Shows
Little OraclesS04:E10 | Rest (et Regardez): On Blue Moods and Being the FlâneuseSomething's brewing: Find out how flânerie recharged my creative brain and taught me a little bit about grace. ResourcesOther ways to reset your creativity: S04:E02 | Reconnect: On Prompts, Cross-Pollination, and Creative ElasticityS04:E04 | Reframe: On Commitment as Self-Care and How to Kick Inertia's AssS04:E07 | Refract: On Mirror Rot, Idiosyncratic Inspo, and Hailing the New Year S04:E09 | Remix: On Rap as Disco Renaissance, Poetic Resonance, and Ripping Ourselves OffIG: @litt...
2025-12-1207 minLittle OraclesS04:E09 | Remix: On Rap as Disco Renaissance, Poetic Resonance, and Ripping Ourselves OffWhat do Biggie Smalls, the Queens of Disco, and the poetry community have in common? Find out in this episode, wherein we talk about remixing ourselves as a way to recontextualize, reimagine, and regenerate our creative work.ResourcesLovelorn, my line-lifting solo poetry RPG (Part IV of the Western Cantos)The poetry of Deadliest Catch: S04:E07 | Refract: On Mirror Rot, Idiosyncratic Inspo, and Hailing the New YearIG: @littleoracles
2025-03-1809 minLittle OraclesS04:E08 | Review: 2024’s Most Meaningful Reads & What I’m Digging in 2025It's a booktastic megasode! Nearly 20 minutes of big book energy, opening with books that made me go "mmm" in 2024, and closing with what I'm excited to read in 2025. (Could this be the soft relaunch of the Asynchronous Book Club? Yeah, why not!) As ever, check content warnings before you pick up anything we discuss here on the podcast; reading should be a refuge, not a trigger. And remember: reading is reading is reading, whether you're reading books with your eyes or your hands or your ears.✌️ Until next time, as always: take care, keep...
2025-01-1319 minLittle OraclesS04:E07 | Refract: On Mirror Rot, Idiosyncratic Inspo, and Hailing the New YearLet's talk about mirror rot! And also how it inspired me to write this episode all about the agnosticism of inspiration, and how your idiosyncratic log of the year (whether it's in your phone's notes app, your watch history, your box of ticket stubs) can not only help you reflect on the year that's gone, but also take you into the new one with a cache of cool curios to fuel your creative practice.Wishing you a wonderful New Year! Until next time, as always: take care, keep creating, and stay divine.
2024-12-2807 minLittle OraclesS04:E06 | Rekindle: On Burning Out, Learning Grace, and Making Art for YourselfLet's burn your vision board! Not really! (But kind of?) In this episode, we're talking about taking space, practicing grace, and reminding ourselves of why we make what we make ... and for whom, and why it's not the best move to let your calendar control your creative work. Heavily inspired by a great Bluesky thread about making art for yourself by game designers Sean and Navi Drake of A Couple of Drakes. ResourcesThe season-opening three-parter about coming back to creativity: S04:E01 | Retread: On...
2024-12-0508 minLittle OraclesS04:E05 | Regift: On Booksgiving + Five Books for Your Fab Fam (and Favorite Freaks)Happy Booksgiving! We're inaugurating a new Jolabokaflod-inspired holiday, Little Oracles style ... because gifting a book is cool as hell. Featuring five books I won't flinch about giving to fabulous friends (and fellow weird-fiction freaks).If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor NagaGrief Is the Thing with Feathers by Max PorterHera Lindsay Bird by Hera Lindsay BirdThe Friend by Sigrid NunezCursed Bread by Sophie MackintoshThanks so much for being here, and, as always, take care, keep creating, and stay divine.
2024-11-2611 minLittle OraclesS04:E04 | Reframe: On Commitment as Self-Care and How to Kick Inertia's AssIn this final installment of the season-opening three-parter, we look at personal obligation (in a good way) and how to say goodbye to creative stasis with a handful of stagnancy-busting strategies (and even some creative prompts!). Until next time, as always: take care, keep creating, and stay divine!
2024-11-1208 minLittle OraclesS04:E03 | Refuge: On Mourning, Mending, and Making in Troubling TimesIn this spontaneous emergency episode in response to the 2024 U.S. election, I'm calling out your creative spirit: in times like these, we need mourners, we need menders, we need makers. We need your creative revolution.We'll resume our three-part series about coming back to creativity next week, but until then, as always: take care, keep creating, and stay divine.
2024-11-0704 minLittle OraclesS04:E02 | Reconnect: On Prompts, Cross-Pollination, and Creative ElasticityIn part two of the season-opening three-parter, we're talking about the power of prompts, ways to cross-pollinate your creativity, and how creative elasticity makes you an even mightier maker.Until next time, take care, keep creating, and stay divine.
