Workers' Lit

This is a preview. To access the full episode please go support Workers' Lit on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/workerslit
It's time for yet another installment of Lenore and Rahab's monthly patron-only miniseries, "Article Brain!"
This time we wade into two very different, very stupid articles. First, Jacobin asks us why books aren't manly anymore. Then, Larry David (yes, that Larry David) shows that even a generational comedian can't make "socialism is when no iPhone" funny.
Links to the articles. Please do not read them, this is just to cite our sources or whatever:
https://jacobin.com/2026/10/lonesome-dove-reading-novels-men
https://airmail.news/issues/2026-10-17/the-view-from-here

IMPORTANT NOTE: You might notice one of our hosts is going by a new name (Rahab/Ray). Have you slipped into an alternate reality? Perhaps, perhaps not. For some specifics, go check out the "Rise of Rahab" episode on the Patreon. Or just pretend it was always this way, that works too.
Let's Go Lesbians!
This is a really special episode. The incredible science fiction author Amal El-Mohtar joins us to discuss August Clarke's 2024 "Metal From Heaven," a queer, violent, exciting, sexy, brutal, blast of a novel that will have YOU ready to join the Highwaymen's Choir.
Discussion includes: building parallel systems in the face of oppression, the performance of gender and its intersection with sexuality, the need for more strap-ons in science fiction, and becoming communist God.
Go check out Amal's incredible work at her website: https://amalelmohtar.com/
Go support Workers' Lit on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/workerslit
Sources from the episode:
https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html
https://www.semcoop.com/blog/post/end-hereafter-qa-august-clarke-author-metal-heaven

The age of humanity has passed. The age of the noodle is at hand!
This week, we are joined by the brilliant author Cecilia Tan to discuss "Automatic Noodle," a cozy sci-fi novella by Annalee Newitz. This book will finally answer the question we've all been waiting to solve: What happens when a bunch of abandoned, sentient robots try to claim their autonomy and open a restaurant?
This episode has a bit of friendly disagreement as we discuss questions like: Is the environment TOO warm and fuzzy? Where does sci-fi succeed/fail as it turns real-world issues into allegory? How did California separate from the United States? All this and more!
Cecilia Tan is an incredible author. Go buy her books and support her on Patreon! All relevant info can be found at Cecilia's website here:
https://www.ceciliatan.com
We also covered one of Cecilia's books, "The Mystery of the Bitten Peach," just a few months ago. Go listen to that here:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6q5EVMX85CuyFPD1SeSUke
Go support Workers' Lit on Patreon!
https://patreon.com/workerslit

Capitalism is not up to the task of 21st century healthcare. Facing wars, an ageing population, fossil fuel-driven disasters, debilitating diseases, and the everyday rigors of life, the capitalist healthcare system instead prioritizes profit above all else.
On this episode Jake Flores of "Pod Damn America" joins Jen and Lenore to discuss this crisis, then they get into a different healthcare model presented by, "Health Communism," a 2025 book written by Artie Vierkant and Beatrice Adler-Bolton of the "Death Panel" Podcast.
It's a great book. It's a great episode. Don't miss it!
Go support "Workers' Lit" on Patreon!
https://patreon.com/workerslit
Go check out Jake Flores' podcast, "Pod Damn America"
https://www.patreon.com/poddamnamerica
Go check out "Health Communism"
https://www.versobooks.com/products/2801-health-communism

On September 28, 2021, Lee Mandelo released his debut novel: "Summer Sons," a southern gothic horror that wrestles with guilt, sexual repression, the long shadows of southern history, the evils of academia, and reinventing BDSM dynamics from first principles with your buddies.
On September 28, 2026, Workers' Lit released an episode with Lee himself, looking back on "Summer Sons" as a book.
We've had authors on to talk about their books, but never to break down their novels in a beat-by-beat way we typically review literature. We were thrilled to have Lee back on the show for this amazing topic.
Want more of Workers' Lit/Lee collaboration content? You'd be crazy not to. Links to his two previous appearances and our coverage of "Woods All Black" here:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5j6AH8gxlpojTjZdEiuJH9?si=0qRwbRd3Q_G8w26qW-EGhw
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5M8AaWNVKHh0zuhWDVbt81?si=fl-JuDvlTiqgoojLR7ztGg
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3CRYIorpGHJVC0oYvtJhLu?si=_qTz2i4OR9eWku4PjLnIzQ
Want to support Workers' Lit on Patreon? Of course you do. Link here!
https://patreon.com/workerslit
Want more of Lee? OBVIOUSLY! Link here!
https://leemandelo.com/