May 6, 2021
Summer is here—and that means a glorious new flood of movies, TV shows and books. We may actually get to go inside a movie theater again! Here's everything we're looking forward to this season, plus some thoughts about how entertainment has changed after a year in lockdown.
Show notes:...
Apr 22, 2021
We’re talking about resistance in real life and science fiction. First we do a deep dive into the history of New York City’s African Burial Ground, used by enslaved people during the 18th century. Michael Blakey, who headed the excavation, tells us how these people resisted their enslavement. How do stories of...
Mar 25, 2021
What makes a good fight scene work? Is it the pacing, the characters, or where it happens in the story? We talk about our favorite fight scenes, and why they are oddly similar to dance numbers. Plus, we're joined by battle mastermind Fonda Lee, author of the Green Bone Saga, who explains why a fight scene has to change...
Feb 25, 2021
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 culture, and the truly strange cinematic backstory of the original King Kong vs. Godzilla flick. What do kaiju represent, and why are they connected to...
Jan 14, 2021
JK Rowling has become an anti-trans activist on social media. This news has sent Harry Potter fandom -- always full of queers and trans people -- into mourning. We talk to author/publisher (and longtime Slytherin) Cecilia Tan about how to ignore Rowling and take back Harry Potter.
Shownotes here:...