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Released in April, our award winning podcast from Season 3,  ”Property Damage Claim #1-1403986″ by Ryan P. Duke.   You know, science says humanity is lucky to have worrywarts. Thousands of years ago, a few of our more anxious ancestors helped us escape attack from dangerous predators, and thanks to their constant vigilance we had a little more room to evolve. But let’s face it: that sound you thought you heard in the middle of the night probably wasn’t a pack of prehistoric wolves. The problem is, you won’t know for sure…until you look. Author: Ryan P. Duke is a founding member of the Pre-PostHumanists and Reading Out Loud. His short fiction has been published in a bunch of places you’ve never heard of. Like, in Canada. He’s a contributor to the WBEZ podcast Pleasuretown and is an active member of the Chicago Storytelling Scene, performing at Write Club, Paper Machete, You’re Being Ridiculous, and Seven Deadly Sins. Ryan lives in Chicago with his life partner, asthma.​ Reading Out Loud on this episode: Brandon Paul Eells, John Hoogenakker, Eleni Pappageorge, Randy Steinmeyer, Cheri VandenHeuvel

The fate of the universe hangs in the balance! … god, this guy is a prick. ​ Episode 11 is the final episode of our season-long story, by producer Ryan P. Duke, AND the final episode of Season Three! If you haven’t listened to parts one through four,​ ​CLICK HERE to get caught up! Author: Ryan P. Duke is the worst.  He smells like spray-tan and eggs. You can read more about him here, but why would you want to? Reading Out Loud on this episode: Brandon Paul Eells

“Respect your elders” they teach us, early. They are wise and have seen it all and we should revere their experience in the hope that some of their wisdom will be passed onto us. But we aren’t taught about the indignities of aging. Despite all the encouragement to show respect, the world is not made for the elderly. And as our youthful abilities dull and fade, our strength, our hearing, our eyesight, the world becomes harder to navigate. ​ Author: Robert Duffer is the Autos editor at the Chicago Tribune. He teaches creative writing at Columbia College Chicago. He has kids. Reading Out Loud on this episode: Natalie Duke, Brandon Paul Eells, Bob Hulsey, Scott Minor, Randy Steinmeyer

Fate is a mind-blowing concept. At least it was when we were 16 years old and experimenting with drugs and/or poetry for the first time. Even after all these years, though, fate can still be fun to think about. Do we have free will? If we do, how much force can our piss-ant little existences really exert? Can we actually change our destinies? Or are we travelling along a fixed path laid out for us long ago by some jackass with diarrhea? In part four of our five-part story, Kingston discovers he might have a closer tie to fate than he ever thought.   Author: Ryan Duke is a founding member of the Pre-PostHumanists and Reading Out Loud. His short fiction has been published in a bunch of places you’ve never heard of. Like, in Canada. He’s a contributor to the WBEZ podcast Pleasuretown and is an active member of the Chicago Storytelling Scene, performing at Write Club, Paper Machete, You’re Being Ridiculous, and Seven Deadly Sins. Ryan lives in Chicago with his life partner, asthma.   Reading Out Loud on this episode: Brandon Paul Eells

There’s a thinly stretched existence being lived on the 3am subway trains. You can see it pulling on the lolling heads of the passengers, on their way in to make today’s shift in time. They are fretting at night. They’re not sleeping well. They have children to feed and bills to pay. But in the in-between of home and work, in those sweet minutes of sleepy respite where all they have to do is sit and listen to the rhythmic clatter of the train cars until their stop comes. They drowse and let their minds wander over the dreams that they long since gave up. Not with bitterness or anger, just remembering that feeling of having dreams, options. They want their kids to know that feeling. So, anyway… call your parents. ​ Author: Erika Price is a writer and social psychologist in Chicago. Erika has performed in live lit events around the city, including Write Club, The Paper Machete, Essay Fiesta, The Skewer, and Cassandra. Her work has been published in The Rumpus, The Toast, Literary Orphans, and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Reading Out Loud on this episode: Lacy Katherine Campbell, Eleni Pappageorge and Brandon Paul Eells   Author: Erika Price is a writer and social psychologist in Chicago. Erika has performed in live lit events around the city, including Write Club, The Paper Machete, Essay Fiesta, The Skewer, and Cassandra. Her work has been published in The Rumpus, The Toast, Literary Orphans, and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Reading Out Loud on this episode: Eleni Pappageorge and Brandon Paul Eells

In part three of our five part serial, Kingston reaches adolescence. Complete with warm summer nights, first loves, fatherly advice, and self doubt. Author: Ryan P. Duke is a founding member of the Pre-PostHumanists and Reading Out Loud. His short fiction has been published in a bunch of places you’ve never heard of. Like, in Canada. He’s a contributor to the WBEZ podcast Pleasuretown and is an active member of the Chicago Storytelling Scene, performing at Write Club, Paper Machete, You’re Being Ridiculous, and Seven Deadly Sins. Ryan lives in Chicago with his life partner, asthma.​ Reading Out Loud on this episode: Brandon Paul Eells

