Host Patrick J, D'Silva introduces a Worlds Beyond Worlds interview with Twin Cities science fiction and fantasy author Ryan Kirk, noting mid-episode audio issues on Patrick’s track while Ryan remains clear. Ryan recounts stumbling into novel-writing through National Novel Writing Month, finishing a first “trash” draft, then writing a 120,000-word novel that self-published successfully on Amazon and launched a hybrid career; his breakout book was Night. They discuss writing in quiet early/late hours, Ryan’s flexible daily process (handwriting, typing, dictation) and goal of 2,000–3,000 words a day, emphasizing consistent small effort. Ryan cites influences including Fonda Lee, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Ender’s Game, and outlines business challenges in a saturated market. He explains how readers can best support authors via direct sales/Kickstarters and word-of-mouth, summarizes his standalone The Last Fang of God and its rune-based divine power system, and previews a new fantasy-thriller series slated for March and June. They end by exploring why fiction helps make sense of life and how readers co-create meaning with authors.

00:00 Audio Disclaimer

00:52 Podcast Launch Intro

02:16 Ryan Writing Origin

03:34 NaNoWriMo Breakthrough

06:03 First Book Success

08:08 Influences and Favorites

10:24 Daily Writing Routine

12:56 Consistency Over Sprints

16:04 Publishing Market Challenges

18:55 How Readers Support Authors

23:18 Father Daughter Fantasy

24:55 Gods Dreams and Devotion

26:12 Runes as Divine Language

28:32 Standalone vs Series Pressure

31:06 Stakes Spoilers and Media Savvy

33:06 Cozy Fantasy and Reading Taste

36:18 Books as Co Created Worlds

37:53 New Thriller Fantasy Series

39:36 Why Start a Podcast

43:09 Fiction as Safe Insight

48:59 Letting Stories Go

50:00 Closing Thanks and Wrap

This was such an amazing experience discussing autonomy in learning with my old students. Thank you for listening! If you want to be the first to know about new content, please consider subscribing using the box below. Feel free to leave a comment!

In this episode of Worlds Beyond Worlds, host Patrick J. D'Silva talks with former DU students James, Andrew, and Zane about his Spring 2025 course on race, religion, and science fiction, with a special emphasis on gaming. James, now an adjunct at Regis University, describes adapting the course’s discussion-and-reflection structure for his own class on sacred encounters. Andrew and Zane, both Joint Doctoral Program PhD students, reflect on key course readings such as Charles Mills’ “The Wretched of Middle Earth” and David Higgins’ Reverse Colonization, and highlight Indigenous futurism as transformative. They discuss final projects: James’ creative Elder Scrolls narrative critiquing imperial religious bans, Zane’s Warhammer 40K paper on Anglo-Protestant anti-Catholic tropes and fascist appropriation, and Andrew’s BioShock Infinite analysis linking baptism, redemption, and colonial violence.

Follow Zane on Substack: https://theosophia.substack.com/

00:00 Episode Setup

01:41 James Intro and Teaching

04:15 Sacred Encounters Course

07:28 Andrew Intro and Fandom

09:39 Zane Intro and Ministry

14:04 Course Structure Reflections

14:47 Zane on Reverse Colonization

18:29 Andrew on Tolkien and Race

23:21 James on Indigenous Futurism

34:06 Final Project Transition

34:35 Elder Scrolls Creative Project

41:26 Masters Final Triumph

41:55 Orc Mage Backstory

44:13 Creative Outlet Blend

45:10 Zane Warhammer Focus

48:14 Catholic Gothic Continuity

50:43 Alt Right Aesthetics

57:39 Andrew Bioshock Thesis

01:01:19 Redemption And Decolonization

01:07:56 Publishing And Conferences

01:11:50 Course Takeaways

01:20:44 Fiction As Cultural Product

01:26:04 Season Wrap And Farewell

Patrick J. D'Silva hosts Worlds Beyond Worlds and continues conversations with former students from his Race, Religion, and Science Fiction course, joined by DU/Iliff doctoral students Kirsten Dahlquist and Robert Munson, whose creative finals engaged Afrofuturism. They discuss why they took the course, emphasizing science fiction fandom, life-giving pedagogy, and research interests in Black imagination. They reflect on the course’s autonomy-based structure—choosing among many materials and open-ended discussions—its initial anxiety due to academic trust issues, and how it became generative. New or challenging takeaways include racial critique of Tolkien via Charles Mills’ “Wretched of Middle Earth,” debates about utopia and who defines it, and recognizing problematic elements of media while still enjoying. Robert describes a poetry chapbook/zine on Wakanda as refuge and praxis; Kirsten describes a guided “God is Change” vision journal inspired by Octavia Butler’s Earthseed and adrienne maree brown’s Emergent Strategy. They compare creative work to research papers and close by describing the course as interrogating futures, absences, and assumptions through curiosity.

For more of Robert's work, you can follow him on Substack: Musings from a Broken Heart

00:00 Welcome and Setup

00:36 Meet Kirsten and Robert

01:28 Why They Took the Class

03:50 Life Giving Coursework

05:27 Course Design and Autonomy

08:34 Trust and Classroom Safety

15:50 New and Challenging Takeaways

20:30 Middle Earth and Racialization

25:36 Critique While Enjoying

27:40 Politics in Pop Culture

29:31 Final Project Options

30:25 Robert’s Wakanda Zine

36:56 Kirsten’s Vision Journal

42:41 Creative vs Paper Labor

47:52 What the Course Was

51:11 Closing and Next Episode

Patrick J. D'Silva introduces the Worlds Beyond Worlds podcast with the first of three conversations with former students from his course “Race, Religion, and Science Fiction,” focused on both the course’s themes and what it felt like to have autonomy in learning. He reunites with Kim, Josh, and Gus, who share their academic backgrounds and why they enrolled, then discuss the course’s flexible structure—choosing readings from curated options, shaping discussions, and using alternative formats like podcasts—in contrast to rigid, top-down classes that can penalize students for life circumstances. They describe how units and peer perspectives reframed topics like cyberpunk, disability, and worldbuilding, and they explain their final creative projects: Kim’s mushroom-based fiction, Josh’s non-linear story about identity, language, and land, and Gus’s narrative critiquing Christian worldviews and oppression. The episode previews a next conversation with Kirsten and Robert on Afrofuturism, Parable of the Sower, and Wakanda.

00:00 Welcome and Setup

01:15 Course Origins

03:37 Meet Kim

05:03 Meet Josh

07:44 Meet Gus

10:29 Autonomy Course Design

12:24 Student Reflections

21:33 Suffering and Access

24:53 Kim Choose Adventure

30:18 New Perspectives Units

32:15 Disability in Star Trek

35:59 Final Project Options

37:09 UN Essay Options

37:52 Creative Project Examples

39:13 Kim’s Mushroom Fiction

43:23 Teacher Reflection on Creativity

45:49 Josh’s Nonlinear Story

49:24 Ritual Language and Identity

57:07 Gus Decentering Self

01:00:10 Aliens and Human Consumption

01:04:19 Open Ended Learning

01:08:09 Course Takeaways Roundtable

01:13:01 Closing Thanks and Next Episode

Patrick describes key themes—defining the human, encountering the other, and how race, gender, sexuality, and disability are woven through speculative fiction—covering topics such as racism in Lord of the Rings, Star Wars/Star Trek, Indigenous Futurism, Afrofuturism/Africanfuturism, cyberpunk (Neuromancer), monsters (Frankenstein), and Jediism as a fiction-based religious movement.

He explains his pedagogy, emphasizing student autonomy (co-editing the syllabus, choosing evaluation methods, flexible formats, and deadlines) and unEssays” (creative projects such as illustrated journals, roleplaying games, cookbooks, audio tracks, paintings, zines, and original fiction), shaped by his teaching experience, parenting, and the pandemic.

They also discuss why film/TV are central to teaching today—visual media’s cultural dominance, immersive “magic,” merchandising/participation, and the impact of on-screen representation.

Time Stamps: 00:28 Why This Conversation Now

02:37 Course Origins and Big Questions

04:34 Race and Futurisms Units

06:48 Student-Led Syllabus and Grading

08:30 unEssays Creative Projects

10:47 Rethinking Traditional Pedagogy

13:09 Parenthood and Student Needs

15:09 Pandemic Compassion and Flexibility

17:45 Holistic Learning and Autonomy

23:32 Movies as Magic and Orientation

26:54 Why Film in the Classroom

27:59 Students Struggling to Read

30:17 Reading vs Watching

31:16 Video Culture Shift

33:27 Teaching Without Ego

35:34 Frankenstein Revisited

37:44 Movie Magic Immersion

41:45 Representation On Screen

46:35 Student Creative Projects

50:22 Improvising In The Classroom

52:07 Fandom As Religion

56:38 Wrap Up And Plugs