Workers' Lit

It's time to learn more than we ever wanted to about Amway founder and general rightwing psycho, Richard Devos. Josh Boerman from Worst of All Possible Worlds returns to the podcast to discuss Devos' self-help book/manifestos "Compassionate Capitalism" and, to a lesser extent, "Ten Powerful Phrases for Positive People." They're some doozies, folks. Who is this Rich guy, and how did he manage to ge...

Welcome back to the cyber-adrenaline rush that is Neal Stephenson's, "Snow Crash!" The Shelfers team up with Kurt Schiller of Podside Picnic and Blood Knife Magazine to get to the bottom of age-old questions like: how do you handle a guy who has a nuclear bomb strapped to his motorcycle? (and other stuff like that) Check out Kurt's work at https://bloodknife.com/, https://www.pat...

We're going to the distant, wild, far-flung cyberpunk future of the early 2000s...as seen from the early 90s. Yep, we're talking about Neal Stephenson's 1992 science fiction/action/dystopian/satirical/straight-up-badass novel, "Snow Crash." Joining the Shelfers to discuss is editor of Blood Knife Magazine and member of Podside Picnic, Kurt Schiller. What's the difference...

EMBRACE THE IMMORTAL SCIENCE OF MARXISM-LENINISM-LEVONISM!!!! We're back with Sydney to finish out this trudge through what I assume has to be Ben Shapiro parodying himself: "True Allegiance." This book is bad. It's so so so so bad. Music by Kevin MacLeod, episode art is of a random child who tapped me on the shoulder and asked if he looked cool in his hat.

UGGHHHHHH That more or less summarizes our reaction to "True Allegiance," Ben Shapiro's work of fiction that repeatedly, incessantly, infuriatingly, asks over and over and over: "Have you considered wokeism might be at the heart of our problems?" No Ben, we haven't. Joining us is cringe-fiction expert and Jacob's spouse, Sydney, to really get into this evil creation...

It's our first repeat author! Get ready to discuss the short stories, "Bloodchild," "Amnesty," and "Book of Martha" by the Queen of science fiction, Octavia Butler. Joining us is noted sci-fi enthusiast, drip-king, and all-around-cool-guy, Aaron Thorpe! How does one sanitize literally being eaten alive? Why is the internet into botflies? What would you do with the...

It's the week of interviews, and we're back with another fantastic one...this time with legendary socialist writer, thinker, and enjoyer of good fiction, Vijay Prashad! Hear Vijay's thoughts on superhero films, the (super)power of organizing, how mass media reveals the insecurities of the ruling class, and how anti-capitalist fiction can become revolutionary art. For more from Vijay Pr...

We enjoyed his book, "American War," and in this episode, we got a chance to enjoy speaking to the author! Listen to acclaimed writer and journalist Omar El Akkad chat with the Shelfers about climate change, the dangers of American individualism, his writing process...and then even more about climate change. You're not required to scroll back and listen to our "American War&quot...

Y'all know what's up: it's Kim Stanley Robinson's climate fiction smorgasbord, "The Ministry for the Future!" REVOLUTIONARY OPTIMISM!!!!!!!! Music by Kevin MacLeod, episode art is of KSR himself

"Jacob...Joss...do y'all talk about nothing but bleak books anymore? I'm getting tired! I'm getting depressed." Never fear listeners, it's time to talk about Kim Stanley Robinson's positive, anti-dystopian work of climate fiction, "Ministry for the Future." Questions we consider: What will spur the working masses of the world to action? What role does sci-fi...

"First of all, I don't want to hear the word surrender..." We're back with more dystopia! "American War" by Omar El Akkad continues to deliver with discussion of life as a refugee, island torture facilities, and economies strangled by war...sound familiar? The chickens are coming home to roost. With us is delightful guest, Josh Boerman, helping us figure out what to mak...

What if everything was bad...and then it got worse...and then it kept getting worse...and everything generally stayed bad forever? That's what Omar El Akkad tackles in his work of climate fiction, "American War," and that's what the Shelfers are here to discuss. But wait! Joining us is noted apocalyptician and student of declining empire, Josh Boerman from The Worst of All Possib...

Part 2! Welcome back to the godless wasteland roamed by the Glanton Gang. We, along with our guest, Drew Mason, will be your guides. We're talking more about Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian." In this episode, we ask how the Judge Holdens of the world can be fought, try to puzzle out just what that epilogue is talking about, and give a send-off to one of the best writers to ever...

