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A historian joins a late-night conversation about worlds where one altered event sends nations down roads no one remembers. Then a stranger leaves behind something impossible to explain, suggesting one of those other histories may be much closer than anyone imagined. Crossroads of Destiny by H. Beam Piper. That's next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast. Our new podcast, Weird Tales Reborn, will be available within the next 48 hours—possibly even sooner—and we think you're going to love it. We've featured stories from Weird Tales magazine on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast before, but Weird Tales Reborn is devoted entirely to stories published in this legendary magazine, bringing its strange, fantastic, and unforgettable fiction back to life. You can listen to the trailer and subscribe right now, so you'll be ready when our very first episode arrives. You'll find links to Weird Tales Reborn in the description. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/weird-tales-reborn/id6812494670 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2KgAyqHo9HPkU9gu6yrgQB Author H. Beam Piper makes his debut on the podcast today. Henry Beam Piper was born in 1904 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and was largely self-educated. He developed a fascination with history as a boy—several of his ancestors had fought in the Civil War—and by his teens he had decided he wanted to become a writer. Around that time he discovered speculative fiction through H. G. Wells, Bram Stoker, Edgar Rice Burroughs and A. Merritt. At 18, Piper went to work for the Pennsylvania Railroad in Altoona, where he worked as a laborer and later a night watchman while writing and submitting stories in his spare time. Remarkably, he spent about 26 years trying to make his first sale before John W. Campbell bought “Time and Time Again,” which appeared in Astounding Science Fiction in 1947. His deep knowledge of history became one of the signatures of his fiction, particularly in his Paratime stories and alternate-history tales like “Crossroads of Destiny.” Piper went on to write more than two dozen short stories and roughly a dozen novels and book-length works, depending on how collaborations and posthumously published books are counted. His best-known books include Little Fuzzy, Space Viking, Four-Day Planet and The Cosmic Computer. Little Fuzzy was nominated for the 1963 Hugo Award for Best Novel. Writer Jerry Pournelle recalled that Piper once told him, apparently with a straight face, that he believed he had been born in another timeline. From Fantastic Universe in July 1959 we will find our story on page 4, Crossroads of Destiny by H. Beam Piper… Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A government believes it has created the perfect biological weapon: a virus that kills only the people it considers dangerous. But Dr. Joseph Euge knows the plague is making a very different judgment, and soon an entire world may learn what truly makes someone vulnerable. Righteous Plague by Robert Abernathy. Lost Sci-Fi Premium - https://lostscifi.supercast.com/ Buy Me a Coffee - https://lostscifi.com/coffee Newsletter - https://lostscifi.com/free/ Facebook - https://lostscifi.com/facebook YouTube - https://lostscifi.com/youtube X - http://Lostscifi.com/x Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguy Merchandise - https://lostscifi.creator-spring.com/ Thanks to Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee $200 Someone $100 Josh Jennings, Tony from the Future $75 James Van Maanenberg $50 Tony Ciak, Ryan and Kait, James Van Maanenberg, MizzBassie, Anonymous Listener $25 Fintan Quigley, Curious Jon, David Bell, Steve, Miriam, Someone, Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener $15 Every Month Someone $15 Tina Godby, Steve, Someone, SueTheLibrarian, Joannie West, Amy Özkan, Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener $10 David, Anonymous Listener $5 Every Month Eaten by a Grue $5 Tammy, Owen, Bruce, Someone, TLD, David, Denis Kalinin, Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener Listen without commercials and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes every month with Lost Sci-Fi Premium—start your free 7-day trial today. https://lostscifi.supercast.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Israeli novelist and translator Yoav Avni joins the World XP Podcast to explore time, artificial intelligence, creativity, and why so many of us spend our lives thinking about the past or worrying about the future instead of actually experiencing the present. Yoav discusses his new time-travel novel Time Clocks, the challenge of translating literature between Hebrew and English, leaving a 20-year career in tech to focus on writing, rebuilding his life after a personal crisis, and why he sees AI as a tool rather than something humans should automatically fear.If you're enjoying the content, please like, subscribe, and comment! Time Clocks: https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/roundfire-books/our-books/time-clocksWebsite: https://www.yoavavni.com/english.phpYoav Avni is an Israeli author, translator, editor, and writing mentor, born in 1969. His fiction includes novels and short stories. His novels have been published by two of Israel's leading publishing houses, Kinneret-Zmora-Bitan and Keter. One of them, Three Things for a Desert Island, became a national bestseller, and two of his books won the Israeli Geffen Award for Best Speculative Novel, often described as Israel's equivalent of the Hugo Award.His latest novel, Time Clocks, was published in Hebrew in December 2024 and is scheduled for international release in English on September 29, 2026, from Roundfire Books (UK/US). His novel Crossing a River Twice was first published in Hebrew in Israel in 2016 and is scheduled for English-language publication in the UK and the United States in 2027.______________________Follow us!@worldxppodcast Instagram - https://bit.ly/3eoBwyr@worldxppodcast Twitter - https://bit.ly/2Oa7BzmSpotify - http://spoti.fi/3sZAUTGYouTube - http://bit.ly/3rxDvUL#TimeTravel #ArtificialIntelligence #author #worldxppodcast
In this chapter of Star Trek at 60, Tony revisits Star Trek: Insurrection, the ninth film in the franchise and the third cinematic adventure for the Next Generation cast. Directed by Jonathan Frakes and released on December 11, 1998, the film centers on a moral crisis: when the crew of the USS Enterprise‑E uncovers a conspiracy between Starfleet and the alien Son'a to forcibly relocate the peaceful Ba'ku in order to exploit their planet's rejuvenating properties, Captain Picard and his crew choose to rebel — against orders, against politics, and against the erosion of Starfleet's ideals. Featuring performances by Patrick Stewart, F. Murray Abraham, Donna Murphy, and Anthony Zerbe, Insurrection blends ethical drama with character‑driven humor and romance. Though critics offered mixed responses — some praising Stewart's gravitas and Frakes's direction, others comparing the film to an extended TNG episode — the movie earned $118 million worldwide and secured nominations for both the Saturn Award and Hugo Award. This episode draws from Tony's 1998 roundtable interviews with Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, and Brent Spiner, capturing their reflections at the moment the film was stepping into the world. SAVE 17% ON PLUS
