How To Write About Violence (with Fonda Lee and Lauren Beukes)
Battles and smackdowns are a key part of many science fiction and fantasy stories — but how do you do them right? Do you have an obligation to show the…
Alien ecosystems and the algae menace
All of us live embedded in webs of life known as ecosystems, and that can get pretty creepy -- or astonishingly beautiful. Inspired by the mind-blowing new animated series Scavengers…
Our Opinions Are Correct: Why Silicon Valley is doomed to misunderstand the future, with Dr. Joy Buolamwini
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…
our opinions are correct Podcast Episode 132: A Sense of Place with Jessica Johns
Sometimes, a story is set in a place that isn’t just a location. It’s a character. How do places come alive?
How to build a planet
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.…
What Makes a Story Feel “Fast” Or “Slow”?
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…
The Incredibly Strange Career of Anne Rice
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…
Episode 78: Godzilla vs. Kong vs. America — our opinions are correct
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…
How Pulp Magazines Conquered Publishing
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 Myth of Rugged Individualism
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…