Relevant greetings, sapients! It's not even Friday, and yet we're giving you a flashback: "Some Things I Should Probably Have Mentioned Earlier" by @laurasbadideas.bsky.social, read LIVE at the 2018 Worldcon! Remember what things were like, seven years ago?

Behold, if you will, the...astonishing...contract from Shadow Light Press. A rolling 10-year term...payment on profit (but only after costs are recouped)...appropriation of the author's universe if they can't continue the series...and more www.reddit.com/r/Progressio...

Escape Pod absolutely does not accept AI submissions. Any such submissions will be eaten by the trilobites. Like this: {{}}<📃

May all our friends who celebrate The Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe have a joyful, centered, and peaceful celebration 🇲🇽 🇺🇸 🇵🇭 🇪🇨 🇬🇹 Watch out for each other. Que la bendición nos acompañe a todos bajo la luz de Nuestra Señora. ¡Celebremos con alegría! Feliz Fiesta de la Virgen de Guadalupe.

Ahoy, sapient observers and everyone else! It's the 53rd anniversary of the last crewed lunar landing, so a highly appropriate time to experience "Mackson’s Mardi Gras Moon Race" by @daviddegraff.bsky.social. And how about all those Ms, what?

WHEN YOUR HUMAN SAYS IT’S TIME TO GO IN BUT GRAVITY HAS SUDDENLY AND MYSTERIOUSLY INCREASED UPON YOU

Greetings, sapients! Have you ever thought so hard about doing a thing you forgot that you didn't actually do it? That's precisely why I'm posting this announcement of Part 2 of "Butter Side Down" by Kal M now, rather than yesterday. Learn from me, and don't forget to experience this story!

No leggys no problems

Good morning/afternoon/evening, sapients! No matter what time it is where you are, the truth is that it's time for a new story and this week we bring you part 1 of Butter Side Down by Kal M. Check it out!

FELT CUTE *AM* CUTE

Thanks to some mild time dilation, what day it is when you see this might be variable, but that doesn't matter because this week we're bringing you the apocalyptic "When They Come Back" by @nassos.bsky.social. Experience it!

Rejoice, sophont observers, for a new original story is upon us: "Baron Quits The Payloaders" by @renanbernardo.com. Because while space is mostly emptiness, a lot of what isn't emptiness is !!ROCK!!

URGENT! Baron Quits the Payloaders! My new short story is out at @escapepod.org! 🎸👨‍🚀⚡ It's my tribute to heavy music and how inspiring it is for me. It's a found family piece about overcoming grief, finding new meanings in life, and dealing with predatory companies. escapepod.org/2025/11/13/e...

CRASHED IN MY BOX COVERED IN CATNIP THE PARTY LIFE CHOSE ME

Greetings, sapients! Are you ready for a tale of spaceships, knitting, and the evils of capitalism in space? Whether you are or not, this week we have "Knit Three, Save Four" by @reasie.bsky.social for your eyes, ears, and other sensory organs!

Rocky Cornelius is back in a new story about friendship, three dimensional fandom hyperobjects, and trying not to die in the state of Texas!

Hail, sophonts! Today we've got a series story for you, following up on episode 941 from May 2024. "The Love Pyramid: A Rocky Cornelius Consultancy" by @solarshades.club is an Escape Pod original, so go on! Witness it! What're you waiting for?

I'll be launching a new feature, The Queer AF Short Fiction Reading Club, early in November, and our first story to talk about will be Esther Alter's amazing "Magical Girl Antifa War Machine" from @escapepod.org #994 (May 22, 2025) escapepod.org/2025/05/22/e...

I’M A LITTLE BABY BUT I STILL LIKE TO RUMMAGE IN THE TRASH SOMETIMES 😽

Featuring stories from @clarkesworldmagazine.com, @smallwondersmag.com, @pseudopod.org, @escapepod.org, @lightspeedmagazine.com, @diabolicalplots.com, @flashpointsf.bsky.social, @thefuturefire.bsky.social, @lunastation.bsky.social, and Moonday Mag.

Mellow greetings, all: it's time to press F for another Flashback Friday! Today, for its third appearance in Escape Pod's pages, we have "Valedictorian" by @nkjemisin.bsky.social for your experiential exuberance. Check it out!

I AM SO GOOD AT HIDING HEE HEE HEE

Announcement: PodCastle Is Trialling a Six Month Submissions Window!! We will open in November and close in April. See our announcement on the website for details. All our usual Submissions Guidelines still apply. podcastle.org/2025/10/17/a...

EMBRACE YOUR FEROCITY THIS #CATURDAY

Hail, observers! Sometimes a title wins the game from the get-go, and that's certainly true of today's reprint, "Space Pirate Queen of the Ten Billion Utopias" by @ellybangs.bsky.social. So go experience it! Even the trilobites agree!