Every single moment of every day we are making choices. There’s an article on the internet that said humans average 35,000 decisions in a day. We know that because one of our team members chose to search for that information. They selected one link from the search results. They decided to believe it was true because it felt true. They did not to back up that choice with any further research. If we cared about the truth or our record on the facts, that team member would be reprimanded. But we don’t so he wasn’t. Also it was Ryan. We have decided that he’s the worst. But we make choices all the time, consciously or not. This not that. Those not these. Yes, no. Now, later. Call your boyfriend. Call him again. Do not cry. Not here. Not now. Have one more drink? Maybe just one more?  Decide. But we here at Reading Out Loud have come to one clear and resounding decision: Angel is the worst. #TeamSpike ​ Author: Celena Cipriaso has written for ABC’s All My Children and is currently co-writing two screenplays with Civilian Studios. Her pilot “Evolved” was a Finalist in the Creative World Awards, and her spec of The Walking Dead, “Little Children” was a Semi-Finalist in the Creative World Awards and also in the top 10% of the Austin Film Festival TV competition. Her pilot “Sober City” had a staged reading produced by the Asian American Film Lab, and “Evolved” was part of a night of staged readings produced by F*ck It Club in NYC. She’s served as a reader for the Nantucket Film Festival as well as a judge for the Asian Film Lab’s 72 Hour Shootout. As a playwright, her work has been performed in various venues in New York City and throughout the Northeast. She’s also freelance journalist that’s written for CNN, The Root, Slate, Draft, Arts America, Film Buff, Bitch, Intel, and Women on Writing. Celena was a regular contributor and columnist for Film Buff as well as the Film Editor for Arts America.  She was also the Co-Editor of the popular online magazine,  The Beer Sessions.  Other publishing credits include Seal Press’s anthology P.S. What I Didn’t Say, the Harper Collins anthology Yell-Oh! Girls, Growing Up Asian American, Word Riot, and The Legendary. ​Reading Out Loud on this episode: Lacy Katherine Campbell, John Hoogenakker, Eleni Pappageorge, & Brandon Paul Eells

In part 2 of our five-part serial our main character has grown into a temperamental toddler. He’s still discovering his universe and his place within it. Pushing his boundaries, or lack thereof. You know… he might just be in need of a long timeout. Author: Ryan P. Duke is a founding member of the Pre-PostHumanists and Reading Out Loud. His short fiction has been published in a bunch of places you’ve never heard of. Like, in Canada. He’s a contributor to the WBEZ podcast Pleasuretown and is an active member of the Chicago Storytelling Scene, performing at Write Club, Paper Machete, You’re Being Ridiculous, and Seven Deadly Sins. Ryan lives in Chicago with his life partner, asthma.​ Reading Out Loud on this episode: Brandon Paul Eells

Children can be distinctly cruel to each other, capable of cutting deep with words and actions that they themselves don’t yet fully understand. Couple that with kids having no concept of “long-term effects,” and it’s a recipe for swift, merciless pain, the fallout of which can last for years afterward. But time, too, has its way of dealing with the pains of youth. ​ Author: Toni Ann Johnson won the Humanitas Prize and The Christopher Award for her Disney/ABC screenplay, “Ruby Bridges,” the story of the young girl who integrated the New Orleans Public School system. Johnson won a second Humanitas Prize for her screenplay “Crown Heights,” a film for Showtime Television about the Crown Heights Riots. Short fiction has appeared in The Emerson Review, Elohi Gadugi Journal, Red Fez, ArliJo, and Soundings Review. Johnson’s novel REMEDY FOR A BROKEN ANGEL, was released in 2014 and nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author. ​ Reading Out Loud on this episode: Genine Perez & Brandon Paul Eells

For many of you out there, it’s the end of a shitty week. And now you’re gonna crack a beer and think about it. Think about what you could’ve done differently. Think about how it could get better. But it’s probably not your fault. Shit just happens. Some of us were born under a bad star. Some of us were born before bad stars. ​ Author: Ryan Duke is a founding member of the Pre-PostHumanists and Reading Out Loud. His short fiction has been published in a bunch of places you’ve never heard of. Like, in Canada. He’s a contributor to the WBEZ podcast Pleasuretown and is an active member of the Chicago Storytelling Scene, performing at Write Club, Paper Machete, You’re Being Ridiculous, and Seven Deadly Sins. Ryan lives in Chicago with his life partner, asthma.​ Reading Out Loud on this episode: Brandon Paul Eells