Podcast appearances and mentions of michi trota

This week, we kick off our new exhibit and content initiative American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture with four writers of speculative fiction: N. K. Jemisin, Matthew J. Kirby, Nnedi Okorafor, and Nghi Vo. Moderated by Michi Trota, the panel of authors discuss religion in their writing, the importance of considering socio-spiritual systems when world-building, [...]

This week, we kick off our new exhibit and content initiative American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture with four writers of speculative fiction: N. K. Jemisin, Matthew J. Kirby, Nnedi Okorafor, and Nghi Vo. Moderated by Michi Trota, the panel of authors discuss religion in their writing, the importance of considering socio-spiritual systems when world-building, and how these influence the ways their characters move through the worlds they create.This conversation originally took place April 22, 2025 and was recorded live at the Harold Washington Library Center in Chicago. We hope you enjoy entering the Mind of a Writer.American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture opens November 2025 at the American Writers Museum in Chicago. Learn more about the exhibit and upcoming programming schedule here. American Prophets is supported by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative.AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOMEMore about the writers:N. K. JEMISIN is a fantasy author and 2020 MacArthur Fellow whose fiction has been recognized with multiple Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards. Most of her works have been optioned for television or film, and collectively her novels, including the Broken Earth trilogy — The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, and The Stone Sky — have sold over two million copies. Her speculative works range widely in theme, though with repeated motifs: resistance and oppression, loneliness and belonging, and Wouldn't It Be Cool If This One Ridiculous Thing Happened. In her spare time she's into tabletop and video games, biking, fanfiction, and urban gardening. She lives and writes in Brooklyn, with her son and two cats.MATTHEW J. KIRBY is the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of numerous books for young readers, including The Clockwork Three, Icefall, The Lost Kingdom, the Dark Gravity Sequence, the Assassin's Creed series Last Descendants, A Taste for Monsters, and Star Splitter. He has also written adult titles for the Assassin's Creed and Diablo video game franchises. He has won the Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery, the PEN Center USA award for Children's Literature, and the Judy Lopez Memorial Award.NNEDI OKORAFOR is the author of multiple award-winning and New York Times bestsellers, including Death of the Author, the Binti trilogy, Who Fears Death, and Lagoon, currently in development at Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment. She has won every major prize in speculative fiction, including the World Fantasy, Nebula, and Eisner Awards; multiple Hugo Awards; and the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa. Born in Cincinnati to Igbo Nigerian immigrant parents, she now resides in Phoenix, Arizona, with her daughter, Anyaugo.NGHI VO is the author of the novels Siren Queen and The Chosen and the Beautiful, as well as the acclaimed novellas of the Singing Hills Cycle, which began with The Empress of Salt and Fortune. The series entries have been finalists for the Nebula Award, the Locus Award, and the Lambda Literary Award, and have won the Crawford Award, the Ignyte Award, and the Hugo Award. Born in Illinois, she now lives on the shores of Lake Michigan. She believes in the ritual of lipstick, the power of stories, and the right to change your mind. Her latest release is Don't Sleep With the Dead.MICHI TROTA is a five-time Hugo Award-winning Filipino American writer, editor, and narrative expert. Her work explores how to use empowerment, representation, and storytelling to attain collective liberation and to dismantle oppressive institutions, not just survive them. She is the Executive Editor at the environmental justice and advocacy nonprofit Green America and her publications include the Wing Luke Museum 2018-19 exhibit Worlds Beyond Here: Expanding the Universe of APA Science Fiction and Chicago Magazine, and she's been featured in The Guardian, Chicago Tribune, and CNN: Philippines. She is also a member of the Filipino Young Leaders Program 2022 Immersion cohort and a fire performer with Raks Geek/Raks Inferno Fire+Bellydance.

This week, speculative fiction writers Darcie Little Badger, Michi Trota, and Suzanne Walker discuss their work, crafting other worlds with writing, and the science fiction genre at large. This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME About the writers: DARCIE LITTLE BADGER is [...]

