Professor Dimitra Fimi, Professor Matthew Sangster, Dr Will Tattersdill and Dr Anna McFarlane join the podcast for a fantastic conversation across media, and spanning centuries of literary history. From what makes fantasy so compelling to myths and misconceptions; we delve into the depths of Booktok and fandom, explore the publishing industry and AI futures, as well as touch on the many texts that inspired their research – not to mention the fantasy texts you need to read.

You don’t need to be a fantasy reader to enjoy this episode, but you will be by the end credits.

Discover the UofG Centre for Fantasy & the Fantastic

Meet Professor Dimitra Fimi, Professor Matthew Sangster, Dr Will Tattersdill and Dr Anna McFarlane, and find out about their research

Learn more about the Fantasy MLitt and how you can apply

Follow @UofGFantasy on social media: Instagram, Bluesky, and X

Check out the UofGFantasy YouTube channel to watch recordings from recent events and discover research from Centre members.

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In the second half of the episode, Dr Peacock shares two games he has developed in the UofG Games & Gaming Lab which are centred around global nuclear and humanitarian crises: Dial N for Nuclear and HOPE AGE. Listen to find out how these games challenge players, as well as HOPE AGE’s impact when it was played by delegates at the United Nations earlier this year.  

Learn more about Dr Tim Peacock & his research

Follow Dr Tim Peacock on X and Bluesky: @DrTimPeacock and @drtimpeacock.bsky.social

Read Dr Peacock’s articles for The Conversation UK on Godzilla and the cinematic legacies of the first nuclear tests, Oppenheimer, and  Eisenhower’s Atoms for Peace speech.

Discover the UofG Games & Gaming Lab

Follow the UofG Games & Gaming Lab on X and Bluesky: @UofGGamesLab and @uofggameslab.bsky.social

Explore research in the Scottish Centre for War Studies & Conflict Archaeology

Follow the Scottish Centre for War Studies & Conflict Archaeology on X and Bluesky: @UofGWarStudies and @uofgwarstudies.bsky.social

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Countless stories could be told about Kelvingrove Park and its ever-evolving role in Glasgow’s 850-year history and the lives of the city’s residents. In the early 1980s, it was home to Kelvin Wheelies, a skatepark once hugely popular with local teenagers and professional skateboarders from across the UK alike. Now, it lies hidden, buried at the heart of the park with few traces to signal its existence.

Dr Kenny Brophy joins Cia on the podcast to discuss the story of Kelvin Wheelies, recounting its place in the city’s modern sporting history, and in the memories of Glasgow’s skaters. He highlights the role of contemporary archaeology, and the methodologies archaeologists can use in order to explore events and sites from recent memory.

In summer 2025, Dr Brophy led a team of archaeologists, students, volunteers from Archaeology Scotland’s New Audiences project, and former Kelvin Wheelies skaters to excavate the skatepark.

Listen to find out what they discovered…  

Learn more about Dr Kenny Brophy and his research

https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/humanities/staff/kennethbrophy/

Visit Dr Brophy’s blog, The Urban Prehistorian

https://theurbanprehistorian.wordpress.com/

Follow Dr Brophy on X @urbanprehisto: https://x.com/urbanprehisto

Find out more about Kelvin Wheelies & the excavation

https://www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/arts/aboutus/news/headline_1204406_en.html

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Dr Matthew Creasy and Dr Megan Coyer join Dr Cia Jackson on the podcast to share the story of Glasgow’s 1832 cholera outbreak, and how it inspired their version of the popular boardgame, ‘Pandemic’.

Listen to discover the impact cholera had on Glasgow and its residents, and Glasgow’s role in medical history.

Find out more about Dr Matthew Creasy and his research: https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/critical/staff/matthewcreasy/

Dr Creasy’s George Moore, Confessions of a Young Man: https://www.mhra.org.uk/publications/jt-5

Find out more about Dr Megan Coyer and her research: https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/critical/staff/megancoyer/

Dr Megan Coyer’s James Hogg Contributions to Fraser’s Magazine for Town & Country https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-contributions-to-fraser-s-magazine-for-town-and-country.html

Keep up to date with Glasgow Pandemic 1832: https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/mhrc/impact-and-engagement/glasgow-pandemic-1832/

Learn more about the Medical Humanities Research Centre at the University of Glasgow: https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/mhrc/

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Dr Shanti Graheli, Senior Lecturer in Comparative Literature, joins Cia on the podcast for a conversation all about materiality, memory, and meaning, in advance of Book Tales, a series of engaging events celebrating books and their readers as part of the 2025 Being Human Festival. Dr Graheli shares how the value of books can extend far beyond their texts, forming connections between readers across borders and generations. Whether left by a beloved family member, or simply the book’s previous owner, inscriptions and annotations, make-shift bookmarks, or even torn pages taped back together can come together to tell the fascinating stories of readers past and present. 

