Feminist Frequency Radio

“I can’t talk about airline food anymore!” In this conversation recorded aboard the JoCo Cruise, Anita talks to comedian Jackie Kashian about how the realm of stand-up comedy has changed in the 30 years or so that she’s been in the business. The material has evolved, sure, but the gender dynamics are shifting too, and that’s a good thing in what has historically been a very male-dominated industry. The two also discuss Star Trek Discovery, the pronunciations of their Armenian last names, and their conflicting feelings about Agents of SHIELD.

This week, Anita and Caro talk all about their experiences at this year’s Game Developer’s Conference, touching on the shifting politics of the industry, the important voices that go unheard, and, of course, their favorite games of the show. Learn how Carolyn totally saved Anita’s life during the event, and hear Caro gush over the Outerlands documentary series, which she considers a must-watch for anyone interested in game history. Time stamps: Ebony’s intro 00:01 Anita’s welcome 01:05 GDC exhaustion 02:10 Absent voices and old ideas 4:45 Let’s talk about games! 17:10 ALT-CTRL-GDC 31:30 Homo Machina, inspired by the art of Fritz Kahn 38:55 GDC film festival: Outerlands episodes 41:00 Game Workers Unite 45:28 What’s Your FREQ-Out? 47:25 Wrap-up 54:55 Relevant Links: Knights and Bikes announcement trailer: https://youtu.be/UqR0hgcLSDo Untitled Goose Game pre-alpha gameplay: https://youtu.be/wQknBJo4aBQ Gamasutra article about Kids by Playables: https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/315114/Road_to_the_IGF_Playable

In the third of our JoCo Cruise interviews, Anita talks to the very funny writer/performer/actor John Hodgman about his unusual career, from his stint as an “expert” on anything and everything on The Daily Show to the unlikely way in which he landed the gig of a lifetime, playing the PC in the tremendously successful PC vs. Apple ad campaign. From there, the two embark on a thoughtful conversation about wealth, privilege, class, and income inequality.

In this week's episode, the Feminist Frequency Killjoys (call us, Marvel) unleash a torrent of opinions about Netflix's Jessica Jones; from its complicated wrestling with trauma to the ways in which people of color are often used as narrative tools in the service of white women's healing. Then we gush over the mobile game, Florence, which Caro called "both a beautiful game and also a game about beauty—the beauty of creation, color, and connection." Finally, we each share something we’ve been thinking about in What’s Your FREQ Out?! Caro is reading N.K. Jemisin's The Fifth Season; while Ebony is unashamed to admit that Holby City continues to have her shook. Anita wraps up the section by abusing the FREQ Out system and tries to slip in TWO freq outs: she loved the Black Panther soundtrack and tries to speak on West Coast hip hop and then also wanted to chat about A Case of Distrust. Segment Timestamps: :16 - Intros 1:42 - VoP (Voice of Phil) 1:50 - Anita and Ebony wrote a book! Also, we fail to talk

In the second of our JoCo Cruise interviews, Anita talks with fantasy author Patrick Rothfuss about the power of stories, from the ones we create around the table with friends when playing D&D to the ones projected on the big screen, and why professional storytellers have a responsibility to use their power for good. The conversation touches on their shared love for Moana and delves into the limitations of “strong female characters” and the pressure to simplify stories when adapting for film, and what can get lost in the process. Follow Patrick on Twitter at @PatrickRothfuss and learn more about his charity at worldbuilders.org

In this week’s podcast, Anita opens the door on some of the strange imagery from her dreams. Then, we work through our feelings about Ava DuVernay’s film adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s children’s classic, A Wrinkle in Time and discover that maybe how you feel about this movie depends on how in touch you are with your inner child. Also, because so many people seem to wrongly think that we “agree” with the ways in which the current administration is scapegoating video games, we dive into the White House’s tactics and what our critiques of games and media in general are actually saying. Finally, we wrap things up with some cheers and recommendations in What’s Your FREQ-Out?! Segment Timestamps: Start: Ebony and Phil announce the winners of our book giveaway 1:00 introductions 2:45 Anita’s weird dreams 4:08 pop culture news (box office milestones and Ready Player One’s premiere) 8:10 A Wrinkle in Time 27:10 The Trump administration’s scapegoating of video games 44:10 What’s Your FREQ-Out?! Ebony on Bodyminds R

