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Critical Friends Episode 17: On Imagining Hopefully episode artwork

EPISODE · Nov 3, 2025 · 53 MIN

Critical Friends Episode 17: On Imagining Hopefully

from Strange Horizons · host The Strange Horizons Editorial Collective

In this episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, Dan Hartland is joined by the outgoing editor of Foundation, Paul March-Russell, and the founding editor of the Harare Review of Books, Jacqueline Nyathi. They discuss speculative fiction’s approach to hope and optimism. Where has it gone? How do writers express it? And what are its pitfalls?⁠Paul's review of When There Are Wolves Again by E. J. Swift⁠⁠Jacqui's review of The Afterlife Project by Tim Weed⁠⁠Jacqui's essay, "Collective Dreaming: The Schrödinger's Cat Approach to Framing Futures"⁠

What this episode covers

In this episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, Dan Hartland is joined by the outgoing editor of Foundation, Paul March-Russell, and the founding editor of the Harare Review of Books, Jacqueline Nyathi. They discuss speculative fiction’s approach to hope and optimism. Where has it gone? How do writers express it? And what are its pitfalls?⁠Paul's review of When There Are Wolves Again by E. J. Swift⁠⁠Jacqui's review of The Afterlife Project by Tim Weed⁠⁠Jacqui's essay, "Collective Dreaming: The Schrödinger's Cat Approach to Framing Futures"⁠

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Critical Friends Episode 17: On Imagining Hopefully

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How long is this episode of Strange Horizons?

This episode is 53 minutes long.

When was this Strange Horizons episode published?

This episode was published on November 3, 2025.

What is this episode about?

In this episode of Critical Friends, the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, Dan Hartland is joined by the outgoing editor of Foundation, Paul March-Russell, and the founding editor of the Harare Review of Books, Jacqueline Nyathi. They discuss...

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