IMAGINARY WORLDS

Imaginary Worlds is a bi-weekly podcast about science fiction and other fantasy genres hosted by Eric Molinsky. EPISODES — IMAGINARY WORLDS Episode 164: Betty Boop and the Hays Code Read More. Eric Molinsky 1/6/21 Eric Molinsky 1/6/21 ABOUT — IMAGINARY WORLDS Imaginary Worlds is a bi-weekly podcast about science fiction and other fantasy genres. Fantasy worlds may be set in distant planets or parallel dimensions, but they are crafted here on Earth and on some level relate to our daily lives. EPISODE 165: EMBRACING THE SPOOKY SPOOKY In the 1950s and ‘60s, the vibrating sound of the Theremin instrument was synonymous with sci-fi films like The Day the Earth Stood Still and horror shows like Dark Shadows to the point where the Theremin became a genre cliché. But a new generation of EPISODE 172: WEIR SCIENCE When Andy Weir wrote “The Martian,” he self-published the chapters to his website -- never expecting the story to become a best-selling book, or an Oscar-nominated Hollywood movie. His new novel, “ Project Hail Mary ,” is generating a lot of excitement, and he's already sold the movie rights. We tal EPISODE 144: 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 from skyscraper farms to homemade fashion. The writer Adam Flynn , magazine

editors

CONTACT — IMAGINARY WORLDS Frequently Asked Questions. The back catalog is long. What if I want to find only the Star Wars-related episodes, or Star Trek-related

episodes?

LITERATURE — EPISODES — IMAGINARY WORLDS Episode 114: The Man Behind the Sword Read More. Eric Molinsky 11/13/20 Eric Molinsky 11/13/20 EPISODE 151: INVERTING LOVECRAFT The works of H. P. Lovecraft have inspired a number of Black creators, from the new HBO series Lovecraft Country to the novella The Ballad of Black Tom -- but Lovecraft himself was exceptionally racist. So why are so many writers of color using his mythology to illustrate the

exper

EPISODE 117: THE HERO’S JOURNEY ENDGAME Ever since George Lucas cited Joseph Campbell’s 1949 book, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” as the inspiration for Star Wars, Hollywood screenwriters have used Campbell’s theory of The Hero’s Journey as the blueprint for making movies, especially

IMAGINARY WORLDS

Imaginary Worlds is a bi-weekly podcast about science fiction and other fantasy genres hosted by Eric Molinsky. EPISODES — IMAGINARY WORLDS Episode 164: Betty Boop and the Hays Code Read More. Eric Molinsky 1/6/21 Eric Molinsky 1/6/21 ABOUT — IMAGINARY WORLDS Imaginary Worlds is a bi-weekly podcast about science fiction and other fantasy genres. Fantasy worlds may be set in distant planets or parallel dimensions, but they are crafted here on Earth and on some level relate to our daily lives. EPISODE 165: EMBRACING THE SPOOKY SPOOKY In the 1950s and ‘60s, the vibrating sound of the Theremin instrument was synonymous with sci-fi films like The Day the Earth Stood Still and horror shows like Dark Shadows to the point where the Theremin became a genre cliché. But a new generation of EPISODE 172: WEIR SCIENCE When Andy Weir wrote “The Martian,” he self-published the chapters to his website -- never expecting the story to become a best-selling book, or an Oscar-nominated Hollywood movie. His new novel, “ Project Hail Mary ,” is generating a lot of excitement, and he's already sold the movie rights. We tal EPISODE 144: 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 from skyscraper farms to homemade fashion. The writer Adam Flynn , magazine

editors

CONTACT — IMAGINARY WORLDS Frequently Asked Questions. The back catalog is long. What if I want to find only the Star Wars-related episodes, or Star Trek-related

episodes?

LITERATURE — EPISODES — IMAGINARY WORLDS Episode 114: The Man Behind the Sword Read More. Eric Molinsky 11/13/20 Eric Molinsky 11/13/20 EPISODE 151: INVERTING LOVECRAFT The works of H. P. Lovecraft have inspired a number of Black creators, from the new HBO series Lovecraft Country to the novella The Ballad of Black Tom -- but Lovecraft himself was exceptionally racist. So why are so many writers of color using his mythology to illustrate the

exper

EPISODE 117: THE HERO’S JOURNEY ENDGAME Ever since George Lucas cited Joseph Campbell’s 1949 book, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” as the inspiration for Star Wars, Hollywood screenwriters have used Campbell’s theory of The Hero’s Journey as the blueprint for making movies, especially EPISODE 168: SECOND LIFE GOES ON One year into this pandemic, it’s been a struggle to feel a connection with other people digitally. That’s why I was inspired to hear an episode from the show Science Friday about a community that refused to disband in a virtual world. As reporter Daniel Peterschmidt explains to me, the staff of Sc CONTACT — IMAGINARY WORLDS Frequently Asked Questions. The back catalog is long. What if I want to find only the Star Wars-related episodes, or Star Trek-related

episodes?

