Workers' Lit
Episodes
Iran, Elections, And Empire. A Conversation With Greg Stoker
18 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re joined by Greg Stoker, anti-imperialist activist, journalist, host of the Colonial Outcasts podcast, and independent candidate for U.S. ...
Gregor the Overlander
16 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We put out the call to Patreon, and Patreon answered! Patreon decided on today’s topic: Suzanne Collins’ 2003 middle grade fantasy novel, “Grego...
Unity, Solidarity, Struggle: The Task of the American Left, ft. Black Red Guard
11 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The American left has a LOT of work to do.We’re joined in this episode by Black Red Guard, an organizer with the DSA, YouTuber, and that guy who mad...
We Return To Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew
08 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We’re talking about THE evangelical author once again. The man known as Jacksie, the drunken Inkling terror, the OG Christian furry, the most misera...
Let’s Talk About That Ballroom
04 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Nothing says “declining empire” like an all-out show of ruling class decadence!In this episode Jen, Lenore, and Jacob discuss Trump’s increasing...
On Queer Horror, with Cursed Morsels Press
01 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Y’all loved the Neon Hemlock episode, so here’s yet another episode where we sit down with someone in weird, queer, independent publishing!Eric Ra...
Hard Drive Mag Is Dead, Long Live GG Tribune! Ft. The GG Tribune Founders
28 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What do you do when the video game comedy website you write for is bought out and you stop getting paid and everything gets a lot worse?You start your...
Wallace Shawn's "The Fever," ft. Ethan (People's New Republic).
26 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Yes, THAT Wallace Shawn wrote a play about reckoning with capitalism’s horrors as a privileged person in the imperial core. Written in 1990, it hits...
How to Sell a Genocide ft. Adam Johnson
21 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Buy the book you goofballs you know you want to. Buy Adam Johnson's "How to Sell a Genocide: The Media's Complicity in the Destruction of...
The Virtu: Doctrine of Labyrinths Book 2
18 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How do you feel about gay trauma? How about getting disabled because of your annoying twink brother? How about some mild, one-sided incest? How about ...
Are YOU a terrorist? It’s more likely than you think!
13 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The White House has rolled out a new counter-terrorism strategy. It’s nuts.Are you Muslim? How about trans? Are you an immigrant, or related to one?...
The Dispossessed
11 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s our first Patron chosen episode! Shout out to all who submitted and voted, especially Dark Jackal who submitted Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1974 work...
The Everything Episode. Also Available in Video!
07 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We’re gonna shoot straight: we had a guest drop out a few hours before we recorded. So we made the best of it, turned on our webcams, and talked abo...
Dengue Boy, ft. Vajra Chandrasekera
04 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What if you were a giant mosquito in a climate hell future, and the mosquito was trans, and the trans mosquito destroyed the stock market and also a s...
Bonus Author Interview: Joe Kassabian and “The Highlands Burn”
01 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s time for more BONUS CONTENT!We are joined by host of the “Lions Led By Donkeys” podcast, Joe Kassabian, to discuss his upcoming gunpowder f...
Section 230 and Internet Censorship, ft. Much Like Your Posting
29 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Sure, we have our beefs with the internet, but did you know a lot of powerful people are working extremely hard to make the internet even worse?On tod...
Walking Practice, ft. Lee Mandelo
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back to talk about EVEN MORE QUEER HORROR.We are joined by brilliant author and returning guest Lee Mandelo to discuss Dolki Min’s 2023 nove...
Alexander Karp's Manifesto, Palantir, and The Future of American Fascism
23 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
After a brief check-in at the top with Tehran Taylor, Jen and Jacob launch into Palantir CEO Alexander Karp's Manifesto, "The Technological R...
Black Flame, ft. Jon Greenaway of Horror Vanguard
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Do you want it?If by “it” you mean Gretchen Felker-Martin’s 2025 queer horror novel, “Black Flame,” the answer is 100% yes!We are joined by ...
Legos and Lethality, the new age of war propaganda, ft. Caleb of Kill the Computer
16 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
War propaganda has always been strange...But now it's got Wii Sports and Legos in it.Caleb of Kill the Computer and 60 Minute Drill joins us to ta...
