Welcome to Maplewood-Sparta, where suburban streets are lined with shadows.
Some say the past is dead and gone. But here, it lingers. In velvet chokers and friendship bracelets, in haunted tunnels and November hayrides. It waits in thrift shop windows, in church basements, in a mean girl’s Christmas curse, and in the hush after the cheering fades.
So gather close to the fire. Tonight I’ll tell you the first of these tales—of a leather jacket, a haunted mixtape, and the strange magic of being seen.
I call it: THE JACKET.
Campfire Rating
🌙 Lantern (Teen / PG-13)
Advisory: Themes of death and grief, bullying.
Campfire Scale
To help listeners choose the right vibe for their listening, each episode will be marked with a rating on our Campfire Scale.
Here’s what some early listeners said:
“Just listened to THE JACKET. It was so good. I had chills at the end.”
— Juliette P, New York“We listened to THE JACKET last night as our bedtime story. We lit a candle. I felt like I had crawled into the main character’s skin—into the leather jacket. It was such a refreshing way to spend the evening, so counter to the media culture of TV and phones. People are going to love it.”
— Rebecca Joy, Massachusetts“I listened to THE JACKET! Brilliant and so nostalgic. I have to listen again and then again to THE BRACELET. Something about these stories captures my imagination so vividly. They have everything! The haunted jacket, ghostly voices, tragic mystery, us vs them, music rebellion from the crowd, the yearbook clue!!! So deeply layered! I can’t wait for more!”
— Jennifer S, New York
ETHAN’S MIXTAPE
Music plays a huge role in THE JACKET and I’ve re-created the mixtape on Spotify, for those who feel the music the way Maya does.
Credits
Written by Nina Alvarez
Sound design by Nina Alvarez
Narrated by Mark Taudevin
Produced by Camp Cosmographia Radio
Meet the Narrator
I still can’t believe my luck in finding Mark Taudevin. A New York–based actor and writer with a background in music, Mark approaches every project with curiosity, care, and a collaborative spirit. His work spans film, theatre, voiceover, and animation—and now, the haunted campfires of Maplewood-Sparta. [Read more on his IMDB page.]
Meet the Writer
It’s me!
Like my writing? There’s more where that came from at Legends of the Lost Substack—where I share my personal essays, research, stories, and writing about writing. And hang out with me on Instagram @miraclefieldnotes.
The Spartans! Series
SPARTANS! is a teen ghost story anthology—think “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” meets haunted mixtapes and 90s nostalgia.
Written by Nina Alvarez and narrated by professional voice actors, each episode is tied to a different haunted 90s wearable: a leather jacket, a friendship bracelet, a choker, a flannel . . . And to a holiday. Homecoming, Halloween, Christmas . . . The kind of objects and moments that carry memory, grief, and magic.
So gather close for spooky campfire tales woven together stand by strand like a friendship bracelet.
Show Schedule
On the second-to-last Wednesday of every month, we’ll premier a new episode—working out the kinks, building community, and (fingers crossed) raising funds to secure the music rights to someday be able to release it with the commercial music on major podcast platforms. For now, though, you’ll hear the music as it was meant to be—just for our private campfire circle.
Paid subscribers will get early access to the episode on Mondays, two days before free subscribers.
And all episodes will post without the commercial music to Spotify, Apple, YouTube, Amazon Music, and Audible the following Friday.
SPARTANS! Behind-the-Scenes
Follow @Spartans_Radio for episode updates, audio, pics, behind-the-scenes, 90s nostalgia, and Easter eggs.
The Word on the Suburban Streets
“Just listened to THE JACKET. It was so good. I had chills at the end.”
— Juliette P, New York“I believe your writing is valuable because of my instant response to it. I immediately felt in sync with the tone of the story telling for the campfire series. I found myself listening to the first two chapters (THE JACKET and THE BRACELET) over and over—then even shared with it my students, who loved it. I became a paid subscriber to get early access to new episodes.”
— Jen S, New York“We listened to THE JACKET last night as our bedtime story. We lit a candle. I felt like I had crawled into the main character’s skin—into the leather jacket. It was such a refreshing way to spend the evening, so counter to the media culture of TV and phones. People are going to love it.”
— Rebecca Joy, Massachusetts“Well, this has become my favorite podcast to listen to.”
— Kristina D, Maryland
Join the Campfire Circle
For discussion, 90s nostalgia, and behind-the-scenes fun, join our Campfire Circle Facebook group.
For early access to episodes, extra behind-the-scenes content, and to help fund voice actors, sound design software, and music rights, become a paid subscriber at The Codex, Legends of the Lost, or join our Patreon at the Spartans! tier.
We’ll see you by the fire.
The Spartans aren’t finished with you yet.
-Nina
