Campfire Classics Podcast

Sneering Puss

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
We're a little slap happy this week!  But the best things in life always happen...
That's it, the best things in life always happen.  It's not profound but there it is.
Emily is back behind the mic, taking some of the pressure off of Ken this week, and she jumps in to read a mid '50s Pulp Detective ScifFi by a guy called Paul Fairman.  His story, "Dalrymple's Equation" is pretty wild, but not near as wild as our hosts tangents.
What is Ken's police informant name?  What part of Boston is Chicago?  And why is the puss sneering?
"Dalrymple's Equation" was first published in 1956 in the magazine Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy.  Extensive research has found no evidence of an active copyright.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Also, the 2022 calendar featuring co-host Ken in Halloween animal ears is now available on our website!
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Silly Old Bear

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
A short one this week, just a quick Happy Public Domain Day message from host Ken Sandberg.
Life has gotten away from your hosts, but it's not every week that Winnie-the-Pooh enters public domain!  So, if you're a fan of that silly old bear all stuffed with fluff, give this one a listen.
Next week will return to the usual irreverent insanity, but for now, enjoy a sweet simple story from our childhood.
And, to see Ken read from A.A. Milne's book of poetry When We Were Very Young, check out 50/50 Arts Productions videos here.
So sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Don’t Start With This One

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
That title really says it all.  This is a weird one.  The story is lovely, but the setup is unconventional.  If you're a new listener, maybe start somewhere else.
If you listen anyway, the first listener to message us having figured out what is different about this week wins 150 points and a brand new shiny Thank You from us!
This week, the story comes from P. G. Wodehouse.  For fun facts about this funny man, check out Episode 33, Dynamite of the Soul.
And on that note, I'm going to let you get to it.  Short and simple.  This week's story, "Jeeves and the Hard Boiled Egg" was published in the Saturday Evening Post in the United States on 3 March 1917, and in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom in August 1917. The story was also included in the 1925 collection Carry On, Jeeves.
So sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Orgy? Orgy

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
This week we have a mascot! Lucy the sad eyed dog!
She's adorable, but we try not to dwell.  As you know, we here at Campfire Classics are very good at keeping on track with our job of reading literature.  Speaking of, this week Emily Bosco is back and she's reading a Charles Dickens short called "The Ghost in Master B.s Room".
The jokes start before we get around to the first paragraph, but that's not uncommon.  Along the way topics discussed include bisexual textiles, cockney rhyming slang, and inappropriate school age activities.
"The Ghost in Master B.s Room" was first published in 1859 in the book The Haunted House.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Also, the 2022 calendar featuring co-host Ken in Halloween animal ears is now available on our website!
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Tear Jars and Tombstones

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
We're making history with Campfire Classics this week!  Something that has never been done.  It's a podcast hosted by...two dudes.
That's right, this week, with Heather once again unavailable for comment, Ken's brother Craig is stepping up to the mic to read a story by a new author named Gertrude Barrows Bennett.  The story is called "Behind the Curtain".  And spoilers...there's a curtain in it.
We don't think this episode gets too inside jokey despite the fraternal co-hosts, but one concern we do have is how similar Ken and Craig sound while speaking.  If you're reading this, please let us know: can you tell them apart?
This weeks tangents include Animorphs, prescription vacations, and pregnant sloths!  Strap in kiddos, it's a weird one.
"Behind the Curtain" was first published in 1918.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Also, the 2022 calendar featuring co-host Ken in Halloween animal ears is now available on our website!
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Fairies, Wishes, and Seagull

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
This week we have a pair of Fairy Tales read to us by real life fairy, well, self proclaimed half-fairy, Tauren Hagans! She's able to take a break from singing Christmas tunes out in North Carolina to sit behind a mic and read with Ken.
Ken has chosen two stories from L. Frank Baum's American Fairy Tales, and the stories are delightful.  We've read from this book before, so you get a few fun facts, but for more in depth looks into Baum's life check out episode 1/31 "Acetone High on the Yellow Brick Road" or 2/8 "Baum 2.0".
The episode is charming, and along the way Ken and Tauren discuss life as a half-fairy and the evils of seagulls, all while rewriting the endings of Mr. Baum's stories.
"The King of the Polar Bears" and "The Capture of Father Time" were first published in American Fairy Tales in 1901.
Find Tauren at her website taurenhagans.com, and learn all about how you too can be a fairy, or at least have the hair of one, at at fairyhairnyc.com!
Also, the 2022 calendar featuring co-host Ken in Halloween animal ears is now available on our website!
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

