S4 E6: Maigret and me and Jack Jewers

August 26, 2026 by Michael Boyce

On this episode of Geek4, I’m joined by the returning Jack Jewers! Jack is a filmmaker and author (his new Samuel Pepys mystery, Seething Lane, out September 3rd). Jack introduced to me this amazing series of French detective novels: Georges Simenon's Maigret novels. Simenon wrote 75 Maigret novels and 28 short stories between 1931 and 1972, all centred around Jules Maigret, a Parisian police inspector who solves cases less through brilliant deduction than through patience, atmosphere, and an almost novelistic sympathy for the people caught up in them. They're some of the most influential detective fiction of the twentieth century, and a natural reference point for anyone writing atmospheric historical mysteries now.

Jack’s new novel, Seething Lane, is out September from Moonflower Books. You can preorder in the UK from Waterstones or Blackwells (for Canadian listeners, Blackwells ships to Canada for free!).

You can follow Jack on social media (Instagram: @jackjewers) and check out his website www.jackjewers.com for more about his writing and filmmaking.

Follow me on Instagram @mwboyce , Threads @mwboyce and Bluesky @mwboyce. And you can always check out the show on Instagram @geek4pod

If you liked the show, consider leaving a 5 star review on your podcatcher of choice. The more reviews we have, the more we show up in searches. Somehow. Magic I think. Follow me on social media and spread the word!

Or, tell a friend. Word of mouth is still an effective advertising tool.

I respectfully acknowledge that I live and work on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

Series 4, Ep. 5: Role (playing) Call: with James Alistair Henry

August 19, 2026 by Michael Boyce

On this episode of Geek4, I’m joined by author James Alistair Henry. James has spent his career writing some of British comedy's most beloved shows — Smack the Pony, Green Wing, Delivery Man, Bob the Builder. He's turned his hand to fiction with Pagans, a crime thriller set in an alternate Britain where the Norman Conquest and Christianity never took hold. Three warring tribes, a police procedural, and a whole invented history to hold it all together!

So naturally, we talked about his love of RPGs, like Dungeons & Dragons and Call of Cthulhu.

Because it turns out the instincts that make James so good at building a fractured alt-history Britain are the same instincts he's been sharpening at the gaming table for years — worldbuilding, improv, giving side characters a reason to matter. We get into his history with tabletop RPGs, his love of American sitcoms, and passing his love of RPGs on to his daughter.

You can order James’ novel, Pagans, from Blackwell’s UK, Amazon.com, or Amazon.ca

f you liked the show, consider leaving a 5 star review on your podcatcher of choice. The more reviews we have, the more we show up in searches. Somehow. Magic I think. Follow me on social media and spread the word!

Or, tell a friend. Word of mouth is still an effective advertising tool.

S4 E4: Gilmore Glass with Ava Glass

August 11, 2026 by Michael Boyce

Bestselling spy novelist Ava Glass joins Geek4 to talk Gilmore Girls, Stars Hollow nostalgia, mother-daugher relationships, the Rory love triangle, and her new thriller The Hiding Season.

S4 E3: The Amazing Doctor of Comics!!! Alona Assouline

August 04, 2026 by Michael Boyce

On this episode of Geek4, I'm joined by The AMAZING Dr of Comics: Alona Assouline. Alona is a passionate comic book fan whom I've been following on social media for a while now. She's a great follow, quick with recommendations, happy to receive recommendations and also hosts a weekly comic book club. Somehow she’s managed to turn a lifelong love of comics into an academic career. We get into her early childhood favourites (like Asterix and TinTin) and the titles she’s been reading more recently (Powers, Absolute Batman, Absolute Wonder Woman) as well as comic book movies from Marvel and DC; we discuss turning her fandom into a “fun” academic pursuit; and — completely unprompted — she reveals the very cool geeky item she owns.

You can follow Alona on Threads (that’s where she spends the most time) @drofcomics or on Instagram @drofcomics. Check out her website, https://drofcomics.com/, which has information about the weekly book club AND is a Free collection manager for YOUR comics!

Or, tell a friend. Word of mouth is still an effective advertising tool.

Season 4, Ep. 2: Toying with my feelingS with Adrian Butler

July 28, 2026 by Michael Boyce

On this episode of Geek4, I’m joined by my old high school friend, Adrian Butler. Adrian has collected toys since childhood and has a truly impressive collection. Not only does he collect toys, he’s turned his artistic talents to designing and making toys - whether from obscure media or his own original creations!

We get into what started Adrian’s obsession with toys, his favourite toys from the 1980s, like G.I. Joe and Micronaughts (which I had completely forgotten about), and his own philosophy for life. We get sidetracked to comics, movies, and TV - but how could you not when talking about 80s toys when literally every piece of media had a toyline! We talk about the shows we watched growing up - TVO’s Saturday Nights at the Movies, Prisoners of Gravity.

Adrian talks with passion and expertise and this conversation was a wonderful trip down memory lane.

I mentioned this video in the episode. Prepare yourselves.

Here’s the commercial Adrian mentioned for S#!thawks: Fighters for Freedom!

Season 4, Ep. 1: It’s so puzzling with Carrie and Glenda

July 16, 2026 by Michael Boyce

Did you miss me?

The break was a bit longer than I planned, but I’m back with all new episodes of Geek4.

On this episode, I’m joined by my long-time friends, Carrie Leblanc (from Episode 221) and Glenda Casimir. We’ve known each other since grade 7 and we still hang out on. When they told me about their new hobby - competitive puzzling (?) - I knew I had to have them on the show to explain.