Four thousand light-years from Earth, a survey ship deep inside the Crab Nebula picks up something on its locator that no human built, and within the hour both crews understand the same thing: whichever ship leaves first can be followed home, so neither one can be allowed to leave.A NOTE FROM YOUR NARRATOR: I've been on an old-time radio kick recently, listening to shows like “The Whistler”, “Dimension X”, and “Strange Tales”. One of my favorite shows is called “X-Minus One”. It was a half-hour science fiction radio drama series that was broadcast from April 24, 1955 to January 9, 1958 in various timeslots on NBC radio. At the end of each episode they tell you where the stories they used came from before they adapted them for radio – and one of those sources was the publication “Astounding Science Fiction Magazine”. I jumped online to see if there were old copies I could look at, and I found a book – an anthology of many of the stories from that magazine. The book was published in 1954. The story was entitled “First Contact”, written by Murray Leinster in 1945. The story is credited as one of the first instances of a universal translator in science fiction. So influential is the story that it won a retro Hugo Award for Best Novelette in 1996.EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/mitm-firstcontactSOURCES and RESOURCES: “First Contact” by Murray Leister from “Astounding S-F Anthology”: https://amzn.to/3zhbBWiWeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.Midnight In The Macabre (MITM), originally aired: September 13, 2026LIKE WHAT YOU'RE HEARING? WEIRD DARKNESS posts episodes 7 DAYS A WEEK! Listen FREE wherever you get podcasts or visit https://weirddarkness.com/listen. • Paranormal • True Crime • Ghosts • UFOs • Cryptids • Unexplained • Want even more? Become an OFFICIAL WEIRDO for commercial-free episodes, bonus episodes, weeknight live chats, audiobooks & more at https://WeirdDarkness.com/OFFICIAL
sources:review mentioned: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8742178764about the hugo awards:https://www.tiktok.com/@greekchoir/video/7678735323492306207hugo award winners: https://www.thehugoawards.org/Podcast Episodes Mentioned: ALL OF OUR DCC REVIEWS:https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz1fLsz9BkD8kQsE6tHu7U1yOY_9P1LhX&si=j4xxh36w9KvKKAxQsign up for our fable book club to read along with us before future episodes:https://fable.co/club/lit-lib-pod-book-club-with-literary-liberation-264087449611Twitter: https://twitter.com/LitLibPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/literaryliberation/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@literaryliberation?lang=enKristenTwitter: https://twitter.com/krxxtxnInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tenstbr/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tenstbrMariahTwitter: https://twitter.com/hungryryeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/hungryrye/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hungryrye?lang=en
John is tired, Alison is listening to music, and Liz is catsitting. An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: Clowns (Chapter 1), Hugo Award statistics (Chapter 3) Worldcon 2026: LAcon V Hugo Awards Results Full Statistics Administrator's Report Hugo Awards Ceremony on YouTube Southside Symphony Robert Jackson Bennett on the award speeches Hugo, Girl! Program guide Worldcon Photos on Flickr Worldcon 2028: Aussiecon 5 Picks John: The Prestige by Christopher Priest The Recollections by Christopher Priest Alison: Little, Big by John Crowley Liz: Sublimation by Isabel J Kim Credits Cover art: “Love Is In the Air” by IHOP Photographer Alt text: A photograph of John and Duncan MacGregor taken at an IHOP near the Hilton Anaheim. They are turned to look at each other in a booth. Their facial expressions are difficult to read, but hearts overlay the picture and so we surmise they are in love. Faces of bystanders are pixellated for privacy purposes. Words above the photo read “Octothorpe 168” and below read “Love is in the air at LAcon V”. Theme music: “Surf Shimmy” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
The 2026 Hugo Awards hand Best Novel to Alix E. Harrow's The Everlasting and give Murderbot its first-ever trophy, while WorldCon finally reveals the price for the 2023 Hugo scandal: a lifetime ban for administrator Dave McCarty and lesser bans for three others. Plus, Silo closes its most divisive season yet to a critic/audience split the internet doesn't seem to agree with, and the Bobiverse's fifth book proves the series still has it. Stellar Dispatch drops every Tuesday. New main episodes every Friday on the Stellar feed. Stories this week: 2026 Hugo Awards winners announced at LAcon V WorldCon censures and bans four 2023 Chengdu Worldcon officials Silo season 3 finale review Not Till We Are Lost (Bobiverse #5) review Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As befits these dog days of Doctor Who, we start this episode delving into both Edmonton infrastructure projects and the 60th anniversary of Star Trek, before summarily slapping ourselves upside the head and reporting on Warren's progress reading Circuit Breaker: Kaleidoscope (pretty good so far!) and the extraordinarily expensive yet mouth-wateringly lovely new Character Options set featuring Liz Shaw and a Primordial Professor Stahlman Also books, the Timelash and an interview with the Cyberleader himself David Banks about his new book Man and Cyberman! Excellent! Links: Support Radio Free Skaro on Patreon 2026 Hugo Award winners Circuit Breaker: Kaleidoscope Character Options Season Seven Set Liz Shaw and Primord available September 14 The Daleks' Master Plan: The Making of a Television Serial by Alan Stevens due Sep 2026 Screen Printed: The Definitive Guide To The Exciting Adventures Based On The Popular BBC Television Serial available now Big Finish: The Death and Life of River Song: War Widow released The Timelash Interview: Man and Cyberman: Memoirs of a Cyber Leader by David Banks David Banks
Welcome to the wonderful world of Worldcon donuts, where you'll hear Caitlin Rozakis share how hanging out in the halls is often the most fun of all, Cody Goodfellow on pretending to be H. P. Lovecraft at his first Worldcon in 20 years, Nick Mamatas on his jokes being misunderstood at the 2001 Millennium PhilCon, Rosemary Claire Smith about the infamous 1983 Hugo Awards banquet crab mallet incident, Jennifer Middleton on a life-changing meeting at the 2008 Denver Worldcon, Craig Engler on how wild Worldcons used to be in days gone by (or maybe just how people wanted us to think they were), Ursula K. Le Guin's reply when Neil Rest asked if she was an anarchist, why Kevin Anderson feels Worldcon is an intimate con, Bruce Robertson on watching the Star Wars trilogy until dawn, how dim sum was the cause of Catherine Green's discovery of Worldcon (and the night she sang Weird Al Yankovic songs with Lois McMaster Bujold), Jordan Hiatt's first timer experience learning his elevator pitch needed work, how selling and publishing his first novel to Del Rey a lifetime ago brought Lawrence Watt-Evans to his first Worldcon, and more.
