Introducing Griots & Galaxies

This is a ten episode series hosted by Jenna Hanchey, Chinelo Onwualu, and Yvette Lisa Ndlovu that explores the work of ten African speculative fiction authors and imagining new futures for the continent.

In this conversation, Wole speaks about gods going on heists and how technologies hold the potential to bring us together in alternative histories and imagined futures.  

In this conversation, Kemi takes us to galaxies far, far away, reimagining the hero’s journey through African-centered space opera. 

In this conversation, Suyi talks to us about godpunk, Stranger Things, and how to support African and other marginalized writers…

In this conversation, Tlotlo talks with us about queerness, the dead, and how African surrealist stories illuminate the politics of African urban landscapes.

In this special episode of Griots & Galaxies, Yvette interviews her cohost, editor and author Chinelo Onwualu. Chinelo shares with us her experiences as cofounder of Omenana and a forerunner in African speculative fiction…

In this conversation, Shingai talks to us about building community across the African diaspora, and challenges us to consider that taking African knowledges seriously means rethinking time itself.

In this conversation, Temi talks to us about neuroscience, corporate control, and how futures of AI technologies relate to histories of racism and colonialism.

In this conversation, Ayodele talks to us about African metaphysics and the importance of queer and gender-expansive characters to resisting colonization. 

In this episode of Griots & Galaxies, Chinelo and Yvette sit down with critically-acclaimed author Tobi Ogundiran. In this conversation, Tobi takes us into horror and haunting, talking about how fairytales reveal what different societies fear–and lo…

In this episode of Griots & Galaxies, Jenna sits down with award-winning singer/songwriter and author Mohale Mashigo. In this conversation, Mohale shares her experiences in multimedia storytelling, and questions if aliens are truly as scary as Weste…

Just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit North America in 2020, the Center for Science and Imagination and Center for Energy and Society at Arizona State University convened a collection of

  This episode of The Imagination Desk features Michael G. Bennett, a lawyer and legal scholar, scholar of science, technology and society, visual artist, and higher education leader. In this chat, we discuss different ways that artists use imagination…

In this episode of The Imagination Desk, we sit down with science fiction and fantasy author Christopher Rowe to have a conversation about the relationship between imagination and faith, and how imagination influences our view of the universe.    Chris…

In this episode of The Imagination Desk, we sit down with cultural producer, performer, and inclusion expert Claudia Alick. In this conversation, Claudia speaks about Black imagination and futures, and shares her perspectives on ways to create safer an…

This episode of Imagination Desk features Fabrice Guerrier. In this conversation, Fabrice discusses how he uses imagination, and how imagination can be used to create better social futures.

This episode of the Imagination Desk features Laura Tohe, poet laureate of the Navajo Nation for 2015-2019, discussing how imagination informs her work and how it is used in both the poetry community and Indigenous communities. 

This episode of Imagination Desk features Corey Pressman. In this conversation, Corey discusses what applied imagination means to him, his work, and the future.

This episode of Imagination Desk features Lisa Kay Solomon. In this conversation, Lisa discusses different applications of design thinking and futures thinking, and incorporating creativity and imagination into interdisciplinary fields and everyday life.

This episode of The Imagination Desk features Fabrice Guerrier, who sits down with us to explore topics including the relationship between imagination and the physical world, how imagination can be used to to come up with better solutions to current is…

This episode of The Imagination Desk features Laura Tohe. In this conversation, Laura dives into the role imagination plays in communities, specifically Navajo communities. We also discuss the importance of language in her community, and the impact of …

This episode of The Imagination Desk features Corey Pressman. In this conversation, Corey discusses inquisitive topics including the effects of imagination on mental health and culture, the link between imagination and materialism, and how he uses imag…

This episode of The Imagination Desk features Lisa K. Solomon. In this conversation, Lisa talks about practicing imagination in the classroom, listening to and learning from our peers, and collaboratively building inclusive futures. Lisa Kay Solomon is…

