Episode 231: Crossing Animals with Tanis MacDonald

On this episode of Geek4, I am joined by poet and professor, Tanis MacDonald. When I reached out to her about her interest in coming on the show and topics she might want to talk about, one suggestion immediately shot to the top of the list. Tanis LOVES movies in which animals attack people! Although she usually gravitates towards films where mammals attack people, like Grizzly  (1976),  the documentary Grizzly Man  (2005), and Cocaine Bear; but she also delights in Jaws (1975), Jurassic Park (1993), and Squirm (1976). Although we talk about some pretty cheesy film, our conversation reflects on the hubris of people, eco-criticism, and the commodification of nature. I ADORE talking to smart people about bad movies.

Tanis does share a video of a white-tail deer attacking a hunter, and we talk about it. If you want to see it,

It's hilarious. Seriously. I want to re-edit it with the song, "Yakety Sax".

You can order Tanis's book, Straggle: Adventures in Walking While Female from Wolsak & Wynn or order it from your local neighbourhood book shop! It's a series of beautiful, insightful essays on nature and walking. It's truly lovely.

You can follow Tanis on Twiter at @Tanis_MacDonald and Instagram @tanismacdonald

Follow me on Twitter  @mwboyce  and Instagram @mwboyce and follow my website michaelwboyce.com/

You can follow the podcast on Twitter @geek4pod and on Instagram @geek4pod

If you liked the show, hit Subscribe and please consider leaving a 5 star review. The more reviews we have, the more we show up in searches. Somehow. I think magic.

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.

Also, Tanis's geekiest objects are the novelizations of the The Planet of the Apes films. But, she only has Battle for The Planet of the Apes , Escape from The Planet of the Apes , and Beneath The Planet of the Apes . If any of you wonderful geeks know where she can get the other books in the series, please reach out to her! Come on, geeks. Let's get this done!

Episode 230: The Wonderful World of Dr. Marcelle Kosman

On this episode of Geek4, I'm joined by the delightfully magical Dr. Marcelle Kosman to discuss her newly discovered love of Walt Disney theme parks! Dr.  Kosman (pronouns she/her) is a public scholar and educator. She is the co-host of the amazing podcast Witch, Please, and teaches at the University of Alberta.  I knew this would be a fascinating conversation because Dr. Kosman is equal parts joyous enthusiasm and deeply thoughtful intellectual. We discuss how the Magic Kingdom assaults you into a state of wonder, transforming Dr. Kosman into a "wine drinking Disney mom." She describes the differences between Disney World and Land, introducing her 7 year-old daughter to the parks, and we discuss millennials, Gen X, Michael Jackson, "magic capitalism," and an assortment of things.

You can follow Marcelle’s archived tweets @kosman8r. Watch for the new iteration of Witch Please that looks beyond the Harry Potter universe And watch for Marcelle’s new podcast, Gender Playground, which talks about gender-affirming caregiving for kids, and launches in June.

Follow me on Twitter  @mwboyce  and Instagram @mwboyce and follow my website michaelwboyce.com/

You can follow the podcast on Twitter @geek4pod and on Instagram @geek4pod

If you liked the show, hit Subscribe and please consider leaving a 5 star review. The more reviews we have, the more we show up in searches. Somehow. I think magic.

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

Episode 229: It's Me, Hi.

The tables are turned in this episode. My friend, journalist John Longhurst is the one asking the questions of me. John has been a constant source of encouragement for me over the past year . When he asked if I’d ever considered being the subject of an interview for my own podcast, my first thought was “no way.” But then I thought about it. People seem to be curious about the huge changes I’ve been through and I knew John was someone I could trust.

This episode isn’t as “geeky” as some of the other ones, but I think it’s interesting.