2024-11-0308 minLittle OraclesS04:E01 | Retread: On Coming Back to Creativity + Five Fave Creepy ReadsWe're back, baby ... back to basics, that is. In this first episode of a season-opening three-parter, we talk about rereading as inspiration mining; leaning into complementary crafts to prime the proverbial creative pump; and five of my fave creepy reads, just in time for Halloween week (plus two bonus boogedy-boos just for you): Strega by Johanne Lykke Holm (trans. Saskia Vogel)At the Edge of the Woods by Kathryn BromwichWhere the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda (trans. Polly Barton)Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez (trans. Megan McDowell)Woman, Eating by Claire KohdaBONUS! Dark T...
2024-10-2915 minLittle OraclesS04:E00 | Season Four Trailer: RemakeWelcome to Little Oracles Season Four: Remake. In this season, we’re returning to our roots, reminding ourselves of what kindles our creative fire, rebelling against inertia and insecurity, rediscovering how to make what we make, and rejoicing in why we make it. It’s a season of introspection and reinvention; it's a season of elegy, of big book energy, and creative euphoria. It’s Little Oracles, revived, reframed, remade. I can’t wait to hang out with you all again. You can catch up on the first three seasons of Little Oracles at li...
2024-10-2801 minLittle OraclesS03:E07 | Divinations VII with Sandra Yannone: Bones, Bergs, & the Oracular Season FinaleWelcome back to our final episode of the Divinations miniseries, featuring an ongoing conversation in poems with poet Sandra Yannone. I'm sharing my poem-in-progress, "Sortition," inspired by Sandy's poem from Episode 6, and by the Little Oracles poetic fragment "bone," part of the original Little Oracles multimedia digital installation at www.littleoracles.com/exhibit.We talk about skeletal neomorphs and personal specters, jury duty in 6th-century Athens, lexical campfires, and more, and reflect on the project as a whole. Plus, Sandy shares another special...
2023-12-1938 minLittle OraclesS03:E06 | Divinations VI with Sandra Yannone: Bolts, Friendly Ghosts, & the Opportunity to TiltWelcome back to our sixth (and penultimate!) episode of the Divinations miniseries, featuring an ongoing conversation in poems with poet Sandra Yannone.In this episode, Sandy shares her poem-in-progress, "By Years the Obstacles, at Night the Scars," inspired by my "Articles of Incorporation" from Episode 5: Pockets, Tooth Fairies, & the Surreal Real, as well as by the Little Oracles lexical fragment "bolt," which you can view as part of the original Little Oracles multimedia digital installation, back on view at www.littleoracles.com/exhibit.We...
2023-12-1232 minLittle OraclesS03:E05 | Divinations V with Sandra Yannone: Pockets, Tooth Fairies, & the Surreal RealWelcome back to our fifth episode of the Divinations miniseries, featuring an ongoing conversation in poems with poet Sandra Yannone.In this episode, I read my poem-in-progress, "Articles of Incorporation," inspired by Sandy's "Ecdysis Sonnet" from Episode 4: Shells, Learning to Listen, & the Lyric You, as well as by the Little Oracles lexical fragment "pocket," which you can view as part of the original Little Oracles multimedia digital installation, back on view at www.littleoracles.com/exhibit.We talk about transubstantiation and the corporate body...
2023-12-0521 minLittle OraclesS03:E04 | Divinations IV with Sandra Yannone: Shells, Learning to Listen, & the Lyric YouWelcome back to our fourth episode of the Divinations miniseries, featuring an ongoing conversation in poems with poet Sandra Yannone.In this episode, Sandy's shares her "Ecdysis Sonnet," inspired by my poem from Episode 3: Lakes, Cosmic Convergence, & the Scientific Sublime, as well as by the Little Oracles lexical fragment "shell," which you can view as part of the original Little Oracles multimedia digital installation, back on view at www.littleoracles.com/exhibit.We talk about giving ourselves permission to stretch poetic forms, liminality and belonging, human...
2023-11-2835 minLittle OraclesS03:E03 | Divinations III with Sandra Yannone: Lakes, Cosmic Convergence, & the Scientific SublimeWelcome back to our third (and numerically auspicious, so says Sandy) episode of the Divinations miniseries, featuring an ongoing conversation in poems with poet Sandra Yannone. In this episode, I share my poem "Hereafter," after Ada Limón's "After the Fire," and inspired by Sandy's poem from Episode 2: Twine, Maps, & the Meta-Meta, as well as by the Little Oracles lexical fragment "lake," which you can view as part of the original Little Oracles multimedia digital installation, back on view at www.littleoracles.com/exhibit
2023-11-2137 minLittle OraclesS03:E02 | Divinations II with Sandra Yannone: Twine, Maps, & the Meta-MetaIn our second episode of the seven-part Divinations miniseries, poet Sandra Yannone and I dig into her work-in-progress poem, "The Stars on the Snake River," inspired by the Little Oracles lexical fractal "twine," part of the original Little Oracles multimedia digital installation, which is back on view at littleoracles.com/exhibit. We talk about the liminality of travel and creative revision, map-making, the poet Elizabeth Bishop (including a reading of her poem, "The Map"), and more. Plus, I share a snippet of my response poem to Sandy's...
