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The Inspirational Media Thread

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Mendalla
Crazy old ape
Got a video, Youtube channel, image gallery, or other site that might prove inspiring to yourself or other writers? Share it here for all to enjoy.

I will kick off with Monstrum. Monstrum is a show on the PBS Digital Studios Storied channel on Youtube. Storied used to be Monstrum, but PBS consolidated its literary programs on Youtube into a single channel, so now the channel is called Storied and there are playlists for each "show".

Anyhow, back to Monstrum. Monstrum is hosted by Dr. Emily Zarka of Arizona State. She teaches English and specializes in, you guessed it, monsters in literature and folklore. She even did her thesis on zombies (Night of the Living Dead is the ultimate inspiration for her whole career).

In each program, Dr. Z, as she is known, looks at a monster from folklore or literature. She explores the original folklore, where the monster has appeared in literature or modern media, and what it means or might mean. Some are quite obscure but interesting, like the Draugr or Mananggal, others are quite well known, such as Medusa or Dracula. She even hits on some modern cryptids and urban legends like the Yeti and El Chupacabras. Her delivery is good and she does her homework.

Most importantly for Stories Space, the content could be quite inspiring for people like me who write fantasy, horror, and even s-f.

Here's the playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_lsQEz7yLOpq278N-4I72cTXlRE1kVUN

Can she find the silence again?

Scream Away The Silence - The Sound of Silence comp entry

A "blog" on my winter stories from my profile.

https://www.storiesspace.com/profile/Mendalla/post/55120
Mendalla
Crazy old ape
And for those into zombies, Dr. Z is doing a three part series on her favorite monster this month, which will also appear on PBS television as a one hour documentary. Part 1 delves into the original zombie folklore from Vodou and other traditions in the African diaspora. Interestingly, all the talking heads in this are Black, and include a voodoo priest from New Orleans, showing some real respect for the source of this particular monster. She also touches on how this lore, originally about slavery and the fear that enslavement could continue past death, took on a racist edge when picked up by white American writers and filmmakers in the twentieth century. It's a nice sample of Monstrum, though a bit longer and more detailed than some.

Can she find the silence again?

Scream Away The Silence - The Sound of Silence comp entry

A "blog" on my winter stories from my profile.

https://www.storiesspace.com/profile/Mendalla/post/55120
Mendalla
Crazy old ape
Sometimes, the most inspirational thing for writing can be listening to another writer, especially one who has been at it for a while and is very eloquent in discussing both the craft and the business of writing. Which brings me to a recent episode of the podcast "David Tennant Does A Podcast With" (yes, that's the title of the podcast) in which the Scottish actor has a conversation with Neil Gaiman. While I have read and heard Gaiman discussing writing before, I never tire of it. And Gaiman and Tennant know each other well, having worked together on the TV series Good Omens (Gaiman as writer and showrunner, Tennant as one of the stars) which adds to the rapport.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4hlguLVKEGIkbCctEur8v9

Can she find the silence again?

Scream Away The Silence - The Sound of Silence comp entry

A "blog" on my winter stories from my profile.

https://www.storiesspace.com/profile/Mendalla/post/55120
Unknown User
Thanks for the podcast link Scott, I've downloaded it and will listen soon. (He also has an interview woth Tim Minchin, which is also downloaded - the man is brilliant!)
Mendalla
Crazy old ape
Quote by gypsy
Thanks for the podcast link Scott, I've downloaded it and will listen soon. (He also has an interview woth Tim Minchin, which is also downloaded - the man is brilliant!)



Yeah, I have my eye on that one, too. Not that familiar with Minchin but I've heard him sing Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar and he was incredible so I am trying to listen to him more.

Can she find the silence again?

Scream Away The Silence - The Sound of Silence comp entry

A "blog" on my winter stories from my profile.

https://www.storiesspace.com/profile/Mendalla/post/55120
Unknown User
Quote by Mendalla
Quote by gypsy
Thanks for the podcast link Scott, I've downloaded it and will listen soon. (He also has an interview woth Tim Minchin, which is also downloaded - the man is brilliant!)



Yeah, I have my eye on that one, too. Not that familiar with Minchin but I've heard him sing Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar and he was incredible so I am trying to listen to him more.



The Verb

Tim Minchin is a genius, this is one of the best interviews with him, on one of the best podcasts I listen to.
Mendalla
Crazy old ape
The latest Geeks Guide to the Galaxy is an interview with screenwriter (Sinister, Sinister 2, Dr. Strange) and novelist (his latest is Sea of Rust from 2017) C. Robert Cargill. The focus is on his new collection of short fiction, but they roam pretty widely over his career to date and there's some good discussion about things like doing research on other cultures (one of his novels has a lot of indigenous Australian mythology and folklore involved), getting script deals, and the process of writing some of the stories. He has a good story about meeting his screenwriting partner Scott Derrickson and selling Sinister to Jason Blum of Blumhouse. Good interview.

https://geeksguideshow.com/2020/10/23/ggg438-c-robert-cargill/

Can she find the silence again?

Scream Away The Silence - The Sound of Silence comp entry

A "blog" on my winter stories from my profile.

https://www.storiesspace.com/profile/Mendalla/post/55120