Mohanraj and Rosenbaum Are Humans – Details, episodes & analysis

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/

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/

In this episode, Mary Anne recounts a recent trip she took to Pakistan to teach science fiction writing at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. The two discuss her experiences of gender in Pakistan, as well as the broader cultural, religious, and material prohibitions of Lahore and the other countries, including our own. All leads to the question of whether one can and should risk transgressing from societal norms in an "authentic" and progressive manner.

Episode show notes: speclit.org/ep-54-show-notes

Dragons and alternate history; the research process; writing with particularity, and courage; character work; and more on this Deep Dive with author Jo Walton about her work across multiple genres. This interview is a part of the Portolan Project, an initiative to provide a wealth of exceptional creative writing courses and resources.

Episode show notes: speclit.org/ep-53-show-notes

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

Content warning: discussion of rape in Greek mythos in relation to Walton's The Just City trilogy

Shaun Duke and Brandon O'Brien are the hosts of the four time Hugo-finalist Skiffy and Fanty Show, a science fiction and fantasy based podcast that covers major topics in the field and interviews with authors and creators. Mary Anne and Ben invited them on the show to talk podcasting, committing to diversity, and connecting with audiences. 

Check out The Skiffy and Fanty Show at skiffyandfanty.com

Episode show notes: speclit.org/ep-52-show-notes

Mary Anne Mohanraj takes a deep dive with authors A. M. Dellamonica and Kelly Robson on their writing, dealing with impostor syndrome, how to provide compelling characterization, setting fantasy in North America, and the writer's life. This interview is a part of the Portolan Project, an initiative to provide a wealth of exceptional creative writing courses and resources.

Episode show notes: www.speclit.org/ep-51-show-notes

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

This time around, Mary Anne and Ben are okay with being slime mold gods, (or perhaps writers?) The two divinely intelligent molds of slime examine how they organize their lives around their shared passion of writing and how they fit in other hobbies like gaming and gardening. The hosts also consider the motivation that pleasure plays in their lives, and how they cope when writer’s block rears its ugly head.

Episode show notes: www.speclit.org/ep-50-show-notes

Mary Anne interviews Ursula Vernon, a.k.a. T. Kingfisher, about her work, with an interest in how Vernon pivots from writing for adults, to creating children's fiction. Is writing for certain ages really all that different? Mary Anne is also interested in how Vernon approaches worldbuilding in her imaginative work. This interview is a part of the Portolan Project, an initiative to provide a wealth of exceptional creative writing courses and resources.

Episode show notes: speclit.org/ep-49-show-notes

This week, Mary Anne and Ben explore the magic of theater, discuss the importance of representation and research, and address the difficulty in working with dark and difficult material in speculative fiction with author Andrea Hairston. They discuss Hairston's body of work, including her recently re-issued novel "Will Do Magic for Small Change," which you can find out more about on andreahairston.com/novels.

Episode show notes: speclit.org/ep-48-show-notes

Mary Anne interviews editors Tom Gammarino, Bryan Kamaoli Kuwada, D. Kealiʻi MacKenzie, and Lyz Soto about their anthology of speculative works of literature, poetry, and art from Hawai'i and beyond: "Snaring New Suns." Together, they discuss the initial difficulties they faced when putting together the anthology, the types of submissions within the collection, and what it means to be a local of Hawaii. This interview is a part of the Portolan Project, an initiative to provide a wealth of exceptional creative writing courses and resources.

You can check out the anthology at Bambooridge here: https://www.bambooridge.org/bookstore/snaring-new-suns/

Episode show notes: https://speculativeliterature.org/ep-47-show-notes/