A Good Many Insertions

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
Here at Campfire Classics, the coming of the holiday season means only one thing.  A shift in the tone of our stories.  It’s time to leave the mysteries and frivolities of the rest of the year behind and turn our minds back to that genre truly synonymous with Christmas...GHOST STORIES!
Emily is back behind the mic, coming at us from Connecticut.  Ken has chosen a story for her from long time Campfire Classics favorite M.R. James.  The story is called "The Diary of Mr. Poynter", and though it is a slow burn to the spookiness, it definitely gets to that creeping horror we've come to expect from his writing.
In the tradition of great episodes before, this one devolves into bouts of giddy laughter as Ken and Emily discuss Thanksgiving cuteness, perpetually wet spots, and a sexual goat auntie.
"The Diary of Mr. Poynter" was first published in Ghost Stories of an Antiquary in 1904.
Also, the 2022 calendar featuring co-host Ken in Halloween animal ears is now available on our website!
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Alien Sex Party

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
Happy American Thanksgiving, if you celebrate that holiday.  If you don't, Happy Alien Sex Party Day.  If you are unfamiliar with this holiday, that's because I am making it up right now as I write this episode blurb.
Heather is out of quarantine and performing, but she was able to squeeze us in to her busy schedule long enough to select a story for Ken to read.  This week's story is the misleadingly titled "The Vegans Were Curious" by possible extra terrestrial Winston K. Marks. 
The story is an interstellar romp through human/alien relations, but even that isn't enough to keep our hosts focused for long, as discussion topics cover...well, actually a lot of it is almost on topic.  Vegan Thanksgiving recipes, vegan celebrities, and is "going down" vegan?
Our sincere apologies to any vegans we might offend.  It was unintentional, and as you'll see, completely unnecessary. 
"The Vegans Were Curious" was first published in Imagination in 1954.  Extensive research has discovered no evidence that the story is still in copyright.  If we are wrong, please let us know so that we can docilely accept our punishments.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Moaning in the Dark

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
We're on a roll now!  Two in a row with your favorite hosts.  Heather is once again recording from quarantine on board a cruise ship, but, by the time you're reading this she's FREE!
Not that she's been counting the days.  Or hours.  Or seconds.
This week, Ken has selected a story for Heather to read.  Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, this non-Sherlock Holmes related story is called "Playing with Fire".  Despite this title, you will be relieved (or disappointed) to know that neither of your hosts sets anything on fire during this episode. 
It is a wild story which features a Campfire Classics first!  but you'll have to listen to find out what that is.  Along the way, Ken and Heather discuss how to infiltrate a secret military base, the history of bodybuilding, and...whoa there, buddy, is that a unicorn in your pocket or...well, you know the rest.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Blame It On the Thong

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
With Heather reporting in from shipboard quarantine off the coast of Puerto Rico, it's time for another episode of your favorite "edu-taining" "literary" "comedy" podcast.  Wow, that's a lot of sarcastic quotey fingers...
But, Heather is back at the mic, and she has selected a story for Ken to read from a new (to us) author name Laura E. Richards.  The story is called "Maine to the Rescue", and though there is a little confusion at first regarding what the heck is actually happening, once we get into the meat of the story it is charming.
In truth, the bulk of the episode seems to be a subtle game of "Tell me how old you are without telling me how old you are" as your hosts get sidetracked making jokes about Sir Mix-a-Lot, Sisqó, and Milli Vanilli.  They also discuss starting a new podcast, the origins of American sign language, and babies in thongs.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Beef Tornados (Season 2, Episode 15)

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
Heather is getting on a ship!  Like, tomorrow.  Or possibly yesterday!  I don't know what day it is, but the point is she was unable to join us this week.  I have it on good authority this is going to stop happening soon.
But for this week, Ken is joined by Kim Wilpon, who tries her hand at reading a story by our muse, Dame Agatha Christie.  It's her first foray in into co-hosting with us, but you may recognize her voice from her brief appearance a couple of weeks back when she told all about her series "Kim Wilpon Crafts".  Or maybe you skipped that part because it was advertising.
Anyway, after taking a short break to watch this video, they get to the story.  This week it is "The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman".  As Kim tries to read the story, she is briefly distracted by Ken's insistence that Arsenio was a contemporary of Poirot, a discussion of beef tornados, and questioning just what is in June's mouth!
You can follow Kim on YouTube or the social media by searching for Kim Wilpon Crafts!
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Vampire Trees! (Season 2, Episode 14)

