murmurstations – Details, episodes & analysis

How does expectation shape our sense of what is horrific or strange, uncanny or eerie? Together, Ai and Sonia explore human and non-human relationships—with spirits, nature, technology, and more—and our changing sense of familiarity and strangeness in these relationships.

Ai writes across many genres including folklore, dystopia, horror, climate fiction, sci-fi, fantasy—but we talk mainly about her Augur published work On Land We Drown and what goes into crafting tales that are genre bending and expansive to the ways we think about humanity.

Transcript

Read On Land We Drown in Issue 5.2 of Augur Magazine

Follow Ai Jiang:

https://aijiangauthor.wordpress.com/

Follow the Augur Literary Society

⁠https://augursociety.org/⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/augursociety/⁠

https://x.com/augursociety⁠

Host and Producer:

Sonia Urlando

Sound Production:

Jehan Vakharia

Special Thanks To:

Kerry C. Byrne

Lorna Antoniazzi

Martine Nguyen

Lois L.K. Chan

Cindy Ly

Eugénie Szwalek

Madeleine Vigneron

Helena Ramsaroop

Lily H

Artwork by:

Moccha

https://www.instagram.com/mochii.mocha

https://twitter.com/Mocchadraws

Music: Original music by Jehan Vakharia

At the core of every fairytale is a rule. And when that rule gets broken, the story begins. "Don't step off the path," they say. "Don't get close to the wolf." And yet we do, time and time again. Behind the vivid and playful ornamentation, fairytales are rife with darkness and desire.
Together, Lynne and Sonia discuss the ethics at play and what's illuminated when fairytales are reimagined. They read and explore Lynne's two poems The Wolf Of Your Passions and Beauty, Sleeping.
Transcript
Read Beauty, Sleeping in Issue 2.2 of Augur Magazine
Read The Wolf of Your Passions in Issue 5.2 of Augur Magazine
Follow Lynne Sargent
https://scribbledshadows.wordpress.com/
https://x.com/samlynnes
https://bsky.app/profile/lynnesargent.bsky.social
https://www.instagram.com/lynne.sargent
http://moralguillotines.wordpress.com/
Follow the Augur Literary Society
⁠https://augursociety.org/⁠
⁠https://www.instagram.com/augursociety/⁠
⁠https://x.com/augursociety⁠
Host and Producer:
Sonia Urlando
Sound Production:
Jehan Vakharia
Special Thanks To:
Kerry C. Byrne
Lorna Antoniazzi
Martine Nguyen
Lois L.K. Chan
Cindy Ly
Eugénie Szwalek
Madeleine Vigneron
Helena Ramsaroop
Lily H
Artwork by:
Moccha
https://www.instagram.com/mochii.mocha
https://twitter.com/Mocchadraws
Music:

Original music - Jehan Vakharia

There's something about a cataclysmic event that brings people together. Premee is a virtuoso when it comes to writing compelling characters—who often find themselves experiencing an end to their world, and a new beginning.
In her two stories Some Solace For Thy Woes (Augur) and The Youngest Son Misses His Boat To The Crusades (Tales & Feathers), she draws us into close relationships between just a few characters experiencing an end. Together, Premee and Sonia explore intimacy in apocalypse as it relates to these stories. And what carries on after a world ends.

Episode Transcript

Read Some Solace For Thy Woes (Augur 1.3)

Read The Youngest Son Misses His Boat to the Crusades (T&F)

Follow Premee Mohamed

https://premeemohamed.com/

https://www.instagram.com/premeesaurus/

https://bsky.app/profile/premeemohamed.com

Support Premee on Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/premee

Follow the Augur Literary Society:

⁠https://augursociety.org/⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/augursociety/⁠

https://bsky.app/profile/augursociety.bsky.social

Host and Producer:

Sonia Urlando

Sound Production:

Jehan Vakharia

Special Thanks To:

Kerry C. Byrne

Lorna Antoniazzi

Martine Nguyen

Lois L.K. Chan

Cindy Ly

Eugénie Szwalek

Madeleine Vigneron

Helena Ramsaroop

Lily H

Artwork by:

Moccha

https://www.instagram.com/mochii.mocha

https://twitter.com/Mocchadraws

Music:

Distill, accessed through Blue Dot Records.

secondearth, accessed through Free Music Archive

Through settings and symbols mundane and mythological, Matteo Cerilli presents two poems, Star Bright and Bathroom Chatter.

