Mur Lafferty
Encyclopedia
Mur Lafferty is an American
podcaster and writer
based in Durham, North Carolina
. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
and graduated with a degree in English. She is the editor and host of Escape Pod
since 2010, when she took over from Steve Eley
. She is also the host and creator of the podcasts Geek Fu Action Grip (on hiatus) and I Should Be Writing. She was, until July 2007, the host and co-editor of Pseudopod
.
and her uncomfortable crushes on the hosts of her child's TV shows like Steve Burns
, and expanded to discussions of games, movies and television shows. In later episodes she began podcasting her fiction, in particular her serialized novels Heaven and Heaven Part 2: Hell. The show has been put on indefinite hold as of episode 103.
These essays also led to her becoming an early contributor to Michael and Evo's Wingin' It
, a sci-fi variety show podcast hosted by Michael R. Mennenga
and Evo Terra
. While she is no longer a regular, she did step in to produce an essay during their 2006 Dragon*Con show that is considered one of her best.
I Should Be Writing won the 2007 Parsec Award
for Best Writing Podcast.
. While Escape Pod focuses on science fiction, Pseudopod
is a horror podcast. Together with co-editor Ben Phillips and publisher Steve Eley, she presents "the best in audio horror." As of July 2007 Lafferty has stepped down as co-editor.
and Cory Doctorow
.
and Tracy Hickman
, founded the Parsec Awards
, an awards show for the best in science fiction podcasting.
, Knights of the Dinner Table
, Anime Insider
, Games Quarterly, and The Escapist
. Her popular podcast novel
Playing For Keeps was published by Swarm Press on August 25, 2008.
She has also written essays for the online magazine Grumble, many of which have ended up on Geek Fu Action Grip.
She has had fiction published in Hub
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
podcaster and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
based in Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
and graduated with a degree in English. She is the editor and host of Escape Pod
Escape Pod (podcast)
Escape Pod is a magazine-style podcast launched on 12 May 2005 which presents stories in the genre of science fiction. It has been called "the world's leading science fiction podcast". Until his retirement in May 2010, the podcast was hosted by founder Steve Eley and edited by Jeremiah Tolbert...
since 2010, when she took over from Steve Eley
Steve Eley
Steve Eley is an American speculative fiction author and former podcaster. He edited and produced Escape Pod, a science fiction podcast, and produced Pseudopod, a horror podcast, and PodCastle, a fantasy fiction podcast that debuted on April 1, 2008...
. She is also the host and creator of the podcasts Geek Fu Action Grip (on hiatus) and I Should Be Writing. She was, until July 2007, the host and co-editor of Pseudopod
Pseudopod (podcast)
Pseudopod is a podcast launched on 11 August 2006 which presents horror genre short stories. It is part of Escape Artists, Inc. which also podcasts Escape Pod and PodCastle. Pseudopod is currently edited by Shawn M. Garrett and hosted by Alasdair Stuart...
.
Geek Fu Action Grip
Lafferty was first introduced to podcasting in October 2004 by a friend, and she immediately seized on it as an opportunity for publishing her essays on geekdom. This led to her first podcast, Geek Fu Action Grip, which launched in December 2004. It consisted of her thoughts for the week and then a reading of one of her essays. Early topics included her obsession with Alton BrownAlton Brown
Alton Crawford Brown is an American television personality, author, actor, and cinematographer. He is the creator and host of the Food Network television show Good Eats and the mini-series Feasting on Asphalt and Feasting on Waves, and he is the host and main commentator on Iron Chef America...
and her uncomfortable crushes on the hosts of her child's TV shows like Steve Burns
Steve Burns
Steven Michael "Steve" Burns is an American entertainer. He is best known as the original host of the long-running children's television program Blue's Clues.-Early career:...
, and expanded to discussions of games, movies and television shows. In later episodes she began podcasting her fiction, in particular her serialized novels Heaven and Heaven Part 2: Hell. The show has been put on indefinite hold as of episode 103.
These essays also led to her becoming an early contributor to Michael and Evo's Wingin' It
Wingin' It
Wingin' It is a Canadian teen sitcom airing on Family; the series is produced by Temple Street Productions in association with Family. It stars Demetrius Joyette and Dylan Everett. It also includes guest-stars from other Family Channel shows such as The Latest Buzz...