2023-11-1431 minLittle OraclesS03:E01 | Divinations I with Sandra Yannone: Welcome to the MiniseriesOur first Divinations miniseries, featuring working poet Sandra Yannone, is here! I’m so thrilled to share the first episode of this seven-part miniseries, which chronicles our collaborative conversation in poems, in which Sandy and I debut work in progress, unpack poems, and dig into creative practice and process. In this episode, Sandy and I preview what’s in store for this short (and oh-so-sweet) season, including discussions of creating with constraints, calling in the voices of our artistic forbears, the everyday portals to stories, and more. Here’s a little bit about Sandy...
2023-11-0926 minLittle OraclesS02:E23 | Season Finale: A New Kind of Oracle & Year-End ABC PicksHard to believe we're closing out Season Two: Play as Practice, but here we are! This season has been such an amazing few months of imagination and experimentation and collaboration, and I'm so grateful to all of you who show up week after week to hang out in our little corner of curiosity and creativity here on the Internet. Season Three heralds a new miniseries to round out the year (find out more in the episode!), and since it'll be a bit different in terms of format, we're announcing the Asynchronous Book Club...
2023-11-0711 minLittle OraclesS03:E00 | Season Three Trailer: Divinations with Sandra YannoneIt's our first-ever miniseries! Over seven episodes, Little Oracles: Divinations chronicles an ongoing conversation in poems between poet Sandra Yannone and yours truly. We'll debut poems in progress, discuss the creative process, and dig into what it means to collaborate with and draw inspiration from other thinkers, makers, and creators. I'm so excited to share this super-special series with all of you! Enjoy, and, as always, take care, keep creating, and stay divine.
2023-11-0702 minLittle OraclesS02:E22 | Hauntings V: The Halloween Special (feat. Original Soundscape by Kaitlin Bruder)Remember back in S02:E18, how I said I was haunted by friendship? Well, this episode is the culmination of one of those friendly hauntings, featuring a new short fiction piece by yours truly, with an original soundscape by the unmatched, ultra-marvelous Kaitlin Bruder — performer, graphic artist, producer, and co-creator of the Thin Places Radio podcast. Collaborating with Kaitlin was a dream, and I can’t wait for you to hear how she took this short story to a lush, layered, and wholly unearthly level with her artis...
2023-10-3118 minLittle OraclesS02:E21 | Hauntings IV with Shannon Joy Rodgers: The Convergence of Humor and HorrorWelcome to another horror-licious Creative Chat, featuring the inimitable Shannon Joy Rodgers, an Emmy-wining writer, performer, inline skater, director, editor — she kinda does it all. After seeing Shannon’s slyly comedic horror short, A Moment of Your Time — which is currently running the festival circuit before its wider release — I couldn’t wait to have her on the podcast to talk all kinds of things, including:the humor/horror Venn diagram;how her early years as a skater influenced her editing and storytelling;the value of diversit...
2023-10-2436 minLittle OraclesS02:E20 | Hauntings III: Books About Crossing Over (feat. Aoko Matsuda, Gus Moreno, & Jessica Johns)This week, I’ve got some haunted Little Reviews for all you ghouls and goblins out there! We’re discussing three books about passing through the veil — perfect for this ghastly, ghostly time of year: Where the Wild Ladies Areby Aoko Matsuda (trans. Polly Barton)This Thing Between Us by Gus MorenoBad Cree by Jessica JohnsA NOTE ON CONTENT & SPOILERSI highly encourage you to look into content warnings for every book I discuss before you pick it up; we want reading...
2023-10-1710 minLittle OraclesS02:E19 | Hauntings II with Kristen O'Neal: The Comfort of HorrorWelcome to a very special horror-forward Creative Chat with the amazing Kristen O'Neal: author of Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses, and the co-creator of the Thin Places Radio podcast (TPR). After an amazing chat with Kristen and her TPR collaborator Kaitlin Bruder back in Season One, I wanted to invite her back on the podcast to talk more about why she finds comfort in horror, her thoughts on the emerging (and nebulous) genre of "cozy horror," and what's haunting her right now, horror-wise — in fact, the second half of this chat is a ve...
2023-10-1034 minLittle OraclesS02:E18 | Hauntings I: A Micro-Series Debut, My Golden Ghouls, & October ABC PicksIt’s October, and for me, that means chill autumn vibes, maybe decorating with a skeleton or two, and cozying up with some of my favorite haunted reads. It also means I’m kicking off a micro-series of episodes, dubbed Hauntings: five episodes all about reaching through the veil, or that cozy-haunted feeling of a cherished memory, or the comfort of horror. (More on that in one of our Creative Chats this month!)In this episode, though, I’m sharing some of my “Golden Ghouls” — that is, the things that haunt me in a good...
