Our Opinions Are Correct: We’re Still Traumatized By This Writing Debate
Not long ago, everybody was arguing about whether characters need to be "relatable". We get to the bottom of a debate that still makes us intensely grouchy. Plus we talk…
Our Opinions Are Correct: The Future of Science Fiction Conventions
We love science fiction and fantasy conventions — especially the ones that are run by fans, for fans. But they haven't changed much since the 1970s in many ways, and…
Twenty Thousand Hertz: The Secret Soundtracks of Movies & TV
In the ‘60s and ‘70s, world-class musicians gathered in smoky studios to record tracks that you couldn’t buy in a store… but ended up everywhere. In this episode, Dallas and…
The Devil You Know with Sarah Marshall: Moral (Panic) Entrepreneurship
Mary deYoung had always been interested in deviants and deviance. As a social-psychologist, she studied “behavior that broke the rules,” and whether the worst parts of a person’s behavior were…
History Extra podcast: Bodies, bones & overflowing churchyards: a history of graveyards
Burying the dead has never been a simple matter. Whether due to elaborate grave goods, unique burial rituals, or public health concerns, burial places through history have taken on a…
Imaginary Worlds: Creature Double Feature
In honor of the spooky season, we present two monstrous origin stories -- Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. We know when these books were written in the 19th…
The Devil You Know with Sarah Marshall: A second helping from Satan: A closer look at Michelle Remembers
Canadian director Sean Horlor’s film, Satan Wants You (2023), is a deep dive into the book "Michelle Remembers.” In this bonus episode, he talks to Sarah about the process of…
The Devil You Know with Sarah Marshall: Marylyn Remembers
Michelle Remembers is the 1980 “biographical” book that brought the idea of Satanic cults into the mainstream. In it, Michelle Smith documents years of alleged Satanic ritual abuse and the…
The Devil You Know with Sarah Marshall: Did Swayze Start the Fire?
In 1988, a young arts educator drove into a small town in Kentucky with a camera and a directive to teach photography to school kids. But she never got a…
99% Invisible: Your Call Is Important to Us
What if all those dropped calls, endless wait times and dead end hotlines every time you try to reach customer service weren’t accidents but part of the plan?