Thursday, March 04, 2021

New Podcast: Science Fiction 101!

I'd like to introduce you to a new podcast I've been working on: Science Fiction 101.

It's something of a spin-off from Bradbury 100 (podcast) and Bradbury 101 (Youtube series)... but without the Bradbury specificity. That doesn't mean that Ray is off-limits; on the contrary, he gets mentioned a couple of times in the first episode!

If you already subcribe to Bradbury 100 on your podcast app, you will shortly be served up with the first, sample episode of Science Fiction 101. If you like it, you can then search for it and subscribe separately.

You can also pick up new episodes of Science Fiction 101 directly from  the companion blog, which is here: https://101sf.blogspot.com

And to make it even easier, here's the first episode, right here:

 





Do please let me know what you think of this first episode - and if you have suggestions of what you'd like to hear in future episodes,  please send them my way!

 


3 comments:

David Chadwick said...

Dear Phil, Thank you so much for your new podcast which I have just listened to. Bradbury 100 kept me going throughout the Lockdown last year so it's great that there's another source of SF nourishment for 2021. I very much appreciate the recommendations from the past and present. They can only deepen my interest and appreciation- thank you. I'm currently reading a collection of John Wyndham's old magazine stories. These, coupled with those written by Ray, remind me that there must be a wealth of other great stories out there which perhaps have been denied the circulation they deserve. Have you any tips on which may be worth my while? Thanks also for your Bradbury Media website. You've introduced me to areas of Ray's work I knew nothing about. All the very best to you.

Phil said...

Thanks, David, I'm glad you're enjoying the shows and the website.

I could recommend any number of SF writers who were active in the 1950s: Bradbury, Finney and Wyndham we already know; but also Richard Matheson, Fred Pohl, Judith Merrill, Arthur C.Clarke, Katharine MacLean, Theodore Sturgeon, James Gunn, Joanna Russ...

My own view is that the 1950s was the most exciting era of modern science fiction. The field was responding to the shock of Hiroshima, and the new world order that was the Cold War, while also dealing with a new era of growth, consumerism, the new media of radio and television. All while seeing a second or third generation of authors entering the field who were becoming more sophisticated writers than the preceding generation.

By the way, I wasn't even alive in the 1950s, so this isn't a misguided nostalgia on my part.

Every now and again I like to open an old pulp magazine and read the stories in the context in which they first appeared. If you head over to archive.org, you'll find there are hundreds of old pulp magazines such as Galaxy, Astounding, etc.


David Chadwick said...

Thanks Phil. I look forward to reading more and hearing your words of wisdom. I couldn't agree more with what you say about the 1950s. It's like a door of SF opportunity has been opened, especially with access to those pulps. With best wishes, David.