Listen to learn more about Book Tales, and hear Dr Graheli’s manifesto as to why we should begin to leave written traces of ourselves in between the lines.

Find out more about Dr Shanti Graheli and her research: https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/mlc/staff/shantigraheli/

Check out the full line-up of Book Tales events as part of Being Human Festival 2025: https://www.beinghumanfestival.org/book-tales-storytelling-between-text-and-object

Book your free tickets for the Book ‘Antiques’ Roadshow: https://www.beinghumanfestival.org/events/books-antiques-roadshow

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‘The Collected Works of Robert Fergusson: Reconstructing Textual and Cultural Legacies’ is a two-year research project, funded by the Leverhulme Trust, and led by Professor Rhona Brown. As the 250th anniversary of Fergusson’s death approaches, Prof. Brown and Dr Amy Wilcockson join the podcast to share their research, as well as insights into Fergusson’s life, works and legacy. Listen to learn more about Fergusson, and hear extracts of his work read by Billy Kay and James Robertson.  

Find out more about The Collected Works of Robert Fergusson: Reconstructing Textual and Cultural Legacies: https://robert-fergusson.glasgow.ac.uk/  

Learn about upcoming events: https://robert-fergusson.glasgow.ac.uk/events/  

Follow on X: https://x.com/RFergussonPoet  

Follow on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rfergussonpoet.bsky.social  

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Dr Poncarová introduces two figures who have played key roles in Gaelic publishing: Ruaraidh Erskine of Mar and Derick Thomson. From poetry and periodicals that spanned decades, to detective fiction, drama, and even a biology text book, listen now to find out more…  

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Professor Hammill shares how the power and public fascination with the ocean liner has been captured in literature; and how real ocean liners - some even built on the Clyde – along with their crews and passengers – have been documented, commemorated, and mythologised. 

Join Professor Hammill and Cia as they explore literature, archival material, and even the role played by Glasgow’s own shipyards.  

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Mallorca has long been a popular holiday destination, but what are the consequences of that popularity? From representation in art and culture, to conversations with local communities and changes in vocabulary, Dr Colom-Montero joins Cia to reflect on the impact decades of tourism has had on the island – and some similar effects seen closer to home, here in Scotland.  

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Dr Matthew Leeper, Managing Director and Founder of Education Evolved, and Student Enterprise Advisor at University of Glasgow, talks to Cia about his journey from student to entrepreneur.  

Dr Leeper shares the pivotal moments, decisions, and passion for history that brought him to his current roles. Listen and trace Dr Leeper's steps from a street in Rome to academia, Education Evolved, and now helping UofG students to start their own entrepreneurial journeys. 

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Professor Ben Colburn is a political philosopher at the University of Glasgow and patron of the charity, and he joins Cia for a thought-provoking conversation about autonomy and end of life care.  

Prof. Colburn talks Cia through the different factors which can threaten autonomy at end of life, as well as the ways autonomy can be supported. From educating and collaborating with carers, to working with legislators and supporting the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill; Prof Colburn shares the work he and colleagues are doing to help ensure those nearing end of life can continue to make choices that uphold their values. 

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From negotiating language barriers and travelling with illustrators, to creating a network of correspondence to sate his curiosity. Pennant explored Scotland long before his contemporary, Samuel Johnson made his tour of the western isles.  

Professors Leask and Constantine share some of Pennant’s travel writing and thoughts from his tours of Scotland and Wales. They reflect on how curious traveller, Pennant, inspired and influenced travel writing and tourism. 

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Emma French is a PhD candidate in University of Glasgow’s Centre for Fantasy & the Fantastic. Emma joins Cia for a conversation about transformative storytelling and Dungeons & Dragons. This popular roleplaying game is more than dice rolling and rulebooks; it's a powerful way to tell stories and explore the fantasy genre. 

You don’t need to be half-elf edge-lord rogue, or a gnome cleric with a strong moral compass to enjoy this episode. But you may start to rethink your relationship with your favourite fantasy texts, or even pick up some dice... 

Follow Emma on X @ohlookdragons and find out more about Emma’s research

Follow @UofGFantasy on X and Instagram for news and updates from the Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic.  

Learn more about the Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic, their research and their upcoming events.

