Should’ve Sent a Poet

About Should’ve Sent a Poet

A podcast exploring Alien Contact movies and what they have to say about us and our world

Publisher

Shouldve Sent a Poet

Category

fiction · society & culture · tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

10 Jun 2026

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

11 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   14 Oct 2026

   Episode 9: Starship Troopers (1997) Part 2

   In part two of their discussion of Starship Troopers (1997), Natalie and Natalie discuss the Big K and the surreal second half of the movie. Is it a dying fascist’s dream? A heightened propaganda film? Or maybe a portrayal of how bleak the ideal fascist society truly is. NEXT EPISODE: Pacific Rim (2013) SHOW NOTES: Want to support the show? Follow us on Patreon, or subscribe for $3 and gain access to our monthly bonus episodes. Have a question, comment, or correction? Email us at submissions@poetspod.com and get featured in one of our upcoming Q&A segments. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube@poets_pod Hosted by Natalie "Bea" Bickelhaupt (@millimeterbymillimeter.blog on Bluesky) and co-hosted by Natalie Epstein-Hogue (@nataliekrunch on Instagram) Edited by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Music by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Artwork by Natalie Epstein-Hogue

2. 

   1 Oct 2026

   Episode 8: Starship Troopers (1997) Part 1

   Warning: This episode includes in-depth discussions of fascism, the genocide of the Palestinian people, ICE and the mistreatment of immigrants, the death penalty, mass incarceration, and slavery. Listener discretion is advised. In their first two-parter, Natalie and Natalie discuss Paul Verhoeven’s satirical masterpiece, Starship Troopers. Based on a novel of the same name by Robert Heinlein, it portrays a fascist Earth going to war with a species of bug-like aliens in the 23rd century. Each scene is rich with critique and jumping off points for discussion. To give it the time it deserves, we’ve broken this movie into two parts. NEXT EPISODE: Starship Troopers (1997) Part 2 SHOW NOTES: Death Penalty Action Mercy (2026) - Fascism Comes to IMAX and Fails at the Box Office Want to support the show? Follow us on Patreon, or subscribe for $3 and gain access to our monthly bonus episodes. Have a question, comment, or correction? Email us at submissions@poetspod.com and get featured in one of our upcoming Q&A segments. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube@poets_pod Hosted by Natalie "Bea" Bickelhaupt (@millimeterbymillimeter.blog on Bluesky) and co-hosted by Natalie Epstein-Hogue (@nataliekrunch on Instagram) Edited by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Music by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Artwork by Natalie Epstein-Hogue

3. 

   16 Sept 2026

   Episode 7: Men in Black (1997) [Feat. Ace]

   Federal agents clad in black suits and sunglasses are one of the most enduring images of the modern American conspiracy movement. An integral part of the alien cover-up mythos, they have long been a staple of pop culture. However, their most impactful appearance is in the 1997 action comedy, Men in Black. Join hosts Natalie and Natalie as they cover the show’s largest movie yet. It’s an episode you won’t soon forget. NEXT EPISODE: Starship Troopers (1997) SHOW NOTES: Want to support the show? Follow us on Patreon, or subscribe for $3 and gain access to our monthly bonus episodes. Have a question, comment, or correction? Email us at submissions@poetspod.com and get featured in one of our upcoming Q&A segments. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube@poets_pod Hosted by Natalie "Bea" Bickelhaupt (@millimeterbymillimeter.blog on Bluesky) and co-hosted by Natalie Epstein-Hogue (@nataliekrunch on Instagram) Edited by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Music by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Artwork by Natalie Epstein-Hogue

4. 

   2 Sept 2026

   Episode 6: Landscape with Invisible Hand (2023)

   In 2017, author M. T. Anderson released a little book titled Landscape with Invisible Hand. While insightful at the time, it has become increasingly prescient over the years. In 2023, it was adapted into a film of the same name. Join Natalie and Natalie as they kick off a set of episodes focusing on Post-Contact films and discuss their most contemporary film yet. This episode is so ch’ch! NEXT EPISODE: Men in Black (1997) SHOW NOTES: Have a question, comment, or correction? Email us at submissions@poetspod.com and get featured in one of our upcoming Q&A segments. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube@poets_pod Hosted by Natalie "Bea" Bickelhaupt (@millimeterbymillimeter.blog on Bluesky) and co-hosted by Natalie Epstein-Hogue (@nataliekrunch on Instagram) Edited by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Music by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Artwork by Natalie Epstein-Hogue

5. 

