Geekdom Empowers

Today: A repost! Our guest is Michelle C. Smith, stuntwoman, stunt performer, and professional bad-ass, who worked in shows like Supergirl, Motherland, Helstrom, The Magicians, Arrow, Smallville, and Deadpool, among others. The list is long. If you get a chance, check out her videos on TikTok. The things she does are amazing. Today she'll talk about how she became a stuntwoman, the path she'd taken, some of her experiences on the sets, and how she empowered herself by taking her own path. You can find Michelle here: Website: www.freestylestaffspinning.com/ TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@michelle.c.smith YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Z8eTFtiyP88XylvO-lBHw Instagram: www.instagram.com/michelle.c.smith/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers

Today's guest is Erica Friedman, the author of ‘By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga, the Untold Story of Lesbian Love in Japanese Animation and Comics'. It is an amazing power of following through on the thing you love for decades. Take a listen! You can find Erica here: Website: https://www.yuricon.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/OkazuYuri By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga: https://www.yuricon.com/product/bys/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/okazuyuri/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's guest is Natalie Devitt, geek, fan, and contributor to the Galactic Journey website. She has interesting geek stories to tell! Take a listen! Geekdom Empowers comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Our guest today is Dylan Goss, American indie comic book creator who lives in Taiwan and writes about a Native American heroine. Check it out! You can find Dylan here: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stuffedrock Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosiwoo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/stuffedrock Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/461165116/mara-chapter-1 Geekdom Empowers comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's guest is Hector Rodriguez, American creator of the El Peso Hero comic book. This conversation is emotional. El Peso Hero is a powerful attempt to empower children and adults through the power of the superhero. Do listen! You can find Hector here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elpesohero/ Website: http://riobravocomics.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/el_peso_hero/ Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/elpesohero Geekdom Empowers comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Our guest today is Gerimi Burleigh, an American indie comic book artist and writer. His comic book Morningstar is amazing. There's so much to tell you about this conversation, but I don't want to spoil it. So just listen. You can find Gerimi here: Website: www.gerimi.net Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gerimib/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Gerimi Linktree: https://linktr.ee/gerimi YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/gerimi Geekdom Empowers comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's guest is Gwyn Conaway. She is an American costume designer, a costume concept artist for film and TV shows (specifically science fiction), a fashion historian, and a professor of design. We will talk with her about so many things we never talked about on the show, from working on Star Trek Discovery to how people's biases are reflected in their choice of clothes, the difference between concept artists and costume designers, the difference between how Russian cosmonauts dressed and how American astronauts dressed, and so many other things. In addition to all this, she writes for Galactic Journey, the creator of which, Gideon Marcus, was a previous guest on the show. This episode's riveting. You should listen. You can find Gwyn here: Website: http://gwynconawayart.com/ Instagram: http://instagram.com/gwynethcb Twitter: https://twitter.com/GwynConawayArt Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rgwyneth.art Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/gwynethcb Gwyn's book Talking Threads: https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Threads-Costume-Animation-Illustration/dp/1624650481/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's guest is Serena Sanchez, creator of the indie Black Rhapsody comic book. You can find her here: Black Rhapsody: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-rhapsody-part-1/coming_soon/x/23117639 Twitter: twitter.com/MagicGalMedia Geekdom Empowers comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's episode is a repost, but not of Geekdom Empowers. I had interviewed Lavie Tidhar for the Blind Panels podcast years ago, and his story is so on-point for Geekdom Empowers, I had to repost it here. Lavie Tidhar is a fantasy/horror/sf author, winner of the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, and many more awards, big and small. His short stories and books have been translated to countless languages. We're going to be tracing his path from being a complete, unpublished unknown up to being a well-regarded published science fiction author.talked-about and influential authors today. You can find Lavie here: Homepage: https://lavietidhar.wordpress.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lavietidhar Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lavietidhar/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

