Silicon Valley markets itself as the place where futures are born, and yet tech corporations have no real understanding of where our civilizations are headed. We are wrapping up our…
Sometimes, a story is set in a place that isn’t just a location. It’s a character. How do places come alive?
We’re going to tackle a few very small questions in this episode, like how to build a planet from scratch – and then, how to build governments on that planet.…
People talk about “pacing” all the time when it comes to storytelling — but what does “pacing” mean? How do you make a story feel like it’s moving faster or…
Anne Rice is best-known for her Vampire Chronicles, which began in the 1970s with her novel Interview with the Vampire. But did you know she also wrote bestselling BDSM erotica…
It’s time to talk about the politics of kaiju. With the new Godzilla vs. Kong movie stomping our way soon, we’re discussing the long history of giant monsters in pop…
The phrase "Pulp Fiction" brings to mind Quentin Tarantino's movie of the same name. But real-life pulp fiction is much stranger, and more colorful, than you ever realized. We talk…
The idea of the “rugged individual” is all over the place in science fiction–especially in the United States. Who is this loner hero, and why are there so many stories…