, a sci-fi variety show podcast hosted by Michael R. Mennenga
Michael R. Mennenga
Michael R. Mennenga founded FarPoint Media in early 2006 and currently serves as its President, COO, and primary audio engineer. In addition, Michael is a co-host of the “Slice of SciFi” and “The Dragon Page Cover to Cover” podcasts, and contributor to many other Farpoint Programs.Michael’s...
and Evo Terra
Evo Terra
Evo Terra is an American podcaster, writer and businessman based in Arizona.Evo Terra founded Podiobooks.com in 2004, an audiobook service that uses podcasting technology to distribute serialized versions of novels, non-fiction books, anthologies and short story collections.In 2005, Terra was a...
. While she is no longer a regular, she did step in to produce an essay during their 2006 Dragon*Con show that is considered one of her best.
I Should Be Writing
Lafferty's second podcast was formed from her desire to share her experiences as a struggling fiction writer. I Should Be Writing is self-described as "a podcast for wanna-be fiction writers, by a wanna-be fiction writer." Each show covers a specific topic about working your way through the publishing market, from producing queries, cover letters and seeking out agents. This is interspersed with interviews with published professionals, often covering topics from previous shows.I Should Be Writing won the 2007 Parsec Award
Parsec Awards
The Parsec Awards are a set of annual awards created to recognize excellence in science fiction podcasts and podcast novels. The awards were created by Mur Lafferty, Tracy Hickman and Michael R. Mennenga and awarded by FarPoint Media...
for Best Writing Podcast.
Pseudopod
Lafferty's third podcast is a spin-off of the weekly podcast magazine Escape PodEscape Pod (podcast)
Escape Pod is a magazine-style podcast launched on 12 May 2005 which presents stories in the genre of science fiction. It has been called "the world's leading science fiction podcast". Until his retirement in May 2010, the podcast was hosted by founder Steve Eley and edited by Jeremiah Tolbert...
. While Escape Pod focuses on science fiction, Pseudopod
Pseudopod (podcast)
Pseudopod is a podcast launched on 11 August 2006 which presents horror genre short stories. It is part of Escape Artists, Inc. which also podcasts Escape Pod and PodCastle. Pseudopod is currently edited by Shawn M. Garrett and hosted by Alasdair Stuart...
is a horror podcast. Together with co-editor Ben Phillips and publisher Steve Eley, she presents "the best in audio horror." As of July 2007 Lafferty has stepped down as co-editor.
Geek Fu Morning Show
Lafferty returned to the Geek Fu world on August 24, 2007, with long-time friend and fellow pod caster Jason Adams by pod casting the Geek Fu morning show on the Geek Fu Action Grip feed. The new podcast is heralded as a morning show for geeks that can be recorded at any time of the day and listened to at any time of the day. The show regularly features updates on the host's lives, commentary on issues of interest and suggestions taken from listeners via twitter.Voices: New Media Fiction
In early 2006, Lafferty edited and published Voices: New Media Fiction through podiobooks.com. This is an anthology of short fiction, podcasted by the authors, and featuring such contributors as James Patrick KellyJames Patrick Kelly
James Patrick Kelly is an American science fiction author who began publishing in the 1970s and remains to this day an important figure in the science fiction field....
and Cory Doctorow
Cory Doctorow
Cory Efram Doctorow is a Canadian-British blogger, journalist, and science fiction author who serves as co-editor of the blog Boing Boing. He is an activist in favour of liberalising copyright laws and a proponent of the Creative Commons organization, using some of their licences for his books...
.
Escape Pod
In the Escape Pod Metacast 5, published May 6, 2010, Steve Eley announced that Lafferty would be taking over as the producer and general director of Escape Pod, and of Escape Artists, Inc., starting after the May 12, 2010 Fifth Anniversary podcast, which would also be the last one from Steve Eley.The Parsec Awards
In September 2006, Lafferty, along with Michael R. MennengaMichael R. Mennenga
Michael R. Mennenga founded FarPoint Media in early 2006 and currently serves as its President, COO, and primary audio engineer. In addition, Michael is a co-host of the “Slice of SciFi” and “The Dragon Page Cover to Cover” podcasts, and contributor to many other Farpoint Programs.Michael’s...
and Tracy Hickman
Tracy Hickman
Tracy Raye Hickman is a best-selling fantasy author, best known for his work on Dragonlance as a game designer and co-author with Margaret Weis, while he worked for TSR...