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
We've got heather back for 1 hour during a rehearsal break! Can we do it?  Could anybody do it?  Is it madness to even try? Record an episode of Campfire Classics in such a short time!? Can Ken and Heather stay on track!?
Let's find out...
Well, it's Halloween, or close enough, and since last week's story was less scary than anticipated, we've decided to go with the never miss spookiness of H.P. Lovecraft.  This week's story is called "The Unnamable", which seems inherently false advertising.  If you name something "The Unnamable" it is no longer unnamable.  Lies!  Lies on the level of "The Neverending Story"!
That bit of perturbation dealt with, the story is really quite engaging, despite a few tangents during which your hosts discuss:Dicks and why they are always swinging.The origins of Harry Potter's name.And, of course, arboreal vampirism.  Look at the episode title.
Ken's Fun Facts are all about the history of Halloween, so if you want to learn a bit about our author, check out episode number 11, titled "Don't Go in the Moist Hole" where Heather tries to read the story "The Tomb". 
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Time Pieces and Cabbages (Season 2, Episode 13)

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
With Heather deep in rehearsals for Footloose she was sadly unavailable this week.  Fortunately, guest host Emily has graciously agreed to return to the campfire!
Ken has selected a story by Edgar Allan Poe, because it's October and Poe is good for spooky season.  The story, maintaining the satanic theme of last week, is called "The Devil in the Belfry".  It is, however, much less traumatizing than the last Poe story we read.  If you would like to listen back to that episode (and really upset yourself) you can check it out at Edgar Allan Poe-nus Episode.
This is a surprisingly light story for a Poe crafted tale, so Ken and Emily are free to pontificate the usual absurdities.Ken plans his Halloween costume.Emily discovers she has a disappointingly good Dutch accent.And both ponder the value of a pet Cabbage.
This week's episode sponsored by Kim Wilpon Crafts.  Go check her out, say thank you, and tell her you want Ken to be a guest crafter on her YouTube Channel!
Also, here is that Pas de Zephyr video.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

The Opposite of a Midwife (Season 2, Episode 12)

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
This week, we're doing some special "Platinum Members Only" content.  But don't worry regular listeners, you're only missing some minor gymnastics work and a brief eyeliner tutorial.
Other than that, it's business as usual here at Campfire Classics.  Heather has chosen a short story by Guy de Maupassant again and continues to struggle with his name.  For details on his life, check out Season 1, Episode 48 entitled Naked Stew!
The story is called "The Devil," and without giving too much away, the devil is bad.  In addition to disagreeing over what kind of story this is (stay tuned until the end to find out how you can weigh in) your hosts also:Share makeup tips.Discuss new job opportunities.And possibly invent a new kink!
And Happy Birthday, Ken.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Doody Calls (Season 2, Episode 11)

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
Did you get the title?  It's "doody" instead of "duty".  Because it's a bathroom joke!
That's right loyal listeners, this week our hosts are explaining all of their jokes!  After complaints that the humor has become too sophisticated and high brow everything is getting dumbed down just a little more.  Can you believe it!?
Heather is reading this week, and Ken chose another short story from recent fan and host favorite author Mack Reynolds (Season 2, Episode 3 "Sex Fly").  The story is called "Potential Enemy", and once Heather gets through reading the title, it moves along nicely, with only slight diversions to talk about things like:Our plan to end climate change.The greed of wanting friends AND money.And the difference between callouses and hemorrhoids.
And the moral of the story is...
Probably something we missed entirely.  But let us know what you think anyway.
"Potential Enemy" was published in Orbit SciFi in 1953.  Extensive research has been unable to find any evidence of a current copyright.  If you know of any reason this story might not be in public domain, keep it to yourself.  No one needs that negative energy in their life.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

What happens in the Locker Room... (Season 2, Episode 10)