The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
13 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What if the Jewish diaspora had established a mini-state in Alaska?What if Harry DuBois had a gigantic muscle-pal instead of Kim?What is the Messiah w...
The Social Media Episode, ft. Anthony DePice
09 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Folks, we regret to inform you that the internet has kind of become...important.Today we are joined by Anthony DePice, activist, movement cheerleader,...
The Unworthy. Also: PATREON!!
06 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
PRIORITY: We finally got a Patreon! Supporting us there wins you 1 million Lit Points.Go check it here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/WorkersLitToday we ...
Iran. No Kings. Trans Rights. General Strike?
02 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Bad times in the USA...and elsewhere.The Iran war rages, trans rights come under assault, millions of people take to the streets, and calls for a gene...
Who Stole Feminism? Ft. Talia Bhatt
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This book sucks. But the episode? It goes hard.We are joined by returning guest Talia Bhatt, writer and radical trans-feminist whose work covers epist...
The Iran War Continues
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The war hasn't stopped.Today we discuss the U.S. and Israel's murderous war against Iran and Lebanon as the Iran War escalates into what may b...
Mockingjay: The Conclusion of the Hunger Games Saga
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Hunger Games are finally at an end.Welcome to "Mockingjay," Suzanne Collins' 2010 conclusion to the Hunger Games trilogy that will m...
Julia Serano Says Queer People Aren't Going Anywhere!
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
"It's like toothpaste that's left the tube. Trans and queer people have become a fact of life in the United States, they won't be for...
The Battle for Country Music, God, and The South ft. Nathan Evans Fox
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We normally talk books on Monday, but lyrics are a type of literature, and Nathan sure is waging the narrative battle.Country music artist and writer ...
Nuestra América Convoy to Cuba, ft. James Schneider
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Break the siege!Jacob is joined by organizer, writer, and Communications Director for Progressive International, James Schneider to discuss the Nuestr...
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
THIS GIRL IS ON FIIIIREEEEEWe're back for part 2 of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, 2009's "Catching Fire."The first bo...
The Hunger Games
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Game time.We keep the dystopian mood alive as we take on Suzanne Collins' 2008 YA smash hit, "The Hunger Games."Join us for a conversati...
War on the Iranian People and the American Mind, ft. Rev Left Radio
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The American ruling class is at war.Physically, they are at war with Iran, pummeling the country with unrelenting airstrikes, slaughtering civilians, ...
Who Paid The Pipers of Western Marxism? Ft. Rae of ProlesPod
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Lenore and Jen are joined by Rae of ProlesPod to discus Gabriel Rockhill's new book, "Who Paid the Pipers of Western Marxism?" You may b...
The Running Man, ft. Left of the Projector
23 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Last time we covered Stephen King, we were walking a long ways. Now we're running. We're speeding up, folks!Today we're covering King'...
Bonus Author Interview: Nick Mamatas
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It's a bonus interview with the great science fiction author, Nick Mamatas!We talk about Nick's new book, the horrors of Silicon Valley, and S...
A Discussion with Representative Ruwa Romman, Candidate for Governor of Georgia
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
2026 is an election year, and we have no intention of ignoring it!We are joined by candidate for Governor of Georgia, Representative Ruwa Romman. Ruwa...
The Minority Report and Sci-Fi, ft. The Pod Universe
16 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We promise we're super mature with Philip K. Dick's last name. Mostly.This week we're taking on Philip K. Dick's 1956 sci-fi novelette...
How to kill a country without anybody noticing: America’s war on Cuba
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Can you kill a country with hardly anyone noticing? The Trump Administration intends to try with Cuba.In this episode we examine the criminal blockade...
Gaywyck: The First Gay Gothic Romance
09 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Gay. Gothic. Romantic. I know you’re already cheering, and you should be, because we’re covering Vincent Verga’s 1980 novel “Gaywyck.”Why mu...
