The NPR Unauthorized Cautionary Tales
are a series of short stories using the characters in Victor Stabin’s ABC book, Daedal Doodle. In each tale our protagonist listens to the radio, specifically NPR, and their story is largely affected by whatever it is they are listening to; be it an interview, news program, talk show, etc.
Though started by Victor, these tales have been crafted by an array of authors such as WNYC archivist Andy Lanset, artist Marshall Arisman and writer Tad Crawford. Due to the variety of sources there is a certain amount of artistic freedom given, but there are a few guidelines that have been followed by all. To start, the tales generally hover around the 800 word mark. Also, as previously mentioned, the radio is a key component of each story. The specific program that the story’s protagonist listens to is up to each writer but must fall within the standards of NPR‘s programming and feature the Quodlibetical Quahog, aka The Chatty clam, as the broadcaster. Lastly, since the characters in the story are derived from Daedal Doodle, their traits should as well be taken from the book.
For more guidance, find examples of the Cautionary Tales here.
If you are interested in contributing, simply follow the above parameters, then e-mail us your story.
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