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
Reunited and it feels so good!orAlmost Heaven.  West Virginia.orGuess who's back.  Back again.
Whatever musical theme you choose for this episode, I promise, it's a good one.  Heather has joined Ken in Lewisburg, WV, and together they work their way through another story.  This week, Heather has brought back Ambrose Bierce, last appearing in Episode 12, so that Ken can read the story "Beyond the Wall".
Heather does sing a lot, and the whole show briefly teeters on the edge of become a GoT fancast, but your fearless hosts get us back on track by keeping us off track with such topics as:The disappearance of Jack Black.Horror with a side of French Toast.And the potential devastation of an ill timed fart.
Plus, believe it or not, Ken gets briefly poignant as he pontificates on the importance of emotional honesty.  Like really.  It's touching.  And weird.
"Beyond the Wall" was published in Cosmopolitan in 1907.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Who‘s That Girl? (Season 2, Episode9)

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
Don't panic, but I think there's something different about this week.  If you listen VERY carefully, you might notice what it is.
Oh no, now I have to try to not give away the surprise in this blurb.  Hmmm...that'll be tricky...
Okay, this week your hosts **giggle giggle** are tackling another mystery from the Campfire muse Agatha Christie.  One of you hosts **giggle snort** reads the story "The Case of the Missing Will".  But I'll confess it feels a little strange.  Almost as though one of the hosts is feeling quite like themself **poorly suppressed laugh**.
Of course, the stupidity and overt NSFWness is the same as ever.  Off topic conversations include:What animal has the best ears?When is "handsome" not a compliment?And what would a sex show at Hand Lotion Manor look like?
"The Case of the Missing Will" was published in Poirot Investigates in 1923.
Our promo this week is **chortle** for a person, not a podcast.  Go say hi to Emily Bosco at emilybosco.com and tell her she's awesome!
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

The Baum 2.0 (Season 2, Episode 8)

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
Wow!  This is a weird one.  Our hosts recorded from different timezones!  That's nothing new for most podcasts, but this was an odd experience here at Campfire Classics.
Regardless, this week, our intrepid heroes return to the writing of one Mr. L. Frank Baum.  Last tackled back in January, this episode comes jam packed with new facts about the author and TWO new stories.  That's right folks, it's a two for one deal!  "The Queen of Quok" and "The Girl Who Owned a Bear" all in one sitting! You can't miss that.
Hijinks and shenanigans ensue as Heather tries to carve her way through these two stories.  We learn that that "peg-topping" is not as kinky as it sounds, we hear ALL of heather's voices, and we invent "desecration yoga" (tm).  All in a days work.
"The Queen of Quok" and "The Girl Who Owned a Bear" were both published in American Fairy Tales in 1901.
Promo this week from Ta2squid Podcast.  Check him out, and tell him you want to hear Campfire Classics on his show!
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Tequila! (Season 2, Episode 7)

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
Neither rain, nor snow, nor too many Margaritas shall keep us from bringing you this show.
And this week, we test a part of that promise.  But which part? I'll bet you can guess!
This week Ken gets to read a loopholed Public Domain story from beloved children's author and apparent psychopath Roald Dahl.  Heather has chosen for Ken a story called "Lamb to the Slaughter," and I have it on good authority that it's not nearly as depressing as that title makes it sound!
It's a twisted web our author weaves.  Unsurprising if you've actually read the horrifying book version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  And along the way our hosts get some real good work done, like starting a Happy Birthday choir, dashing their own political futures, and asking the age old question "Have you ever seen a sheep nipple?
"Lamb to the Slaughter" was first published in 1953 and has since been adapted into an episode of Alfred Hitchcock presents.  Well Alfred, I guess great minds do think alike.Research has not discovered a renewal of the copyright on this story.  If you own the copyright, please contact us and we will take all appropriate action after saying only a small handful of snarky things to you.
Promo this week from Hindsight Movie Reviews, a podcast that has Ken actively seeking a guest spot.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

The Drag Queen Chaperone (Season 2, Episode 6)