2023-10-0314 minLittle OraclesS02:E17 | Creative Chat with John Harper: The Iterative Impulse in Making Art, Playtesting RPGs, & Cooking at HomeWelcome back to another Johnversation, wherein I sit down with graphic artist and game designer (and my partner) John Harper! This season, we're digging into aesthetic and mechanical iteration: John takes us through his process for creating art, playtesting his games, and co-running a food lab in our home kitchen. I love talking with John about creative practice and process, and I'm sure you'll love hearing his insights (and his tips and tricks for making amazing steak). Enjoy, and, as always: take care, keep creating, and stay divine!Resources
2023-09-2641 minLittle OraclesS02:E16 | Little Reviews: Books About Dissonance (feat. Yoko Ogawa, Maxine Hong Kingston, & Rachel Cusk)It's Little Reviews time, and today we're talking about dissonance — you know, that feeling of dissolution from the self; from memories; even from reality. I've got three books on the roll today: The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (trans. Stephen Snyder)The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston, our ABC pick for May (including a reference to The Tiger's Wife, which I reviewed in S02:E18 | Books Like a Surrealist Fable (feat. Téa Obreht & Ruth Ozeki))Second Place by Rach...
2023-09-1913 minLittle OraclesS02:E15 | The Hot Takes Episode: The Inspiration Fallacy & I’m Your BuckleburyPass the popcorn, because it's time for some hot takes! While these takes might not cause any cultural schisms, they nonetheless represent a couple of convictions I hold about creativity and creative practice, as illustrated by cornhole, solarpunk quilting RPGs, the movie Tombstone, AND crucial plot-points in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It’s kinda wacky! And bildungsroman-y! And sentimental!Enjoy, and, as always, take care, keep creating, and stay divine!ResourcesS01:E11 | Hot Takes! Creativity Isn't What You Think & The "Right Time" Lie + April Boo...
2023-09-1213 minLittle OraclesS02:E14 | Creative Chat with Sabrina Sims: Zine Culture, Live Coding, Poetry Games, & the DIY PhilosophyWelcome to another Creative Chat, featuring a true Renaissance woman: artist and game designer Sabrina Sims. As a New York–based experimental media artist, Sabrina works across genre and media, including zine-making, fiber arts, installation work, live coding, games, synth music ... you name it, she probably does it.I was so thrilled to sit down with Sabrina to talk about her creative practice and process, how community informs everything she makes, and her thoughts on DIY as both aesthetic and philosophy (also: what the heck live coding actually is). Sabrina is endlessly inspired, and I'm su...
2023-09-0548 minLittle OraclesS02:E13 | Little Reviews: Books Like the Last Days of Summer (feat. Nina LaCour, Lorrie Moore, & Taylor Jenkins Reid)It's time for some Little Reviews, featuring four books steeped in nostalgia and that late-summer feeling of looking back. Yerba Buena by Nina LaCourWho Will Run the Frog Hospital? by Lorrie MooreMalibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins ReidDaisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins ReidA NOTE ON CONTENT & SPOILERSI highly encourage you to look into content warnings for every book I discuss before you pick it up; we want reading to be safe for everyone.
2023-08-2914 minLittle OraclesS02:E12 | The Critical Conceit: Divine Creativity, Compliment Sandwiches, & September ABC PicksWhat do Transcendentalism, the goddess Athena, and compliment sandwiches have in common? Find out in this episode about the duality of the critic (as informed by 19th-century journalist Margaret Fuller), the gravity of practice, and the holism of evaluating your own creative work. PLUS! September Asynchronous Book Club theme and picks! As always, take care, keep creating, and stay divine. ResourcesA Short Essay on Critics by Margaret FullerWoman in the Nineteenth Century by Margaret FullerEpisodes referenced: S2:E9 | Creative Chat with Craig Shipman...
2023-08-2214 minLittle OraclesS02:E11 | Creative Chat with Nychelle Schneider: Painting Worlds, Writing Through Trauma, and Creating in CommunityIt's time for another Creative Chat, this time with one of the kindest, most thoughtful people I've ever met: writer and game developer Nychelle Schneider. Nychelle and I sat down for a wonderful conversation about her creative backstory (which includes Remote-Operated Vehicle builds!), and also:how she fell in love with writing (and is now getting an MFA in it);how her Pacific Northwest indigeneity informs her own science fiction (I love her thoughts on the interplay of cultural erasure and world-building); and how deep research underpins the rich and robust w...
2023-08-1540 minLittle OraclesS02:E10 | Little Reviews: Books About Fallout (feat. Joy Williams, Sequoia Nagamatsu, Nona Fernández, and Virginia Woolf)It's Little Reviews time, and today we're talking about fallout: the space of personal crises in post-crucible societies. I've got four books on the docket, all of them book club picks:Harrow by Joy Williams, an ABC pick for JuneHow High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu, an ABC pick for JulySpace Invaders by Nona Fernández (trans. Natasha Wimmer), an ABC pick for JuneMrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, an original ABC pick from January, which we revisited in March...
2023-08-0815 minLittle OraclesS02:E09 | Creative Chat with Craig Shipman: On Curiosity, Confidence, and Close-Up MagicThis week’s Creative Chat guest might be my new bestie: Craig Shipman, the fellow behind all the tabletop gaming content coming out of Third Floor Wars, including the luminous and illuminating Tabletop Talk podcast (one of my favorite listens, to be sure). After guesting on Craig’s show (you can listen to our conversation here), I immediately asked Craig to join me on Little Oracles — and dang: he did not disappoint. We talk about the intersections of creativity, curiosity, and confidence; the music and media Craig’s loving right no...
