by Mike Halekakis and Michael Chemers
MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its own unique monster stories to tell to frighten, but also to instruct on the nature of good and evil, right and wrong. But what happens when monsters get out of control, when the monstrous imagination starts to bleed over into the real world? What are the effects of monsters on real people's real lives? This podcast examines the histories and mysteries of some of our favorite monsters to unlock their secrets and expose their influence on our lives. Join podcast host Mike Halekakis (Boom! Knowledge) and monster expert Dr. Michael Chemers (The Monster in Theatre History: This Thing of Darkness) for a lively and hilarious discussion about the things that scare us the most.
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Publishing Since
7/5/2022
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March 18, 2025
<p>How awful is your favorite author? Did you once love the works of a film director and the ideals they expressed, but, to your dismay, they turned out to be a lout? How does their badness change their art? Do texts belong to the author once they're released into the world?</p> <p>In this episode, Doc and Mike talk with the Co-Director of the Center for Monsters Studies, Renee Fox, about the concept of the "death of the author" and how texts and art can take on their own life, beyond the creator's intentions or control, long after publishing. They discuss complicated artists, Dickens, JK Rowling, Harry Potter, fandom and more!</p> <p> </p> <p>Renee Fox is the UC Santa Cruz Associate Professor and Jordan-Stern Presidential Chair for Dickens and Nineteenth-Century Studies, Co-Director of The Dickens Project and Co-Director of The Center for Monster Studies.</p> <div> </div> <div><strong>About this podcast:</strong><br /> MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its own unique monster stories to tell to frighten, but also to instruct on the nature of good and evil, right and wrong. But what happens when monsters get out of control, when the monstrous imagination starts to bleed over into the real world? What are the effects of monsters on real people's real lives? This podcast examines the histories and mysteries of some of our favorite monsters to unlock their secrets and expose their influence on our lives.</div> <div> </div> <p><strong>About the hosts:</strong><br /> <strong>Michael Chemers</strong> (MFA, PhD) is a Professor of Dramatic Literature in the Department of Theater Arts at UC Santa Cruz. His work on monsters includes The Monster in Theatre History: This Thing of Darkness (London, UK: Routledge 2018). Dr. Chemers is the Founding Director of <a class= "XqQF9c rXJpyf" href= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.monsterstudies.ucsc.edu%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AOvVaw1mQB_UZWbbkH6S4lTwSA8G" target="_blank" rel="noopener">T</a><a class="XqQF9c rXJpyf" href= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.monsterstudies.ucsc.edu%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AOvVaw1mQB_UZWbbkH6S4lTwSA8G" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he Center for Monster Studies</a>.</p> <p class="CDt4Ke zfr3Q" dir="ltr">Formerly the Founding Director of the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dramaturgy Program at Carnegie Mellon University, he joined the faculty of UCSC in 2012. He is also the author of Ghost Light: An Introductory Handbook for Dramaturgy (Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 2010) and Staging Stigma: A Critical Examination of the American Freak Show (New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2007). Dr. Chemers is also an actor, a juggler, and a writer of drama.</p> <p class="CDt4Ke zfr3Q" dir="ltr"><strong>Mike Halekakis</strong> is an entrepreneur, business owner, internet marketer, software engineer, writer, musician, podcaster, and hardcore situational enthusiast. He is the co-founder of What We Learned, a company that specializes in compassionate training courses on complex adult subjects such as caregiving for people who are sick, planning for death, and administering after the loss of a loved one. He is also the CEO of Moneyfingers Inc., a company that trains people on how to successfully create, market, and sell products on the internet.</p> <p class="CDt4Ke zfr3Q" dir="ltr">When not burning the candle at both ends with a blowtorch, Mike loves video games, outdoor festivals, reading comics and novels, role-playing, writing and playing music, hanging out with the world’s best cats, and spending time with his amazing wife and their collective worldwide friend-group.</p>
February 11, 2025
<p>In this episode, Mike and Doc explore the origins of our favorite lump of animated clay, the GOLEM (pronounced GOAL-EM, not GAUL-UHM)! Protector of Jewish communities, the golem is a powerful ally, but you have to be very specific with your instructions, as it will carry out the task you give it with lethal literality. Enter, if you dare, and learn about the history of the golem, the monster's ties to Freudian psychoanalysis, and how the monster carries on its legacy in today's fantasy and science fiction. </p> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div><strong>About this podcast:</strong><br /> MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its own unique monster stories to tell to frighten, but also to instruct on the nature of good and evil, right and wrong. But what happens when monsters get out of control, when the monstrous imagination starts to bleed over into the real world? What are the effects of monsters on real people's real lives? This podcast examines the histories and mysteries of some of our favorite monsters to unlock their secrets and expose their influence on our lives.</div> <div> </div> <p><strong>About the hosts:</strong><br /> <strong>Michael Chemers</strong> (MFA, PhD) is a Professor of Dramatic Literature in the Department of Theater Arts at UC Santa Cruz. His work on monsters includes The Monster in Theatre History: This Thing of Darkness (London, UK: Routledge 2018). Dr. Chemers is the Founding Director of <a class= "XqQF9c rXJpyf" href= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.monsterstudies.ucsc.edu%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AOvVaw1mQB_UZWbbkH6S4lTwSA8G" target="_blank" rel="noopener">T</a><a class="XqQF9c rXJpyf" href= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.monsterstudies.ucsc.edu%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AOvVaw1mQB_UZWbbkH6S4lTwSA8G" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he Center for Monster Studies</a>.</p> <p class="CDt4Ke zfr3Q" dir="ltr">Formerly the Founding Director of the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dramaturgy Program at Carnegie Mellon University, he joined the faculty of UCSC in 2012. He is also the author of Ghost Light: An Introductory Handbook for Dramaturgy (Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 2010) and Staging Stigma: A Critical Examination of the American Freak Show (New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2007). Dr. Chemers is also an actor, a juggler, and a writer of drama.</p> <p class="CDt4Ke zfr3Q" dir="ltr"><strong>Mike Halekakis</strong> is an entrepreneur, business owner, internet marketer, software engineer, writer, musician, podcaster, and hardcore situational enthusiast. He is the co-founder of What We Learned, a company that specializes in compassionate training courses on complex adult subjects such as caregiving for people who are sick, planning for death, and administering after the loss of a loved one. He is also the CEO of Moneyfingers Inc., a company that trains people on how to successfully create, market, and sell products on the internet.</p> <p class="CDt4Ke zfr3Q" dir="ltr">When not burning the candle at both ends with a blowtorch, Mike loves video games, outdoor festivals, reading comics and novels, role-playing, writing and playing music, hanging out with the world’s best cats, and spending time with his amazing wife and their collective worldwide friend-group.</p>
December 10, 2024
UC Santa Cruz Professor Michael Chemers and entrepreneur Mike Halekakis delve into the histories and mysteries of monsters to unlock their secrets and expose their influence on our lives.
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