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
Bienvenue, nos amis!  Welcome, our friends!
That's right! This week we're taking a crack at French literature, and Heather gets to swing at that sweet sweet troubling language.
Our story today comes from author Maurice Marie Émile Leblanc, a French writer often compared favorably to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  The story Ken has chosen for Heather is called "The Arrest of Arsène Lupin," and is the first ever appearance of the great gentleman-burglar and detective Arsène Lupin.
It is a fascinating case, but not so fascinating that our hosts stay completely on topic.  To Ken and Heather's credit, their tangents are almost relevant this time 
We have officially entered the Brenaissance Era.Wine glass symphonies are under utilized.Don't mount booty in public.
"The Arrest of Arsène Lupin" was first published in 1905 and started nearly 30 years worth of crime and mystery stories.
Promo this week from Boozed and Confused, another couple hosted podcast that delves in to the odd, creepy, and possibly supernatural mysteries in our history.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Are You Afraid of the Dark? (Season 2, Episode 5)

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
This week's author is a man who has not only been suspected of actual time travel, but has also been compared to American National Treasure Nick Cage.
Did you get my pun?  National Treasure?
Graham Green (the writer, not the actor from Dances With Wolves) wrote "The End of the Party," and then almost a hundred years later Heather decided Ken should read it.  So he did.  And now you are moments away from listening to that very read.  So in a way, you too are an actor in Dances With Wolves.
As is always the case our hosts do their best to stay on topic, but important things do have a way of derailing them.
What are the rules to Stab Apple?How bad is inbreeding?And why are kids so terrible? But really, kids, can't you just be cool?
"The End of the Party" was first published in 1929 and has been reprinted in many anthologies.  Graham Greene considered it one of his best stories.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Don't Try This at Home (Season 2, Episode 4)

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
Are you ready for some new bits!? Here comes Science: Just in Case, a new segment of questionable scientific value where Ken explores stupid ways to set things on fire and Heather listens on in abject horror.
The we get to the literature. This week, Heather reads for us another tale from SciFi great H. G. Wells. Ken has chosen a story called "The Truth About Pyecraft". But you could be forgiven for hearing "Pie Craft".  We were definitely hoping for a story about baked goods and witches.
This weeks story comes with an extra little content warning because the narrator is pretty callous and careless about body shaming.  What a dick.
Also, fair warning you will hear:Stupid things you should not do at home with household items (and when you don't do it, also don't send picture **winky face**).A very unappetizing tea recipe.An unpopular opinion about the television program The Office.
"The Truth About Pyecraft" was first published in 1903 in The Strand, which is almost as cool as Highlights for Kids.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Sex Fly (Season 2, Episode 3)

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
Let's kill Hitler!
Good, now we have your attention! Our story this week was chosen by Heather.  It's another of those strange, more recent stories that managed to slip between the copyright cracks back in the '50s.  Author Mack Reynolds, sometimes known as "Maxine", has a fascinating first in literature related to the Star Trek universe. But, this week's tale, while still SciFi, stays a little closer to home. While Ken reads "Unborn Tomorrow," your hosts run off on the usual tangents and memories form their past.
Which one of our hosts once set themself on fire?Where would you go to find an orgy?And why is the government bugging our room?
"Unborn Tomorrow" was first published in Astounding Science Fiction June 1959. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed, so if you own the copyright...you screwed up!
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Eggplants All Night Long (Season 2, Episode 2)

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
This week's piquant tale is a puerile journey of perfidious intimacy bred of propinquity. Also, we learned a lot of new words that we wanted to squeeze into this intro!!
Our story was chosen by Ken from the catalogue of Brazilian Literature.  Author Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, a criminally under appreciated artist in the English speaking world, brought us "The Fortune Teller," a short that will certainly please any fans of the Soap Opera or Telenovela genre.  And really anyone else.  Filled with over the top emotions, and a shocking number of Shakespeare references, this story literally fixed Heather's brain.  Just ask her.
Over the hour-ish long episode, your hosts dive into the writing, but also discuss such topics as:Who's hot for teacher?Can nuns run track?What is the significance of raisins?
"The Fortune Teller" was first published in Portuguese in 1884, and this translation into English was made in 1921.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Sir Johnny Bangs (Season 2, Episode 1)