   19 Aug 2026

   [SPECIAL] Spielberg, Disclosure Day, and Cosmic Horror

   A review of Disclosure Day through the lens of Spielberg’s secret love of cosmic horror.

6. 

   5 Aug 2026

   Episode 5: Pre-contact Retrospective and Q&A

   Join Natalie and Natalie as they look back at the first arc of the first season of Should've Sent a Poet. Reflecting on First Contact as a genre, they compare and contrast Contact, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Signs, and Arrival before answering some listener questions! NEXT EPISODE: Landscape with Invisible Hand (2023) SHOW NOTES: Have a question, comment, or correction? Email us at submissions@poetspod.com and get featured in one of our upcoming Q&A segments. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube @poets_pod Hosted by Natalie "Bea" Bickelhaupt (@millimeterbymillimeter.blog on Bluesky) and co-hosted by Natalie Epstein-Hogue (@nataliekrunch on Instagram) Edited by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Music by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Artwork by Natalie Epstein-Hogue

7. 

   22 Jul 2026

   Episode 4: Arrival (2016) and the Nimitz Encoutner [Featuring: Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe]

   Can you tell this is our favorite movie? It seems each episode is longer than the last, and this one is long. If any movie is deserving of a near five hour runtime, it's 2016's Arrival. Directed by the sci-fi virtuoso of our time, Denis Villeneuve, Arrival is the platonic ideal of a First Contact film. Synthesizing hard science fiction, cultural analysis, and heart-wrenching explorations of the human condition, it is one of the best films ever made. Discussing this masterpiece necessitates plenty of time to unpack each and every layer of its narrative. Join Natalie and Natalie as they discuss one of the best movies ever made, talk about the Nimitz Encounter, and interview friend of the pod Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe about his time working on Arrival. Hopefully nothing got lost in translation. NEXT EPISODE: Episodes 1-4 Q&A and Retrospective, followed by Landscape with Invisible Hand (2023) SHOW NOTES: Subscribe to our Patreon for ad free versions and monthly bonus episodes. Have a question, comment, or correction? Email us at submissions@poetspod.com and get featured in one of our upcoming Q&A segments. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube @poets_pod Hosted by Natalie "Bea" Bickelhaupt (@millimeterbymillimeter.blog on Bluesky) and co-hosted by Natalie Epstein-Hogue (@nataliekrunch on Instagram) Edited by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Music by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Artwork by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Bibliography: 2023 Congressional Hearing on UAPs 2 Navy Airmen and an Object That ‘Accelerated Like Nothing I’ve Ever Seen’ - The New York Times Five U.S. Navy Sailors Saw the Glowing ‘Tic Tac’-Shaped UFO. They Told Us Exactly What They Witnessed. - Popular Mechanics Mick West Videos: Is the Nimitz UFO Just a Plane? Tracking Down a Tic-Tac UFO (passenger plane over Lake Michigan)

8. 

   8 Jul 2026

   [BONUS] NASA's Unexplained Files

   Your eyes do not deceive you, this extra episode does belong in your feed. To celebrate the launch of our Patreon, we're releasing our first bonus episode for free! Beyond the paywall, anything is possible. That includes Natalie Epstein-Hogue writing the synopsis, and Natalie Bickelhaupt being subjected to cruel experiments! In this episode, Natalie leads Natalie through the bizarre world of reality TV documentaries, specifically NASA's Unexplained Files. Straying from our usual style, Nat watched the show beforehand, wrote a synopsis, and then subjected Bea to a terrible episode of television immediately before recording. Unmoored from reality, Bea tries to keep up with the terrible world of  terrible editing, UFO cranks, and mountains made from molehills. SHOW NOTES: Subscribe to our Patreon for ad free versions and monthly bonus episodes. Have a question, comment, or correction? Email us at submissions@poetspod.com and get featured in one of our upcoming Q&A segments. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube @poets_pod Hosted by Natalie "Bea" Bickelhaupt (@millimeterbymillimeter.blog on Bluesky) and co-hosted by Natalie Epstein-Hogue (@nataliekrunch on Instagram) Edited by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Music by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Artwork by Natalie Epstein-Hogue

9. 

