This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Maripat Allen: Hi everyone, I'm Mary Pat Allen.

[0:02] Maripat Allen: I wrote Xirnon from Glickstar, which you're about to hear.

[0:06] Maripat Allen: You're listening to Gather by the Ghost Light with Jonathan Cook.

[0:24] Jonathan Cook: All right, good day, and welcome back to Gather by the Ghost Light.

[0:28] Jonathan Cook: Original stories for Radio Theater.

[0:30] Jonathan Cook: I'm Jonathan Cook, your host, producer, and sometimes voice actor on this thing.

[0:36] Jonathan Cook: And here we are with episode number 47.

[0:39] Jonathan Cook: Today's story contains a little science fiction, a little action, a little comedy, and a little romance.

[0:45] Jonathan Cook: Side effects may include being entertained and possibly laughing out loud, so listener discretion is not advised.

[0:54] Jonathan Cook: Alright.

[0:54] Jonathan Cook: Now the play you're about to hear is called Xirnon from Glickstar and was written by Michigan-based playwright Mary Pat Allen.

[1:01] Jonathan Cook: In this story, a husband and wife try to escape an alien abduction that turns out to be a little friendlier than they originally thought.

[1:09] Jonathan Cook: The voice actors on this episode are stage actors Casey Johnson, Sean Moton, and Anissa Cordova.

[1:16] Jonathan Cook: And all three of these actors are currently rehearsing for the Augusta players production of Joseph in the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

[1:23] Jonathan Cook: And that show goes up this weekend, February 24th, 25th, and the 26th at the Imperial Theater in Augusta, Georgia.

[1:30] Jonathan Cook: So listen to them here in this audio play first, but also go check them out on stage if you happen to be in the Augusta, Georgia area this weekend.

[1:38] Jonathan Cook: Now, gather around after the story to hear an interview with this writer.

[1:51] Wife: Oh my god!

[1:53] Husband: Do you see that?

[1:54] Wife: Whoa!

[1:55] Husband: Check that out!

[1:57] Wife: It looks so cool!

[1:59] Husband: Cool!

[1:59] Wife: What are you crazy?

[2:01] Husband: Come on, let's go!

[2:02] Wife: Wait, let me get a picture.

[2:03] Husband: Would you stop that?

[2:04] Husband: Get in the car!

[2:05] Wife: Hey!

[2:06] Husband: Hey, stop pushing!

[2:08] Wife: Ugh!

[2:09] Wife: I just wanna watch!

[2:10] Husband: Nope, nope, nope, not me.

[2:12] Husband: Nope, nope.

[2:12] Husband: Not today, you little Martian freaks.

[2:15] Wife: Just relax.

[2:17] Husband: Relax?

[2:18] Husband: Do you see what's happening out there?

[2:20] Wife: Oh my god.

[2:22] Wife: Oh my god, this is unreal.

[2:25] Husband: Would you slow down?

[2:26] Husband: All those people.

[2:28] Husband: We gotta get out of here.

[2:29] Wife: I wanted to stay and watch.

[2:31] Husband: What?

[2:32] Husband: And get sucked up in that thing?

[2:37] Husband: Would it kill you to do something I wanted for once?

[2:39] Wife: They were abducting those people, taking them away to do...

[2:43] Wife: I don't know.

[2:44] Wife: Who knows what?

[2:45] Husband: They went in willingly.

[2:46] Wife: It was just like Close Encounters.

[2:48] Husband: Honey, this is not a movie.

[2:50] Husband: This is real.

[2:50] Husband: Aren't you getting a little overwhelmed?

[2:52] Wife: Oh my god.

[2:54] Wife: What you're acting like this is some type of disaster.

[2:57] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Who are you? What are you doing in our back seat?

[2:59] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Call me John.

[3:00] Husband: What do you mean, call me?

[3:01] Husband: What the hell is your name?

[3:03] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Well, if you must know, my real name is Xirnon.

[3:07] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: But when I'm in human form, I go by John.

[3:07] Wife: Human form?

[3:12] Wife: Oh no.

[3:13] Wife: You're one of those Martians from that spaceship back there.

[3:18] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Martians?

[3:20] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: You earthlings are so parochial.

[3:22] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: I'm not from this galaxy, let alone this solar system.

[3:26] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: I'm from Glickstar.

[3:28] Husband: Honey, call the police.