, founded the Parsec Awards
Parsec Awards
The Parsec Awards are a set of annual awards created to recognize excellence in science fiction podcasts and podcast novels. The awards were created by Mur Lafferty, Tracy Hickman and Michael R. Mennenga and awarded by FarPoint Media...
, an awards show for the best in science fiction podcasting.
Awards and honors
- Member of the Podcast PicklePodcast PicklePodcast Pickle, launched in March 2005 by Gary Leland, is both a podcast/vidcast directory and community. Time Magazine listed it as one of its 50 "coolest" sites in August, 2006..Winner in The Best Podcast Directory Category, of the 2007 Podcast Peer Awards. More than 12,000 podcasts and vidcasts...
Hall of Fame - One of the Top Ten Savvy Women in Podcasting, 2006
- Tricks of the Podcasting Masters was named one of the top reference books for 2006 by Amazon.com.
- 2007 Parsec Award for Best Writing Podcast
Writing
Lafferty has also worked as a freelance writer. Her early career began with her writing for White Wolf and other role playing game companies, and she has expanded to writing about games for such publications as ScryeScrye
SCRYE is a discontinued gaming magazine that was published from 1994 to 2009. It was the longest-running periodical to have ever reported on the collectible card game hobby. It was also the leading print resource for secondary-market prices on Magic: The Gathering...
, Knights of the Dinner Table
Knights of the Dinner Table
Knights of the Dinner Table is a comic book/strip created by Jolly R. Blackburn and published by Kenzer & Company. It primarily focuses on a group of role playing gamers and their actions at the gaming table, which often result in unfortunate, but humorous consequences in the game...
, Anime Insider
Anime Insider
Anime Insider was a monthly magazine published by Wizard Entertainment, consisting of news and entertainment pieces relating to the Japanese anime and manga subculture....
, Games Quarterly, and The Escapist
The Escapist (magazine)
The Escapist is an online magazine covering video games, gamers, the gaming industry, and gaming culture. Published by the Themis Group, it was edited by Julianne Greer up to June 30, 2009, then by Russ Pitts through September 2011, and is currently edited by Steve Butts. The Escapist was first...
. Her popular podcast novel
Podcast novel
The Podcast Novel is a literary format that combines the concepts of a podcast and an audiobook. Like a traditional novel, a podcast novel is a work of long literary fiction, however this form of novel is recorded into episodes that are delivered over the Internet, usually on a regular basis...
Playing For Keeps was published by Swarm Press on August 25, 2008.
She has also written essays for the online magazine Grumble, many of which have ended up on Geek Fu Action Grip.
She has had fiction published in Hub
Hub (magazine)
Hub is a UK based, online, speculative fiction magazine. It is published in PDF and mobipocket format. Each issue contains one or two stories, and a range of reviews and other articles...
.
Books
- D20 Fright Night Haunted School, Hogshead Publishing 2004 ASIN B000RI8HFA
- Tricks of the Podcasting Masters (with Robert Walch) Que 2006 ISBN 0789735741
- Lessons From a Geek Fu Master, Lulu 2006
- Heaven - Season One, Podiobooks.com 2006 http://www.podiobooks.com/podiobooks/book.php?ID=97
- Heaven - Season Two: Hell, Podiobooks.com 2007 http://www.podiobooks.com/podiobooks/book.php?ID=112
- Heaven - Season Three: Earth, Podiobooks.com 2007 http://www.podiobooks.com/title/heaven-season-three-earth/
- Heaven - Season Four: Wasteland, Podiobooks.com 2007 http://www.podiobooks.com/title/heaven-season-four-wasteland/
- Heaven - Season Five: War, Podiobooks.com 2009 http://www.podiobooks.com/title/heaven-season-five-war/
- Playing for Keeps, Podiobooks.com 2007 http://www.podiobooks.com/title/playing-for-keeps
- Playing for Keeps, Swarm Press 2008