Issue 287 of The Fiction Podcast Weekly is brought to you by our guide to the Best Audio Drama and Fiction Podcasts for 2025: Immerse Yourself!

This isn’t the world we want, but it’s the world we have. It’s not safe to go into 2025 alone; bring a friend. Preferably, a friend in the form of one of the Best Audio Drama Fiction Podcasts for 2025.

News, Roundups, and Announcements

• It's hard to work creatively when the news is so awful. Austin Kleon shares 7 questions I ask myself​​ when I don't know what to do next.
• ​White House Says It Is Opening Briefing Room to “Podcasters, Social Media Influencers and Content Creators” and I sincerely hope Alex Reagan will get a press pass, sit in the front row, and ask for the White House's official position on Bombas socks.
• ​Audacy's Chapter 11 Organization officially comes to an end in court, which is good news for Amy Poehler and The Moth. But, RadioInk reported in November that FCC chairman Brendan Carr (no relation to Brendan Carr of Elvis, And) says, "You can't just have George Soros buy your debt, it's not fair." Carr’s FCC To ‘Take A Very Hard Look’ At Audacy’s Soros Plan​
• ​The End has a new site design, and newly curated collections for your binge listening pleasure: Civilized Animals! Fake Crimes and Misdemeanors! Spies, Like Us! Go get 'em, Tiger.
• Do you use video to distribute your podcast? We're running a survey on video editing habits to find out which video editing features people are really using, what type of video they are making, and where it goes.

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Creator Resources

• ​Acoustics in Architecture: How Spaces Shape the Sounds We Hear. What do The Theatre at Epidarus and The Temple at Kukulcán have in common? I had so much fun and learned some really interesting new things while writing this article, AND it includes SCIENTIFIC CITATIONS. Share and enjoy!
• In your podcast episodes, do you ask your audience to check out your Patreon, buy merch, or share your show with a friend? You may benefit from this episode of Podcraft. Why Your CTAs Flop (& How to Fix Them!)​
• ​BOYA Mini Vs. Rode Wireless Micro: Smartphone Audio Made Easy for those of you who want wireless recording with a smartphone and voice effects
• ​The Backstory to “Our Ancestors Were Messy” Is it a chat cast? Is it a storytelling podcast? Our Ancestors Were Messy shows the impact of storytelling craft in nonfiction.
• ​Gabriel Urbina's writing class is coming up sooner than you think.

Opportunities

• Casting Call: How I Died is casting for Season 4. All the details can be found here in Dropbox: Casting info for How I Died Deadline: Monday, February 3rd. Caveat emptor, the casting information contains some spoilers for Season 4. ​
• ​The MØRNING People Fund - a quarterly £4000 grant for international artists, creatives, dreamers and innovators, designed to fuel the boundary-pushing work that keeps culture alive. Deadline: 1st February, so get down on it.
• ​imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival Open Call - a call out for submissions to imagineNATIVE, the world’s largest Indigenous film and media arts Festival which takes place in Toronto in early June. Deadline: 7th February.
• ​MacDowell Fellowship (Fall/Winter) - a 6-week residency for international artists representing a wide range of perspectives and demographics. Deadline: 10 February.
• Casting Call: 'Mythos Anthology' ​

Milestones & Debuts

• ICYMI: Atypical Artists published a new episode of New Year's Day for 2025. Charles Chambers and John Fogg are immortal; since making this discovery, they meet every 13 years to discuss the world, their lives, and the unique challenges of living forever.
• ​Retreat Comedy An Irish arts residency, in a grand home, in a wee town, filled with staff, ghosts, and an assortment of both local and international artists, poets, writers, dancers, sculptors, and a very famous radio host.
• ​Rise to the Top Hannah, a teen girl with autism, takes the chance to start at a new school for her junior year. Can she overcome bullying?
• ​Beneath The Silent Stars When Julia discovers a box of cryptic letters from her late father, her fascination with UFOs and mysteries turns into a quest for answers.

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