[3:30] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: You think your primitive technologies work in the presence of a Glixdarian?

[3:35] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Our auras change your electromagnetic field.

[3:38] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: That's what I would have expected, but he doesn't understand anything about aliens.

[3:42] Husband: Okay, look.

[3:43] Husband: How's anyone supposed to know?

[3:44] Wife: Honey, honey, relax.

[3:47] Wife: So Xirna.

[3:50] Wife: Another galaxy.

[3:52] Wife: Let me guess.

[3:53] Wife: Andromeda?

[3:54] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Close, but not quite.

[3:56] Wife: Okay, wait a minute.

[3:58] Wife: How do you know English?

[3:59] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: He downloaded it in his brain.

[4:01] Husband: Like in the Matrix.

[4:03] Wife: Duh.

[4:04] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Yes, just like the Matrix.

[4:07] Wife: So, what galaxy is Glickstar in?

[4:12] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: NG5195.

[4:15] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: I'm afraid there's no sci-fi movie about it if you grok.

[4:19] Husband: I grok you all right.

[4:21] Husband: Alright.

[4:22] Husband: That's enough.

[4:25] Husband: Get out of here right now.

[4:27] Husband: I've got a gun, and I'm not afraid to use it, buddy.

[4:30] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: As if a bullet could penetrate one of my kind.

[4:33] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: But why would you want to shoot me anyway?

[4:35] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: I mean no harm.

[4:37] Husband: What do you want?

[4:38] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: To give you the opportunity of a human lifetime.

[4:42] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: A trip to another planet.

[4:44] Wife: We don't want your trip.

[4:44] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Now, now wait just a minute.

[4:46] Husband: Get out.

[4:47] Husband: Go back to your spaceship.

[4:49] Husband: Oh, and run, don't walk.

[4:52] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: If I wanted to go back, I could teleport myself at any time, no matter what they say.

[4:57] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Like, beat me up, Scotty.

[4:59] Husband: Well, similar.

[5:01] Husband: Humans and their Star Trek.

[5:06] Husband: Can't believe this.

[5:08] Husband: A freaking alien in my back seat.

[5:11] Husband: Get the hell out of this car.

[5:13] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Now hold on.

[5:15] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: We've always wanted to travel.

[5:17] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Never been to Europe like we wanted.

[5:19] Husband: Another continent is one thing.

[5:21] Husband: But Glyxstar is another whole planet.

[5:24] Husband: Doesn't that sound exciting?

[5:26] Wife: Are you crazy?

[5:30] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: She appears mentally stable to me.

[5:32] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: And he would know with his superior alien intelligence.

[5:35] Husband: Okay.

[5:36] Husband: Me and you, we're going home right now.

[5:38] Wife: How come you get to call all the shots?

[5:41] Wife: Xiernon here seems like a very nice young alien.

[5:44] Wife: And he's offering us a free trip to Glickstar.

[5:47] Husband: Glickstar!

[5:49] Wife: Tell us about it, Xiernon.

[5:51] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Imagine a planet more delightful than your Earth could ever be.

[5:56] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: One that combines the best features of Earth with none of the bad ones.

[6:00] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Beautiful ocean beaches, snow-capped mountains, deep fjords.

[6:04] Wife: Oh, honey, it's like that part in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

[6:08] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Well, this is not a book.

[6:10] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: This is real life.

[6:11] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: And all that's required is complete fealty to our master.

[6:16] Wife: No way.

[6:17] Husband: You never want to do anything fun.

[6:19] Husband: Xiernon here.

[6:20] Husband: Oh, Xiernon has it all, does he?

[6:22] Husband: With his downloaded language and his exotic planet.

[6:26] Wife: At least he's not afraid to travel somewhere new.

[6:28] Husband: Excuse me, honey.

[6:30] Husband: My name is David.

[6:31] Husband: You know, you don't have to go with us.

[6:34] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Your female can accompany me on her own.

[6:37] Husband: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

[6:38] Husband: Are you trying to steal my wife?

[6:40] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: No, I didn't mean it that way.

[6:42] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: It would just be a couple of weeks, right, Xiernon?

[6:46] Wife: Oh, so two weeks with Loverboy here is supposed to be all right with me, huh?

[6:52] Husband: You know what?

[6:53] Husband: Why don't you two just head off to Glickstar together?

[6:56] Husband: Right now.

[6:57] Husband: You can have your romantic getaway than traipse around the universe together, just like that hitchhiker in that book of yours.