2023-08-011h 01
TABLETOP TALK - Third Floor WarsAllison Arth (Little Oracles, Gentleman Bandit) Interview: ep. 205When I start an interview, I can never anticipate the tone or everything we will cover in the conversation. You are about to listen to me, and Allison dive into the nature of creativity. What we talk about transcends creating games or a podcast. We discuss what creating means and the barriers between you and creating.
Links
Little Oracles: https://www.littleoracles.com/
Itch Page: https://itch.io/profile/allisonarth
A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa: https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Throat-Doireann-N%C3%AD-Ghr%C3%ADofa/dp/1771964111
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2023-07-252h 18Little OraclesS02:E08 | The Dopamine Directive: Neurotransmitting Joy, a Creative Challenge, & August ABC PicksWe're talking dopamine delivery! From fashion and decor to your creative brain, we're digging into the origins of pop culture's obsession with dopamine; existential nihilism and radical happiness; and how you can generate joy in just 10 minutes with a little creative challenge. Plus, our ABC picks for August, themed Bliss This Mess. ;)As always, take care, keep creating, and stay divine.ResourcesDr. Dawnn Karen | Creator of "dopamine dressing" S01:E11 | Hot Takes! Creativity Isn't What You Think & The "Right Time" Lie | Referenced in this episode...
2023-07-2516 minLittle OraclesS02:E07 | Creative Chat with Suzanne Wallace: Taking Risks, Gamifying Creative Work, and Telling Small-Scale StoriesWelcome to another Creative Chat! This week, we're talking with Suzanne Wallace, the founder and creative director of IndieBard, a creative studio that specializes in small-scale storytelling: specifically, trailers for video games. Just so you know, Suzanne has it all: she's warm, funny, fabulous, and so dang insightful about the world of video games — particularly indies — and how to tell an amazing distillate story in a visual format. (Plus, she's one of my favorite folks.
2023-07-1857 minLittle OraclesS02:E06 | Little Reviews: Books About Bonding (feat. Kristen Arnett, Claire Oshetsky, & Yuri Herrera)It's Little Reviews time, and today we're talking about bonds, and bonding, and the links we have to what we love and what we've lost. We're digging into three books today:With Teeth by Kristen ArnettChouette by Claire OshetskyThe Transmigration of Bodies by Yuri Herrera (trans. Lisa Dillman), and one of our ABC picks for JuneA NOTE ON CONTENT & SPOILERSI highly encourage you to look into content warnings for every book I discuss before you pick it up; we want reading to b...
2023-07-1109 minLittle OraclesS02:E05 | The Soapbox Moment: A New Constitution, Creative Biodiversity, & July ABC PicksIn which I share a new Constitution, discuss the value of creative biodiversity, and get real about vacuums. Plus! A bunch of reading recs that helped me detach my sociocultural blinders, and July's book club picks, themed Bonfires & Bricklayers: The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner; Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley; and How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu. Take care, keep creating, and stay divine!ResourcesMariame Kaba (publisher website)Abolition. Feminism. Now. by Angela Y. Davis & G...
2023-07-0411 minLittle OraclesS02:E04 | Creative Chat with Kate Welch: Collaboration, Vulnerability, and the Value of Playing PretendIt's another Creative Chat, this time with narrative director and DM to the stars, Kate Welch! Kate and I had a ball chatting about her creative backstory, the importance of trust and collaboration in creative team spaces, and, of course, plenty of Nerd Stuff (TM), including dial-up Internet, Star Wars roleplaying chatrooms, and Dungeons & Dragons. Kate's a real one, and one of my fave folks to sit down with; I'm sure you'll fall in love with her, too.
2023-06-2753 minLittle OraclesS02:E03 | Little Reviews: Books About the AftermathIt's Little Reviews time, and today we're whipping through a whopping SIX BOOKS, all of which sit in that emotionally rich and tender space of the aftermath – specifically, the aftermath of the death of a loved one, including: The Furrows by Namwali SerpellWe Are Okay by Nina LaCourIn Love: A Memoir of Love and Lossby Amy BloomAfterglow (a dog memoir)by Eileen MylesAlive at the End of the World by Saeed Jones (one of our April ABC picks!)The...
2023-06-2017 minLittle OraclesS02:E02 | The YOLO Philosophy: Play, Praxis, and Paroxysm in CreativityIn the first Everyday Creative audio-essay of Season Two, we're looking at how play works within creative practice; the comic philosophy of Thomas Hobbes; and metaphorical boats. Possibly the most representational episode yet, because YOLO. :)Thanks for being here, and, as always, take care, keep creating, and stay divine! IG: @littleoracles
2023-06-1312 minLittle OraclesS02:E01 | Creative Chat with Andrew Gillis: Genre Clouds, Magical Girls as Queer Metaphor, and the Practice of PlayWe’re kicking off Season Two in an amazing Creative Chat with game designer (and old pal) Andrew Gillis, creator of Girl by Moonlight, an incredible tabletop roleplaying game all about magical girls, in crowdfund at the time of this airing!I had an unmitigated blast talking with Andrew about their creator backstory, what magical girls mean to them, what’s inspiring their work right now … and some sneaky-peekies into projects currently bubbling away in their brain. *** SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't seen the Netflix show Russian Doll, skip ahead from ~...