On Trans-Feminism and Gender War, ft. Talia Bhatt
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This is a really, really, REALLY cool guest.Today we are joined by Talia Bhatt, writer and radical trans-feminist whose work covers epistemic injustic...
Indie Publishing, Ft. Neon Hemlock
02 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What's more literary than talking about one piece of literature? Talking about the very nexus from which literature flows!Today we sat down with D...
On the Narrative Battle: Hamilton, Rightwing Media, ICE's Lies, and More
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Workers' Lit, your favorite show about the battle for narrative.Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?Today we talk about our focus as ...
United States of Banana, ft. Karlo Yeager Rodríguez
26 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
9/11, Hamlet, the Statue of Liberty, Segismundo, Zoroastrianism, Puerto Rican Independence, Bananas: If you hear all those terms and think, “wow, th...
On Donald Trump: A Year In Review
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We are officially one year into Donald Trump’s second term. How’s everybody feeling?This week we discuss the nightmare 365 days that have passed, ...
The Great Gatsby, ft, Joshua Ilon of the Penumbra Podcast
19 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s time to get real old-sportyThis week we narrowly avoided death-by-pool to deliver you a discussion of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 gilded age m...
On ICE: The State's Fascist Thugs
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to break the ICE.Jen and Jacob discuss the dramatic week that's passed since the murder of Renée Nicole Good, the latest stats on I...
T.S. Eliot’s “The Wasteland,” ft. The Eclectic Radical
12 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
April is the cruelest month, but it’s January so we should be good.Today we’re discussing T.S. Eliot’s 1922 modernist poetic masterpiece, “The...
On Venezuela: A Discussion with Vijay Prashad
08 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Author and Executive Director of the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research, Vijay Prashad, returns to the show to discuss the United States'...
LA Confidential, ft. Brian Wishart
05 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It's crime time.We're ringing in 2026 with James Ellroy's 1990 work of nasty neo noir, "LA Confidential." And we're mad abou...
The War Crimes Episode: Nigeria, Venezuela, and the Crimes of American Empire
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We took a weeklong break from talking about the news, but it's time to get back into the doings of the United States government...namely, starting...
Three Scenes in the Life of a Trotskyist, w/ Andy Boyd
29 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
IT'S TIME FOR SOME THEATER!!!We're delighted to have Andy Boyd back on the show to discuss her play, "Three Scenes in the Life of a Trots...
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Was the Grink There?)
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Classic alert!It's Christmas...so it's time to talk about Dr. Seuss' 1957 children's classic, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas.&qu...
The Attack On LGBTQ+ Rights, and How We Fight Back! Ft. Pigeon of “2 Whits, 1 Cup”
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a war on LGBTQ+ Rights in the US. The sooner we treat it as such the better.The Workers are joined today by Pigeon of “2 Whits, 1 Cup,” ...
The Saint of Bright Doors
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Them doors are about to get real bright.It's time to hop into Vajra Chandrasekera's crazy 2023 fantasy novel, "The Saint of Bright Doors....
Workers Discuss: Idiotic Institutional Collapse, ft. Nelson of What's Left of the South
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
So…bad news. Pretty much all American institutions are imploding into their most idiotic possible forms. However, since that includes journalism, yo...
On the Beach, ft. Brian Alford
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nuclear war kinda sucks.We are joined by returning guest and apocalypse-understander Brian Alford of The Worst of All Possible Worlds podcast to discu...
Bonus Interview: Hell Bent with Brian Recker
06 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's a bonus author interview!We're joined by author, public theologian, and all-around cool guy Brian Recker to talk about his new book, &quo...
Tgirls Who Stare at Aircraft Carriers: WL News, 12/4/25
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The US is up to some bad stuff, folks.We start by discussing the evangelical cabal (and Jacob's ties to it), move into the DC shooting (and the Pe...
The Secret History: ft. The Penumbra Podcast
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week Aysha and Jacob face down the twin horrors of Dionysian madness and class anxiety with Donna Tartt’s brilliant 1992 work of literary ficti...
