Witchever Path

Witchever Path is a fiction podcast where the plot is audience-driven. The show hosts are Journee and Steven LaFond, a married couple living in New England. The interactive format makes the series unique.

Like the Choose Your Own Adventure books of the 1980s, Witchever Path lets listeners take charge of the main characters' key decisions. At the end of every episode, the narrator breaks character and asks the audience which path to take. The listeners vote for their preferred option on the podcast's website, and the most popular choice drives the plot. After the vote, Journee and Steven take a few weeks to write the next episode, and the process begins again. Every story on the show is five to seven episodes long. Listeners have time to engage with the plot without growing tired of it.

The stories on the Witchever Path podcast span a wide range of genres. One story is in a dystopic near-future where a smart-home device becomes sentient. In another, a mother's desperate attempts to manage her child's colic go awry. In "Underground," a family reunion is rife with unsettling uncles. "Dross" is about a young man with supernatural abilities. One story's main character is "you."

Witchever Path's model is a clever way to engage the audience. Those who vote feel invested in what happens next. Journee and Steven live in scenic New England, where they choose to set all their stories. It lends them a certain overarching aesthetic.

Voting happens at the end of each episode for those who would like to take an active role. Anticipation for the next installment is part of the enjoyment. Witchever Path is a great choice for listeners who like interactive experiences.