Moiya and writer Victoria Male talk about best pracices for adapting old stories into new versions and discuss their favorite/least favorite reboots. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST  Victoria Male is an award-winning writer and multimedia producer. Find her on IG at @victoriamale1 and learn more at her website victoriamale.com MESSAGES Listen to Big Game Hunger every Monday HOUSEKEEPING Order my book, THE MILKY WAY: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/moiya-mctier/the-milky-way/9781538754153/ BUY EXOLORE SWAG ..read more

Moiya is joined by geneticist Dr. Alex Dainis to imagine a friendly world where life evolved two separate times. They talk DNA, folklore around food, crystals storing information, and wide-orbiting moons. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Alex is a geneticist and science communicator on all the platforms. Find her on social at @alex.dainis and watch her new PBSDS show Hungry Planet on PBS Terra! MIDBREAK Listen to Tell Me About It every other Thursday HOUSEKEEPING Order my book, THE MILKY WAY: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/moiya ..read more

Moiya is joined by biochemist Dr. Anicca Harriot to discuss Janelle Monae's multi-media afrofuturistic worldbuilding. They talk about Monae's inspiration and New Dawn nuances, while mostly gushing about how talented Monae is. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Anicca Harriot is a biochemist, molecular biologist, and chief of community development at Vanguard STEM. Follow her at @13adh13. MIDBREAK Join the Multicrew at multicrew.club HOUSEKEEPING Order my book, THE MILKY WAY: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/moiya-mctier/the-milky-wa ..read more

Moiya is joined by neuroscientist Dr. Paula Croxson for a trippy exercise where they imagine the "world" of an animal brain. It doesn't get as weird as you might expect. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Dr. Paula Croxson is a neuroscientist, storyteller, and science engagement expert. Learn about her work at paulacroxson.com or @paulacroxson MIDBREAK Listen to Tiny Matters from the American Chemical Society every other Wednesday Listen to Queer Movie Podcast every other Thursday HOUSEKEEPING Order my book, THE MILKY WAY: https://www.grandcentralpu ..read more

Moiya is joined by fantasy literature scholar Bezi Yohannes to imagine a brand new world where the meanings of light and dark are switched. Together they create magical slippery creatures who do all of their private acts in public. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Bezi Yohannes is a book reviewer, half of the Dreaming in the Dark team, and literal Black fantasy scholar. Find her online at @beingabookwyrm MIDBREAK Listen to SPIRITS, new episodes every Wednesday HOUSEKEEPING Order my book, THE MILKY WAY: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles ..read more

We're revisiting a fan favorite episode this week! Throwback Thursday to that time Moiya learned a process for building coherent and balanced magic systems. This turned out to be the first in a trio of episodes. After this, listen to The World of Touchy Arachnids and then Building Magic Systems part II where Clark comes back to put his process into practice on our homegrown world. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST C.R. Rowenson is a trained chemical engineer who's passionate about writing and building magic systems. You can follow him on twitter @Clar ..read more

Moiya is joined by biochemist Isaac Paddy to build a world inspired by his love of musicals and romcoms. They imagine a world full of singing amphibious creatures who live their lives according to the movement of their planet's six different moons. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Isaac Paddy is a biochemist in a PhD program at Stanford studying enzymes. Follow him on twitter at @isaacapaddy MIDBREAK Join the Multicrew to access fun, exclusive perks like Head Heart Gut! HOUSEKEEPING Order my book, THE MILKY WAY: https://www.grandcentralpublishin ..read more

Moiya is joined by Em Meurer to imagine a world with elaborate funeral rituals. Together they create adorable creatures that roll around on bioluminescent moss and communicate emotions through smells. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Em Meurer is a graphic designer, book reviewer, and death communicator. Find her socials, book reviews, and Good Grief on her website emmeurer.com MIDBREAK Discover new podcasts with specific episodes at kradl.io Listen to Tiny Matters wherever you get your podcasts every other Wednesday Help us out by filling out the ..read more

Moiya is joined by fellow nerds Connie Gibbs and Delia Gallegos to discuss the worldbuilding in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings! There is so much to unpack, from the creation of the world, origin of its magic, Tolkien's inspirations, and the little matter of having a FLAT WORLD! HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUESTS Connie Gibbs is a nerd, writer, and social media manager for Scholastic. Find her on twitter at @Constar24. Delia Gallegos is a writer, speaker, and podcaster. Follow her work at deliaistyping.com and listen to her new podcast CULTURE BY CULTURE ..read more

Moiya is joined by chemist Kiara Whittle to imagine a peaceful world where a special stone lets people communicate telepathically. This is one of the most earth-like worlds we've built on the show. HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist GUEST Kiara Whittle is a chemist and science communicator who is actively pursuing her masters in public health while working as a scientist making and testing products for a medical company. Follow her on instagram @ki_thechemist or on twitter @BlowTheWhittle MIDBREAK Listen to TELL ME ABOUT IT every other Thursday! This epis ..read more