On this episode, we’re talking about sitcom moms—from the polished homemakers of the postwar years to the fierce, flawed, and often funny mothers of today. The apron-clad matrons of the 1950s to the overworked, underappreciated, deeply human moms of the 2020s. We’ll track how they’ve changed—decade by decade—and ask what they reflect about women’s lives: in politics, in the workplace, and in the economy.

In this episode, we explore N.K. Jemisin’s award-winning novel The Fifth Season and how it flips the post-apocalyptic genre by placing motherhood and maternal sovereignty at its heart. We unpack the real-world echoes of reproductive justice, systemic oppression, and climate catastrophe, all filtered through Jemisin's extraordinary world-building. Plus, Sage the Owl shares her hoots of wisdom.

Key Themes:

- Maternal Sovereignty in Speculative Fiction

- Reproductive Justice & Systemic Oppression

- The Emotional & Political Weight of Motherhood

- Climate Change & The Maternal Apocalypse

- N.K. Jemisin’s Critical & Popular Acclaim

Links & Mentions:

- N.K. Jemisin’s The Broken Earth Trilogy

- My book: Maternity in the Post-Apocalypse: Novelistic Re-visions of Dystopian Motherhood

In this episode, we’re diving into the 24th century to talk about one of the most iconic moms in science fiction: Dr. Beverly Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation. STTNG was the most popular of all of the Star Trek series, and I argue that due to the show's popularity, Dr. Crusher made huge strides in the portrayals of mothers on television.

The 1991 film Terminator 2 was marketed as a story about two robots from the future duking it out, or how an unlikely band of heroes saves the future from the corporation called Skynet, In this podcast episode, I argue that the film is truly about mothers, and depicts what motherhood is like now, what it will be like in the future, and what it’s always been like.

Nerd out over motherhood with me!