Podcaster Profiles: Luna Alexander - Creativity Unleashed

Let's start giving you an insight into indie podcast producer, writer, and actor Luna Alexander by telling you about her current project.  The Inn At The End Of Things.

Luna tells us:
"The Inn was built from a few places and inspirations. A couple of years ago, through the end of the pandemic, I had a health scare when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Turns out, the cocktail of meds I was on exaggerated my insomnia to some ridiculous levels. I kept thinking about how many other folks were probably burning the midnight oil with me and the damage we were all doing to our retinas and peace by scrolling through our screens. I set a few boundaries for myself. For example, my phone and TV are no longer allowed to be involved with the first or last part of my day, and I started diving back into books again. Reclaiming my inner library kid was very empowering, and I kept feeling my grandmothers’ presence around me during that time, keeping me company through the long nights."

Luna Alexander would not be the first indie podcaster to conceive and develop a podcast in response to a life crisis. Yet, her creation makes the harsh world a bit more tolerable.

 

Luna explains: "I thought: wouldn’t it be beautiful if they’d had a little bed and breakfast they ran together where everyone was welcome, everyone belonged, and they could pass on their wisdom with the stories they could tell their guests? A little place of calm where they could pass along doses of good medicine to send folks off to their dream spaces, helping them heal. So the Keeper was born from both my grans rolled into one: loving, endlessly curious, no-nonsense but eternally playful women who were never too busy for a sit and a chat at the kitchen table."

 

It was then that T. Luna Alexander became the creator/host of The Inn At The End Of Things.  The show is a Sleep Theatre podcast designed to help the listener find rest, and guide audiences gently to their dreamspaces is a citadel of imaginative fervor.

 Hosted by the Inn’s Keeper, each listener is guided through simple meditations, adventures, and soundscapes. You'll meet the other residents and guests of the Inn, who share tales gathered from around the world. These tales are equipped with empowering archetypes and timeless themes, allowing the listener to reach full relaxation before falling asleep.

Luna is a writer, director, teacher, and performing artist from Michigan. Earning her BA from Eastern Michigan University in Theatre Arts, she has spent the last fifteen years working in storytelling, educational consulting and theatre arts for the young.

Her background in theater and education has fueled her passion for learning through play and applying the rules of improv to everyday life. She never earned a personal pan pizza for all the books she read as a kid, but now she’s old enough to see that maybe the personal pan pizzas were actually the friends we made along the way. She lives in Ferndale, Michigan, and is very grateful to her family, her sweet John, and Finn the Dog for their patience with her insomnia. 

Luna shares his childhood memories: "I’m a Michigan native, born and raised in Ann Arbor. I spent many summers in Texas with my dad’s side of the family. 

"I graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2013 with my BA in Theatre & a Minor in Communication." 

"I spent the next several years living and working in and around Detroit, where I immersed myself in its rich theatre community. I currently live in Ferndale with my spouse, John, and Finn, our ShihPoo pup."

When we asked if she always wanted to be a podcaster, she chuckles and answers: "I didn’t specifically dream of being a podcaster from the cradle, but I did grow up with a lot of radio plays, books on tape and old radio shows as part of my childhood. With the Ann Arbor public library close by, we would devour hours of old radio shows like The Shadow, Gunsmoke, or Redwall. When I was 12, we drove to Texas one summer, listening to the BBC’s production of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and that has always remained in my heart as a formative four-day trip, listening to an immersive story that let my imagination run wild."

 Luna's podcast,​ The Inn At The End Of Things, is produced by Acorn Arts And Entertainment, which is owned by Michael and Josie Herman.

The company also produces superb audio fiction podcasts, including "The Call of the Void," a fully immersive, three-season science-fiction/mystery podcast set on the bustling streets of New Orleans. The couple also developed Silvertongues, a high-quality sci-fi audio drama that boasts a sonic palette worthy of a million-dollar production.

Luna explains the connection with Acorn and The Hermans.

"I got to meet the Hermans at Eastern Michigan, where we attended college. I was a senior as they started, and our paths crossed over a couple of shows and crews. A favorite was the Dead Gallery- an annual Halloween fundraiser we would put on in the (then) Sponberg theatre. I was grateful to be part of the crew that resurrected it after a few years, and then pretty sure Michael and Josie’s year kept it going for a while after that."

