Guest Author 9/30/26 Guest Author 9/30/26

Why "Wish You Were Here" Is Rock's Greatest Song

Phil Allard on why "Wish You Were Here" is rock's greatest song: Syd Barrett's ghost, Roger Waters' restraint, and why the song works by refusing to fill in its own blanks.

Guest Author 8/14/26 Guest Author 8/14/26

Back to the Oral Tradition

A high school English teacher and oral traditions scholar makes the case that podcasts, social media, and spoken word aren't new — they're humanity circling back to its oldest form of storytelling.

Guest Author 7/10/26 Guest Author 7/10/26

Original Fiction: Displacement

A figure navigates an ordinary Saturday with extraordinary dread. An original piece of literary short fiction from Phil Allard, author of Returning from Silence.

Guest Author 6/15/26 Guest Author 6/15/26

Returning from Silence: A Skeptic's Near-Death Experience and the Question Science Can't Answer

Phil Allard's debut novel follows a skeptical chemistry teacher whose near-death experience refuses any scientific explanation. A philosophical thriller that unsettles in the best possible way.