July 8, 2024 • 16 mins
Here are two wondrous pieces from the December 2023 issue of Worlds of Possibility. A poem, "Sweet Child" by Ayida Shonibar, and a story "A Refugee from Fairyland" by Keyan Bowes. Keyan Bowes narrates both for our podcast. You can read the text of "Sweet Child" at https://www.juliarios.com/sweet-child-a-poem-by-ayida-shonibar/ and you can read the text of "A Refugee from Fairyland" and see the accompanying illustration by Tetiana Hut here: https://www.juliarios.com/a-refugee-from-fairyland-a-story-by-keyan-bowes/.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to the OMG Julia Podcast,where we discuss creative lives and processes.
I'm your host, Julia Rios,and today we have two pieces from the
December twenty twenty three issue of Worldsof Possibility. The first is a poem
by Aida shone Bar and the secondis a story by Can Bows. Both
(00:24):
of these pieces are narrated by CanBows, and you can read the text
of each piece by clicking through tothe links in your show notes to juliaios
dot com. And Finding Sweet Childby Aida shone Bar in the December twenty
twenty three issue of World's Possibility,and also a Refugee from Fairyland by Can
(00:48):
Bows in the December twenty twenty threeissue of Worlds of Possibility. So,
without further ado, here's can SweetChild by Eida Schonebar, narrated by Cane
Bows. When something breaks your heartand consumes you with bitterness, you'll find
(01:12):
yourself stumbling into my shop of sweetmishty that was definitely not there in the
middle of your road the day before. You'll smell it first, lured by
the scent of rose, go upfrom the soft pink shondiche, which I'll
offer if you've received disappointing news thatyou need help to chew on before you
(01:37):
can stomach it. A swallow ofcreamy sugar to coat the barbs to help
it go down. And if thepain has already festered into something more rotten,
then take a roshagula pernier like freshwhite clouds I gathered lovingly in muslin
and soaked in a syrup. Spicesthat will flood your mouth, heal the
(02:02):
hurt that turns your tongue sour whenyou speak to your friends, and seasons
your attitude with saltiness in response toyour family's questions, because your loneliness will
only sting worse. But if you'vealready fallen apart, then let me foold
you back together with layers of flakydough. Tuck your shattered pieces into the
(02:27):
cushion of milky filling at the center, seal you up using the same stick
of clove my grandmother repared me withafter I thought she'd left me behind,
until she appeared in a magical sweetshop in the middle of my street on
the other side of the world togive me your favorite her Labongo lothiga,
(02:50):
and her promise of affection. Eternalpassed from her ancestors to mine and from
me to you. Sweet Child.That was Sweet Child by Aida shoney Bar
narrated by Keane Bow's Aida shonee Bar. She They grew up as an Indian
(03:15):
Bengali immigrant to Europe and currently worksin the North America. Their writing has
been featured in Nature, Futures,Wilted Pages, Shortwave Publishing, Luminescent Machinations,
Neon Hemlock, Asian Goes to ShortStories, flame Tree Publishing, Transmography,
(03:36):
Harpertine, and Night of the LivingQueer's Wednesday Books, among others.
You can find more information about theirspeculative fiction featuring misfits, monsters and mischief
makers at Aidashonebar dot com, That'say Ida sho ni b a r dot
(04:00):
com and now Here's kan Reading.A Refugee from Fairyland Refugee from Fairyland by
Kirn Bow's narrated by the author.The child evicted from Fairyland sat silent in
(04:24):
his over large new clothes, hisbrown skin pallid wunna I said let's go.
He glanced up with huge dark eyes, but didn't speak or move.
This was my first time working witha kid refugee, and I wondered if
I was doing something wrong. Ipopped into Nisha's office for help. The
(04:49):
Borderlin's refuge director looked tired. She'sused to a trickle of dimensionally misplaced adult
refugees rather than an influx of confusedchildren. I've been volunteering with her for
a year, initially for transport throughthe ponycart network, then handling individual cases
(05:12):
when the need arose. Unna's verywithdrawn. Nisher said he learned English quickly,
but doesn't say much. His DNAtests suggests he's originally from India.
Something's wrong in Fairyland. They're randomlysending back kids some belly of age,
(05:33):
which is what around eight? Iasked, incredulously, And why send an
Indian kid to California? Maybe theydon't understand human geography or aging, or
don't care. She came out withme to where the boy was sitting.