This week, speculative fiction writers Darcie Little Badger, Michi Trota, and Suzanne Walker discuss their work, crafting other worlds with writing, and the science fiction genre at large. This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME About the writers: DARCIE LITTLE BADGER is a Lipan Apache writer with a PhD in oceanography. Her critically acclaimed debut novel, Elatsoe, was featured in TIME as one of the best 100 fantasy books of all time. Elatsoe also won the Locus Award for Best First Novel and was a Nebula, Ignyte, and Lodestar finalist. Her second fantasy novel, A Snake Falls to Earth, received the Newbery Honor, was a LA Times Book Prize Finalist, and was longlisted for the National Book Award. Darcie is married to a veterinarian named Taran and splits time between California and Texas. MICHI TROTA is a five-time Hugo Award-winning Filipino American writer, editor, and narrative expert. Her work explores how to use empowerment, representation, and storytelling to attain collective liberation and to dismantle oppressive institutions, not just survive them. She is the Executive Editor at the environmental justice and advocacy nonprofit Green America and her publications include the Wing Luke Museum 2018-19 exhibit Worlds Beyond Here: Expanding the Universe of APA Science Fiction and Chicago Magazine, and she's been featured in The Guardian, Chicago Tribune, and CNN: Philippines. She is also a member of the Filipino Young Leaders Program 2022 Immersion cohort and a fire performer with Raks Geek/Raks Inferno Fire+Bellydance. SUZANNE WALKER is a Chicago-based writer and editor. She is co-creator of the critically acclaimed, award-nominated graphic novel Mooncakes. Her short fiction has been published in Clarkesworld and Uncanny Magazine, and the Star Wars anthology From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi. Her nonfiction works have appeared in a diverse array of publications, StarTrek.com, and academic anthologies. She has spoken on panels at numerous conventions on a variety of topics. She is a scholar of medieval Italian longsword and enjoys aerial silks, figure skating, and baseball. You can find her on Twitter or Instagram at @suzusaur.

We go to the movies for magic. To laugh, to cry, to care… at least that's what Nicole Kidman says in the preview that runs before films start. We chat about our favorite flicks (and those that missed the mark!) with Brandon Pope, anchor at CW-26 and host of Season 4 of WBEZ's Making Podcast, Michi Trota, Hugo Award winning editor and culture critic, and Cody Dericks, seasonal manager at the Music Box Theater and film critic for the website Next Best Picture.

This week, writers Jonathan Taplin and Michi Trota discuss the profound implications of AI for the future of writing and creative expression. They are interviewed by Allison Sansone, Program Director at the American Writers Museum. This conversation originally took place November 10, 2023 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. Taplin's latest book The [...]

This week, writers Jonathan Taplin and Michi Trota discuss the profound implications of AI for the future of writing and creative expression. They are interviewed by Allison Sansone, Program Director at the American Writers Museum. This conversation originally took place November 10, 2023 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. Taplin's latest book The End of Reality: How Four Billionaires are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto is a brilliant takedown and exposé of the great con job of the twenty-first century—the metaverse, crypto, space travel, transhumanism—being sold by four billionaires (Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreesen, Elon Musk), leading to the degeneration and bankruptcy of our society. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME More about the panelists: JONATHAN TAPLIN is a public intellectual, writer, film producer, and scholar. He is the director emeritus of the Annenberg Innovation Lab at the University of Southern California and was a professor at the USC Annenberg School in the field of international communication management and digital media entertainment until 2017. Since his graduation from Princeton University in 1969, his extraordinary journey has put him at the crest of every major cultural wave in the past half century: he was tour manager for Bob Dylan and the Band, producer of major films such as Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets, an executive at Merrill Lynch, creator of the Internet's first video-on-demand service, and a cultural critic and author writing about technology in the new millennium. MICHI TROTA is a five-time Hugo Award-winning Filipino American writer, editor, and narrative expert. Her work explores empowerment, representation, storytelling, and autonomy, and how to exercise those tools for collective liberation and to dismantle oppressive institutions, not just survive them. Her publications include the Wing Luke Museum 2018-19 exhibit Worlds Beyond Here: Expanding the Universe of APA Science Fiction and Chicago Magazine, and she's been featured in The Guardian, Chicago Tribune, and CNN: Philippines. She is also a member of the Filipino Young Leaders Program 2022 Immersion cohort and a fire performer with Raks Geek/Raks Inferno Fire+Bellydance.

Ventilated dates, juiced-up gaming, and Keith David, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O'Brien join forces again w/ special guest and Michi Trota for a discussion of the second season of Leverage: Redemption. Together, they tackle the show's approach to continuing its story, how it imagines problem solving in a complicated world, why Keith David […]

Michi Trota is a Filipina American writer, editor, speaker, and fire performer who is a five-time Hugo Award winner, British Fantasy Award winner, Ignite Award finalist, and member of the FYLPRO 2022 Immersion Program cohort. The post 336. Michi Trota on why AAPI representation is a responsibility first appeared on Sifu Mimi Chan.

