Our Episodes
The feminist obligation
It is common for feminist writers to feel the need to focus only on stories that preoccupy themselves with the marginalisation of women. Other writers don’t necessarily dwell on the representation of their own demographic, so why should women (and other marginalised...
Melinda Snodgrass on optimism in science fiction
One of my earliest loves and the series that prompted my eternal love for the science fiction genre was Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was hopeful while exploring deep philosophical questions. I was absolutely thrilled to speak to Melinda Snodgrass, who wrote some...
Kieron Gillen on gender and diversity in comics
Today is a big day in the UK: the general election. After we mark our ballots (because, of course, all BtGS listeners will get out there and vote today, right?!) and while we all bite our nails in nervous anticipation of the result, we have the perfect distraction......
Gail Carriger on comedy in SFF and the heroine’s journey
This week, Charlotte interviews Victorian steampunk/alternate history/comedy/gothic/romance/surrealist/urban fantasy writer Gail Carriger. This is one writer you cannot easily slot into a neat classification. Her writing defies genre so much she has practically...
Ytasha Womack on Afrofuturism
Genre fiction explores different possibilities of all kinds – what life might be like with the invention of new technologies, other worlds completely divorced from what we know, and more. But why, then, do we still find so many minority voices erased from these...
Maiden, mother, and crone: Ageism in genre fiction
Wanting to see equal representation in genre fiction doesn't stop at gender. We want to see all kinds of people represented across gender, creed, sexuality, race, age, physical ability, taste in films, dog lovers, cat lovers, tea drinkers, and even those coffee...
Fight scenes and women warriors with Juliet McKenna
As Kameron Hurley discusses in her Hugo Award-winning article, 'We Have Always Fought', women have always fought. So why don't we see more women warriors in science fiction and fantasy novels? History is full of women on battlefields and in brawls, even if the history...
Disney Princesses
It isn't possible to be too old for Disney films. You might go through that contrary teenage phase of claiming to have outgrown them, but we all know that's a lie. Whether you are 6 or 66, no matter your gender, nationality, or creed, Disney films have a special place...
Laura Lam on exploring the queer experience in SFF
2017 is set to be a big year for Laura Lam. With two new books, the final in her Micah Grey trilogy, Masquerade, and the second in the Pacifica series, Shattered Minds, as well as a short story included in the anthology Nasty Women, she's definitely one to look out...