elbourne based online journal Paper Radio take stories by Antipodean writers and raconteurs off the page and makes them audible. It’s a great idea, bringing back memories of bedtime stories: the colourful addition the human voice makes to a text, and the anticipation that builds while waiting for that next instalment. The latest in Paper Radio’s FM dispatch (a mix of fiction and the like, as opposed to the exercises in non-fiction found on their AM ‘station’) is Weather #1, the first in a three part series of abstract short fiction by New Zealand writer Thomasin Sleigh.

Weather #1 chronicles a world in which all the meteorologists have vanished suddenly and mysteriously without explanation, creating a plethora of unexpected problems and throwing its citizens into a somewhat unpredictable existence. Sleigh’s lilting voice paired with the comforting addition of scratchy and melodic analogue sounds by Australian sound artist Miyuki Jokiranta, makes for captivating listening. It’s a charmingly haunting tale about the anxieties we all hold close.

Listen to it here – paperradio.org

And then stay tuned for the next instalment.