Podcast Episodes

These Books Will Help You Get Through the Cold, Cold Winter

Season 1 Episode 165

The holidays are here once again, and that means one thing: time to stock up on books to help you get cozy and distract yourself from the cold weather (and the state of the world.) Here's our annual …

Published on 9 months, 1 week ago

Why Fantasy Is Going To Extremes (With Nghi Vo)

Season 1 Episode 164

Lately, it feels as though a lot of fantasy books come in two kinds: cozy, or extremely dark. During a scary time in the world, we seek either comforting sweetness, or violent catharsis. To find out …

Published on 9 months, 3 weeks ago

10 Years After "Over the Garden Wall"

Season 1 Episode 163

We're taking a cozy, autumnal trip back in time to "peak television," when animation was truly feral and we had shows like "Over the Garden Wall." We'll talk about this otherworldly tale of singing f…

Published on 10 months ago

Every Town Deserves a Library (with Ken Liu)

Season 1 Episode 162

Science fiction and fantasy are full of wondrous libraries containing everything from powerful artifacts to some dang good reads. How does the idealized view of libraries in speculative fiction compa…

Published on 10 months, 2 weeks ago

How to Raise the Stakes without Ruining Your Story

Season 1 Episode 161

It's time for some writing advice! We talk about how to raise the stakes in a story without wrecking it. What exactly do we mean by "stakes," anyway, and does raising them always involve some kind of…

Published on 11 months ago

Science Fiction is a normalization machine (with Rob Cameron)

Science fiction is great at helping people get used to strange concepts — or people — and making us see them as more "normal." But what does "normal" mean, and is it always a good thing? Later in the…

Published on 11 months, 2 weeks ago

When Fiction Becomes a Microaggression (with Evelyn Douek)

Season 1 Episode 159

When someone disrespects you in a subtle way, with plausible deniability, it can do just as much damage as overt bigotry. So we're talking about microaggressions — what they are, and how science fict…

Published on 1 year ago

Encore Episode: Nationalism is science fiction, with Wajahat Ali

In one of our favorite episodes from 2021, we talked to TV news commentator and author (and scifi fan!) Wajahat Ali about nationalism in science fiction. It's feeling relevant again. We'll be back in…

Published on 1 year ago

Our Advice Is Correct

Season 1 Episode 158

Dearest Listeners, you asked us for advice, and now we've got the definitive answers! From writing and relationship questions, to concerns about the best way to alter the timeline, we tackle it all. 

Published on 1 year ago

Dinosaurs and Furries, with Riley Black

Season 1 Episode 157

We're learning so much about dinosaurs lately — there are incredible new species, discoveries about how they had sex, and more detailed evidence about what happened during their final days on Earth. …

Published on 1 year, 1 month ago