Unknown Worlds of the Merril Collection
In Unknown Worlds of the Merril Collection, host Oliver Brackenbury interviews special guests about notable history and new frontiers in the worlds of science fiction, fantasy and horror as found in Toronto's Merril Collection, the Western Hemisphere's largest publicly accessible archive of genre materials. Produced by Chris Dickie. Interviews have been edited for length and content. Opinions are solely those of the speakers, representing neither the Toronto Public Library System nor the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy.
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Episodes
Episodes
Monday Jul 25, 2022
Monday Jul 25, 2022
Oliver talks with Scott Dorward about H.P. Lovecraft, how his legacy has been built on, and how writers might take things even further.The Good Friends of Jackson Elias, a Lovecraft & gaming podcast Scott co-hosts (Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Discord)Scott’s Twitter Merril Links The Merril Collection! Friends of Merril (Facebook & Twitter)
Monday Jul 11, 2022
Monday Jul 11, 2022
Oliver talks with the man behind Beguiling Comics, Peter Birkemoe, about graphic novels.The Beguiling (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)Little Island Comics Merril Links The Merril Collection! Friends of Merril (Facebook & Twitter)
Monday Jun 27, 2022
Monday Jun 27, 2022
Oliver talks with author Gideon Marcus about alternate history speculative fiction.Gideon Marcus (Twitter)Galactic Journey (Twitter, Facebook) Merril Links The Merril Collection! Friends of Merril (Facebook & Twitter)
Monday Jun 13, 2022
Monday Jun 13, 2022
Oliver discusses Norse mythology, and its influence on speculative fiction, with Senior Department Head of both the Merril and Osborne Collections, Sephora Henderson. The Merril Collection! Friends of Merril (Facebook & Twitter)
Monday May 30, 2022
Monday May 30, 2022
Oliver talks with author Gemma Files about haunted house stories.Gemma’s Website (Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads) Merril Links The Merril Collection! Friends of Merril (Facebook & Twitter)
Monday May 16, 2022
Monday May 16, 2022
Oliver talks with Trever Quachri, head editor at Analog magazine, about scifi digest magazines. Analog Magazine’s Website (Twitter, Facebook) Merril Links The Merril Collection! Friends of Merril (Facebook & Twitter)
Monday May 02, 2022
Monday May 02, 2022
Oliver talks with Brain Murphy, author of Flame & Crimson: A history of Sword & Sorcery, about the mighty thewed fantasy sub-genre birthed by Robert E Howard when he created Conan the Barbarian.The Silver Key, Brian’s Sword & Sorcery BlogBuy Flame & Crimson!Merril Links The Merril Collection! Friends of Merril (Facebook & Twitter)
Monday Mar 29, 2021
Monday Mar 29, 2021
Host Oliver Brackenbury examines the evolution of Afrofuturism in speculative fiction with writer and educator Quentin VerCetty Lindsay. Links to some of the things mentioned in this episode: BSAM Quentin VerCetty “Afrofuturism Rising: The Literary Prehistory of a Movement” by Isiah Lavender III “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia Butler “Black to the Future” essay by Mark Dery Samuel R. Delaney “The Famished Road” by Ben Okri Sun Ra June Jordan Nnedi Okorafor Nollywood “Brown Girl Begins” Dir by Sharon Lewis, based on the book “Brown Girl in the Ring” by Nalo Hopkins. “Kindred” by Octavia Butler See You Yesterday N.K. Jemisen “Black Leopard, Red Wolf” by Marlon James The Last Angel of History Crumbs “Dirty Computer” & “Archandroid” by Janelle Monae Sophia Stewart Black Kirby Umbrella Academy John Jenning's graphic novel adaptation of Parable of the Sower “How Long 'til Black Future Month?” by N.K. Jemisen “Cosmic Underground: Northside” by Quentin Vercetty “The Comet” by W.E.B. Dubois, and his essay on double consciousness.