EPISODE 161: MONSTERS OF 2020 2020 has felt monstrous on so many levels. So, it’s no coincidence that two of the top grossing movies of the year were Jaws and Jurassic Park, mostly seen at drive-in theaters. Alex Shepard explains why the shark in Jaws embodied our feeling of a dread, and how the Mayor of LITERATURE — EPISODES — IMAGINARY WORLDS Episode 95: The First Three Lives of Catherine Webb Read More. Eric Molinsky 11/11/20 Eric Molinsky 11/11/20 EPISODE 156: FANTASY AND FASCISM Fascism is a common theme in fantasy worlds, especially the rebels vs. evil empire scenario. But what can we learn from stories about encroaching fascism? I talk with journalists Lauren Davis, D amien G. Walter , professor Jason Dittmer and podcaster Stefan Sasse&a EPISODE 169: MUSIC FROM SATURN Sun Ra claimed to be an extraterrestrial being from Saturn who could teleport you to other planets with his music. That may or may not have been true, but he certainly was the leader of one of the most influential jazz ensembles of the 20th century, and he’s often called the father of Afrofuturism. EPISODE 94: THE WESTWORLD EXPERIENCE To promote season 2 of Westworld, HBO recreated the fictional town from the TV show at the SXSW festival, and they hired actors to play androids who think they're living in the Old West. On the TV show, the human characters are encouraged EPISODE 133: UNDER A RED MOON Ronald D. Moore is probably best known for rebooting Battlestar Galactica as a gritty political commentary in the early 2000s. His latest show For All Mankind on AppleTV Plus imagines what if the Soviet Union had beaten the U.S. in the space race and planted the EPISODE 160: FAN FILMS GO PRO Fan films allow filmmakers to tell stories set in the worlds of their favorite licensed characters, and fan films have taken off in recent years, thanks to affordable special effects and online distribution. Is that legal? Sort of. But the studios have learned it’s not worth upsetting their hardcore EPISODE 100: FAN FICTION (SPECIAL EDITION) Last year, I interviewed Francesca Coppa for my episode Fan Fiction (Don't Judge.) She's the author of the book "The Fanfiction Reader," and one of the founders of the site Archive of Our Own, where people post and read fan fiction.Francesca was such a great source of information that I always regretted the fascinating parts of our interview which ended up on the proverbial cutting room floor.

IMAGINARY WORLDS

Disco Elysium has been called one of the best role-playing video games of all time. It's won a slew of awards and it’s a worldwide best-seller -- which is odd because the game wasn’t put out by a big studio. It was made by a group of friends in Estonia who had very little experience making video games. EPISODES — IMAGINARY WORLDSIMAGINARY WORLDS PODCASTI HAVE AN IMAGINARY WORLDLIVING IN AN IMAGINARY WORLD Episode 167 - Tron: Welcome to the Machine. Read More. Eric Molinsky 2/17/21 Eric Molinsky 2/17/21. Episode 166: This Ain’t No Fairy Tale. Read More. Eric Molinsky 2/3/21 Eric Molinsky 2/3/21. Episode 165: Embracing the Spooky Spooky. Read More. Eric Molinsky 1/20/21 Eric Molinsky 1/20/21. ABOUT — IMAGINARY WORLDSIMAGINARY WORLDS PODCASTI HAVE AN IMAGINARY

WORLD

Eric Molinsky. Imaginary Worlds is a bi-weekly podcast about science fiction and other fantasy genres. Fantasy worlds may be set in distant planets or parallel dimensions, but they are crafted here on Earth and on some level relate to our daily lives. I talk with novelists, filmmakers, comic book artists, game designers and other creators

about

CONTACT — IMAGINARY WORLDS Can I advertise on your show? Yes, but I’ll have to put you in touch with AdvertiseCast, the ad service agency that I’m working with. They set the rates. contact@imaginaryworldspodcast.org. EPISODE 165: EMBRACING THE SPOOKY SPOOKY Episode 165: Embracing the Spooky Spooky. Feb 3. Written By Eric Molinsky. In the 1950s and ‘60s, the vibrating sound of the Theremin instrument was synonymous with sci-fi films like The Day the Earth Stood Still and horror shows like Dark Shadows to the point where the Theremin became a genre cliché. But a new generation of experimental

pop

EPISODE 144: SOLARPUNK THE FUTURE Episode 144: 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 from skyscraper farms to homemade fashion. The writer Adam Flynn, magazine editors Scot and Jane Noel,

