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Containing Matters of Divine Disagreement Timestamps: Asimov background, non-spoiler discussion (0:00) spoiler summary and discussion (54:06) Bibliography: Asimov, Isaac - "The Early Asimov" (1972) Asimov, Isaac - "Before the Golden Age" (1974) Asimov, Isaac - "In Memory Yet Green" (1979) Nevala-Lee, Alec - "Astounding" (2018) Music: Hoffman, F - "Ouverture 'Jupiter'" (1883) https://www.loc.gov/item/2023850031/
Concerning Matters of Fire and Ice. Timestamps: John Campbell biography, non-spoiler discussion (0:00) spoiler summary and discussion (34:21) John Campbell's legacy on science fiction (1:08:27) Bibliography: Ashley, Mike - "The Time Machines: The Story of the Science-Fiction Pulp magazines From the Beginning to 1950" (2001) Bleiler, Everett - "Science-Fiction: The Gernsback Years" (1998) Davin, Eric Leif - "Pioneers of Wonder: Conversations With the Founders of Science Fiction Hardcover" (1999) Silverberg, Robert and Nevala-Lee, Alec - "Frozen Hell: Introduction and Foreword" (2019) Tymn, Marshall B. and Ashley, Mike (eds.) - "Science Fiction, Fantasy and Weird Fiction magazines" (1985)
Containing Matters in which Mutton is a Joy to All. Timestamps: introductions, non-podcast reads (0:00) Astounding Stories background, Captain S.P. Meek biography, non-spoiler discussion (14:52) spoiler plot summary/spoiler discussion (39:06) Bibliography: Astounding Stories of Super Science, January 1930 issue https://archive.org/details/Astounding_Stories_of_Super_Science_1930/asf1930-01/ Ashley, Mike - "The History of the Science Fiction Magazine - Part 1 (1926-1935)" (1976) Ashley, Mike - "The Time Machines: The Story of the Science-Fiction Pulp Magazines from the Beginning to 1950" (2001) Bleiler, Everett - "Science-Fiction: The Gernsback Years" (1998) Nevala-Lee, Alec - "Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction" (2018) Music: Robelen, Harry - "Pluto Polka" (1874) https://www.loc.gov/item/sm1874.04744/
"From a modern perspective," writes biographer Alec Nevala-Lee, Buckminster Fuller resembles "a Silicon Valley visionary who was born a half century too soon." But the relentlessly optimistic futurist, entrepreneur and geodesic dome pioneer was also a self-promoter who exaggerated his inventions and failed to credit his collaborators. We'll talk to Nevala-Lee about Fuller's scientific and cultural contributions and his complicated legacy. Guests: Alec Nevala-Lee, author, Inventor of the Future: The Visionary Life of Buckminster Fuller
During his lifetime, Buckminster Fuller was hailed as one of the greatest geniuses of the twentieth century. As the architectural designer and futurist best known for the geodesic dome, he enthralled a vast popular audience, inspired devotion from both the counterculture and the establishment, and was praised as a modern Leonardo da Vinci. To his admirers, he exemplified what one man could accomplish by approaching urgent design problems using a radically unconventional set of strategies, which he based on a mystical conception of the universe's geometry. His views on sustainability, as embodied in the image of Spaceship Earth, convinced him that it was possible to provide for all humanity through the efficient use of planetary resources. From Epcot Center to the molecule named in his honor as the buckyball, Fuller's legacy endures to this day, and his belief in the transformative potential of technology profoundly influenced the founders of Silicon Valley.Inventor of the Future is the first authoritative biography to cover all aspects of Fuller's career. Drawing on meticulous research, dozens of interviews, and thousands of unpublished documents, Nevala-Lee has produced a riveting portrait that transcends the myth of Fuller as an otherworldly generalist. It reconstructs the true origins of his most famous inventions, including the Dymaxion Car, the Wichita House, and the dome itself; his fraught relationships with his students and collaborators; his interactions with Frank Lloyd Wright, Isamu Noguchi, Clare Boothe Luce, John Cage, Steve Jobs, and many others; and his tumultuous private life, in which his determination to succeed on his own terms came at an immense personal cost. In an era of accelerating change, Fuller's example remains enormously relevant, and his lessons for designers, activists, and innovators are as powerful and essential as ever. Buy the book from Wellington Square Bookshop - https://wellingtonsquarebooks.indiecommerce.com/book/9780062947222
Exploring Tomorrow: Meaningful Science Fiction and Life's Big Questions
Author Alec Nevala-Lee stops by to discuss his monumental biography of the early days of science fiction. His book, Astounding, details the rise of SF through the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. This was the age of a magazine called Astounding, today known as Analog Science Fiction and Fact. In those early decades, John W. Campbell served as editor of Astounding and he left an indelible mark on the genre, for better or worse. Campbell fostered talented writers like Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, L. Ron Hubbard, and so many more. He indisputably shaped what we understand as Science Fiction today. But he upheld a distinctly white, male, capitalist outlook. Meanwhile, as science fiction found its footing in American culture, it also spun off the creation of a new religion. Was this an accident, or was it inevitable? We discuss this and some of Nevala-Lee's own fiction feature in the collection, Syndromes. Learn more about Alec Nevala-Lee's work: https://nevalalee.com Read Astounding: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062571946 Listen to Syndromes: https://nevalalee.wordpress.com/2020/04/14/listening-to-syndromes/ Learn more about Mikel's work at www.mikelwisler.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mikeljwisler/support
