Episodes
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In this episode of Griots & Galaxies, Jenna sits down with award-winning singer/songwriter and author Mohale Mashigo. In this conversation, Mohale shares her experiences in multimedia storytelling, and questions if aliens are truly as scary as Westerners seem to think.
Mohale Mashigo is a best-selling multi-award-winning writer. Her work includes The Yearning (University of Johannesburg Debut Prize for South African Writing in English 2016) and a collection of speculative fiction short stories; Intruders. Mashigo also writes children's books and comic books. Some of her comic book work includes Kwezi, and various projects with both DC & Marvel Comics.Mohale was born and raised in Soweto, she is a multi-disciplinary storyteller who loves exploring the unknown. In addition to being a writer, she is also an award winning singer songwriter, who performs under the name Black Porcelain. Mashigo holds a BA (Journalism & Linguistics) degree from Rhodes University. She is currently the Narrative Director for Game Development studio Nyamakop.
Griots & Galaxies is produced by the Center for Science and the Imagination, with support from the Institute for Humanities Research and The Transformation Project, all at Arizona State University. The podcast is created and hosted by Jenna Hanchey, Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, and Chinelo Onwualu, with the assistance of sound engineer Bailey Pyritz. The theme music is performed by Sonja Branch and Dethie Sarr Diouf.
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In this episode of Griots & Galaxies, Chinelo and Yvette sit down with critically-acclaimed author Tobi Ogundiran. In this conversation, Tobi takes us into horror and haunting, talking about how fairytales reveal what different societies fear–and long for.
Tobi Ogundiran is the author of the critically acclaimed Jackal, Jackal, a collection of eighteen dark and fantastic tales. Tobi has been nominated for the British Science Fiction Association, Shirley Jackson, Ignyte and Nommo awards. His work has appeared in anthologies such as The Book of Witches and Africa Risen. Tobi's work has also appeared in several Year's Best anthologies. His debut novella, In the Shadow of the Fall, is out from Tordotcom in 2024. Born and raised in Nigeria, he spent seven years in Russia where he trained as a physician, and now lives and works in the southern US.
Griots & Galaxies is produced by the Center for Science and the Imagination, with support from the Institute for Humanities Research and The Transformation Project, all at Arizona State University. The podcast is created and hosted by Jenna Hanchey, Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, and Chinelo Onwualu, with the assistance of sound engineer Bailey Pyritz. The theme music is performed by Sonja Branch and Dethie Sarr Diouf.
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Episodes manquant?
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In this episode of Griots & Galaxies, Jenna and Chinelo sit down with Ifa/Òrìsà scholar and writer Ayodele Olofintuade. In this conversation, Ayodele talks to us about African metaphysics and the importance of queer and gender-expansive characters to resisting colonization.
Ayodele Olofintuade is yet to understand the concept of cis-heteronormativity. They are the author of Swallow: Efunsetan Aniwura, Lakiriboto Chronicles: A Brief History of Badly Behaved Women, Eno’s Story, which was shortlisted for the NLNG Prize for Literature in 2011. They are genius at creating chaos by merely existing. Their short stories, non-fiction, research and essays have been published in diverse international magazines and journals. They're an Ifa and Òrìsà scholar presently researching indigenous peoples of Yoruba and ways their practices are intertwined with stewardship of the land and nature.
Griots & Galaxies is produced by the Center for Science and the Imagination, with support from the Institute for Humanities Research and The Transformation Project, all at Arizona State University. The podcast is created and hosted by Jenna Hanchey, Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, and Chinelo Onwualu, with the assistance of sound engineer Bailey Pyritz. The theme music is performed by Sonja Branch and Dethie Sarr Diouf.
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In this episode of Griots & Galaxies, Chinelo sits down with award-winning author Temi Oh. In this conversation, Temi talks to us about neuroscience, corporate control, and how futures of AI technologies relate to histories of racism and colonialism.
Temi Oh wrote her first novel while studying for a BSci in Neuroscience. Her novel, Do You Dream of Terra-Two?, was published by Simon & Schuster. It won the American Library Association’s Alex Award in 2020 and was an NPR Best Book of the year in 2019. She has written stories for Marvel's Black Panther, Dr Who and Overwatch. Her most recent novel, MORE PERFECT, was published in 2023. She has written on the Netflix TV series CASTLEVANIA: NOCTURNE and the CBBC series SILVERPOINT.
