Tales of Our Time

Today we're discussing this hit movie, theater phenomenon, and cultural movement that is the Barbie movie! (Directed by Greta Gerwig) I'm joined by my good friend, Alyssa Kestrel, all the way from the USA! We discuss how the movie brought people together, our love of the Ken story-arc, and all the ways the movie spoke to us in ways we didn't know we needed. Get your walking shoes ready...

Today, guest Kyle Swayne and I are discussing one of the most translated books... maybe ever? The Little Prince! (By Antoine De Saint Exupery). We talk about how our relationships shape ourselves and others, why kids books on topics like death are actually a very good thing, and how it truly is the quality of the time we spend with others, rather than the quality, that matters.

This week, we're discussing ONE of the well-known "Song of the Lioness" series by Tamora Pierce. Guest Cat Trites details why she re-reads this series once every year, and how it affected her as a younger reader! We also discuss: reading books with your parents, the appropriate reaction to being embarrassed as a teenager, the necessary trappings of a good young adult fiction novel, a...

TAKES of Our Time is a special format episode!   After feedback from last week's episode, we realized one episode just wasn't enough to capture everyone's thoughts on The Adventure Zone: Balance. This week, we invite 5 guests to share their thoughts as to what exactly made TAZ: Balance so meaningful to us. We discuss lessons we learned, the ways that we were introduced to TAZ as a...

This week, I'm joined by my incredible sibling: Jessica Stephens!! We're discussing the podcast The Adventure Zone, the Balance Arc (produced by the MacElroy Brothers)! We discuss our love of podcasts and audio books, choosing the best of bad options, and the power of choosing joy and reinventing yourself. 

This week, I'm joined by fellow Rti host, Sharon Lin! We're discussing one of her favorite stories, Shadow and Bone-- the Netflix series, based off of the books by Leigh Bardugo. In this episode we cover season 1... but there's still so much to say! We discuss the type of characters that we find most relatable and how the right stories can help us through our own dark times.

This week, host Amanda Stephens is joined by guest Moe Gustus to discuss Dune! (The original novel). We discuss the Bene Gesserit, why it's best that the film getting split into multiple movies, and how the events of Dune may be prospective fiction rather than science fiction. We don't even have TIME For sandworms in this episode!

Part 2 of my discussion with fellow RTI host Michelle Chiang!   In this episode we discuss the themes that moved us most in the book. How the theme of fate versus choice plays out for us. Finally, why we think the series remains a Tale of Our Time.

Guest Michelle Chiang joins again to discuss the Harry Potter series, by JK Rowling. We discuss the series in general, do a special summary of Michelle's favorite book in the series, and what the series taught us about authority, and respect (even for those we don't like).   Join us on the first of this two-parter!

What can a video game teach us about grief? Host Amanda Stephens is joined by this week's guest: Bonnie Yuen to discuss a game that describes itself as "a cozy management game about death". We discuss Spiritfarer (developed by Thunder Lotus games), how it lives up to the promise of it's tagline, and why a videogame may just be the perfect medium for such a complicated topic.

This week, we're discussing the popular Taiwanese drama, Wave Makers (directed by Chun-Yang Lin)! Host Amanda Stephens is joined by her friend Maggie Wu, as she explains just how this new Netflix drama managed to grab so much attention and live up to it's name. We discuss election culture in Taiwan, gender equality, and how this particular political drama stood out among the crowd.

This week, we're discussing our most recent release yet: the game Honkai: Star Rail, published by HoYoVerse (Yes-- the same publishers of Genshin Impact). Host Amanda Stephens is joined by guest Mika Ko for what we know about this game so far, and how there's a little bit of everyone. We discuss what makes this game so relatable for the everyman, how this game may fit into a larger wo...

Part 2 of our Jurassic Park two-parter!   Host Amanda Stephens is once again joined by guest Anthony Van to follow-up on themes discussed in the first episode that we just didn't have the time for! We discuss what exactly Jurassic Park may warn us about. What it means to be a cautionary tale, and how we think Man-Vs-Dinosaur fits into the "Man vs. Nature" archetype.

Part one of our very first two-parter! Host Amanda Stephens discusses the 1993 Jurassic Park, directed by Steven Spielberg. Joined by Anthony Van, we discuss how this classic joins the long list of cautionary tales before it. Of course, we also discuss how the film affected our own love (or fear) of dinosuars, and what the film might tell us about genetic engineering!

In honor of Disney's 2023 "The Little Mermaid", I revisit the 1989 original! (Written and directed by John Musker, and Ron Clements.) Host Amanda Stephens is joined by Kim Gordon, a self-proclaimed Little Mermaid expert! We discuss how Ariel was different from all the princesses before her, why Eric should be given more credit, and some thoughts on the upcoming new film. Join us to g...

Everything! Everywhere! All at once! Today my guest Tyler Gelbar and I discuss the award-winning film, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. We review the highs and lows, how a bagel can be depression, the power of kindness, and choosing who we want to be around, despite the odds.

In this episode, we discuss "Beetlejuice: The Musical, The Musical, The Musical" (yes, repeated three times!) Specifically, we discuss the Broadway performance directed by Alex Timbers, with music by Eddie Perfect. Fellow RTI producer Chris Carnahan and I discuss why this viral show may have been panned by critics, why a show about death can be cathartic, and how the story of h...

Did you know before it was a movie, Howl's Moving Castle was a book? In today's episode, guest Emily Daniel discusses how the book and movie compare (spoiler: they're pretty different stories). We also discuss why you should read it, even if you've seen the film, and what we can learn about choosing the life we want for ourselves from this charming story by Diana Wynne Jones.

In our second episode, guest Jared Friesen discuss the 2018 Spiderman game, by Insomniac Studios. We touch upon what makes the hero different from his other Marvel counterparts, how these stories inspire us, and why the "best Spiderman Movie" is actually a video game.

In our flagship episode, we discuss the novel "Watchers", by Dean Koontz. I'm joined by my friend Michelle Chiang, and we dive into similarities to Frankenstein, if golden retrievers make good spies, and why dogs in books can offer commentary to humanity.