While Anita was aboard the 2018 JoCo Cruise, she took the opportunity to talk to some of the amazing creators who were trapped at sea with her! In this first JoCo interview, she speaks with the amazing sci-fi writer N.K. Jemisin, creator of the acclaimed Broken Earth series. The conversation covers how Jemisin became a professional writer, the exciting new era of fantasy writers who are pushing past the "Tolkien-clone" mold, and Jemisin’s own process for worldbuilding and character creation. Anita and N.K. also talk about Jemisin’s love of video games, our cultural notions of what gamers look like vs. what gamers actually look like, and her admiration for NieR: Automata, Shadow of the Colossus, and Mafia 3.

In this episode, Anita and Carolyn are joined by special guest, comedian Irene Tu! We all endured the epic Oscars ceremony last weekend to discuss our favorite moments, our reactions to the winners, and whether or not things in Hollywood are actually getting better. Then, in keeping with the cinematic theme, we recount our disorienting experiences in the shimmer after seeing Annihilation. What does it all mean? Was it any good? What’s with making the main character a white woman? Finally, we each share something we’ve been thinking about in What’s Your FREQ-Out, which gives Irene a chance to talk about just why people have been showing her so many drugs lately. Segment Times: 0-1:10 Ebony’s special intro 1:11-2:28 welcomes and introductions 2:29-5:10 Anita’s Trust No Man banner and Irene’s Man-Haters Comedy show 5:15-27:10 The Oscars 27:15-47:17 Annihilation What’s Your FREQ-Out?— 47:30 Carolyn on the Her Head in Films podcast 49:40 Irene on people showing her various drugs 53:38 Anita on Godless 58:27 wrap-u

Welcome to our very first live episode of Feminist Frequency Radio! Recorded at sea aboard the JoCo Cruise, this episode finds Anita and Femfreq friend and board member Felix Kramer in conversation with actor and writer Wil Wheaton! The conversation reaches far and wide, with talk of Wolfenstein II, our shifting relationship to sci-fi in our increasingly dystopian present, confronting your privilege and being an effective ally, exploring ancient Egypt with the help of Assassin’s Creed Origins’ Discovery Tour mode, and much more. So take your Dramamine and hop aboard, we’ve got so much fun stuff to talk about! Segment timestamps: 00:01: Ebony welcomes you aboard 01:21 Greetings and introductions with Anita, Felix, and Wil 2:57 How the JoCo Cruise is going and what the JoCo Cruise is 8:28 Recent stuff we loved: Felix on Black Panther 9:34 Wil on Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus 14:26 Science fiction in the era of Trump 18:52 Has #MeToo changed how you engage with media?/Calling out abusers 28:55 Acknowledging y

In this impromptu supplement to this week's main episode of Feminist Frequency Radio, Ebony takes a few minutes to share some thoughts on how Black Panther skillfully navigates themes of culture, history, and the difference between appreciation and appropriation, with one scene in particular serving as a pointed commentary on who gets to own the past.

This week, on a very special episode of Feminist Frequency Radio, we go all in on Black Panther! From the wonders of Wakandan technology to all the fantastic female characters, from the breathtaking costumes to the surprisingly persuasive politics of the film’s soulful villain, we spend almost the entire show discussing the newest (and brightest) star in the Marvel cinematic universe. Segment timestamps: Entertainment News (Cobra Kai and Overwatch League): 2:10-4:50 Black Panther: 4:50-48:18 What’s Your FREQ-Out? Carolyn on new iOS game Florence: 49:00-50:18 Ebony on The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander: 50:18-52:48 Anita on The Expanse: 52:48-58:10 Referenced on this episode: The New Jim Crow: http://newjimcrow.com/ Anita’s quote tweet of Eve Ewing’s tweet - https://twitter.com/anitasarkeesian/status/964433278827511809 Anita’s Twitter thread about The Expanse Season 2 - https://twitter.com/anitasarkeesian/status/962793735682646017 Cobra Kai trailer: https://youtu.be/xLtYmhj-0Kg