Come, Unna, she said,Latasha will take you to Mamma Marie.
(05:56):
She'll look after you. Silently,he rose, but stiffened when I put
my arm round him. We'll tryto find your human folks, I said,
trying to reassure him. Fairyland refugeespanic in automobiles, hence the ponycart
net work. UNA's eyes brightened whenhe saw my pony dapple. He stroked
(06:20):
her nose and she nickered. Therefuge was a cluster of homes sprawled amid
acres of woodland. The air smeltfresh and green. We found the other
changelings in the main house, eatinghoney cakes at the kitchen table. The
children started chattering with Una in thefluting tones of fey LINGO. I'd tried
(06:44):
to learn when I started volunteering withNichha's group, but only caught a few
words. Queen King, fight TitaniaOberon. Wait, could Muna beat that
changeling? Then he was displaced intime as well, by at least four
(07:08):
hundred years. Shakespeare wrote A MidsummerNight's Dream in and to a quick online
check fifteen ninety five or so.So much for finding Munna's folks. Murray
thanked me, offered Muna a honeycake, and deputed another kid to show
(07:29):
him around. All the children tookoff like a flight of butterflies, with
a shimmering illusion of wings. TheDNA test that confirmed Muna was from India
matched with some distant relatives, includingone Kumar in Sunnyvale. Kumar turned out
to be a programmer in his twentieswho arrived in Silicon Valley a few years
(07:53):
earlier. Over coffee at starbuts Iexplained about Munna, who might have been
taken hundreds of years ago. There'sa family story, Kumar said thoughtfully.
My distant ancestor was a Raja.His youngest wife, Lavanya, returned to
her paternal home for childbirth, butshe died, not so uncommon in the
(08:18):
old days. But the reason forthe story is the baby, the Raja's
first son. He vanished. Thebirth attendants said, an unearthly lady took
the child and the baby's name.Kumar took a sip of coffee. The
story didn't say, probably he wastoo young. In India, we usually
(08:41):
wait to give babies names, sonot Munna. Gunna just means boy,
like Chico. The birth attendants couldhave called him that want to meet him?
Well, sure, but to beclear, I'm in no position to
(09:03):
adopt him. Would others of yourfamily an eight year's boy from fairyland?
He said doubtfully. I can askon our family app but it's not so
likely. Well, that was adead end. Murray sympathized. DNA databases
(09:31):
have helped us in locating many families, but we get few placements and even
fewer that work out. I'll keeptrying, I said. Wunna deserves a
family, but it's been hard tofind someone related who is looking to adopt.
Murray nodded. The fake annection unnervespotential parents. The refuge is a
(09:54):
long term arrangement for most of thesekids. Wish I could get some help
though Nisha's fundraising. I'll volunteer afew hours every week, I offered.
I came to see Wudna quite oftenanyway. Somehow I couldn't get him out
of my mind. He was suchan appealing child. Soon I was there
(10:16):
every weekend. The kids called me, Mamma Latasha. Why don't you move
here, Latasha offered Marie one Saturday. There's a couple of cottages open.
Leave your car in the shed nearthe entrance. Day job, I said,
wrily, long commute. When sixmonths later I had to report I'd
(10:43):
failed to find any interested relatives,I expected Wouldna to be disappointed. Instead,
he looked thrilled when I hugged him. He didn't stiffen, but melted
right into my arms. I heldhim close inhaling his sweet, boyish smell.
(11:05):
Soon afterward, my company went remoteto save casts. I took Marie's
offer and relocated to the cottage.It even had a stable for Dapple.
One evening, Munna moved in withme and chose a new name, And
just like that, some paperwork anda court appearance later, he was my
(11:30):
son. Late one night, Iawoke to realize I wasn't alone. A
fairy glowed in my desk chair,looking ethereal and ghostly, as though moonlight
had taken a humanoid form. Herdiadem sparkled as she swiveled to look at
(11:54):
me. Latasha, you have mymunna. He's called Raj, now,
I said, sitting up, andhe's mine. I promised his mother I'd
care for him. Fairies don't breakpromises. Some one threw him out of
(12:15):
Fairyland and other kids as well.Her face darkened. My consort's a jackass.
He attempted a coomb, making factionsin our land, some of which
started evicting our human wards. Asthough our two worlds are not forever intertwined,
(12:37):
Raj is thriving here. Maybe yourpromise is better get by leaving him
with me, rather than embroiling himin fairy politics and marital discord squabbles.
