In this Episode we are featuring an AI story about Autumn. The Magic of Autumn tells the stale of Sammy the squirrel and his friends Bella and Ollie as they welcome in the changes in the forest at Autumn. Read by Myron Hieronymous Thomas.

It's the Halloween season, the time when things go bump in the night and spirits appear to manifest themselves in the strangest locations. And with that in mind, we present some classic stories that have become synonymous with the season. In this episode we feature the classic story Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" often referred to as "The Headless Horseman" from the original manuscript with minimal editing. Read by Myron Hieronymous Thomas.

Welcome to the Radio Reading Room, Stories of Americana Podcast, Special, Halloween Classics. It's that time of year when we conjure up images of ghosts and goblins and things that go bump in the night. In this episode we feature the classic Edgar Allen Poe Story, The Masque of the Red Death. "The Masque of the Red Death," first published in 1842, follows Prince Prospero, who seeks to avoid a devastating plague known as the Red Death by secluding himself and a thousand of his wealthy friends in a fortified abbey. The Red Death is characterized by gruesome symptoms, including sharp pains, dizziness, and profuse bleeding, leading to death within half an hour of infection. To distract themselves from the horrors outside, Prospero and his guests indulge in a lavish masquerade ball, held in a series of seven rooms, each decorated in a different color. The final room, however, is draped in black and illuminated by a scarlet light, creating a foreboding atmosphere. As the festivities continue, a mysterious figure appears, dressed as a victim of the Red Death. Read by Myron Hieronymous Thomas.

In this episode, we'll continue with some of the writings of the master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe. Poe himself said that the short stories were his way of making an income, but his true love was poetry. And what better poem at this time of year than that of The Raven? Read by Myron Hieronymous Thomas

In this episode we continue with our Halloween theme with a classic tale by Mark Twain. Twain's humor comes forth in this 1870s story, A Ghost Story, also known as a Ghost's Tale. The story first appeared in the publication Sketches New and Old. It's based on the infamous 19th century hoax of the Cardiff Giant. tale Twain's humor comes forth in this 1870s story, A Ghost Story, also known as a Ghost's Tale. It's based on the infamous 19th century hoax of the Cardiff Giant. The Cardiff Giant was the creation of a wealthy New York tobacconist named George Hall. Hall was a self-described atheist who decided to create the giant after a debate at a Methodist revival with a Methodist minister regarding that the Bible should be taken literally. He presented the passage in Genesis 6:4 stating that there were giants who once lived on the earth and asked, should this be taken literally? Read by Myron Hieronymous Thomas.

In this episode, we return to the early 20th century for a classic story by O. Henry, The Furnished Room, a grim, short narration by O. Henry, which was published in fragments in 1904. Later, in 1906, it was collected as one whole piece in his The Four Million copy. Read by Myron Hieronymous Thomas

In this episode, we feature a story written by Myron Hieronymous Thomas based on an old urban legend campfire story. It's called The Ghost with the Two White Eyes. Read by Myron Hieronymous Thomas,

In our next few episodes, we'll be presenting some stories that invoke the Thanksgiving spirit, beginning with one of James Baldwin's short stories. James Arthur Baldwin was born August 2, 1924, and died December 1, 1987. He was an American novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, and activist. His essays, collected in Notes of a Native Son in 1955, explore intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in the Western society of the United States during the mid-20th century. On a lighter vein, he penned this short Thanksgiving story. It's called Why He Carried the Turkey. Read by Myron Hieronymous Thomas.