Send us a text Hello and welcome to our LAST episode of 2025! On this episode, Max is going to tell us a story about a girl who can see the important things (like what kind of belt you're wearing), and Janey is going to tell us why Rapunzel should have been a man. We hope you've had a wonderful year, and that 2026 only goes up! Janey’s Sources - The Three Fates LOCATION: Egypt“Fairy Tales of the Orient” by Pearl S. Buck Max’s Sources - The Invisible One LOCATION: Micmac Terr...

Send us a text Hello, you dirty birds! On this very special "69" episode, we're doing a deep dive into historical love letters from two very specific historical men. First, Napoleon Bonaparte is going to teach us the meaning of "anxious attachment style", and then Max is going to read us James Joyce's love letters that are not for the faint of fart (ehem...heart...) A million kisses! J and M Janey's Sources - Historical Love Letters LOCATION: France and Ireland“Napoleon’s Letters to J...

Send us a text Hello and welcome back! This week Max is going to tell us about how wicked smart people from New Hampshire are, and Janey is going to tell us a very cathartic story that comes with the disclaimer "I swear I like my job". Sorry about our terrible accents! Enjoy! Janey's Sources - Mmadipetsane LOCATION: Lesotho, South Africa“Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales” Full story (page 3) Max's Sources - Three Times and Out LOCATION: New Hampshire“New Englan...

Send us a text This week, Janey is going to bring us the final story in The Arabian Nights, about a man who just hates this baby... and Max is going to tell us that classic story of a nameless child finding God wandering around in the woods. Wonder what'll happen! For those of you who are in the half of the world that's moving into winter, we hope you stay warm and cozy! Janey's Sources - The Story of Codadad and His Brothers LOCATION: (possibly Turkey) “The Arabian Nights” illus...

Send us a text Hello and happy Halloween (eve)! Today Janey is going to scare you with a tale about the oldest, wrinkliest woman in the world, and Max is going to tell us why romance books are going to get us all killed. Enjoy! Janey's Sources - Treasure LOCATION: Chatsworth, Georgia, USA“Spooky Georgia: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore”, retold by S.E. Schlosser, illustrated by Paul G. Hoffman. Support the show Check out our books (and support local boo...

Send us a text Hello and welcome to another episode! This week, Janey is going to teach us a valuable lesson about the importance of writing complex characters, and Max is going to re-tell a cozy little comic! May your October be spooky and bright! Janey's Sources - “W.S.” by L.P. Hartley LOCATION: England“Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories” L.P. Hartley’s wiki Max's Sources - A Small Wild Magic LOCATION: None / Australia“Monstrous Affections: An Anthology of Beastly Tales” ed...

Send us a text Hello and welcome to the shocking conclusion of this the 2025 Off Topic Season. This week, Max is closing us out with the truly baffling list of all the reasons why Nicholas Cage had to make those insane movies between 2009-2015. (Also Janey is REAL mouthy, so if you disagree, be sure to write in!) Timed video Presentation All sources in presentation Support the show Check out our books (and support local bookstores!) on our Bookshop.org affiliate account! Startin...

Send us a text Buckle up, babes! Janey's going to tell us about the most insane assassination you may have never heard of! Let us know if you followed this story when it happened, because Janey's never stopped thinking about it. Sources: “Kim Jong-nam Says N. Korean Regime Won’t Last Long”, by The Chosun Daily in 2012. “Kim Jong-il’s son reappears in Singapore one year after feeling Macau” from The Shanghaiist. “Was Kim Jong Nam in Sights of His Paranoid Half-Brother?...

Send us a text Hello and happy first episode of October!!!! This week, Max is going to tell us a wonder tale about a sexy bear and the weirdo prince who loves her, and Janey is going to give us all the CREEPS and make us want to do our laundry. Enjoy!!! Janey's Sources - Oh Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad LOCATION: England“Classic Ghost Stories” edited by John Grafton M.R. James Wiki “The Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan Poem by Robert Burns (Wiki) Max's Sour...

Send us a text It's alive! IT'S ALIVE! ("It" being another Off Topic episode!) Welcome back, gals and ghouls! This week, Max is telling us all about the teenaged mother of science fiction herself, and the lengths she went to to avoid hanging out with Lord Byron. Enjoy! Support the show Check out our books (and support local bookstores!) on our Bookshop.org affiliate account! Starting your own podcast with your very cool best friend? Try hosting on Buzzsprout (and get a $20 Amazon gift ca...