This week, we're reposting two awesome interviews with authors who were just nominated for the Hugo Award. Our guest today was nominated 3 times for best short story, best novelette, and best novella. Today's guest is fantasy and science fiction author Catherynne Valente. Catherynne Valente is the writer of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (and the four books that followed it), Palimpsest, the Orphan's Tales series and so many books you've probably read or heard about. She's a New York Times bestselling author, winner of the Andre Norton, Tiptree, Sturgeon, Eugie Foster Memorial, Mythopoeic, Rhysling, Lambda, Locus, Hugo awards, and more. Usually, in Geekdom Empowers we follow the paths of the geeks around the world who are not highlighted. And yet, Cat's path is exactly the path we talk about. She talks about how, with the power of social media, before it was called social media, she got from knowing no one to what she is today. Social media helped her every stage of the way, including today where her Patreon gives her financial independence from the publishers. It is the story of a rise to success of an author who came from nothing, knowing no one. It is the story of an author who made her own niche, who kept her style and authenticity, and who has withstood, as we'll see, quite a bit of terrible pushback from science fiction and fantasy fans. I think you'll enjoy this interview. It's fascinating. You can find Catherynne Valente here: Website: catherynnemvalente.com/ Twitter: twitter.com/catvalente Instagram: www.instagram.com/catvalente Geekdom Empowers comes out Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers

This week, we're reposting two awesome interviews with authors who were just nominated for the Hugo Award. Today's guest is Donald Oghenechovwe Ekpeki, a speculative fiction author from Nigeria, whose story 'O2 Arena' is nominated for both the Hugo and the Nebula. He has been awarded an honorable mention in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest, twice. His short story “The Witching Hour,” won the 2018 Nommo award for best short story by an African. He was longlisted for the 2019 Nommo award and the 2020 British Science Fiction Association award. He was also awarded the 2020 Horror Writers Association diversity grant and was nominated for best novella by the Nebula Awards. I usually don't give you a list of a guest's accomplishments, but in this case it is relevant. We've talked in this podcasts with guests about the way the American and British SF&F world keeps out authors from other countries, about how so much SF&F gets lost by never being noticed in the world, and I guess you know that there is a lot of inherent racism towards Africans. But whatever we know, whatever we assume, Donald shows us in this interview today many of the ways that African writers are cut off from the rest of the world, from self-publishing, from the big publishers, and more. You can find Donald on: Website: odekpeki.com/ Twitter: Twitter.com/@penprince_ Also check out the books he edited that we talked about: 'The Year's Best African Speculative Fiction (2021)' and 'Dominion'. Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers

Today's guest is Melvin Cartagena, an indie comic book creator. Check out his journey! You can find Melvin here: Website: https://robopulp.gumroad.com/l/ThePlot Twitter: twitter.com/robopulp Instagram: Instagram.com/robo.pulp Geekdom Empowers comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's guest is Michael Iwoleit, a German science fiction author and editor of the German SF magazine Nova, editor of the international SF magazine InterNova, which was published in English. This was one of the first influences fifteen, almost twenty years ago, which got the English-speaking audiences to the point where they're able to read and like science fiction from non-English-speaking countries. It was one of the things that began the movement. As you'll be able to hear, I know Michael from all those years ago. He published a few stories of mine, in German and in English in InterNova. And today he'll talk about his own path as fan, editor, and writer. About international SF, about German SF and about the history of German SF&F. It's fascinating! However, sound quality in addition to a raspy voice means you should listen to it with earphones. It's worth it. You can find Michael here: Nova: www.nova-sf.de InterNova: internova.worldculturehub.net World Culture Hub (an international cultural project that InterNova is a part of): www.worldculturehub.net Personal website: mki.worldculturehub.net Geekdom Empowers comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's guest is Gideon Marcus, American SF author, creator of the Galactic Journey blog (which follows SF&F from 55 years ago), and publisher of cool SF books. don't want to spoil anything. I'll just say that we go through the history of science fiction and fantasy, talk about women and gay SFF authors in the 50's and 60's, the right way to watch Star Trek, and sooooo much more. Including how Gideon's geekiness created an entire community built around his particular geekiness. I shall say no more. Just. Bloody. Listen. You can find Gideon here: Website: www.galacticjourney.org Galactic Journey's Twitter: https://twitter.com/journeygalactic Journey Press: https://journeypress.com/ Journey Press' Twitter: https://twitter.com/PressJourney Gideon Marcus' Twitter: https://twitter.com/gideonmarcus9 Geekdom Empowers comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's guest is Andrea Johnson. Andrea used to write science fiction and fantasy book reviews as Little Red Reviewer, now she's got a new podcast called Retro Rockets Podcast, and in-between she does cool things for Apex Books, which, by the way, you should check out. You can find Andrea here: Twitter: https://twitter.com/redhead5318 Little Red Reviewer: https://littleredreviewer.wordpress.com/ Retro Rockets Podcast website: https://retrorockets.wordpress.com/ Retro Rockets Twitter: https://twitter.com/RetroRocketsPod RetroRockets at Podbean https://retrorocketspodcast.podbean.com/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's guest is Gu Shi, award-winning Chinese science fiction author. You can find Gu Shi here: Her stories on Clarkesworld: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/author/gu-shi/ Twitter:https://twitter.com/gushidoc Geekdom Empowers comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's guest is animator and creator Cory Kerr. He will walk us through his journey, his origin story, and so many more things! Enjoy! You can find Cory here: Website: www.corykerr.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coryrkerr Twitter: https://twitter.com/corykerr YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mythidiot Behance: https://www.behance.net/corykerr Geekdom Empowers comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today our guest is Justin Quizon, geek creator, podcaster, writer and director who, in his Instagram description, describes himself as “I won't shut up about movies.” We talk to Justin about his journey, about Lumpia, a Filipino superhero movie (he's involved in the second movie), about his plans for a first movie, about comedy, about superheroes, and so much more. You can find Justin here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinquiz/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/justinquizon Linktree: https://linktr.ee/JustinQuizon Geekdom Empowers comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today our guest is Ralph Miranda, artist and animator, with an amazing approach to art and life! I hope you enjoy it! You can find Ralph here: Homepage: https://ralphious.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSjrMNA_jKsa8X47HZN-gOw DeviantArt: https://www.deviantart.com/ralphious Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ralphinox/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today our guest is Usman Malik, a Pakistani fantasy, science fiction, and horror author, winner of the British Fantasy Award, the Bram Stoker Award, nominated for the Nebula, and so much more we're going to cover. Usman takes us through his journey as a writer, and talks about the science fiction and fantasy scene in Pakistan. You can find Usman here: Website: usmanmalik.org Twitter: twitter.com/@usmantm Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usmantanveermalik/?hl=en Geekdom Empowers comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Our guest today is J. Salvador, the artist behind SuperEmoFriends. J's journey is quite amazing, and we're going to talk all about it. You can find J. Salvador here: Website: https://superemofriends.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/superemofriends/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/superemofriends/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Our guest today is Brian Hawkins, an indie comic book creator with his own unique story and journey. He'll walk us through that journey, which includes a surprising stop as a ghost writer, which completely blew my mind, through comics, through responding to trolls, through the projects he's working on, and so much more. You can find Brian here: Website: https://www.brianhawkinswrites.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrianLHawkins Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brianhawkinswrites LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianhawkinswrites/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianhawkinswrites/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Our guest today is Nina Daisy Aberlein, an Italian-Canadian creator of comics. Nina's going to talk about her journey, about the comics she's created, and about monster girl communities, and other smaller communities that maybe you've heard about and maybe you haven't. You can find all of Nina's links here: https://linktr.ee/NinaDAberlein Geekdom Empowers comes out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's guest is Milan Kovacs, Hungarian collector and indie comic book creator. He talks to us about how his past as a collector influences his decisions as an indie comic book publisher. Plus, we get to talk about Hungarian comics and the comic book scene in Hungary. It's fascinating. You can find Milan here: Website: www.milankovacs.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milankovacs Twitter: https://twitter.com/milankovacs Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's guest is Elana Gomel, an author of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. She also teaches science fiction in the academic world. That, and having lived all across the world, give her a unique perspective which she shares with us. Website: https://www.citiesoflightanddarkness.com/ The Cryptids: https://www.amazon.com/Cryptids-Elana-Gomel/dp/1947522205 Little Sister: https://www.amazon.com/Little-Sister-Friendship-Soviet-era-Historical/dp/1737721864/ref=sr Black House: https://www.amazon.com/Black-House-Elana-Gomel-ebook/dp/B09N61Z6BN/ref=sr_1 The Best Horror of the Year 13 with her story "Mine Seven" https://www.amazon.com/Best-Horror-Year-13-ebook/dp/B09H6MWX7S Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today our guest is Christa Harader, a.k.a. Knowledgeable Cabbage. They are a comic book reviewer, a comic book creator, a fan of geek stuff and many many things we'll talk about. They are fun, funny, great to talk to. So let's just listen! You can find Christa here: Twitter: twitter.com/cabbagecomics Email for comics reviews: knowledgeablecabbage(at)gmail(dot)com Website: www.kc-comics.com Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Our guest today is Hannah Spikings, creator of the webcomic A.P.O.C. We go through her origin story, through Original Character Tournaments, to how she is able to do a multi-year project. It's a fascinating story! You can find Hannah here: Twitter: https://twitter.com/hspikings Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spikingsart APOC Comic: https://www.apoccomic.com/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Our guest today is Ashley Ilulaneko, a cosplayer from Amsterdam. Ashley is the third cosplayer on the show, and each time I feel we go deeper and deeper into what makes a cosplayer, what dressing up means, and what the experience is. This is a very interesting conversation. You can find Ashley here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashley_ilunaneko/ Website: https://www.ilunaneko.net/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ilunaneko/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/IlunaNeko Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshleyIlunaneko Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today our guest is Melissa Shaginoff. She is a curator, an artist, and, as you'll hear, an archeologist of Indigenous people, including her own. That explanation is hardly sufficient. She is a fascinating guest, and she'll talk about the origin of Indigenous stories, about her advisory role in comics, about curation, about the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation, and so much more. You can find Melissa at her website: https://www.melissashaginoff.com/ Instagram: instagram.com/mshaginoff Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today we're talking to Gamal Hennessy, comic book lawyer, business consultant, and author of the book ‘The Business of Independent Comic Book Publishing'. Website: https://www.creativecontractconsulting.