The Play Typer Guy

On this week’s bonus episode, Stephen is joined by actor, writer, and comedian Tess Rafferty. They discuss her wonderful Kat Kelly mystery series and how mysteries can provide a much-needed escape and catharsis during America’s slow creep toward fascism.  You will hear: The inherent interest and sexiness brought out in mystery stories How the election in 2016 impacted Tess’ writing How much of wha...

Author and playwright Laramie Dean (Black Forest) joins me for The Play Typer Guy's second annual Halloween special! This time, we're celebrating the witchy women of the Marvel Cinematic Universe! ( Spoiler Alerts for Agatha All Along included) You will hear: Witches in fiction, from the Weird Sisters in MacBeth to Maleficent and the Evil Queen in Snow White, among others Agatha All Alon...

In this week’s episode, Florida state senator Shevrin Jones discusses the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, climate change, and the Democrats’ chances in this year’s elections. You will hear: Policy conversations that need to be happening, even in states like Florida where the current government officials want to wipe anything to do with climate change off the map, especially with an annual hurricane...

This week, Noah Berlatsky from the Everything Is Horrible newsletter joins me to discuss CNN's misinformation campaign against Rep. Rashida Tlaib. You will hear: How CNN moved the news cycle focus away from Republican Mark Robinson’s declaration of being a “Black Nazi” to smear Representative Tlaib as anti-semetic after expressing concern for anti-Palestenian bias shown by Michigan’s Attorney...

Democrat Ruwa Romman made history in 2022 as the first known Muslim woman elected to the Georgia House of Representatives. The granddaughter of Palestinian refugees, she’s also the first Palestinian-American elected to any office in the state.  I had the opportunity to speak with Rep. Romman about the upcoming election and the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.  You will hear: Ruwa’s unusual story of how s...

(Recorded before President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign on July 21) Democrats in tough races this year are asking the incumbent president and presumptive nominee Joe Biden to step aside. This is unprecedented, so political analyst Cliston Brown joins me to unpack why the Biden re-election campaign has become the Hindenburg after the explosion. Can the president turn this around and why...

The showgirl scholar herself, Sailor St. Claire — also known as Stevi Costa, joins me to discuss her work at the Noveltease Theatre in Seattle and the state of theatre during what the government at least considers the post-covid period. You’ll hear: How Noveltease Theatre uses burlesque to drive storytelling forward, harkening back to how burlesque started in the U.S. back in the 1880s How the the...

In the previous episode, I chatted with Gabe Garbowit, former Senate staffer for Democrat Tina Smith, regarding the radicalized Supreme Court and how the party’s leadership has responded in ways not easily understood by the public. In this episode, Gabe and I continue our discussion, so make sure you check out episode 34 for the first part. You’ll hear: Why we hear that crime is up/down or that th...

Gabe Garbowit, former Senate staffer for Tina Smith, joins me to help explain why Senate Democrats, especially in leadership, have responded to a radicalized Supreme Court and GOP in ways that don’t make a lot of sense to us common folk. This is part one of a two-part episode. You're welcome. In this part, you will hear: How things have come to become so radicalized within the U.S. Supreme Co...

My friend Raven Snook is a writer, editor, performer, mom and all-around diva (in the positive sense of the word) who’s currently the Editor of Creative Content for TDF and a contributing theater critic for Time Out New York. She joins me to discuss the Tony Awards and the post-pandemic state of theatre.  You will hear: Raven’s analysis of this season’s Broadway shows and who could win different c...

In this episode, Sci-Fi/Fantasy author M.H. Ayinde and I discuss the racial politics at the core of Doctor Who’s “Dot and Bubble.” We also discuss Modupe’s debut novel, A Song of Legends Lost, launching in 2025, how it came to be, and more about the publishing journey itself.  You will hear: Moving forward in the face of rejection Finding space in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre as a POC Looking at colon...

Lawyer, professor, and all-around whiz Madiba Dennie joins us for a lively discussion about her debut book, "The Originalism Trap, How Extremists Stole The Constitution And How We The People Can Take It Back." Dennie's legal and political commentary has been featured in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and more. She's shared her views about race, gender, and the law on BBC an...

