UpperPen Podcast

In this episode, acclaimed translator, poet, and scholar Jeffrey Angles takes us inside his translation of The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Shin’ichirō Nakamura, Takehiko Fukunaga, and Yoshie Hotta, offering deep insight into the origins of the film, the cultural landscape of Japan in the early 1960s, and the complexities of bringing Japanese prose into English.Whether you're a fan of kaiju films, Japanese literature, translation craft, or cultural history, this is a rare look at the story that helped define one of Japan’s most iconic movie monsters.#Mothra #Kaiju #JapaneseLiterature #BookTranslation #JeffreyAngles #TheLuminousFairiesAndMothra #JapaneseHistory #TranslationWatch the interview on YouTube

Editor R.B. Wood of Ruadán Books joins UpperPen to discuss how to submit your fiction, what kinds of stories editors are looking for, how to stand out from the slush pile, and how writers can explore cities—and themselves—through storytelling.

Editor John Joseph Adams joins UpperPen to discuss curating The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2025 anthology, how stories make it through the slush pile, and what editors really look for in great speculative fiction.Welcome to UpperPen, where we explore the craft of writing, editing, and publishing.In this conversation, John Joseph Adams—award-winning editor, publisher, and series editor for The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy—pulls back the curtain on how anthologies come together, what he likes in a short story, and the evolving world of science fiction and fantasy publishing. Whether you’re a reader, writer, or editor, this episode is packed with insight into the creative and editorial process behind some of today’s best science fiction and fantasy.You can find John at JohnJosephAdams.com. About John Joseph Adams:John Joseph Adams is the editor of numerous acclaimed anthologies and the series editor of The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy, published annually by Mariner Books. His work has been a finalist for the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards, and he is known for championing emerging voices in speculative fiction.Find me at: UpperPen.comNew episodes Fridays at 11 AM ESTSubscribe for more conversations on writing, editing, and the publishing world.#WritingCommunity #ScienceFiction #FantasyBooks #Publishing #UpperPen #JohnJosephAdams #BestAmericanScienceFictionAndFantasy #SpeculativeFiction #BookEditing #WritersLife #Podcast #AuthorInterview

In the city of Dividium, the law is simple: commit a crime, and your punishment is a life sentence in Endlock.Raven Thorne is Dividium’s most notorious bounty hunter, living on the edge of society. But when her younger brother, Jed, is sentenced to Endlock, Raven will do anything to save him—even if it means getting herself arrested.Now trapped in a prison where danger lurks around every corner, Raven must use all her cunning and strength to protect Jed—and herself if she is to complete her perilous mission. But there’s one obstacle she never expected: the prison guard who stirs something deep inside her. The man she should hate. The man whose true motives seem impossible to pin down.In a world where trust is a weapon and love is a liability, Raven must decide if she will risk everything to tear down a vicious system.Brooke has a wonderful love of dystopian literature and you can feel those influences in To Cage a Wild Bird. Don't be mistake though, this is not a copy and paste kind of book!

Writing is the only interesting thing about Serra, aside from some other very interesting things that she would prefer to keep a secret. When she’s between projects, she likes to hang out with her husband (they’ve been together for over 20 years now and are very good at hanging out) and their Boston Terrier, Waffles. She can also be found reading, eating, and courting madness. She lives in Southern California, which has beautiful weather year-round as long as you don’t count “fire season.”Kill the Beast is out now and available from all major book sellers.