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/gamalhennessy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gamalhennessy/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's guest is Jarrel De Matas, a young man who created the Caribbean Science Fiction Network Podcast, in which he interviews science fiction, fantasy, and folklore creators from the Caribbean. In our conversation, he talks about his origin story as well as the podcast's. He'll go episode by episode telling us about the artists and creators he highlights. It is fascinating. Check out what geek creators have been up to in the Caribbean! Find more of Jarrel here: Website: caribbeanscifi.wordpress.com Twitter: twitter.com/caribbeansfnet Instagram: instagram.com/caribbeansfnet Facebook: www.facebook.com/caribbeansfnet Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's guest is Chris Kawagiwa, an artist and illustrator, who creates storyboards, amazing specialized posters for movies we all know, and his own comic book series. Chris takes us through on his journey from being an aspiring artist to where he is today. You can find Chris here: Website: https://www.chriskawagiwa.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sketchboy01/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sketchboy01 Kitnrivet: https://www.etsy.com/shop/KitnRivet Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's guest is Scott Serkland. Scott has found a way to be a comic book artist and how to do his own thing by helping others do their own thing. It's a fascinating conversation about how, like the name says, your geekdom empowers you. You can find Scott here: Web: http://www.serkworks.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/serkworks You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SERKWORKS Twitter: http://twitter.com/Serkworks Store: http://madsciencesupply.com Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/serkworks Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's guest is Dave Baker, indie comic book writer and creator, including ‘Everyone Is Tulip', which was just named one of the ‘Top 10 Comics of the Year' by Library Journal. We talk about geekiness, writing, being indie, and so many things. This is a fun and deep conversation. I hope you enjoy it. Website: www.davebaker.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/xdavebakerx Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xdavebakerx And thanks to Adina David, for lending her voice to this episode's the intro. Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's guest is Tlotlo Tsamaase, an upcoming science fiction and fantasy author from Botswana. She talks about her journey, her books and stories, and everything in-between. It is the story of a person who does what she loves because she can't do otherwise. You can find Tlotlo here: Website: https://www.tlotlotsamaase.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/tlotlotsamaase Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tlotlotsamaase/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today we're talking to Xing Xin who is an indie comic book creator with an amazing story of perseverance and success. There are two twists in his story, one in the middle and one in the end. I highly recommending listening to his entire story. You can find more about Xing here: Website: https://ximphonicversus.com/shop/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theversus Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ximphonic_versus/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/XimphonicVersus/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Our guest today is Mai S. Kemble, who illustrates children's books. She is making Geekdom Empowers history, since she completes the first wife-husband set of inerviewees we've ever had. Just a couple of week ago we had Josh Kemble, the husband, and now we're talking to Mai S. Kemble, the wife. She will talk about her journey, about growing up a twin, about storytelling through pictures, and about being able to keep working doing the thing you love. You can find Mai here: Website: https://maiskemble.com/ Reedsy: https://reedsy.com/mai-kemble Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maikemble/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Wow, we are episode 50! That's freaking crazy. 50 episodes of geeks creators and fans from all around the world, creating a huge, giant, world-sized quilt. In 50 episodes we've explored indie comics creators. We talked to web comics creators from the US and Finland. We talked to the founders of Kugali, a company which creates Pan-African comics and animation, rose out of nothing, and made a deal with Disney. We talked to Spanish science fiction authors and one translator. We talked to a Spanish publishing company that publishes only female and non-binary authors, and we learned about how small publishers can create big changes. We talked to cosplayers and found that racism can be found anywhere We talked about the LGTBQ mainstream comics. We talked to indie animators. We talked to an Italian author and publisher who finds science fiction from literally all around the world, stuff that's never been translated, and he translates and publishes it to Italian and Chinese. We spoke to a new an upcoming Chinese author. We spoke to an Israeli science fiction editor. We talked to a Japanese Manga artist who wanted to be different and couldn't do it in Japan. We talked to an actor who created his own niche of playing CGI characters. We talked to a stunt woman on big SF shows and found out what goes on behind the scenes. We talked to authors and comics creators from various countries in Africa and learned what it's like for them. We talked to a French Canadian author. We talked to a woman who creates Latina superheroines to empower girls and women. We talked to a man who built a physical vintage science fiction book store in the age of Amazon. We talked to a man who created his own cinematic scifi universe and to a woman who writes and publishes romantic scifi books. We talked to the chairperson of the Israeli Society of Science Fiction and Fantasy (where we learned about how cons work). We talked to a team who writes comics based on Native American heritage. We talked to a man who created a comic book review site. And that's not all of them! And we have just started. I am so happy all these people agreed to talk and tell their personal stories. I am so happy that you're listening. I am so proud that the dream of Geekdom Empowers is growing. And now, for our special 50th episode, we have a special guest. Bill Plympton, king of the indie animators. He has a lot of advice for anyone trying to do their own thing, to go the indie way. Check it out! Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's guest is Noa Menhaim, a fellow geek and an editor in Israel's biggest publishing company. She edits many books, including genre books by original Israeli authors. Today she'll talk about her geek origin, about the way she got her editing job (in a scene that only exists in movies), about the slush pile, and about what an editor's job really is. Enjoy! Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's guest is Kayden Phoenix, the creator of the Latina Superheroes comic books in the A La Brava universe. She talks about her origin story, how she created the universe, how she created comic books when she was new to comics, and has great advice for people starting out. You can find Kayden here: The Latina Superheroes website: https://latinasuperheroes.com/ Kayden's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaydenphoenix/ Latina Superheroes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latinasuperheroes/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kayden_phoenix Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrEwgBdrHuQ29V80A7zSXg

