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Worlds Within

Worlds Within

By: Alyssa Curtis & Ash Christine
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About this listen

Welcome to Worlds Within — where story becomes space.


Every episode we explore fictional worlds that don’t just live on the page—they pull you in, build themselves around you, and let you wander through them.


This is a podcast for readers who don’t just love books—they live in them. We dive deep into sensory storytelling, character perspectives, and the world-building mechanics that turn fiction into a fully immersive experience.


© 2026 Worlds Within Art Literary History & Criticism
Episodes
  • Old Tales, a Winter King, and How Folklore is Treated as Truth: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

    Old Tales, a Winter King, and How Folklore is Treated as Truth: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
    Feb 10 2026

    Here Katherine Arden doesn’t invent a new world, she adds to a real one. We unpack how Russian history, Slavic folklore, and the tension of forgetting vs. remembering work together to ground the magic, why spirits feel natural rather than fantastical, and how winter and neglect slowly reshape the world as old stories fade.

    Follow us wherever you get your podcasts, and if you loved this episode, leave a review — it helps new listeners find our worlds!

    For sensory guides and more bookish content, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @worlds.within.pod on both

    Hosted by Alyssa Curtis & Ash Christine. Theme song by Magiksolo. Recording studio provided by Garden Groove

    Until next time, keep wandering - we'll see you in the next world!
    Show More Show Less
    47 mins
  • Fairy Lore, Academia, and Danger in Cozy Fantasy: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

    Fairy Lore, Academia, and Danger in Cozy Fantasy: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
    Jan 27 2026

    Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries builds its world through scholarship rather than spectacle. We unpack how academic field notes, footnotes, and lived research create immersion, why the magic feels trustworthy without being over-explained, and how winter and locality anchor the Folk in a world that feels both vast yet intimate.


    Follow us wherever you get your podcasts, and if you loved this episode, leave a review — it helps new listeners find our worlds!

    For sensory guides and more bookish content, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @worlds.within.pod on both

    Hosted by Alyssa Curtis & Ash Christine. Theme song by Magiksolo. Recording studio provided by Garden Groove

    Until next time, keep wandering - we'll see you in the next world!
    Show More Show Less
    56 mins
  • Alchemy, Fae Warriors, and A Shallow World: Quicksilver by Callie Hart

    Alchemy, Fae Warriors, and A Shallow World: Quicksilver by Callie Hart
    Jan 13 2026

    Quicksilver throws everything into the worldbuilding soup…fae, vampires, gods, oaths, shadow magic, portals…and not all of it holds. In this episode, we unpack where the world feels too wide to stay immersive, and why the story finally clicks when it narrows its focus to alchemy, Quicksilver, and the forge.

    Follow us wherever you get your podcasts, and if you loved this episode, leave a review — it helps new listeners find our worlds!

    For sensory guides and more bookish content, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @worlds.within.pod on both

    Hosted by Alyssa Curtis & Ash Christine. Theme song by Magiksolo. Recording studio provided by Garden Groove

    Until next time, keep wandering - we'll see you in the next world!
    Show More Show Less
    46 mins
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