Griots & Galaxies is produced by the Center for Science and the Imagination, with support from the Institute for Humanities Research and The Transformation Project, all at Arizona State University. The podcast is created and hosted by Jenna Hanchey, Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, and Chinelo Onwualu, with the assistance of sound engineer Bailey Pyritz. The theme music is performed by Sonja Branch and Dethie Sarr Diouf.
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In this episode of Griots & Galaxies, Yvette and Jenna sit down with award-winning author and editor Shingai Njeri Kagunda. In this conversation, Shingai talks to us about building community across the African diaspora, and challenges us to consider that taking African knowledges seriously means rethinking time itself.
Shingai Njeri Kagunda is an Afrosurrealist and Afrofuturist storyteller from Nairobi, Kenya with a Literary Arts MFA from Brown University. Shingai’s work has been featured in the Best American Sci-fi and Fantasy 2020, Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction 2021, and Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror 2020. Her debut novella & This is How to Stay Alive from Neon Hemlock Press was the Ignyte Award winner in 2022. She is the co-editor of Podcastle Magazine (a Hugo Award finalist for Best Semiprozine) and the co-founder of Voodoonauts.
Griots & Galaxies is produced by the Center for Science and the Imagination, with support from the Institute for Humanities Research and The Transformation Project, all at Arizona State University. The podcast is created and hosted by Jenna Hanchey, Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, and Chinelo Onwualu, with the assistance of sound engineer Bailey Pyritz. The theme music is performed by Sonja Branch and Dethie Sarr Diouf.
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In this special episode of Griots & Galaxies, Yvette interviews her cohost, editor and author Chinelo Onwualu. Chinelo shares with us her experiences as cofounder of Omenana and a forerunner in African speculative fiction, and where she hopes to see the genre in the future.
Chinelo Onwualu is a Nigerian writer and editor living in Toronto. She’s the nonfiction editor of Anathema Magazine, and co-founder of Omenana, a magazine of African Speculative Fiction. Her writing has been featured in several anthologies and magazines, including Slate, Uncanny, and Strange Horizons. She’s been nominated for the British Science Fiction Awards, the Nommo Awards for African Speculative Fiction, and the Short Story Day Africa Award.
Griots & Galaxies is produced by the Center for Science and the Imagination, with support from the Institute for Humanities Research and The Transformation Project, all at Arizona State University. The podcast is created and hosted by Jenna Hanchey, Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, and Chinelo Onwualu, with the assistance of sound engineer Bailey Pyritz. The theme music is performed by Sonja Branch and Dethie Sarr Diouf.
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In this episode of Griots & Galaxies, Jenna and Chinelo sit down with award-winning author Tlotlo Tsamaase. In this conversation, Tlotlo talks with us about queerness, the dead, and how African surrealist stories illuminate the politics of African urban landscapes.
Tlotlo Tsamaase is a Motswana author. Tlotlo's debut adult novel, Womb City, comes out in January 2024 from Erewhon Books. Xer novella, The Silence of the Wilting Skin, is a 2021 Lambda Literary Award finalist and was shortlisted for a 2021 Nommo Award. Tlotlo has received support from the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, and xer story “Behind Our Irises”, is the joint winner of the Nommo Award for Best Short Story. Tlotlo's short fiction has appeared in Africa Risen, The Best of World SF Volume 1, Clarkesworld, Terraform, and Africanfuturism Anthology and is forthcoming in Chiral Mad 5 and other publications. Xe obtained a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Botswana and won an award for design architecture. Tlotlo is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at Chapman University.
Griots & Galaxies is produced by the Center for Science and the Imagination, with support from the Institute for Humanities Research and The Transformation Project, all at Arizona State University. The podcast is created and hosted by Jenna Hanchey, Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, and Chinelo Onwualu, with the assistance of sound engineer Bailey Pyritz. The theme music is performed by Sonja Branch and Dethie Sarr Diouf.
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In this episode of Griots & Galaxies, Yvette & Jenna sit down with award-winning author and academic Suyi Davis Okungbowa. In this conversation, Suyi talks to us about godpunk, Stranger Things, and how to support African and other marginalized writers in the publishing industry.
Suyi Davies Okungbowa is a Nigerian author of fantasy, science fiction and general speculative work. He has published various novels for adults, the latest of which are Warrior of the Wind and Son of the Storm—both of The Nameless Republic epic fantasy trilogy—and the forthcoming Lost Ark Dreaming. His debut novel, David Mogo, Godhunter, won the 2020 Nommo Award for Best Novel. His shorter works have appeared in various periodicals and anthologies and have been nominated for various awards. He earned his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona, and lives in Ontario, where he is a professor of creative writing at the University of Ottawa. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @suyidavies, or via his newsletter, SuyiAfterFive.com.
