Unlike previous editions of Radio at the End of the World, I won’t be focusing on a wide genre of podcasts. In honor of the holiday season and October being Black Speculative Fiction Month, I am going to focus this roundup on Black speculative fiction podcasts or episodes. Speculative fiction is an umbrella term that encapsulates science fiction, slipstream, fantasy, steampunk, horror, magical realism, and all other genres that stray away from the common everyday places of our lives. Speculative fiction ejects new life into the world around us and makes it wondrous, scary, and unreal. 

Black Speculative Fiction Month happens every October and was started by writers Milton Davis and Balogun Ojetade as a time to celebrate and honor speculative fiction written by, for, and bout Black people. This month’s roundup is going to do just that. Highlight and direct attention to the Black creators out there working in the speculative fiction genre. 

OBSIDIAN PODCAST

Obsidian podcast is an audio fiction podcast focused on Afrofuturism and spotlighting the stories of Black writers. They go beyond just publishing Black authors but specifically aim to publish stories that blend the Black narrative into genres that normally exclude their voices. Afrofuturism stretches beyond content but is also an aesthetic, philosophy, and more. Obsidian contributors showcase the wide array of themes common to Afrofuturism beyond just imagining Black people in the future. In the past, they have been featured on this list, but I’d highly recommend going through all of their episodes and listening to what writers from the African diaspora are tackling in the speculative fiction genre. 

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify 

NIGHTLIGHT: A HORROR FICTION PODCAST

If you are a horror fan and a reader of this series, then you are familiar with Nightlight: A Horror Fiction Podcast and Tonia Ransom. If you’re unfamiliar with either of these, then this is your chance to dig into some terrifying horror fiction. Tonia Ransom is the creator and producer of Nightlight: A Horror Fiction Podcast and publishes horror stories written by Black writers and read by Black voice actors. Not only does Ransom deliver scary stories by talented authors, but she interviews the writers about their stories and processes that give listeners access to why these stories were important to write for the author and the themes imbedded within. 

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify

ALL THINGS UNDONE  

Director, actor, and writer Chené Lawson from The Young and The Restless stars, writes, and directs this new podcast from Aileron Films. All Things Undone is very much so in the vain of Octavia Butler and imagines a dark, yet promising world where Black characters are given agency in a world where they are viewed as lesser. The podcast follows Mirabelle, a slave in the 1850’s, who discovers that due to a solar eclipse all Blacks become unkillable and tries to lead her people to freedom. The writing is descriptive, voice actors skilled which makes this fascinating tale come to life.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify

BLACK FRIDAY

Tycho Newman is the creator, director, and writer of the dark science fiction podcast Black Friday about a strange phenomenon of white people turning into Black people that happens every Friday. Based on the synopsis, I’m sure you can guess that this show deals with heavy topics and themes related to race relations in America. The show examines the issues of being Black but also the issues of the ways white people view Black people. A lot of the stories hit extremely close to real life events, so be warned that this—and most of the shows on this list—isn’t a show for someone looking to escape the world but want to see it in a different light and under another lens. 

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify

LEVAR BURTON READS 

For millennials, LeVar Burton is a household name. We grew up with him showing us the wonder of reading. As we’ve grown up and our tastes have matured, so has he and hosts a whole new reading experience, LeVar Burton Reads. Such a simple title for such an amazing show. Burton picks a different story for each episode either from a contemporary author or one from the past. Though not all the episodes feature speculative fiction stories by Black authors, a great many do. There are stories by N.K. Jemisin, Rebecca Roanhorse, and more. 

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify

THE DRABBLECAST EPISODE #403 – THE TRANSLATOR BY EBONI J. DUNBAR

The Drabblecast promotes weird fiction by weird authors and each episode sets a musical atmosphere that provides a soundtrack to the odd and absurd tellings. They read old works and new, reprints and originals. Last year, the podcast did a Women and Aliens Month where they featured alien stories written by women authors. One of those authors was writer and editor Eboni J. Dunbar, who many podcast heads will know from PodCastle. The Translator is a perfect example of a Afrofuturist story and has everything a scifi fan could want: space talk, badass women in space, and a unique alien cloud race. 

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify

COME JOIN US BY THE FIRE – DADDY BY VICTOR LAVALLE

Tor.com Publishing has been spinning out great books for the past few years and have recently started a horror imprint. They haven’t released any books yet but have a few slotted for release in 2021. What they have released is their audio fiction series Come Join Us By the Fire. The series features 35 short stories told by top writers in the horror genre today. Horror writer, Victor LaValle joined the 34 other writers and contributed his chilling story Daddy about a dad trying to protect his child. 

Listen Here: Google Podcasts | Spotify

This month let’s do more than just listen to these creators, but let’s strive to support them any way possible. If you have the resources to give, pay tribute with hard cash so that these creators can continue producing stellar content. Money not your thing, share these podcasts wide and far. Make sure everyone in your network knows these creators. Bring them up in dialogue about great speculative fiction. Support, spread, and show gratitude to these amazing creators. 

Related posts:

Radio at the End of the World: Audio Fiction and Drama Podcast Roundup December 2021 Radio at the End of the World: Audio Fiction and Drama Podcast Roundup February 2021 Radio at the End of the World: Audio Fiction and Drama Podcast Roundup July 2021
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