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
It's the season 2 premiere!
Which really means nothing more than we're restarting the episode count because it feels cool.
This week, Heather has selected a story for Ken to read by an author unknown to either of our hosts before this reading.  His name was John Kendrick Bangs, and he might have invented an adult film genre.  Or possibly just ghost story sub-genre.  You know it's hard to tell sometimes.  Regardless, the story is called The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall: A Victorian Christmas Spirit Story," and Ken gives a pretty good effort at reading it.
Along the way, the hosts ask:Whose job is it to get things wet?How would you deal with a ghost?And who would you curse with perpetual mildew?
"The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall" was the titular story in the 1894 collection The Water Ghost, and Others.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
Now sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Episode 57- Full Service Solicitor

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
Happy anniversary!
We've been doing this for a year! A full trip around the sun! 12 calendar pages! 57 episodes in 365 days.
To celebrate, we're reading a detective story by a woman who is one of the most important writers in the genre.  But no, it's not Agatha.  This week's story, "The Ninescore Mystery", was written by Baroness Emma Orczy, best known today for the stories of The Scarlet Pimpernel.
This story centers on a detective known as Lady Molly and her sidekick Mary. They get up to delightful shenanigans, and along the way your hosts tackle hard hitting issues like accents that melt cheese, the worst Bennet sister, and questionable hair gel.
"The Ninescore Mystery" was first published in the the 1910 collection Lady Molly of Scotland Yard.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
This week's promo is for SpyHards Podcast.  Give them a listen and let us know if they set you to melting and quivering.
So sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Episode 56- Taco Tuesday

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
Have you had your taco today?
This week, your hosts extend a tentative olive branch to recent Campfire Classics villain Mark Twain as they read the short story that made him famous "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County".  Heather chose this story, and Ken does his best to read it, but it isn't a straight path through.  Along the way your literary companions get distracted by Philadelphia geography, spaying and neutering pets, and beefy tacos.
"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" was first published in  the November 18, 1865 edition of The New York Saturday Press where it was wildly popular and catapulted Twain into the public eye. It has since been included in several short story collections.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
This week's promo is for Superiority Complex Podcast.  Check them out, and tell them their nerd friends at Campfire Classics sent you.
So sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Episode 55- Potato Munchin' Jelly Sack

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
"It started with a load of potatoes."
What started!? And what did potatoes have to do with it!?
These questions and more will be answered in this week's story "The Thing in the Truck," read by host Heather Michele Lawler and written by Darius John Granger.  Kinda.  Probably. In a manner of speaking.  It's another twisting turning tale from the catalogue of pulp fiction, and is another story in public domain because of one of those legal loopholes Ken has gotten so good at finding.
Other questions discussed this week include:Who has the best bourbon in Kentucky?What does a shifting sack sound like?And am I hungry or horny?
"The Thing in the Truck" was first published in Imagination Science Fiction in 1956.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
This week we are making unsolicited recommendations that you try bourbon from Wilderness Trail, Castle & Key, and Jeptha Creed. And if you go to Jeptha Creed, say hi to Mary.
So sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Episode 54- Scratch & Sniff Horse Butts

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
It's a party!!
A Baby Party!!
What? You don't know what a baby party is?  That's okay, neither did your hosts before reading this week's story entitled "The Baby Party" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  If you're thinking it's a party where someone is going to juggle babies, you're wrong.  Probably.  Maybe.  Actually, we're still not entirely sure on that part.
This week is full of discoveries!  What is the word Ken apparently cannot say?  Who has the best pizza in small town western North Carolina?  And...wait...what was that about juggling babies?  That's a joke, right?
"The Baby Party" was first published in Hearst's International Cosmopolitan, or as it is known today Cosmo Magazine, in February 1925.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
This weeks promo is from It Goes Down in the PM.  Check it out.  It really does go down!
So sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Episode 53- Worship the Lady Horse-o-Puss

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!
Some content may not be suitable for children.
Or adults.
Or people with high class standards.
This week, Ken has dug up a story for Heather to read from the catacombs of pulp fiction magazines.  The story is "The Thing on the Roof" by Robert E. Howard.
And folks, this one gets weird.  Like...weird.
Heather discovers her Achilles' Heel is the word "particularly".Ken very nearly chokes to death because of a flashlight.And how would you pronounce the word "euhlagiujovff"?
"The Thing on the Roof" was first published in the Weird Tales in 1932, and is only available to us because the author's tragically early death was over 70 years ago.
Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.
This weeks promo is from Twisted and Uncorked.  They'll keep you up at night.  And then we'll put you to sleep. Apparently.
So sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.