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This episode features author Amara Lynn. We talk about the importance of low-stakes sci-fi and fantasy, the ridiculousness of literary analysis, and, of course, I ramble about my love of fairytale retellings.

Stuff we talk about this episode:

• Into the Deep by Amara Lynn
• Kaylee Simkus
• Jay Emory
• Shakespearean dick jokes

Follow Amara Lynn on Twitter.

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This episode features author Alex DiFrancesco. We talk about how climate change and gentrification influenced their writing, the importance of found family in the apocalypse, and the problems with blanket boycotts.

Stuff we talk about this episode:

• All City by Alex DiFrancesco
• Orange is the New Black (Netflix series)
• Books by  Samuel R. Delaney
• An Unkindess of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
• Chapbook project by Radix Media
• The RAICES fundraiser that Alex mentions is on Oct. 5 at Cloud City in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Featured guests so far are Nicole Solomon (filmmaker, It’s Normal), Jeanne Thornton (writer, The Dream of Dr. Bantam), Kevin Latimer (a speculative poet from Cleveland), and Alex DiFrancesco.

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This episode features author Gail Carriger. We talk about writing a cozy mystery set on a space station, being thirsty in the desert of ’90s spec fic, the origins of “girding your loins,” and how our own prejudice can affect our writing.

Stuff we talk about in this episode:

• The 5th Gender by G.L. Carriger
• The Mage Wars series by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon
• Rent (musical)
• Brooklyn 99 (TV)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV)
• Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee
• Reticence by Gail Carriger (Custard Protocol series)
• Earth Fathers are Weird by Lyn Gala
• The Claimings series by Lyn Gala
• Gail’s blog

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This episode features author of the Philip K. Dick Award-winning The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, Meg Elison. We talk about menstruating during the apocalypse, the “importance” of furthering the species, and I ramble at Meg about my grandmother watching lesbian porn.

Stuff we talk about in this episode:

• The Road to Nowhere series by Meg Elison
• Kindred & The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
• The Children of Men by PD James
• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy
• A Gift Upon the Shore by MK Wren
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
• Riverland by Fran Wilde

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This episode features one half of the writing duo of O.E. Tearmann. We talk about how current events and history inspire speculative fiction, the importance of community over profit, and the power of hope.

Stuff we talk about in this episode:

• The Hands We’re Given by O.E. Tearmann (Aces High, Jokers Wild Series)
• Waterworld (movie)
• The Lights by Carrie Pack (audiobook coming soon!)

How to find O.E. Tearmann online:

• http://aceshighjokerswild.com/
• https://twitter.com/ETearmann
• https://www.facebook.com/wildcards1407/
• https://www.instagram.com/o.e.tearmann/

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This episode features author Michael G. Williams. We talk about the complexity of lived queer experiences, the power of queerness to dismantle the patriarchy, genre jumping and Emperor Norton. We spent so much time trading queer anecdotes, we only talked about a few books, but links are below the cut.

Stuff we talk about in this episode:

• A Fall in Autumn by Michael G. Williams
• Queer: A Graphic History by Meg-John Barker & Julia Scheele
• The Withrow Chronicles by Michael G. Williams
• In the Present Tense duology by Carrie Pack
• Emperor Norton

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This episode features author Sara Codair. We talk about the importance of pets in spec fic, mental health representation, and the appeal of short form fiction. Plus we throw a few book recommendations your way. Links are below the cut.

Stuff we talk about in this episode:

• Power Surge by Sara Codair
• In the Present Tense by Carrie Pack
• The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
• The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
• Supernatural (TV)
• The Magicians (TV)
• The Year of the Knife by G.D. Penman

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This episode features author Alex Harrow and artist/author Lex Chase. We discuss our love of morally gray heroes, the use of singular “they,” mental illness in speculative fiction, Marvel superhero fatigue, and then I totally misquote Hermione Granger (don’t @ me). Plus we throw a few book recommendations your way. Links are below the cut.

(Content Warning: While we don’t get too deep into any of these topics, we do mention PTSD, dissociation, psychosis, suicide, and death. Please avoid this episode if you find any of these topics triggering.)

Stuff we talk about in this episode:

• Empire of Light by Alex Harrow (pre-order)
• #QueerSpec (Twitter chat)
• Star Wars (the name I couldn’t think of was Alden Ehrenreich)
• Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
• Love, Simon (movie)
• Grrrls on the Side by Carrie Pack
• Are We Human? by C.T. Callahan
• I Am the Storm by Tash McAdam
• His Cocky Cellist by Cole McCade
• Broken Moon Series by F.T. Lukens
• Halt and Catch Fire (TV)
• Witcher Series by Andrezj Sapkowski
• In the Present Tense by Carrie Pack
• The Center Cannot Hold by Elyn R. Saks
• Homeland (Amazon Prime)
• Hannibal (Netflix)
• Bodyguard (Netflix)
• Pushing Daisies (Netflix)
• Mad Men (Netflix)
• Legion (TV)
• Beauty and the Beast (Live-action movie)
• The Lion King (Trailer)
• Rogue One (Movie)
• Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Videogame)
• Bandersnatch (Netflix)
• The Walking Dead (TV)
• Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (TV)
• The 100 (TV)

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This episode features poet and host of the Females in Fantasy podcast Brianna da Silva and spec fic author J. Scott Coatsworth. We discuss the importance of gender roles in spec fic, breaking the binary, our love of mall bookstores and creating “onion layers” in world building. Plus we throw a few book recommendations your way. Links are below the cut. Stuff we talk about in this episode:

• Schitt’s Creek (TV)
• Females in Fantasy – hosted by Brianna da Silva
• Killian B. Brewer (Author)
• Star Trek (TOS) and Nichelle Nichols
• Glee (TV)
• April Daniels (Author)
• The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV)
• Ursula K. LeGuin (Author)
• Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
• Queer Sci Fi
• Oberon Cycle series by J. Scott Coatsworth
• Chuck Wendig (Author)
• Stephen Donaldson (Author)
• Waldenbooks (blast from the past!)
• The Good Place (TV)
• The Lights by Carrie Pack
• Damon Suede (Author)
• QSF Flash Fiction contest
• Ben Brock (Author)
• F.T. Lukens (Author)
• Jeff and Will’s Big Gay Fiction Podcast
• Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast
• Yule Planet and Safety Protocols for Human Holidays by Angel Martinez
• Peter F. Hamilton (author)
• Pat Henshaw (author)
• QueeRomanceInc
• Liminal Fiction (Facebook Group)

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This episode features author Heather Rose Jones and blogger Owl of Yarn Owl Reads. We discuss feminism in historical fantasy, the importance of queer authors writing queer fiction, and the Queer in Space read-a-thon. I also read from my new release The Lights. Plus we throw a few book recommendations your way. Links are below the cut. Books by Heather Rose Jones:

• The Alpennia Series
• Other Works

Stuff we recommend in this episode:

• The Lights by Carrie Pack
• The Lesbian Historic Motif Project (LHMP)
• Queer in Space Readathon (#QueerInSpace)
• Yarn Owl Reads blog
• Strangely Beautiful by Leanna Renee Heiber
• The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (especially the audio)
• Hull Metal Girls by Emily Skrutskie
• Ash by Malinda Lo
• Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro
• The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
• Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller (non-binbary rep!)