What if your life disappeared so completely that no one remembered you? No family stories. No company. No reputation. No influence. No trace that you were ever here. Would that make your life meaningless? There's an award-winning episode of Star Trek that gets at this question better than most philosophy books. It also exposes a bargain many of us make without noticing it: we treat the present as a kind of downpayment on future permanence. Live longer. Build something that lasts. Leave a legacy. Make sure some part of you continues. All of those things can be good. But none of them is what makes a life worth living in the first place. In this episode, David Tian brings together Star Trek, Irvin Yalom, Thomas Nagel, Samuel Scheffler, and one uncomfortable fact: you are going to die. That fact does not make your life worthless. In fact, it can do the opposite. Once you stop demanding that life last forever before it can count, the people, experiences, and ordinary days you already have become easier to appreciate and value. You can want more life without needing to live forever. And mortality can open the door to more gratitude in the present. Listen to the episode now. Show Highlights Include: How you've busy at trying to "solve death" without realizing it (and how this slowly steals the joy and fulfillment from your existence) (1:24) What an episode of Star Trek (which won them a Hugo Award, the first time a television show has won such an award in 30 years) can teach you about existential crises, death, and getting the most out of the life you have (2:53) Why the "Million Year Test" can lay your legacy worries to rest once and for all (15:09) How to make your life matter today instead of tomorrow (and the insidious trap that the future holds over achievers) (26:03) A mindset shift that instantly raises your level of gratitude, enjoyment, and even eliminates your fear of death (32:03) For more about David Tian, go here: https://www.davidtianphd.com/about/ Feeling like success in one area of life has come at the expense of another? Maybe you've crushed it in your career, but your relationships feel strained. Or you've built the life you thought you wanted, yet there's still something important missing. I've put together a free 3-minute assessment to help you see what's really holding you back. Answer a few simple questions, and you'll get instant access to a personalized masterclass that speaks directly to where you are right now. It's fast. It's practical. And it could change the way you approach leadership, love, and fulfillment. Take the first step here → https://dtphd.com/quiz
This episode originally broadcast on September 3, 2026. The original podast post is here: https://pixelatedgeek.com/2026/09/binary-system-podcast-521-hugo-awards-better-call-saul-and-in-memoriam/Yes yes, we know we said we'd have an episode of Welcome to Night Vale to recap this week, but in our defense we are BAD AT COUNTING, and we won't be able to recap the new Night Vale episode until next week.At least we have a few other things to discuss. The good: Hugo Awards (with a brief mention of Ursula Vernon's Fabulous Hat). The not so good, or at the very least the sad: we lost Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, and Peter Cullen last week and we are not okay.Finally, we watched another episode of Season 3 of Better Call Saul, a show which keeps getting better and better and which we probably should have gotten around to watching a long time ago. (Brief spoilers for Breaking Bad, or at least how the story of Gus Fring wrapped up, and wasn't that amazing?)Play the Podcast Below | Download the MP3 | Subscribe via Apple Podcasts | RSS FeedYou can also listen to this episode on our Binary System Podcast channel on Spotify!This episode's outro is a clip from 909 Problems by Grumplefunk.Check out all the Hugo Award Winners, Nominees, and the reviews!If you're curious about that last outtake clip in this episode…*sigh*. Look, GarageBand, we talked about this. You promised not to cut off the end of my recordings anymore, and I heavily implied that I wouldn't throw you into a Microsoft Windows 95 floppy disk and run you through an industrial paper shredder. Let's try not to have this discussion again, okay?It can be really easy to slip into doom and despair at the state of the world right now, but there are things you can do to help. Check out Stand With Minnesota for links to fundraisers and other ways you can show your support. If we haven't made it abundantly clear where we stand on this, FUCK ICE.Looking for a present for that hard-to-shop-for person? Want to buy them (or yourself) a square foot of a castle in Scotland? Look no further! You can support the restoration of Dunan's castle, legally call yourself Lady or Laird, AND if you use this link to get there you can support this podcast too! ScottishLaird.co.uk.For updates, fan art, and other randomness, come follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram!
Tim Pratt (genderfluid, any pronouns) is the author of more than thirty-five novels, most recently multiversal space opera The Jewel and the Comet. Pratt is a Hugo Award winner for short fiction, and has been a finalist for Nebula, World Fantasy, Sturgeon, Stoker, and otherawards. She publishes a new story every month at www.patreon.com/timpratt and posts incessantly on Bluesky(bsky.app/profile/timpratt.org)This story originally appeared on Tim Pratt's Patreon account.Narration by: Zed Hope SimonZed Hope Simon (they/them) is a Brooklyn-based performer, playwright, and fight director. Their short plays have been produced at various digital and live festivals throughout New York City and around the United States and their first full-length play, Watchlist, received a workshop production at The Tank in February 2020. They have previously performed with Alterra Productions interactive theatre company and help coordinate the annual New York Summer Sling stage combat workshop for the Society of American Fight Directors. Zed has hosted podcasts covering film, tv, and video games for Whirlwind Podcasts, Post Show Recaps, Rob has a Podcast, and Arcade Pizza, and can be found streaming games on YouTube at youtube.com/@hardrockhope. For more, follow Zed on Bluesky @hardrockhope or visit www.zedhopesimon.comSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/starshipsofa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Yes yes, we know we said we’d have an episode of Welcome to Night Vale to recap this week, but in our defense we are BAD AT COUNTING, and we won’t be able to recap the new Night Vale episode until next week. At least we have a few other things to discuss. The good:... The post Binary System Podcast #521 – Hugo Awards, Better Call Saul, and In Memoriam first appeared on Pixelated Geek.
The following audio was recorded live at the KGB Bar on August 12th, 2026, with guests Suzanne Palmer & Kailee Pedersen Support the Fantastic Fiction at KGB series by clicking here! Suzanne Palmer Suzanne Palmer has won Hugo Awards for her novelettes, “The Secret Life of Bots” and “Bots of the Lost Ark”, and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for her novella Waterlines. Her latest novel, Ode to the Half-Broken, is a standalone SF tale about a retired old war mech living in the old Botanical Garden in the ruins of New York City. She also completed her four-book series, The Finder Chronicles, about an interstellar repo man. She is currently working on new things, both short and long, as one does. & Kailee Pedersen Kailee Pedersen is the author of queer poetry chapbook Pastorale and the Midwestern Gothic novel Sacrificial Animals, which was named one of the New York Public Library's Best Books of 2024 and a finalist for Best Horror at the 2025 Libby Book Awards. Adopted from Nanning, China, she works as a software engineer and opera singer in New York City. The Minimalist is her second novel.
Today's show is brought to you by Hogan's Alley, the fantastic magazine devoted to comics history, cartoonists, and the art form we love. Visit HoganMag.com and use the discount code COMICLAB10 for 10% off. Dave Kellett is back from San Diego Comic-Con 2026, and he brought receipts! After 27 years of exhibiting at the show, Dave just had his best Comic-Con ever — including an absolutely bonkers $6,000 Sunday. But a big gross number doesn't necessarily mean a big payday. Brad and Dave dig into the actual economics of exhibiting at one of the world's biggest conventions: booth fees, sales tax, travel, merchandise, lost studio time, and the advantages Dave has because he lives within driving distance of San Diego. After roughly $19,600 in gross sales, Dave estimates his actual profit at about $11,000. Then, they get into the stuff you can actually use at your next convention: Track your sales throughout the day When sales slow down, get active Use drawing as theater Pay attention to your product mix Think about revenue per square inch Let the market prune your merchandise Your merchandise should say something about the buyer — not about you SPONSORED BY HOGAN'S ALLEY This week's episode is sponsored by Hogan's Alley, the fantastic magazine devoted to comics history, cartoonists, and the art form we love. Visit HoganMag.com and use the discount code COMICLAB10 for 10% off. MORE COMIC-CON ADVICE ON PRO TIPS Dave had another 15–20 Comic-Con topics he wanted to cover, so we're continuing the conversation on ComicLab Pro Tips with a deeper dive into conventions, exhibiting, merchandising, and Dave's approach to making a convention financially worthwhile. To hear those episodes, join us at Patreon.com/ComicLab. You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. He is available for personal consultations. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive. He is the co-director of the comics documentary, Stripped.
