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
Office Space
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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I talk with Loki’s production designer Kasra Farahani about why the intergalactic bureaucracy of time keepers resonated with so many viewers, and w...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Sep 29, 2021
  • Length: 27:21
  • Purchases: 1
The Ecology of Dune
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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Dune was a pioneer in environmental science fiction, but Frank Herbert's own environmentalism is often misunderstood.

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Oct 13, 2021
  • Length: 27:57
  • Purchases: 1
Stage Fright
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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From buckets of stage blood to confectionary edible eyeballs, the Grand Guignol grossed out its Parians audience a century ago, and invented modern...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Oct 27, 2021
  • Length: 26:46
  • Purchases: 1
Rerolling Role-Playing Games
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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Tabletop role-playing games are experiencing a renaissance of game design, but they’re also asking tough questions about the nature of classic RPGs...

Bought by PRX Remix and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Nov 10, 2021
  • Length: 28:03
  • Purchases: 2
Art of The Brick
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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We’re snapping together the LEGO bricks of Nathan Sawaya’s career, going from being a corporate lawyer to a famous LEGO Master Builder, and a profe...

Bought by PRX Remix and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Nov 24, 2021
  • Length: 28:00
  • Purchases: 2
Have Yourself a Scary Little Krampus
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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To some people outside central Europe, the idea of St Nicholas having a horned tongue-wagging companion called Krampus, who punishes children, migh...

Bought by KVNF and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Dec 08, 2021
  • Length: 27:19
  • Purchases: 2
Multiverse Remix
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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This week, I’m replaying two older episodes of mine that dealt with many of the themes that come up in multiverse storylines, as the MCU and DC cin...

Bought by PRX Remix and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Dec 22, 2021
  • Length: 32:00
  • Purchases: 2
Politics of The Funnies Part 1
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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Walt Kelly coined the iconic phrase, “we have met the enemy and he is us,” But not many people have met Kelly’s characters, who have a lot more to ...

Bought by WHCP-LP Cambridge, KCUR, RadioFreePalmer, and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Jan 05, 2022
  • Length: 29:01
  • Purchases: 4
Politics of The Funnies Part 2
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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Al Capp and his comic strip L’il Abner were once cultural institutions. He broke new ground pushing satire and politics into the funnies, until it ...

Bought by WHCP-LP Cambridge, KCUR, and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Jan 19, 2022
  • Length: 27:58
  • Purchases: 3
Headcanon Fodder
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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Have you ever watched a movie or show, gotten sucked into a mystery and come up with your own idea of what is going to be revealed – only to find o...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Feb 02, 2022
  • Length: 32:22
  • Purchases: 1
Beforeigners
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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Beforeigners is a fantastic Norwegian sci-fi drama which imagines what if people from the Viking era and other times in Norway’s past started poppi...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Feb 16, 2022
  • Length: 33:12
  • Purchases: 1
Asian Futures Without Asians
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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I talk with the artist and writer Astria Suparak about her video presentation, “Asian futures, without Asians,” where she examines a genre within t...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Mar 02, 2022
  • Length: 33:24
  • Purchases: 1
A Nation Dreams of Itself
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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The Russian invasion of Ukraine shocked the world, but this conflict was foreshadowed in Ukrainian and Russian speculative fiction. I talk with sev...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Mar 16, 2022
  • Length: 27:05
  • Purchases: 1
Nosferatu Live
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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On the centennial of Nosferatu, I talk with film composers who have infused this vampire tale with new blood, and new scores to keep an old film al...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Mar 30, 2022
  • Length: 29:07
  • Purchases: 1
Neurodivergent Futures
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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Many sci-fi worlds present a future where neurotypical humans interact with aliens or A.I. that see reality in a different way without a hierarchy ...

Bought by RadioFreePalmer, WLRH, and WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Apr 13, 2022
  • Length: 26:56
  • Purchases: 3
De-Aging Well
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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There’s an old saying that everyone wants to live long, but no one wants to get old. The same can be applied to our favorite sci-fi fantasy franchi...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Apr 27, 2022
  • Length: 33:06
  • Purchases: 1
Mystery Science Theater Reopens
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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In the ‘90s, Mystery Science Theater 3000 helped define a new kind of pop culture humor. But as the show returns, I ask creator Joel Hodgson whethe...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: May 25, 2022
  • Length: 25:29
  • Purchases: 1
200 Imaginary Worlds
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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To celebrate the 200th episode of Imaginary Worlds (!!) we check in with previous guests to see what they’ve been up to and we hear from listeners ...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Jun 08, 2022
  • Length: 37:59
  • Purchases: 1
The Art of Piracy
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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Long before Our Flag Means Death, Blackbeard was a fantasy character dabbling in the dark arts or searching for the fountain of youth. That was by ...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Jun 22, 2022
  • Length: 30:50
  • Purchases: 1
Guys and Dolls
From: Eric Molinsky
Series: Imaginary Worlds
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This week, we’re playing an episode of the excellent podcast Aria Code as they deconstruct the automation character Olympia from Tales of Hoffmann ...

Bought by WXAV 88.3FM Chicago


  • Added: Jul 08, 2022
  • Length: 34:31
  • Purchases: 1

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