   8 Jul 2026

   Episode 3: Signs (2002) and the Arecibo Response

   Well folks, it was bound to happen. Three episodes in and we’ve already doubled a movie’s runtime. I can’t say I’m surprised that the ceaselessly surreal Signs (2002), directed by M. Night Shyamalan, was the culprit. Despite not being very good, Signs manages to use First Contact as a jumping off point to explore grief and faith in some deeply compelling ways. Bad movies with interesting ideas always make for the longest episodes. Plus we get Nat’s best, and longest, Tinfoil segment yet! We spend a hefty chunk of this 5-star runtime talking about real life crop circles and the conspiracies surrounding them. Join Natalie and Natalie as they discuss whether Shyamalan is a genius or a hack, disagree on the quality of our subject, and the unique class politics of this iconic off-beat trip in a super-sized episode of Should’ve Sent a Poet. Just remember to watch out for Lionel Prichard and those damn Wolfington Brothers. NEXT EPISODE: Arrival (2016) SHOW NOTES: Subscribe to our Patreon for ad free versions and monthly bonus episodes. Have a question, comment, or correction? Email us at submissions@poetspod.com and get featured in one of our upcoming Q&A segments. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube @poets_pod Hosted by Natalie "Bea" Bickelhaupt (@millimeterbymillimeter.blog on Bluesky) and co-hosted by Natalie Epstein-Hogue (@nataliekrunch on Instagram) Edited by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Music by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Artwork by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Bibliography: Features of the Chilbolton Message: Photos Referenced in Tinfoil Segment (Serge Savoring) The Chilbolton Crop Glyphs: A Message Finally Received, In Answer to Carl Sagan?: Richard Hoagland: Crank Source Arecibo Response crop circles dot app: Uncredited Author, Crank Source Janet Ossegaard (Crop Circles + QAnon Crank) Obituary: Chilbolton Incident Documentary (LettrBoxd)

10. 

    24 Jun 2026

    Episode 2: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and The Roswell Incident

    Join Natalie and Natalie as they explore this touchstone of the Alien genre: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1997), directed by Steven Spielberg. This seminal work enshrined many of the tropes and themes that permeate the rest of the genre, and is an essential science fiction watch. Accompanying such an iconic piece is an iconic Tin-Foil segment, as we explore both the narratives and cold hard facts, around the 1947 Roswell Incident. See you on the dark side of the moon! NEXT EPISODE: Signs (2002) SHOW NOTES: Have a question, comment, or correction? Email us at submissions@poetspod.com and get featured in one of our upcoming Q&A segments. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube @poets_pod Hosted by Natalie "Bea" Bickelhaupt (@millimeterbymillimeter.blog on Bluesky) and co-hosted by Natalie Epstein-Hogue (@nataliekrunch on Instagram) Edited by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Music by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Artwork by Natalie Epstein-Hogue Bibliography: Report on Project Mogul: Synopsis of Balloon Research Findings, James McAndrew, Declassified Military Document https://muller.lbl.gov/teaching/physics10/Roswell/USMogulReport.html The Roswell Incident and Project Mogul, Dave Thomas, The Skeptical Inquirer https://centerforinquiry.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/1995/07/22165104/p17.pdf The Draconian/Saurian War Conspiracy: Crackpot document claiming to be leaked secrets https://sacred-texts.com/ufo/conspire.htm

11. 

    10 Jun 2026

    Episode 1: Contact (1997) and the Wow! Signal

    Join Natalie and Natalie as they embark on Episode 1 of Shouldve Sent a Poet, exploring themes around Contact (1997) starring Jodie Foster, and based on the eponymous book by Carl Sagan.

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Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Contact Should’ve Sent a Poet

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.