Alec Nevala-Lee’s Astounding is the first comprehensive biography of John W. Campbell, who, as a writer and magazine editor, wielded enormous influence over the field of science fiction in the mid-20th century. “His interests, his obsessions, and his prejudices shaped what science fiction was going to be,” Nevala-Lee says. Many people are familiar with Campbell’s name because it’s on the award given out every year by the World Science Fiction Society—the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. (This year, the award went to Rebecca Roanhorse, who was on the podcast in September; other winners who’ve been on the show include Ada Palmer, Andy Weir, and Mur Lafferty.) From 1937 through the 1960s, Campbell used the magazine Astounding Science Fiction (now named Analog) to popularize science fiction and its potential to predict the future. But he also used the magazine to promote pseudosciences (like psionics and dianetics), and his legacy is tarnished by views that were “clearly racist.” “He was quite content to keep publishing stories by writers who looked like him... And the characters were almost all white,” Nevala-Lee says. “Campbell thought that maybe black writers weren’t interested in writing science fiction or they weren’t good at it. It never seems to have occurred to him that they might be more interested in writing for his magazine if they saw characters who looked like them.” Astounding is a powerful contribution to the history of science fiction, offering fascinating stories about the careers and personal lives of Campbell and his stable of talented and influential writers. But its immediate effect may be to spark a conversation about whether the best way to honor today’s emerging talent is with an award bearing the name of a man whose legacy is so problematic. A similar conversation occurred earlier this year over the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award; the debate ended when the American Library Association decided to change the name of the award. “That debate has not yet extended to the John W. Campbell Award. I think it's a legitimate discussion because Campbell’s opinions on race, in my opinion, are far more offensive than anything Wilder expressed," Nevala-Lee says. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Alec Nevala-Lee’s Astounding is the first comprehensive biography of John W. Campbell, who, as a writer and magazine editor, wielded enormous influence over the field of science fiction in the mid-20th century. “His interests, his obsessions, and his prejudices shaped what science fiction was going to be,” Nevala-Lee says. Many people are familiar with Campbell’s name because it’s on the award given out every year by the World Science Fiction Society—the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. (This year, the award went to Rebecca Roanhorse, who was on the podcast in September; other winners who’ve been on the show include Ada Palmer, Andy Weir, and Mur Lafferty.) From 1937 through the 1960s, Campbell used the magazine Astounding Science Fiction (now named Analog) to popularize science fiction and its potential to predict the future. But he also used the magazine to promote pseudosciences (like psionics and dianetics), and his legacy is tarnished by views that were “clearly racist.” “He was quite content to keep publishing stories by writers who looked like him... And the characters were almost all white,” Nevala-Lee says. “Campbell thought that maybe black writers weren’t interested in writing science fiction or they weren’t good at it. It never seems to have occurred to him that they might be more interested in writing for his magazine if they saw characters who looked like them.” Astounding is a powerful contribution to the history of science fiction, offering fascinating stories about the careers and personal lives of Campbell and his stable of talented and influential writers. But its immediate effect may be to spark a conversation about whether the best way to honor today’s emerging talent is with an award bearing the name of a man whose legacy is so problematic. A similar conversation occurred earlier this year over the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award; the debate ended when the American Library Association decided to change the name of the award. “That debate has not yet extended to the John W. Campbell Award. I think it's a legitimate discussion because Campbell’s opinions on race, in my opinion, are far more offensive than anything Wilder expressed," Nevala-Lee says. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Alec Nevala-Lee’s Astounding is the first comprehensive biography of John W. Campbell, who, as a writer and magazine editor, wielded enormous influence over the field of science fiction in the mid-20th century. “His interests, his obsessions, and his prejudices shaped what science fiction was going to be,” Nevala-Lee says. Many people are familiar with Campbell’s name because it’s on the award given out every year by the World Science Fiction Society—the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. (This year, the award went to Rebecca Roanhorse, who was on the podcast in September; other winners who’ve been on the show include Ada Palmer, Andy Weir, and Mur Lafferty.) From 1937 through the 1960s, Campbell used the magazine Astounding Science Fiction (now named Analog) to popularize science fiction and its potential to predict the future. But he also used the magazine to promote pseudosciences (like psionics and dianetics), and his legacy is tarnished by views that were “clearly racist.” “He was quite content to keep publishing stories by writers who looked like him... And the characters were almost all white,” Nevala-Lee says. “Campbell thought that maybe black writers weren’t interested in writing science fiction or they weren’t good at it. It never seems to have occurred to him that they might be more interested in writing for his magazine if they saw characters who looked like them.” Astounding is a powerful contribution to the history of science fiction, offering fascinating stories about the careers and personal lives of Campbell and his stable of talented and influential writers. But its immediate effect may be to spark a conversation about whether the best way to honor today’s emerging talent is with an award bearing the name of a man whose legacy is so problematic. A similar conversation occurred earlier this year over the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award; the debate ended when the American Library Association decided to change the name of the award. “That debate has not yet extended to the John W. Campbell Award. I think it's a legitimate discussion because Campbell’s opinions on race, in my opinion, are far more offensive than anything Wilder expressed," Nevala-Lee says. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Alec Nevala-Lee’s Astounding (Dey Street Books, 2018) is the first comprehensive biography of John W. Campbell, who, as a writer and magazine editor, wielded enormous influence over the field of science fiction in the mid-20th century. “His interests, his obsessions, and his prejudices shaped what science fiction was going to be,” Nevala-Lee says. Many people are familiar with Campbell’s name because it’s on the award given out every year by the World Science Fiction Society—the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. (This year, the award went to Rebecca Roanhorse, who was on the podcast in September; other winners who’ve been on the show include Ada Palmer, Andy Weir, and Mur Lafferty.) From 1937 through the 1960s, Campbell used the magazine Astounding Science Fiction (now named Analog) to popularize science fiction and its potential to predict the future. But he also used the magazine to promote pseudosciences (like psionics and dianetics), and his legacy is tarnished by views that were “clearly racist.” “He was quite content to keep publishing stories by writers who looked like him… And the characters were almost all white,” Nevala-Lee says. “Campbell thought that maybe black writers weren’t interested in writing science fiction or they weren’t good at it. It never seems to have occurred to him that they might be more interested in writing for his magazine if they saw characters who looked like them.” Astounding is a powerful contribution to the history of science fiction, offering fascinating stories about the careers and personal lives of Campbell and his stable of talented and influential writers. But its immediate effect may be to spark a conversation about whether the best way to honor today’s emerging talent is with an award bearing the name of a man whose legacy is so problematic. A similar conversation occurred earlier this year over the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award; the debate ended when the American Library Association decided to change the name of the award. “That debate has not yet extended to the John W. Campbell Award. I think it’s a legitimate discussion because Campbell’s opinions on race, in my opinion, are far more offensive than anything Wilder expressed,” Nevala-Lee says. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Alec Nevala-Lee’s Astounding is the first comprehensive biography of John W. Campbell, who, as a writer and magazine editor, wielded enormous influence over the field of science fiction in the mid-20th century. “His interests, his obsessions, and his prejudices shaped what science fiction was going to be,” Nevala-Lee says. Many people are familiar with Campbell’s name because it’s on the award given out every year by the World Science Fiction Society—the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. (This year, the award went to Rebecca Roanhorse, who was on the podcast in September; other winners who’ve been on the show include Ada Palmer, Andy Weir, and Mur Lafferty.) From 1937 through the 1960s, Campbell used the magazine Astounding Science Fiction (now named Analog) to popularize science fiction and its potential to predict the future. But he also used the magazine to promote pseudosciences (like psionics and dianetics), and his legacy is tarnished by views that were “clearly racist.” “He was quite content to keep publishing stories by writers who looked like him... And the characters were almost all white,” Nevala-Lee says. “Campbell thought that maybe black writers weren’t interested in writing science fiction or they weren’t good at it. It never seems to have occurred to him that they might be more interested in writing for his magazine if they saw characters who looked like them.” Astounding is a powerful contribution to the history of science fiction, offering fascinating stories about the careers and personal lives of Campbell and his stable of talented and influential writers. But its immediate effect may be to spark a conversation about whether the best way to honor today’s emerging talent is with an award bearing the name of a man whose legacy is so problematic. A similar conversation occurred earlier this year over the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award; the debate ended when the American Library Association decided to change the name of the award. “That debate has not yet extended to the John W. Campbell Award. I think it's a legitimate discussion because Campbell’s opinions on race, in my opinion, are far more offensive than anything Wilder expressed," Nevala-Lee says. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Erik Nevala-Lee is a man whose life I love. I met him my freshman year at NYU as a fellow teammate on Camp Anawanna Swim Team, the improv group who would later be Dangerbox. Erik is an architect, a designer, a beekeeper, an environmentalist, and a baseball fan. He is chill, kind, sweet, classy, brilliant,…Read more EPISODE 33: Erik Nevala-Lee in his Harlem Rooftop Garden