Stars and Swords: Footnoting Genre Fiction

Next Word
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Stars and Swords is a weekly podcast dedicated to the exploration, analysis and celebration of genre fiction.

  1. Neuromancer 2: No Imagination

    12/08/2025

    Neuromancer 2: No Imagination

    This week, we continue our unit on William Gibson's Neuromancer. Are there only a few pathways to juvenile rebellion? How does the industrial become the post-industrial? How does Gibson's understanding of artificial intelligence hold up in 2025? To see the video version of this week's show, click here; to see the slides, click here! Footnotes: NeuromancerWilliam GibsonWilliam Gibson on BlueskyFollow Stars And Swords on YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. To join me for the live broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    1h 9m
  2. Neuromancer 1: But The Dreams Came On

    11/14/2025

    Neuromancer 1: But The Dreams Came On

    This week, we begin our unit on influential science fiction with the first part of William Gibson's novel Neuromancer. Where does cyberpunk come from? How does Gibson complicate the mind-body problem? How do we know what's cool? To see the video version of this week's show, click here; to see the slides, click here! Footnotes: NeuromancerWilliam GibsonWilliam Gibson on BlueskyFollow Stars And Swords on YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. To join me for the live broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    1h 11m
  3. The Haunting Of Hill House 3: The Unreliable Narrator

    11/02/2025

    The Haunting Of Hill House 3: The Unreliable Narrator

    This week, we conclude our spooky-season unit on The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. As Eleanor retreats from the story, how do we become aware of the perspective of the house itself? Is it possible to read Theodora as a villain? What, in the end, walks alone inside Hill House? To see the video version of this week's show, click here; to see the slides, click here! Footnotes: The Haunting Of Hill HouseThe Lottery And Other Stories (Shirley Jackson)The Letters of Shirley Jackson (Laurence Jackson Hyman)Follow Stars And Swords on YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. To join me for the live broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    1h 26m
  4. The Haunting Of Hill House 2: Come Home

    10/25/2025

    The Haunting Of Hill House 2: Come Home

    This week, we continue our thirteenth unit on The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. What are the atomic units of identity, and how do they interact? How does the book operate with -- or without -- the queer subtext? Is there, at the most basic level, something supernatural about Hill House? To see the video version of this week's show, click here; to see the slides, click here! Next week, chapters six to nine of The Haunting Of Hill House, live on Patreon on Thursday, October 30th at 9PM Central Time.  Footnotes: The Haunting Of Hill HouseThe Lottery And Other Stories (Shirley Jackson)The Letters of Shirley Jackson (Laurence Jackson Hyman)Follow Stars And Swords on YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. To join me for the live broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    1h 16m
  5. The Haunting Of Hill House 1: Swallowed By A Monster

    10/17/2025

    The Haunting Of Hill House 1: Swallowed By A Monster

    This week, we begin our thirteenth unit with an introduction to The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. How does Jackson's biography help us to understand the themes of this book? How do we understand Hill House in the gothic tradition? Is this the best first paragraph any book ever? To see the video version of this week's show, click here; to see the slides, click here! Next week, chapters two to five of The Haunting Of Hill House, live on Patreon on Thursday, October 23rd at 9PM Central Time.  Footnotes: The Haunting Of Hill HouseThe Lottery And Other Stories (Shirley Jackson)The Letters of Shirley Jackson (Laurence Jackson Hyman)Follow Stars And Swords on YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. To join me for the live broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    1h 16m
  6. The Haar 3: The Old Woman And The Sea

    10/10/2025

    The Haar 3: The Old Woman And The Sea

    This week, we conclude our unit on David Sodergren's The Haar. Where did cozy fiction come from? Is the satire effective? How do we understand Muriel's faith and final decision? To see the video version of this week's show, click here; to see the slides, click here! Next week, we begin Shirley Jackson's The Haunting Of Hill House, live on Patreon on Thursday, October 16th at 9PM Central Time.  Footnotes: The HaarYou've Been Trumped (2011)Trump International Golf Links, ScotlandHaggis Wildlife FoundationFollow Stars And Swords on YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. To join me for the live broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    1h 7m
  7. The Haar 2: Bright Sea

    10/03/2025

    The Haar 2: Bright Sea

    This week, we continue our spookily-seasonal unit on David Sodergren's The Haar. What is the role of memory in a story preoccupied with bodies? How is identity constructed? Is this book the first recorded instance of Cosy Gore? To see the video version of this week's show, click here; to see the slides, click here! Next week, we conclude David Sodergren's The Haar, live on Patreon on Thursday, October 9th at 9PM Central Time.  Footnotes: The HaarYou've Been Trumped (2011)Trump International Golf Links, ScotlandHaggis Wildlife FoundationFollow Stars And Swords on YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. To join me for the live broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    1h 5m
  8. The Haar 1: It's Mrs McAuley

    09/26/2025

    The Haar 1: It's Mrs McAuley

    Welcome to spooky season, and our Modern Horror unit on David Sodergren's The Haar. What is the necessary context for this novel? How does the possibility space of a horror novel work in practice? Is Muriel Margaret McAuley the best protagonist we've studied? To see the video version of this week's show, click here; to see the slides, click here! Next week, we continue David Sodergren's The Haar, live on Patreon on Thursday, October 2nd at 9PM Central Time.  Footnotes: The HaarYou've Been Trumped (2011)Trump International Golf Links, Scotland"Protected sand dunes to lose special status after environmental damage by Trump golf course." (London School of Economics)"‘People have seen through him and he’s not welcome’: Scotland tees up for Trump visit." (The Guardian)Follow Stars And Swords on YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. To join me for the live broadcast, to support the podcast, to join the conversation on Discord and to get access to monthly bonus episodes, please visit Patreon.com/NextWord and pledge your support!  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

    1h 9m
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Stars and Swords is a weekly podcast dedicated to the exploration, analysis and celebration of genre fiction.

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