Imaginary Worlds

Series produced by Eric Molinsky

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Imaginary Worlds sounds like what would happen if NPR went to ComicCon and decided that’s all they ever wanted to cover.

Host Eric Molinsky spent over a decade working as a public radio reporter and producer, and he uses those skills to create thoughtful, sound-rich episodes about science fiction, fantasy, and other genres of speculative fiction. Every other week, he talks with comic book artists, game designers, novelists, screenwriters, filmmakers, and fans about how they craft their worlds, why we suspend our disbelief, and what happens if the spell is broken. Imaginary worlds may be set on distant planets or parallel dimensions, but they are crafted here on Earth and they’re always about us and our lived experiences.


226 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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In my second episode on larping, I go on an epic journey to find out why it's therapeutic to become imaginary people.

  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 39:13
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Sci-fi and fantasy have always been a big part of fan fiction, but fan fiction hasn't always gotten respect in return. Has fan fic gotten a bad rap?

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and PRX Remix


  • Added: Nov 01, 2017
  • Length: 28:05
  • Purchases: 2
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Novelist Madeline Miller reimagines The Iliad and The Odyssey from the point of view of secondary characters.

  • Added: Jan 17, 2019
  • Length: 30:23
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How much control do we really want over the characters we play in video games?

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Jan 23, 2019
  • Length: 30:11
  • Purchases: 1
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Video games can give you the option of customizing the look or gender of your character. For many transgender players, that option played a signifi...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Feb 06, 2019
  • Length: 27:15
  • Purchases: 1
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Few people know the rich history behind Conan the Barbarian, and his creator Robert E. Howard.

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Feb 20, 2019
  • Length: 28:49
  • Purchases: 1
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How a pioneering pulp fiction magazine illustrator reimagined women for fantasy and horror genres.

Bought by WLRH and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Mar 06, 2019
  • Length: 25:46
  • Purchases: 2
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Kurt Vonnegut had a unique way of processing his wartime trauma -- he used science fiction. But why did the aliens in Slaughterhouse Five look like...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Mar 20, 2019
  • Length: 01:01:46
  • Purchases: 1
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When Joseph Campbell first wrote about The Hero's Journey, he didn't intend it to become a blueprint for blockbuster SF franchises. Could 2019 be t...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Apr 05, 2019
  • Length: 31:02
  • Purchases: 1
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Rod Serling's voice is still speaking to us well beyond The Twilight Zone.

Bought by PRX Remix and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Apr 17, 2019
  • Length: 32:47
  • Purchases: 2
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In part one of my mini-series on sidekicks, I look at why Doctor Watson is the most iconic and long-standing sidekick in pop culture.

  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 27:58
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There wasn’t anything authentic about Tonto and Kato, but that didn’t matter to the audiences who enjoyed their team-ups with The Lone Ranger and T...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: May 15, 2019
  • Length: 29:12
  • Purchases: 1
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In the conclusion of our mini-series on sidekicks, we look at how Harley Quinn began as a sidekick to a villain, and found her way to the heart of ...

Bought by WCNY and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: May 29, 2019
  • Length: 26:31
  • Purchases: 2
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Burlesque has merged with geek culture to form nerdlesque – where characters from Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who and other fantasy franchises str...

  • Added: Jun 12, 2019
  • Length: 24:40
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The sci-fi fantasy market is a hot commodity, but it’s also drawn in swindlers with the skills to create fake props and believable backstories abou...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Jun 26, 2019
  • Length: 28:32
  • Purchases: 1
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The Undertaker has dominated the WWE for decades -- but he’s also a throwback to a different era of wrestling when a supernatural character could r...

Bought by PRX Remix and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Jul 10, 2019
  • Length: 31:17
  • Purchases: 2
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Legendary audio drama producer Dirk Maggs reveals tricks of the trade he used to bring The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Alien, The X-Files and...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Jul 24, 2019
  • Length: 30:31
  • Purchases: 1
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Masks, capes, secret identities – Mexican wrestling (aka Lucha Libre) has a lot in common with the superhero genre. But trying to be a superhero ha...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Aug 07, 2019
  • Length: 27:59
  • Purchases: 1
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Disney’s “live action” remakes of their classic films are a box office bonanza. Can they spark nostalgia for the original films -- and the art of h...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Sep 04, 2019
  • Length: 27:07
  • Purchases: 1
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Neon Genesis Evangelion ran only one year in Japan but it’s still creating ripple effects across global pop culture today.

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Sep 18, 2019
  • Length: 32:59
  • Purchases: 1