In this fifth episode of murmurstations, Sonia and Matteo discuss these poems with an eye on themes of mythologies of masculinity as well as growth, innocence, loss, discovery, (be)longing.

They discuss Matteo's activism roots and how they surface in his stories, the characters and causes he's interested in writing about, and the genres (like horror) that best allow him to do this.

Transcript

Read: Bathroom Chatter (Augur 5.2)

Read Star Bright (Augur 6.2)

Follow Matteo Cerilli

https://mlcerilli.wixsite.com/author-page

https://www.instagram.com/matteolcerilli/?hl=en

Sign up for Matteo's newsletter

https://matteolcerilli.substack.com/

Follow the Augur Literary Society:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://augursociety.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

https://www.instagram.com/augursociety/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

https://x.com/augursociety⁠⁠⁠⁠

https://bsky.app/profile/augursociety.bsky.social

Host and Producer: Sonia Urlando

Special Thanks To:

Kerry C. Byrne

Lorna Antoniazzi

Martine Nguyen

Lois L.K. Chan

Cindy Ly

Eugénie Szwalek

Madeleine Vigneron

Helena Ramsaroop

Lily H

Artwork by:

Moccha ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/mochii.mocha

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/Mocchadraws ⁠⁠⁠

Music: In The Sun, by CrowanderAccessed by: https://freemusicarchive.org/

In this fourth episode of Murmurstations, A.G.A Wilmot explores themes of legacy, identity, and the role of art in shaping our understanding of the world.

Andrew shares their journey as a multimedia artist, discussing the pressures of navigating the literary and genre worlds while emphasizing the importance of empathy—both for oneself and for others.

We explore how personal experiences of fear, trauma, and societal issues inform their creative process, and how art serves as a reflection of humanity. Join us as we unpack the complexities of legacy and transformation within the context of sci-fi storytelling and the broader human experience.

Read Lasciare Suonare (Augur 1.1) and Volcanic (Augur 5.2)

⁠https://augursociety.org/lasciare-suonare/⁠

⁠https://augursociety.org/volcanic/⁠

Follow A.G.A Wilmot

⁠https://www.agawilmot.ca/⁠

⁠https://www.facebook.com/agawilmotauthor⁠

⁠https://bsky.app/profile/agawilmot.bsky.social⁠

Follow the Augur Literary Society:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://augursociety.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/augursociety/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/augursociety⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Host and Producer: Sonia Urlando

Special Thanks To:

Kerry C. Byrne

Lorna Antoniazzi

Martine Nguyen

Lois L.K. Chan

Cindy Ly

Eugénie Szwalek

Madeleine Vigneron

Helena Ramsaroop

Lily H

Artwork by:

Moccha ⁠⁠⁠⁠

https://www.instagram.com/mochii.mocha⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/Mocchadraws ⁠⁠⁠⁠

Music: True Shape, by Galen Huckins, Blue Dot Sessions

In this third episode of Murmurstations, we explore the intersections of spirituality and speculative fiction with Saad Omar Khan, focusing on his short story, The Zones of Heaven and Earth.

Saad discusses the importance of representing diverse voices in a genre often dominated by Western narratives, reflecting on his own journey as a Muslim writer in a secular environment.

We delve into themes of migration, climate change, and the tension between tradition and adaptation. Saad shares his hopes for a more inclusive future in literature, emphasizing the importance of nuanced portrayals of faith and identity.

Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on storytelling and representation.

Extra Notes:

Correction: In Saad's bio, we say "Best Canadian Fiction 2025" when we mean to say "Best Canadian Stories 2025".

Correction: At the 21:50 mark, Saad mentions Safir "travelling to Mars" when he means to say "the Moon."

The anthology of Palestinian science fiction Saad refers to is Palestine +100: Stories From A Century After The Nakba.

Read The Zones of Heaven and Earth (Augur 6.1)

https://augursociety.org/the-zones-of-heaven-and-earth/

Follow Saad Omar Khan

https://www.saadomarkhan.com/

https://twitter.com/sokonline

https://www.instagram.com/s.omar.khan/

Follow the Augur Literary Society:

⁠⁠⁠https://augursociety.org/⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/augursociety/⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/augursociety⁠⁠⁠

Host and Producer:

Sonia Urlando

Special Thanks To:

Kerry C. Byrne

Lorna Antoniazzi

Martine Nguyen

Lois L.K. Chan

Cindy Ly

Eugénie Szwalek

Madeleine Vigneron

Helena Ramsaroop

Lily H Artwork by: Moccha ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/mochii.mocha⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/Mocchadraws ⁠⁠Music: By By River, by Lobo Lobo

Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Accessed by: http://freemusicarchive.org/

In this second episode of Murmurstations, we explore the transformative power of speculative poetry with guest Chimedum Ohaegbu, focusing on her poem Moonshaped Midas.

