StarShipSofa: Difference between revisions

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'''''StarShipSofa''''' is a [[science fiction]] [[podcast]] from the [[United Kingdom]] hosted by Tony C. Smith with Jeremy Szal as the fiction editor. It was the first ever podcast to be both nominated for and to win a [[Hugo Award for Best Fanzine]]. StarShipSofa was also nominated for Best Fan Podcast in the 2007 [[Parsec Awards]].<ref>{{Citecite web

The show was first broadcast in July 2006 by Smith and Ciaran O'Carrol with an episode focusing on [[Alfred Bester]].<ref>StarShipSofa EP> #1, Alfred Bester, Transcribed by Craig Webster, ''StarShipSofa: The Captain's Logs'', edited by Tony C. Smith, published by StarShipSofa, page 8.</ref> The next 70 episodes ran weekly and featured commentary on such subjects as [[Harlan Ellison]], [[Samuel R. Delany]], [[Charles Stross]], and other well-known science fiction authors. StarShipSofa also covered subjects such as films and specific themes such as [[List of religious ideas in science fiction|religion in science fiction]].<ref>{{Citecite web|url= http://www.sffaudio.com/?p=799|title=Update on StarShipSofa – in case you missed our first rave. |accessdate=2010-08-07 |format= |work= }}</ref>

At the end of this initial run O'Carrol left StarShipSofa and the podcast began to transition to an audio fiction magazine, with narrated fiction mixed with commentary and essays.<ref>Afterword by Tony C. Smith, ''StarShipSofa: The Captain's Logs'', edited by Tony C. Smith, published by StarShipSofa, page 327.</ref> Now calling itself ''StarShipSofa - The Audio Science Fiction Magazine,'' in October 2007 StarShipSofa began podcasting [[Hugo Award]] winning audio stories for free. In March 2008, for the first time ever, all five of the short stories that had been shortlisted for the [[BSFA]] Award for Best Short Story were made available on the StarShipSofa in audio narrated format.<ref>{{Citecite web |url=http://www.bsfa.co.uk/bsfa/website/news.aspx?newsid=92 |title=Podcast of all the BSFA Award shortlisted short stories |accessdate=2008-03-10 |format= |work= |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://archive.is/20120720181102/http://www.bsfa.co.uk/bsfa/website/news.aspx?newsid=92 |archivedate=20 July 2012 |df=dmy-all }} </ref>

In January 2012 StarShipSofa launched its first spin-off, a horror podcast hosted by [[Lawrence Santoro]] called [[Tales to Terrify]]. This was followed in July 2012 by two more spin-offs - the crime-themed Crime City Central hosted by [[Jack Calverley]], and the pulp-themed Protecting Project Pulp hosted by [[Dave Robison]]. The four are now united under the District of Wonders banner. However, The District of Wonders soon abandoned both Crime City Central and Protecting Project Pulp. Instead in April 2014 they started fantasy podcast Far Fetched Fables, leaving the District of Wonders with three podcasts, respectively.<ref>{{Citecite web|url = http://farfetchedfables.com/|title = Far Fetched Fables' home page|date = |accessdate = 2016-01-10|website = |publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref>

In June 2015 for [http://www.starshipsofa.com/blog/2015/06/03/starshipsofa-no-389-george-r-r-martin/ Episode 389], StarShipSofa produced and adapted in audio the story "The Men of Greywater Station" co-written by [[George R. R. Martin]] and [[Howard Waldrop]]. The story was published in the anthology ''[[Songs of Stars and Shadows]]'', published in 1977 and now out of print with no electronic copies existing and the story never previously appearing online. The story was narrated by English actor Nicholas Camm. StarShipSofa produced a YouTube video discussing the story to promote the episode.<ref>{{Citecite web|url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4_zEYBZ02I|title = YouTube - Men of Greywater Station|date = 2 June 2015|accessdate = 10 January 2016|website =Youtube }}</ref>

In an interview with Boing Boing, assistant editor Jeremy Szal revealed that the author offered to post a copy of the anthology by snail mail.<ref>{{Citecite web|url = http://boingboing.net/2015/06/03/listen-rare-george-rr-martin.html|title = Boing Boing Interview|date = 3 June 2015|accessdate = 10 January 2016|website =Boing Boing}}</ref> Shortly after the episode's launch the author himself publicly approved of the story's production and narration on his blog.<ref>{{Citecite web|url=http://grrm.livejournal.com/429952.html |title=Not a Blog |date=10 June 2015 |accessdate=10 January 2016 |website=Not A Blog |publisher= |last= |first= |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119150958/http://grrm.livejournal.com/429952.html |archivedate=19 January 2016 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> YouTuber prestonjacobs created an analysis of the podcast's adaptation and the story, highlighting the similarities to the ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' canon and theorizing that all stories written by George R. R. Martin are contained in one singular universe.<ref>{{Citecite web|url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imGGEF__Whw|title = PrestonJacobs - Thousand Worlds Book Club: Men of Greywater Station by George R.R. Martin|date = 29 November 2015| accessdate = 10 January 2016|website =YouTube}}</ref>