Clark Miller Event – Video

Stay in the AirplaneIn this season finale BDJ talks with guests about the shortcomings of AI, the perils of deploying it too early, and what gives them hope for the future

Not Your Typical AIIn this episode, Brian David Johnson talks with guests about their favorite AI’s and non-typical AI’s.  Guests: Laura Moy (@lauramoy) Rashida Richardson https://www.rashidarichardson.com Tim Fernholz (@TimFernholz_ Alida

Dark Possibilities and Grim RealitiesIn this episode, Brian David Johnson talks with guests about the future of AI and what we should be optimizing for. Douglas Rushkoff is an author

What We Think About When We Think About A.IIn this episode, Brian David Johnson gathers Kade Crockford, Eliot Peper, Tim O’Reilly, and Malka Older at the annual SXSW conference to

Welcome To Sci-Fi HouseIn this episode, Brian David Johnson gathers science fiction authors, researchers, technologists, and activists at the annual SXSW conference to explore the human dimensions of machine intelligence.

Notes for the podcast

In this season finale BDJ talks with guests about the shortcomings of AI, the perils of deploying it too early, and what gives them hope for the future of AI.  Guests: Cory Doctorow (@doctorow) Kade Crockford (@onekade) August Cole (@august_cole) Ellio…

Notes for the podcast

In this episode, Brian David Johnson talks with guests about their favorite AI’s and non-typical AI’s.  Guests: Laura Moy (@lauramoy) Rashida Richardson https://www.rashidarichardson.com Tim Fernholz (@TimFernholz_ Alida Draudt https://www.alidadraudt….

Notes for the Podcast

In this episode, Brian David Johnson talks with guests about the future of AI and what we should be optimizing for. Guests: Douglas Rushkoff (@rushkoff) August Cole (@august_cole) Chris Noessl (@chrisnoessel) Alida Draudt https://www.alidadraudt.com/ L…

Notes for the Podcast

In this episode, Brian David Johnson gathers Kade Crockford, Eliot Peper, Tim O’Reilly, and Malka Older at the annual SXSW conference to discuss what sci-fi can teach us when it comes to how we think of AI today and how it can shape the future.  Guests…

Notes for the Podcast

In this episode, Brian David Johnson gathers science fiction authors, researchers, technologists, and activists at the annual SXSW conference to explore the human dimensions of machine intelligence. Guests: – Tiffany Li https://tiffanyli.com/ – Saayeli…

In this episode of the Imagination Desk, we sat down with ASU futurist in residence Brian David Johnson. In this chat, we talk with Brian about his work on artificial intelligence and introduce his new podcast called Sci-Fi House Presents Imagining Int…

By Steve Goldstein

Katie Bouman is an assistant professor of computing and mathematical sciences, electrical engineering, and astronomy at Caltech in Pasadena, California. In this episode, we talk about scientific collaboration, imagination, and Katie’s work on the Event…

Regina Kanyu Wang is a science fiction writer, researcher, and critic from Shanghai. She is now based at the University of Oslo, where she is part of the CoFUTURES project. In this conversation, we talk about the Chinese science fiction scene, its fan …

Moya Bailey is a Black queer feminist scholar, writer, and activist. She is the co-author of #HashtagActivism: Networks of Race and Gender Justice and has a new book Misogynoir Transformed: Black Women’s Digital Resistance coming out May 2021. In this …

Troy L. Wiggins is a writer and editor with a focus on Black speculative fiction and social justice.  In this episode of The Imagination Desk, we chat with Troy about

Troy L. Wiggins is a writer and editor with a focus on Black speculative fiction and social justice.  In this episode of The Imagination Desk, we chat with Troy about power of speculative art as a tool for Black people around the world to reckon with t…

Ytasha Womack is an award-winning author, filmmaker, independent scholar, and dance therapist. She is a leading expert on Afrofuturism, and on the imagination and its applications. In this conversation …

Join Ed Finn, associate professor and director of the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University, as he explains why imagination is the ignition system for all

This episode of The Imagination Desk features Jonathan Alexander. Jonathan is Professor of English and Informatics at The University of California, Irvine and author of books such as Writing Youth: Young Adult Fiction as Literacy Sponsorship (2016) and…

This episode of The Imagination Desk features the band YACHT or Young Americans Challenging High Technology. We spoke with them about their new album Chain Tripping and it’s use of machine learning.