Everybody's favorite dirt mage, Drew Mason, is back to talk with us about "Blood Meridian" by the recently late, forever great, Cormac McCarthy. What does the Western (or in this case, anti-western) teach us about the foundations of the United States? What is the truth behind this nation's founding myths? Can we have an episode even darker than our discussion of "The Jungle?...

No poetry for this episode summary, just appreciation for Tamsyn Muir's blast of a novel, "Gideon the Ninth." How does the internet intersect with Millennial and Gen Z art? How much lore is the right amount of lore? Is romance dead? (Spoilers, it's not.) Also, here's a link to a really good interview between Three Crows Magazine and the author. If you didn't already like...

Two for the stories reread in our dreams Three for the prose we remember in memes Four for the books that we both recommend Five for the ones where we're glad for the end Six for the classics debated to death Seven for those that have wasted our breath Eight for the novels inspiring our stuff and Nine for the pod and for all of its scuff (P.S. Sorry to Ms. Tamsyn Muir for the fact that I can&#...

"Stop reading this! It's too awful!" our brains cry. "No," we reply, as we sink further into madness. Yep, we're back with more of "The President is Missing" by Bill Clinton and James Patterson. How do reactionary politics work hand-in-hand with liberalism? What is Joss' personal lore with Bill Clinton? How do you create the world's most annoying visio...

Bill Clinton wrote a novel, y'all...Yes, that Bill Clinton. Join us as we slowly lose our minds trying to crawl through the nightmare that is "The President is Missing" by James Patterson and former U.S. President, Bill Clinton. We'll be answering such questions as: "Can a former President still be deeply insecure?" (Yep.) and "Can liberalism save us?" (Nope.)...

We're back with more of Kurt Vonnegut's anti-war sci-fi classic, "Slaughterhouse-Five" ft none other than known Vonnegut-head, TRENT. In this episode, we talk more about the fate of poor old Edgar Derby, discuss what makes Paul Lazarro the perfect American hero, and ask ourselves...is Billy Pilgrim the Muad'Dib? Music by Kevin MacLeod, episode cover from the film adaptation o...

It's what you've been waiting for, folks: the GAMING portion of Liu Cixin's sci-fi headscratcher, "The Three-Body Problem." Okay, okay, there's more than gaming. We've got political intrigue, we've got nano-violence, we've got existentialism, we've got futuristic internationalism...and more. Plus, our Netflix-based plan to prevent World War 3. Episode Art...

We're back...and yes I mean *we.* After a three-week hiatus, Joss has returned to the program. And we're talking Liu Cixin's hard sci-fi puzzle-box, "The Three Body Problem." How did this distinctly Chinese work of fiction manage to capture the hearts of so many in the West? What do the Chinese Cultural Revolution and gravitational currents have in common? Can we use science...

Bad news: Joss is out for this episode. The good news: we've got our first guest! You can (and should) follow him on Twitter @dkpmason. Listen to Jacob and Mason chat about "The Jungle," the 1906 work of political fiction by Upton Sinclair. What would the Biblical story of Job look like in early 1900s Chicago? What's changed, what's stayed the same, and what's sliding bac...

We had a weeklong hiatus but now we're back at it! It's time to talk bioengineering, it's time to talk irresponsible research, it's time to talk chaos theory, it's time to talk about Michael Crichton's 1990 sci-fi novel, Jurassic Park !! Music by Kevin MacLeod. As for the episode art...you already know who it is and where it's from.

Dive with us into Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins's 1995 apocalyptic evangelical thriller, Left Behind! This is a weird one, folks. In this episode, we take a long look at the borderline-supervillain of life of Tim LaHaye, assess how the 1990s were primed for apocalypse hysteria, and really tear into the deliciously incompetent prose of Jerry B. Jenkins. Cover from the 1995 release of Left Behind....

We're back! We've got aliens! We've got monsters! We've got...penguins? Yes. Lots of penguins. What good is a mystery you can't solve? How do you survive a shoggoth attack? What comes of a dream of a better world when it's clouded by anti-solidaristic bigotry? We cover a lot in the span of forty-five minutes or so. Music by Kevin MacLeod. Art by Gecko! for the Moscow University Press.