Griots & Galaxies is produced by the Center for Science and the Imagination, with support from the Institute for Humanities Research and The Transformation Project, all at Arizona State University. The podcast is created and hosted by Jenna Hanchey, Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, and Chinelo Onwualu, with the assistance of sound engineer Bailey Pyritz. The theme music is performed by Sonja Branch and Dethie Sarr Diouf.
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In this episode of Griots & Galaxies, Chinelo & Yvette sit down with USA Today bestselling author Kemi Ashing-Giwa. In this conversation, Kemi takes us to galaxies far, far away, reimagining the hero’s journey through African-centered space opera.
Kemi Ashing-Giwa is the USA Today bestselling author of The Splinter in the Sky and the forthcoming novella This World Is Not Yours. She studied organismic & evolutionary biology and astrophysics at Harvard, and is now pursuing a PhD in the Earth & Planetary Sciences department at Stanford. Her short fiction has appeared or will appear in Tor.com, Anathema: Spec from the Margins, The Sunday Morning Transport, Clarkesworld Magazine, Kaleidotrope, and Luna Station Quarterly.
Griots & Galaxies is produced by the Center for Science and the Imagination, with support from the Institute for Humanities Research and The Transformation Project, all at Arizona State University. The podcast is created and hosted by Jenna Hanchey, Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, and Chinelo Onwualu, with the assistance of sound engineer Bailey Pyritz. The theme music is performed by Sonja Branch and Dethie Sarr Diouf.
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In this episode of Griots & Galaxies, Jenna & Chinelo sit down with author and editor Wole Talabi. In this conversation, Wole speaks about gods going on heists and how technologies hold the potential to bring us together in alternative histories and imagined futures.
Wole Talabi is an engineer, writer, and editor from Nigeria. He is the author of the novel SHIGIDI AND THE BRASS HEAD OF OBALUFON. His short fiction has appeared in places like Asimov’s Science Fiction, Lightspeed Magazine, Tor.com and is collected in the books CONVERGENCE PROBLEMS and INCOMPLETE SOLUTIONS. He has been a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Locus and Nommo awards, as well as the Caine Prize for African Writing and the Sidewise Award for Alternate History. He has edited five anthologies including a 2-volume translation anthology in Bengali, the acclaimed AFRICANFUTURISM: AN ANTHOLOGY and the forthcoming MOTHERSOUND: THE SAUÚTIVERSE ANTHOLOGY. He likes scuba diving, elegant equations, and oddly shaped things. He currently lives and works in Malaysia. Find him at wtalabi.wordpress.com and at @wtalabi on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky and Tiktok.
Griots & Galaxies is produced by the Center for Science and the Imagination, with support from the Institute for Humanities Research and The Transformation Project, all at Arizona State University. The podcast is created and hosted by Jenna Hanchey, Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, and Chinelo Onwualu, with the assistance of sound engineer Bailey Pyritz. The theme music is performed by Sonja Branch and Dethie Sarr Diouf.
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The Center for Science and the Imagination is proud to present the new podcast Griots & Galaxies! This is a ten episode series hosted by Jenna Hanchey, Chinelo Onwualu, and Yvette Lisa Ndlovu that explores the work of ten African speculative fiction authors and imagining new futures for the continent. Stay tuned for Episode 1 tomorrow, October 3rd.
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This episode of The Imagination Desk features Michael G. Bennett, a lawyer and legal scholar, scholar of science, technology and society, visual artist, and higher education leader. In this chat, we discuss different ways that artists use imagination, historically Black colleges and universities, and imagining Black futures.
Michael G. Bennett is the Director of Education Curriculum and Business Lead for Responsible AI at Northeastern University’s Institute for Experiential AI in Boston, Massachusetts—though at the time of recording, he served as Director of Student Experiential Immersion Programs at the Discovery Partners Institute at the University of Illinois. Previously, he held several positions at Arizona State University, including Director of Innovation Policy at the School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Lecturer at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, and Associate Research Professor at the Center for Science and the Imagination. He also served as Commissioner of Arts and Culture for the City of Tempe, Arizona from 2019 through 2021. To learn more about Michael and his work, check out his Twitter @MGBennett.
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In this episode of The Imagination Desk, we sit down with science fiction and fantasy author Christopher Rowe to have a conversation about the relationship between imagination and faith, and how imagination influences our view of the universe.
