Episodes 1-10
Ep. 1 "Introductions"
In this inaugural episode, Mary Anne and Ben promise to introduce themselves in ten minutes, then immediately veer off into a tangle of tangents—parenting, religion, writing—setting a tone for the wild ride to come. From their beginnings as writers, to the far future extrapolations of their work, Mary Anne and Ben begin the discussion of who they are as humans.
Recorded 10 May 2020 / Published 22 March 2021
Ep. 1.5 "The Capital and the Cafe"
In this episode, the hosts of MRAH explore questions of violence, pacifism, ethics, and empathy while juxtaposing a local incident against an event of national proportions.
Content warning: This episode discusses a racist attack on a business, the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, an Islamophobic insult, fascism, and other related political topics.
Recorded 10 January 2021 / Published 25 March 2021
Ep. 2 "The Toilet Seat Con Hook-Up"
How does examining the rules and structures of relationships help define genres such as magical realism and science fiction? In this episode, Mohanraj and Rosenbaum humorously discuss their romantic experiences and the surprising connections to how we examine and shape genres… And leaving the toilet seat up might be more significant than you think.
Content note for mention of race play and of pedophilia. Also discussion of cheating on spouses and spousal abuse and murder. And a potentially ableist remark about brain tumors and personality change.
Recorded 13 May and 17 May 2020 / Published 29 March 2021
Ep. 3 "An Interview with Silvia Moreno-Garcia"
Mary Anne interviews Silvia Moreno-Garcia about her experiences with sci-fi and fantasy growing up in Mexico, and how it’s shaped her own work.
Content note for discussion of dictatorships in Latin America.
Recorded 2019 / Published 5 April 2021
Ep. 4 "What Are... Humans"
What does it mean to be human? What do we mean when we call ourselves humanist? And what does secularism and the idea of God have to do with it all? This episode represents Mary Anne and Ben’s attempts at clarifying what they mean by being humans.
Content note for a comparison (in passing) of meat-eating to baby-killing.
Recorded 24 May 2020 / Published 12 April 2021
Ep. 5 "Two Months into the Pandemic: A Snapshot"
A historical episode of sorts: Mary Anne and Ben talk through the the personal effects that the pandemic and lockdown were having on them and their families, two months in. The two also ruminate on their own familial and cultural health anxieties and how they’ve come into play during these unprecedented times.
Content note for brief discussions of domestic violence and genocide.
Recorded 27 May 2020 / Published 19 April 2021
Ep. 6 "Jed Hartman, Pt. 1: Conversational Cultures"
In his first appearance on the show, Jed Hartman converses with Mary Anne and Ben about the complexities of communication, which include everything from social mobility to ask/guess culture. As is their tendency, Mary Anne and Ben take these topics into the realm of science fiction and fantasy, asking what a realistic encounter with aliens would look like.
Recorded 30 August 2020 / Published 26 April 2021
Ep. 7 "Cons in a Time of Pandemic"
Bonding over their complex feelings on Star Trek, Mary Anne and Ben share their thoughts on how conventions have been forced to adapt and evolve in a time where large crowds and gatherings are largely a thing of the past. Cons are an important part of Mary Anne and Ben’s personal and professional lives, so will things ever be the same?
Recorded 3 June 2020 / Published 3 May 2021
Ep. 8 "Cory Doctorow"
Cory Doctorow—celebrated author, essayist, blogger-journalist, and human rights activist—visits the podcast to talk about privacy, security, monopoly power, the innate conservatism of AI, moral reckonings, technothrillers, and his latest book, Attack Surface, part of a series which motivated a generation of hacktivists, thinkers, and techies to fight for freedom and equity in our increasingly digital world.
Content note for discussion of torture, and for use of an ableist insult regarding mental health. Also for use of bullying as a metaphor.
Recorded 24 January 2021 / Published 10 May 2021.
Ep. 8.5 "Attack Surface"
In the last episode, Mary Anne and Ben discussed Attack Surface with its celebrated author, Cory Doctorow. We wanted to share a special treat with our listeners in the form of the first ten minutes of the Attack Surface audiobook, read by Amber Benson.
To buy Attack Surface and other books written by Cory, visit https://craphound.com/shop/
Published 13 May 2021
Ep. 9 "An Interview with Paolo Bacigalupi"
Mary Anne interviews Paolo Bacigalupi about how to write fiction with a message, especially one as urgent as the ecological fate of our world and how it can impact humanity.
Recorded 2019 / Published 20 May 2021
Ep. 10 "Gamifying the Rejection"
In this episode, Mary Anne and Ben ruminate on the intricacies of writing for submission. Based on their own personal publishing experiences, the two give advice to writers young and old on how best to go about preparing for success and rejection in the field, even if it means gamifying the process.
Recorded 21 June 2020 / Published 24 May 2021