2023-06-0658 minLittle OraclesS02:E00 | Season Two Trailer: Play as PracticeWelcome to Little Oracles Season Two: Play as Practice, where we'll explore how discovery and experimentation, puzzling and solving, making messes and making magic keep us going as career and casual creatives. We'll dig into creative expression, theory, and perspectives in Everyday Creative audio-essays; keep up that Big Book Energy with Asynchronous Book Club picks, Little Reviews of whatever I'm reading, and loads other bookish content; and talk with, learn from, and have more than a few laughs with incredible guest creators, makers, and thinkers in Creative Chats. I can't wait to share...
2023-05-3003 minLittle OraclesS01:E21 | Last Words, Words, Words: Season Finale (Or Is It?) + Teasing Season TwoAnd so we come unto the end of Season One with a minisode-length meditation on endings, Roman stonemasonry, and what's in store for Season Two! Thank you all for being here; can't wait to see you next season. Until then, take care, keep creating, and stay divine.
2023-05-2314 minLittle OraclesS01:E20 | Creative Chat with Peter Gaucys: On Conversations, Conductors, and Contextual GhostsIt was a dream come true to sit down with writer Peter Gaucys, co-proprietor of the delightful Orcas Paley in downtown Seattle, and my dear friends, longtime mentors, and one of the most brilliant creatives I’ve ever known. This episode ranges widely (as is our wont), but we kick off with a conversation about conversations, and touch on all kinds of other topics, including eclecticism, multidisciplinary artistic practice, palimpsests, and ghosts. I absolutely adore talking with Peter, and when you listen, I think you’ll know why.
2023-05-161h 07Little OraclesS01:E19 | Little Reviews: Look Alive Out There by Sloane Crosley, Debriefing by Susan Sontag, and Galatea by Madeline MillerIt's minisode time! Today we're talking about some shorties: Look Alive Out There by Sloane Crosley, a collection of personal essays; Debriefing by Susan Sontag, a collection of Sontag's short fiction; and Galatea by Madeline Miller, a newly-published, standalone short story. A NOTE ON CONTENT & SPOILERSI highly encourage you to look into content warnings for every book I discuss before you pick it up; we want reading to be safe for everyone.
2023-05-0908 minLittle OraclesS01:E18 | Little Reviews: The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht and The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth OzekiIt's a magical, mystical minisode! Exploring time and trauma response in two novels: The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht and The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki. A NOTE ON CONTENT & SPOILERSI highly encourage you to look into content warnings for every book I discuss before you pick it up; we want reading to be safe for everyone.
2023-05-0209 minLittle OraclesS01:E17 | Creative Chat with John Harper: Cataloging Inspiration, Remixing Tropes, and Decommodifying CraftIt's our first Johnversation, wherein I chat with my partner, graphic artist and roleplaying game designer John Harper, about creative practice and process. This time, we get into inspiration across media – and specifically how film and television inform John's creative work – plus the power of remixing genres and tropes, and what we're watching lately that's fanning our creative flames. Find John on Twitter @john_harper, and check out his games at johnharper.itch.io and Evil Hat Productions.And, as always, take care, keep creating, and stay divine.IG...
2023-04-2531 minLittle OraclesS01:E16 | Little Reviews: Victoria Chang, Maggie Nelson, Heather Christle + May Book Club PicksIt's our first all-poets minisode! We're getting verse-y with it, reviewing The Trees Witness Everything by Victoria Chang, Bluets by Maggie Nelson, and The Crying Book by Heather Christle. AND we're announcing the May reading theme and pick for the Asynchronous Book Club (hint: my Mom is involved).A NOTE ON CONTENT & SPOILERSI highly encourage you to look into content warnings for every book I discuss before you pick it up; we want reading to be safe for everyone.
2023-04-1813 minLittle OraclesS01:E15 | Poetry Potpourri, Pt. 2: Poetry Beyond the PageIn Part 2 of this poetry extravaganza celebrating National Poetry Month, we're discussing ways to bring more poetry into your life that *don't* involve sitting down with a book of poems: podcasts, audiobooks, social media presences, performances, and even poetry roleplaying games. ResourcesPodcastsThe New Yorker Poetry PodcastVs. podcastPoetry Off the Shelf podcastThe Poetry Magazine podcastSocial Feeds + PerformancesMegan Falley on Instagram and TikTokButton Poetry on YouTube Poetry Roleplaying GamesSunraise by William RotorNo One Dies Alone in Revolution by AJ EllisMooncrackle Pen b...
2023-04-1118 minLittle OraclesS01:E14 | Poetry Potpourri, Pt. 1: Poets I Can’t Put DownIn the first half of this duology on cool poetry stuff, we're going straight to the source: I'm talking about poets I love and why I love them. So if you're looking for some new poets to read, or you're new to the genre and want a little nudge this way or that, or you're old hat and you just wanna chill for 20 minutes with another poetry nerd: rest here, weary traveler. (Plus, a true tale of grace: me at age 15, a poet; a liberal application of system fonts; and my freshman honors English teacher.)
