Skip to content

For Your Halloween Listening Pleasure 

Four spine-tingling short stories that go deeper than basic scares

By Sarah Stackhouse October 31, 2023

AudioStories_1600x900
Image by Vivian Lai

This collection of audio stories features four narratives suitable for a wide audience that will raise goosebumps as well as attempt to understand the depths of our human experience. From a non-fiction exploration of generational impact to a supernatural encounter with a terrifying hat, these stories provide a listening experience that will linger in your thoughts long after Halloween has passed. So, dim the lights and press play.

Multo, by Samuel Marzioli, is a chilling short story unfolding through the lens of a Filipino man. As he begins to question whether the monster he once dreaded as a child could actually be real, the story explores the unsettling possibility that it may have resurfaced to haunt him once more. Listen here to have it read by LeVar Burton in the LeVar Burton Reads podcast.

Grandma Turned Me Into a Ghost is an episode from the Smithsonian Institution’s Sidedoor series. This essay, by Anelise Chen, examines the relationship between Chen and her Taiwanese grandmother. Chen gets real and goes deep, exploring how our families influence our individual and cultural identities and leave a lasting mark.

Ursula Vernon’s Jackalope Wives, a Hugo Award and Nebula Award-winning short story, unravels the mysteries hidden within folklore. Set in the desert, a young man and his mysterious grandmother uncover the secrets of the elusive jackalope wives. 

In The Specialist’s Hat by Kelly Link, twin sisters, along with their unusual babysitter, encounter a surreal and horrific hat in their attic. Themes of loss, identity, and growing up are all present in the most strange and interesting ways. This story is scary but maintains a sense of play throughout, leaving readers both intrigued and mystified. Read by LeVar Burton in the LeVar Burton Reads podcast.

 

Follow Us

Ferry Tales: Eight Indie Bookstores Worth the Ride

Ferry Tales: Eight Indie Bookstores Worth the Ride

Plan a summer day around these bookshops in Seattle, Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Kingston, and Poulsbo.

Independent bookstores tend to be cornerstones of the communities in which they reside, and Seattle is no exception. In addition to helping customers discover their next read, these neighborhood hubs host weekly gatherings and events, like publication release parties, author talks, and book clubs. Many of them have cafés and reading tables that encourage lingering…

Rearview Mirror: Seattle Art Fair is Back, Nordstrom Throws a Block Party, and a Must-Try Ice Cream Sundae

Rearview Mirror: Seattle Art Fair is Back, Nordstrom Throws a Block Party, and a Must-Try Ice Cream Sundae

Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).

SEATTLE ART FAIR RETURNS  The buzziest event of the summer (well, aside from the World Cup), is returning next week. Now in its 10th edition, the Seattle Art Fair will once again take over the Lumen Field Event Center, packing it to the gills with art from 101 local, national, and international galleries. This year,…

Studio Sessions: Jennifer Leigh Harrison

Studio Sessions: Jennifer Leigh Harrison

Seattle artist Jennifer Leigh Harrison uses layers of paint and abstraction to explore what we carry beneath the surface.

Jennifer Leigh Harrison’s paintings are dense with movement. Color and texture gather into mosaic-like fields, as if they have been fractured and reformed. There are places in the work where a frenetic buzz seems trapped between the canvas and the first layer of paint. That energy runs through Patterns of Belonging, her current exhibition at…

ENHYPEN’s Jay Has K-Pop Stardom and a Seattle Heart

ENHYPEN’s Jay Has K-Pop Stardom and a Seattle Heart

The Federal Way-raised singer talks hometown memories, Ivar’s clam chowder, and how it feels to perform in the place he grew up.

Long before he was performing in sold-out arenas around the world and representing brands like Prada, ENHYPEN’s Jay called the Puget Sound region home. Born Jay Park (not to be confused with the other famous K-pop star of the same name, who is also from Seattle) in Seattle and raised in nearby Federal Way before…