The Fascinating Podcast

Best-selling author Julianna Baggott returns to the show as we explore her trippy new short story collection, I'D REALLY PREFER NOT TO BE HERE WITH YOU. Why did she return to short fiction? What has she learned from screenwriting about how ideas are forged into stories? Plus, a tour of some of our favorite stories from the collection!

Dr. Emily Friedman returns to the show. Last time (which was admittedly way too many years ago), she was an expert on the way history smells. Now she's become the premier public scholar on the burgeoning world of table top role playing games. What are her favorite hidden gems - simple enough even kids can play?  And what's going on with D&D these days? Speaking of D&D, Kathy and JR. do a quick review of the new film. 

Screenwriter Henry Gayden returns to the podcast to discuss his new film, SHAZAM!: Fury of the Gods. He takes us into the process of writing a superhero movie in a shared universe. How did that skittles gag happen? What about THAT cameo? And how does he balance humor, action and so much heart?

This installment of the Fascinating Book Club welcomes science-fiction author Adrian Tchaikovsky to discuss his new classic space opera series CHILDREN OF TIME. Adrian talks about his writing process, where the ideas for these creatures come from and what real empathy looks like in a world where we're not actually all the same.

It's March Madness and that means it's time for our super-sized Bracketology episode! What will win in this year's annual bracket? And, for that matter, who even are the contenders?! Listen up and brace yourself for surprise match-ups and even a surprise guest! PLUS: Don't forget that YOU get to vote on the final winner!

Author S. B. Divya returns to the show to unveil her latest novel MERU. While most of her work has been near-future, MERU is a far-futuristic space opera with giant humanoid mermaid space-fairies. How does she go about crafting the far future? How does she imagine the ways humanity might evolve (or evolve ourselves)? And what does this sort of science fiction tell us about how to navigate our world today?

Your hosts review the Best Picture Nominees for the 2023 Oscars, then make predictions. Hey... you already know who won, so it's pure schadenfreude for you!

The new film COCAINE BEAR plays fast and loose with historical events for the sake of entertainment. In honor of the film, we turn to the Bible - what stories from scripture would make good (and loose) adaptations? Then, we explore how a playful attitude toward Scripture can be fruitful. So what stories did we miss?

A freak scheduling conflict has thrust our cohosts into the Quantum Realm. You know what that means - a Feral Hog update! Well... not JUST a hog update. Since time moves differently in the Quantum Realm, we spend some extra time on what's been fascinating us lately and then we end up exploring Marvel's latest film, Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania!

What's the difference between deconstruction and decolonization? Author and activist Tamice Spencer-Helms joins us to share insights from her new book FAITH UNLEAVENED. How did Tamice meet White Jesus? Why was he so detrimental to her faith? And how has she learned to walk away from him and back to the brown Palestinian liberator?