MAGA’s Mad, MTG’s Sad: WL News, ft. Jason Robinson
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The world remains quite weird.This week we’re joined by Jason Robinson of “48 Minutes of Dogs Barking” and “Submitted for the Approval of the ...
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Alive!!!It’s time to make up a guy to get mad at with Mary Shelley’s 1818 genre-creating classic, “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheu...
Workers' Lit News: Sorry to Burst Your Bubble, ft. Johnny Amizich
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Epstein scandals! A tumbling economy! Nicki Minaj standing up for Christendom! AI in massive trouble! What a week to talk about the darn news.We are j...
The Computer is my Friend: Neuromancer, ft. Trevor Strunk
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if you could really, really, REALLY go on the computer?William Gibson asks this vital question in his 1984 sci-fi classic, "Neuromancer,&quo...
Unfit to Print: 11/4-11/11 2025, ft. Josh Boerman
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Another crazy news week! We start with the summary, and then go into a discussion (featuring Josh Boerman) at around the 15-minute mark.Today's to...
Dark Woke: Woods All Black (Socialist Shelf)
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This truly is a book for our moment.The pod dives into (friend of the pod) Lee Mandelo’s 2024 queer horror, “Woods All Black.”Looking for an int...
Unfit to Print: All the news 10/28-11/4 2025
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s our first ever news and current events episode!We start with a news summary, followed by commentary beginning at 16:37.Today's topics: The ...
Huge Announcement! Workers' Lit
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Probably our most important episode yet.Aysha U. Farah and Jen Big Nasty join the shelfers to...no wait, I'm seeing they're just joining the p...
Ben Returns: Lions and Scavengers, ft. AJ Ditty
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’re covering Ben Shapiro again. We’re doing this for you, listeners. You asked us to do this. You inflicted this pain on us. YOU DID!It’s time...
It’s Not My Fault!: Kamala Harris’ 107 Days, ft. Josh Mayfield
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Oh wow. What a time. We really did this.At listener request, we covered Kamala Harris’ supposed tell-all “107 Days.” Whoo boy.Joining us is Josh...
Shakespeare in the Dark: Station Eleven
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if a flu killed almost everyone and so you performed Shakespeare in a traveling band of vagabonds, and also famous actor flashbacks and creepy ai...
We Read Kash Patel's Children's Book
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Yeah. We read Kash Patel's book for kids. It's about as good as you expect.The now FBI Director's 2022, "Plot Against The King" ...
Wild Faith, ft. Talia Lavin
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’re delighted to welcome author and journalist Talia Lavin to the show to discuss her book, “Wild Faith: How the Christian right is taking over ...
Literally 1984
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“1984 is a great fiction novel to read but it seems like it is becoming the reality we are currently living under more and more each day”—noted ...
Article Brain: The Pronouned Masses
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Article Brain returns!Once again, we try to drive each other insane with articles, and this time both comes from close to home…Yeah scrapping all ou...
Author Spotlight: Copaganda with Alec Karakatsanis
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a bonus episode!!Lenore sat down with Alec Karakatsanis, civil rights lawyer and author of the book, “Copaganda” and a newsletter by the sa...
The Sleepers, ft. Josh Boerman
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Sleepers? Yeah, I sure do feel sleepy trying to get through this damn book!The great Josh Boerman returns to the pod to talk about Matthew Gasda’...
Evil Blockbuster: Universal Harvester: ft. Josiah Sutton
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Iowa time.Josiah Sutton of Fruitless joins us to discuss John Darnielle’s (of “The Mountain Goats” tame) Midwestern Gothic semi-horror, “...
Chapter 1: They Called Her Rebel
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hey! So due to some logistical issues and Covid-19 dunking on Lenore, this week’s episode will be late, but we still wanted to give you something to...
MFW No Alternative D: Capitalist Realism ft. Jonathan Kennedy
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
More like capitalist fake-ism…This week we take on Mark Fisher’s 2009 philosophical work, “Capitalist Realism,” an explanation of the seeming ...
Roach Dance: Kafka's, "The Metamorphosis"
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're going roach mode.This week we cover Franz Kafka's 1915 classic, "The Metamorphosis," a story about a man getting straight up t...
