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.


227 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
When Cthulhu Calls
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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When it comes to monsters, I'm really fascinated by Cthulhu. The horror writer H.P. Lovecraft describes it as a gargantuan, aquatic being with tent...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 19:47
  • Purchases: 1
Becoming Godzilla
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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A pair of Godzilla-obsessed brothers set out to win a costume contest, and learn what it takes to become a monster.

Bought by PRX Remix and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 17:01
  • Purchases: 2
Economics of Thrones and Starships
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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Whether you're running the seven kingdoms of Westeros or flying to Mars -- you have to figure out how to pay for everything. Many economists are fa...

Bought by PRX Remix and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 17:12
  • Purchases: 2
Humans: New & Improved
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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When Graeme Manson started as a showrunner for Orphan Black, he needed to create villains who believe humans should take control of their own evolu...

Bought by PRX Remix, WXAV 88.3FM Chicago, and WABE


  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 20:54
  • Purchases: 3
The Robot Uprising
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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How much does the legacy of slavery haunt our visions of the future, where we expect robots to do our bidding?

Bought by KZYX, PRX Remix, WABE, and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 17:05
  • Purchases: 4
Then She Fell
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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An immersive theatrical show takes me inside the asylum of Alice in Wonderland

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and WABE


  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 21:50
  • Purchases: 2
The Year Without a Summer
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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How a cataclysmic volcanic eruption inspired a teenage girl to write a literary masterpiece.

Bought by KZYX, KSFR, PRX Remix, WXAV 88.3FM Chicago, and WABE


  • Added: Jun 15, 2016
  • Length: 17:23
  • Purchases: 5
Undertale
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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How did a quirky low budget indie video game take the gaming world by storm?

Bought by PRX Remix, WABE, and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 19:45
  • Purchases: 3
Ghost in the Shell
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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Ghost in the Shell was groundbreaking, visually and thematically. The 1995 Japanese animated film (or anime) was unapologetically for adults. The s...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and WABE


  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 20:35
  • Purchases: 2
The Hobbit and The Hippies
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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J.R.R. Tolkien was baffled why the counter-culture in the 1960s had embraced his world of Middle-earth.

Bought by KZYX, PRX Remix, and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 18:29
  • Purchases: 3
Fantasy Maps
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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What Google Maps and Middle-earth have in common.

Bought by PRX Remix and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 16:07
  • Purchases: 2
Magical Thinking
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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Fantasy novelists work hard to make us believe in magic, but scientists say we already do.

Bought by Marfa Public Radio and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 21:51
  • Purchases: 2
The Sorting Hat
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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The Sorting Hat has transcended the Harry Potter books and become a phenomenon that makes us question who we really are.

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and PRX Remix


  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 18:46
  • Purchases: 2
Caps Lock Harry
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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Reading Harry Potter helps trauma survivors understand their experiences, and feel less alone.

Bought by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, PRX Remix, and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 17:45
  • Purchases: 3
The Man In the High Castle
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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The creators of the Amazon series talk about building a world we don't want to imagine -- but we need to.

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 25:58
  • Purchases: 1
Workin' on the Death Star
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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The 1994 film Clerks posed a moral dilemma that Star Wars fans -- and George Lucas -- have wrestled with for decades.

Bought by KVSC and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 22:21
  • Purchases: 2
Atari vs The Imagination Gap
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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The book "The Art of Atari" is full of eye candy, but it's also about how Atari became a superstar company -- until it was Game Over.

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago and PRX Remix


  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 18:08
  • Purchases: 2
Growing Up Avatar-American
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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How the Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender captured the Asian-American experience -- even if there's no America in that fantasy world.

Bought by KZYX, KVSC, and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 27:01
  • Purchases: 3
28 Days of Black Cosplay
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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A social media hashtag celebrates black Cosplayers and the spin they put on classic characters.

Bought by PRX Remix, WAER Syracuse, NY, and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 20:11
  • Purchases: 3
The Spirit of Will Eisner
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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How Will Eisner became the "father of the graphic novel."

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Dec 27, 2019
  • Length: 32:06
  • Purchases: 1

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