writer

EPISODE 166: THIS AIN’T NO FAIRY TALE Episode 166: This Ain’t No Fairy Tale. The story of the brothers Grimm and how they came to publish a book of fairy tales has become something of a folk legend in itself. The conventional wisdom is that the Grimms collected these tales from village peasants and the brothers always embraced the darker elements of the stories. EPISODE 151: INVERTING LOVECRAFT Episode 151: Inverting Lovecraft. Nov 15. Written By Eric Molinsky. The works of H. P. Lovecraft have inspired a number of Black creators, from the new HBO series Lovecraft Country to the novella The Ballad of Black Tom -- but Lovecraft himself was exceptionally racist. So why are so many writers of color using his mythology to illustrate the EPISODE 160: FAN FILMS GO PRO Indie Boom film festival director Anthony DeVito explains why he thinks fan films deserve the same respect as other indie productions. John Lim talks about playing Sulu on the bridge of The Enterprise circa 1966. And Rob Ayling breaks down his fan film, Living in Crime Alley, which puts The Dark Knight in precarious situation. EPISODE 117: THE HERO’S JOURNEY ENDGAME Episode 117: The Hero’s Journey Endgame. Ever since George Lucas cited Joseph Campbell’s 1949 book, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” as the inspiration for Star Wars, Hollywood screenwriters have used Campbell’s theory of The Hero’s Journey as the blueprint for making movies, especially stories about epic protagonists.

IMAGINARY WORLDS

Disco Elysium has been called one of the best role-playing video games of all time. It's won a slew of awards and it’s a worldwide best-seller -- which is odd because the game wasn’t put out by a big studio. It was made by a group of friends in Estonia who had very little experience making video games. EPISODES — IMAGINARY WORLDSIMAGINARY WORLDS PODCASTI HAVE AN IMAGINARY WORLDLIVING IN AN IMAGINARY WORLD Episode 167 - Tron: Welcome to the Machine. Read More. Eric Molinsky 2/17/21 Eric Molinsky 2/17/21. Episode 166: This Ain’t No Fairy Tale. Read More. Eric Molinsky 2/3/21 Eric Molinsky 2/3/21. Episode 165: Embracing the Spooky Spooky. Read More. Eric Molinsky 1/20/21 Eric Molinsky 1/20/21. ABOUT — IMAGINARY WORLDSIMAGINARY WORLDS PODCASTI HAVE AN IMAGINARY

WORLD

Eric Molinsky. Imaginary Worlds is a bi-weekly podcast about science fiction and other fantasy genres. Fantasy worlds may be set in distant planets or parallel dimensions, but they are crafted here on Earth and on some level relate to our daily lives. I talk with novelists, filmmakers, comic book artists, game designers and other creators

about

CONTACT — IMAGINARY WORLDS Can I advertise on your show? Yes, but I’ll have to put you in touch with AdvertiseCast, the ad service agency that I’m working with. They set the rates. contact@imaginaryworldspodcast.org. EPISODE 165: EMBRACING THE SPOOKY SPOOKY Episode 165: Embracing the Spooky Spooky. Feb 3. Written By Eric Molinsky. In the 1950s and ‘60s, the vibrating sound of the Theremin instrument was synonymous with sci-fi films like The Day the Earth Stood Still and horror shows like Dark Shadows to the point where the Theremin became a genre cliché. But a new generation of experimental

pop

EPISODE 144: SOLARPUNK THE FUTURE Episode 144: 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 from skyscraper farms to homemade fashion. The writer Adam Flynn, magazine editors Scot and Jane Noel,

