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
Truth, Justice and The American Way
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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Long before Black Panther or Hooded Justice on HBO’s Watchmen, marginalized people were fighting for justice with masks and capes – not just in fic...

Bought by PRX Remix and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Feb 19, 2020
  • Length: 30:13
  • Purchases: 2
Making The Good Places Better
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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Heaven is on our minds, at least according to pop culture, from The Good Place to Good Omens to Forever to Miracle Workers. Why are so many of thes...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Mar 04, 2020
  • Length: 31:11
  • Purchases: 1
Retcon-apalooza
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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What do Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter and Doctor Who have in common? In the last few years, they’ve all seen their backstories changed radical...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Mar 18, 2020
  • Length: 30:12
  • Purchases: 1
Fighting a Virtual Pandemic
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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World of Warcraft gamers have been feeling déjà vu because the COVID-19 pandemic has eerie similarities to a computer virus that took over their ga...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Apr 01, 2020
  • Length: 25:50
  • Purchases: 1
Solarpunk the Future
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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How the Solarpunk movement of writers and artists are imagining an eco-sci-fi future in the hopes that people will be inspired to create that futur...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Apr 15, 2020
  • Length: 28:01
  • Purchases: 1
Toy Stories
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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We asked our listeners to tell us about their favorite childhood toys that are providing them with a sense of comfort and security right now. Their...

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


  • Added: Apr 29, 2020
  • Length: 32:48
  • Purchases: 3
The Curse of The Curse
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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There are countless lists of horror films that were allegedly cursed like The Exorcist and Poltergeist. But the myth of the curse became its own ty...

Bought by KVSC and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: May 13, 2020
  • Length: 28:14
  • Purchases: 2
Time Travel Therapy
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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People often criticize time travel for the logical inconsistencies, but what about the emotional logic these narratives? Are they psychologically u...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: May 27, 2020
  • Length: 29:47
  • Purchases: 1
Larping in Place
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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Live theater has been shut down across the country, but live action role play (a.k.a. larp) is finding new ways to thrive in digital spaces with im...

  • Added: Jun 10, 2020
  • Length: 29:49
Making Up Creatures
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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If we ever make contact with aliens, they probably won’t look like humans with pointy ears or bumpy noses, but as creature design is more about com...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Jun 24, 2020
  • Length: 29:09
  • Purchases: 1
Once and Future Comic Con
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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For the first time in 50 years, San Diego Comic Con was cancelled – until it was brought back to life online. But can a virtual SDCC still feel lik...

Bought by WCNY, WXAV 88.3FM Chicago, and KVSC


  • Added: Jul 08, 2020
  • Length: 31:01
  • Purchases: 3
Inverting Lovecraft
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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H.P. Lovecraft was exceptionally racist. Why are so many creators of color finding that his work can be great fodder to describe the experience of ...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Jul 22, 2020
  • Length: 34:48
  • Purchases: 1
Dumbledore's Army (Updated)
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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In this week’s episode, I talk with Jackson Bird (formally of The Harry Potter Alliance) about how transgender fans of Harry Potter can still find ...

  • Added: Aug 05, 2020
  • Length: 40:40
Doug Jones: Shapeshifter
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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Doug Jones is one of the most widely seen actors that many people don’t know they’ve seen, thanks to makeup artists and his incredible versatility...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Aug 19, 2020
  • Length: 28:55
  • Purchases: 1
Ahsoka Tano - A New Hope
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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If you’re the type of Star Wars fan who knows the original trilogy by heart but hasn’t seen much else, Ahsoka Tano may be the most beloved Star War...

Bought by KVSC and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Sep 16, 2020
  • Length: 28:53
  • Purchases: 2
Fantasy and Fascism
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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Can fantasy worlds teach us to recognize and combat encroaching fascism?

Bought by KVSC, KZYX, and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Sep 30, 2020
  • Length: 32:39
  • Purchases: 3
Law & Order Superheroes
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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At a time when we’re reassessing the role of law enforcement in the real world, is it time to re-asses the role of vigilante super-cops in fantasy ...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Oct 14, 2020
  • Length: 28:30
  • Purchases: 1
Adulting with Cowboy Bebop
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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When Cowboy Bebop debuted on Cartoon Network in 2001, many of the first fans in the U.S. were kids. And it took them decades to finally understand ...

Bought by WCNY and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Oct 28, 2020
  • Length: 32:07
  • Purchases: 2
Fantasy in Translation
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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We can’t get universal translators through The Enterprise or the TARDIS, so we have to rely on human translators. Of course, something is always lo...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Nov 11, 2020
  • Length: 30:38
  • Purchases: 1
Fan Films Go Pro
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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Fan films exist in a legal gray area between free speech and copyright infringement. But the courts favor fan films that are “transformative,” whic...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Nov 23, 2020
  • Length: 27:08
  • Purchases: 1

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