• Ep. 63 "OkPsyche with Anya Johanna DeNiro"
    Dec 19 2023

    Joining Mary Anne and Ben on this episode is Anya Johanna DeNiro, a trans woman and writer who recently published her novel, OKPsyche. The book follows the story of an unnamed trans woman on an epic journey to find the place where she belongs. Mary Anne and Ben discuss DeNiro's inspirations for OkPsyche, its genre-bending elements, and the second-person POV.

    Check out OKPsyche: https://smallbeerpress.com/books/2023/09/12/okpsyche/

    Watch the video version of the episode: https://youtu.be/u42jWOCtFvw

    Episode show notes: https://speculativeliterature.org/ep-63-show-notes/

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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • Ep. 62 "Landlords and Classless Societies"
    Nov 20 2023

    This episode was inspired by a meme Mary Anne came across concerning landlords, and their somewhat... unpopular reputations in society. The hosts of MRAH contemplate the positions of power and influence that people like landlords and property owners can have over the world. Mary Anne and Ben also compare the cultures and societies that they read about in sci-fi futures, and whether they can be achievable with the trajectories of our day.

    Episode show notes: https://speculativeliterature.org/ep-62-show-notes/

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    1 hr and 57 mins
  • Ep. 61 "On Israel and Palestine"
    Nov 13 2023

    In this episode, Mary Anne Mohanraj and Benjamin Rosenbaum take some time to share their grief and complicated feelings about the devastating conflict occurring between Israel and Palestine. They discuss the ideas of isomorphism and symbiosis, the history of Zionism, the origins of war and nationalism, and the need to stay connected during difficult times, to reach out to all who are hurting from the events of the past few weeks.

    Episode show notes: https://speculativeliterature.org/ep-61-show-notes/

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    2 hrs and 1 min
  • "The Creativity Fallacy" from Our Opinions Are Correct
    Oct 16 2023

    Today we bring you episode 137 of the podcast Our Opinions Are Correct, graciously shared with us by hosts Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders. The episode features Mary Anne Mohanraj, who was very excited to be invited on the show, to talk about AI in the classroom. We highly encourage our viewers to check out the Our Opinions Are Correct podcast, and we invite their audience to our show.

    Episode description: "What does it mean to be a creator at a time when creativity is completely commodified? In this episode, we talk about the status of the author, and how audiences have idealized artists while also celebrating the so-called death of the author and rise of the reader. Plus: how AI converts our minds into apps, and why the intentional fallacy blew up the literary world in the 1940s! Later we’re joined by Mary Anne Mohanraj, an author and professor of literature at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who tells us about using AI in the college classroom."

    Episode show notes: https://www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes/2023/9/19/episode-137-the-creativity-fallacy

    Check out the Our Opinions Are Correct podcast: https://www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/

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    50 mins
  • Ep. 60 "Cosmic Empathy With Ruthanna Emrys"
    Oct 9 2023

    Coming on the show is Ruthanna Emrys, author of the recently released sci-fi novel, A Half Built Garden, as well as The Innsmouth Legacy series. In the first half of the episode, Mary Anne and Ben talk about Emrys' latest book and the writing of characters with conservative ideologies, especially in the future. And in the second half, Emrys' explains the Lovecraftian influences and mythos on her work of cosmic horrors and empathies, as well as the Jewish themes that run throughout her stories.

    Episode show notes: https://speculativeliterature.org/ep-60-show-notes/

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    1 hr and 30 mins
  • Ep. 59 "Be a River, Not a Pipe"
    Oct 2 2023

    In this episode of MRAH, Mary Anne and Ben talk about the complexities, wonders, and difficulties of living communally. They explore the systems we put in place to make decisions amongst our own groups, and to deal with potential bad actors in close-knit communities. They also discuss the importance of restorative justice and supporting one another through the fallow periods of our lives.

    Episode show notes: https://speculativeliterature.org/ep-59-show-notes/

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    1 hr and 57 mins
  • Ep. 58 "Walter Jon Williams"
    Sep 25 2023

    In this Deep Dive, Mary Anne Mohanraj and Walter Jon Williams cover the three R's of writing craft: Raising the stakes, Reveals, and Reversals. This interview is a part of the Portolan Project, an initiative to provide a wealth of exceptional creative writing courses and resources.

    Find out more about the Portolan Project here: www.speclit.org/portolan-project

    Episode show notes: https://speculativeliterature.org/ep-58-show-notes/

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    21 mins
  • Ep. 57 "In the Infinite Forest With Jonathan Strahan and Gary Wolfe"
    Sep 18 2023

    In this episode, Mary Anne and Ben explore the infinite forest of science fiction and other genre work with Jonathan Strahan and Gary Wolfe, the hosts of The Coode Street Podcast. The four podcast hosts explore the ethical responsibilities of reviewing, the idea of a global cannon of science fiction, and the importance of anthologies and magazines in the field. 

    Check out The Coode Street Podcast here: https://jonathanstrahan.podbean.com/

    Episode show notes: https://speculativeliterature.org/ep-57-show-notes/

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    2 hrs and 3 mins