John, Alison, and Liz fix the Hugo Awards once and for all. An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: Letters of comment Alison: Mike Scott (Facebook) “How is Inventing the Renaissance an SFF-Related Work?” by Ada Palmer Liz: Tammy Coxen (Bluesky 1, Bluesky 2) John: Heather Rose Jones (Facebook) The Brand-New, Definitely-WSFS-Approved Hugo Award® Rosters! Alison Novel: Redefined to be 60,000+ words, awards to author and editor Dramatic Presentation (Short Form): Redefined to standalone works Vibes: Best thing that seems like it should be genre but isn't New Writer: Redefined as a debut in the last three years, has never won a Hugo Award (!) Fan: No previous winners, no professionals (with some caveats) Original Artwork: Flat art and sculpture John Game or Interactive Work Dramatic Presentation (Television): Nominating series, no standalone episodes Novella: Refined to be up to 60,000 words, awards to author and editor Related Work: Redefined to render conventions and things that exclusively happen at conventions ineligible Fancast: It's perfect just the way it is Fan Artist: Defined “properly” Liz Dramatic Presentation (Moving Picture): Redefined to exclude TV series somehow Publisher Neon Hemlock Haikasoru Series: Redefined to let series of above a number of volumes on, even under the 240,000 word count (the Nghi Vo amendment) [I SAID IT AND I MEANT IT—John] Short Story/Novelette: Redefined to be shorter than 15,000 words, award to author only Community Benefit: Works by the community which exist to benefit the community Hugo Spreadsheet of Doom AO3 Con or Bust Video Essay: Non-fiction works in video format Credits Cover art: “Summer of Fungi” by España Sheriff Alt text: An watercolour of three pink mushrooms growing on the trunk of a tree. The words “Octothorpe 167” appear at the top, and “summer of fungi” appear at the bottom. The listener is left to discern which mushroom represents which co-host. Theme music: “Surf Shimmy” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.Six books, one vote, and a whole community weighing in — Deedi's back to break down this year's Hugo Awards Best Novel nominees.Our resident awards correspondent Deedi (@DeediReads) returns to walk us through the 2026 Hugo Awards — sci-fi and fantasy's biggest fan-voted prize. We cover how Hugo voting actually works, break down all six Best Novel nominees, and Deedi tells us which one she's rooting for (and which one she thinks will actually win). Perfect for anyone who loves a good genre awards deep-dive or is just looking for their next fantasy or sci-fi read.
Thanks to our sponsor, LearnClash! Practice smarter for quiz night with LearnClash, 1v1 trivia duels on any topic. Free to play: https://learnclash.com/partners/quizbang?utm_source=quiz_quiz_bang_bang&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=creator_2026q3&utm_content=r1_2026-08-05A new week means new questions! Hope you have fun with these!What comedienne ended her weekly shows by tugging on her left earlobe?Which Wisconsin peninsula is nicknamed the "Cape Cod of the Midwest." It has 300 miles of shoreline and more lighthouses than any other county in the U.S.?William the Conqueror is most famous for conquering what?Also known for his role on MASH, who played Charlie Brown in a 1967 Off-Broadway musical "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"?What is it called when fish fertilize externally?The 1973 movie, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid starred what two music idols?The Ana and Din or Shadow of the Leviathan series which include "A Trade of Blood", "A Drop of Corruption", and the Hugo Award winning "The Tainted Cup" are all by what author?Iten has been described as the Mecca of Long Distance Running and is located in what country?Who is considered the father of modern chemistry?Along with a cash prize, what do contestants win in the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest?Mare Imbrium, or the Sea of Showers or Sea of Rains, is a lava plain within the Imbrium Basin located where?What flavor was the original creme filling of Twinkies?Which composer has won the most Tony Awards?Which board game that won the Spiel des Jahres in 2014 has you collect precious jewels and gems like Emeralds, sapphires, rubies and diamonds?Ahura Mazda is the main deity of which religion?Which Greek goddess of love and beauty was said to be born from seafoam?MusicHot Swing, Fast Talkin, Bass Walker, Dances and Dames, Ambush by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Don't forget to follow us on social media:Patreon – patreon.com/quizbang – Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Check out our fun extras for patrons and help us keep this podcast going. We appreciate any level of support!Website – quizbangpod.com Check out our website, it will have all the links for social media that you need and while you're there, why not go to the contact us page and submit a question!Facebook – @quizbangpodcast – we post episode links and silly lego pictures to go with our trivia questions. Enjoy the silly picture and give your best guess, we will respond to your answer the next day to give everyone a chance to guess.Instagram – Quiz Quiz Bang Bang (quizquizbangbang), we post silly lego pictures to go with our trivia questions. Enjoy the silly picture and give your best guess, we will respond to your answer the next day to give everyone a chance to guess.Twitter – @quizbangpod We want to start a fun community for our fellow trivia lovers. If you hear/think of a fun or challenging trivia question, post it to our twitter feed and we will repost it so everyone can take a stab it. Come for the trivia – stay for the trivia.Ko-Fi – ko-fi.com/quizbangpod – Keep that sweet caffeine running through our body with a Ko-Fi, power us through a late night of fact checking and editing!
We rank all the Hugo nominees, plus tell you about seven more amazing books that deserve to be in contention for the best speculative fiction novels of the year. No spoilers at all in this episode. Join the Hugonauts book club on discord Or you can watch our episodes on YouTube if you prefer video If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode: 00:00 Intro 01:03 6 The Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor 02:37 5 The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson 05:20 4 The Incandescent by Emily Tesh 07:30 3 Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky 14:40 2 A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett 16:56 1 The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow 19:05 Thank you for 100 episodes! 20:11 The Devils by Joe Abercrombie 23:05 The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones 24:37 Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou 25:21 Slow Gods by Claire North 29:02 The Goodreads miss list 30:44 The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami 33:32 There is No Antimemetics Division by QNTM
This time we discussed A Trade of Blood, written by Robert Jackson Bennett, and narrated by Andrew Fallaize. A Trade of Blood [Libro.fm] / [OverDrive/Libby] The Tainted Cup [Libro.fm] / [OverDrive/Libby] A Drop of Corruption [Libro.fm] / [OverDrive/Libby] "2026 Hugo Award for Best Short Story nominees panel!" [Hugos There] The Founders Trilogy (Series) - Book 1: Foundryside [Libro.fm] / [Overdrive/Libby] The Lion's Tusk [Audible] Sworn Soldier (Series) - Book 1: What Moves the Dead [Libro.fm] / [Overdrive/Libby] Looking Forward To: Eternity's Tomb by Dan Moren - Nov 24, 2026 [Libro.fm] / [Overdrive/Libby]
It’s the Hugo shortlist time of year! I’m doing my part (a very small part) by hosting some of my Internet Friends to discuss the 2026 finalists for the Hugo Award for Best Short Story! This was a super quick edit, so it’s perhaps not quite a tight or clean as a typical episode. But … Continue reading "2026 Hugo Award for Best Short Story nominees panel!"
This month we watched the 1972 film Sleuth, starring Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier. Sleuth was selected by listener Andy, who contributed to our most recent fundraiser. This movie was lots of fun - thanks, Andy! Voting in the Hugo Awards closes on August 8th at 12:00pm (noon) PDT. If you haven't voted yet, don't forget! DM: Amy Music by Pets of Belonging Join us on Discord! If you can't get in, please send us an email at hugogirlpodcast at gmail dot com.
