Ivory Tower Boiler Room

Since so many gothic and horror films have just been released, including a new Dracula, Frankenstein, The Bride, and Scream, I thought I'd rerelease this exciting conversation with Robin Werner and Elizabeth Lewis! They edited the book Vampire Literature: An Anthology (published by Broadview Press). Use the promo code ivorytower for 20% off the book: https://broadviewpress.com/product/vampire-...

Watch this episode ad-free by joining the ITBR Patreon! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom ------ It's steamy, thrilling and equally serious! Kink culture is all around us. Subconsciously, what we yearn for in terms of our pleasure and bodies reflects back into who we are. Joining me today are The Gay & Lesbian Review's new managing editor, Jeremy C. Fox along with contributing w...

Watch this episode ad-free by joining the ITBR Patreon! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom Drew Droege is here! The star-studded queer comedian, actor, writer and director joins this week's co-host, Brian Alessandro, and me to talk all things Luca Guadagnino, the LGBTQ social climate in life and entertainment, and Drew's newest satirical play: Messy White Gays! In such a wildly turbul...

Since Scream 7 is now in movie theaters, I thought it would be fun to rerelease our Scream episode from a few years ago! Watch the 1996 SCREAM film with me, Mary, and Lorentz! It was such a fun time talking about such an iconic horror film. To watch the second part, head on over to our Patreon (for free): https://www.patreon.com/posts/91376830

In honor of Scream 7's opening weekend, here's a past episode we did with Scream expert Padraic Maroney! We hope you enjoy it.  I'm joined with horror film expert Padraic Maroney who has written about both the Final Destination and Scream franchises! If you don't know, not only am I a horror fanatic, but so is my husband who couldn't miss out on this exciting conversation. Padr...

Watch this episode ad-free by joining the ITBR Patreon! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom On today's historical deep-dive episode of The Ivory Tower Boiler Room, I'm joined by queer author Robert Fieseler who takes us back to McCarthyism and how it set the stage for queer persecution for decades to come. We discuss the cultural and political significance of queer life under au...

Watch this episode ad-free by joining the ITBR Patreon! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom In this episode, I sit down with Poe scholar Dr. Amy Branam Armiento to explore why Edgar Allan Poe continues to captivate readers nearly two centuries later. From discovering “The Raven” as a young reader to teaching gothic literature today, Amy shares how Poe’s exploration of power dynamics, psy...

Watch this episode ad-free by joining the ITBR Patreon! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom In this episode, we talk with author Jonathan Lerner about his memoir Performance Anxiety and his journey through gay identity, radical politics, and 1960s counterculture! Lerner reflects on his involvement with Students for a Democratic Society and the broader movement against police brutality, ra...

Watch this episode ad-free by joining the ITBR Patreon! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom⁠ In the premiere episode of Biased Justice , I'm joined by Mary DiPipi of True Crime in Academia to unpack the first chapter of Biased Justice , the manuscript written by Dimitri Rozenman about his wrongful conviction. Dimitri recounts the legal chaos that followed his overturned conviction—inc...

Author and historian Chris Adams (Out for Blood: A Cultural History of Carrie the Musical) joins Andrew in the ITBR to dig deep into the strange, bloody, and endlessly fascinating legacy of Carrie. From the moment Chris first encountered Stephen King’s novel, his obsession was born—one that would eventually lead him straight to the infamous 1988 Broadway musical. Chris unpacks how Carrie went from...

Watch this episode ad-free by joining the ITBR Patreon! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom⁠ In this episode, we discuss Dr. Rachel Teukolsky’s Writing on Fire and her bold approach to reimagining academic writing for today’s students. Blending pop culture, practical exercises, and a passion for the humanities, Teukolsky argues that writing should be engaging, accessible, and rooted in cri...

Watch this episode ad-free by joining the ITBR Patreon and get a free trial for the ITBR Professor level!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom⁠ Did you think we were going to miss out on talking about the epic relationship between Rozanov and Hollander? I'm joined with an incredible trio of queer media experts including Jeremy C. Fox, managi...

