Thanks to everyone who made PodConf 2023 an amazing experience!

Joel McKinnon / Seldon Crisis

Here’s our interview with Joel McKinnon, the host of Seldon Crisis.

Joel is an accessibility specialist with 20 years of web development experience. He also hosts a SciFi podcast called Seldon Crisis, which explores Isaac Asimov’s classic Foundation series. Joel has a goal of making podcasts more inclusive for listeners with hearing and other disabilities, by making text transcripts available and improving podcast website accessibility.

Learn more about Joel on his podcast website, seldoncrisis.net, and come meet Joel at PodConf 2023!

Joel McKinnon / Seldon Crisis / PodConf

How many episodes have you published?

40

Describe your podcast in 2 or 3 sentences

Seldon Crisis is a loving exploration of one of the greatest science fiction epics ever written – Isaac Asimov’s Foundation.

I try to bring the story to life by providing a compelling summary and analysis, along with dramatizations of selected dialog.

It’s like half spark notes, half radio play. In between story episodes, I interview guests with related expertise including space scientists, SciFi writers, philosophers, and historians.

Why did you start this podcast and what do you love about it?

I re-read the original Foundation trilogy in the summer of 2020 during lockdown for the first time since I was a teenager and then raced through all of the sequels and prequels.

I felt that I wanted to share it with a wider audience, so I decided to make it into a podcast, which debuted in April 2021. I love the engagement with fans of the books and with the experts I’ve had on the show as guests. It’s also led to me being a guest on several other podcasts I love.

Who is your target audience?

Anyone who has read or is interested in reading Foundation, and anyone interested in the future of humanity.

What’s the number 1 thing listeners love about your podcast?

I think they most love to hear the story retold in a compelling way.

Are you monetizing this podcast? If so, how?

No, not yet, and have no immediate plans to.

What advice would you give a new podcaster?

Do it for the love of the topic you want to share with the world. Make it worth people’s time to listen, and have fun engaging with your listeners and any guests you bring on.

What’s your favorite podcast you listen to?

Literature and History

Anything else people should know about you or your podcast?

Many of my episodes have a special transcript format that allows the listener to listen and/or read a text version of the episode.

Where can people follow you?

The best place to follow me is on my website, seldoncrisis.net.

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