In our first episode back after a lengthy unplanned hiatus, we're pleased to present this fun interview with horror/scifi madmen, Clay McLeod Chapman and Chuck Wendig. We talk about the new prevalence of horror, how it's expanding to cross into different genres, and we learn the meaning of the term "Stingjet"!…

Nick Roth's "Hanky Panky" is, depending on how you view it, a single-location horror comedy, an alien invasion movie on an extreme budget, or both. Writer-director Nick Roth sits down with Jen to talk about the ins and outs of how he got it made, and the challenges of casting when one of your leads is a napkin. Check out the film for free on Tubi h…

Actor, activist and the heart and soul behind Star Trek: Picard's Raffi Musiker, Michelle Hurd has a lot to say about a lot of things, and a lot of stories to tell that are good for the soul. She talks about her activism, kindness as an ethos, some of her incredible family stories, and representation in popular culture. We laugh, we cry, it's bette…

Self-described nature nerd, "Hollow Kingdom" author joins us to talk about her fantastical, magical, poignant book about a zombie apocalypse told from the POV of a domesticated crow. She's joined by Dr. Kaeli Swift, science communicator and scholar of crow behavior. We talk about the book, how it's informed by science and nature, and how art and na…

Les Miserables Overture (Bottle Freak Remix) - Samuel Breslin byThe Poetry Project

Many of us saw Adrienne Wilkinson for the first time as Livia/Eve in "Xena: Warrior Princess" in the 90s, but since then, she's become a queen of mocap games, most notably "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed", and has appeared in the Star Trek series "Star Trek: Renegades", among many other roles. We chat about the craft of acting and her experience wi…

Tricksters - Ry Dunn byThe Poetry Project

Actor Cara Gee talks about life on the set of "The Expanse" and her upcoming role in Netflix's "Sweet Tooth." We learn about how she accessed her inner grit to embody Drummer, and the secret to how she made her scene with Shohreh Aghdashloo so incredible. Follow her on x at https://twitter.com/CaraGeeeee And don't forget to to check her out in Seas…

Top-tier guest and friend of the show Ana K. Wrenn returns to put your host in the hot seat to discuss her own new book "Art of the Chase," a romantic thriller that's as sneakily jam-packed with learning as the Geek Girls Story Salon itself. To get your own copy of "Art of the Chase," go here: https://a.co/d/fB14BUI And of course, to get on the mai…

To say that Jen was excited to talk to Belinda Bromilow, Aunt Elizabeth in Hulu’s “The Great,” is putting it very mildly. Elizabeth is one of the most complicated, mercurial and dare we say iconic characters in a series packed with them, and Jen and Belinda get into some of the nooks and crannies of how one finds their way into that type of charact…

Self described plant-mom Steph and her "proper zoo nerd" partner Connor have created a podcast that makes learning about nature fun by bringing new species of plants and animals to their audience with each episode as part of a fantasy zoo and botanical garden. Steph and Jen talk about how intellectual gatekeeping can discourage everyday people from…

You may have seen Jazmin Truesdale on any one of a few dozen Comicon panels or local news pieces, talking about her creation, the AZA Universe, which is populated by superpowered women maintaining peace in the galaxy and offers up some pretty flawless representation in the comics world, which is changing, but has been a traditionally male playgroun…

Comic artist and creator Tyler Crook is behind some of the most gorgeous, instantly recognizable comics and graphic novels of today. We get down in the weeds with what defines an artist's style, why perspective is more important than technique, and why there should be more reprints of comics in black and white. We also talk a lot about how his coll…

Cullen Bunn is the brilliant mind behind the amazing Southern Gothic horror comic "Harrow County," as well as "The Last Book You'll Ever Read," and some of the best Venomverse comics ever made. We talk about the hopeful undertones of the horror genre, creativity during COVID, and the surprising little spark that got him making up his own stories as…

Jen sits down with executive producer/writer of "Xena: Warrior Princess," Steven L. Sears, to peruse his impressive hoard of Xena treasures, hear some of the stories attached to them, and recall some favorite memories of an enduring TV classic.

Clay McLeod Chapman is a busy guy: a comic writer for some of the most popular Marvel IPs on the planet, the Virginia-born author also has been cranking out Southern-style spooky novels that will leave you wanting to sleep with the lights on. We talk about why horror is the best sandbox for processing trauma and guilt, how ghosts and quarantine wen…

Barb Morrison is an accomplished musician and record producer who has worked with the likes of Debbie Harry, Franz Ferdinand and LP. They're also an author, and we sit down to discuss their new novel, "Bottoming for God," part meditation and part memoir of their life in the NYC punk scene in the late 80s and early 90s. We talk about what they mean …

When you think scientist, you probably don't picture a blond woman with a sleeve of tattoos, who lifts weights, surfs, skates, and writes and illustrates clever, quirky books about science. But Leah Elson, author of "There are No Stupid Questions in Science," is exactly that person. We talk about what it's like to be a "fringe scientists," how scie…

