1. Despedida The deconstruction of a wild familyCapricious and crusted with age These unfamiliar crimes Chime with every scrunch of the body My daddy is dyingNo flowery words of comfortWill dull that painLet this be a lesson to youBe afraid, hide away and say goodbyeA bittersweet farewell – despedida Carve the canyons in the shape…

Hi there, welcome to season 3 of Raconteuse Radio! This is your host, Guilliean Pacheco, checking in from a very, very cold Las Vegas. I wanted to introduce season 3 as something special. I’m calling the season: “Murder Ballads for the Dearly Departed,” and the season is dedicated to my father, Daniel Pacheco, who passed…

Well, well, well, we meet again. You may be wondering about the unnaturally long hiatus and why I was gone with nary a goodbye. The grief remains raw, but my father, the OG superhero of my life, passed away in April of 2022, the year I recorded this brief minisode. Sometimes it feels like I’ve…

The first time I had a transformative bowl of killer ramen was the day after my first date with my boyfriend. Being American, all I knew was Maruchan; however, my genetic disposition for heart disease put the swift kibosh on that. But at its core, I knew ramen was soup. I was raised on soups…

News Flash: ‘The nation of Effra has announced that they will now be using pigs as money’ The Eastern European nation of Effra has announced the passing of legislation to use pigs as their national currency. When asked, farmer Bashkim Karafil wholeheartedly agreed with the government’s decision. Our British correspondent Brian Jones reports, “We do…

The fried chicken clucked in Mr. Jackson’s stomach as he strode away from his forever home. He got five doors down before the day’s heat shot through his ragged trainers. His mind tumbled towards one of his favorite memories: his military career. His last duty station was Nellis. He and Mrs. Jackson decided to remain…

It was the same room as yesterday. The day before that, the day before that. One single-paned window provided natural light. The sounds of a neural concept of the natural world She had plugged into her mind contributed background music. No furniture. Amenities were nonexistent. Does having a toilet count as an amenity? It wasn’t…

Okay, so you think you know my story, right? You think you know, but you have no idea. You see the stuff I post on social media that makes it look like I run this town. Couldn’t be further from the truth. Having my 4,345,187 followers on Twitter looks really good on paper. Like really.…

Miriam woke up with a start. The bedsprings squeaked as she yawned. The haze of sleep guided her eyes to Agnes. The bottle blonde slipped on her black cotton top, blinking at her phone. 5:15 AM. The ripples of Agnes’ muscles sent a jolt of fire into her belly. “Leaving already?” “I figured I’d get…

My name wasn’t always Mary. A Biblical name, the cross that we bear that is entwined with that female epithet, the feminine sanguinity that spills with every moon’s phase. It was gifted to me. I don’t know where it begins. It always was. I’m unsure of my real name. So many years have passed, and…