Find out more about the Fantasy MLitt and apply at https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/fantasy/  

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Dr Rosie Spooner has been leading critical heritage walking tours of Glasgow since 2017. Centring on Kelvingrove Park and Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, the walks explore how Glasgow’s built environment and museum collections have been shaped by its involvement in chattel slavery, colonization and imperialism

Dr Spooner joins Cia to share how these tours use walking as a decolonial heritage practice. The walks examine the ‘hidden’ histories of empire in these popular locations, and how this past has shaped Glasgow’s built environment and museum collections. 

Find out more about Dr Rosie Spooner and her research.

Register free for Rosie’s walks as part of Black History Month in Scotland 

Saturday 7 October 2023, 14:30 – 16:30: Museums, Empire & Difficult Heritage at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum

Please note that the walk of the park on Saturday 7 October 2023 has been rescheduled to Saturday 21 October. Book: Tracing Glasgow’s Imperial Past in Kelvingrove Park 

Rosie will also be running the walks on Saturday 12 November as part of a programme of events being organised to coincide with the opening of a new exhibition at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum called Glasgow: City of Empire. Booking links will be shared via @UofGArtsHums social channels when they are available.  

To find out more about the Museum Studies MSc and apply, visit https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/museumstudies/  

Follow @UofGInfoStudies on X to keep up to date with the latest news and updates from Information Studies, including Rosie’s work and next walks.   

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The College of Arts is home to the UofG Games & Gaming Lab, with members from across the University and fascinating gaming projects in progress touching on countless different genres and subjects. 

Dr Tim Peacock is one of the Lab’s co-directors, and he joins Cia to chat all things gaming, as well as share two projects he has led recently. Press start and get ready to enter the world of Minecraft: Ellisland, and then find out about a strategy game that sees Glasgow catastrophically flooded.

Find out more about Tim’s research.

Follow Tim on Twitter @DrTimPeacock.

Check out the Games and Gaming Lab, their projects and events, and join their newsletter.

Follow the Games and Gaming Lab on Twitter @UofGGamesLab.

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What was the lived experience of people with disabilities and impairments? What were the different types of prostheses and assistive technology available? Who created them, and what materials were they made from?  

Jane talks to Cia about the literary and archaeological evidence as to when, how, and why people in classical antiquity might have adopted prostheses and assistive technology, as well as societal attitudes towards medicine, science, and the human body.  

Show notes available via our podcast webpage.

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Professor Willy Maley is arguably the University of Glasgow’s biggest Outlander fan. He joins Cia, ahead of the University’s upcoming Outlander academic conference, to share his love for Diana Gabaldon’s fictional world. From how the novels and television series have inspired interest in Scotland’s history, landscape and culture; to the way fans interact with Gabaldon’s work across the globe, you’ll long to travel through time with Claire and Jamie after listening to this episode.  

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Cia is joined by Dr Eva Moreda Rodriguez, who introduces us to the zarzuela and early recording in Spain. Find out about this musical genre, as well as how singers and musicians adapted their zarzuela performances towards the phonograph.  

If you’re curious about what a phonograph recording of a zarzuela sounds like, or how a singer today might find the experience of recording one themselves, we’ve got you covered as Eva shares some original recordings, as well as some she made herself recently as part of the Redefining Early Recordings as Sources for Performance Practice and History Research Network.  

To keep up with Eva’s research, follow her on Twitter @Eva_Moreda

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This episode we’re visiting Viking settlements and even a gaol with digital archaeologist, Dr Gareth Beale. He shares how archaeologists today are using digital technology to create immersive experiences at heritage sites and museums to help us form deeper connections to the past.  

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Get ready for an episode in zero gravity as we’re joined by Scottish author and poet, Oliver K. Langmead. 

Oliver shares his experiences as the 2018 Writer in Residence at the European Space Agency in Cologne, and talks to us about his recent Creative Writing doctoral thesis work. We get a behind the scenes look at the creative processes and inspiration behind Oliver’s page-turner space poetry, and consider what might happen if humans tried to colonise Mars. 

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Scotland has a literary tradition that spans centuries and crosses borders. The influence of its shared Gaelic stories with Ireland can still be felt today. This episode, Dr Geraldine Parsons introduces us to this amazing literature through the medieval Irish Finn Cycle (Fiannaíocht; Senchas na Fèinne) - the stories of legendary hero, Fionn Mac Cumhaill – and how these tales even touch our very landscape. 

Want to check out the stories Geraldine mentioned in this episode? You can find some suggested titles on our podcast webpages.

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Expect local landmarks, missing mummies and more, as researcher Danielle Schwertner and Professor Laurence Grove share some of their favourite extracts of the periodical, explaining what we can learn about 19th century Glasgow, and comic book history. 

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You don’t need to be a knitter to enjoy this episode, but you may be inspired to pick up some needles and cast on as the team take us on a journey across Scotland that spans decades. 

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