The Back Half Podcast

About The Back Half Podcast

Politics, books, culture, and LGBTQ issues from award-winning journalist and author of Boy Does World, navigating the back half of life. www.backhalfbugg.com (https://www.backhalfbugg.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Sean Bugg

Category

news · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

22 Aug 2024

Latest episode

4 May 2026

Latest episodes

11 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   4 May 2026

   Landyn Pan: Trans Fitness, Body Image, and Gender Euphoria

   Landyn Pan (they/them) is a transmasculine, non-binary fitness and nutrition coach whose mission is to help queer and trans people build strength, confidence, and long-term, positive relationships with their bodies through strength training. After transitioning, Landyn discovered that lifting gave them not only physical transformation, but also gender alignment, routine, and a sense of autonomy. As the founder and head coach of Landyn Pan Fitness, they lead an all queer and trans team of coaches supporting clients across the United States and around the world. Sean Bugg first met Landyn in 2014 when they were 18 and participating in the Next Generation Leadership Foundation LGBTQ youth leadership program in Washington, D.C. A decade later, Landyn has built a thriving coaching business and become one of the leading voices on trans fitness and body image. In this episode, Sean and Landyn talk about Landyn’s personal journey through transition and how fitness became central to their sense of self, the unique relationship trans and nonbinary people have with body image and gym culture, what healthy masculinity actually means, navigating fitness spaces as a trans person, cis passing privilege and the current political climate, and why Landyn walked away from a media career to build something more meaningful. Find Landyn: Instagram @fitlandyn | landynpanfitness.com (http://landynpanfitness.com) Watch the video version: youtube.com/@seanbugg Subscribe to The Back Half newsletter: backhalfbugg.com (http://backhalfbugg.com) Get full access to The Back Half at www.backhalfbugg.com/subscribe (https://www.backhalfbugg.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

2. 

   26 Feb 2026

   Growing Up Southern

   Born in the South just after the end of Jim Crow, the passage of the Civil Rights Act, and the legalization of interracial marriage, Sean Bugg and Trey Graham discuss growing up as gay white Southern boys, encountering issues of racism, class, and religion. Sean and Trey both came to Washington, D.C. — a.k.a. Chocolate City — as young journalists, where they gained a clearer (if imperfect) understanding of how systemic racism had shaped them. Using their own experiences as a lens, along with the short stories of famed Southern writer Flannery O’Connor, they revisit what they’ve learned and how far they have to go. Trey Graham is a D.C.-based journalist who covered theater for the Washington City Paper for two decades. He received the George Jean Nathan Award for distinguished drama criticism in 2004. He currently covers theater for the Washington Post. His newsletter, “In Good Company,” is on Substack (treygraham.substack.com (http://treygraham.substack.com)). An Oral History of D.C.’s Gold Coast: Chapters 00:00 Exploring Southern Roots and Race 02:10 Awareness of Racial Identity 07:16 Cultural Differences in Racial Perception 11:34 Confronting Personal Racism 16:30 Navigating Racial Dynamics in D.C. 23:22 Exploring Ethnic Backgrounds and Class Dynamics 26:47 Literary Influences: Flannery O’Connor’s Impact 33:59 Revelation and Self-Reflection in O’Connor’s Work 40:28 The Intersection of Religion, Class, and Race 47:25 Cultural Reflections: The South’s Complex Identity 50:48 Introduction and Context 51:06 Navigating Difficult Conversations 51:54 Closing Thoughts and Reflections Get full access to The Back Half at seanbugg.substack.com/subscribe (https://seanbugg.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

3. 

   3 Feb 2026

   Flashback to Amazing

   Welcome to Flashback, where we revisit the age of New Wave science fiction and fantasy — the stories that came after the Golden Age of Science Fiction and before cyberpunk conquered the world. This episode we’re diving into one of the magazines that shaped me as a reader and writer, the famed Amazing Science Fiction Stories. By 1982, Amazing had been on an extended rough patch, losing readers in a shrinking market for short genre fiction. This issue highlights some of the strategies the editors tried to attract new readers — big names in the genre and classics from the past — along with some of the weaknesses that plagued the magazine, like bad art and abysmal copyediting. So, join in as we take a trip to the early ‘80s, complete with Nazis, sequelitis, and simmering racial tensions. Sound familiar? Get full access to The Back Half at seanbugg.substack.com/subscribe (https://seanbugg.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

4. 

   5 Sept 2025

   The Habit of Reading

   Some of us caught the bug early, others later in life, but once you fall in love with reading books there’s no going back from a lifetime of stories. But habits do change over time. Perhaps our tastes move from genre page turners to the classics shelf. Maybe the pressures of career and adulthood chip away at our free time to dive into new narratives. But books are always calling. If you’re like me, they’re calling from the many, many “to be read” tomes stacked around the house or clogging up the e-reader. Louis Bayard (https://www.louisbayard.com) — bestselling author of The Wildes, Jackie and Me, The Pale Blue Eye, and more — joins me on The Back Half to talk about a lifetime of reading, from our earliest forays into books to how we see our reading habits evolving in the future. Plus, how being a professional writer means you’re also a professional reader. Listen here on Substack or via Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-back-half-podcast/id1764366150) or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1KWpV6l0CDXKq8jB4XGmoO?si=916d6d63c10c4dfa). Get full access to The Back Half at seanbugg.substack.com/subscribe (https://seanbugg.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

5. 