This episode of The Imagination Desk features science fiction heavy-weight Paolo Bacigalupi, author of The Water Knife and Shipbreaker. We caught up with him in this bonus episode to discuss the changes in his writing process as well as his latest proj…

This episode of The Imagination Desk features Maureen McHugh. Maureen is an author and narrative designer who has worked on some of the biggest transmedia stories and alternate reality games (ARGs) in the history of the medium including The Beast for S…

This episode of The Imagination Desk features Matt Derby. Matt is a writer and designer who works on innovative media projects where these two disciplines meet. Matt is a designer at the game studio Harmonix, the co-writer of the serialized fiction pod…

Our first interview for The Imagination Desk features Anne Cofell Saunders. Anne is an award-winning TV writer and producer, who has worked on some of the most popular genre shows of the past decade including Battlestar Galactica, Chuck, Smallville, an…

by Athena Aktipis and Dave Lundberg-Kenrick, Zombified Podcast

A short documentary by Nathan Broderick about experimental philosopher Jonathon Keats, the Millennium Camera, installed at the ASU Art Museum, and the Deep Time Photo Lab, an interactive exhibit that debuted at ASU’s Emerge festival in March 2015.

On June 9, 2015, CSI director and Project Hieroglyph co-editor Ed Finn visited the Eight, Arizona PBS show Arizona Horizon to discuss Project Hieroglyph, science fiction, optimism for the future, and the trade paperback edition of Hieroglyph: Stories and Visions for a Better Future.

In November 2014, award-winning author Margaret Atwood visited Arizona State University as part of the Imagination and Climate Futures Initiative. In this interview, she discusses topics ranging from climate change and storytelling to the nature of hope and how she conducts scientific research for her books.

In November 2014, award-winning author Margaret Atwood visited Arizona State University as part of the Imagination and Climate Futures Initiative. In this interview, she discusses topics ranging from climate change and storytelling to the nature of hope and how she conducts scientific research for her books.

In November 2014, award-winning author Margaret Atwood visited Arizona State University as part of the Imagination and Climate Futures Initiative. In this interview, she discusses topics ranging from climate change and storytelling to the nature of hope and how she conducts scientific research for her books.

In March 2015, Arizona State University’s Emerge presented eleven spellbinding “visitations from the future” – tangible, visceral experiences at the intersection of art and science. Learn more at emerge.asu.edu.

In November 2014, award-winning author Margaret Atwood visited Arizona State University as part of the Imagination and Climate Futures Initiative. In this interview, she discusses topics ranging from climate change and storytelling to the nature of hope and how she conducts scientific research for her books.

Want to change the future? Start with a great story. EVOKE is a massive multi-player online educational game that uses narrative to help players develop 21st century skills and drive collaborative innovation. EVOKE “agents” engage online and in the real world in social networks to complete missions that will change their community, their country and their future. EVOKE is a collaboration between the World Bank and Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination.

Technologists and Buffy: The Vampire Slayer aficionados Astrid Atkinson and Bridget Kromhout answer CSI’s 5 Burning Questions at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Dawn Gilpin, associate professor of public relations and social media at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, answers CSI’s 5 Burning Questions.