“The Dragon in Winter” is an episode that shows how power alters people. Whether that power comes gradually like Mysaria's rise, surprisingly like Helaena's powers as a tool for Rhaenyra, or instantly like Sunfyre's return to Aegon… Whether it is unwanted like Daeron's crown or the ultimate temptation as presented to Ulf… it comes in many forms, and tends to burn all around it. Uncontrollable laughter is optional. Uncontrollable dragons are mandatory.Vote for Us in the Hugo Awards for Best Related Work - lacon.org/register/Shirts - historyofwesteros.threadless.comHoW Audience Survey - bit.ly/howsurveyBonus Eps & More - patreon.com/historyofwesteroswww.historyofwesteros.comIntro/Maps - klaradox.deFacebook Group - bit.ly/howfbDiscord - bit.ly/howdiscord
With two episodes remaining in s3, the trailers are kept intentionally vague. Given a wide range of possible outcomes across a large number of plotlines, we turn evermore to Fire and Blood! Which plotlines will link up to the book… and of the ones that do not, what comes next? Vote for Us in the Hugo Awards for Best Related Work - lacon.org/register/Shirts - historyofwesteros.threadless.comHoW Audience Survey - bit.ly/howsurveyBonus Eps & More - patreon.com/historyofwesteroswww.historyofwesteros.comIntro/Maps - klaradox.deFacebook Group - bit.ly/howfbDiscord - bit.ly/howdiscord
This one is called “Faceless Men” because so many people pretend to be who they are not… including the dead themselves. There is much to say about purpose, duty, a reason to fight on, or not. An episode rich in parallels, history, mysticism and conflict. Some ends… and some beginnings. Vote for Us in the Hugo Awards for Best Related Work - lacon.org/register/Shirts - historyofwesteros.threadless.comHoW Audience Survey - bit.ly/howsurveyBonus Eps & More - patreon.com/historyofwesteroswww.historyofwesteros.comIntro/Maps - klaradox.deFacebook Group - bit.ly/howfbDiscord - bit.ly/howdiscord
As a number of intrigues play out, battle at Tumbleton seems to be looming, but conflict in the Riverlands must play out first. Daemon seeks killers operating in the shadows while Criston Cole seeks death in broad daylight. What's next for Aemond now that he's healthier, and how does Alys fit in? A Baratheon delegation appears to have emerged at last, and Hugh looks like he's up to something. We break it all down and make predictions!Vote for Us in the Hugo Awards for Best Related Work - lacon.org/register/Shirts - historyofwesteros.threadless.comHoW Audience Survey - bit.ly/howsurveyBonus Eps & More - patreon.com/historyofwesteroswww.historyofwesteros.comIntro/Maps - klaradox.deFacebook Group - bit.ly/howfbDiscord - bit.ly/howdiscord
Episode 5 of House of the Dragon season 3 covers more plotlines and pairings than ever before...and most importantly, at last introduces the Red Keep cats!Vote for Us in the Hugo Awards for Best Related Work - lacon.org/register/Shirts - historyofwesteros.threadless.comHoW Audience Survey - bit.ly/howsurveyBonus Eps & More - patreon.com/historyofwesteroswww.historyofwesteros.comIntro/Maps - klaradox.deFacebook Group - bit.ly/howfbDiscord - bit.ly/howdiscord
There is no trailer for episode 5, but instead another “in the weeks ahead” trailer. So we will focus on what's to come in the 2nd half of the season! We have lots of ideas for Aemond and Alys, Alicent and Helaena and Maelor(?), Rhaena and Sheepstealer, and more!Vote for Us in the Hugo Awards for Best Related Work - lacon.org/register/Shirts - historyofwesteros.threadless.comHoW Audience Survey - bit.ly/howsurveyBonus Eps & More - patreon.com/historyofwesteroswww.historyofwesteros.comIntro/Maps - klaradox.deFacebook Group - bit.ly/howfbDiscord - bit.ly/howdiscord
It's a coming out party for Prince Daeron, because a Blue Queen needs a Green King. Rhaenyra channels Sun Tzu, trying to know her enemy, Lord Ormund. Daemon can't seem to go to the Vale without murdering someone, spars with the new master of coin, and continues to do so with Mysaria. Aegon finds Sunfyre whom he believes must be alive, and Meleys, who definitely is not. Helaena bumps into a quickly growing situation.Vote for Us in the Hugo Awards for Best Related Work - lacon.org/register/Shirts - historyofwesteros.threadless.comHoW Audience Survey - bit.ly/howsurveyBonus Eps & More - patreon.com/historyofwesteroswww.historyofwesteros.comIntro/Maps - klaradox.deFacebook Group - bit.ly/howfbDiscord - bit.ly/howdiscord
This week on the podcast, Patrick and Tracy welcome back Michael Damian Thomas, to talk about Uncanny Magazine Year 13: The Space Unicorn Believes in YOU! About Uncanny Magazine Year 13: The Space Unicorn Believes in YOU!: We have something special planned this year, Space Unicorns. Along with it being Year 13, this year will feature our DIAMOND Issue 75! In celebration of this milestone, all of the solicited fiction contributors and two of the solicited essayists for Issue 75 have previously won an award for their Uncanny story or essay. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!? Welcome back, Space Unicorns! Editor-in-Chief/Publisher Michael Damian Thomas and Team Uncanny Magazine have run successful Kickstarters for the eight-time Hugo Award-winning, World Fantasy Award-winning, and Locus Award-winning Uncanny Magazine Years One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, and Twelve. We promised to bring you stunning cover art, passionate science fiction and fantasy fiction and poetry, gorgeous prose, and provocative essays by writers from every conceivable background–not to mention a fantastic award-winning podcast featuring exclusive content. Through the hard work of our exceptional staff and contributors, Uncanny Magazine delivered on that promise every single year. Stories from Uncanny Magazine have been finalists for or winners of Hugo, Nebula, Locus, Sturgeon, Ignyte, and World Fantasy Awards! The Space Unicorn Ranger Corps, our name for the Uncanny Magazine community, made it possible for our remarkable staff and contributors to create this wonderful art for all of our readers via the web or as eBooks. THANK YOU, SPACE UNICORNS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! If you've been looking for an opportunity to join or re-up with the Space Unicorn Ranger Corps, now's your chance! We need your help to continue this mission for another year. This is your magazine, Space Unicorns! Let's make Year 13 happen! Though Uncanny continues to have multiple ways to support us, we still need the help of the Space Unicorn Kickstarter community to keep bringing you this amazing content. Unfortunately, there is a less-than-celebratory side to this Kickstarter. Recently, a very large online eBook retailor changed its terms again, and we lost all of our subscription earnings. YOUR support, specifically, makes it possible for us to make our magazine freely available on our website and to pay our contributors and staff. We need your help more than ever, Space Unicorns! About Michael Damian Thomas: Michael Damian Thomas is the eight-time Hugo, British Fantasy, World Fantasy, and Parsec Award-winning co-publisher (with Lynne M. Thomas) and editor-in-chief of the Locus Award-winning Uncanny Magazine. Michael was a Hugo Award finalist as the former Managing Editor of Apex Magazine (2012-2013), co-edited the Hugo Award finalist essay anthology Queers Dig Time Lords (Mad Norwegian Press, 2013) with Sigrid Ellis, and co-edited the anthology Glitter & Mayhem (Apex Publications, 2013) with John Klima and Lynne M. Thomas. Michael was additionally a contributor to the SF Squeecast podcast (with Elizabeth Bear, Paul Cornell, Seanan McGuire, Lynne M. Thomas, and Catherynne M. Valente), a contributor to the Down and Safe- Blake's 7 podcast (with Amal El-Mohtar, Scott Lynch, and L.M. Myles), and is currently the Content Editor (with Lynne M. Thomas) of the It's Storytime with Wil Wheaton podcast. Michael was formerly the full-time caregiver of his late daughter, Caitlin. Caitlin had a rare congenital disorder called Aicardi syndrome. This week's picks: Michael #1: AEW Wrestling Michael #2: Scotland History Tours (YouTube) Michael: Ruth Aisling: Discovering Scotland (YouTube) Tracy: The Chameleon (Big Potato Games) Patrick: Platform Decay: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells Links: Uncanny Magazine Year 13 on Kickstarter Tracy Townsend on BluSky Patrick Hester on Instagram The Functional Nerds Patreon Page © 2026 Patrick Hester The post Episode 710-With Uncanny Magazine's Michael Damian Thomas appeared first on The Functional Nerds.
