The Worldbuilder’s Tavern

In this episode, we're chatting with author Margaret Rogerson about religion, spirits, and dark magic in the YA fantasy novel Vespertine. Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi Visit the Tavern:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠  |  ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠  |  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠ Access bonus content and support us on  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠ Find Margaret Rogerson at margaretrogerson.com

In this episode, we're chatting about the worldbuilding in the movie 9. Proprietor's Pick: The Last Human by Lee Bacon Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi Visit the Tavern:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠  |  ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠  |  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠ Access bonus content and support us on  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠

Listen in as we chat about superpowers and superhero society, having a large cast, and female characters in the anime My Hero Academia. Proprietor's Pick: Saving Fable by Scott Reintgen Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi Visit the Tavern:  ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠  |  ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠  |  ⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠ Access bonus content and support us on  ⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠

We've got fantasy author Sunyi Dean with us on this week's episode of the podcast! Listen in as we chat about her 2022 debut novel, The Book Eaters, how to decide what worldbuilding details to include and what to cut, oppressive societies, the goal of your story, and the power of books. Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi Visit the Tavern:  ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠  |  ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠  |  ⁠⁠⁠D...

Listen in as we chat about how to write comedy and action for different age categories, traditional vs. self-publishing, the "sucked into a video game" genre, and the movie Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Proprietor's Pick: Rainbow in the Dark by Sean McGinty Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi Visit the Tavern:  ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠  |  ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠  |  ⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠ Access bonus content and...

In today's episode, we're chatting about bending, magic rules, disability, and how to reveal worldbuilding details as they relate to character via Avatar: The Last Airbender! Proprietor's Pick: Wingbearer by Marjorie M. Liu and Teny Issakhanian " Five Tips for Writing Disabled Characters in Speculative Fiction " by Allison Alexander " How to Escape the Show Don't Tell Trap " by Jeni Chappelle Intr...

Join us for a chat with author Ada Hoffmann about their sci-fi horror novel The Outside. We talk about how to choose narrating characters, writing antagonists, writing nonbinary characters, and making stuff up when worldbuilding. Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi Visit the Tavern:  Twitter  |  TikTok  |  Discord Access bonus content and support us on  Patreon Find Ada Hoffmann...

Join us for a chat about Over the Garden Wall, the animated series that you have probably never heard of! We chat about dream sequences, leaving clues, over-explaining, and trusting your readers. Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi Proprietor's Pick:  The Horrible Bag of Terrible Things  by Rob Renzetti  Visit the Tavern:  Twitter  |  TikTok  |  Discord Access bonus content and s...

Season Two is here! In this episode, we talk about the TV series Wheel of Time, adapted from the novels by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. We chat about complex worldbuilding and how to distill it, why it doesn't matter if the show is different from the book, and gendered magic systems. Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi Proprietor's Pick: Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao  Visi...

It's the Season One finale! In this episode, we talk about House of the Dragon, so be prepared for some dark and disturbing topics. Allison gives her top seven horrifying moments from the show, and we give some tips on how to write your own grimdark worlds. Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi Proprietor's Pick:  The Sword Defiant by Gareth Hanrahan Visit the Tavern:  Twitter  | ...

In this episode, we talk about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom with guest and freelance editor Jeni Chappelle! We talk about how to immerse readers in your world, telling information out of order, and how to write interesting puzzles. Jeni is an independent book editor, a co-founder and editor for Twitter pitch event Revise & Resub (#RevPit); and co-host of the Indie Chicks and Story...

We discuss Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer in this episode! We talk about how weird it is, the unsettling narration style, and how to worldbuild according to genre. Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi Proprietor's Pick: Lone Women by Victor LaValle Visit the Tavern:  Twitter  |  TikTok  |  Discord Support us on  Patreon  to access bonus content

As per Bigolas Dickolas's recommendation, we're discussing the novella This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone! Learn how to use worldbuilding as a backdrop and subtle ways to deliver worldbuilding in this week's episode. Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi Proprietor's Pick:  Translation State by Anne Leckie Visit the Tavern:  Twitter  |  TikTok  | ...

What is worldbuilding without fat dragons, magicless bards, and birdfolk named Jarnathan? Join us for a discussion about the fun romp that is Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. And don't forget to vote on the topic of our finale episode! Will we discuss the worldbuilding of Wednesday, The Last of Us, or House of the Dragon? It's up to you, dear listeners! Cast your vote on Twitter here . I...

In this episode, we rant about capitalism and unfair political systems. We dig into the dystopian world of The Hunger Games (both the movies and the books by Suzanne Collins) and argue about whether Snow could have ever been a good person. Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi Proprietor's Pick:  The Ten Percent Thief by Lavanya Lakshminarayan Visit the Tavern:  Twitter  |  TikTok...

In this episode, we discuss season three of The Mandalorian. Hear us chat about the writing being more disjointed this season, the strange episode with Doctor Pershing that shows the world under the New Republic's wing, and the differing cultures of the two Mandalorian groups. Also, is Din Djarin even the titular Mandalorian in this season? Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi Pro...

In this episode, we discuss seasons one and two of The Mandalorian. Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi Proprietor's Pick:  Star Wars Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade by Delilah S. Dawson Visit the Tavern:  Twitter  |  TikTok  |  Discord Support us on  Patreon  to vote on topics and access bonus episodes.

Join us for a discussion about the graphic novel Nimona by ND Stevenson. Intro and outro music: "The Tavern by Michael Ghelfi." Proprietor's Pick: The Tea Dragon Society #1-3 by Kay O’Neill (July 5, 2022) Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord Support us on Patreon to vote on topics and access bonus episodes.

Join us for a discussion about the very weird, very wonderful movie Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. Intro and outro music: "The Tavern by Michael Ghelfi." Proprietor's Pick: Multiverses: An anthology of alternate realities by various authors (March 28, 2023) Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord Support us on Patreon to vote on topics and access bonus episodes.

Join us for a discussion about the gorgeous and heartwarming video game, Ori and the Blind Forest. Intro and outro music: "The Tavern by Michael Ghelfi." Proprietor's Pick: The Otherwoods by Justine Pucella Winans (January 1, 2023) Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord Support us on Patreon to vote on topics and access bonus episodes.

Join us for a discussion about science in hard sci-fi, how to communicate with an alien, alien physiology, and alien culture in Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Intro and outro music: "The Tavern by Michael Ghelfi." Proprietor's Pick: Secret Project #3 by Brandon Sanderson (July 1, 2023) Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord Support us on Patreon to vote on topics and access bonus episodes.

Mad Max: Fury Road takes place in a gritty, unforgiving, and weird world. In this episode, we discuss how the movie is masterful at showing vs. telling, uses slang and names effectively, and establishes a fascinating society based on vehicles, blood, and water. Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi. Proprietor's Pick: The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi (March 21, 2023). Visi...

Heaven, hell, and humour—the key ingredients for the hit TV show Good Omens! In this episode, we discuss how the show uses the unexpected to create humour, the casting choices, fashion, and makeup. Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi. Proprietor's Pick: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (August 23, 2022). "Through the Glass" by Shaneen Thompson is the...

Heaven, hell, and humour—the key ingredients for the hit TV show Good Omens! In this episode, we discuss how the show treats Christian mythology, angels, demons, and more. Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi. Proprietor's Pick: The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher by E.M. Anderson (April 21, 2023). Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord Support us on Patreon to vote on...

Welcome, worldbuilders! Here's what our podcast is all about and what you can expect for Season One. Cheers! Find Us Elsewhere: Visit the Tavern: Website | Discord | TikTok  | Bookshop Support us and get bonus episodes by joining our Patreon