Most speculative fiction takes place in a society that has a government of some kind. But what, exactly is a state? And how does it come to be? C.L. Polk joins us to discuss the making and breaking of nations within your fantasy worlds.
From farmboy kings to scheming dukes with surprisingly benevolent control of their printing presses, from the trials and tribulations of parliaments to the somewhat horrifying implications of magical lobbyists, we hope that you'll find ideas in here to help you craft a government to your preferred level of wonkiness.
Transcript for Episode 58 (with thanks to our lovely scribes!)
Our Guest: C. L. Polk (they/them) is the author of the World Fantasy Award winning novel Witchmark, the first novel of the Kingston Cycle. Their newest novel, The Midnight Bargain, was a finalist in the CBC Canada Reads Competition, and was nominated for the Nebula, FIYAH Ignyte, and World Fantasy Awards.
After leaving high school early, they have worked as a film extra, sold vegetables on the street, and identified exotic insect species for a vast collection of lepidoptera before settling down to write fantasy novels.
Mx. Polk lives near the Bow River in the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, and the Métis Nation (Region 3). They keep all their stuff in a tiny apartment with too many books and a yarn stash that could last a decade. They ride a green bicycle with a basket on the front.
They drink good coffee because life is too short. They spend too much time on twitter. You can subscribe to their free newsletter on TinyLetter, or subscribe to their Patreon for content writing nerds like.
Mx. Polk is represented by Caitlin McDonald of the Donald Maass Literary Agency.
Episode 127: Expanding Worlds
Episode 126: When Worldbuilding Gets Wild, ft PREMEE MOHAMED
Episode 125: Monstrous Worldbuilding, ft. JOHN WISWELL
Episode 124: Worldbuilding in Review, ft. PAUL WEIMER
Episode 123: Worldbuilding in Your Underpants, ft. JOHN HARTNESS
Episode 122: Now Kiss: Building Romance into Your Worlds, ft. GWENDA BOND
Episode 121: Brave New Worlds, ft. FONDA LEE and MELISSA CARUSO
Episode 120: World Bibles and the Gospel According to Tolkien
Episode 119: Worldbuilding Philosophy and Practices
Episode 118: Passing the Torch
Episode 117: More Queries and Quandaries
Episode 116: Choosing, Presuming, and Decision Fatigue
Episode 115: When Not Writing Is Writing, ft. MUR LAFFERTY
Episode 114: The St Crispin’s Day Special, ft. ANNA SMITH SPARK
Episode 113: Trust Your Instincts, ft. SEANAN MCGUIRE
Episode 112: Whirlwind Worldbuilding ft. JAMES L. SUTTER
Episode 111: Let’s Pick a Fight: Balancing Realism and the Fantastical in Martial Matters, ft. S.L. HUANG
Episode 110: In Your Leisure Time, ft. MATT WALLACE
Episode 109: Seer-iously: Religion, Prophecy, Politics and Tradition, ft. APARNA VERMA
Episode 108: The Myth, The Legend, The Cultural Impacts, ft. EHIGBOR OKOSUN
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