Exolore: facts-based fictional worldbuilding

One final episode because I hate to say goodbye, and because I'm a data nerd who can't help but share the numbers.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Moiya invites fellow podcaster Julia Schifini to help her choose, once and for all, the best Exolore world. Her winner might shock you!   HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Julia Schifini is a host on Spirits, Join the Party, and Multicrew review. Find her online at juliashifini.com MESSAGES Download a copy of Dr. Moiya's  worldbuilding workbook  to get...

Moiya finally finished the M dwarf planet! She's joined by Isabel J. Kim and together they made the cube crabs a bunch of anxious avoidant chemistry nerds who all went to survival camp.   HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Isabel J. Kim is an attorney, speculative fiction writer, and co-host of the Wow if True podcast. Stay up to date with her work at is...

Moiya is joined by historian Fayge Horesh to talk about the dos and don'ts of imagining fictional histories, from ethical practices to research advice. And Moiya is happy to report that since recording, she has picked up a New York library card!   HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Fayge Horesh is a public historian, tour guide, and writer, including a f...

It's an Exolore x Pale Blue Pod crossover! Moiya and comedian Corinne Caputo talk about JWST's iconic first images, then pick one as the setting for their world. They imagine a planet of scaly people who love a relaxing train ride.  HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Corinne Caputo is a comedian and author of How to Success! and Moiya's cohost on Pale Bl...

Moiya asks pop culture writer Amanda Silberling about her favorite video game, Splatoon! It involves squid kids, apocalypse stories, judgemental cats, and just the right level of violence. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Amanda Silberling is a senior culture writer at TechCrunch and co-host of Wow If True, a podcast about internet culture. Find her wo...

Moiya is joined by writer Rachel Feltman to imagine a beautiful but foreboding world. They end up with a genre-bending world full of people convinced they have magical powers.  HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Rachel Feltman is a science and technology writer, editor, and host of the weirdest thing I learned this week podcast. Follow Rachel on X @Rache...

Moiya returns to this episode about fictional mapmaking. She talks with mapmaker Jessica Khoury about how mountains don't bend and rivers don't split, the logic behind human settlements, and how to name your places. Plus, there are dogs. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Jessica Khoury is an author and fantasy cartographer who makes beautiful, believabl...

Moiya is joined by geologist Kristina Gustovich to imagine a world built on justice and social cohesion. They end up creating sparkly cats who can see into the future and totally believe in universal basic income.  HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Kristina Gustovich is a geologist and science communicator, currently getting a PhD in science education. ...

Monster Expert Dr. Emily Zarka joins Moiya to talk about the origins of monster myths! Together, they conjure up some spooky monsters to inhabit three previously built Exolore worlds. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Emily Zarka is a professor, writer, host, and monster expert. Find her on twitter at  @ZarkaEmily  or on her website  emilyelizabethz...

Moiya and mythologist John Bucher put their minds together to imagine an ancient mythic underworld. It has triels, elemental symbolism, and lots of silly little guys! What's not to love? HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST John Bucher is a mythologist, a writer, and the executive director of the Joseph Campbell Foundation . Follow John's work at tellingab...

Moiya and fellow Multitudian Eric Silver discuss their favorite and least favorite Superhero worlds, plus best practices for building your own. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST  Eric Silver is a writer, podcaster, game designer, and head of development at Multitude Productions. Follow him on X at @El_Silvero MESSAGES Sign up for Moiya's worldbuilding c...

Moiya and writer Victoria Male talk about best pracices for adapting old stories into new versions and discuss their favorite/least favorite reboots. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST  Victoria Male is an award-winning writer and multimedia producer. Find her on IG at @victoriamale1 and learn more at her website victoriamale.com MESSAGES Listen to  Big...

Moiya and astrobiologist Dr. Seven Rasmussen imagine life on some distant gas giant's moon. What they come up with is cute and curious and exceptionally weird.  HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Seven Rasmussen  is a writer and astrobiologist whose debut science book LIFE IN SEVEN NUMBERS: THE DRAKE EQUATION REVEALED is expected in 2025. Follow her...

Moiya's here with a little update on her second book, a history of invention written by the Greek Muses. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist MESSAGES Join the multicrew at multicrew.club HOUSEKEEPING Order my book, THE MILKY WAY:  https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/moiya-mctier/the-milky-way/9781538754153/ BUY EXOLORE SWAG:  store.dftba.com/collectio...

Moiya and neuroscientist Devon Collins build a homeworld for that species in sci-fi that spread its humanoid DNA around the galaxy. They end up being curious amphibious with grander memory palaces than you can imagine. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Devon Collins is a neuroscientist and science communicator who studied drugs' effects on human bra...

Moiya talks with debut author Christy Healy about UNBOUND, an exciting new twist on Beauty and the Beast. They chat character creation, irish folklore, and whether Happily Ever Afters are really necessary just in time for V Day.  HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Christy Healy is an English and Rhetoric professor, a teacher of classical languages, and a...

Moiya invites musician and writer Roux Bedrosian to gush about a world they love: the video game Bioshock! Long live Sander Cohen, the little sisters, and the big daddies! HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Roux Bedrosian is a musician, writer, and a multi-talented creator. Their website is rouxbedrosian.com and you can follow them on social @harleyroux ...

Moiya invites game streamer Jenna Stoeber to imagine a world and it gets crafty fast! The Great Crafter invited some beetles to their word of yarn and glitter, and the rest is history.  HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Jenna Stoeber is a podcaster, twitch streamer, and internet personality. Find her on socials @thejenna or at this linktree .  MESSAGES...

Moiya invites food sustainability expert Alice Guillaume to imagine a world without food inequities. What they come up with is bright, colorful, and spectacularly diverse for something so genetically similar.  HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Alice Guillaume manages the Cambridge Food Hub and Cambridge Organic Food Company . She’s passionate about buil...

Moiya returns to her conversation about constructing languages. They talk mouth and nose shapes, the relevance of trees, and the brain-melting subject of sentence word order in different languages.  HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Dr. Jessie Sams is a linguist and conlanger who has helped make languages for shows including Motherland: Fort Salem and...

A sociologist, a biologist, and an astrophysicist walk into a zoom room and discuss what it would be like if everyone had three parents. Here's a hint: it gets complicated real fast. We discuss speculative science, the difficulty of large collaborations, mating types, and ~bedroom activity~ HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Dr. Tamara van der Does is a...

What does it take to build a fictional culture from scratch? How can you respectfully draw inspiration from real-world cultures? Two anthropologists join me to share their tips! HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Dr. Carole McGranahan is an anthropology professor at UC Boulder. You can follow her work on her  website . Liam Gleason is a PhD candidate in...

What causes seasons on Earth? Our planet's axial tilt! But what might life be like on a world with no tilt at all? HOSTED by Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Maureen Kahiu is a Masters student of plant sciences at Penn State with a focus on turf grass pathology. She also has experience working as a  golf course supervisor , a field dominated by men. You can follow...

Moiya is joined by squid scientist Dr. Diana Li to imagine a marine world where everyone gets to find their own meaning of life... and it gives them magic powers! Did you know squid brains are shaped like donuts?!!  HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier ( @GoAstroMo ), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Diana Li is a science communicator and public engagement expert who studied the neurophysiology and b...