After an episode focused on Rhaenyra, we're sure to catch up with a lot of other characters and plotlines like Daemon, Criston & Gwayne, Alys & Aemond, Alicent & Helaena and of course Tumbleton. It's time for a number of newer storylines to get moving, and we have a bunch of predictions, some based on what's next in Fire & Blood!Vote for Us in the Hugo Awards for Best Related Work - lacon.org/register/Shirts - historyofwesteros.threadless.comHoW Audience Survey - bit.ly/howsurveyBonus Eps & More - patreon.com/historyofwesteroswww.historyofwesteros.comIntro/Maps - klaradox.deFacebook Group - bit.ly/howfbDiscord - bit.ly/howdiscord
No Fire and Blood character had a POV chapter, but HBO's Rhaenyra just did. Though she proclaims victory and aims for a brighter future, Rhaenyra is overwhelmed by problems of the moment and haunted by ghosts of the past. There's an ominous soundtrack and a familiar theme presented as a double edged sword… Like Maester Aemon told Jon Snow and his brother Egg, to become a man you must kill the boy. It's a metaphor for growing into a ruler, but for Rhaenyra it is also quite literal… and the boy is Alicent's child. Until she discovers simultaneously that he's not Daeron, and the war is not over. Vote for Us in the Hugo Awards for Best Related Work - lacon.org/register/Shirts - historyofwesteros.threadless.comHoW Audience Survey - bit.ly/howsurveyBonus Eps & More - patreon.com/historyofwesteroswww.historyofwesteros.comIntro/Maps - klaradox.deFacebook Group - bit.ly/howfbDiscord - bit.ly/howdiscord
Scott Edelman has published 135+ short stories, many of which have been collected in These Words Are Haunted, What Will Come After, Tell Me Like You Done Before, Things That Never Happened, and 101 Things to Do Before You're Downloaded. He has been a Stoker Award finalist eight times. Additionally, he has hosted the 2026 Hugo Awards finalist Eating the Fantastic interview podcast since February 2016.This story is original to StarShipSofa.Narration by: Brian RollinsBrian Rollins is a voice actor living in Colorado with his wife. He's the prolific narrator behind the Glen & Tyler series as well as the Uncommon Bonds fantasy adventure series. In addition to audiobooks, he's the host and creator of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast. You can find Brian at TheVoicesInMyHead.com. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/starshipsofa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Chuck Tingle is one of the most inspiring people I have ever had the chance to talk to. Our first interview changed how I approached interviews entirely. He taught me to come at things from my place with my heart on my sleeve. I owe so much to Chuck Tingle's influence on me, so getting the chance to chat again was a blessing. This time around, we are diving into his new book, Beautiful Bodies. We dive deep into the role of influencers and how what they do is art, through a Warhol lens. We also took some time to talk about Busta Rhymes' brilliance. The interview spans the board, offering a deep conversation about art, humanity, horror, and all the things that make life worth living. LOVE IS REAL! About Beautiful Bodies Poppy Stringer was born to be a star. An aspiring fashion influencer by day, Poppy moonlights as a grave robber to make ends meet, wheeling and dealing dead bodies across Palm Springs. When her hero, the flamboyant, piano-slamming rockstar Eddie Michaels, unexpectedly dies, Poppy gets a call to retrieve his body from the medical examiner's office for a lucrative sum. It could be the last job she'll ever need—if everything goes to plan. But the night's delivery quickly veers off course when Eddie wakes up. Now Poppy must fight for her life if she hopes to survive this blood-soaked joyride of carnage and extravagant entertainment. About Chuck Tingle Chuck Tingle is a USA Today bestselling author, as well as a two-time Hugo Award finalist, Bram Stoker Award nominee, Goodreads Award nominee, Golden Poppy Award finalist, Locus Award winner, Dragon Award winner, Audie Award winner, and the recipient of the 2025 Loud Hands Award for Autistic Storytellers. He is a mysterious force of energy behind sunglasses and a pink mask. He is also an anonymous author of romance, horror, and fantasy. Chuck was born in Home of Truth, Utah, and now lives in Los Angeles, California. Chuck writes to prove love is real, because love is the most important tool we have when resisting the endless cosmic void. Not everything people say about Chuck is true, but the important parts are. Chuck self-publishes erotica and romance, and releases horror novels through Tor Nightfire.
Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com. Instagram - @perksofbeingabookloverpod Facebook - Perks of Being a Book Lover. To send us a message go to our website and click the Contact button. You can find Alix E. Harrow at www.alixeharrow.wixsite.com or on IG at @alix.e.harrow Carrie and I are still reading and resting on our summer hiatus but we are continuing our summer replay series of award winners! This week we are going way back in the archives to the fall of 2019, the first season of our podcast. We took a roadtrip from Louisville to Berea, KY to meet up with Alix E. Harrow, a Hugo and British Fantasy award winner and a finalist for the Nebula, Locus, and Goodreads Choice Awards. And she is a New York Times best-selling author. At the time of our interview, her debut novel The Ten Thousand Doors of January had been released and one of her short stories had just won the Hugo. Currently her most recent novel The Everlasting is a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Novel. The Hugo is science fiction and fantasy's most prestigious annual award. Because this interview was recorded in a library with tall ceilings, not in a studio, and because we were definitely newbies at podcasting with a different format, this episode will sound a lot different than those today. But we hope you'll enjoy hearing Alix talk about her influences and her view of sci-fi fantasy early on in her writing career. We will be back July 22 with an all new episode. Happy Reading!