Actor Tony Hiu Jong Giroux is probably best known for his role as Adil in Freeform's "Motherland: Fort Salem," but he's also a dancer and filmmaker. His most recent directing effort was a documentary series titled "My Name Is," which examines the pitfalls and struggles of navigating a Western culture with a non-Western name. We get into what storie…

Una McCormack is the NY Times Bestselling author of over two dozen novels, many of them building upon the canons of beloved IPs like Trek, Blake's 7, Doctor Who and Firefly. We talk about the unbelievable story of how she made the jump from writing fanfic to writing for accepted canon, and what it was like to suddenly be part of the universes that …

Rachael Ancheril, best known as Commander Nhan in Star Trek: Discovery and Maddie the Blacksmith in Wynonna Earp, sits down with us to talk about the unexpected stops on her career, the variety of experiences she had before becoming an actor, and how those experiences inform the roles she's played. We also find out which of her characters she'd mos…

Jade Tailor knocked our socks off as the tough-skinned, tender-hearted Kady Orloff-Diaz in Syfy's "The Magicians". But she's a multi-talented, multi-dimensional artist who expresses across many disciplines, including writing, directing, songwriting and more. We talk about why storytelling is important to her, how different creative disciplines hit …

It's hard to sum up Adam Kontras in one word. He's a documentary maker, a comedian, a singer-songwriter, and a Guinness World Record holder for being the first ––and longest-running–– vlogger. As the owner of the Back to the Future DeLorean time machine, he documented the emotional trials of rebuilding it to be the Fastest DeLorean in the World. Af…

Indie filmmaker Dani Milton sits down with us to talk about "The First Martian," a sci-fi short that centers a Black doctor in her late 40s who becomes unexpectedly pregnant in the first years of a budding Mars colony, and in the process challenges the audience's beliefs about choice and bodily autonomy. We talk about the virtues of crowdfunding ca…

SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE STORYTELLING CONTENT! Author Gregory Ashe is well known for his tightly plotted, gripping mysteries, but he's also the author of the current "Flint and Tinder" series, about young gay people with strange superpowers and little to no skill at navigating their own emotions. (Check it out here! https://a.co/d/8csRz2B ) We have a gre…

Screenwriter and comic book writer Sarah Cooke talks about her jump from the world of screenwriting to comics, how she weaves representation and inclusivity into her works, and her personal rankings of onscreen Batmans from Adam West to Robert Pattinson. She discusses the process of creating her magic-laced noir comic "No Spell Lasts Forever," and …

R&B singer-songwriter Desi Valentine has been popping up everywhere, his songs appearing in the finales of shows like "Suits" and "Bel Air", and his smooth, modern-throwback R&B Soul sound hits us right where we live. But Desi is also a healer and shamanic practitioner, and in this interview, we talk about the unexpected crossover between these two…

Jen sits down with author Ana K. Wrenn to talk about her debut novel "Strange Attractors," a psychological thriller/romance with its roots in the much-misunderstood science of chaos theory. Check it out on Amazon at: https://a.co/d/9atwRI2

Jen sits down with Susan Kaye Quinn, author of the "Nothing Is Promised" sci-fi series, to talk about her transition from scientist to storyteller and why she's gone all-in on a relatively new subgenre called "hope-punk." Check out Susan's latest work here and visit her website to read more about her philosophy here. And as always don't forget to l…

Julie Patton - March Lions Before Lambs: a score to settle (translations welcome) byThe Poetry Project

Lawrence Ferlinghetti reading in the Sanctuary at The Poetry ProjectThe Poetry Project

Akilah Oliver Reading From 'she said dialogues', April 1999 @ The Poetry ProjectThe Poetry Project

Sound recording using live loops by Edo Wallad of his own poem, “Carousel” from Pesta Sebelum KiamatThe Poetry Project

Ted Joans & Jayne Cortez byThe Poetry Project

Ntozake Shange & Gwendolyn Brooks read at The Poetry Project.The Poetry Project

Amiri Baraka Symposium byThe Poetry Project

Wednesday Reading Series: Youmna Chlala & Jennifer Firestone— January 29th, 2020Hosted by Kyle Dacuyan.Youmna Chlala is an artist and a writer born in Beirut based in New York. She is the author of the poetry collection, The Paper Camera (Litmus Press, 2019). She is the recipient of a 2018 O. Henry Award, a Joseph Henry Jackson Award and the Foundi…

Friday Reading Series: Harmony Holiday & Lily Jue Sheng with Nyle Genevieve— January 10th, 2020Hosted by Nicole Wallace.Harmony Holiday is a writer, dancer, archivist, director, and the author of four collections of poetry, Negro League Baseball, Go Find Your Father / A Famous Blues, Hollywood Forever, and A Jazz Funeral for Uncle Tom. She founded …

Monday Reading Series: A Steve Abbott Reader— February 24th, 2020 Hosted by Kyle Dacuyan.Join us in celebration of Beautiful Aliens: A Steve Abbott Reader (Nightboat Books, 2019) edited by Jamie Townsend, with an afterword by Alysia Abbott. In this long awaited, first ever retrospective of Steve Abbott's work you'll find writing, illustrations, and…