Asian Americans have been reported to be the fastest-growing racial group in the country. And this is also a time when AAPI representation in the media has been growing and celebrated with historic wins for films like Everything Everywhere All At Once. While more representation and visibility of AAPI folks is still needed, it begs the question of what's next? Reset dives into a discussion with writer and fire performer, Michi Trota, and environmental justice fellow at the Grist, Siri Chilukuri, about the growth of representation for the Asian American Pacific Islander community, and what to do with more visibility.

Acclaimed science fiction author John Scalzi discusses his recent book The Kaiju Preservation Society and the science fiction genre with fellow award-winning science fiction writer Michi Trota. This conversation originally took place May 15, 2022 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME More about The Kaiju Preservation Society: When [...]

Acclaimed science fiction author John Scalzi discusses his recent book The Kaiju Preservation Society and the science fiction genre with fellow award-winning science fiction writer Michi Trota. This conversation originally took place May 15, 2022 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME More about The Kaiju Preservation Society: When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls "an animal rights organization." Tom's team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on. What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at least. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm, human-free world. They're the universe's largest and most dangerous panda and they're in trouble. It's not just the Kaiju Preservation Society who have found their way to the alternate world. Others have, too. And their carelessness could cause millions back on our Earth to die.

Nominations for this year‘s Academy Awards were released this week, with the film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” leading the pack with 11 nominations. Meanwhile, critically-acclaimed films like “The Woman King,” “Till” and “Nope” were shut out of Hollywood's biggest night of the year. Reset talks with a pop culture writer Michi Trota and a cinematic superfan, Jeremy Marder from the Music Box Theatre, for their takes on this year's nominees.

Reset reviews the best movies of the year with Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips, PRISM editor Michi Trota and Facets film program director Charles Coleman.

Librarian spies, meet cutes, and train Nazis, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O'Brien are joined by the incredible heist magician Michi Trota for a live discussion at Capricon 42 on Leverage: Redemption (especially the second half of the season). Together, they talk about the season's treatment of social issues, what it means to be […]

This week, Patrick and Tracy are live from Capricon 42 with a very special, super-sized show filled with great conversations from all of these amazing people: Lauren Jankowski – author of The Shape Shifter Chronicles (Follow Lauren on Twitter) Megan Mackie – author of The Finder of the Lucky Devil (Follow Megan on Twitter) KM […] The post Episode 526-Live from Capricon 42 With Michi Trota, Gary K Wolfe, Megan Mackie and More appeared first on The Functional Nerds.

Magic weapons, kicks to the face, and Chinatown, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O'Brien are joined by the incredible heist magician Michi Trota for another in-depth conversation about a totally different television show: CW's 2021 adaptation of Kung Fu. Together, our crew explores the show's treatment of its Chinese-centered narrative, its perspectives on romance, […]

Card games, strange airducts, and questionable lawyers, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O'Brien are joined by the incredible heist magician Michi Trota for an in-depth conversation about Leverage: Redemption. Together, our crew explores the season's themes and new characters, its approach to political and social concerns, what it means to be redeemed, and so […]

Reset checks in with fire spinner Michi Trota for her recommendations on what to read, watch and do.

On this episode, PEN America's Gina Chung talks storytelling, representation, and elevating new voices with writer and editor Michi Trota. Then, CEO Suzanne Nossel explores the free speech controversies of the week, including Facebook's crackdown on Holocaust denial, a New York Post story gone awry, and China's influence on academic freedom. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/penamerica/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/penamerica/support

What if cities were embodied in human beings? If The Bronx were a human, what would she be like? And why is xenophobia so toxic? Listen along as Nerdette host Greta Johnsen discusses 'The City We Became,' the new novel from Hugo-award-winning author N.K. Jemisin, along with WBEZ host Jenn White and Michi Trota, editor for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.And then get ready for next month’s Book Club pick: The Vanishing Half, a new novel by Brit Bennett.