Event Date: October 8, 2014 Location: Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, ASU Episode: “Intervention” (Season 5) Speakers: Bridget Kromhout, tech operations engineer; Astrid Atkinson, senior engineering manager, Google; Dawn Gilpin, associate professor of public relations and social media, ASU; Nina Miller, design strategist, Center for Science and the Imagination

Event Date: September 30, 2014 Location: Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts Episode: “Cane and Able” (Season 3) Speakers: Dr. Cathy Seiler, scientific liaison at ASU’s Biodesign Institute; Dr. Kenneth S. Ramos, associate vice president of precision health services and professor of medicine at the Arizona Health Sciences Center of the University of Arizona; Joey Eschrich, editor and program manager, Center for Science and the Imagination

On October 2, 2014, Future Tense and Issues in Science and Technology hosted an event in Washington, DC inspired by Project Hieroglyph.

Launch event for Project Hieroglyph’s first anthology, Hieroglyph: Stories and Visions for a Better Future (HarperCollins, 2014) at the Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix, AZ on October 22, 2014.

On September 10, 2014, Project Hieroglyph visited Google in Mountain View, California for an event as part of their Talks at Google series.

On October 26, Hieroglyph contributors Cory Doctorow and Neal Stephenson and CSI director Ed Finn appeared at Town Hall Seattle, in an event titled “Reigniting Society’s Ambition with Science Fiction.”

Event date: October 8, 2014 Location: ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication Speakers: Bridget Kromhout, tech operations engineer; Astrid Atkinson, senior engineering manager, Google; Dawn Gilpin, associate professor of public relations and social media, ASU; Nina Miller, design strategist, Center for Science and the Imagination

Event date: September 30, 2014 Location: Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts Episode: “Cane and Able” (Season 3) Speakers: Cathy Seiler, scientific liaison, ASU Biodesign Institute; Kenneth S. Ramos, associate vice president of precision health services, Arizona Health Sciences Center; Joey Eschrich, editor and program manager, Center for Science and the Imagination

A conversation about the Romantic Era and the scientific imagination with Richard Sha, professor in the Department of Literature at American University, Mark Lussier, professor and chair of the Department of English at ASU, and Ed Finn, director of the Center for Science and the Imagination.

A panel discussion at Stanford University on May 13, 2014 on the Future of Reading, featuring Ed Finn, Eileen Gunn, David Rothenberg, Mark Algee-Hewitt, and Dan Gillmor.

On May 14, 2014, Intel futurist Brian David Johnson took to Google Hangouts to announce the winners of The Future – Powered by Fiction, a competition that challenged young people worldwide

Fish Out of Water investigates what new ideas and challenges would surface if experts in particular fields were challenged to think deeply about topics outside of their areas of expertise, and to engage in activities outside of their comfort zones.

A young heroine must fight not only her nemesis, but the doubts from the very city she tries to save.

In this episode, we talk with interspecies jazz musician and philosopher David Rothenberg. David appeared at Arizona State University’s Emerge: Carnival of the Future on March 7, 2014 to perform alongside flying quadcopters and the band There Is Danger. Click here to watch a clip of the performance, titled “Drone Confidential,” and visit Slate’s Future Tense channel to read an article about the process of creating the performance. Check out this transcript of the interview, or watch the video below! https://vimeo.com/91355576

The Arizona Computer-Assisted Language Learning Conference unites language learning experts throughout the southwestern U.S. to discuss new ideas, share research outcomes, brainstorm and network. We interviewed a few participants in the 2014 conference to get their ideas on how different factors like technology, translation, storytelling and culture shape language learning.

The Arizona Computer-Assisted Language Learning Conference unites language learning experts throughout the southwestern U.S. to discuss new ideas, share research outcomes, brainstorm and network. We interviewed a few participants in the 2014 conference to get their ideas on how different factors like technology, translation, storytelling and culture shape language learning.

In this episode of 5 Burning Questions, we talk with CSI Imaginary College Fellow Daniel Fine, the Principal Investigator for the Wonder Dome project.

In this episode, we talk with Doug Wolens, a documentary filmmaker best known for his films The Singularity and Butterfly.

