Casual Misfit Radio

On the final episode of Season 1 of Casual Misfit Radio, the Misfit Crew talks about how pop culture influences our expectations in life, and how grand gestures skew those expectations even further. From marriage proposals that go viral, serendipitously falling in love after dropping books in the school hallway, or finding out there's more to the world outside of what we perceive on TV, books, film, and even music (particularly early 2000s love songs), it seems like narratives got us caught up in thinking that life and how we interact with other is but a fantastical, self-centered dream.

Episode 18 gets craft wit it as the Misfit Crew talks about villains. And since we're no strangers to the topic (see Episode 10), we dive in deep to what makes a good villain in narrative.   You'd think 'good villain' is an oxymoron. But nope, it's kinda not.   Also, Michelle and Katie read snippets of their darkest paragraphs while Kyle contemplates his master plan to steal Kristen Bell's heart.

After a few weeks off, the Misfit Crew is back to talk about all things summer, from favorite reads, films, records, and figuring out when they are at their best for writing. They also talk about their relationship with the season and how summer might not be for everyone.

Trauma isn't easy to talk about. It's not easy to write about, either. But the Misfit Crew takes a courageous dive into figuring out what makes us and our characters tick the way that they do. They answer some tough questions: is reading and writing supposed to be fun? Is there responsibility in art? What traumas inform our writing and how does it find its way into dramatizing our main characters?   It's not easy being transparent about who we are, but the crew tries their best.

“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” --Toni Morrison   There's also the quote from Mark Twain: "write what you know."   Western media is experiencing a bit of a much-needed renaissance when it comes to inclusion and diversity, but it still has so far to go. And walking along those lines can lead you into a minefield when it comes to the question about writing outside of your own experiences.   Whether you're yay or nay or in between, writing outside of our own experiences comes with problems, and many writers may not have the right kinds of experiences or nuance to effectively do so. But dig even deeper: why write outside of your own experience? Is diversity and inclusion just another way to earn a quick, sure dollar? Is it pandering? Is writing outside of your own cultural or sexual experiences ever okay?   The Misfit Crew try to unpack a hefty topic, and come to some conclusions about how we can be better supportive of marginalized voices, what diversity means in the face of capitalism, and how writing outside of your own experience may reveal some hard truths about your own actual experience.

Jordan Peele's Us is a terrifying film. Not because of the gore or the scares, but because it's an unnerving tale about...us. Ourselves. And how who we are vs. what we want to be is one a constant struggle.   Kyle is joined by a special guest, voice actress and writer Anairis Quinones as they wax poetic about the emotional impact the movie had on them. They also discuss the how the film reflects on them as Black artists, how American status quo conflicts with their personal goals, and they try to decide which side of the tethered they are in their daily lives.   HEADS UP: There are light spoilers in this episode! It's highly recommended that you check out the movie before tuning in.

Spring is in the air, and it's time to write! It's also time to Revise and Resub as the 2019 #RevPit annual contest has kicked off. RevPit editors Carly Hayward, R.R. Campbell, and Editor Cassandra join in as guests to talk about bridging the gap between writers and editors. They also discuss when it's time to look for an editor, what holds us back as writers, and how to stay motivated in the face of imposter syndrome and rejection during the seemingly impossible pursuit of publishing.

To conclude what unexpectedly became a three-part series about love, the Misfit Crew unpacks family love, how we define it, and how it finds its way into our writing.   Following up on our conversations around romantic love and friendship love, we open up about our upbringings and how these experiences shape not only our writerly lives but also how we relate to all the people in our lives.   This one gets really personal, especially in the end. Proceed with an open heart.

Previously, on Episode 9, we talked about love, intimacy, and romance in narratives and in our lives. This time, we're talking about friendship love. And how much harder it is to find, to maintain, and to write. How does one even categorize a friendship story? The Misfit Crew talk about the value of friendship and how it often goes unsung and undervalued. They gush about their favorite friendships in narrative, from How to Say Goodbye in Robot and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, to how 90s sitcoms like Frasier, Living Single, and Friends got it right (for the most part). Friends. How many of us have them?

A guest misfit joins the conversation: Irving Jean-Baptiste, aka Irv the Villain. Irv is a rapper, musician, and writer who just released his latest EP, Fight the Good Fight: an introspective, jazz-infused hip-hop album rich with a self-analysis that everyone can relate to.   On this episode, Kyle and Irv talk about identity outside of arts, fighting against the villain within ourselves, discovering self-love in the face of depression, and how you don't realize you have a good thing until you uproot your entire life and move to a completely different state.   Because what is home?   They also have an existential conversation about sandwiches that surprisingly comes full circle with the rest of the conversation.

Love is in the airwaves as the Misfit Crew talks Valentine's Day. This week, they discuss their perception of the holiday (is it a holiday?), what love really means, and how that translates to the books they read and write.  What makes a good love story? Are books the best places to experience them or does television have their number? Is friendship the definition of love? And why the heck are we all "touch-starved?"  The episode begins with a lovely rant by an 18-year-old Katie taking her thoughts to Tumblr. 