After two huge first episodes, it looks like the focus will shift somewhat to the Red Keep, as most of the trailer seems to focus there as Queen Rhaenyra's rule begins. It was a difficult time in the books and appears to be the case here. But there's also an apparent parlay between Daemon and Lord Ormund! We predict a lot of plotlines will be established while others continue full steam ahead. Books, interviews, trailers and guesswork… no leaks!Vote for Us in the Hugo Awards for Best Related Work - lacon.org/register/Shirts - historyofwesteros.threadless.comHoW Audience Survey - bit.ly/howsurveyBonus Eps & More - patreon.com/historyofwesteroswww.historyofwesteros.comIntro/Maps - klaradox.deFacebook Group - bit.ly/howfbDiscord - bit.ly/howdiscord
JAMES ROSONE Author – Biography James Rosone began his writing career as a form of PTSD therapy after some of his experiences as an interrogator in Iraq. After exiting the military, he served overseas as a contractor in the sand box, and then transitioned to working in the field of biometrics supporting U.S. European Command. After releasing a number of books, writing changed from a hobby to a career. Now James is working with other veterans to help them find new a purpose as authors. He holds several degrees, including a Master of Science degree from the University of Oxford. His website is www.FrontlinePublishingInc.com. TONI WEISSKOPF Editor & Publisher – Biography Toni Weisskopf is an American science fiction editor and the publisher of Baen Books. She has been nominated four times for a Hugo Award. She has won the Phoenix Award, the Rebel Award, and the Neffy Award for best editor. She uses the nom de plume T. K. F. Weisskopf as an anthology editor. Weisskopf was born in Waltham, Massachusetts with her family moving to Brooklyn when she was three years old, and then to Huntsville, Alabama, when she was twelve. She graduated from Oberlin College in 1987 with a degree in anthropology and started working at Baen shortly thereafter. Find out more about Baen here www.baen.com. United Public Radio & UFO Paranormal Radio www.uprntalkradio.com
“Queen's Landing” was meant to be the finale of season 2 and it really felt like it! We have a lot to say about the many parallels, the off-screen events and how Rhaenyra's arc will shift massively, creating a cascade of new plots and conflicts. Aemond's move might be just as huge, as he's met one of the most interesting characters in the show just as he's lost the throne. Rhaena and Aegon are on the run from their own kin, the Velaryons are scattered, but new armies are forming as fast as new ambitions. Vote for Us in the Hugo Awards for Best Related Work - lacon.org/register/Shirts - historyofwesteros.threadless.comHoW Audience Survey - bit.ly/howsurveyBonus Eps & More - patreon.com/historyofwesteroswww.historyofwesteros.comIntro/Maps - klaradox.deFacebook Group - bit.ly/howfbDiscord - bit.ly/howdiscord
It appears that King's Landing is soon to be contested, but the aftermath of the Gullet is pressing as well. Aemond heads to Harrenhal while Aegon and Larys find themselves prisoners. Thanks to “The Weeks Ahead” trailer and those from before the season began, we have predictions for episode 2 and beyond. Vote for Us in the Hugo Awards for Best Related Work - lacon.org/register/Shirts - historyofwesteros.threadless.comHoW Audience Survey - bit.ly/howsurveyBonus Eps & More - patreon.com/historyofwesteroswww.historyofwesteros.comIntro/Maps - klaradox.deFacebook Group - bit.ly/howfbDiscord - bit.ly/howdiscord
The Battle of the Gullet gets a full breakdown! So do a king's ransom in other plots, old and new, as events begin in a hurry. Sean is back and we're ready for a fun season!Vote for Us in the Hugo Awards for Best Related Work - lacon.org/register/Shirts - historyofwesteros.threadless.comHoW Audience Survey - bit.ly/howsurveyBonus Eps & More - patreon.com/historyofwesteroswww.historyofwesteros.comIntro/Maps - klaradox.deFacebook Group - bit.ly/howfbDiscord - bit.ly/howdiscord
In this episode of The Archive Project, we feature a discussion on late writer Ursula K. Le Guin's legacy of pacifism and environmentalism. Our moderator is Theo Downes-Le Guin, Ursula's son and literary executor. Theo is in conversation with Oregon-based writers Juhea Kim, author of the novel Beasts of a Little Land, a finalist for the 2022 Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and Michelle Ruiz Keil, author most recently of the young adult novel Summer in the City of Roses, which was a finalist for the inaugural Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction. In her speech at the 2014 National Book Awards, accepting the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, Ursula said: “Hard times are coming, when we’ll be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternatives to how we live now and can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine some real grounds for hope.” Juhea Kim and Michelle Ruiz Keil are two of those voices that we need now. In this conversation, Juhea and Michelle discuss how they came—and returned—to Le Guin's work, her influence on their writing, and how they are carrying her legacy forward, including the responsibility of the artist as a humanitarian. This conversation was recorded in front of a live audience at Literary Arts on July 15, 2022. “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” ― Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) was a celebrated author whose body of work includes 23 novels, 12 volumes of short stories, 11 volumes of poetry, 13 children's books, five essay collections, and four works of translation. The breadth and imagination of her work earned her six Nebula Awards, seven Hugo Awards, and SFWA's Grand Master, along with the PEN/Malamud and many other awards. In 2014 she was awarded the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and in 2016 joined the short list of authors to be published in their lifetimes by the Library of America. Michelle Ruiz Keil is an author, playwright, and tarot reader with an eye for the enchanted and way with animals. She is the author of the critically acclaimed young adult novels All of Us With Wings and Summer In The City of Roses. Her writing for adults can be found most recently in Bitch, Cosmonauts Avenue, and the anthology Dispatches From Anarres: Tales in Tribute to Ursula K. Le Guin. She is a 2021 Tin House Scholar and the recipient of residencies from Hedgebrook, The Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, and the Bloedel Reserve. Born in San Francisco, Michelle has lived in Portland, Oregon for many years where she curates the fairytale reading series All Kinds of Fur and lives with her family in a cottage where the forest meets the city. Juhea Kim is a writer, artist, and advocate based in Portland, Oregon. Her bestselling debut novel Beasts of a Little Land was named a finalist for the 2022 Dayton Literary Peace Prize and a Best Book of 2021 by Harper’s Bazaar, Real Simple, Ms., and Portland Monthly. Her writing has been published in Granta, Slice, The Massachusetts Review, Zyzzyva, Guernica, Catapult, Times Literary Supplement, The Independent, Sierra Magazine, and elsewhere. She is the founder and editor ofPeaceful Dumpling, an online magazine at the intersection of sustainable lifestyle and ecological literature. She has received fellowship support from the Bread Loaf Environmental Writers' Conference, the Regional Arts & Culture Council, and Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University. She earned her BA in Art and Archaeology from Princeton University.
