About The Podcast
The Dispatch.ist (from the city of Dis, capital of Dante’s underworld*) is a light and cheerful conversation about Hell. Think three friends skipping out on Sunday School for a glass of wine. We’re all happy humanists but share a love of folklore and religious ephemera, so expect some affectionate irreverence.
* “Cleverness is like bagpipes: a hellish screech that only sounds good to the one making it.” –Oglaf (an 18+ comic, be aware)
Why Hell?
Hell is a fantastic subject for a long-term discussion. It has millenia of history, one of the few topics that can be traced back to the origin of civilization that’s still completely relevent today. It’s infinitely varied (at least that’s what Dis’s marketing department says). It’s got buckets of lurid sensationalism and a high horror factor.
And it hangs over Western culture like the sword of Damoclese, the fire under the kettle of Evangelism, a convenient excuse for religious crusades. Salvation theology has racked up a body count in the millions. Who could even guess at the lives lost, directly or indirectly, to the idea that any physical cost is justified if someone else’s soul is spared eternal damnation?
So, in part, we’re whistling in the dark, making light of the world that Hell helped create. And we’re unpacking a topic that is, legitimately, fascinating and rich. There’s something important in every good story, and Hell is a story that’s been told for as long as we’ve had written language, possibly as long as the dead were given to the earth. Honestly, it’s a surprise there’s an empty niche in this section of the podosphere.
The Hosts
Jamin
Jamin hails from China by way of East Texas. He’s got a background in linguistics, art, and church youth leadership.
Victoria
Victoria is a lapsed literature major with a long career in higher education. She’s an enthusiastic member of the Krampus fandom, the only fan community that hopes the Guest of Honor doesn’t show up.
Jacob
Jacob is a self-proclaimed pedant who moved from the Episcopal church to the Unitarian Universalist church because the arguments were more fun. Also, it turns out, Dungeons and Dragons will lead you to the occult, it just takes a few years. He podcasts about niche indy sci-fi tabletop RPGs with his husband over at Radio Free Deimos.