Amy Sherman-Palladino is a polarizing storyteller. You either love or hate Gilmore Girls, Bunheads, and even Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Yet, Michelle, Katie, and Kyle fall in the middle, and for many different reasons.  The question isn't whether or not the show is good. It's more about adding the sum of its parts, and that leads to a bigger question. What's the responsibility of art that portrays marginalized people?  The Misfit Crew gets their fingers dirty digging deep into Sherman-Palladino's work, discuss the problematic nostalgia with 1950s aesthetics, and contemplate how the show shines and how it falls dull. Additionally, the crew muses about their writing and how Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks is scarily the modern-day version 1984.

For the first time, Casual Misfit Radio is bringing on a guest for the week. And we're proud to have friend of the show Jesse Torres on board to talk about something near and dear to his and Kyle's heart: Dragon Ball Z.   An article written by Gita Jackson over at Kotaku explored Dragon Ball Z and the Black Experience, and it was a piece that resonated with Kyle so much that he had to dedicate an entire episode to it.   This week, Kyle and guest Jesse talk about what Dragon Ball Z--and anime and eastern storytelling in general--has taught them and how it has formed them as artists and informed their experience as black men. They also dive into what it means to say yes to yourself, how integral community is in art, and how Grave of the Fireflies is still a powerful, relevant, tear-jerking anime.   All of this comes ahead of the new Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie, which harkens back to the show's roots.

The Misfit Crew dives into their favorites and not-so-favorites of 2018. They also talk about the joy of a meme-filled year, including a very heartwarming discussion on Gritty, arguably the greatest gift we've received in the last 365.  In turn, the Misfits get introspective as always, talking about personal growth, being better friends, how Katie's Saving Alice is proof of a fourth dimension, and how 2019 is going to be about just doing it.

This week, the Misfit Crew put down their phones to talk about social media and its positive and negative effects on creativity, mental health, and relationships. Is social media a healthy place for writers? What were our first experiences with the internet and social media and how will it pan out in the future? How is the current climate informing the way we interact with each other online? So many deep questions.   We touch on Tomi Adeyemi's Twitter beef with Nora Roberts, evaluate the permanence of the seemingly fleeting medium of social media, and stress the importance of 'sliding in the DMs'.   The crew also gushes about what they've been into, including Katie's (painful) endurance of One Hundred Years of Solitude and her joyful obsession with Vampire Diaries, Kyle's impulsive, rewarding dive into My Brilliant Friend, and Michelle makes a case for retroactive Oscars being awarded to The Muppet Christmas Carol.

Previously, on Casual Misfit Radio, Katie and Kyle decided to revisit their high school novels. It sounded like a great idea at the time. But in the end, it may have proved disastrous. However, that disaster might be a good thing. Tune in as Katie mulls over how rewriting her high school novel gave closure that brought on a sense of sadness, and as Kyle's first NaNoWriMo might actually be his last. The misfits also dive in deep to what they've been reading, and Kyle introduces a new segment called 'Gotta Catch 'Em All In A Minute or Two' in light of the Detective Pikachu trailer.

The Misfit Trio unites to discuss the uncomfortable feeling of impostor syndrome and how it affects us as creatives. Whatever kind of writer you are, surely you've experienced some feelings of being a fraud, a phony, a fake--any of those sorts of things. Does that feeling ever go away? Is there a solution? Probably not. But hold on a second--impostor syndrome might actually be a good thing. Tune in as Kyle, Katie, and Michelle talk about what it means to be 'a real writer,' how to define success, how to articulate our message as storytellers, and the impact of isolation we writers impose on ourselves.

Kyle V. Hiller and Katie Antonsson are doing NaNoWriMo this year. But they aren't just doing any random project. They're revisiting their high school novels and rewriting them for National Novel Writing Month in 2018.  Kyle and Katie kick things off with talk about NaNoWriMo, offering insight to the experience as Kyle is a rookie and Katie is a NaNo veteran. Then, they enter a discussion around the importance of our early works as writers, how the industry has influenced us as adult writers, and how to get back to the pure, reckless abandon of writing in our youth.  Tune in every other Tuesday for new episodes, and follow Casual Misfit on Twitter @wecasualmisfits and online at wecasualmisfits.com.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is in talks for a contemporary reboot. The classic show, now off the air for about 15 years, has still been going strong with its comic series. But what message would the new Buffy have to accomplish in order to have impact? Have we gone too far with reboots? What is the target audience of reboots? Join writer/author Kyle V. Hiller (THE RECITAL) and writer/book reviewer Michelle Nugent (THE FEMINIST BOOKWORM) as they discuss what they expect from the new Buffy, muse about inclusivity and diversity while putting Joss Whedon in check, and what the show meant for them.  There may also be a little indulgence into the Brooklyn 99/Mike Schur Universe, which isn't totally unrelated, we promise.

Casual Misfit Radio is a podcast about stories and the people who tell them. This episode prologues the mission behind Casual Misfit, introducing creator Kyle V. Hiller, and details what to look forward to in future episodes.  Follow Casual Misfit @wecasualmisfits on Twitter and Instagram, and also visit wecasualmisfits.com.