[7:06] Husband: Just don't come crawling back to me when Xiernon here pulls his alien funny business.

[7:12] Wife: I thought a trip to Glickstar could be a nice second honeymoon for us, but no.

[7:17] Husband: You had to stop, stop, stop, please.

[7:20] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding.

[7:23] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: I have no desire for your female.

[7:25] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: See, he's perfectly nice.

[7:27] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: In fact, the very idea is rather revolting.

[7:33] Husband: Ah, wait!

[7:34] Husband: I thought you grokked me.

[7:36] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: I grokked you, but I didn't grok grok you.

[7:40] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: I just pretended to, so you come with me.

[7:43] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Why, you manipulative...

[7:43] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: It's just that Glixstarians don't mate in the sense that you understand it.

[7:48] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: If we did, it certainly wouldn't be with a sub intellect like...

[7:53] Husband: What are you saying?

[7:54] Husband: Whoa, whoa, whoa.

[7:54] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: With a shape like...

[7:56] Husband: Oh, so I'm not good enough for a big shot Glickstarian like you.

[8:00] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: I never said...

[8:00] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: With your fancy spaceship and your superior intelligence.

[8:06] Wife: Yeah, that's right.

[8:07] Wife: You tell him, honey.

[8:09] Husband: I think you should go back right now.

[8:09] Husband: Go back to your precious Glickstar with its giant-eyed females with their huge brains and those sexy slimy tentacles.

[8:19] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: That's not exact...

[8:20] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Whatever they have.

[8:21] Wife: You know, a lot of human males happen to find me attractive.

[8:25] Husband: Yeah, she still turns heads, pal.

[8:27] Husband: And my husband here appreciates this shape.

[8:30] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: They told me that could be the case, although it's hard to imagine.

[8:33] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: And furthermore, as far as fealty to your master, no one masters me, Bub.

[8:39] Husband: Yeah, me neither.

[8:41] Husband: Bub.

[8:41] Husband: And we can go to Cancun any week we want and get her ocean beaches at a condo rental there.

[8:47] Wife: Yeah, who needs Glickstar?

[8:49] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Alright, alright.

[8:50] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: I'll go back to my spaceship.

[8:52] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: I just thought I'd see if a gentler, more voluntary abduction would work.

[8:57] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Looks like we have to stick to sucking humans up in a beam of light.

[9:00] Husband: Lucky for you, we've met our quota of human captives already.

[9:03] Wife: Aha!

[9:04] Wife: So you did abduct those people against their will.

[9:07] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Of course.

[9:08] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Even humans aren't stupid enough to willingly let aliens suck them into a spaceship.

[9:14] Husband: See?

[9:15] Husband: Don't rub it in.

[9:16] Husband: Okay.

[9:17] Husband: It's time for you to go, Xiernon.

[9:20] Husband: So beam your little alien self out of here.

[9:24] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Uh, could I get a lift back?

[9:28] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: I haven't really mastered teleporting yet.

[9:31] Husband: Eminis superior intelligence.

[9:33] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: I promise I won't suck you up in any light beams.

[9:37] Husband: Ah, jeez.

[9:41] Husband: Get in the car.

[9:48] Wife: Hey, let's drop them off, then go home and order some tickets to Cancun.

[9:52] Husband: Or how about tickets to Europe instead?

[9:55] Wife: Awesome.

[9:56] Wife: Oh, come here.

[9:59] Husband: Ugh.

[10:00] Husband: Oh.

[10:00] Wife: Please, do you really have to do this in front of me?

[10:03] Husband: Hey, Grock you, buddy.

[10:05] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Grock me?

[10:07] ”XIERNON FROM GLIXTAR” by Maripat Allen: Grog me?

[10:08] Husband: No, no, no, no, no, no.

[10:09] Husband: Grok you, honey.

[10:10] Wife: Hey!

[10:11] Wife: I said my name is David.

[10:12] Husband: And Grok.

[10:13] Husband: Okay?

[10:14] Husband: Grock no mom.

[10:16] Husband: Grock your whole family.

[10:17] Husband: Get in your rocket.

[10:19] Husband: Get the Grok out of here, alright?

[10:27] Jonathan Cook: That was Xirnon from Glickstar, written by Mary Pat Allen.

[10:31] Jonathan Cook: It was performed by Casey Johnson as the husband, Anissa Cordova as the wife, and Sean Moton as Xiernon.