Today's guest is Gary Hodges, the indie artist and writer behind the comic ‘Dinosaurs Vs. Marsbots'. He has a very personal origin story and I'm sure you'll enjoy this conversation. You can find Gary here: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySMveQkCBrvxYZw5ThVVwA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dinosaursvsmarsbots/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers

Our guests today are the women known as CC and Beep, hosts of the podcast Word of the Witnesses. In it they analyze every aspect, episode by episode, of the 12 Monkeys TV show, including in-depth interviews with the team that created it. We talk TV genre shows, geek out a lot about 12 Monkeys, talk of their origin story, the way Terry Matalas (the showrunner) reacted to the podcast, and so much more. And we also talk about the lack of the fangirl point of view in the overall geek experience as it comes out on the web. There are always warnings before spoilers, so you can listen to this episode safely even if you haven't seen the show. Listen to this episode! You'll enjoy it. Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers

Our guest today is artist and writer Joshua Kemble. I found his comics online by accident, and was so blown away by the powerful black and white art, that I had to have him on the show. Not just because he's talented, but because there must be a story behind that art. And there is. And he shared it with amazing openness and frankness. So here it is. Joshua Kemble's story. You can find Josh here: Website: https://www.joshuakemble.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuakemble/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoshKemble/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXqjTz5D6_RsZZfzO4DPzEQ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers

