Star Wars, Indigenous Futurism, Tolkien, and Rowling: What I’ve Been Up To Online Lately

[eldritchhobbit]

Podcasts! I’ve had the good fortune to be on several terrific podcasts in the last few weeks. Here are my latest appearances.

Interviews (My 1st Appearance on Both of these Great Podcasts!)

* I was interviewed on Episode 107 of Unmistakably Star Wars on “What Indigenous Peoples in Star Wars Can Tell Us about Our Real World.” Listen here! 

* I was interviewed on Episode 4 of Reading, Writing, Rowling on “Fantasy, Imagination, and Indigenous Futurism.” Listen here! 

My “Looking Back on Genre History” on StarShipSofa

* Episode 506 of StarShipSofa includes my Guest Scholar presentation from the recent 4LEP Conference, based on my latest research project: “The Jedi of Middle-earth? Tolkien’s Influence on Today’s Star Wars.” Listen here!

* Episode 510 of StarShipSofa includes my “Looking Back on Genre History” segment on the newly-rediscovered 1956 Hugo Awards ballot. Listen here!

If you listen, I hope you enjoy!

Comments

[caitri]

Aw man, I wish I could have cited your podcast interview for an article whose edits I returned a few weeks ago!!!! (Part of the argument was that the popular reception of TFA was inextricably bound up with the minority heroes either in celebration or backlash; classic Reviewer #2 said, "Are they really minority heroes though? For all we know, white people are the minority in the Star Wars Universe!" *is still table-flipping on that one*)

[eldritchhobbit]

Oh no! Bad timing. I'd love to read that article, BTW. It sounds fantastic. Please let me know when/where it will be appearing!

As for Reviewer #2, ARGH!!!! I'm flipping tables now, too.

[caitri]

Just got another set of edits on the same piece, along with the comment that they aren't trying to be offensive, but we don't KNOW what minorities are in SW. >_< I am so citing your podcast now--thank you for being the scholar that you are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Btw this article will eventually come out in a special Star Wars issue of NANO.

[eldritchhobbit]

Oh, I'm so glad to hear that the podcast episode was useful! Seriously, though, don't these editors and reviewers actually follow Star Wars?!?!? In the new (Disney-era) canon, we have major characters, heroes and villains, from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds. We see diverse humans of different races in the films, on Rebels, in comics, and in novels. Where have these people been?

Btw this article will eventually come out in a special Star Wars issue of NANO.

Outstanding! I'm really looking forward to it.

[caitri]

Where have these people been?

Seriously, this has been one of the most bizarre publishing experiences of my life!! The only thing that comes close is when doing a chapter on a Supernatural anthology and it became clear that the editors had only the barest knowledge of the show. In this case, I even recently went back and looked at NANO's CFP and they were specifically asking for stuff on race and gender in TFA, transmedia storytelling, etc. etc. I think the editors are inexperienced, which only goes so far. *flail*