Luna continues: "During the worst of the pandemic, I got hooked on their Lovecraftian podcast Call of the Void and fell in love with the world (and hearing many pals and fellow actors find a way to keep making art during the plague!) so a couple of years later when the Inn idea took off, they were the first ones I reached out to."

When asked about working with The Hermans on The Inn At The End Of Things, Luna enthusiastically answers:

"Oh man, I love working with these two! It’s like playing an ongoing improv game of Yes. Their love of crafting stories with Michigan talent is infectious, and it’s been a blast to explore this whimsical world with the two of them."

When we asked about the source of Luna's creativity, she responded: "Yes, these scripts have been gifted to me through some muse I’ll have to thank if we ever get the chance to meet. Two very special episodes were written and provided by Josie and Michael.  I set myself the task of writing 13 stories, which seemed like the right lucky number, about six months before we started production. I figured that each room in this magical place would have a pretty interesting guest, and so I started by asking myself who would be in these rooms, and what’s their untold tale? I grew up watching Shelley Duvall’s Fairy Tale Theatre, Mr. Rogers, and Wishbone, so I knew I wanted to host as many talented Michigan actors as possible to tell these stories and bring them to life."

Here's a sample of the latest episode of The Inn At The End Of Things from May 2.  It is Chapter Ten. "It is a good thing to share light, and shadows, with a friend who can see with more than their eyes. In the deepest room of The Inn, we meet Sitka, a mysterious voice in the dark, who shares a warm light and tells the tale of The Rough Face Girl." 

In Chapter seven, "a rumbling Thunderstorm at the Inn. The Keeper introduces us to Arlyn, the laundress for the Inn.  She takes us up to the Grand Ballroom, tucked away in the broom closet on the 4th floor, reserved for guests from the Irrational Realms. We meet the visiting ghost of the Ballroom, the Duchess von Dallion.  She tells us the story of how Brer Rabbit tricked the Family with the race he set up between Cousin Dust and Cousin Rain. We are reminded that it’s always a good idea to prepare, no matter the weather. The Duchess gently reminds us of our worth and helps us fill out a dance card with our own destiny."

The podcast is a sonic portal to that half-world between consciousness and sleep. It is a universe wonderfully crafted by T. Luna Alexander.

Luna talks about her sonic signature: "I am also the audio designer and editor for all the episodes, although thank god for Josie and Michael tweaking the levels and adding technical suggestions with their experience and know-how. Pretty much been making it up as I go on Audacity, mostly because I didn’t know enough to talk myself out of it. And a quick shoutout to all the creators/contributors who put so much time into posting free sound clips, music, and effects online- this show wouldn’t exist without them!" 

Luna shares her love of podcasting: "Part of the joy of creating this podcast has been creating the same corner of calm behind the scenes for our actors as we do for our listeners. So, sessions usually take place with a pot of tea and some blankets in our home studios/living rooms around the mic."

Luna remembers fondly that The Inn At The End Of Things germinated from these comments: "As we were still in lockdown, I kept reading through the comments of folks wanting a little corner of calm in their lives. There was one girl who tweeted (when we still did that sort of thing) that all she wanted was more adventures of the little hobbit folk from The Prancing Pony or Hobbiton - not the big adventures from The Lord of the Rings, just the low-stakes little adventures that happen in peaceful places."

 

Luna reflects, "I guess this show is for her and the thousands of people who agreed with her."
What does Luna enjoy beyond podcasting?

"I’m a huge fan of science fiction, graphic novels, comics, and 19th-century horror. Also, a big history podcast nerd, working my way through Revolutions and Noble Blood in my free time these days."

Luna also gives us an exclusive: "We’re starting to cook up season two as we speak!"

The Inn At The End Of Things serves as proof that indie podcasting is wildly creative, responsive to listeners' needs, able to surprise, and chock-full of young, ingenious, unspired, and visionary people.

We will end with advice from Luna Alexander, who urges listeners to:  "Come in, kick off the overstimulated pressures of a hyper-visualized world, and embrace the rest and wisdom offered by traditional folklore and cozy moments in...The Inn At The End Of Things."