2023-04-0420 minLittle OraclesS01:E13 | Creative Chat with Thin Places Radio: The Lure of the Liminal, Asynchronous Connection, and Top CryptidsIt's the middle of the night, but you're not alone: you've got a Creative Chat with the folks behind the incredible Thin Places Radio podcast, Kristen O'Neal and Kaitlin Bruder! Kristen, Kaitlin, and I talk about the creative process behind audiofiction, the appeal of liminal spaces and thin places, asynchronous collaborative storytelling, and, of course, CRYPTIDS and UNEXPLAINED PHENOMENA. PLUS! Creepy-cozy children's films from the 1970s and inside scoop on Thin Places Radio lore. Join us for hugs, kisses, and hands across the veil.
2023-03-2858 minLittle OraclesS01:E12 | Little Reviews: Weasels in the Attic by Hiroko Oyamada and Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim FuMinisode! Minisode! Two weird 'n' wonderful books: Weasels in the Attic, a novel by Hiroko Oyamada, and Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century, a short story collection by Kim Fu. A NOTE ON CONTENT & SPOILERSI highly encourage you to look into content warnings for every book I discuss before you pick it up; we want reading to be safe for everyone.
2023-03-2107 minLittle OraclesS01:E11 | Hot Takes! Creativity Isn't What You Think & The "Right Time" Lie + April Book Club PicksIt's springtime here in the Northern Hemisphere, and so I'm feeling fun, flirty, saucy, and even a little bit spicy: the perfect conditions for some HOT TAKES about creative practice, and the ways we keep ourselves from engaging in it. Grab your popcorn!Plus, we’re gonna get into the April ABC reading theme and our book club picks for the month of April. FUN! FLIRTY!And, as always, take care, keep creating, and stay divine!IG: @littleoracles
2023-03-2114 minLittle OraclesS01:E10 | Creative Chat with Lindsay Stewart: Making Home, Building Brands, and Finding Your HappyWe're kicking off the Little Oracles Creative Chats series with writer, artist, designer, entrepreneur, and space-curation creator Lindsay Stewart. Lindsay and I talk about the bitter and the sweet of the creative life: everything from getting through creative slumps, to reframing the ways we talk about who we are and what we do, to how to make a warm and welcoming home (with a little dose of disco).Follow Lindsay on Instagram @lindsaystewartdotcom. Home IGs she loves: @stephaniemichelle_athome, @theironvictorian. And, as always, take care, keep creating, and stay divine!IG: @l...
2023-03-1444 minLittle OraclesS01:E09 | Little Reviews: Lisa Taddeo, Chelsea Bieker, and Eimear McBride + A Special AnnouncementA minisode+! We're reviewing February's ABC picks, themed Grief Is a Ghost: Heartbreak, Hope, and Spiritual Salvage: Ghost Lover by Lisa Taddeo, Heartbroke by Chelsea Bieker, and The Lesser Bohemians by Eimear McBride. Plus a special announcement about what's coming up on the Little Oracles pod. ✨ A NOTE ON CONTENT & SPOILERSI highly encourage you to look into content warnings for every book I discuss before you pick it up; we want reading to be safe for everyone.
2023-03-0712 minLittle OraclesS01:E08 | I'm at a Loss: Communication as Needlework, Why Words Matter, and March Book Club PicksI've been a bit off-balance lately, so I'm turning to words for some comfort. Join my lil lexical quilting bee in this meditative episode about reframing pathways to compassion, communication, and empathy, perfect for word-nerds and the etymologically curious. Plus! Announcing our March ABC reading theme and book club picks.And, as always, take care, keep creating, and stay divine!IG: @littleoracles
2023-02-2815 minLittle OraclesS01:E07 | Minisode! Little Reviews: Stones by Kevin Young, How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn, Devotion by Patti Smith, Time Is a Mother by Ocean VuongIt's a speed-dating minisode! I'm sharing my thoughts on Stones by Kevin Young, How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn, Devotion by Patti Smith, and Time Is a Mother by Ocean Vuong.A NOTE ON CONTENT & SPOILERSI highly encourage you to look into content warnings for every book I discuss before you pick it up; we want reading to be safe for everyone.
2023-02-2007 minLittle OraclesS01:E06 | Creative Chaos: I'm Over Routines, Embracing Negative Capability, and What’s Inspiring Me Right NowYou read that right: I'm deep-sixing routines. Instead, I'm choosing chaos. (I mean kind of.) Let's talk about reinventing routine-based creativity; John Keats and ~aesthetics~; and things that are inspiring me lately. It's a fun one!Follow along on Instagram @littleoracles (and shoot me a DM if you want to join our creative cohort on Discord), check out the blog at www.littleoracles.com, and, as always, take care, keep creating, and stay divine. Hawt Linx 4 UMen Explain Things to Me by Rebecca SolnitOff Book podcast & Play I...
