Wizards & Spaceships

Didactic Fiction ft. Vajra Chandrasekera, Samantha Mills, and Gregory A. Wilson

Welcome to our new season! To celebrate, we’re kicking it up a notch by holding an all-star roundtable of some truly incredible writers. Vajra Chandrasekera, Samantha Mills, and Gregory A. Wilson join us to discuss didactic genre fiction. Is it a skill problem? Is it a media literacy problem? Can you hammer home a message without alienating (sorry/not sorry) your audience? We're nominated for an Aurora Award for Best Fan-Related Work! Check out the ballot [https://www.csffa.ca/awards-information/current-ballot/] (and consider casting a vote for us) at the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association. Show Notes: * Vajra's website [https://vajra.me/] * Samantha's website [https://samtasticbooks.com/] * Gregory's website [https://www.gregoryawilson.com/] * Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1312221/] (and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein [https://www.gutenberg.org/files/84/84-h/84-h.htm]) * Dante’s Inferno [https://archive.org/details/dantesinferno00dantuoft] * Katabasis [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katabasis_(novel)], R.F. Kuang * Rabbit Test [https://www.uncannymagazine.com/article/rabbit-test/], Samantha Mills * A Sound of Thunder, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Sound_of_Thunder]Ray Bradbury * Dune [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(novel)], Frank Herbert * The Witcher, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Witcher]Andrzej Sapkowski * Le Roman de Silence [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Roman_de_Silence] * From the Notebooks of Doctor Brain, [https://archive.org/details/fromnotebooksofd00mini]Minister Faust * The Time Machine, [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/35] H.G. Wells * Island of Doctor Moreau, [https://www.gutenberg.org/files/159/159-h/159-h.htm] H.G. Wells * Star Trek TOS: Let That Be Your Last Battlefield [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708435/] * One star review of Pride and Prejudice [https://www.reddit.com/r/janeausten/comments/m980y6/1_review_of_pride_and_prejudice_i_laughed_a_lot/] * World Bank literacy stats [https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS] * Grendel, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grendel_(novel)]John Gardner

In Praise of Difficult Women ft. Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Genre fiction is full of strong, independent women, badass heroines, brave Final Girls, and virginal princesses. Frankly, we’re getting a little sick of it? For our season finale, with us to discuss difficult women is the queen of messy, complicated, and antiheroic female protagonists herself, the legendary Silvia Moreno-Garcia! SHOW NOTES 1. Silvia's website [https://silviamoreno-garcia.com/] 2. Silvia's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/silviamg.author/] and Threads [https://www.threads.com/@silviamg.author] 3. Signal To Noise [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60321142-signal-to-noise] by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (find out why Rachel is correct and all of the Goodreads reviewers are wrong) 4. Velvet Was the Night [https://silviamoreno-garcia.com/writing/velvet-was-the-night/] by Silvia Moreno-Garcia 5. Countess [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211428041-countess] by Susan Palumbo 6. Unknown Number: The High School Catfish [http://youtube.com/watch?v=m9gNXyfTK80] Rachel’s Problematic Faves 1. Bellis Coldwine (The Scar by China Miéville) 2. Baru Cormorant (The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickson) 3. Essun (The Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin) 4. Catra (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power by Nate Stevenson) David’s Problematic Faves 1. Morgan Le Fay (Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory) 2. Cersei Lannister (A Song Of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin) 3. Jadis (The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis) Silvia’s Problematic Faves 1. Eleanor and Theodora (The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson) 2. Constance and Merricat (We Have Always Lived In the Castle by Shirley Jackson) 3. Everything by Tanith Lee 4. Rebecca and Rachel (Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier) 5. Emma Bovary (Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert) Are they genre? Nah, but we still love them 1. Cass Neary novels by Elizabeth Hand 2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn 3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë 4. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith 5. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 6. Washington Square by Henry James 7. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Amazing Stories 100th Anniversary ft. Steve Davidson, Kermit Woodall and Lloyd Penney

We are celebrating the 100th anniversary of Amazing Stories Magazine. It started way back in March or April, of 1926, depending on who you ask. With us to talk about the magazine's past, present, and maybe even the next hundred years, are its publishers and editors: Steve Davidson, Kermit Woodall and Lloyd Penney. Show notes: 1. Amazing Stories Magazine [https://amazingstories.com/]online [https://amazingstories.com/] 2. Wikipedia's entry [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Stories] 3. Galactic Central [http://www.philsp.com/mags/amazing_stories.html] 4. SF Encyclopedia [https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/amazing]