Send us a text Hello and welcome! This week, Janey is going waayyyyy off topic to talk about something that freaked her out so bad, she felt the need to make a legal disclaimer at the top! DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for entertainment purposes only. Please check out the sources below for more information. SOURCES: “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief”, directed by Alex Gibney Jenna Miscavige, former Scientologist (on Tiktok)How much Scientology costs, a...

Send us a text On today's episode, Janey is going to tell us about a girl who CHOOSES to look that way (it's not an accident, so stop trying to fix her hair), and Max is going to guide us into spooOOOooky season with a story about a man with control issues. Enjoy! Janey's Sources - Tatterhood LOCATION: Norway“Tatterhood and other tales” edited by Ethel Johnston Phelps Max's Sources - The Wolf Bride LOCATION: Pennsylvania, USA“Upstate, Downstate: Folk Stories of the Middle Atlantic S...

Send us a text Happy 2nd Off Topic! This week, Max is going to tell us about an organization in search of people who could predict disasters. (We have a feeling you're going to like this one.) Sources:https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/03/04/the-psychiatrist-who-believed-people-could-tell-the-futurehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Premonitions_Bureauhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_for_Psychical_Researchhttps://www.history.co.uk/articles/the-premonitions-bureauhttps://www.bbc...

Send us a text It's open season on topics, and Janey's starting us off with a bunch of facts about the Medieval Times dinner theater that nobody asked for! (Very seriously, if any knights listen to our podcast, please call us.) Enjoy! Sources: “The Untold Truth of Medieval Times" by Adam Swierk for Mashed. “How Medieval Times Survives in the Digital Age” by Christopher Reynolds for Toronto Star. “A 30-Year Career Writing and Directing for the Medieval Times” by Eric Gr...

Send us a text Hello and welcome back! This week, Max is going to tell us a Filipino story about a man with questionable reasoning skills, and Janey is going to pull us kicking and screaming into spooky season. We hope you like it! Janey's Sources - Pressed LOCATION: Georgia, US“Spooky Georgia: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore”, retold by S.E. Schlosser, illustrated by Paul G. Hoffman. S.E. Schlosser’s website Max's Sources - How Juan Married a Prince...

Send us a text On this week's episode, Janey is going to tell a story about a boy-kicker who got the last stomp, and Max is going to tell us about a little guy who gets his juice squeezed! (Some days writing these intros feels like a cosmic test....) Hope you enjoy! Janey's Sources - Ragged Emperor “The Bronze Cauldron: Myths and Legends of the World” by Geradline McCaughrean and Bee Wiley (Illustrator) Wikipedia entry for "Yu the Great" Max's Sources - Crooked Foot the Dwarf L...

Send us a text Hello! We're back from summer break and excited to tell you two brand new stories! This week Max is going to tell us about a radioactive little guy who just wants to dance, and Janey is going to tell us about a man who chose to tickle the wrong round girl. Enjoy! Janey's Sources - Three Strong Women “Diane Goode’s Book of Giants and Little People” Max's Sources - Disco Hedgehog “Viktor and Rolf Fairy Tales” Support the show Check out our books (and support local...

Send us a text Hello! We hope you're having a good summer. Things have been crazy, and we just wanted to pop in from our summer break and leave you all a little love. On July 4th, we donated $500 in the name of (Sort of) The Story to the American Civil Liberties Union. We love you, no matter where you're from. Janey's Sources - The Wife Who Could Remove Her Head (from Episode 33) "The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers and Other Gruesome Tales" by Jen Campbell (Illustrated by Adam de Sou...

Send us a text Hello and happy last-episode-before-summer-break! This week, Max is going to tell us a Mayan tale about two little scamps who learn the age-old lesson that ball IS life, and Janey is going to teach us to never trust Old Greg (but if you haven't learned that lesson by now, you might be doomed). We hope you enjoy! PS, we are taking the month of June (and possibly July) off! This is absolutely necessary for us to rest and recharge after Hurricane Twilight Puppet Musical devastated...

Send us a text Hello and welcome back! On this week's episode, Janey is going to tell us about a helpful little mouse who can do it all, and Max is going to tell us about a woman who prioritizes her needs over work (god FORBID a woman do something for herself every once in a while). Enjoy! Janey's Sources - The Forest Bride Full free text Max's Sources - The Weaver Maiden and the Cowherd “Myths of the World” by Padraic ColumSummary of “The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid” variant S...