2023-02-1320 minLittle OraclesS01:E05 | Minisode! Little Reviews: Daddy by Emma Cline, Antarctica by Claire Keegan, and Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? by Raymond CarverIt's a minisode! A meta minisode, too: we're talking about short stories. I'm sharing my thoughts on Daddy by Emma Cline, Antarctica by Claire Keegan, and Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? by Raymond Carver. A NOTE ON CONTENT & SPOILERSI highly encourage you to look into content warnings for every book I discuss before you pick it up; we want reading to be safe for everyone.
2023-02-1309 minLittle OraclesS01:E04 | Minisode! Little Reviews: One’s Company by Ashley Hutson and The Hurting Kind by Ada LimónIt's a minisode! Two short book reflections: sharing my thoughts on One’s Company by Ashley Hutson, the core book for January’s book club, and The Hurting Kind by Ada Limón, which we'll read for the ABC later this year, but if you read it already or you want some extra context beforehand, here ya go.
2023-02-0608 minLittle OraclesS01:E03 | Getting Good at Being Lazy: Creative Pressure, the Seven Deadly Sins, and an ABC Plot Twist | Plus! February Book Club PicksSometimes I just need to loaf around. In this episode, we're talking about how relieving the pressure to create, produce, and "do" can have an inverse effect: it gives us the time, the latitude, and the headspace to be *more* creative. We unpack the word lazy (and get into the Seven Deadly Sins!), roll out a new, lazy cadence for the ABC and announce Feburary's book club picks, and let you in on a fun, low-key way to participate in the Little Oracles community.I invite you to subscribe so you don't miss an episode, follow @l...
2023-01-3023 minLittle OraclesS01:E02 | My Top Books of 2022 & Relational ReadingMy most memorable reads of 2022 ~ EXPOSED!! ~I started thinking about the emergent relationships among the books I read last year, and uncovered some beautiful synergies: listen as I triangulate trios of books around loose categories (for my mental health) to bring you a Delightful Dozen books that I'd wholeheartedly recommend to friends (and enemies), and that I'll surely pick up again and again as I wade into eternity. Plus some honorable mentions in goofball categories, like My Skin Is Crawling But I Like It, et al. I invite you to subscribe so y...
2023-01-1430 minLittle OraclesS01:E01 | ABC, Read with Me: January Book Club PicksGet the inside scoop on the origins and evolution of Little Oracles, and join us for the launch of the Little Oracles Asynchronous Book Club (ABC for short), a monthly, themed CYO reading list, curated by yours truly, Allison Arth. Our January theme is Immortal Beloveds, and the list features books by authors I love that I have yet to read, plus books cherished by people I love IRL and online.Read along, follow on Instagram @littleoracles, and visit the blog at www.littleoracles.com for even more creative content and big book e...
2023-01-0414 minLittle OraclesS01:E00 | Hi, Hey, Howdy! Welcome to Little OraclesHi, everybody, and welcome to the Little Oracles podcast, a podcast about what lights the creative fire in all of us. Whether it's through reading and writing, watching and listening, making, playing, or practicing, we’re digging into what inspires us to aspire, make a mess, and find joy as career and casual creatives.I'm Allison Arth, I’m a lifetime creative both professionally and personally, and I’m so excited to launch Little Oracles Season One with one of my great loves: Words, Words, Words. We'll talk about writing, storytelling, and communicating, AND we...
2023-01-0101 min
One Hour One-OffsOne Hour One Offs 15: PoetryJoin just Alex in this episode as he gets a little drunk and writes bad poetry about a badass highway robber. Is he a justified lover? A deranged killer? Horny for his gun? Find out inside. This episode features The Gentleman Bandit, a system by Allison Arth. This system prompts the player to write dramatic (very dramatic in this case) poems left by a highway bandit at the scenes of his crimes.The Gentleman Bandit: https://allisonarth.itch.io/gentleman-banditTwitter: https://twitter.com/onehouroneoffsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/on...
2022-06-131h 07
The Staying In Podcast - four pals talk video games, board games, and moviesPolis, Thousand Year Old Vampire, and Taming Gaming - Ep122
00:00 - Dan’s birthday, Rudy’s Pizza, and Many More.
06:49 - Kris's "Consumption to Creation Ratio". Freaking ourselves out with Chris Bissette’s The Wretched, making memories with Thousand Year Old Vampire from Tim Hutchings, and writing poetry with Allison Arth’s Gentleman Bandit.
26:26 - Kosmos Games throw down the gauntlet with Polis, from Fran Diaz and Enrique Corominas - the art for which you can see on our Instagram. It’s a big, heady, heavy experience, where every decision you make has its consequence, and we love it.
43:30 - Exploring the superb...
2021-03-011h 00
She's A Super Geek118 – Gentleman BanditOur co-hosts are by themselves today playing a hacked version of Allison Arth’s Gentleman Bandit. Normally a single-player RPG, this game uses a deck of cards to pull themes that you use to write verses of poems left after the…
2019-09-0300 minShe's a Super Geek118 – Gentleman BanditOur co-hosts are by themselves today playing a hacked version of Allison Arth’s Gentleman Bandit. Normally a single-player RPG, this game uses a deck of cards to pull themes that you use to write verses of poems left after the…
2019-09-0312 min