Okie Geek

This summer was filled with blockbuster movies hitting the big screen. But in Oklahoma City, you could find pop-up retro screenings in bars, art galleries and toy stores thanks to VHS & Chill.

For the last 10 years, Sean Peel has been making it his mission to spread cinema across Oklahoma City via VHS tapes.

He screened nostalgic and obscure movies across the metro area and even hooked up his VHS tape deck to a big screen movie projector.

At one point, he had thousands of VHS tapes, probably the most in Oklahoma. But now he’s letting them all go.

“When I would do VHS and Chill Screenings, I would always introduce it by saying this is not an art house screening," said Peel. "You can talk, you can laugh, you can throw popcorn at the screen.”

His last screening is at the Oklahoma Film Exchange Friday, August 14th, but VHS & Chill will be continuing under new owners.

Mythopoeic. The word means myth-making and it is the name of the fantasy society that is coming to Weatherford.

Part fan club and part literary academics, the Mythopoeic Society was formed in the late 1960s after the group’s founder threw a birthday party for Bilbo and Frodo Baggins in Los Angeles, California.

This year they’re hosting their biannual conference in the town where an Oklahoma librarian has made Southwest Oklahoma State University the home for the society’s fantastical archive.

Since 2017, archivist and librarian Phillip Fitzsimmons has digitized about five thousand items belonging to the society that have been downloaded more than 1.5 million times around the world.

Members have come from across the US and the world to attend the conference and discuss fantasy.

“It's not just a matter of hiding from the real world,” Fitzsimmons said. “Sometimes reading these books gives the reader answers as to how it is that they can survive and prosper in the real world.”

Fitzsimmons first read Tolkien in middle school and is now 63, and he says The Lord of the Rings still provides guidance for him.

“I would say that in many ways, The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien's work feeds me emotionally, psychologically in a way that, you know, I have lots of books that interest me that I read and like, but they're not doing anything other than satisfying my curiosity or entertaining me."

This year’s theme is “Get Your Fantasy Kicks on Route 66.” The keynote speakers are fantasy author David R. Slayton and Mythopoeic scholar Dr. Joe R. Christopher.

You can find out more about Mythcon 54 here.

Matt Price remembers reading Team America Racing and seeing the toys as a kid. And now, he’s bringing the team back.His new comic book follows a team of young competitive motocross racers as they compete across the U.S.

Originally published by Marvel and owned by Ideal Toys, the brand ended up in the hands of the owner of Comic Shop News, a news publication that Matt Price also writes and edits for.

Despite the new publisher not owning the rights to the Marvel comics, Price considers the book a spiritual sequel that is updated for a new generation of readers.

“I kind of took the tactic of what is different in 2025,2026 about being a young person competing at a high level. What does representing your country mean in 2026.”

Literati Press founder Charles Martin talks about the turning ownership of the Paseo bookstore to a writer's co-op. Later he is joined by OU E-sports director Mike Aguilar to talk about Symphonicon where the Oklahoma City Philharmonic will be playing music from from Cowboy Bebop, Interstellar, to Mario and the Legend of Zelda.

Actor Tim Blake Nelson, known for roles in “O Brother Where Art Thou” and most recently “The Lowdown,” is coming back to Tulsa with his new book, Superhero.

He will be at Congregation B’nai Emunah in Tulsa on Thursday for a book talk presented by Magic City Books and will also host a screening of his new film “On the End” at Circle Cinema on Friday.

He talks about his upbringing in Tulsa and filming in Oklahoma and why superhero movies reflect American society.

Daniel H. Wilson's latest book, Hole in the Sky, combines his knowledge as a scientist with his background growing up in northeastern Oklahoma as a Cherokee citizen.

In this episode of Okie Geek, he talks about writing sci-fi novels for the military, artificial intelligence, and Indigenous technology.

The first Oklahoma Comics Arts Festival is this Saturday at the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center in downtown OKC.

Festival Director and comic book creator Robert Wilson IV has been working in comics and exhibiting at some of the world’s biggest comic book conventions like New York Comic Con for years.

For the Oklahoma Comics Art Festival, he’s hoping to take what he loves from his favorite conventions and bring in artists who have worked at DC, Marvel, and Scholastic alongside local talent.

Mentioned in this episode:

RDDND - Bruncheons & Dragons (Sept 25)

The Oklahoma Film Exchange is working to save Oklahoma City Film Row's last screening room.

OFX's Cam Hunter and historian Bradley Wynn talk about the effort to preserve the history of the Paramont screening room.

Despite a valiant effort by KOSU listeners and public media supporters nationwide, Congress has voted to rescind $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

This money had already been promised and budgeted for at KOSU and public media stations across the country. Losing it is devastating, and one NPR estimate shows that roughly 18% of the country’s public radio stations will close imminently, and nearly a third of listeners would lose access to NPR programming.

The rescission package is expected to be signed by President Trump soon, as he initially requested the move from Congress.

To be clear, this does not mean KOSU is going away. Thanks to you, KOSU is set up well for the future. However, this loss of foundational funding will likely result in a reduction of programming or local news without additional support.

1. Support KOSU directly by making a donation, or increasing your existing monthly or annual gift. This is the most effective thing you can do for KOSU. Support from people like you makes up the largest part of KOSU’s budget.
2. Sign up for email alerts from KOSU so you never miss an update. You can do that here.
3. Spread the word. Share this page with your family and friends, and tell them what KOSU's news, information and music service means to you and our community.

Still have questions about how you can help?

Please reach out to us at [email protected].

In the next few days, the U.S. Senate will consider a package that would devastate many public radio stations by clawing back two years of previously approved funding. At KOSU, it would significantly impact our ability to provide emergency alerts and Oklahoma news.

You can help by calling Senator Lankford and Senator Mullin to ask them to resist the rescission because of the impact it would have on Oklahoma. Here is a sample script.

Sen. James Lankford: 202-224-5754

Sen. Markwayne Mullin: 202-224-4721

Don't live in Oklahoma? Check this listing for your Senator's contact information.

Find out more on how you can make a difference at kosu.org/cuts.