I also learned that the city I currently live in (Georgetown ON) has a pretty excellent puzzle store that I have not been to.

You can follow Glenda’s amazing yarn creations on Instagram @charmed.by.yarn

Follow me on Instagram @mwboyce , Threads @mwboyce and Bluesky @mwboyce. And you can always check out the show on Instagram @geek4pod

f you liked the show, consider leaving a 5 star review on your podcatcher of choice. The more reviews we have, the more we show up in searches. Somehow. Magic I think.

Or, tell a friend. Word of mouth is still an effective advertising tool.

Episode 312: Having a Ball - Talking Lucille Ball with Lauren Ashley

June 30, 2025 by Michael Boyce

On this episode of Geek4, I’m joined by Lauren Ashley. Lauren is an actor and social media presence, and a huge fan of lots of things! Lauren is an absolute delight, whom I’ve been following on Instagram for a few years now.

We discuss her love of Lucille Ball – from discovering I Love Lucy as a kid (on Nick at Nite) and her movies on AMC and Blockbuster to attending Lucille Ball conventions and collecting Lucy swag. We also talk about Lauren’s own acting, which is how I first discovered her of Hollywood Graveyard in Arthur Dark’s two short films, The Tomb of Nosferatu and Graves from the Black Lagoon. They’re fantastic and I highly recommend watching them.

You can follow Lauren on Instagram @ohfolklaur and Youtube @hollywoodfolklaur. She’s a great follow.

Follow me on Instagram @mwboyce , Threads @mwboyce and Bluesky @mwboyce. And you can always check out the show on Instagram @geek4pod

If you liked the show, consider leaving a 5 star review on your podcatcher of choice. The more reviews we have, the more we show up in searches. Somehow. Magic I think.

Or, tell a friend. Word of mouth is still an effective advertising tool.

Episode 311: Talking G.W. Pabst with author Daniel Kehlmann

June 09, 2025 by Michael Boyce

On this episode of Geek4, I’m joined by award-winning and internationally renowned author, Daniel Kehlmann. Kehlmann’s latest novel —The Director — has recently been translated into English and is available now wherever fine books are sold.

The Director tells the story of pioneering Austrian filmmaker G.W. Pabst (Pandora’s Box, Diary of a Lost Girl, Threepenny Opera) who finds himself back in his homeland just before the outbreak of World War II. With some reluctance, Pabst resumes making films under the Nazis, making both artistic and moral concessions and compromises.

In our conversation, Kehlmann describes why he was drawn to write this story as well as the nature of artists.

Kehlmann’s novel is both intimate and sweeping, the story of an artist and his relationships and a world at war. It is profound and beautiful.

I recommend you order The Director: A Novel from your local independent bookstore or (if you must) from Amazon.com, Amazon.ca Amazon.co.uk

Follow me on Instagram @mwboyce , Threads @mwboyce and Bluesky @mwboyce. And you can always check out the show on Instagram @geek4pod

Episode 310: Treking into the Final Frontier with Dr. Adam Kotsko

May 26, 2025 by Michael Boyce

On this episode, I’m talking late Star Trek with Dr. Adam Kotsko. Adam is a scholar and professor of political theology, continental philosophy, and the history of Christian thought. He also writes about popular culture, and his new book, Late Star Trek: The Final Frontier in the Franchise Era is available now from The University of Minnesota Press (BUY FROM THE PRESS). Adam defines “late Star Trek” as any of the media from Enterprise to the current crop of shows (like Star Trek: Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds, and Lower Decks).

We talk about how Adam first discovered Star Trek and how he turned his scholarly attention to the franchise.

You can follow Adam and his work on his website (https://adamkotsko.com) where you can sign up for his Substack. He’s also on Bluesky. His book, Late Star Trek: The Final Frontier in the Franchise Era is available now from The University of Minnesota Press. You can order it from the publisher (HERE) or at any fine bookstore.

Follow me on Instagram @mwboyce , Threads @mwboyce and Bluesky @mwboyce. And you can always check out the show on Instagram @geek4pod

Episode 309: Talking Toxic Fans with Dr. Erin Keating

April 30, 2025 by Michael Boyce

On this episode of Geek4 I’m joined by Dr. Erin Keating (she/her). Erin’s Graduate Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of English, Theatre, Film & Media at the University of Manitoba (my alma mater). She is Associate Editor of the journal Restoration: Studies in Literature and Culture and has published on 17th-century celebrity, secret history, and coffeehouse culture, as well as the comic Watchmen. She is in the initial stages of a new research project on queer kinship in fantasy and its fandoms focusing on Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen and Muir’s Locked Tomb Series.

Recently, she’s started a brilliant Youtube channel where she talks about some of her eceletic interests in an analytical, crtical way. One of her videos (Has Fandom Always Been Toxic? A 17th-Century Fan Novel and Capitalist Thought) prompted me to reach out to her and see if she wanted to discuss toxic fans. We discuss her discovery of a 17th century secret history, The Player’s Tragedy, which she argues is a product of a toxic fan. We talk Chappel Roan and boy bands and Taylor Swift. We cover a lot of ground.

Erin and I have known each other since our undergrad days, and she’s always been one of the smartest people I know. If you enjoy this conversation half as much as I had haivng it, you’re going to love this episode.

In addtion to her Youtube, you can catch Erin’s occasional musings on Bluesky, @drerinnerung

Follow me on Instagram @mwboyce , Threads @mwboyce and Bluesky @mwboyce. And you can always check out the show on Instagram @geek4pod