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Ariel, Kristina, and Rob dish over a shared passion for the HBO horror-drama Lovecraft Country, and its accompanying podcast. We discuss the impact of the show's writing on our understanding of black culture, and how it challenges assumptions in meaningful ways. We talk though the monsters, the performances, and our crazy theories for what happens next.

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Ariel is joined by disability activists Danielle and Irina to discuss the Netflix documentary Crip Camp, and the way it portrays the stories of people with disabilities, questions of disability rights, and disability activism. This episode is part of an ongoing series of critical conversations with disability advocates responding to themes presented in the film.

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Writer/Director Jai Jamison is currently one of the writers on the new CW series, Superman and Lois, but is also responsible for the profound and affecting short film Slave Cry, set in Richmond, VA against the backdrop of the Confederate Monuments. The conversation ranges from a deep love of Richmond, to Black representation in the arts, to the messaging of the monuments, and their place in our world now.

This episode was edited by William Dass.

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Ariel, Alex, and Brian discuss N.K. Jemisin's The City We Became, a book that features characters embodying each of the boroughs of the city of New York. We discuss the characterization of New York City, and what the book has to say about diversity and inclusion, while also getting into the nuts and bolts of the good/bad binary of racism.

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Ariel, Alex, and Dan discuss the horror-action superhero flick Blade in all its glory, from Wesley Snipes' amazing stunts, some of the backstory behind production, to the movie's influence on vampire lore in TV and film.

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Ariel sits down with Zack Quaintance, the brains behind the popular comics review site, Comics Bookcase, as well as an up and coming writer in the comic book world. They discuss his upcoming original graphic novel Next Door, neighborly behavior in the midst of the pandemic, and plans for future projects as both a writer and contributor to comic book analysis and discussion on his website.

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Ariel, Alex, and Rashida sit down to talk about the book Kindred, a 20th century slave narrative about a woman who is transported back in time to the slave plantation of her ancestors. They discuss the book and the author, the MacArthur Fellow and science fiction legend, Octavia Butler, and the importance of the hard work of confronting history.

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Ariel talks with science nerds Ellen and Maria about Amazon's science fiction series, Tales from the Loop, a ten-episode series, set in a retrofuturistic landscape. Our trio talks about the unique design of the show, the perfection of the circle/sphere, conspiracy theories, and how it all really ties back to Minecraft. 

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Ariel, Kim, and Heather talk about the new film Miss Juneteenth (on virtual streaming now), a directorial debut from Channing Godfrey Peoples celebrating the relationship between mothers and daughters, the attempt to live out deferred dreams through the next generation, and the power of having something that is your own. Our discussion ranges from the marginalization of and within the Black community, to the secret culture of debutante balls, to the cyclical nature of toxic relationships.

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Ariel, Megan, and Dan break down their shared love for Sondheim's A Little Night Music (1973). They examine the classic show lyrically, musically, dramatically, and thematically, while comparing it to the source material, Ingmar Bergman's film, Smiles of a Summer Night (1955).

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