Tales of Our Time

Today I'm talking to my friend Rich Mattias about Juso Itami's 1985 film "Tampopo". Potentially one of the most food-loving films to date, this movie loveingly explores Japan's food culture through vingettes and a main stoyline in a way that keeps it enduringly relatable and familiar. We discuss how Itami's use of non-sequitor shorts adds levels and variety to the film, while making it stand out i...

Today we're doing a belated and early Father's Day episode, with my dad: Rob Stephens! Since Father's Day in the U.S. was June 21 and Taiwan's in August 8, we decided to put this episode right in the middle, and talk about one of his most recent reads! He talks to us about Ken Follet's historical fiction, "World Without End", one of his King's Bridge Series. Dad and I talk about how the story hand...

Today we have a cross-over episode with my Doomscroll co-host Hanna Bilinski! We're taking a break from talking about all the news of the world, and the ways in which it gets us down to talk about something we both really love-- Final Fantasy X! Known for several "firsts" in the industry and the long-running Square Enix JRPG series, this game is a standout for many reasons, but our personal favori...

For today's TAKES of our Time episode, I have the pleasure of talking with Ray Hecht and Bronwen Shelwell about their project "Visions of Taiwan". Visions on Taiwan is a comic anthology 'zine series which brings together many foreign resident artists in Taiwan to share stories on a variety of different topics. Today we talk a little about comics and the process behind what it takes to contribute t...

Wrapping up our June "Pride" theme of stories that make us feel seen, we're talking about the often mentions streaming series: "Heartstopper", and it's season 1 finale episode "Boyfriend". Guest Yvonne López joins us to tell is what it meant to her to see this scene later in life, and the difficulties (and joys) of finding a truer version of yourself later in life. We also discuss a little...

This week, I'm interviewing guest Cole Jones about the Madeline Miller's retelling "Song of Achilles". We talk about how Miller's writing breathes life, romance, and deep care into this truly epic love story. As well as how much it means to see queer romance given the same weight, and treatment as straight romantic tales.

This week, I'm doing an interview with my sibling Jessie Stephens about what they call one of their "gateway media" to the LBGTQ community: The Rocky Horror Picture Show! First seen on-screen as a movie in 1975, written by Richard O'Brien, we discuss how this film became what it is today-- and how the act of "shadow casting" can help bring some of the more problematic aspects of the film into the...

Today's TAKES episode is the pre-emptive first episode for our JUNE theme for global PRIDE month. I invite literature teacher and gender scholar Kyle Swayne back onto the show to walk me through what some of the problems, beliefs, and tropes that still underpin some of our most popular stories toady.   He also walks through the history of gender- and sexuality-based bias, how that bleeds into...

This week, we're interviewing returning Tales enthusiast Cat Trites about one of her favorite comic series, "Monstress" volume one: Awakening, by Marjorie Liu, and Sana Takeda.   We discuss why the women-led themes, and delicate way that this fantastic epic deals with the complex nature of trauma, and the friendships that pull us through, makes it appealing for long-term graphic novel re...

Today, in honor of Mother's Day, I interviewed my own mother: Susan Hahn!   We talk about a book series that's been getting her through the tough times: the prequel to the Chet and Bernie mystery novels by Spencer Quinn. She details what makes the series so charming and "like petting your dog".

Today we're talking with guest Ben Brommell about the truly heartwarming series: "I Think Our Son Is Gay", by Okura. Originally a web comic, and eventually collected into a 5-book series we're talking about the first book in this charming slice-of-life manga.   Ben and I dive into how the manga uses the "slice-of-life" genre, and an interesting point-of-view swap, to take an optimistic a...

This week, I'm discussing the season finale of the hit 90's sitcom "Friends" with my long-term friend Kim Huynh!   We discuss things we think gave the sitcom such broad appeal, and mainly focus on the storyline between two of the main characters: Ross Gellar and Rachel Green, and what it says about the way women prioritized their life. (Or perhaps still do!)