On this week’s FFR, we suit up to join the crew of the ill-fated (and surprisingly hungry) international space station featured in The Cloverfield Paradox! Ebony gives us her best Irish accent and Carolyn questions the difference between good-bad movies and bad-bad movies while we navigate the rubble of the film’s plot and praise the performance of Gugu Mbatha-Raw. We also discuss the recent decision by Formula One to end the long-standing tradition of grid girls, and we tackle the larger debate about “choice feminism” with which arguments about grid girls are inextricably linked. Finally, we FREQ out about Mindhunter, classic Hollywood romcoms, and Grace and Frankie, and Anita argues that it’s better for a series to leave people wanting more than for it to start giving people less. Segment Time Stamps: Entertainment News- 2:35-5:45 Cloverfield Paradox- 5:45-27:40 Grid Girls and Choice Feminism: 27:48-43:45 What’s Your FREQ-Out? Ebony on Mindhunter: 43:50-49:40 Caro on Classic Cary Grant Comedies of Remarriag

On this week’s Feminist Frequency Radio, Carolyn makes her triumphant return to the podcast and celebrates by making Anita and Ebony go see Call Me by Your Name, leading Ebony to recount the seemingly eternal experience of watching the film and forcing Anita to face questions about whether she’s ever been in love. We also talk about the fantastic new platformer Celeste which brilliantly meshes its mountain-climbing mechanics with an effective storyline about struggling with mental illness and spend a little time getting increasingly excited for Black Panther’s impending release. Finally, Anita asks listeners to chime in on whether or not she should continue enduring the expansive boredom of The Expanse! Referenced in this episode: Photos from the “purple carpet” premiere of Black Panther: http://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/red-carpet-dresses/g15920220/black-panther-premiere-red-carpet/

This week, Anita and Ebony are joined by the wonderful feminist Muslim Iranian-American comedian Zahra Noorbakhsh, who brings a bevy of insights to the table: How does the CW superhero show Black Lightning pay homage to the 60s sitcom Bewitched? How is the “manventure” movie Jaws actually about intersectional feminism? Zahra reveals all this and more, as the gang also talks about Saturday Night Live’s clumsy attempts to use comedy to address the #MeToo moment, the troubling kind of “strong female character” depicted in Atomic Blonde, and how you can take a class on Get Out, racism and black horror from the comfort of your home! Find out more about our special guest: https://twitter.com/zahracomedy http://www.zahracomedy.com/ Pop Culture Collaborative Senior Fellow: http://popcollab.org/about-us/zahra-noorbakhsh/ #GoodMuslimBadMuslim podcast: http://www.goodmuslimbadmuslim.com/ ...and become a backer on Drip to get access to this week's bonus segment, a conversation with Zahra about her long road toward findin

This week’s Very Special Episode is AAA-rated! Anita takes a trip to Chicago and ropes in Feminist Frequency superstar Ashley Fellows and Vulture writer Angelica Bastien to discuss camp, perspective, and the cycle of abuse in I, Tonya. Anita segues seamlessly into a critique of how the #MeToo and #TimesUp movement are being mischaracterized to paint grey areas in issues of consent where grey areas don’t actually exist, and then everyone takes a shot at “What’s Your FREQ Out Deal” with a shout out to Heathers, a weary side-eye at a recent Wonder Woman title, and unbridled enthusiasm from Anita for some board games she’s been loving. Tune in and subscribe today so you don’t miss a single episode! "How the #MeToo Movement Could Kill Some Sexy Hollywood Movies" https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/how-metoo-movement-could-kill-some-sexy-hollywood-movies-1073212 Wonder Woman http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2018/01/15/first-look-batmans-rooftop-rendezvous WereWords: https://opinionatedgamers.com/2017/05/01