   12 Jul 2025

   On the Podcast: How Science Fiction Helped Get Us into this Mess

   Don’t have the time to read the newsletter? Here’s the podcast version you can listen to anywhere! And, if you’re more visually inclined, I’m also on YouTube: As they say, like and subscribe! The Back Half is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Back Half at seanbugg.substack.com/subscribe (https://seanbugg.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

6. 

   24 Jun 2025

   Infinite Jest and America's Addictions

   Marshall Boswell discusses David Foster Wallace's *Infinite Jest* with Sean Bugg, exploring its themes of addiction and entertainment and its impact on American literature in this interview.

7. 

   5 Feb 2025

   On the Podcast: Space Shuttle Dreams

   This episode we Flashback to 1981, when the Space Shuttle first took flight and Analog magazine took a victory lap for science fiction and science fact. Too bad that victory lap included fantasies of a militarized space and winnable nuclear wars. Following that, I outline my personal taxonomy of science fiction: escapist, optimistic, pessimistic, nihilistic. It sounds academic but it’s more fun than that! Except for the nihilism. And the fascism. Content and authors include: George R.R. Martin, Jerry Pournelle, Star Wars, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Elon Musk, and more. Get full access to The Back Half at seanbugg.substack.com/subscribe (https://seanbugg.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

8. 

   3 Oct 2024

   On the Podcast: Amazing 1981

   In this episode, we’re on another Flashback, this time to September 1981 and Amazing Science Fiction Stories. By the late 1970s, the famed first science fiction magazine had hit new lows, cutting costs and corners until it became primarily a magazine of reprints. In 1981, a new editor was at work attempting to regain the glory years. But money was still tight, circulation was down, and advertising wasn’t setting records. As a result, some old habits were dying hard. Still, in this issue you’ll find the inescapable Harlan Ellison, both writing and being written about, and some top class stories once you make it past the filler. Plus, a column predicting the amazing future of fiber-optic communications gets some things right but some things very, very wrong. The Back Half (http://seanbugg.substack.com) at Substack Get full access to The Back Half at seanbugg.substack.com/subscribe (https://seanbugg.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

9. 

   7 Sept 2024

   Amazing Origin Stories

   And here we are with the third episode of The Back Half podcast and other episode of “Flashback,” examining the science fiction, fantasy, and horror writing that shaped me as a kid. This time I’m looking at the August 1981 issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. I also dig a little deeper in the “why” behind this project. There are some serious topics in here but I promise we’re all going to have fun doing this! Interested in the magazine and authors discussed? Here’s a list of resources for you to peruse: Publications: Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine: www.asimovs.com (http://www.asimovs.com) Asimov’s, Aug. 3, 1981 contents list: https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?59137+c (https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?59137+c) Authors: Harlan Ellison: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlan_Ellison (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlan_Ellison) Barry B. Longyear: https://www.barryblongyear.com (https://www.barryblongyear.com) Jerry Pournelle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Pournelle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Pournelle) Mildred Downey Broxon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mildred_Downey_Broxon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mildred_Downey_Broxon) Steve Rasnic Tem: https://stevetem.com (https://stevetem.com) Martin Gardner: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Gardner (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Gardner) Bob Shaw: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Shaw (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Shaw) J.P. Boyd: https://isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?11389 (https://isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?11389) Hank Simpson: https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?11516 (https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?11516) Jeanne/Joanne Mitchell: https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?11517 (https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?11517) Somtow Sucharitkul/S.P. Somtow: https://www.somtow.com (https://www.somtow.com) F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._Gwynplaine_MacIntyre (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._Gwynplaine_MacIntyre) Dona Vaughn: https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?11518 (https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?11518) Michael Kube-McDowell: http://alternities.com/wp/ (http://alternities.com/wp/) Get full access to The Back Half at seanbugg.substack.com/subscribe (https://seanbugg.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

10. 

    6 Sept 2024

    That's a disturbingly sexy L. Ron Hubbard

    I’m back with the second episode of The Back Half podcast, this time a "Flashback" to the November 1982 issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. Content warning: Disturbing mental imagery of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. In other, less fraught topics, I cover the kindly science fiction editors of my youth; George R.R. Martin being playful; and why you should read “The Postman” even though Kevin Costner screwed the movie up. Original post at The Back Half, complete with L. Ron Hubbard's ad for Battlefield Earth: "Dispatches from the Cold War" (https://seanbugg.substack.com/p/dispatches-from-the-cold-war) Get full access to The Back Half at seanbugg.substack.com/subscribe (https://seanbugg.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

11. 

    22 Aug 2024

    Ursula K. Le Guin, the Vietnam War, and Me

    Welcome to the first episode of The Back Half podcast, kicking off with an audio version of my piece on The Word for World Is Forest for those of you who prefer getting your words aurally. There’s more to come and in the near future I plan to bring in some guests to help expand and explore on these topics even more. The Back Half is a reader-supported publication. Consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Thanks for reading The Back Half! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to The Back Half at seanbugg.substack.com/subscribe (https://seanbugg.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 11 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

9

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32