Escape Pod 137: Citytalkers
Show Notes
Referenced sites:
Heifer International
Podsafe Music Network (Terms of Use)
Closing Music: “O Come All Ye Faithful,” performed by Twisted Sister
Citytalkers
by Mur Lafferty
Gloria blinked. “Why do the people in Cleveland love Christmas more than anywhere else?”
Toby grinned and spread his hands on the bar, unadorned fingers splayed. He stared at them, “I didn’t say Cleveland’s people loved Christmas. I said Cleveland.”
“And you’re saying Charlotte doesn’t like Christmas?”
Toby took a deep breath and let it out. “Oh, no. I’m saying Charlotte flat out hates Christmas.”
Gloria kept her voice level, the best thing to do when dealing with a crazy person. “And why do you think this?”
“I’m an urban shaman. A citytalker. I’m here to talk to Charlotte to find out why it’s unhappy.”
About the Author
Mur Lafferty
An inaugural inductee of the Podcast Academy’s Hall of Fame, Mur Lafferty began podcasting in 2004 and later built her writing career from her work as a science fiction podcaster.
As of 2026, Mur has written ten novels, eight novellas, and one nonfiction book. Her work has ranged from Star Wars to superhero fiction to afterlife fiction to paranormal fantasy to space murder–plus one book supporting writers based on her award winning podcast.
After winning the 2013 Astounding Award for Best New Writer, her work has been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, Parsec, Philip K. Dick, Manly Wade Wellman, and Podcast Peer Awards. Her podcast Ditch Diggers, with Matt Wallace, won the 2018 Best Fancast Hugo Award.
As an editor, Mur was the first editor of Pseudopod and Mothership Zeta, and is currently the co-editor of Escape Pod (with Valerie Valdes), eight-time finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine.
Her nonfiction work has appeared in Knights of the Dinner Table, and on the podcast The Dragon Page. In 2014, she received an MFA in popular fiction from the Stonecoast program at the University of Southern Maine.
She lives in Durham, NC, with her husband. She likes video games, tabletop games, murder mysteries, and dogs.
About the Narrator
Deborah Green
Deborah Green was a frequent narrator for Escape Pod in its early days, and was a fan favorite, according to the forum.
