177. Monsters and Humanity in Fiction with Surekha Davies

“It all started with too much Star Trek, although you could say that that"s a lie because there is never too much Star Trek.” - Surekha Davies In the latest How To Write the Future podcast, titled “Monsters and Humanity in Fiction with Surekha Davies,” host Beth Barany talks to science and art historian, monster consultant, and author, Surekha Davies. Together they discuss why understanding monsters matters, how they function as boundary-markers for humanity, and how writer’s can apply an historian’s perspective on monsters to deepen their storytelling.  ABOUT SUREKHA DAVIES Surekha Davies is a historian of science, art, and ideas, a speaker, and a monster consultant for TV, film and radio. She is the author of "Humans: A Monstrous History" just out from the University of California Press, and writes the free newsletter, "Strange and Wondrous: Notes From a Science Historian." Her first book, "Renaissance Ethnography and the Invention of the Human: New Worlds, Maps and Monsters," won the Morris D. Forkosch Prize for the best first book in intellectual history from the Journal of the History of Ideas and the Roland H. Bainton Prize in History and Theology. Her work has appeared in the Times Literary Supplement, Nature, Science, and Aeon Magazine. For a free excerpt from HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY sign up for my newsletter, "Strange and Wondrous": https://buttondown.com/surekhadavies Website: https://www.surekhadavies.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/surekhadavies/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/surekha-davies-53711753/ Mastodon: https://hcommons.social/@surekhadavies Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/drsurekhadavies.bsky.social RESOURCES GET HELP WITH YOUR WORLD BUILDING - START HERE Free World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/ GET SOME FREE WRITING COACHING LIVE ON THE PODCAST Sign up for the 30-minute Story Success Clinic with Beth Barany: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/story-success-clinic/SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth BaranySHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDadeEDITORIAL SUPPORT by Iman Llompart c. 2025 BETH BARANY https://bethbarany.com/ Questions? Comments? Send us a text! Invitation to join our Romancing the Subplot Workshop coming soon. Link in the show notes. --- JOIN US! ROMANCING THE SUBPLOT - SAT + SUN, NOV. 15-16, 2025 on Zoom Romancing the Subplot Masterclass Workshop, Weekend Writing Retreat with Gala Russ https://bethbarany.thrivecart.com/romancingthesubplotfall2025/ CONNECT Contact Beth LinkedIn CREDITS EDITED WITH DESCRIPT (Affiliate link) MUSIC: Uppbeat.io DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465