Raj ran into the room and onto the bed. Ma'am. I grabbed
(12:58):
hold of him and held him close. Give me the boy, said the
fairy, ma'am, don't. Rajwhispered urgently, move in, So my
body shielded Raj. I strengthened myhold on him. Nope, I told
the fairy. Not happening, ma'am. Let me go. Raj wriggled free
(13:22):
of my grip and got off thebed. What he wanted to go back?
I was floundering. He knelt tothe fairy queen lady. He said,
wundna come home? No, mylady, may I stay here?
They spoke fay, But I hadlearned enough to follow. Oh, he
(13:46):
did want to remain with me.Won't you return to the beautiful place?
No, my lady, may Istay? You would learn magic and wonder.
I held my breath. That soundedso enticing even to me. No,
my lady, thrice, you refusethrice, she glared at me.
(14:13):
He stays, then, but Ikeep my promise. I'll be watching over
him. Great, just what Ineeded co parenting with a powerful fairy queen.
But what I said was so myson's got a fairy godmother. She
laughed like the tinkling of bells asshe shimmered into invisibility. That was a
(14:41):
refugee from Fairyland by can Bows,narrated by the author. Can Bow's is
a parapatetic spectac author currently to befound somewhere on the west coast of the
U s. She writes when inspirationbites her in the angle and organizes various
specfic things, mainly virtual now dueto COVID. Her work can be found
(15:07):
online and on paper in a dozenanthologies and magazines. Clarion Graduate zeph one
member website www dot Knbows dot org. That is www dot k e y
A n bow e s dot org. And if you want to read the
(15:31):
text of this story online, youcan also see the beautiful illustration by Tatiana
Hutt. It is of the momentwhen the fairy queen comes to request that
Muna come with her, and thatillustration was created by Tatiana Hutt, who
is able to be commissioned on fiber. If you would like to get art
of your own by her. Thereis a link to her fiver on the
(15:54):
page as well, so you cansee that. Thank you so much for
listening. I hope you've enjoyed thissojourn into fairyland with me, and I
hope you are having a wonderful summerwherever you are in the world. Catch
you next time.
Welcome to the OMG Julia Podcast,where we discuss creative lives and processes.
I'm your host, Julia Rios,and today we have two pieces from the
December twenty twenty three issue of Worldsof Possibility. The first is a poem
by Aida shone Bar and the secondis a story by Can Bows. Both
(00:24):
of these pieces are narrated by CanBows, and you can read the text
of each piece by clicking through tothe links in your show notes to juliaios
dot com. And Finding Sweet Childby Aida shone Bar in the December twenty
twenty three issue of World's Possibility,and also a Refugee from Fairyland by Can
(00:48):
Bows in the December twenty twenty threeissue of Worlds of Possibility. So,
without further ado, here's can SweetChild by Eida Schonebar, narrated by Cane
Bows. When something breaks your heartand consumes you with bitterness, you'll find
(01:12):
yourself stumbling into my shop of sweetmishty that was definitely not there in the
middle of your road the day before. You'll smell it first, lured by
the scent of rose, go upfrom the soft pink shondiche, which I'll
offer if you've received disappointing news thatyou need help to chew on before you
(01:37):
can stomach it. A swallow ofcreamy sugar to coat the barbs to help
it go down. And if thepain has already festered into something more rotten,
then take a roshagula pernier like freshwhite clouds I gathered lovingly in muslin
and soaked in a syrup. Spicesthat will flood your mouth, heal the
(02:02):
hurt that turns your tongue sour whenyou speak to your friends, and seasons
your attitude with saltiness in response toyour family's questions, because your loneliness will
only sting worse. But if you'vealready fallen apart, then let me foold
you back together with layers of flakydough. Tuck your shattered pieces into the
(02:27):
cushion of milky filling at the center, seal you up using the same stick
of clove my grandmother repared me withafter I thought she'd left me behind,
until she appeared in a magical sweetshop in the middle of my street on
the other side of the world togive me your favorite her Labongo lothiga,
(02:50):
and her promise of affection. Eternalpassed from her ancestors to mine and from
me to you. Sweet Child.That was Sweet Child by Aida shoney Bar
narrated by Keane Bow's Aida shonee Bar. She They grew up as an Indian
(03:15):
Bengali immigrant to Europe and currently worksin the North America. Their writing has
been featured in Nature, Futures,Wilted Pages, Shortwave Publishing, Luminescent Machinations,
Neon Hemlock, Asian Goes to ShortStories, flame Tree Publishing, Transmography,
(03:36):
Harpertine, and Night of the LivingQueer's Wednesday Books, among others.
