Literacy

Haeny and Lalitha talk with Ebony Elizabeth Thomas and Oluwaseun (Olu) Animashaun about speculative fiction, Afrofuturism, African Futurism, and much more. They discuss the political dimensions of play in these and other genres, from children's literature to the big screen, and how these artifacts will stand in the 22nd century. 

Plus they play "Would you Rather: Speculative Fiction Edition" and share "What's Poppin'."

Haeny and Nathan talk with St. Cloud State University Professor Michael B. Dando about the Marvel series What If...?! They talk about speculative fiction, what playing with remixing the pop culture we love can offer us as people and educators, comics, and how we can learn from Spiderman without translating it into the vocabulary of schooling.

Haeny and Nathan discuss Masters of the Universe: Revelation, a recent follow-up to the '80s cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. They're joined by University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign Professor Anne Haas Dyson to talk children's play, pop culture and representation! How does Pop culture inform children's play, and what is the importance of representation to children? And why do shows keep trying to teach Haeny lessons?

Nathan and Haeny read Choose Your Own Adventure books and discuss them with special guests: kids! (Books: Space and Beyond (Choose Your Own Adventure Series #3) and Choose Your Own Adventure Eighth Grade Witch.) They discuss what the kids thought about the CYOA book, the best reading strategies, and what's poppin' for their four guests.

Our first episode of Pop and Play Season 3 is here! Professor John Jennings joins Haeny and Nathan to talk about comics across generations. A Hugo and Eisner Award winner, Professor Jennings is the writer and co-creator of the new Marvel series Silver Surfer: Ghost Light, which just released this February! (See the episode page to learn more about some of his impressive list of projects in the wider world of comics.) He talks with Haeny and Nathan about his creative process, who played Batman best, and re-mixing public domain superheroes for fun. Before all that, Haeny and Nathan introduce our theme for Season 3: intergenerational play.

Haeny and Nathan talk all about the BSC. Oh you didn’t know that stands for Baby-Sitters Club? Well now you do. And guess what? You’re going to hear a lot more about preferring Kristy or Stacey, how the show has translated both through time and across mediums, and why it makes Nathan misty-eyed. 

Then Nathan’s partner and his daughter join to tease him, I mean teach him about BSC, and they and Haeny talk about their connections with the show and books.

This week Haeny and Nathan talk with Amy Parks, and Maika and Maritza Moulite. They are all navigating the world of academia and busy being young adult fiction authors. They talk about why they’re drawn to writing for middle school aged readers, what it’s like to be a YA author in academia, and where they get inspiration. Also, Haeny makes everyone share their most embarrassing memories. Just kidding. Sort of. Haeny Yoon! (You’ll get it when you listen.)

This week Haeny and Nathan get schooled. Specifically they visit the first grade classroom of first-grade teacher and education scholar Carmen Llerena and talk to some kids! They learn how to play pirates, all about Rainbow Friends, and how to navigate conflict through pretend play. They talk about how kids use available materials to play in unexpected ways, the role of adults when it comes to shaping spaces where kids play, and learn about how easily imaginary worlds emerge from a pile of blocks.