Family Ghosts · WALT FM

Unwell: A Midwestern Gothic Mystery

February 25, 2021·56 min·5 clips
Sam Dingman reveals how the podcast Unwell explores family ghosts through a Midwestern boarding house mystery.
Sam Dingman hosts an episode of Family Ghosts featuring the podcast Unwell, exploring themes of family, memory, and the supernatural in a Midwestern setting. He interviews co-creator Jeffrey Nils Gardner about balancing mythic elements with emotional realism, inclusivity, and the importance of found family.

As heard by us

A comic-strip penguin becomes a tender meditation on awkwardness, comfort, and recognition.

Sam Dingman turns a small premise into something with real emotional reach. He notes that the only tattoo he has ever considered is Opus the Penguin, and from there Bloom County becomes a way back into teenage awkwardness, self-consciousness, and the odd comfort of seeing…

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Why you'd press play

For when a penguin comic becomes a quiet story about feeling understood.

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