode 26021

"I saw that Constance had emailed me suggesting we meet. She was embroiled in a mystery and needed my help. She would tell me more in person. We met on a bench in a park. The mystery was complicated. It involved two or more people who appeared to be one..."

 

A man accompanies his friend to Paris to solve a mystery. But is it really a mystery, or something else? This is a story that challenges the very nature of storytellingwith a smile. Enjoy!
"I saw that Constance had emailed me suggesting we meet. She was embroiled in a mystery and needed my help. She would tell me more in person. We met on a bench in a park. The mystery was complicated. It involved two or more people who appeared to be one..."

 

A man accompanies his friend to Paris to solve a mystery. But is it really a mystery, or something else? This is a story that challenges the very nature of storytelling—with a smile. Enjoy!

Narrated by Tom Newton.

Narrated by Tom Newton.

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Tidal Lock

Released on January 4th 2026

Episode 26011

"The last time I saw my father I barely saw him. Now that morning seems sharp as shears but I know it wasn’t. I was half-asleep. I think I made my way to the kitchen. I think my father was already starting to leave. We may have hugged."

 

An enigmatic young woman tries to make sense of her life alone in an unnamed city full of demolitions and abandoned buildings. This metaphor-driven new novel from an award-winning author follows its narrator's fragmented insights on a path toward understanding.
"The last time I saw my father I barely saw him. Now that morning seems sharp as shears but I know it wasn’t. I was half-asleep. I think I made my way to the kitchen. I think my father was already starting to leave. We may have hugged."

 

An enigmatic young woman tries to make sense of her life alone in an unnamed city full of demolitions and abandoned buildings. This metaphor-driven new novel from an award-winning author follows its narrator's fragmented insights on a path toward understanding.

Narrated by Ellenora Cage.

Narrated by Ellenora Cage.

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Naked Singularity

Released on December 7th 2025

Episode 25121

"For three years, we knew Dad had a lump in his throat. He had trouble swallowing, and several times a day, he would be possessed by a mad coughing fit that would leave him clutching the furniture for support."

 

In this opening from a highly-praised novel, an adult daughter begins to face her father's chronic pain, his impending death. How will she respond to his request for a merciful release?
"For three years, we knew Dad had a lump in his throat. He had trouble swallowing, and several times a day, he would be possessed by a mad coughing fit that would leave him clutching the furniture for support."

 

In this opening from a highly-praised novel, an adult daughter begins to face her father's chronic pain, his impending death. How will she respond to his request for a merciful release?

Narrated by V.N. Alexander.

Narrated by V.N. Alexander.

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The Constable's Second Autobiography

Released on November 2nd 2025

Episode 25111

"The scent of cardamom wafted from Father. Mother wore a liripipe of azure silk that drew out her narrow chin, hazel eyes, and the grey streaks in her hair. I watched Father’s gaze dart among the hills. Columns of smoke crept through a windless sky."

 

In this novel excerpt, a young man feigns madness, trades vision for vision amongst ruffians in a dark tavern, and meets his raven companions. But is this really his life story?
"The scent of cardamom wafted from Father. Mother wore a liripipe of azure silk that drew out her narrow chin, hazel eyes, and the grey streaks in her hair. I watched Father’s gaze dart among the hills. Columns of smoke crept through a windless sky."

 

In this novel excerpt, a young man feigns madness, trades vision for vision amongst ruffians in a dark tavern, and meets his raven companions. But is this really his life story?

Narrated by Tom Newton.

Narrated by Tom Newton.

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Found Objects

Released on October 5th 2025

Episode 25101

"'Listen to this,' he said. What sounded like a wind chime filled the room, a wind chime on a farmhouse porch, restless in a shifting tempest. I could feel a change in barometric pressure and a subtle increase in humidity as the sound floated on the breeze. The feeling was vast and lonely as though isolated on an American prairie."

 

A recording engineer explores amazing new techniques. Can we capture the deep music made by nature? Can we invite the plants to help us? What could go wrong?
"'Listen to this,' he said. What sounded like a wind chime filled the room, a wind chime on a farmhouse porch, restless in a shifting tempest. I could feel a change in barometric pressure and a subtle increase in humidity as the sound floated on the breeze. The feeling was vast and lonely as though isolated on an American prairie."

 

A recording engineer explores amazing new techniques. Can we capture the deep music made by nature? Can we invite the plants to help us? What could go wrong?

Narrated by Jon Montgomery.

Narrated by Jon Montgomery.

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The Right Moment

Released on September 7th 2025

Episode 25091

"The crowd that had gathered on the quay to watch the departure of Shadow Rose held no collective opinion as to whether she would return. Now that the chronology of those events has become so jumbled, it might be said that she never left."

 

A sailing ship, a sunlit city, a young man's search. This reading, excerpted from a new collection of richly atmospheric short (and very short) stories, suggests unknown histories and unseen realities.
"The crowd that had gathered on the quay to watch the departure of Shadow Rose held no collective opinion as to whether she would return. Now that the chronology of those events has become so jumbled, it might be said that she never left."

 

A sailing ship, a sunlit city, a young man's search. This reading, excerpted from a new collection of richly atmospheric short (and very short) stories, suggests unknown histories and unseen realities.

Narrated by Tom Newton.

Narrated by Tom Newton.

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Zone 23

Released on August 3rd 2025

Episode 25081

"In a world of comfort and infinite abundance, Valentina Briggs was sitting quietly, doing nothing, trying to detach... kneeling on the floor, her buttocks resting on her upturned feet, hands forming an oval in her lap, thumbs ever so lightly touching, trying her best to think of not thinking. Thoughts were racing through her mind."

 

If meditation isn't working, what's a Variant-Positive Normal woman to do? A possible future of genetic "correction" to establish peace on Earth is explored in this satiric novel by an outspoken critic of authoritarian government.
"In a world of comfort and infinite abundance, Valentina Briggs was sitting quietly, doing nothing, trying to detach... kneeling on the floor, her buttocks resting on her upturned feet, hands forming an oval in her lap, thumbs ever so lightly touching, trying her best to think of not thinking. Thoughts were racing through her mind."

 

If meditation isn't working, what's a Variant-Positive Normal woman to do? A possible future of genetic "correction" to establish peace on Earth is explored in this satiric novel by an outspoken critic of authoritarian government.

Narrated by Brent Robison.

Narrated by Brent Robison.

To view and listen to past episodes of The Strange Recital, please visit our archives. Click the link below:

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