Friend of the podcast Dr. Andrew Erdman joins us to discuss Beautiful: The Story of Julian Eltinge, America's Greatest Female Impersonator . His book is a compelling read about a major figure on stage and screen who was sadly forgotten although his legacy endures today. I enjoyed chatting with Andy about Eltinge’s career and this fascinating period in pop culture history.  “Beautiful” is out...

Artist and activist Tina Duryea joins us today to discuss Democratic politics and how "preachy females" will continue to play a key role in the party whether fossils like James Carville like it or not.  You Will Hear: Too many men (and women) want women to “stay in their place” The problem with James Carville and the rest of the fossils Feminism and “wokeness” West Wing Syndrome The prob...

In this episode, I am joined by Emily Taylor, professor at Presbyterian College and the author of Hot Feminism: Letters from South Carolina . We had a great conversation about reproductive freedom, local politics, and a state we both love.  You’ll hear:  The beginnings of Hot Feminism How Trump’s presidency brought out the hidden racism in our country and realizing that it wasn’t allocated to just...

Voting advocate Jamie Lynn Crofts joins me to discuss some promising developments in Wisconsin  — goodbye forever gerrymandered maps! We also explore the outsized role Wisconsin plays in the presidential election and why we’re cautiously optimistic that the purple state will reject Donald Trump again. It’s a good time, so pull up a comfy chair and enjoy! You will hear: How the new maps approved in...

In this episode, Ed Oswald and I look at the similarities and differences between the campaigns of Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. Both ran on nostalgia with the idea of “making America great again,” both were Democrats for a large part of their lives, and both were incredibly media savvy. Ed is the author of From Ronald to Donald: How the Myth of Reagan Became the Cult of Trump . You will hear: P...

In this episode, I am chatting with my friend Danny Horn, the writer behind the Dark Shadows Every Day and Superheroes Every Day blogs. He has a new project coming out soon, The Fantastic Miss Piggy podcast that will discuss the history, analysis, and celebration of this cultural icon, which can be found on the site toughpigs.com . This is a really entertaining episode! You’ll hear: Talk about 196...

In this episode, I am joined by legal journalist Liz Dye from the Law and Chaos newsletter and podcast to help answer some questions about the state of Donald Trump's legal issues. Short answer, the courts probably won't save us. The long answer is sure to entertain! You’ll hear: The likelihood of Trump’s cases actually going to trial What things could look like if Trump is re-elected Re...

In this week’s episode, I am joined by Democratic political commentator Kaivan Shroff to talk about the aftermath of the New Hampshire primary. We discuss how the race for the Republican nomination hasn't actually changed (and probably won't). We also take a deep dive into Nikki Haley's views on race and how appeasing the GOP's extremist, anti-Black MAGA base is a disturbing pr...

In this episode, I chat with Democratic candidate for Congress for Oregon’s 3rd District, Nolan Bylenga. Nolan, who last ran for office in 2020, heads into the primary with some stiff competition against people with experience and a lot of money, but aren’t necessarily shoo-ins, so he feels there is a chance for a new type of candidate. He has experience organizing community events, such as a Blac...

The incredibly talented Eliza Jane Schneider is an actor, singer, and dialect coach, who set out to travel the country (in an ambulance) and eventually the rest of the English speaking world collecting sounds of dialects from everywhere during the pre-internet days, which she assumed would take a month. But 30 years later, she’s still at it!  I'm a big fan of Eliza's going back to her wo...

Singer, dancer, writer, and comedian Leah Sprecher joins me today, though you might not recognize her at first - she’s most well known for her breakout sketch character born on the Groundlings stage, Broadway Barbara Dixon! I first caught wind of her through social media and her hilarious videos on YouTube. You can check those out in the links below.  You’ll hear: How Broadway Barbara came to be L...

In this episode, I chat with author Alana Best about her memoir, Around The World In Black and White , where she details her experiences traveling the globe as a white mother in a biracial, blended family. Alana did not set out on her travels expecting to write a book, but as they walked through the world, the vast differences between how she was treated versus how her partner was treated could no...

Author and Playwright Laramie Dean joins me in this episode to pay tribute to the wonderful Lara Parker, who passed away last week. Parker played Angelique Collins in the 1960s Dark Shadows series. Laramie and I share our favorite memories of Angelique and discuss the character’s enduring impact. You’ll hear: Challenges with processing the death of your icons Favorite moments of Angelique Collins...