Our guest today is Jean-Paul L. Garnier, author, poet, publisher, and owner of a vintage science fiction bookstore in Joshua Tree, California called Space Cowboy Books. He has turned his bookstore into a special place by holding amazing events, by promoting local writers, and so much more. On top of which he has a podcast, Simultaneous Times, with short SF stories by contemporary authors. We're going to talk about all of that. It's going to be a fun conversation. But I'll tell you what. Stick around for the end. The last ten or fifteen minutes carry a message of optimism that for me at least is one of the most powerful we've had on the podcast so far. You can find Jean-Paul here: Space Cowboys Bookstore: https://spacecowboybooks.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyQwqKhUuhW_s9lDtXnKmsA Twitter: https://twitter.com/space_books The Simultaneous Times Podcast: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/spacecowboybooks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spacecowboybooks/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers

Today's guest is Pascus Smith. He is a fan of comics, of SF&F movies, and an artist, and he is the man responsible for the fact that Geekdom Empowers is called Geekdom Empowers. He is this podcast's origin story. And that is the first thing we talk about. You can find him on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/universeofprincepascus/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Universe-Of-Princepascus-1498919867045654/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers

Today's guest is Demetrius LaSean Witherspoon, who created a science fiction universe in film called the Submerge Universe. His story is amazing. Not just in how this developed but in what he did later on to market, to sell, to create comics, novels, action figures, cards, an animated pilot, apparel, and more. This is a deep lesson in how we can empower ourselves through our geekiness. If you want to find Demetrius: Homepage: https://www.dventertainmentpictures.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSjvHbINx1-plowcDHSGGhg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dventertainmentpictures/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dventertainmentpictures/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers

Today's guest is Michelle C. Smith, stuntwoman, stunt performer, and professional bad-ass, who worked in shows like Supergirl, Motherland, Helstrom, The Magicians, Arrow, Smallville, and Deadpool, among others. The list is long. If you get a chance, check out her videos on TikTok. The things she does are amazing. Today she'll talk about how she became a stuntwoman, the path she'd taken, some of her experiences on the sets, and how she empowered herself by taking her own path. You can find Michelle here: Website: https://www.freestylestaffspinning.com/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michelle.c.smith YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Z8eTFtiyP88XylvO-lBHw Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelle.c.smith/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers

Today's guest is Ace Ruele, an actor that does creature work for VFX and motion capture in productions like Eternals, Matrix 4, Wheel of Time and video games like Dead Island 2, Palace of the Apes VR, the Inpatient, and more. He also created a company called Creature Bionics which creates physical bionics to actors who do creatures, to help them become the creatures. We're going to talk to Ace about his path, about working on the movies, and, in the last third of the show, the hard path he had to take to become successful and what it takes and how he did it. He also talks about how he created a niche that didn't exist within the VFX world. I promise you that you will enjoy this episode. It's absolutely fantastic. You can find Ace here: Website: www.aceruele.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aceruele/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AceRuele Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aceruele/?hl=en Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers

Today's guest is independent animator Jim Lujan. This is a fun conversation, where we go deep into his process, into what it's like to go 100% on your vision, on working with Bill Plympton, and so much more. This is a fun one. You can find Jim here: Website: www.jimlujan.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Jimlujan333 Patreon: patreon.com/jimlujan Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimlujan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimlujan/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers

Today's guest is Liat Shahar Kashtan, the chairperson of the Israeli Society for Fantasy and Science Fiction. Liat talks about discovering the world of science fiction and fantasy, starting out in Cons as a volunteer, and slowly moving up and becoming the chairperson of the Society. She talks about her goals, about Cons, and about making Cons feel like this is our place, the geeks. The Israeli Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy: https://www.sf-f.org.il/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers

Today we're talking to the author known as Zelda Knight or Zaria Knight. Zelda writes erotic sci-fi and fantasy romance and is a cryptozoologist in training. If you remember, in his episode Donald Ekpeke talked about her, as they co-edited ‘Dominion: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora'. She also became an independent publisher, empowering herself to do what she likes. You can find of Zelda here: Homepage: https://authorzknight.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorZKnight Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AuthorZKnight/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@AuthorZKnight Tons of other links: https://authorzknight.com/links/ Geekdom Empowers comes out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can find us here: Website: www.geekdomeempowers.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/geekdomempowers/ Twitter: twitter.com/GeekdomEmpowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/geekdomempowers TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@geekdomempowers