The Worldbuilder's Tavern
The Worldbuilder's Tavern is a bi-weekly podcast for sci-fi and fantasy writers. The hosts (writer, makeup artist, and dungeon master Emma Maione; writer and developmental editor Allison Alexander; and marketing manager and academic Christiana Jones) break down the worldbuilding of speculative shows, movies, and books, sharing insights into how creatives can apply professional storytelling techniques to their own projects.
Episodes
In this episode, we're talking about how horror and romance can go together (and whether cozy horror is a thing) in Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell.
- Proprietor's Pick: Voyage of the Damned by Frances White
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Website | TikTok | Discord
- Access bonus cont...
In this episode, we're talking about deconstructing tropes, dark fairy tales, costs of magic, monsters, and more in the dark fantasy TV show The Witcher.
- Proprietor's Pick: Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: TikTok | Discord
- Access bonus content and support us on ...
In this episode, we're talking about the novella All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells.
- Proprietor's Pick: The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: TikTok | Discord
- Access bonus content and support us on Patreon
- Support Haneen's ...
In this episode, we're talking about how science and magic intertwine in the Netflix show Arcane.
- Proprietor's Pick: The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: TikTok | Discord
- Access bonus content and support us on Patreon
- Support Haneen's fam...
This season, we're introducing a new type of bonus episodes for our patrons: worldbuilding workshops! In these episodes, the hosts pick an element of a world and build it together. You can use whatever we build for your own stories, or take the questions we ask and build your own.
These monthly bonus episodes are exclusive to our Patreon, but the first is free for everyone to listen to!
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" b...
In this episode, we're talking about superpowers, secret identities, and characterization in the Netflix show The Umbrella Academy.
- Proprietor's Pick: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: TikTok | Discord
- Access bonus content and support us on Patreon...
Season 3 is coming! We've added a couple new segments and will be talking about worldbuilding through the lens of genre.
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: TikTok | Discord
- Access bonus content and support us on Patreon
In this episode, we're talking about humour, character arcs, prologues, pirate mythology, and more in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
- Proprietor's Pick: The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord...
In this episode, we're talking about mechs, feminism, disability representation, and more in the novel Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao.
- Proprietor's Pick: A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord
- Access bonus content and support us...
In this episode, we're talking about nanofibers, science as a weapon, and supercomputers in the TV show 3 Body Problem.
- Proprietor's Pick: Jumpnauts by Hao Jingfang
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord
- Access bonus content and support us on Patreon
In this episode, we're talking about science gone haywire, confusing vs. interesting worldbuilding, and tension in the TV show 3 Body Problem.
- Proprietor's Pick: Exordia by Seth Dickinson
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord
- Access bonus content and support us on ...
In this episode, we're talking about sense of place, metaphor, mythology, and symbolism in the movie Song of the Sea.
- Proprietor's Pick: The Selkie's Daughter by Linda Crotta Brennan
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord
- Access bonus content and support us on Patr...
In this episode, we're talking about writing a story based on a theme, age categories, oppressive systems, and utopian societies in the novella Pet by Akwaeke Emezi.
- Proprietor's Pick: Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord
- Access bonus cont...
In this episode, we're talking about factions, over-the-top worldbuilding, and retro-futurism in the TV show (based on the video game) Fallout.
- Proprietor's Pick: Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord
- Access bonus content and support us on Patreon...
In this episode, we're talking about humour, morality, and the afterlife in the TV show The Good Place.
- Proprietor's Pick: How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord
- Access bonus content and support us on Patreon
In this episode, we're chatting with author Trudie Skies about deities, races, domains, magic, and expansive worldbuilding in The Thirteenth Hour, a gaslamp adult fantasy and the first in The Cruel Gods series.
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord
- Access bonus content and support us on Patreon
- Find Tr...
In this episode, we're chatting about historical worldbuilding, weirdness, anti-capitalism, and ecological themes in the Studio Ghibli movie Princess Mononoke.
- Proprietor's Pick: Godkiller by Hannah Kaner
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord
- Access bonus content and support us on Patreon
In this episode, we're chatting about situational humour, aliens, montages, and time loops in the movie Edge of Tomorrow.
- Proprietor's Pick: The Misfit Soldier by Michael Mammay
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord
- Access bonus content and support us on Patreon
In this episode, we're chatting with author Kristen Ciccarelli about blood magic, witches, and witch hunters in Heartless Hunter, the YA fantasy romance inspired by the The Scarlet Pimpernel.
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord
- Access bonus content and support us on Patreon
- Find Kristen Ciccarelli at kristen...
In this episode, we're chatting about worldbuilding in the shadows, how actions matter, and adaptable storytelling in the video game Baldur's Gate 3.
- Proprietor's Pick: The West Passage by Jared Pechaček
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Twitter | TikTok | Discord
- Access bonus content and support us on Patreon
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