MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its own unique monster stories to tell to frighten, but also to instruct on the nature of good and evil, right and wrong. But what happens when monsters get out of control, when the monstrous imagination starts to bleed over into the real world? What are the effects of monsters on real people's real lives? This podcast examines the histories and mysteries of some of our favorite monsters to unlock their secrets and expose their influence on our lives. Join podcast host Mike Halekakis (Boom! Knowledge) and monster expert Dr. Michael Chemers (The Monster in Theatre History: This Thing of Darkness) for a lively and hilarious discussion about the things that scare us the most.
UC Santa Cruz Teaching & Learning Center
Claim This Podcastby Mike Halekakis and Michael Chemers
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Podcast Overview
MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its own unique monster stories to tell to frighten, but also to instruct on the nature of good and evil, right and wrong. But what happens when monsters get out of control, when the monstrous imagination starts to bleed over into the real world? What are the effects of monsters on real people's real lives? This podcast examines the histories and mysteries of some of our favorite monsters to unlock their secrets and expose their influence on our lives. Join podcast host Mike Halekakis (Boom! Knowledge) and monster expert Dr. Michael Chemers (The Monster in Theatre History: This Thing of Darkness) for a lively and hilarious discussion about the things that scare us the most.
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Publishing Since
7/5/2022
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Recent Episodes
June 17, 2026
The Show Where They Talk About Monsters: Episode 4.1 - "Monster Madness", a conversation about Bigfoot and podcasting with Ryan and Marshall Betts-Ng
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Welcome back all monster heads! For the first episode of Season 4 of the Show Where They Talk About Monsters, Doc and Mike speak with the incomparable, inimitable monster enthusiasts/podcast hosts/comic book artists, Ryan and Marshall Betts-Ng! The two brothers recently featured on an NPR spot when they entered the NPR Student Podcast Challenge for their podcast on Bigfoot. Hear how Ryan and Marshall created the podcast "Monster Madness", researched Bigfoot and made their own sound effects and music for that episode. Ryan also gives his own take on Monster Theory that leaves Doc nearly speechless! Some even say that "Monster Madness" outshines Doc and Mike's own podcast!?</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Listen in to the brothers' "Monster Madness"</span> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">podcast here: <a href= "https://soundcloud.com/b_betts/monster-madness">https://soundcloud.com/b_betts/monster-madness</a></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">NPR spot:</span> <a href= "https://www.npr.org/2025/09/20/nx-s1-5520790/sixth-grade-podcast-about-bigfoot#:~:text='Monster%20Madness'%3A%20A%20sixth%20grader,this%20delightful%20podcast%20about%20Bigfoot&text=%22Monster%20Madness%2C%20it's%20the%20podcast,entry%20this%20year%2C%20Monster%20Madness."> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">'Monster Madness': A sixth grader sent us this delightful podcast about Bigfoot</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Check out Ryan Betts-Ng's comic series The Anti Monster Club:</span> <span style= "font-size: 12pt;"><a href= "https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-anti-monster-club-the-night-of-the-new-mummy-ryan-betts-ng/11b3bedaacda3f47?ean=9798990608023&next=t"> The Night of the New Mummy</a> , <a href= "https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-anti-monster-club-dracula-s-doom-ryan-betts-ng/64f726fc8707e207?ean=9798990608016&next=t"> Dracula's Doom</a>, </span><span style= "font-size: 12pt;">and <a href= "https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-anti-monster-club-the-rise-of-the-frankfighter-ryan-betts-ng/d21f0cf4191756f7?ean=9798990608009&next=t"> The Rise of the Frankfighter</a></span></p>
June 13, 2025
The Show Where They Talk About Monsters: Episode 3.7 - "Human Monstrosity", a talk with Rafiki Jenkins
Professor Rafiki Jenkins discusses the origins of human monstrosity and its presentation in horror fictions with hosts Michael Chemers and Mike Halekakis, exploring its impact on history and American culture in this interview.
March 18, 2025
The Show Where They Talk About Monsters: Episode 3.6 - "The Death of the Author", a talk with Renee Fox
<p>How awful is your favorite author? Did you once love the works of a film director and the ideals they expressed, but, to your dismay, they turned out to be a lout? How does their badness change their art? Do texts belong to the author once they're released into the world?</p> <p>In this episode, Doc and Mike talk with the Co-Director of the Center for Monsters Studies, Renee Fox, about the concept of the "death of the author" and how texts and art can take on their own life, beyond the creator's intentions or control, long after publishing. They discuss complicated artists, Dickens, JK Rowling, Harry Potter, fandom and more!</p> <p> </p> <p>Renee Fox is the UC Santa Cruz Associate Professor and Jordan-Stern Presidential Chair for Dickens and Nineteenth-Century Studies, Co-Director of The Dickens Project and Co-Director of The Center for Monster Studies.</p> <div> </div> <div><strong>About this podcast:</strong><br /> MONSTERS! They haunt our days and chill our dreaming nights, to paraphrase Emily Dickinson. There's not a population on earth that does not have its own unique monster stories to tell to frighten, but also to instruct on the nature of good and evil, right and wrong. But what happens when monsters get out of control, when the monstrous imagination starts to bleed over into the real world? What are the effects of monsters on real people's real lives? This podcast examines the histories and mysteries of some of our favorite monsters to unlock their secrets and expose their influence on our lives.</div> <div> </div> <p><strong>About the hosts:</strong><br /> <strong>Michael Chemers</strong> (MFA, PhD) is a Professor of Dramatic Literature in the Department of Theater Arts at UC Santa Cruz. His work on monsters includes The Monster in Theatre History: This Thing of Darkness (London, UK: Routledge 2018). Dr. Chemers is the Founding Director of <a class= "XqQF9c rXJpyf" href= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.monsterstudies.ucsc.edu%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AOvVaw1mQB_UZWbbkH6S4lTwSA8G" target="_blank" rel="noopener">T</a><a class="XqQF9c rXJpyf" href= "https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.monsterstudies.ucsc.edu%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AOvVaw1mQB_UZWbbkH6S4lTwSA8G" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he Center for Monster Studies</a>.</p> <p class="CDt4Ke zfr3Q" dir="ltr">Formerly the Founding Director of the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dramaturgy Program at Carnegie Mellon University, he joined the faculty of UCSC in 2012. He is also the author of Ghost Light: An Introductory Handbook for Dramaturgy (Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 2010) and Staging Stigma: A Critical Examination of the American Freak Show (New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2007). Dr. Chemers is also an actor, a juggler, and a writer of drama.</p> <p class="CDt4Ke zfr3Q" dir="ltr"><strong>Mike Halekakis</strong> is an entrepreneur, business owner, internet marketer, software engineer, writer, musician, podcaster, and hardcore situational enthusiast. He is the co-founder of What We Learned, a company that specializes in compassionate training courses on complex adult subjects such as caregiving for people who are sick, planning for death, and administering after the loss of a loved one. He is also the CEO of Moneyfingers Inc., a company that trains people on how to successfully create, market, and sell products on the internet.</p> <p class="CDt4Ke zfr3Q" dir="ltr">When not burning the candle at both ends with a blowtorch, Mike loves video games, outdoor festivals, reading comics and novels, role-playing, writing and playing music, hanging out with the world’s best cats, and spending time with his amazing wife and their collective worldwide friend-group.</p>
23 total episodes available
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Rafiki Jenkins
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