Christopher Rowe is the author of the short story collection Telling the Map and, in 2022, the novel These Prisoning Hills. He co-writes The Supernormal Sleuthing Service, a middle grade series, with his wife, the author Gwenda Bond. His novel The Navigating Fox will be published in 2023, as well as a story in the anthology George R. R. Martin Presents Wild Cards: Pairing Up. He is based in Lexington, Kentucky. You can learn more about Christopher and his work at christopherrowe.net.
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In this episode of The Imagination Desk, we sit down with cultural producer, performer, and inclusion expert Claudia Alick. In this conversation, Claudia speaks about Black imagination and futures, and shares her perspectives on ways to create safer and more inclusive spaces for marginalized groups and communities.
Claudia Alick is a multimodal artist and changemaker who has written, directed, and produced a number of theatrical productions, facilitated artist workshops, and created podcasts and video series. She has served on the City of Ashland, Oregon’s Climate Action Committee and is co-president of the board of the Network of Ensemble Theater. She served on Oregon Arts Leaders in Inclusion and steering committees for The Ghostlight Project and Black Theater Commons. She is the recipient of the NYC Fresh Fruit directing award, the Lilla Jewel Award for Women Artists, was featured on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, and was formerly the Community Producer for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. To learn more about Claudia’s work, including their podcast Hold on Wait for it, visit claudiaalick.com.
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This episode of The Imagination Desk features Fabrice Guerrier, who sits down with us to explore topics including the relationship between imagination and the physical world, how imagination can be used to to come up with better solutions to current issues, and the significance of collaboration in imagination and creativity.
Fabrice Guerrier is a science fiction and fantasy author and founder of Syllble Studios, a production space that brings creatives of many kinds together to collectively imagine worlds with world building for artists’ own work.
Website: https://fabriceguerrier.com/
The research reported in these conversations was made possible by a grant from the Spencer Foundation, (#20210085). The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Spencer Foundation.
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This episode of The Imagination Desk features Laura Tohe. In this conversation, Laura dives into the role imagination plays in communities, specifically Navajo communities. We also discuss the importance of language in her community, and the impact of leadership on caring for the planet.
Laura Tohe is a Diné and Tsénahabiłnii poet, writer, and librettist, and much of her work revolves around the Native American and Navajo community. Laura is also a Professor in the English Department at Arizona State University with Exemplar Distinction.
Website: https://www.lauratohe.com/
The research reported in these conversations was made possible by a grant from the Spencer Foundation, (#20210085). The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Spencer Foundation.
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This episode of The Imagination Desk features Corey Pressman. In this conversation, Corey discusses inquisitive topics including the effects of imagination on mental health and culture, the link between imagination and materialism, and how he uses imagination in his work.
Corey Pressman is an artist, author, and teacher at the school of integrative health and wellness at the University of Portland. His work at the university focuses on finding ways, through imagination, to manage stress and compassion fatigue for caregivers. You can find his art and writing here: https://coreypressman.com/
The research reported in these conversations was made possible by a grant from the Spencer Foundation, (#20210085). The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Spencer Foundation.
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This episode of The Imagination Desk features Lisa K. Solomon. In this conversation, Lisa talks about practicing imagination in the classroom, listening to and learning from our peers, and collaboratively building inclusive futures.
Lisa Kay Solomon is an author of the books “Moments of Impact: How to Design Strategic Conversations that Accelerate Change” and “Design a Better Business: New Tools, Skill and Mindset for Strategy and Innovation.” She teaches and designs programs at Stanford's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. She works to incorporate futures thinking and applied design thinking into problem solving for not only students at the school, but also for K-12 educators, in order to build and develop leadership and companionship.
Website: https://www.lisakaysolomon.com/
The research reported in these conversations was made possible by a grant from the Spencer Foundation, (#20210085). The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Spencer Foundation.
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In this episode of the Imagination Desk, we sat down with ASU futurist in residence Brian David Johnson. In this chat, we talk with Brian about his work on artificial intelligence and introduce his new podcast called Sci-Fi House Presents Imagining Intelligence which premieres next week.
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Katie Bouman is an assistant professor of computing and mathematical sciences, electrical engineering, and astronomy at Caltech in Pasadena, California. In this episode, we talk about scientific collaboration, imagination, and Katie’s work on the Event Horizon Telescope, which produced the first image of a black hole by combining insights and methods from signal processing, computer vision, machine learning, and physics.
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This work was supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities grant AKA-265705-19 - Montre plus
