The Cryptonaturalist

The thing about an unexplainable RV is that it’s unexplainable, but let’s give it a shot anyway.

Thanks to Fara Tucker for this week’s hidden lore poetry. Fara Tucker is a writer, poet, storyteller, teacher, photographer, former therapist, and current therapy client. She is currently wading through liminal space, which is occasionally good for producing poetry, and consistently good for producing anxiety. You can find her on IG @faratucker where she shares reflections on this beautiful and devastating life in poetry and prose. Her blog and links to published work can be found at faratucker.com.

Check out Field Guide to the Haunted Forest by Jarod K. Anderson wherever books are sold. If you’d like a signed bookplate for your copy, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

 Jarod Anderson

PO Box 837

Delaware, OH 43015

A jellyfish is part ghost part flower and part trap. Is it any surprise that some defy explanation?  

Check out Field Guide to the Haunted Forest by Jarod K. Anderson wherever books are sold. An audio version as well as signed bookplates are coming soon.

Reminder: Transcripts of this and every episode are available at cryptonaturalist.com.

Ticking clock sound effect courtesy of: www.freesfx.co.uk

The forest. The fire. The guitar in the wind. The covered bridge that has no business being there.

Background guitar music was “Three Ravens” by Axletree. Downloaded from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Axletree.

Thanks to Meredith Smith for this episode’s hidden lore poetry. Meredith is a flash fiction writer and micropoet in Seattle, WA. She is an alumna of the Hugo House and student of writers who are students of Raymond Carver. She lives in a brick building by the lake with her tiny human. Learn more about her work and her re-released zine Movement at meredithsmith.com.

There are many places to hide strange nature. Mountaintop snows. Undersea trenches. In your pocket. Thanks to The Pine Hill Haints for permission to play their song. You should get to know them. Visit thepinehillhaints.com to learn more.

Hidden lore poetry by Hal Y. Zhang. Hal Y. Zhang is a lapsed physicist who splits her time between ghosts of her once-green plants and the Internet, where she writes at halyzhang.com. Her language-and-loss chapbook AMNESIA was published by Newfound, and her women-with-sharp-things collection Goddess Bandit of the Thousand Arms is forthcoming from Aqueduct Press.

A simple old tale about a RV, a cosmic bat, and a low Earth orbit mosquito.

Hidden lore poetry by Patricia Killelea. Patricia Killelea is the author of the poetry collections Counterglow (Urban Farmhouse Press, 2019) and Other Suns (Swan Scythe press, 2011). She is currently Poetry Editor at Passages North and an Assistant Professor of English at Northern Michigan University. Her work appears in cream city review, Seneca Review, Trampoline Poetry, Atticus Review, Quarterly West, The Common, Waxwing, Spiritus, and As/Us. She also produces videopoems, which have been featured at Moving Poems, Poetry Film Live, screened and shortlisted for the O'Bheal International Poetry Film Competition, and longlisted for the Rabbit Heart Poetry Film Prize.

Thanks to Isabel Renner for voicing Trillium Spencer. Isabel Renner is graduated with a BFA in Acting from Mason Gross School of the Arts right before the arrival of the pandemic. A NYC dweller, you can find her on Instagram @isabelrenner and at isabelrenner.com

The train in the pines is a great getaway provided you can get there and then get away.

Hidden lore poetry by Annie McAndrew. Annie is a writer of speculative fiction from the edge of the Texas Hill Country. She can be found exploring the local creek trails and other odd, fantastical worlds.

The quiet folk are there. Sort of. Let’s not call too much attention to them.

Special thanks to Elliott Kalan for voicing Paul Hogan. I’ve been a fan of Elliott’s work for a long time. He was the head writer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he was also the head writer on the new Mystery Science Theater 3,000. He also cohosts my favorite movie podcast, The Flop House. I recommend checking out his children’s books: “Horse Meets Dog” and, coming soon in September, “Sharko and Hippo.”

Hidden lore poetry by Olivia Williams. Olivia is a geology PhD student who uses ice to study our planet’s ancient past. She writes short fiction, poetry, and all kinds of science stuff, but when she’s not doing any of that you can find her in the woods looking for cool plants. Find more about her writing and research at oliviawilliamsgeo.com.

In this episode recorded in quarantine, the CryptoNaturalist gets philosophical about meaning, life, magic, and you.

Special thanks to Jo Firestone for today’s field report. Jo Firestone is a Brooklyn-based comedian who can be seen on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Joe Pera Talks With You, High Maintenance, Shrill, The Chris Gethard Show, and others. She can be heard on Maximum Fun’s Dr. Gameshow, a podcast she co-hosts with Manolo Moreno. Her album, "The Hits" is available on Comedy Central Records, and if you like puns, check out Punderdome: A Card Game for Pun Lovers. She is very willing work with animals please consider her for animals.

Hidden Lore poetry by Luísa Black. Luísa Black is an anarcho-swampist and amateur ecologist methodically inspecting mosses in the coastal wetlands of southeastern Virginia. Her work has been published in Rabble Lit and under several prestigious overpasses. Her loyalties lie with the lichens.

Exclusive stickers, pins, shirts, and access to bonus content and strange expertise on strange topics awaits you at our patreon page. Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist.

You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com.

Some of my favorite trees are actually fifty-foot insects.

Special thanks to Jesse Thorn. Jesse Thorn is the host and producer of Bullseye and Jordan, Jesse, Go!, and the co-host and producer of Judge John Hodgman. He's also the founder and proprietor of the Maximum Fun podcast network. I must say, that if it wasn’t for the Maximum Fun network, I’m not sure that I ever would have taken an interest in podcasts or started this show. So, thank you, Jesse.

Hidden Lore poetry by Terry Maggert.

Terry Maggert is an Author. He’s left-handed. He likes dragons, coffee, waffles, running, and giraffes. Not necessarily in that order. With 32 novels and a dozen short stories, he’s certainly got something to thrill, anger, or leave you wondering why he didn't become a professional baker. He doesn’t sleep, but you probably guessed that already. Find his work on Amazon and Audible. Follow him on Twitter @TerryMaggert.

Exclusive stickers, pins, shirts, and access to bonus content and strange expertise on strange topics awaits you at our patreon page. Patreon.com/CryptoNaturalist.

You’ll find information about submitting your poetry or prose for our hidden lore segments in the about section of our website at CryptoNaturalist.com. The CryptoNaturalist is written and read by Jarod K. Anderson. Thanks to Adam Hurt for the use of his song Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom from his album Insight. For more information on Adam’s music, performances, and teaching, visit adamhurt.com.