SO I SEE YOU’RE EATING BREAD

Rejoice, sophont observers: part 2 of "Here Instead of There" by @matociquala.bsky.social is now live for all your cliffhanger-resolution needs!

Hey guess what? My 2023 novelette "Here Instead Of There" is available at @escapepod.org in two parts! It's about ethics, meteorology, crony capitalism, and some courageous dirtbags. escapepod.org/2025/10/02/e... escapepod.org/2025/10/09/e...

Sure, we all know Buckaroo Banzai's wisdom: "no matter where you go, there you are." In case you'd rather be somewhere else, this week we bring you part 1 of "Here Instead of There" by @matociquala.bsky.social, complete with grade-A cursing! Great for wherever in spacetime you find yourself.

SQUIRL OUTSIDE I CAN HEAR HIMS BUT NOT SEE HIMS?!!?? WHAT IS HIDING PROLLY STOLEN GOODS

Fiasco am on the Fiasco colour blankie NO ONE CAN FIND HIMS HERE Fiasco am... incog... uh... inog... cog... u know. Eggnogito.

Sure, we all know Buckaroo Banzai's wisdom: "no matter where you go, there you are." In case you'd rather be somewhere else, this week we bring you part 1 of "Here Instead of There" by @matociquala.bsky.social, complete with grade-A cursing! Great for wherever in spacetime you find yourself.

Dear Patreon subscribers: we’re aware of the multiple Patreon notifications/emails. We’re working on it. We recommend you turn off notifications for the moment and, if you can, set up a filter for emails. Please bear with us while we chase down the trilobites chewing on the wires! {{}}<

FIASCO WAS IN JAIL HAD TO YELL IT CARCERAL STATE

If you're not a supporter of Escape Pod and you're looking to be, lock in your subscription before October 1st, lest you hear the ads crackling against the cosmic microwave background. More details here! www.patreon.com/posts/lock-i...

HELLO WHO WILL COME TRICK-OR-TREAT AT MY HOUSE?

If you're not a supporter of Escape Pod and you're looking to be, lock in your subscription before October 1st, lest you hear the ads crackling against the cosmic microwave background. More details here! www.patreon.com/posts/lock-i...

HILL HOUSE, NOT SANE, STOOS BY ITSELF AGAINST THE HILLS, HOLDING DARKNESS WITHIN…

Now that the northern summer has ended and the southern summer is still months away, it's perfect timing for this week's Escape Pod original: "Hot Bot Summer" by @jrdewitt.bsky.social. Experience this story with C&C Music Factory's advice in mind, and sweat!

No srsly when are we giving her back Fiasco cannot see out of hims preferred seeing spot U kept receipt right U keep receipts for EVERYTHING

THE VOID CALLS

Rejoice, sophont observers, as it's time for story! This endweek we have for you a tale about the relevance of the Goldilocks zone in astrobiology: "Once Upon a Planet" by Kelsey Hutton. Perceive it as you wish!

Catsitter am gone for the day... Fiasco am once again solitary ruler of hims domain... king of castle. Only problem is, all hims subjects consist of fluffy clown with boundary isues

Attention, sophonts! We've finished changing the locks and Escape Pod is now OPEN to all your amazing, amazing submissions! Consult our submissions page if you want to refresh your minds on what we're looking for - ignore that "CLOSED" bit at the top - and we hope to see rad work from you all!

Scams and grifts: they're not just for humans anymore! Please welcome the endweek with this new original story about just that: "Grifting the Zaxonite" by Cooper C. Wilms for episode ten-ten.

ONE OF MY LOVE LANGUAGES IS “FISH” AND ANOTHER IS “CHIPS.”

It's a new month, and with it a new story, but really we'd have a new story for you even if it was August 36th. Today we have for you "The Combat Pilot’s Dictionary" by @absenceofgravitas.bsky.social, and like any given dictionary, it's full of words!

First off: there is nothing wrong with the pod bay doors. Second: someone jammed gum in the pod bay door locks, so they won't be opening to story submissions until September 15th. Meaning that all of you eager submitters will have an extra two weeks to polish your stories!

It's approximately the endweek, which means it's time to bring you our 1008th story: "Observer Effects" by @timpratt.org, which contains harsh language - that's how you know it's a story that contains harsh language! Also, there's a headphones ad in the show notes, in case you need headphones.

Welcome to another endweek, blazing sophonts! For our 1007th episode we've got for you another fresh original, "35 / F / Lane’s Creek, Oklahoma" by @hansew.bsky.social. Follow the author's suggestion: "come for the robots, stay for the romance!"