Mohanraj and Rosenbaum Are Humans

Mary Anne Mohanraj takes a Deep Dive with author Nicola Griffith on her work in Hild, So Lucky, and Spear, covering pacing, disability, and historical research. This interview is a part of the Portolan Project, an initiative to provide a wealth of exceptional creative writing courses and resources.

Find out more about the Portolan Project here: www.speclit.org/portolan-project

Episode show notes: speclit.org/ep-56-show-notes

In this Deep Dive former SLF staff member, Meghan Lamb, talks with the editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine, Sheila Williams. They discuss Williams' most influential childhood reads, the importance of editorial letters in magazines, and how to make the best first impressions when submitting your stories. This interview is a part of the Portolan Project, an initiative to provide a wealth of exceptional creative writing courses and resources.

Find out more about the Portolan Project here: www.speclit.org/portolan-project

Episode show notes: speclit.org/ep-55-show-notes

In this episode, Mary Anne recounts a recent trip she took to Pakistan to teach science fiction writing at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. The two discuss her experiences of gender in Pakistan, as well as the broader cultural, religious, and material prohibitions of Lahore and the other countries, including our own. All leads to the question of whether one can and should risk transgressing from societal norms in an "authentic" and progressive manner.

Episode show notes: speclit.org/ep-54-show-notes

Dragons and alternate history; the research process; writing with particularity, and courage; character work; and more on this Deep Dive with author Jo Walton about her work across multiple genres. This interview is a part of the Portolan Project, an initiative to provide a wealth of exceptional creative writing courses and resources.

Episode show notes: speclit.org/ep-53-show-notes

Find out more about the Portolan Project here: www.speclit.org/portolan-project

Content warning: discussion of rape in Greek mythos in relation to Walton's The Just City trilogy

Shaun Duke and Brandon O'Brien are the hosts of the four time Hugo-finalist Skiffy and Fanty Show, a science fiction and fantasy based podcast that covers major topics in the field and interviews with authors and creators. Mary Anne and Ben invited them on the show to talk podcasting, committing to diversity, and connecting with audiences.

Check out The Skiffy and Fanty Show at skiffyandfanty.com

Episode show notes: speclit.org/ep-52-show-notes

Mary Anne Mohanraj takes a deep dive with authors A. M. Dellamonica and Kelly Robson on their writing, dealing with impostor syndrome, how to provide compelling characterization, setting fantasy in North America, and the writer's life. This interview is a part of the Portolan Project, an initiative to provide a wealth of exceptional creative writing courses and resources.

Episode show notes: www.speclit.org/ep-51-show-notes

Find out more about the Portolan Project here: www.speclit.org/portolan-project

This time around, Mary Anne and Ben are okay with being slime mold gods, (or perhaps writers?) The two divinely intelligent molds of slime examine how they organize their lives around their shared passion of writing and how they fit in other hobbies like gaming and gardening. The hosts also consider the motivation that pleasure plays in their lives, and how they cope when writer's block rears its ugly head.

Episode show notes: www.speclit.org/ep-50-show-notes

Mary Anne interviews Ursula Vernon, a.k.a. T. Kingfisher, about her work, with an interest in how Vernon pivots from writing for adults, to creating children's fiction. Is writing for certain ages really all that different? Mary Anne is also interested in how Vernon approaches worldbuilding in her imaginative work. This interview is a part of the Portolan Project, an initiative to provide a wealth of exceptional creative writing courses and resources.

Episode show notes: speclit.org/ep-49-show-notes

This week, Mary Anne and Ben explore the magic of theater, discuss the importance of representation and research, and address the difficulty in working with dark and difficult material in speculative fiction with author Andrea Hairston. They discuss Hairston's body of work, including her recently re-issued novel "Will Do Magic for Small Change," which you can find out more about on andreahairston.com/novels.

Episode show notes: speclit.org/ep-48-show-notes

Mary Anne interviews editors Tom Gammarino, Bryan Kamaoli Kuwada, D. Kealiʻi MacKenzie, and Lyz Soto about their anthology of speculative works of literature, poetry, and art from Hawai'i and beyond: "Snaring New Suns." Together, they discuss the initial difficulties they faced when putting together the anthology, the types of submissions within the collection, and what it means to be a local of Hawaii. This interview is a part of the Portolan Project, an initiative to provide a wealth of exceptional creative writing courses and resources.

You can check out the anthology at Bambooridge here: https://www.bambooridge.org/bookstore/snaring-new-suns/

Episode show notes: https://speculativeliterature.org/ep-47-show-notes/