Childhood Toys That Still Comfort Our Listeners
Many of us have imaginary friends when we’re young in the guise of a doll, stuffed animal or toy that give us a sense of comfort. Then we grow out of those characters – or at least we’re supposed to. ...
30 Apr 202035min
Solarpunk the Future
Cyberpunk was cool. Steampunk was hip. Get ready for Solarpunk. This new emerging genre of art and fiction imagines a future where DIY environmental sustainability dictates the design of everything fr...
16 Apr 202031min
The Video Game That Predicted a Real Pandemic
In 2005, the multiplayer online game World of Warcraft was taken over by a virus called Corrupted Blood, and the virtual pandemic in this fantasy world played out remarkably like COVID-19. I talk with...
2 Apr 202030min
Are Retcons Gaslighting Fandoms?
We're craving an escape into our favorite fantasy worlds, but fans are complaining that all the "retconning" is ruining their suspension of disbelief. Why is retroactive continuity so controversial? O...
19 Mars 202033min
The Challenge of Imagining Heavenly Places
The Good Place just ended after four critically acclaimed seasons, and it was one of several recent TV shows to imagine the afterlife as being far from paradise. Pastor and podcaster JR Forasteros and...
5 Mars 202034min
Wild West to Watchmen: History Gets Whitewashed
Tracing the history of the superhero genre can reveal a lot about how we understand our own history, and how history gets whitewashed. Shawn Taylor, John Jennings and Art Burton look at how black supe...
20 Feb 202033min
2001: A Filmmaking Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey is considered a masterpiece, and a game changer for sci-fi on film. But the movie had a tumultuous origin story, and it was initially scorned by critics. Barbara Miller of The Mu...
6 Feb 202032min
The Forgotten Artist Behind the Most Famous Tarot Cards
When it comes to tarot cards, there is an artistry to designing a world of emperors, fools, priestesses, hermits and other iconic figures. But few people know about Pamela Colman Smith, the woman who ...
23 Jan 202026min