[10:38] Jonathan Cook: With me now is the writer of the story you just heard. She's a playwright based in Michigan, and her full-length plays, one X and Two Minute Plays have been produced in 11 states and three countries.

[10:49] Jonathan Cook: She also won the Community Theater Association of Michigan Playwriting Award twice with her full-length works, and she's four times published. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Maripat Allen.

[10:59] Jonathan Cook: Maripat, thanks for being here. And how are you?

[11:01] Maripat Allen: Fine. Thank you, Jonathan. It's nice to be here.

[11:04] Jonathan Cook: All right. So you've been writing for quite a while, it seems. Give us a little bit of your background. Just tell us a little bit of everything about you.

[11:13] Maripat Allen: Okay. Well, I got into playwriting about 15 years ago through acting in community theater, which I actually got into kind of late in life in my early 30s. That's later than most actors, I think. I just kind of got hooked. Once I was in a play, I really, you know, I got the acting bug, but I also wanted to write something and didn't for many years. You know, I had young kids and was working and taking on writing a play as daunting as you know. Back then I didn't know about 10-minute plays, so the first thing I ever wrote was a full-length play. Yeah, then I won an award, and so that was kind of validating, and I went from there.

[11:58] Jonathan Cook: All right, and I got a little fun fact for you. Well, I guess it's fun, I don't know, but I was looking through your list of plays on New Play Exchange. I saw that you and I, we both had plays in the same festival just last year. The Crafton Hills College.

[12:16] Maripat Allen: Oh, okay, the New Works Festival.

[12:19] Jonathan Cook: And it was a festival that took place over a couple of weeks, I believe.

[12:22] Maripat Allen: And our plays were called Memento Mori.

[12:27] Jonathan Cook: Oh, yeah, yeah. I liked it very much.

[12:29] Maripat Allen: Yeah.

[12:29] Jonathan Cook: And your play was called Stay. And I guess both our plays performed on different nights, which is probably why we never realized and all that. But I came across that, and I thought that was really cool.

[12:41] Maripat Allen: Yeah, yeah, that is cool.

[12:42] Jonathan Cook: So let's dive into the play that everyone just heard, Xiernon from Glixtar. You know, I really like your approach to this story. You know, at the start, you have the wife character who's just amazed at the experience and enjoying this whole alien contact thing, and then you have the husband who's just terrified and freaking out. And then when Xiernon shows up, things just get really comedic, and it's just a really fun story. So give us a little background on the play, your inspiration, maybe your process for writing and coming up with this idea.

[13:16] Maripat Allen: Okay, well, it actually came from a writing prompt. And the prompt was three people escaping in a car. And I had been talking to my son who's really into UFOs about UFOs, so UFOs were in my brain, and I just had the thought to have a couple find out that they had an alien in the back of their car, and what would happen? And you know how it is, then it just flowed from there.

[13:44] Jonathan Cook: No, when I first read the script, you sent me a version that was already written in the audio play format. You had your sound effect cues written in and all that good stuff. But from what I understand, you also have a stage play version of this script, and it's actually been performed a couple of times from what I saw online. So what was your experience with seeing the stage version of this story?

[14:09] Maripat Allen: Well, it was really fun, and the two versions were very different. Each brings a different element with different directions. So that's always fun to see. But you know, it was fun. It's pretty easy to stage because it's just three people in chairs and you pretend you're in a car. And so yeah, it was very fun, but I think it lends itself well to recording to audio.

[14:36] Jonathan Cook: So I know you said you got it from a prompt, you know, three characters in a car. I've had writers tell me before that writing a car scene for the stage can sometimes be tricky because I guess with the actors, you're kind of limiting their movement; they have to pretend they're in a car the whole time. Did you have any hurdles when writing this or anything like that along the way?

[14:59] Maripat Allen: Yeah, you know, that is an issue. I'm always trying to get some more physical action into my plays because it's really easy to have just two people standing there or sitting there talking. So in this play, you know, they get out of the car a little bit and back in, and it seemed to work in the stage play.

[15:19] Jonathan Cook: Yeah, and there's a lot of, especially in the beginning with the husband freaking out. There's a lot of energy in the dialogue, and I think that really helps when you have two actors who just gotta kind of remain in their chairs the whole time. So yeah, that definitely helped with it. And then, you know, the midway point, they all three get out of the car. So I think that helps as well.

