In this episode, we’re talking about Japan’s bubble economy of the 1980s and the work of Banana Yoshimoto. Runaway consumer spending. Everything kawaii. A Nobel laureate’s contempt. And a young author whose career challenged the publishing powers that be. cw: transphobia, real life hate crime against Asian Americans, fictional hate crime against a trans woma ... Show More
Jun 25
Aum Anxiety in Japanese Fiction
In this episode, we examine the history of the Aum Affair and its lasting impact on Japanese fiction.We'll start out with the history of new religions in Japan, including Aum Shinrikyo. We'll take a look at Haruki Murakami's non-fiction book, Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and ... Show More
59m 51s
Feb 2026
Japanese Monster Stories on the Big Screen
In this episode, we look at the writers behind two of Japan's greatest movie monsters—Godzilla and Mothra.We'll start out by looking at Godzilla—its context, author, and story—before we turn to Mothra. We'll close with a reflection on why the stories behind the movies are importa ... Show More
1h 3m
Apr 2022
I'm Actually At Capacity Right Now
The girlies bring you a classic chatty episode exploring emotional labor, free speech, and that one cartoon sound effect that plays when someone slips on a banana. Even more digressions include: secret Mormon influencers, why Coachella sucks, and a follow up on a crucial mailbox ... Show More
1h 7m
Mar 2018
Episode 35: The State of Things
**Content warning: This episode references sexual abuse and harassment, and generally a lot of toxic behavior and boundary crossing. None of it is explicit, but please take care of yourself if you might be triggered.** Austin and Amanda get serious and address racism, gatekeeping ... Show More
1h 3m
Jan 2015
Episode 104 - It Came From Gen X!
Editor, book-blogger and podcaster Ron Hogan joins the show to talk about his 20-year history with the literary intenet, launching Beatrice.com, taking the wrong lessons from the work of Harlan Ellison, defending Hudson Hawk, retaining his inner fanboy, discovering romance fictio ... Show More
1h 46m
Jun 2018
Episode 39: What's in a Pen Name?
**Content warning:** This episode mentions the *Killing Stalking* manhwa, discusses problematic elements of dramas (such as non-consensual grabbing, stalking, kidnapping, and misogynistic behavior), mentions drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana, fictional suicide in *Orphan Bla ... Show More
1h 16m
Mar 2024
Forget Girlhood, These Are The Days Of TERFhood
<p>These are the days of girlhood - pink beer cans, bathtub breakdowns and picking up your meds. All trending topics that are highlighted in the debut track from Dylan Mulvaney, but why is the song receiving vitriol from TikTok teens, the alt right and the left? In this week's ep ... Show More
30m 9s