Today we're discussing Megan Whalen Turner's 1996 book "The Thief" with guest Janet Snow!   Janet takes us through what it means to have books as "required reading" in relationships, what reading someone ELSE's favorite book can teach you, and we tackle what the difference between what seems to get lost when people start discussing the difference between "trope-y" and "good".

This week, I'm talking about the landmark 2011 game "Skyrim" by Bethesda Studios with long-term Skyrim fan Milo Bowles.   We go through the main storyline of the game that has gripped millions, and discuss how this game has managed to not only stand the test of time in a a largely unforgiving industry, but also where that staying power may have come from.  

Today's guest is Kristine, Kris, St. Amour Denis, a co-organizer of a silent reading group here in Taipei on one of her favorite books of 2024: Colleen Hoover's "Verity". While the books starts out with what seems like a typical romantic meet-cute, it quickly turns into a thriller which will make you question how well you know those around you, and maybe even how well you know yourself!

In this special TAKES episode, I sit down to talk about the role of the dragon in storytelling. We sit down to talk about: What makes a dragon? Is it the way they look, or act? A combination of both? Where do we see them in stories across genres, and can they ever mean more than just a big scary beast?   Other voices featured here (in order of appearance) are: Michelle Chiang, Tristan Hildebr...

This is the final episode of our March Spring Special where we're inviting people to discuss stories they LOVE which may be considered "B" films/books. For the last episode in this series, I'm joined by returning guest Rich Mathias to talk about a movie that inspired a following, but was called "a sack of garbage" when released-- John Carpenter's 1982 classic "The Thing".   We...

This is the second episode of our March Spring Special where we're inviting people to discuss stories they LOVE which may be considered "B" films/books.   Today I'm talking with eclectic-media aficionado Chris Carnahan about the 2014 Hong Kong movie: The Midnight After, or "那夜凌晨，我坐上了旺角開往大埔的紅VAN" in Chinese. We talk about how this movie, based on a web novel, confounded a...

This is the first episode of our March Spring Special where we're inviting people to discuss stories they LOVE which may be considered "B" films/books. Today, we're talking with returning guest and reptile enthusiast Shamir Muñoz about his favorite movie: Ron Underwood's "Tremors". We talk about how, while it may seem a little cheesy, the movie does a great job with such concepts as "s...

Okay, so I while the two-year anniversary of the show isn't until April, I couldn't wait to answer all your questions for this year's mailbag episode!   This year's questions span a wide range of topics, from show production time, to "forbidden topics", and asks for recommendations, and more!

This month, for our TAKES episode, we're talking with returning guests Cat Trites and Bonnie Yuen about the trend of "Cozy Literature" in Taiwan.   While the "cozy" trend has been building at least since 2020, the market for translated cozy literature in Taiwan has seen a recent uptick-- with English-language sections now populated with colorful displays of calm scenes, bookstores run by cats...

In honor of Valentine's Day last week, we're reviewing TWO ancient love stories in this week's episode: That of Hades and Persephone, and comparing it to the story of Cupid and Psyche.   I'm joined by literature student, and mythology enthusiast Jared Friesen. We discuss what may have led to the preferential popularity in recent years of Hades and Persephone's myth, as well as the surprising...

Today I'm joined by Etosha Taylor, a host of the podcast "Yaoi Fangirls versus the World", to discuss a short story from the collection "What It Means When A Man Falls From the Sky". Written by Nigerian author Leslie Nneka Arimah, the entire collection covers topics including grief, love, and what it means to be a woman in today's world.   Today Etosha and I discuss Arimah's short story...

Today I'm back speaking with guest, and former Taiwan resident, Ryan Tulon!   We discuss the ways in which the book inspired him and others through the main characters courage to change the world, but also through the willingness to listen to the voice inside that asks for change. 

Today, host Amanda Stephens is joined by returning guest: Carly Trautwein!   We dig into the 2009 FILM adaptation of the renowned children's book: Where the Wild Things Are. Originally published in 1963 by author/illustrator Maurice Sendak, the movie paints a fuller pictyure of who Max is, and the kind of big complicated emotions that everyone-- kids, adults, and wild things alike-- all...