[15:39] Jonathan Cook: Xiernon is farcical, it's funny, very, very comedic, one-liners all over the place. And then the play we talked about earlier, your play called Stay, that's much more of a departure. That's a much more serious play. It's very much a drama. So you've dabbled in quite a few different genres. Is there a particular genre that you're more comfortable with writing? Because you've written comedy, you've written drama, all kinds of other things.

[16:09] Maripat Allen: Yeah, I tend to either go really dark or really light. Not much midway. But yeah, I probably lean toward more comedy. But I really like very serious dramas too. Anything that's, you know, make them laugh or make them cry.

[16:32] Jonathan Cook: There you go. That's my moment. All right. So as a writer that has won awards and been published, what is it that keeps you going, and what advice do you have for other writers to keep them going and keep them motivated?

[16:47] Maripat Allen: Oh gosh. You know, just use anything from life. And you know, I used to resist the idea of prompts, but I've written some pretty decent stuff, including this one from prompts. So be open to that. And you know, anything can really be fodder for material. Of course, I've got billions of ideas, but getting traction on all of them is the hard part.

[17:11] Jonathan Cook: Yeah. Now for the prompts that you use for the short plays you've written based on prompts, where do you mainly go to find those prompts, or do you just kind of come up with something on your own?

[17:21] Maripat Allen: Well, I have a few standard ones. One is, you know, just getting a random line out of any book. One I did from a very serious scientific book about physics and, you know, multiverses and all that. And then, you know, you can just Google playwrighting prompts or writing prompts, and sometimes I've gotten them from other people that have come across them.

[17:56] Jonathan Cook: So I know there's a couple of playwriting groups online that I guess every month they'll post a prompt. And if you're a writer that if you participated, I guess everyone kind of shares their work. I've never written based on a prompt, but maybe I should try that.

[18:14] Maripat Allen: Yeah, it's sometimes it just flows for me, sometimes not, but worth a try.

[18:20] Jonathan Cook: All right. So what do you have coming up as far as play productions or anything creative you're doing that people can come out and support you?

[18:28] Maripat Allen: Well, thanks for asking. In May, I'm having a couple plays shown at the Custom House Maritime Museum in Newburyport, Massachusetts. That's gonna be one called Preparing to Cross, which is a comedy, and another comedy called Five Miles Long, 200 Feet High. That's also a car play, actually. People crossing a bridge. And that one, Five Miles Long, is gonna also be at the Norwich Arts Center in Connecticut in October. So yeah, people are welcome to see those if they're in the area.

[19:11] Jonathan Cook: And where is the best place for people to find you and keep up with you? What's your website? Or do you have any social media or anything like that?

[19:20] Maripat Allen: I so NPX, New Play Exchange is a great place to find my plays. I also have a website, just developed it, MaryPattAllen.com. And Mary Pat is spelled M-A-R-I, P isn't Paul A T one word. So yeah, that's a good place. I'm on Facebook, but not much to be honest. I don't post all that there, so the website is the way to go, or NPX.

[19:47] Jonathan Cook: Thank you for joining me and sharing your funny play with us.

[19:52] Maripat Allen: Thank you.

[19:53] Jonathan Cook: Keep writing, keep creating and all that good stuff you do. And I really hope to have you back on in the future.

[20:01] Maripat Allen: Well, thank you. I'd love to be on in the future. This is really great. It's just a great podcast. I really enjoy. I've listened to all of them, and I really enjoy them.

[20:10] Jonathan Cook: Thank you all for listening. And if you are associated with a theater and you would like to produce the play you heard today on your stage, send an email to gatherbytheghostlight@gmail.com or reach out to the playwright directly by visiting her website, MaryPattAllen.com. If you'd like to have some Gather by the Ghost Light merchandise, t-shirts, and the year one and year two books are available at the merchandise link in the show notes. This program is supported in part by the Greater Augusta Arts Council through a grant from its partner agency, the National Endowment for the Arts. Intro and outro music, as always, is provided by artist JK47. And if you enjoy this podcast, maybe you're a longtime listener, or maybe this is the first episode you've ever heard.

Let us know. Please leave us a rating or a review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And also be sure to follow Gather by the Ghost Light on social media to stay up to date on new episodes. I'm Jonathan Cook, and as always, stay safe, and I'll see you next time. We gather by the ghost lights.