Utopian and Dystopian Fictions

In this episode, we speak with Jess Norledge, an Assistant Professor in Stylistics at the University of Nottingham. Our conversation with Jess centres on the relationship between language and dystopian fiction, drawing on her work at the intersection of linguistics and literary studies. We explore why language so often functions as a tool of control in dystopian worlds, from Nineteen Eighty-Four a...

In this bumper episode, we are joined by Jacqueline Dutton , a Professor in French Studies at the University of Melbourne, celebrate Matt's latest publication, and announce a competition! Our conversation with Jacqueline covers a variety of topics, all of which are unified by a throughline of utopia(nism) and place. To begin, we chat about the dystopian qualities of Aboriginal author Alexis Wr...

In this episode, we are joined by Daniel Olivas, who - as well as having a successful career as a lawyer in California - is an acclaimed author of several works of prose fiction, poetry, dramatic texts, and non-fiction. Our conversation with Daniel draws on his perspective as an attorney within the American legal system, writer, and grandson of Mexican immigrants. Central to this chat is a discuss...

In this episode we are joined by two guests, Taylor Cavallo (an Instructor at the University of Minnesota) and Mark Gatto (Assistant Professor in Critical Organisation Studies at Northumbria University). Our conversation with Taylor and Mark centres on the topic of work, drawing on their academic, professional, and personal experiences, and examines the dystopian and utopian elements of real and i...

In this episode, we speak with Paul E. Hardisty, an environmental scientist, keen conservationist, and novelist known first for his 'Claymore Straker' series and, most recently, 'The Forcing' trilogy - a series of dystopian fiction with an ecological emphasis that has been called 'provocative and insightful, visceral and terrifying'. We speak with Paul about The Hope , the...

We begin Season 3 of the Utopian and Dystopian Fictions Podcast by chatting with Amy Brookes, an architect and Associate Lecturer at the University of Reading. In our conversation with Amy, we turn our attention to the intersections between architecture, utopianism, and speculative fiction. Drawing on literary texts, theoretical ideas, and real-world practice, we have a far reaching discussion in...

In this Season 2 Finale, Matt and Liam spend some time looking back at Season 2 of the Utopian and Dystopian Fictions podcast and chatting about what's to come in Season 3, before then discussing a very seasonal topic for this Halloween Special: Dystopia and Horror! We talk about the relationship between these two genres by focusing on two short stories (among other texts): Shirley Jackson&#39...

In this episode, we speak with Stefano Gualeni, a Full Professor at the Institute of Digital Games, University of Malta. In our conversation with Stefano, we draw on his varied professional expertise as a philosopher, game designer, and writer of fiction to discuss all things related to utopias and dystopias, play, and fictional games. In doing so, we cover ideas Stefano discusses in Fictional Gam...

In this episode, we speak with Daniel Jenkin-Smith, who teaches at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and is an expert in English and French literature of the long 19th century. Daniel also co-hosts the spectacular Save Me From My Shelf Podcast . In our chat with Daniel, we turn our attention to the topic of bureaucracy: what are its origins, is it fundamentally utopian or dystopian, and...

In this episode, we speak with Athira Unni, an Independent Scholar who holds a PhD in English from Leeds Beckett University. In our conversation with Athira, we discuss postcolonial dystopian fiction, with a particular emphasis on South Asian and Caribbean texts. Here, Athira notes how dystopian texts from these regions reflect multiple layers of oppression. She also suggests that something which...

In this episode, we speak with andré carrington, an Associate Professor in the English Department at the University of California, Riverside. In our conversation with andré, we discuss speculative fiction and the emerging opportunities for Black writers in this genre across a range of literary modes. Here, andré offers unique insights, blending his role as an academic, critic, fan, and literary ed...

In this episode, we speak with Jordan Carroll, a writer, editor, and scholar who holds a PhD in English Literature from the University of California, Davis. Our discussion with Jordan primarily centres on his most recent book,  Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right  (University of Minnesota Press, 2024), which reveals the alt-right’s project to claim science fiction and - by ext...

In this episode, we speak with Eve Smith, a novelist who writes speculative thrillers, mainly about the things that scare her. Her novels have been reviewed in The Guardian, The Times and New Scientist. Described by Waterstones as ‘an exciting new voice in crime fiction’, Eve’s debut thriller, The Waiting Rooms , set during an antibiotic resistance crisis, was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize Fi...

In this episode, we speak with Ruth Houghton - a Senior Lecturer at Newcastle Law School - and Aoife O'Donoghue - a Professor in Law at Queen's University, Belfast. Our conversation with Ruth and Aoife covers many topics. We talk about the relationship between law, legal theory, and utopianism, we find out more about Ruth and Aoife's collaborative work, we discuss the Barbie movie, and we cover a...

In this episode, we speak with Nathan Waddell, a Professor in Twentieth Century Literature in the English Literature Department at the University of Birmingham. We chat with Nathan about how he first came to researching utopianism and how he came to teach and write about dystopias. We ask him about what interests him about dystopias, which brings us to a discussion of 'elegance'. Our discussion ev...

In this episode, we speak with Diletta De Cristofaro, an Assistant Professor in the Humanities Department at Northumbria University. We chat with Diletta about apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fictions in this interview, paying particular attention to ideas relating to temporality, permacrisis, and key texts such as Emily St John Mandel's Station Eleven (2014). We conclude with a discussion of Dil...

Join Matt and Liam for a Christmas special! In this episode, we recap Season 1 of the podcast, talk about some plans for Season 2, and then chat about Christmas in relation to dystopian texts and utopianism.

In this episode, we speak with Heather Alberro, a Lecturer in Sustainability at the University of Manchester. We chat with Heather about Green Utopianism, a type of utopianism that straddles both the literary and the social-critical, and invites us to ask not only how we can improve the world for humanity, but for non-humans as well. Heather discusses social movements and literary texts alike in t...

In this episode, we interview Dr Sebastian Mitchell, a Senior Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Birmingham. We chat with Sebastian about the origins of utopia, beginning with Sir Thomas More's text, before discussing how the utopian genre has changed and evolved over time, with particular reference to the ostensible "black hole" of the eighteenth century. You can find out more ab...

In this episode, we interview Heather McKnight, Independent Scholar and Co-Founder of the Magnetic Ideals Collective. We chat with Heather about what utopia means to her, the relationship between utopia and activism, and how this manifests in the work of the Magnetic Ideals Collective. You can find out more about Heather and the Magnetic Ideals Collective here: https://www.magneticideals.org/home/...

In this episode, we interview Sean Seeger, Senior Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Literature at the University of Essex, England. We chat with Sean about what 'utopia' and 'utopianism' mean to him, question whether utopias really are perfect, and find out more about his conception of 'utopian pessimism'! You can find out more about Sean here: Sean Seeger | University of Essex And you can read...

In this episode, we interview Daniel Varndell, Senior Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Winchester, England. We chat with Dan about where his interest in utopia came from, about whether utopias are static, and the relationship between utopia and film, where Dan argues that film itself is a utopian mode. You can find out more about Dan here: Dr Daniel Varndell - University of Winc...

In this episode, we interview Raffaella Baccolini, Professor of American Literature and Gender Studies at the University of Bologna, Italy. One of the leading figures in utopian studies, we chat with Raffaella about what 'utopia' means to her and how she got involved in the area, her thoughts on Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" and N. K. Jemisin's "The Ones Who Stay and Fig...