S2E24 ~ There Will Come Soft Rains (Short Story)

Today on Post-Apocalyptia, we have something special. The story we're covering occurs on this very day--August 4th, 2026--and that is an opportunity we can't pass up! Professor David Perlmutter joins us again to talk about Ray Bradbury's 1950 short story, "There Will Come Soft Rains". We'll talk about the end of humanity, and the persistence of humanity's works. We'll think about the history that led to this story, and the perception of post-apocalyptic literature in the next generation. And we'll ask ourselves: Did Bradbury aim to predict the future here, or to prevent it? It's an occasion 76 years in the making, as we look at "There Will Come Soft Rains"! Join us there, at the end of the world.

"There Will Come Soft Rains" can be read in its original form here, and in its expanded form from Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles, here. The Uzbek animated adaptation can be viewed here.

Sara Teasdale's poem, "There Will Come Soft Rains", can be read here. Want to know more? Check out our bonus episode on the poem, its author, and her life and work, here! Also available on your favorite podcast app.

Post-Apocalyptia can be found on most podcast apps, and on our website at https://www.postapocalyptia.com. We can also be found on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Twitter/X, Bluesky, and Reddit. Have a story you'd like to see us feature? Or, want to join us as a guest? Leave us a comment on any of our social media, or email us at [email protected].

Intro/Outro Music: "Achilles" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/