Charles R. Saunders ft. Jon Tattrie

Charles R. Saunders was a Halifax journalist and, with his Imaro novels, the founder of the "sword and soul" genre and a Black Canadian literary icon. When he died in obscurity in 2020, journalist Jon Tattrie joined fans worldwide to uncover where he was buried, commemorate his life, and bring him the prominence he deserved. For Black History Month, we're joined by Jon to tell us about Charles' remarkable career and his new biography, To Leave a Warrior Behind: The Life and Stories of Charles R. Saunders, the Man Who Rewrote Fantasy. Show Notes: 1. To Leave a Warrior Behind: The Life and Stories of Charles R. Saunders, the Man Who Rewrote Fantasy by Jon Tattrie [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/717193/to-leave-a-warrior-behind-by-jon-tattrie] 2. Write Now with Jon Tattrie [https://jontattrie.ca/] 3. The New Moon’s Arms by Nalo Hopkinson [https://www.nalohopkinson.com/the-new-moons-arms] 4. The Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin [https://www.goodreads.com/series/112296-the-broken-earth] 5. The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127280349-the-practice-the-horizon-and-the-chain] 6. Interview With the Vampire [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3960394/] (2022-) 7. Blade [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_(character)] 8. Star Man’s Son by Andre Norton [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222366.Star_Man_s_Son_2250_A_D] 9. Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/609878/skin-of-the-sea-by-natasha-bowen/9780593120941] 10. Annaka by Andre Fenton [https://nimbus.ca/store/annaka.html?srsltid=AfmBOoo-QST2-Z3joJXOHh06iEE2nZpG9w9ArQmQ4BinMM6LbNh7Eat6] 11. Dark Fantasy zine [https://tomeoftreasures.com/tot_fanzines/dark_fantasy.htm] 12. Jaycen Wise URAEUS [https://www.subsumestudios.com/speaker/uraeus/] 13. Mshindo I. Kuumba [https://www.deviantart.com/mshindo9/art/Imaro-cover-art-148520864] 14. Charles in the CSFFA hall of fame [https://www.csffa.ca/the-csffa-hall-of-fame/latest-inductees/] Charles R. Saunders' select biography: 1. Imaro [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imaro_(novel)] (1981) Second Edition (2006) Third Edition (2014) 2. The Quest for Cush [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quest_for_Cush] (1984) Second Edition (2008) 3. The Trail of Bohu [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trail_of_Bohu] (1985) Second Edition (2009) 4. The Naama War [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Naama_War] (2009) 5. Nyumbani Tales (2017) 6. Dossouye [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dossouye] (2008) 7. Dossouye: The Dancers of Mulukau (2012) Other novels 1. Damballa (2011) 2. Abengoni: First Calling [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abengoni:_First_Calling&action=edit&redlink=1] (2014), fantasy novel Non-fiction 1. Sweat and Soul: The Saga of Black Boxers from the Halifax Forum to Caesars Palace (1990) 2. Spirit of Africville (1992) 3. Share & Care: The Story of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children (1994) 4. Black & Bluenose: The Contemporary History of a Community (2002)

Editing Roundtable ft. Alexandra Pierce and Josh Wilson

Magazines and journals have been a foundational part of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror since the very beginning and provide us with the stories, art, and critical analysis that keep the genre vibrant. These collaborations are a labour of love and the lifeblood of the literary scene. With us to talk about the work of editing and producing them are two rising stars in the field, Josh Wilson, editor of The Fabulist, and Alexandra Pierce, editor of Speculative Insight. Show Notes: 1. The Fabulist [https://fabulistmagazine.com/] 2. The Fabulist on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/fabulistmag.bsky.social] 3. The Fabulist on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/fabulistmag/] 4. Speculative Insight [https://www.speculativeinsight.com/] 5. Speculative Insight on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/speculativeinsight.bsky.social] 6. Speculative Insight on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/speculativeinsight/] 7. Letters to Tiptree [http://www.twelfthplanetpress.com/products/ebooks/letters-to-tiptree] 8. Luminescent Threads [http://www.twelfthplanetpress.com/products/ebooks/luminescent-threads] 9. Radon Journal [https://www.radonjournal.com/] 10. Clarkesworld [https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/] 11. khōréō [https://www.khoreomag.com/] 12. Trollbreath [https://magazine.trollbreath.com/]