You can find more information about theirspeculative fiction featuring misfits, monsters and mischief
makers at Aidashonebar dot com, That'say Ida sho ni b a r dot
(04:00):
com and now Here's kan Reading.A Refugee from Fairyland Refugee from Fairyland by
Kirn Bow's narrated by the author.The child evicted from Fairyland sat silent in
(04:24):
his over large new clothes, hisbrown skin pallid wunna I said let's go.
He glanced up with huge dark eyes, but didn't speak or move.
This was my first time working witha kid refugee, and I wondered if
I was doing something wrong. Ipopped into Nisha's office for help. The
(04:49):
Borderlin's refuge director looked tired. She'sused to a trickle of dimensionally misplaced adult
refugees rather than an influx of confusedchildren. I've been volunteering with her for
a year, initially for transport throughthe ponycart network, then handling individual cases
(05:12):
when the need arose. Unna's verywithdrawn. Nisher said he learned English quickly,
but doesn't say much. His DNAtests suggests he's originally from India.
Something's wrong in Fairyland. They're randomlysending back kids some belly of age,
(05:33):
which is what around eight? Iasked, incredulously, And why send an
Indian kid to California? Maybe theydon't understand human geography or aging, or
don't care. She came out withme to where the boy was sitting.
Come, Unna, she said,Latasha will take you to Mamma Marie.
(05:56):
She'll look after you. Silently,he rose, but stiffened when I put
my arm round him. We'll tryto find your human folks, I said,
trying to reassure him. Fairyland refugeespanic in automobiles, hence the ponycart
net work. UNA's eyes brightened whenhe saw my pony dapple. He stroked
(06:20):
her nose and she nickered. Therefuge was a cluster of homes sprawled amid
acres of woodland. The air smeltfresh and green. We found the other
changelings in the main house, eatinghoney cakes at the kitchen table. The
children started chattering with Una in thefluting tones of fey LINGO. I'd tried
(06:44):
to learn when I started volunteering withNichha's group, but only caught a few
words. Queen King, fight TitaniaOberon. Wait, could Muna beat that
changeling? Then he was displaced intime as well, by at least four
(07:08):
hundred years. Shakespeare wrote A MidsummerNight's Dream in and to a quick online
check fifteen ninety five or so.So much for finding Munna's folks. Murray
thanked me, offered Muna a honeycake, and deputed another kid to show
(07:29):
him around. All the children tookoff like a flight of butterflies, with
a shimmering illusion of wings. TheDNA test that confirmed Muna was from India
matched with some distant relatives, includingone Kumar in Sunnyvale. Kumar turned out
to be a programmer in his twentieswho arrived in Silicon Valley a few years
(07:53):
earlier. Over coffee at starbuts Iexplained about Munna, who might have been
taken hundreds of years ago. There'sa family story, Kumar said thoughtfully.
My distant ancestor was a Raja.His youngest wife, Lavanya, returned to
her paternal home for childbirth, butshe died, not so uncommon in the
(08:18):
old days. But the reason forthe story is the baby, the Raja's
first son. He vanished. Thebirth attendants said, an unearthly lady took
the child and the baby's name.Kumar took a sip of coffee. The
story didn't say, probably he wastoo young. In India, we usually
(08:41):
wait to give babies names, sonot Munna. Gunna just means boy,
like Chico. The birth attendants couldhave called him that want to meet him?
Well, sure, but to beclear, I'm in no position to
(09:03):
adopt him. Would others of yourfamily an eight year's boy from fairyland?
He said doubtfully. I can askon our family app but it's not so
likely. Well, that was adead end. Murray sympathized. DNA databases
(09:31):
have helped us in locating many families, but we get few placements and even
fewer that work out. I'll keeptrying, I said. Wunna deserves a
family, but it's been hard tofind someone related who is looking to adopt.
Murray nodded. The fake annection unnervespotential parents. The refuge is a
(09:54):
long term arrangement for most of thesekids. Wish I could get some help
though Nisha's fundraising. I'll volunteer afew hours every week, I offered.
