Pictured: Audience members at the 2025 Winter Hauntings event produced by Planck Length Publishing in partnership with Carteret Community Theatre. The event raised more than $2400 for the theater and put local writers in front more more than 120 local lit enthusiasts. Photo by L. Terrell Gould, III.
BEAUFORT, NC — Since its launch in 2021, the podcast EPIC Carteret has been a love letter to the Crystal Coast—amplifying the voices of local artists, entrepreneurs, and everyday visionaries who make Carteret County extraordinary. Now, the podcast is evolving into something even more impactful as it becomes a flagship production of Planck Length Publishing, a Carteret County–based creative press founded by local writer and podcaster Autumn Ware.
Planck Length Publishing—named for the smallest measurable unit in physics—was created to explore unconventional storytelling and big ideas on an intimate scale. With EPIC Carteret and the new EPIC Carteret Books imprint leading the charge, PLP is shaping up to be more than a publishing house. It’s becoming a creative incubator, fostering collaboration, skill-building, and story-driven community projects.
“When I first launched EPIC Carteret, my goals extended beyond storytelling,” said Ware. “I wanted to build an author platform and teach myself podcast production. But as the podcast grew—and the stories kept coming—I realized we were also creating space for others to grow."
That growth is already taking shape. Autumn’s husband and longtime collaborator Jack Ware, who has produced and engineered the podcast from the beginning, remains an integral part of the production team. And now, two more voices are joining the EPIC family: Emily Carter, a dynamic local writer, and Melissa Kelley, an editor and storyteller in her own right. Both have been featured on EPIC Carteret in the past for their contributions to the county.
Emily Carter will take the mic as the new host of EPIC Carteret, making her the first participant in Planck Length’s podcast incubator—a mentorship-style program aimed at helping local creatives develop media skills and expand their platforms. Her first episode as host will roll out alongside the release of her debut essay collection, A Spork in the Road, arriving in April under the EPIC Carteret Books imprint.
Melissa Kelley will serve as the editorial lead of EPIC Carteret Books and The EPIC Blog, working closely with Autumn to publish accessible, heartfelt stories about local culture, memory, and identity.
“With EPIC Carteret, we’re not just telling stories anymore—we’re empowering others to tell their own,” Ware said. “We want to build something that lasts—something bigger than one voice.”
The vision for Planck Length Publishing is rooted in Autumn and Jack’s experience with creative incubators in post-Katrina New Orleans, where artists and storytellers rebuilt not only their lives, but the culture around them. PLP takes inspiration from that spirit of regeneration and aims to create similar space for bold, curious Crystal Coast creatives.
Over the next year, PLP will expand its reach with projects like Weird Tales from Waves End Retreat, a regional speculative fiction anthology, and Winter Hauntings, now on its third year of celebrating eerie storytelling and dramatic art. Both will spotlight local talent and encourage the community to participate through submissions, performances, and collaborative publishing opportunities.
“We see EPIC Carteret as our home port, the place we started,” said Ware, “but the horizon is wide, and Jack and I are natural explorers. Planck Length Publishing is here to hold space for the stories that don’t quite fit anywhere else—and the storytellers who are ready to experiment.”
To learn more about Planck Length Publishing, the next season of EPIC Carteret, or upcoming submission opportunities, visit www.plancklengthpublishing.com.
