Welcome back to Worlds Without Warning. This week, host Jon Negroni reads aloud his new speculative literary short story, "Paper Dreams." Set in a near-future Silicon Valley, this is a world where dreams are taxed as intellectual property. Blending soft sci-fi and dystopian satire with emotional realism, the story explores grief, surveillance, and the quiet rebellion of a woman whose inner life is no longer her own.

You can find the written version of "Paper Dreams" right here.

About the Author

Jon Negroni is a Puerto Rican author based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His published books include The Pixar Theory (Slimbooks, 2015), a pop culture nonfiction, and his debut novel Killerjoy (5050 Press, 2017). His recent short fiction includes "Men Who Are Strong" (IHRAM Press) and "Upon a Dream," an original fable published in The Fairy Tale Magazine. His upcoming anthology appearances include a cryptid horror tale, a speculative fiction piece for Neon Hemlock, and a superhero story for Oddity Prodigies. He's also the co-founder of the entertainment website, InBetweenDrafts.

Listen toward the end of the show for Jon’s full author’s notes on the making of this story.
Read "Paper Dreams" with original artwork.
Explore our full archive of stories and poetry.
Submit your own story to be featured on Cetera.

About Cetera

Cetera is a literary magazine publishing original short fiction every Thursday. Our stories span literary fiction, speculative tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. All written without AI assistance and curated by editor Natalia Emmons.

Credits
Host & Author: Jon Negroni
Editor: Natalia Emmons
Artwork: Jon Negroni
Music: "Opportunity Walks" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Share This Episode
If "Paper Dreams" surprised you, please share it with fellow story lovers. The best fiction deserves to be heard, and your enthusiasm helps these stories reach new readers.

Welcome back to Worlds Without Warning. This week, host Jon Negroni reads aloud his new speculative literary short story, "Paper Dreams." Set in a near-future Silicon Valley, this is a world where dreams are taxed as intellectual property. Blending soft sci-fi and dystopian satire with emotional realism, the story explores grief, surveillance, and the quiet rebellion of a woman whose inner life is no longer her own.
You can find the written version of "Paper Dreams"&nbsp;<a href="https://cetera.substack.com/p/paper-dreams">right here.</a>
About the Author
Jon Negroni is a Puerto Rican author based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His published books include The Pixar Theory (Slimbooks, 2015), a pop culture nonfiction, and his debut novel Killerjoy (5050 Press, 2017). His recent short fiction includes "Men Who Are Strong" (IHRAM Press) and "Upon a Dream," an original fable published in The Fairy Tale Magazine. His upcoming anthology appearances include a cryptid horror tale, a speculative fiction piece for Neon Hemlock, and a superhero story for Oddity Prodigies. He's also the co-founder of the entertainment website, InBetweenDrafts.
Listen toward the end of the show for Jon&rsquo;s full author&rsquo;s notes on the making of this story.
<ul>
<li><a href="https://cetera.substack.com/p/paper-dreams">Read "Paper Dreams"</a> with original artwork.</li>
<li><a href="https://cetera.substack.com">Explore our full archive</a> of stories and poetry.</li>
<li><a href="https://cetera.substack.com/p/submit-to-cetera">Submit your own story</a> to be featured on Cetera.</li>
</ul>
About Cetera
Cetera is a literary magazine publishing original short fiction every Thursday. Our stories span literary fiction, speculative tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. All written without AI assistance and curated by editor Natalia Emmons.
Credits
<ul>
<li>Host &amp; Author: Jon Negroni</li>
<li>Editor: Natalia Emmons</li>
<li>Artwork: Jon Negroni</li>
<li>Music: "Opportunity Walks" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0&nbsp;<a href="Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a></li>
</ul>
Share This Episode If "Paper Dreams" surprised you, please share it with fellow story lovers. The best fiction deserves to be heard, and your enthusiasm helps these stories reach new readers.

Don't know what to watch? Join film critics Jon Negroni and Will Ashton for no-nonsense conversations about the latest films coming to theaters and streaming online. They may not always agree, but one thing's for sure. They're both Cinemaholics.

Don't know what to watch? Join film critics Jon Negroni and Will Ashton for no-nonsense conversations about the latest films coming to theaters and streaming online. They may not always agree, but one thing's for sure. They're both Cinemaholics.

Don't know what to watch? Join Jon Negroni of Atom Tickets, Will Ashton of CinemaBlend, and Abby Olcese of The Pitch for no-nonsense conversations about the latest films coming to theaters and streaming online. And tune in to our bonus show, Extra Milestone, where host Sam Noland brings on a different guest each week to spotlight classic film anniversaries.

Advertisement