Belly-dancing wookies, pancakes, and multimedia cooperatives, oh my! The Thomas' are back on Skiffy and Fanty to share their year five kickstarter with Paul and Trish! They brought with them Matt Peters, who, along with the fabulous Michi Trota, is hoping that you support Uncanny Magazine so that the world can enjoy their new venture, […]

On today’s show, Soleil will be talking about one of her favorite subjects: the act of faking it. Why do we do it, and what does it mean when we accuse others of doing it? And what does the impostor tell us about the boundaries we erect in order to define ourselves and our place in the world? To answer those questions, she’ll take on the Portsmouth Sinfonia, the phenomenon of the “fake geek girl,” Rachel Dolezal, and the awful—but perhaps enlightening—film White Chicks. We have two guests on the show this week: first, Soleil talks with Michi Trota, managing editor of the two-time Hugo Award-winning Uncanny Magazine, about how to it feels to be pushed out of a community is supposed to be all about celebrating outcasts. Then Soleil speaks with Amalia Nicholson—a content producer and cohost of the podcast Borrowed Interest, a show that focuses on the experiences of Black women in advertising—about everyone’s favorite Wayans Brothers movie (besides Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, of course).

Our year of loves and lasts continues with a rather big "last". Join Deb, Erika, Liz, and Lynne as we discuss 1989's "Survival", which was a "last" in many ways, although it wasn't originally intended as such. How do you feel about 7's last full story? What did you think of the Cheetah People's costumes? Is that infamous line really the nadir of Sylvester McCoy's performances on Doctor Who? Let us know in the comments! ^E Also covered: Lynne had moving prep help from Michi Trota, Jesse Lex, and Dolores and Matt Peters (the latter two gave them Doctor Who LEGO Dimensions goodies), and Matt hosts two podcasts: Since Last We Spoke! Digital Dumpster Diving! Erika discovers "What if John Carpenter did a Doctor Who Theme?"! cannot wait for LI Who and hopes to see you there! Liz is filled with delight and squee and Great Emotion because the next Doctor is a woman! Deb blatantly steals borrows a game from Kim Rogers and Sage Young at Head Over Feels and wants you to submit your ideas for "This or That" for future Verity fun!

Intersectionality issues, forced romances, and origin stories, oh my! Julia, Trish, and Stina discuss the DCEUs only decent movie so far, Wonder Woman, with special guest, Michi Trota! This is an all woman review because we really wanted to get into what this film means to women. The team dives right into all of their […]

Michi Trota joins Dee and I as an honarary Resnackunaut. The snacks we try this time around most definitely earn the "Resnackulous" title.  Find Michi's expansive catalog of work at her website, GeekMelange.com, and go from there.  My musical guest is Belgian producer and DJ, Poldoore. You must check out more of his music. You can find him on Bandcamp and Soundcloud.

Wicked unicorns, short fiction gnomes, and Year Three, oh my!  Lynne Thomas, Michael Damian Thomas, and Michi Trota return to discuss another year of Uncanny Magazine.  We discuss the future of the magazine, the latest Kickstarter campaign, editing, and much more! We hope you enjoy the episode! Note:  If you have iTunes and like this […]

We discusss Uncanny & Unbelievable X-Factor of GeekMelange, along with representation or the lack of it, conventions and fire spinning among other things.

Not only did Michi Trota join Matt for a double-sized episode of Cast A Day, but she also did so while under the weather. That just goes to show what type of drive she has! How else would she find … Continue reading →

Michi Trota is the Senior Features Editor for consumer content at the Encyclopedia Brittanica, on the board of the Chicago Nerd Social Club, a fire performer at Raks Geek and the managing editor of Uncanny Magazine, a science fiction and fantasy publication. In other words, she’s a very busy and impressive woman. Michi’s career aspirations started with Marine Biology, but she quickly fell in love with writing and has made her career as an editor in and out of traditional publication industries. With the position of Managing Editor at Uncanny Magazine, she’s had the opportunity to read and edit some of science fiction’s up and coming authors, and is an avid fan of the genre. As a board member of the Chicago Nerd Social Club, Michi is a leader in the Chicago geek community. In episode 3, she took time to discuss with hosts Blaire Knight-Graves and Mark Beers the importance of making the geek community overall more inclusive, and how other community leaders can responsibly aim for higher standards within their own local groups. We also discuss Michi’s current favorite science fiction and fantasy authors (see links on our website), the trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and the importance of compensation for creative works. Visit www.professionalgeekpodcast.com for more information. 