writer

EPISODE 166: THIS AIN’T NO FAIRY TALE Episode 166: This Ain’t No Fairy Tale. The story of the brothers Grimm and how they came to publish a book of fairy tales has become something of a folk legend in itself. The conventional wisdom is that the Grimms collected these tales from village peasants and the brothers always embraced the darker elements of the stories. EPISODE 151: INVERTING LOVECRAFT Episode 151: Inverting Lovecraft. Nov 15. Written By Eric Molinsky. The works of H. P. Lovecraft have inspired a number of Black creators, from the new HBO series Lovecraft Country to the novella The Ballad of Black Tom -- but Lovecraft himself was exceptionally racist. So why are so many writers of color using his mythology to illustrate the EPISODE 160: FAN FILMS GO PRO Indie Boom film festival director Anthony DeVito explains why he thinks fan films deserve the same respect as other indie productions. John Lim talks about playing Sulu on the bridge of The Enterprise circa 1966. And Rob Ayling breaks down his fan film, Living in Crime Alley, which puts The Dark Knight in precarious situation. EPISODE 117: THE HERO’S JOURNEY ENDGAME Episode 117: The Hero’s Journey Endgame. Ever since George Lucas cited Joseph Campbell’s 1949 book, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” as the inspiration for Star Wars, Hollywood screenwriters have used Campbell’s theory of The Hero’s Journey as the blueprint for making movies, especially stories about epic protagonists. EPISODE 168: SECOND LIFE GOES ON Episode 168: Second Life Goes On. Mar 17. Written By Eric Molinsky. One year into this pandemic, it’s been a struggle to feel a connection with other people digitally. That’s why I was inspired to hear an episode from the show Science Friday about a community that refused to disband in a virtual world. As reporter Daniel Peterschmidt EPISODE 172: WEIR SCIENCE Episode 172: Weir Science. When Andy Weir wrote “The Martian,” he self-published the chapters to his website -- never expecting the story to become a best-selling book, or an Oscar-nominated Hollywood movie. His new novel, “ Project Hail Mary ,” is generating a lot of excitement, and he's already sold the movie rights. EPISODE 171: THE ZEN OF SCI-FI Episode 171: The Zen of Sci-Fi. Apr 28. Written By Eric Molinsky. Illusions that mask the true nature of reality. Meditating to gain control over your mind and body. Sending your consciousness to other bodies. These are both tenants of Buddhism and science fiction. Professor Jim Clarke says the overlap is no accident, Buddhism has

been

EPISODE 161: MONSTERS OF 2020 Episode 161: Monsters of 2020. Dec 9. Written By Eric Molinsky. 2020 has felt monstrous on so many levels. So, it’s no coincidence that two of the top grossing movies of the year were Jaws and Jurassic Park, mostly seen at drive-in theaters. Alex Shepard explains why the shark in Jaws embodied our feeling of a dread, and how the Mayor of EPISODE 160: FAN FILMS GO PRO Indie Boom film festival director Anthony DeVito explains why he thinks fan films deserve the same respect as other indie productions. John Lim talks about playing Sulu on the bridge of The Enterprise circa 1966. And Rob Ayling breaks down his fan film, Living in Crime Alley, which puts The Dark Knight in precarious situation. EPISODE 98: IMAGINARY DEATHS Episode 98: Imaginary Deaths. Nov 12. Written By Eric Molinsky. Have you ever mourned the loss of a fictional character? It can be tough to get over, and difficult to convince people who are not caught up in that fictional world that your sense of mourning is valid. I talk with Tim Burke, Dawn Fancher, Maria Clara Santarosa, Megan Knox EPISODE 169: MUSIC FROM SATURN Episode 169: Music From Saturn. Sun Ra claimed to be an extraterrestrial being from Saturn who could teleport you to other planets with his music. That may or may not have been true, but he certainly was the leader of one of the most influential jazz ensembles of the 20th century, and he’s often called the father of

Afrofuturism.

EPISODE 156: FANTASY AND FASCISM Episode 156: Fantasy and Fascism. Nov 15. Written By Eric Molinsky. Fascism is a common theme in fantasy worlds, especially the rebels vs. evil empire scenario. But what can we learn from stories about encroaching fascism? I talk with journalists Lauren Davis, Damien G. Walter, professor Jason Dittmer and podcaster Stefan Sasse – who

teaches

LARP — EPISODES — IMAGINARY WORLDS About. Current Page: Episodes. Contact. Merchandise. Eric Molinsky 11/15/20 Eric Molinsky 11/15/20. Episode 148: Larping in Place. Read More. Eric Molinsky 11/13/20 Eric Molinsky 11/13/20. Episode 108: How

I Won the Larp.

EPISODE 99: DO YOU SPEAK CONLANG? Episode 99: Do You Speak Conlang? SF worlds often use constructed languages (or conlangs for short) as a worldbuilding tool. Marc Okrand, inventor of the Klingon language, and David J. Peterson, inventor of the Dothraki language and The 100's Trigedasleng, talk about the surprises they encountered when fans did or did not take to

their conlangs.

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Imaginary Worlds is a bi-weekly podcast about science fiction and other fantasy genres hosted by Eric Molinsky. THIS WEEK: DISCO ELYSIUM Disco Elysium  has been called one of the best role-playing video games of all time. It's won a slew of awards and it’s a worldwide best-seller -- which is odd because the game wasn’t put out by a big studio. It was made by a group of friends in Estonia who had very little experience making video games. And this detective game is just as much about politics and the existential nature of reality as it is about solving a murder. I talk with Justin Keenan, one of the few American writers on the crew, along with game critic Paul Walker-Emig and game developer and former critic Heather Alexandra about why Disco Elysium is a revolutionary game that also reflects the moment of history we’re living through. For more information, go to the episode page .

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