Wonder Dome, a new experiment in performance platforms directed by CSI’s Imaginary College Fellow Daniel Fine, will be premiering at Mesa Arts Center in the show “Oh, No! Not That Story!”

Check out the discussion that followed the Science Fiction TV Dinner screening of the first episode of The Walking Dead. Adam Chodorow, the Willard H. Pedrick Distinguished Research Scholar at ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, challenges the definitions of life and death in U.S. legislature and questions the applications of tax laws regarding zombies, avatars, and vampires.

Juan José Diaz Infante, the director of the Mexican Space Collective, visited Arizona State University to tell the story of how he brought together a team of artists, scientists and engineers to build a satellite, Ulises I, and launch it into space.

Check out the discussion that followed the Science Fiction TV Dinner screening of the cult classic science fiction comedy Red Dwarf. Steven Desch, an astrophysicist and professor at ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration, and Don and Alleen Nilsen, ASU emeritus professors and co-founders of the International Society for Humor Studies, join CSI director Ed Finn to discuss whether or not humor and science fiction make a good mix. This event was co-sponsored by ASU’s Project Humanities.

Check out the discussion that followed the Science Fiction TV Dinner screening of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Evolution,” about space exploration and synthetic life. Phil Plait, an astronomer and blogger for Slate, and Karmella Haynes, a synthetic biology researcher at ASU’s School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, joined CSI director Ed Finn to discuss the ethics of synthetic life and the surprising scientific realism of this particular Next Generation episode. This event was co-sponsored by SpaceVision, the largest student-organized space conference in the U.S.

Ed Finn, director of the Center for Science and the Imagination, describes the mission of Project Hieroglyph. Hieroglyph is a platform that unites scientists, engineers, artists and authors to create ambitious, thoughtfully optimistic, scientifically-grounded visions of the near future.

Emerge is a creative, playful and challenging approach to the future world we want to make.

Check out the discussion following the screening of the Quantum Leap episode “The Wrong Stuff,” about the early days of the Space Race and using animals to test spaceflight safety. Juan José Diaz Infante, artist and mission director for the Mexican Space Collective, and Micah Lande, Assistant Professor of Engineering at ASU’s College of Technology and Innovation, join CSI director Ed Finn to discuss imagination, ethics, STEM education, DIY satellite launches and more.

In this episode of 5 Burning Questions, we talk with Dr. Sha Xin Wei, the new director of Arizona State University’s School of Arts, Media and Engineering.

In this episode of 5 Burning Questions, we talk with Ed Finn, director of the Center for Science and the Imagination and assistant professor in ASU’s School of Arts, Media and Engineering and Department of English, about science fiction, narrative, the humanities and the future.

CSI Imaginary College member G. Pascal Zachary takes just 330 seconds to argue that journalism cannot survive in the digital age as a for-profit industry, and to propose a solution.

David Williams, associate research professor at Arizona State University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration and director of the Ronald Greeley Center for Planetary Studies, explains how science fiction has influenced him throughout his career.

Dave Guston, director of the Center for Nanotechnology in Society and co-director of the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes at Arizona State University, explains how science fiction has influenced him throughout his career.

Michelle Dock, gallery coordinator at the Tempe Center for the Arts, explains how science fiction has influenced her throughout her career.

Melissa Morris, a theoretical astrophysicist and assistant director of the Center for Meteorite Studies at Arizona State University, explains how science fiction has influenced her throughout her career.

Jeff Yarger, a professor of chemistry, biochemistry and physics at Arizona State University and director of the Magnetic Resonance Research Center, explains how science fiction has influenced him throughout his career.

Gallery coordinator Michelle Dock introduces the Tempe Center for the Arts’ American POP! Comic Books to Science Fiction…and Beyond! exhibit. Several Arizona State University departments, including the School of Earth and Space Exploration and the Center for Science and the Imagination, contributed to the design of the exhibit.

