Imaginary Oklahoma

KOSU
  • 4.2 (10)
  • FICTION

What do you think of when you hear the word Oklahoma? A new podcast from KOSU, AIR and This Land Press offers a fictional take on the 46th state. From Franz Kafka to Rodgers and Hammerstein, writers both foreign and domestic have been speculating about Oklahoma for more than a century. Oklahoma is more than a place, it’s an idea. The new audio series, based on the book Imaginary Oklahoma from This Land Press, offers a complex picture of the pan-shaped land through a simple, ghostly narrative.

Episodes

  1. The Violinist

    06/16/2020

    The Violinist

    When life seems to speed up, one man's world slows down as he learns to appreciate life in the big city. The Violinist by Emily St. John Mandel tells the story of how one man copes with loss and loneliness.

    7 min
  2. Of All Places

    06/09/2020

    Of All Places

    Imaginary Oklahoma is an ongoing project in which some of today’s most important and influential writers combine with artists to provide a fictional take on this place we call home. Through a wide variety of voices, styles and literary devices, these works prove that “Oklahoma” is much more than a place, it’s an idea.

    5 min
  3. Drinking Games

    06/02/2020

    Drinking Games

    What happens when Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas walk into a bar? Drinking Games author Carolyn Parkhurst wanted these three states to come clean during one of America's oldest past times.

    4 min
  4. Rest Stop

    05/26/2020

    Rest Stop

    A confrontation over a locked bathroom leads one rest stop employee to contemplate some of life's biggest questions including what can keep people anywhere when all they want is to keep moving? This story is read by Tulsa Artist Fellow Liz Blood.

    6 min
  5. Stillwater

    05/19/2020

    Stillwater

    Stillwater is a ghost story about someone who doesn't know they're dead. This short piece of fiction about Sooner Lake by Matt Bondurant asks: how do we reconcile with our own mortality? What will I represent to people in my life when I die?

    6 min
  6. The Tigers of the Oklahoma Pool Halls

    05/12/2020

    The Tigers of the Oklahoma Pool Halls

    Tigers of the Oklahoma Pool Hall by Tupelo Hassman isn't a story about tigers. It's about how we know and see each other. "When I wrote the Tigers of the Oklahoma Pool Halls, I was thinking about how we are all the same., but when we look at each other through cognitive or emotional dissonance, we are terrified."

    5 min
  7. Tom Mix

    05/05/2020

    Tom Mix

    Author John Crowley never visited Oklahoma as a child, but his family did stop at many roadside attractions around the U.S. on their frequent road trips. This short fiction story imagines such an excursion, and was inspired by the actual Tom Mix Museum in Dewey, OK.

    4 min

  8. 04/13/2020

    Coming Soon

    Imaginary Oklahoma, coming soon.

    1 min

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

4.2
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

What do you think of when you hear the word Oklahoma? A new podcast from KOSU, AIR and This Land Press offers a fictional take on the 46th state. From Franz Kafka to Rodgers and Hammerstein, writers both foreign and domestic have been speculating about Oklahoma for more than a century. Oklahoma is more than a place, it’s an idea. The new audio series, based on the book Imaginary Oklahoma from This Land Press, offers a complex picture of the pan-shaped land through a simple, ghostly narrative.

Information

  • Channel
    KOSU
  • Creator
    KOSU
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 KOSU Radio
  • Show Website
    Imaginary Oklahoma

More From KOSU