Dragons are coming, and many will fall! We dive deep into the final trailer and what's to come in season 3. There are more locations and characters than ever, with expanded roles for surprising characters. Some of the most spectacular moments ever written by GRRM will jump to the screen this year!Vote for Us in the Hugo Awards for Best Related Work - lacon.org/register/Shirts - historyofwesteros.threadless.comHoW Audience Survey - bit.ly/howsurveyBonus Eps & More - patreon.com/historyofwesteroswww.historyofwesteros.comIntro/Maps - klaradox.deFacebook Group - bit.ly/howfbDiscord - bit.ly/howdiscord
As the stakes rise, the game of thrones in Greece continues to get bloodier. Epaminondas aims to strike directly at Spartan power and Agesilaus, but faces political enemies back at home, while Pelopidas heads north to deal with chaos of the two Alexanders of Macedon and Pherae. Athens takes the opportunity to return to their old tricks. This one includes the Spartan assassin society, new cities, an escalation of the Persian Great Satraps Revolt for Artaxerxes to deal with, and the education of the most famous Philip of the ancient world.Primer: Characters in the Game of Thrones at the End of Ancient Greece - History of WesterosVote for Us in the Hugo Awards for Best Related Work - lacon.org/register/Shirts - historyofwesteros.threadless.comHoW Audience Survey - bit.ly/howsurveyBonus Eps & More - patreon.com/historyofwesteroswww.historyofwesteros.comIntro/Maps - klaradox.deFacebook Group - bit.ly/howfbDiscord - bit.ly/howdiscord
Stories featured in this episode:The Waitlist, or Today is a Good Day to Die by Ai Jiang - https://aijiangauthor.wordpress.com/ -music by Oneirothopter -read by Jean-Paul Garnier -The Twain Shall Meet by Brent A. Harris - https://brentaharris.com/ -music by Phog Masheeen - https://phogmasheeen.com/ -read by Jenna Hanchey -theme music by Dain Luscombe -Simultaneous Times science fiction podcast began in March of 2018 and has since produced 100 episodes featuring 196 stories and 10 poems by 108 authors from over 20 countries. In this time, we have produced collaboration episodes with Apex Magazine, Radon Journal, Hexagon, Sci-Fi Lampoon, Shacklebound Books, Worlds of IF, and Utopia SF Magazine. We also produced three paperback anthologies, and one ebook anthology, of stories and authors from the podcast. -During the nine year run of Simultaneous Times we have won the Laureate Award, been a finalist for the Fiyah, BSFA, and British Fantasy Awards, and been long-listed for the Hugo Award three times. As of episode 100 we will no longer be producing episodes on a monthly basis but will rather move to a “when we feel like it” schedule, most likely creating two to four episodes a year. We will be redirecting our efforts (and finances) to publishing more books and our new magazine Electronic Brain. -A huge thank you to all of our authors, composers, narrators, and to our listeners! -Find all of our evergreen episodes at https://spacecowboybooks.bandcamp.com/ -Simultaneous Times is a monthly science fiction podcast produced by Space Cowboy Books in Joshua Tree, CA. https://www.spacecowboybooks.com https://ko-fi.com/spacecowboybooks7054
Not only the most unique and horrifyingly clever campaign of terror and slaughter in the Dance of the Dragons, one of the most unusual in all of Westeros history. The dead came to dine, and not everyone in attendance wanted to be there. Featuring Criston Cole, the Winter Wolves, Red Robb Rivers, Black Trombo and more.Vote for Us in the Hugo Awards for Best Related Work - https://nomnom.lacon.org/Shirts - historyofwesteros.threadless.comHoW Audience Survey - bit.ly/howsurveyBonus Eps & More - patreon.com/historyofwesteroswww.historyofwesteros.comIntro/Maps - klaradox.deFacebook Group - bit.ly/howfbDiscord - bit.ly/howdiscord
Should cartoonists hire a social-media manager? Brad and Dave discuss the pros and cons of outsourcing social media and ultimately argue that most creators should handle it themselves. They explain why social media is an extension of a creator's voice, how direct engagement provides invaluable feedback about audience-building and marketing, and why improving your promotional skills makes you a better cartoonist overall. Along the way, they discuss shyness, self-promotion, audience growth, and the dangers of trying to be everywhere at once online. Topics Covered • The ComicLab newsletter and the “Five to Grow On” feature • Whether cartoonists should hire a social-media manager • Why social media is part of a creator's artistic voice • The value of learning promotion instead of outsourcing it • Why creative people often resist marketing and business skills • How marketing skills can improve artistic skills • The dangers of trying to maintain every social-media platform at once • Brad's “2-2-1” approach to social media • Platform-specific posting strategies and why one-size-fits-all promotion fails • Social-media feedback as a tool for improving your work • Shyness and discomfort with self-promotion • The “lipstick on a pig” problem: when promotion can't compensate for weak work • Why making a great comic remains the most important marketing strategy • Dave's upcoming Reddit AMA and his Hugo Award nomination • Using award nominations as promotional opportunities • Hugo Awards promotional support versus other industry awards • BlueSky starter packs and audience growth • Why cartoonists should do more cross-promotion • Whether creators should put award nominations on book covers • How long to keep promoting a completed comic project • Managing inventory and promoting older books • Long-tail sales and evergreen products • Using older books as bonuses, stretch goals, and loss leaders • When it makes sense to retire promotional efforts • Whether different creative projects need separate Patreons, newsletters, Substacks, and social-media accounts • The benefits and drawbacks of splitting projects into separate brands • Cognitive load, burnout, and managing multiple audiences • Using separate platforms to measure the success of different projects • When creators should keep projects under one roof and when they should branch out You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. He is available for personal consultations. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive. He is the co-director of the comics documentary, Stripped.
With both Brad and Dave nominated for awards this year, the guys spiral into a surprisingly deep conversation about awards, marketing, ego, and whether creators should plaster “award nominee” stickers all over their books. Later, they tackle a listener question about using 3D models, digital sets, and reference material in comics production — leading to a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how both creators actually build comics pages in tools like Clip Studio Paint and Photoshop. Along the way, they discuss why imperfections matter in cartooning, how typography affects visual storytelling, and why “cheating” is often just another word for “working smarter.” Today's Show Should you put an award nomination on a book cover? UPDATE: Hugo Award voter packet "WSFS Membership" Using sets and other pre-made background materials UPDATE: Patreon Quips is now available on desktop You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. He is available for personal consultations. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive. He is the co-director of the comics documentary, Stripped.
The newspaper comic strip didn't go extinct — it evolved. But if your work doesn't keep up, your career may be fossilized! From Reddit-ready square comics to vertical-scroll storytelling, they explore how creators are adapting to phones, social media, and changing reading habits while keeping the heart of the comic strip alive. Topics covered The evolution of newspaper comic strips Why horizontal strips existed in the first place How phones changed comics formatting Square-format comics on Reddit and social media Vertical-scroll storytelling Why readers won't rotate their phones Charles Schulz and the flexible-format origins of Peanuts Newspaper syndication vs. modern web distribution YA graphic novels as the next evolution for newspaper strips Lincoln Peirce and the success of Big Nate books Why comic strips are still thriving online Modular comic formatting for webcomics The launch of The Comic Scout Dave Kellett's Hugo Award nomination anticipation Tips for maintaining visual consistency in comics Workflow advice for newer cartoonists You get great rewards when you join the ComicLab Community on Patreon$2 — Early access to episodes$5 — Submit a question for possible use on the show AND get the exclusive ProTips podcast. Plus $2-tier rewards.If you'd like a one-on-one consultation about your comic, book it now!Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. He is available for personal consultations. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive. He is the co-director of the comics documentary, Stripped.
“We've come to die for the dragon queen,” said Roddy the Ruin of the Winter Wolves, a group of fearless greybeards from the North sent in advance of Lord Cregan Stark's greater forces, and the only army in the Dance of the Dragons that didn't want to survive, let alone return home. We explore their glorious deeds and battles alongside the cultural history that drove them to fight as ferociously as they did.Vote for Us in the Hugo Awards for Best Related Work - https://nomnom.lacon.org/Filippo Loretti Stark Watches - https://filippoloretiwatches.com/collections/house-of-starkShirts - historyofwesteros.threadless.comHoW Audience Survey - bit.ly/howsurveyBonus Eps & More - patreon.com/historyofwesteroswww.historyofwesteros.comIntro/Maps - klaradox.deFacebook Group - bit.ly/howfbDiscord - bit.ly/howdiscord
Vanessa Diaz sits in for Rebecca to talk with Jeff about The Women's Prize shortlist, Practical Magic 2, the most banned books of 2025, how human it is for people to know that reading is good for them and still not do it, recent reading, and more. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Join The Book Riot Podcast Patreon for bonus content and ad-free listening. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Women's Prize Shortlist World Book Day Study aka nothing means anything 2026 Hugo Awards finalists top 11 banned books of 2025 (ALA) The Crystal Light collab, because sure, why not (wider trend of ‘interesting' collabs - Hellmans' Mayo, Yankee Candle, Prego - see block in flagship ) Practical Magic 2 trailer (vanessa hyperventilating) The Pitt's Dr Abbott (Shawn Hatosy) voicing audio erotica on Quinn app This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth. Go to quince.com/bookriot for free shipping and 365-day returns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices