Exolore: facts-based fictional worldbuilding

Latest Episodes:

World of Flipped Morality Jul 27, 2023

Show notes

Moiya is joined by fantasy literature scholar Bezi Yohannes to imagine a brand new world where the meanings of light and dark are switched. Together they create magical slippery creatures who do all of their private acts in public.

HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist

GUEST

Bezi Yohannes is a book reviewer, half of the Dreaming in the Dark team, and literal Black fantasy scholar. Find her online at @beingabookwyrm

MIDBREAK

Listen to SPIRITS, new episodes every Wednesday

HOUSEKEEPING

Order my book, THE MILKY WAY: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/moiya-mctier/the-milky-way/9781538754153/
BUY EXOLORE SWAG: store.dftba.com/collections/exolore

FIND US ONLINE

CREDITS

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/
Editing: Mischa Stanton, https://www.mischastanton.com/

ABOUT US

How would you like to swim in an ocean ruled by matriarchal squid, or fly over a planet as it rotates with a swarm of migrating wasps? No, it's not the latest VR craze (... yet); it's Exolore! Exolore helps you imagine other worlds with the help of facts and science. Every other week, host Dr. Moiya McTier invites experts to build a world from scratch or sits down with a fiction fan to dive deep into their favorite worlds. Every episode will make you laugh, go "huh?" and appreciate how special our world really is.

Exolore is a member of Multitude Productions, an independent podcast collective and production studio.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rerun: Building magic systems with C.R. Rowenson Jul 13, 2023

Show notes

We're revisiting a fan favorite episode this week! Throwback Thursday to that time Moiya learned a process for building coherent and balanced magic systems.

This turned out to be the first in a trio of episodes. After this, listen to The World of Touchy Arachnids and then Building Magic Systems part II where Clark comes back to put his process into practice on our homegrown world.

HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist

GUEST

C.R. Rowenson is a trained chemical engineer who's passionate about writing and building magic systems. You can follow him on twitter @ClarkRRowenson, find fantastic resources on his website crrowenson.com, and check out his Youtube channel.

MIDBREAK

Listen to JOIN THE PARTY, new episodes every Tuesday

HOUSEKEEPING

Order my book, THE MILKY WAY: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/moiya-mctier/the-milky-way/9781538754153/
BUY EXOLORE SWAG: store.dftba.com/collections/exolore

FIND US ONLINE

CREDITS

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/
Editing: Mischa Stanton, https://www.mischastanton.com/

ABOUT US

Exolore is a member of Multitude Productions, an independent podcast collective and production studio.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Avatar the Last Airbender with Brittney Morris Jun 29, 2023

Show notes

Moiya is joined by author Brittney Morris to break down the world of Avatar the Last Airbender! They talk about the in-world origin of bending, the real world martial arts that inspired bending moves, and why the live action movie was so terrible.

HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist

GUEST

Brittney Morris is an award winning author of books including Slay and The Jump. Find her on twitter @BrittneyMMorris or on her website authorbrittneymorris.com

MIDBREAK

Listen to my other podcast PALE BLUE POD every Monday
Listen to Tiny Matters wherever you get your podcasts every other Wednesday
This episode is sponsored by Betterhelp. Visit betterhelp.com/worldbuilder for 10% off your first month

HOUSEKEEPING

Order my book, THE MILKY WAY: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/moiya-mctier/the-milky-way/9781538754153/
BUY EXOLORE SWAG: store.dftba.com/collections/exolore

FIND US ONLINE

CREDITS

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/
Editing: Mischa Stanton, https://www.mischastanton.com/

ABOUT US

Exolore is a member of Multitude Productions, an independent podcast collective and production studio.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

World of Musical Moons Jun 15, 2023

Show notes

Moiya is joined by biochemist Isaac Paddy to build a world inspired by his love of musicals and romcoms. They imagine a world full of singing amphibious creatures who live their lives according to the movement of their planet's six different moons.

HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist

GUEST

Isaac Paddy is a biochemist in a PhD program at Stanford studying enzymes. Follow him on twitter at @isaacapaddy

MIDBREAK

Join the Multicrew to access fun, exclusive perks like Head Heart Gut!

HOUSEKEEPING

Order my book, THE MILKY WAY: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/moiya-mctier/the-milky-way/9781538754153/
BUY EXOLORE SWAG: store.dftba.com/collections/exolore

FIND US ONLINE

CREDITS

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/
Editing: Mischa Stanton, https://www.mischastanton.com/

ABOUT US

Exolore is a member of Multitude Productions, an independent podcast collective and production studio.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

World of Fuzzy Rolling Frogs Jun 01, 2023

Show notes

Moiya is joined by Em Meurer to imagine a world with elaborate funeral rituals. Together they create adorable creatures that roll around on bioluminescent moss and communicate emotions through smells.

HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist

GUEST

Em Meurer is a graphic designer, book reviewer, and death communicator. Find her socials, book reviews, and Good Grief on her website emmeurer.com

MIDBREAK

Discover new podcasts with specific episodes at kradl.io
Listen to Tiny Matters wherever you get your podcasts every other Wednesday
Help us out by filling out the Multitude Listener Survey!

HOUSEKEEPING

Sign up for my worldbuilding class with Atlas Obscura! Class starts June 5th
Order my book, THE MILKY WAY: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/moiya-mctier/the-milky-way/9781538754153/
BUY EXOLORE SWAG: store.dftba.com/collections/exolore

FIND US ONLINE

CREDITS

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/
Editing: Mischa Stanton, https://www.mischastanton.com/

ABOUT US

Exolore is a member of Multitude Productions, an independent podcast collective and production studio.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Middle Earth with Connie Gibbs and Delia Gallegos May 18, 2023

Show notes

Moiya is joined by fellow nerds Connie Gibbs and Delia Gallegos to discuss the worldbuilding in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings! There is so much to unpack, from the creation of the world, origin of its magic, Tolkien's inspirations, and the little matter of having a FLAT WORLD!

HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist

GUESTS

Connie Gibbs is a nerd, writer, and social media manager for Scholastic. Find her on twitter at @Constar24.
Delia Gallegos is a writer, speaker, and podcaster. Follow her work at deliaistyping.com and listen to her new podcast CULTURE BY CULTURE.

MIDBREAK

Listen to JOIN THE PARTY! New episodes every Tuesday
This episode is sponsored by Betterhelp. Visit betterhelp.com/worldbuilder for 10% off your first month
Sign up for my worldbuilding class with Atlas Obscura! Class starts June 5th

HOUSEKEEPING

Order my book, THE MILKY WAY: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/moiya-mctier/the-milky-way/9781538754153/
BUY EXOLORE SWAG: store.dftba.com/collections/exolore

FIND US ONLINE

CREDITS

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/
Editing: Mischa Stanton, https://www.mischastanton.com/

ABOUT US

Exolore is a member of Multitude Productions, an independent podcast collective and production studio.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

World without internet May 04, 2023

Show notes

Moiya is joined by chemist Kiara Whittle to imagine a peaceful world where a special stone lets people communicate telepathically. This is one of the most earth-like worlds we've built on the show.

HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist

GUEST

Kiara Whittle is a chemist and science communicator who is actively pursuing her masters in public health while working as a scientist making and testing products for a medical company. Follow her on instagram @ki_thechemist or on twitter @BlowTheWhittle

MIDBREAK

Listen to TELL ME ABOUT IT every other Thursday!
This episode is sponsored by Betterhelp. Visit betterhelp.com/worldbuilder for 10% off your first month
Sign up for my worldbuilding class with Atlas Obscura! Class starts June 5th

HOUSEKEEPING

Order my book, THE MILKY WAY: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/moiya-mctier/the-milky-way/9781538754153/
BUY EXOLORE SWAG: store.dftba.com/collections/exolore

FIND US ONLINE

CREDITS

Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
Cover art: Stephen J. Reisig, http://stephenjreisig.com/
Editing: Mischa Stanton, https://www.mischastanton.com/

ABOUT US

Exolore is a member of Multitude Productions, an independent podcast collective and production studio.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

World of Glittery Mushroom Trees Apr 20, 2023

Show notes

Moiya is joined by cannabis researcher Dr. Brandie Cross and together they imagine a "weird and psychedelic" world full of mind-swapping trees and dragons who like to get high.

HOSTED by Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo), astrophysicist and folklorist

GUEST

Dr. Brandie Cross is a biologist and cannabis researcher who founded The Pot Lab, a research and development collaborative focused on the beneficial uses of the cannabis plant.