28/08/2024
Jasper Bark is bringing his Ultimate Horror Podcast to Edge-Lit 10 for an exclusive live recording! We asked him a few questions about the podcast and why people should check it out amongst the packed schedule of the day.
* Tell us about your podcast - what's it called and why? What's it about?
Our podcast is called 'The Ultimate Horror Anthology'. The idea behind it is that my fellow podcaster, Kit Power and I are compiling a mythic anthology of the scariest short horror fiction ever written. Every episode we choose a different short story and we discuss, in some depth, why we think it deserves a place in the ultimate horror anthology.
You can find episodes here: https://ultimatehorroranthology.podbean.com/e/s1e1/
* Why did you start it?
Kit and I were looking for an ongoing project to work on together. Whenever we met up at cons, we noticed our tendency to hold court, so we figured a podcast would be the ideal way to do that to a much larger audience. An audience who won't be glancing surreptitiously at their phones and hoping we'll shut up before they miss the lottery. As we both find each other endlessly fascinating we figured that there had to be a few other podcast listeners who shared our delusion.
We also wanted to explore what makes truly great horror fiction work. To dissect it in great detail and force it to give up its dark secrets, one terrifying story at a time.
* Tell us about yourself and co-host Kit?
Cousin Kit is something of a renaissance person. He's a novelist, musician, singer/songwriter, podcaster and journalist. He's the author of A Song for the End, Godbomb and The Finite, he fronts the band The Disciples of Gonzo and hosts many podcasts (in addition to our own) most notably Talking Robocop. His non-fiction work is in a class all of its own. His column My Life In Horror ran for many years on the Gingernut of Horror website and was essential reading, and it's now been collected into two volumes and his Midnight Movie Monograph on the film Tommy will have you reassessing everything you thought you knew about Ken Russell and The Who.
I'm your Uncle Jasp, I ran away from home at age 17 and, failing to find any circus, washed up in the world of repertory theatre. After that I lived a hand to mouth existence as an actor, stand up and vocal artist until my responsibilities forced me to get a real job. Which I managed to avoid by becoming a national film and music journalist and then a cable TV presenter, while still doing stand up in the evenings. Although this was eventually very lucrative, I gave it all up, when my wife was pregnant with our second child to become an author. I've since won a bunch of awards, including the This Is Horror Award and the Splatterpunk Award. My most recent work is the Draw You In trilogy of horror novels published by Crystal Lake Entertainment. You can stalk me online at www.jasperbark.com
* What is your ultimate horror short story?
You'll have to listen to the podcast to find that out, and it's not limited to just one story. For me the ultimate horror short has to say something about the human condition. By examining the things that scare us, horror fiction puts human endurance under a microscope. It tests the limits of what we can overcome, both as individuals and as a civilisation. It also tells us something very profound about society by highlighting its collective anxieties and questions why certain thoughts and behaviours are taboo. As a race, fear can divide us, by setting us against one another, or it can unite us in the face of a common threat. When we write or read about the things that terrify us we're looking for a safe space to explore, and ultimately heal from the scars our fears might have left. For me, that's what the ultimate horror story must help us do.
* Why should people come and see your live podcast at Edge-Lit?
Mainly because our guest on the life podcast is Rob Shearman, who is probably one of the greatest living practitioners of the short story. We'll be discussing his story The Sixteenth Step and a surprise short chosen by Rob.
We can promise to entertain, enlighten and enthral you. But even more than that, we can grant you immortality, by taking part in the Q&A at the end of the event which will also be recorded. One day you'll be able to brag to your grandchildren and great grandchildren that you were a part of the cultural phenomenon that was The Ultimate Horror Anthology. And what other event at EdgeLit can promise you that???