She discusses how ambiguity and confusion, at times a source of harm, can become a generative space for creativity and understanding.

We talk about the tensions between beauty and violence in poetry, the role of relationships in worldbuilding, and the potential of speculative genres to inspire awe and connection.

By blurring the lines between literal and metaphorical, speculative poetry offers a unique lens to navigate human experiences, enriching both the writer's and reader's journeys.

Find the episode transcript here.

Read Moonshaped Midas (Augur 4.1)

https://augursociety.org/moonshaped-midas/⁠

Follow Chimedum Ohaegbu

⁠https://chimedum.com/ ⁠

Extra Notes:

Quote by James Baldwin, from a lecture titled The Artist's Struggle for Integrity

"You must understand that your pain is trivial except insofar as you can use it to connect with other people’s pain; and insofar as you can do that with your pain, you can be released from it, and then hopefully it works the other way around too; insofar as I can tell you what it is to suffer, perhaps I can help you to suffer less."

Follow the Augur Literary Society: ⁠⁠https://augursociety.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/augursociety/⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/augursociety⁠⁠

Host and Producer: Sonia Urlando Special Thanks To: Kerry C. Byrne Lorna Antoniazzi Martine Nguyen Lois L.K. Chan Cindy Ly Eugénie Szwalek Madeleine Vigneron Helena Ramsaroop Lily H Artwork by: Moccha ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mochii.mocha⁠ ⁠https://twitter.com/Mocchadraws

Music: Inspector D, Blue Dot Sessions

Find the episode transcript here

In the first episode of Murmurstations' in-augur-al season, Cleopatria Peterson, author of Mango Maker, discusses their multidisciplinary art practice, community building, and dreams of worlds centered on joy and care.

They share about the pathways of family tradition that can root us in the sweetness of memories, even in the presence of pain, grief, or loss—as seen in Mango Maker.

Peterson also provides listeners with a toolbox for overcoming and dismantling colonialist and ableist barriers to making art. They demonstrate what goes into making accessible, transformative, and educational spaces as modes of practicing love and togetherness.

In framing art as nourishment, Peterson offers us a "mango" of creative insight, process, and delight—so we invite you to take a "bite" of this episode and press play. Read Mango Maker (Augur 5.1):

"Mango Maker" by Cleopatria Peterson

Follow Cleopatria Peterson:

https://www.cleopatria.ca/

https://www.instagram.com/cleopatriia Extra Notes:

Augur is running a Kickstarter campaign through October 2024. Augur Society is an all-volunteer nonprofit that now runs two pro magazines (Augur Magazine, Tales & Feathers Magazine), a speculative literature convention (AugurCon), and year-round programming. Please consider supporting our efforts.

Follow the Augur Literary Society:

⁠https://augursociety.org/ ⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/augursociety/⁠

https://x.com/augursociety⁠

Host and Producer:

Sonia Urlando

Special Thanks To:

Kerry C. Byrne

Lorna Antoniazzi

Martine Nguyen

Lois L.K. Chan

Cindy Ly

Eugénie Szwalek 

Madeleine Vigneron

Helena Ramsaroop

Lily H

Artwork by:

Moccha

https://www.instagram.com/mochii.mocha

https://twitter.com/Mocchadraws

Music:

In this preview episode, we invite you to discover the spirit behind the name we've given this podcast.

Murmurstations is brought to your by the Augur Literary Society, a publishing space that believes in exploring stories that shape the futures we need.

And with that vision in mind, this podcast explores worldbuilding through speculative genres. Together, we find the throughlines between the imagined and real worlds we are building.

Follow the Augur Literary Society:

https://augursociety.org/

https://www.instagram.com/augursociety/

https://x.com/augursociety

Host and Producer:

Sonia Urlando

Special Thanks To:

Kerry C. Byrne

Lorna Antoniazzi

Martine Nguyen

Lois Chan

Cindy Ly

Eugénie Szwalek 

Madeleine Vigneron

Helena Ramsaroop

Lily H

Artwork by:

Moccha

https://www.instagram.com/mochii.mocha

https://twitter.com/Mocchadraws

Music:

River Meditation - Jason Shaw