I came to see Wudna quite oftenanyway. Somehow I couldn't get him out
of my mind. He was suchan appealing child. Soon I was there
(10:16):
every weekend. The kids called me, Mamma Latasha. Why don't you move
here, Latasha offered Marie one Saturday. There's a couple of cottages open.
Leave your car in the shed nearthe entrance. Day job, I said,
wrily, long commute. When sixmonths later I had to report I'd
(10:43):
failed to find any interested relatives,I expected Wouldna to be disappointed. Instead,
he looked thrilled when I hugged him. He didn't stiffen, but melted
right into my arms. I heldhim close inhaling his sweet, boyish smell.
(11:05):
Soon afterward, my company went remoteto save casts. I took Marie's
offer and relocated to the cottage.It even had a stable for Dapple.
One evening, Munna moved in withme and chose a new name, And
just like that, some paperwork anda court appearance later, he was my
(11:30):
son. Late one night, Iawoke to realize I wasn't alone. A
fairy glowed in my desk chair,looking ethereal and ghostly, as though moonlight
had taken a humanoid form. Herdiadem sparkled as she swiveled to look at
(11:54):
me. Latasha, you have mymunna. He's called Raj, now,
I said, sitting up, andhe's mine. I promised his mother I'd
care for him. Fairies don't breakpromises. Some one threw him out of
(12:15):
Fairyland and other kids as well.Her face darkened. My consort's a jackass.
He attempted a coomb, making factionsin our land, some of which
started evicting our human wards. Asthough our two worlds are not forever intertwined,
(12:37):
Raj is thriving here. Maybe yourpromise is better get by leaving him
with me, rather than embroiling himin fairy politics and marital discord squabbles.
Raj ran into the room and onto the bed. Ma'am. I grabbed
(12:58):
hold of him and held him close. Give me the boy, said the
fairy, ma'am, don't. Rajwhispered urgently, move in, So my
body shielded Raj. I strengthened myhold on him. Nope, I told
the fairy. Not happening, ma'am. Let me go. Raj wriggled free
(13:22):
of my grip and got off thebed. What he wanted to go back?
I was floundering. He knelt tothe fairy queen lady. He said,
wundna come home? No, mylady, may I stay here?
They spoke fay, But I hadlearned enough to follow. Oh, he
(13:46):
did want to remain with me.Won't you return to the beautiful place?
No, my lady, may Istay? You would learn magic and wonder.
I held my breath. That soundedso enticing even to me. No,
my lady, thrice, you refusethrice, she glared at me.
(14:13):
He stays, then, but Ikeep my promise. I'll be watching over
him. Great, just what Ineeded co parenting with a powerful fairy queen.
But what I said was so myson's got a fairy godmother. She
laughed like the tinkling of bells asshe shimmered into invisibility. That was a
(14:41):
refugee from Fairyland by can Bows,narrated by the author. Can Bow's is
a parapatetic spectac author currently to befound somewhere on the west coast of the
U s. She writes when inspirationbites her in the angle and organizes various
specfic things, mainly virtual now dueto COVID. Her work can be found
(15:07):
online and on paper in a dozenanthologies and magazines. Clarion Graduate zeph one
member website www dot Knbows dot org. That is www dot k e y
A n bow e s dot org. And if you want to read the
(15:31):
text of this story online, youcan also see the beautiful illustration by Tatiana
Hutt. It is of the momentwhen the fairy queen comes to request that
Muna come with her, and thatillustration was created by Tatiana Hutt, who
is able to be commissioned on fiber. If you would like to get art
of your own by her. Thereis a link to her fiver on the
(15:54):
page as well, so you cansee that. Thank you so much for
listening. I hope you've enjoyed thissojourn into fairyland with me, and I
hope you are having a wonderful summerwherever you are in the world. Catch
you next time.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Male Room with Dr. Jesse Mills
As Director of The Men’s Clinic at UCLA, Dr. Jesse Mills has spent his career helping men understand their bodies, their hormones, and their health. Now he’s bringing that expertise to The Male Room — a podcast where data-driven medicine meets common sense. Each episode separates fact from hype, science from snake oil, and gives men the tools to live longer, stronger, and happier lives. With candor, humor, and real-world experience from the exam room and the operating room, Dr. Mills breaks down the latest health headlines, dissects trends, and explains what actually works — and what doesn’t. Smart, straightforward, and entertaining, The Male Room is the show that helps men take charge of their health without the jargon.