When it comes to movers and shakers in the geek community, not many can match the passion and enthusiasm of Mich Trota! We discuss her work with Uncanny Magazine, their Kickstarter campaign for their second year, the importance of finding … Continue reading →

Editors’ Intro: Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas   Short Fiction: Elizabeth Bear's "In Libres", as read by CSE Cooney   Poetry: Isabel Yap's "Apologies for breaking the glass slipper", as read by Amal El-Mohtar   Interviews:  Julia Rios interviewed by Deborah Stanish Scott Snyder interviewed by Michi Trota Gail Simone interviewed by Michi Trota     Want to join the Space Unicorn Ranger Corps? You can find new science fiction and fantasy stories, poetry, and nonfiction every month in Uncanny Magazine. Go to uncannymagazine.com or subscribe to the eBook version at weightlessbooks.com.     This podcast was produced by Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky. Music created by Null Device and used with permission.     Copyright © 2015 by Uncanny Magazine

Editors’ Intro: Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas   Short Fiction: "Translatio Corporis" by Kat Howard, as read by Amal El-Mohtar   Poetry: "Deep Bitch" by  C.S.E. Cooney, as read by C.S.E. Cooney   Interviews:  Kat Howard interviewed by Deborah Stanish Jim C. Hines interviewed by Michi Trota       Want to join the Space Unicorn Ranger Corps? You can find new science fiction and fantasy stories, poetry, and nonfiction every month in Uncanny Magazine. Go to uncannymagazine.com or subscribe to the eBook version at weightlessbooks.com.       This podcast was produced by Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky. Music created by Null Device and used with permission.       Copyright © 2015 by Uncanny Magazine

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Dawn Xiana Moon and Michi Trota, speaking about women, art, gatekeeping, and geek culture. Moon is a lifelong geek who has worked professionally in almost every area of the arts. She the producer and director of Raks Geek, geek bellydance and fire company, which achieved viral internet fame with a video of a Wookiee bellydancing to a Klingon band playing an original song in Shyriiwook. Raks Geek has been written up by CNN, MSN, Timeout Chicago (Critics' Pick), The Daily Mail (UK), and more. As a singer-songwriter, Dawn has performed in 10 states and has released two solo albums; her latest CD, Spaces Between, fuses elements from traditional Chinese music with jazz and alt folk pop. She has served as a section editor for RELEVANT Magazine, performs as a soloist with Read My Hips tribal bellydance, and, as a web designer/developer, works with clients like Anheuser-Busch, Chicago Booth, and Georgia Tech. Trota is an organizer for both the Chicago Full Moon Jams and the Chicago Nerd Social Club; she also performs as a fire-spinner with Raks Geek. Discussions about geek culture, feminism and intersectionality are guaranteed to get her talking for hours - she's organized panels at C2E2, Chicago Comic Con, and the University of Chicago on topics relating to sexism in geek culture. Wednesday Lunch is a Divinity School tradition started many decades ago. At noon on Wednesdays when the quarter is in session a delicious vegetarian meal is made in the Swift Hall kitchen by our student chefs and lunch crew. Once the three-course meal has reached dessert each week there is a talk by a faculty member or student from throughout the University, a community member from the greater Chicago area, or a guest from a wider distance. Recorded in Swift Hall on April 9, 2014.

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. Dawn Xiana Moon and Michi Trota, speaking about women, art, gatekeeping, and geek culture. Moon is a lifelong geek who has worked professionally in almost every area of the arts. She the producer and director of Raks Geek, geek bellydance and fire company, which achieved viral internet fame with a video of a Wookiee bellydancing to a Klingon band playing an original song in Shyriiwook. Raks Geek has been written up by CNN, MSN, Timeout Chicago (Critics' Pick), The Daily Mail (UK), and more. As a singer-songwriter, Dawn has performed in 10 states and has released two solo albums; her latest CD, Spaces Between, fuses elements from traditional Chinese music with jazz and alt folk pop. She has served as a section editor for RELEVANT Magazine, performs as a soloist with Read My Hips tribal bellydance, and, as a web designer/developer, works with clients like Anheuser-Busch, Chicago Booth, and Georgia Tech. Trota is an organizer for both the Chicago Full Moon Jams and the Chicago Nerd Social Club; she also performs as a fire-spinner with Raks Geek. Discussions about geek culture, feminism and intersectionality are guaranteed to get her talking for hours - she's organized panels at C2E2, Chicago Comic Con, and the University of Chicago on topics relating to sexism in geek culture. Wednesday Lunch is a Divinity School tradition started many decades ago. At noon on Wednesdays when the quarter is in session a delicious vegetarian meal is made in the Swift Hall kitchen by our student chefs and lunch crew. Once the three-course meal has reached dessert each week there is a talk by a faculty member or student from throughout the University, a community member from the greater Chicago area, or a guest from a wider distance. Recorded in Swift Hall on April 9, 2014.