Unfortunately, due to issues with the internet at my student accommodation the recording of the interview with robin was lost, luckily they were kind enough to send me the written answers to their questions.
Robin is the creator of the audio drama ‘Seren‘, a dystopian sci-fi podcast in which they also star, write, and produce. I had interacted with Robin before, they were one of the first to talk about my own podcast, marvelling at another welsh creator. This was my first time talking to them and it was unfortunately cut short, however I did enjoy what time we did have
- What was it that drew you to audio drama as a medium for telling your story?
I think it really came from listening to audio drama and realising that I could use it as a way to tell a story. By the time I started writing Seren I’d been listening to fiction podcasts for nearly two years – and a lot of them! And I knew that I could use audio to tell the story, even though it would mean having to learn a lot of new skills. I hadn’t tried publishing anything else through any other medium, but I knew that I would have control over the creation and be able to put it out to the world myself, just by uploading a file to a website.
- Had you ever considered going via a different medium to tell your story, why did you not end up going with that?
No, I’d never thought about using a different medium, it was really the accessibility of audio that made me realise I could put my story out into the world. I’m not even sure I would’ve had the idea otherwise, it’s very much tied in with my love of listening to fiction podcasts.
- The major assumption in this essay is that the AD community is very rich in members of the community, would you agree with this?
Definitely. The vast majority of friends and people I talk to in the community are queer, nearly all of them. And so many people I follow on Twitter are too, both creators and fans.
- If you had to attribute a reason as to why the AD community is seemingly so Queer, what would you say that would be?
I think it started off with queer people seeing it as a way that they could tell their stories, without anyone telling them that they couldn’t tell queer stories or wanting to change them. It’s a more accessible medium, which also allows you to have full control over your creation. Then the more queer people there are, the more queer people it’s going to attract. Fans and potential creators are going to see that it’s a safe space for queer folks, that they can listen to stories about queer folks by queer folks, and that then attracts others. Queerness in the community is much more “normalised” compared to the world in general, even the Western world, and it allows folks to create queer stories without the fear of judgement.
- What does it mean to you to have Queer rep. In AD?
Firstly, it means that I can finally see people like me. I’m demisexual, and the first ace representation I’d ever seen was in a fiction podcast (ars PARADOXICA), and I remember how huge that felt to me, I’d never seen anything like it before. It means that I have a space to be comfortable to accept and explore my sexuality and gender, which I wouldn’t have otherwise, and to talk to other folks who have had similar experiences. Being in this community has helped me so much in understanding who I am, and I’m very grateful to have this space.
- Do you feel there are any groups that are underrepresented in the Modern Audio Drama community? Why do you think that might be? From my experience, the AD community is very white, especially in the UK. This could be tied in to ‘traditional’ audio drama, even I didn’t listen to BBC radio drama growing up, it was too English and middle class, it wasn’t something I thought I could relate to. Even though audio drama is seen to have a low barrier to entry, there are still barriers, especially to folks from marginalised backgrounds. There aren’t many working class folks either, the UK community is very middle class. You still need a certain amount of money to get started, even if you’re going to be operating on a shoestring. And not only money, but time, which is going to be more difficult if you’re working lower-paid jobs.
- How welcome do you feel in Audio Drama?
Generally I’ve felt welcome, and a lot of people have been very supportive, but there are some who have made me feel very unwelcome. I feel like my lack of formal education/training is a barrier, and I do often feel like I don’t fit in because of this, or that the work I do isn’t up to scratch. It’s difficult when so many come to the medium because they have some kind of relevant training, and it was a natural move for them because of the relevant ease of getting into the medium, and feeling like you have to meet the same standards if you’re self-taught or you’ll be criticised harshly.