Dr. J's podcasts
(Because I have a face for radio!)
Black Mirror Reflections (2020-21) was a limited series podcast devoted to the philosophy, morality, politcs, and technology of the series Black Mirror. Edited, produced, and hosted by Dr. Leigh M. Jonson, each podcast episode featured a conversation with an expert guest exploring the implications of one particular Black Mirror installment.
Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker once described his near-future, science-fiction anthology series as being “about the way we live now– and the way we might be living in 10 minutes’ time if we’re clumsy.” Though it sometimes feels like 10 minutes, it has been more than a decade since the series debuted in 2011. Have we been clumsy?
From discussions of race issues with Dr. Charles McKinney (“Men Against FIre,” Episode 17) and Dr. Zandria Robinson (“Black Museum,” Episode 12), to technological grieving assistants with Dr. Samir Chopra (“Be Right Back,” Episode 13), to robot intelligence with Dr. Roman Yampolskiy (“Metal head,” Episode 19), to gender/sexuality issues with Dr. Karen Tongsen (“Rachel, Jack, and Ashely, Too.” Episode 18), to the metaphorical implications of science fiction on our conceptions of justice itself with Dr. Charles W. Mills (“White Bear,” Episode 17), this podcast brough some of the nation’s leading intellectuals to the mic– in the midst of a global pandemic– to speak honestly about how we might be less clumsy in determining our technological future.
Click on the image above (or here) to access and listen to the full archive of Black Mirror Reflections podcast episodes.
Hotel Bar Sessions (2021-present) is the podcast where three philosophers sit down at the end of a long conference day to chop it up at the hotel bar… which, as all academics know, is where the real conversations happen!
Dr. Leigh M. Johnson launched HBS after concluding the Black Mirror Reflections podcast. She has since served as the Executive Producer, Editor, and Co-host.
Although HBS has undergone several structural, ideological, and personnel changes since its inception– you can read the history of the podcast here— it has emerged, in only three short years, as one of the top Philosophy podcasts in the nation (and one of very few hosted or co-hosted by a woman!)
Hotel Bar Sessions releases a new episode each Friday during its seasons, and each season is 15 episodes long. We are currently in our 10th Season and still going strong!
What distinguishes HBS from other podcasts in our “market,” I think, is that our co-hosts are committed to asking the precise sorts of questions that regular people ask, making every effort to translate academic jargon into the vernacular, and working through questions of meaning and value in a way that is not only accessible, but inviting and engaging.
Also, we’re not too full of ourselves. In fact, we’re hilarious.
Click on the image above (or here) to access and listen to the full archive of Hotel Bar Sessions podcast episodes.