Least Evil Finance Bro: American Psycho
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Disclaimer: killing people is bad actually. Don't try Patrick Bateman's techniques at home.This week we check out Bret Easton Ellis' 1991 work of horr...
Article Brain #1: Frog Slurry
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a new subseries of The Socialist Shelf: Article Brain!Once a month, we'll take a break from the books for each of us to bring forward an ar...
Long Live Queer Socialism! : Rainbow Solidarity, ft. Matéo Penado
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Y'all like socialism?Y'all like queers?Get ready for some...queer socialism!!Matéo Penado of the Rainbow Collective joins us to talk about Le...
His Pod Goes Casting On: Fire on the Mountain
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We've seen plenty of dystopian futures...how about a utopian one?Terry Bisson's 1988, "Fire on the Mountain" explores an alternate timeline where Harr...
Gays Shouldn't Shut Up: Mélusine, ft. Aysha U. Farah and Lee Mandelo
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's read a problematic gay fantasy novel!!!Author Lee Mandelo (Summer Sons, The Woods All Black, Feed Them Silence) and 5 time returning guest, ...
Hear the Gorilla Out: Ishmael, ft. Jen Big Nasty
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today, a gorilla will set us straight.This week we're covering "Ishmael," a 1992 philosophical dialogue between a man and a gorilla, wri...
Saw Gerrera > Fail Organa: Star Wars, the Mask of Fear, ft. Manuclearbomb
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Folks, we're not immune to the Andor hype! This week, we decided to return to the world of Star Wars to cover what can be seen as loosely as an An...
Episode 100: Cow Tools and Q&A
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We did it, Shelfers. 100 EPISODES OF THE SOCIALIST SHELF!!To honor this beautiful occasion we answer some questions from you, our glorious listeners, ...
We Finally Talk About Movies: A Discussion with Resistance Cinema ATL
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Don't worry, we're still a literature podcast, but we wanted to have our friends Jason and Ankita from Resistance Cinema ATL on the show to ta...
No Cop City, No Cop World, Ft. Mariah Parker
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
STOP COP CITY!We are honored to be joined by Mariah Parker, editor and writer for the new collection, "No Cop City, No Cop World," a history...
Terminal Article Brain: Abundance
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our 100th episode is coming up! If you’ve got any questions, comments, or wisecracks to share with the Shelfers, send them our way at “thesocialis...
The Myth of American Idealism: A Talk with Nathan J. Robinson
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Step one: you're going to want to buy this book. Fortunately you can buy it here!The Shelfers welcome Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief on Curre...
The Future Where We Lose: The Fall of Cadia by Robert Rath
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the grim darkness of the far future, Jacob has been banished to a desolate realm that knows naught but darkness and depravity, only inhabitable by ...
Harry Potter and the Petty Rant Against its Own Fanbase: The Cursed Child ft. AJ from WOAPW
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Remember when bumbling Neville knocked over all the time turners? Wasn't that funny and quaint? That should have been the end of it, but all you b...
The City & The City - ft. RevLeft Radio
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We take a break from our series on the wizarding world to talk about a book that definitely has no dementors in it: The City & The City by China M...
We take umbrage with Rowling: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Ft. Max Graves
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's Part 2 of our Harry Potter series. Are we having fun yet?This week the Shelfers are joined by returning guest and brilliant web-comic creator...
The Rise of Rowling: Harry Potter Pt 1, ft Aysha U. Farah
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Rowling miniseries begins.The Shelfers and honorary Shelfer, Aysha U. Farah, hop on our broomsticks and zoom into the impossibly big world of Harr...
The Whale Mind Virus: Moby Dick, Ft. Isaac Boa
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Thar she blows!This week, the shelfers unpack The Great American Novel: Herman Melville's 1851 epic, "Moby Dick."Joining us is Isaac Boa...
2 Parable 2 Talents: Parable of the Talents
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Octavia Butler Round 3The Shelfers finish the Parable Duology and the hazardous life of Lauren Oya Olamina in Octavia Butler's 1998 masterpiece, "Para...