Show Notes for Ep. 73 "The Anxiety of Influence"
Hey Humans, welcome back to the MRAH podcast! In this episode, Mary Anne and Benjamin discuss the anxiety that comes with influence in our modern world, fan and cozy fiction, and the struggle of getting words on the page.
Recorded March 18, 2026 / Published March 31, 2026
Contents
00:08: Intro
01:44: Subgenres
07:52: On museums
12:46: The intersection of religion and culture
34:39: On “sacred”
44:448: Ad Break
45:26: Discussing fanfiction
1:02:07: The powerful urge to write cozy fiction
1:08:20: On the struggle to get things written
1:32:34: Tricks to write more
1:41:52: Wrapping up
1:45:28: Outro
Works and People Mentioned
Organized by order of appearance.
- Samuel R. Delany (author)
- Ursula K. Le Guin (author)
- ICFA (convention)
- “Separation Anxiety” by Evie Shockley (published in Dark Matter Anthology)
- The Sword at Your Door (Mary Anne’s WisCon 34 Speech)
- “A Pirate’s Life for Tea” by Rebecca Thorne (Tomes & Tea Series)
- George R. R. Martin (author)
- “Jump Space” by Mary Anne Mohanraj
- Penguicon (convention)
- “Deverry Cycle Series” by Katharine Kerr
- Game of Thrones (book series and TV show)
- “The Godfather” by Mario Puzo