Why has Heated Rivalry created such buzz and caused such a splash? That's what tomorrow's episode is all about! But, here's a shorter conversation that teases a few topics that we get into tomorrow. Jeremy C. Fox, the managing editor of the Gay and Lesbian Review gets into a conversation with me about queer literature, film, and TV that have shaped our journey as gay men in America. Yo...

Watch this episode ad-free by joining the ITBR Patreon and get a free trial for the ITBR Professor level!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom⁠ I'm so honored and grateful to be joined with Greg Cope White, the author of the memoir "The Pink Marine" which was adapted into the Netflix series "Boots". Greg discusses the stro...

Watch this episode ad-free by joining the ITBR Patreon and get a free trial for the ITBR Professor level!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom⁠ With the new academic semester, comes a new Teaching the Humanities episode! We're thrilled to have Dr. Stefanie Shapiro join us in the Ivory Tower Boiler Room. Stefanie teaches Rhetoric and Compositi...

Watch this episode ad-free by joining the ITBR Patreon and get a free trial for the ITBR Professor level!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom⁠ Shannon Carlin, a pop culture journalist, joins me to discuss her book Witches Run Amok: Disney's Hocus Pocus the Oral History which features extensive interviews with the cast and creative team of the...

Watch this episode ad-free by joining the ITBR Patreon and get a free trial for the ITBR Professor level!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom⁠ Mary joins me to discuss whether or not we actually enjoyed Ryan Murphy's Ed Gein series. Why are all of Ryan Murphy's recent shows so controversial, and may shocking his audience be his kink? Foll...

Watch this episode ad-free by joining the ITBR Patreon and get a free trial for the ITBR Professor level!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom⁠ We're back for a new season in 2026 with a few contributors and the new managing editor of our favorite magazine, The Gay and Lesbian Review. Both Chase Bryer and Dean Hamer, join me to talk about their...

Welcome back to the Ivory Tower Boiler Room! We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and we're wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year. I'm manifesting that 2026 is the year that all of us creative people accomplish our creative dreams! Please follow our new TikTok @dr.andrewrimby and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel! There are so many exciting episodes that we'...

Watch this episode ad-free by joining the ITBR Patreon and get a free trial for the ITBR Professor level!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom⁠ Daniel makes his ITBR debut! Join me and first-time guest Daniel McKernan, the Managing Director/Production Manager at Playgirl magazine. He discusses its complicated yet rich history. We get deep into the...

Watch this episode ad-free by joining the ITBR Patreon and get a free trial for the ITBR Professor level!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom⁠ We're so happy to be back with our Teaching the Humanities series with Professor Meredith Aristone, who not only teaches in the college classroom but is also a creative writer, musician, and multi-media...

It gives me great pleasure to introduce you all to Dr. Jack Gieseking's new podcast Our Dyke Histories. Jack is a friend of the ITBR and came on a few years ago to talk about his work on LGBTQ+ spaces in NYC. I'll be sure to re-feature that conversation sometime soon in honor of his new podcast! Our Dyke Histories  is a podcast about how we built queer life one gathering at a time. Hosted...

Want to listen to this episode AD FREE? Go to patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom and become a subscriber today! Hey, true crime friends! I hope you all had a safeand happy Thanksgiving 🍗🥧🍂🥂 And I couldn’t think of a better episode topic to follow up the holiday with than The Donner Party. During the 1840s, many families took the months-long journey across the country to settle in California. Unf...

(Originally released on Nov. 27, 2023) I'm joined with my parents to talk about the importance of amplifying Native American voices, and we educate ourselves about how Native American Heritage Day came to be. As a white family, we talk about how "Killers of the Flower Moon" is essential viewing to learn about the Osage community and their culture/values, and how they were manipulated...

I'm re-releasing this timely and important conversation about the Thanksgiving mythology that so many of us have been taught in school, which ignores the horrors of white settler colonialism that has exerted such violence and exploitation of the Native American communities. Instead, as Dr. Andrea Sullivan-Clarke reminds us, it is time for Americans to educate themselves about Native American h...