This week on Feminist Frequency Radio, Guillermo del Toro’s latest film The Shape of Water divides the crew! Find out which of us were seduced by the film’s tender love story and which of us have no souls as we contemplate just what it means to fall in love with a fish man. (This discussion may involve Ebony busting out one of her patented Hater Rants.) We also talk about prominent women criticizing the #MeToo movement and examine what last week’s Aziz Ansari story says about our cultural expectations around romantic and sexual encounters. We round things out with a look at the trans-centric web series Her Story and a round of What’s Your Deal? Also, the podcast faces its most vital question yet: Should What’s Your Deal change its name to What’s Your FREQout? Help us decide! Segments: Entertainment News: 5:07-15:35 The Shape of Water: 15:37-32:47 Her Story (web series): 32:51-45:53 What’s Your Deal?/Wrap-Up: 45:53-57:54 Referenced in this episode: Margaret Atwood op-ed: Am I a bad feminist? https://www.theglo

With rainfall lending a lovely natural ambiance to the conversation, we discuss the power of representation in Black Panther and the formation of the Time's Up initiative to combat cultures of sexual harassment in every industry. This brings us to the highlights and disappointments of the politically charged 75th Annual Golden Globes. After discussing everything from Oprah's powerful speech to the failure of any of the night's male winners to directly address the recent reckoning in Hollywood in any meaningful way, our intrepid crew ventures into "USS Callister," a thought-provoking Star-Trek-influenced existential nightmare that serves as Black Mirror's fourth season premiere. Finally, on What's Your Deal, we each share something we've been thinking about lately, and Anita takes the opportunity to honor the late Allan G. Johnson, whose work on patriarchy, privilege and social systems was hugely influential in the formation of Feminist Frequency. Referenced in this episode: @eveewing's tweet about B

Happy New Year, everyone! We get 2018 off to a perfectly smooth start as Anita leaps us forward in time by launching us right into a conversation about the Doctor Who Christmas Special, which marked both the end of Peter Capaldi's tenure as the Doctor and the introduction of Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to ever fill the Doctor's shoes. We also talk about Carolyn's favorite game of last year, the heartwarming and hilarious Butterfly Soup, look at some of the latest entertainment news, and conclude with the customary round of "What's Your Deal?" So make some hot cocoa, toss a few more coals on the fire, and get cozy with us for the first Feminist Frequency Radio of the year! You can find Butterfly Soup at https://brianna-lei.itch.io/butterfly-soup

On this, our sixth episode of FFR, we go all in on Star Wars: The Last Jedi! (Yes, we dig into the nitty-gritty and there are spoilers, so if you haven't seen the movie yet, you may want to return to the main segment of this episode later.) Why are some people so upset about this film? How do Anita, Ebony and Carolyn feel about Rian Johnson's unconventional entry in the Star Wars saga? Which of this movie's many new CGI creatures is the coolest? What's the deal with those fish nuns on Luke's planet? What, exactly, is Mon Mothma? We dive in to these important issues and much more. But it's not all space wizards and laser swords! We also discuss some of the latest words to come out of Matt Damon's mouth, and we each share a little something special in this week's "What's Your Deal?" So gather the porgs, feel the Force flow through you and listen to the latest FFR now! Links to some cool stuff we talk about: Botnik's Harry Potter chapter, written with the help of a predictive text algorithm: botnik.org

On this week’s episode of Feminist Frequency Radio, the gang rejoices as Anita returns from Europe and records her first FFR stateside! We wonder what kind of magic spell Johnny Depp cast to make some people feel like his presence in The Crimes of Grindelwald is A-OK, and we ponder the profound depths of meaning revealed in the new trailer for Death Stranding. Ebony offers one of her patented Hypocritical Hot Takes (TM) on The Disaster Artist, and we try to work through our blood-spattered feelings about the critically acclaimed shooter Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. All this and much more here on Feminist Frequency Radio!