In this episode of 5 Burning Questions, we talk with Kathryn Cramer, the co-editor of Project Hieroglyph and a member of CSI’s Imaginary College.

Three sisters—Altostratus, Cumulus, and Cirrus—rule the sky, each in their own domain. However, when the girls start intruding on each other’s territories, the sky is off balance and it is the land below that must pay the price.

Nathan Shedroff, designer and the chairman of the MBA in Design Strategy at California College of the Arts, discusses his research on the relationship between science fiction and real-world design at Arizona State University’s School of Arts, Media and Engineering in October 2013.

“The Science of Silk,” created by ASU students Cody Frear, Nicholas Jakob, Grayson Stanton and Janett Salas, profiles the work of Jeff Yarger, director of ASU’s Magnetic Resonance Research Center. Yarger’s team is working to develop synthetic spider silk, which could be used to create all kinds of amazing things, from bulletproof vests to artificial tendons.

In this episode of 5 Burning Questions, we talk with David Quammen, the author of Spillover. David visited Arizona State University in November 2013, to discuss Spillover, Animal Infections and the Threat of Pandemic.

In this episode of 5 Burning Questions, we talk with Nathan Shedroff, designer and chairman of the MBA program in Design Strategy at California College of the Arts. Nathan visited Arizona State University in October 2013 to discuss his book Make It So: Interaction Design Lessons from Sci-Fi and the relationship between science fiction, interfaces and the future of design.

In this episode of 5 Burning Questions, we talk with science fiction author, futurist, and scientist David Brin. Brin recently visited Arizona State University to discuss his newest novel, Existence, which discusses the future of humanity.

In this episode of 5 Burning Questions, we interview young adult fiction author Tom Leveen, whose most recent novel “SICK” was launched at Arizona State University’s Tempe campus on October 1st, 2013.

IDEO San Francisco, October 24, 2013. Speakers: Julian Bleecker and Nick Foster of Near Future Laboratory, Cliff Kuang, senior editor at WIRED, and James Bridle, a writer, artist, publisher and technologist

In this episode of 5 Burning Questions, we talk with legendary science fiction author, design critic, editor and journalist Bruce Sterling. Bruce recorded this interview with us during his tenure as CSI’s inaugural Visionary in Residence. Among many other things, Bruce blogs for Wired.com and is the de facto spiritual leader for ASU’s Emerge since its inception in 2012.

Young adult author Tom Leveen talks about his upcoming novel SICK, his first ever science fiction novel, in which high school misfits must fend off a zombie apocalypse in the school theater. Leveen also discusses the book’s launch, which will take place on ASU’s Old Main building on the Tempe campus on October 1st, 2013 at 1:45PM. The event will feature lectures from ASU scholars, book signings, and a zombie romp.

Michael Trcic, lead special effects artist for the T. Rex for Jurassic Park, discusses his adventures with creating the life-size creature.

In this episode of 5 Burning Questions, we talk with Zach Berkson, a class 0f 2013 ASU graduate, doctoral student in chemical engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara and founding president of CSI’s affiliated student organization, The Imagination Project.

We talk with Tracey Grose, Vice President of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute.

In this episode of 5 Burning Questions, we talk with curator, photographer and poet Juan José Diaz Infante, mission director for the Mexican Space Collective. Learn more about the Mexican

In this episode of 5 Burning Questions, we talk with Boyd Branch.

During Emerge 2013: The Future of Truth this spring, CSI Visionary in Residence Bruce Sterling was hard at work with a team of collaborators at Arizona State University testing the limits of our rapid prototyping and fabrication facilities. The result of this whirlwind of creativity is an original exhibit of 21st century Petroglifs carved into native Arizona rock with laser cutters.

One of our Hieroglyph collaborations.

Ron Broglio, Associate Professor of English at Arizona State University, discusses how philosophy, aesthetics and literature can help us rethink the relationship between humans and the environment.