S4 EP188: Joan Slonczewski on Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt
- Dianne Burckhardt
- Sep 17, 2025
- 3 min read
Joan Slonczewski on Exploring Microbial Worlds, Machine Intelligence, and the Future of Science Fiction
Bleeped word: Murd3rbot
Hello Happy People,
In this week’s episode of Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt – Book Talk Podcast, I share my chat with award-winning science fiction author and microbiologist Joan Slonczewski. Known for weaving real science into imaginative worlds, Joan’s novels explore everything from microbial intelligence to feminist futures.
Her latest book, Minds in Transit, takes listeners into the dazzling city of Iridis, where human lords, sentient machines, and microbial minds shape society in unexpected ways. But as artist Chrys works with her microbial partners to design a new city, cracks appear in her creations—and soon the balance of an entire world is at risk.
Beyond her fiction, Joan is a dedicated scientist who publishes research with undergraduates on bacterial pH stress and cold-adapted microbes from Antarctica. She also teaches courses in microbiology, virology, and biology in science fiction, blending scientific discovery with imaginative storytelling in the classroom. Her work is truly fascinating!
Join us for a captivating conversation about the intersections of science, imagination, and storytelling. Joan shares insights from her research, her award-winning fiction, and the inspiration behind her work.
Enjoy,
Dianne
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Joan Slonczewski Soundbite
Season 4
A Dose of Reality Episodes
Every Wednesday
August 6th - September 24th
August 2025
6th - S4 EP 182: Now Streaming
Risa August, Author of The Unpaved Road: Border to Border with a Brain Tumor
13th - S4 EP 183: Now Streaming
Alison Beder Solway, Author of The Miles We Run: Lessons from te Arena of Resilience
20th - S4 EP 184: Now Streaming
Marcia Peck, Musician and Author of Water Music: A Cape Cod Story
25th - S3 EP 185: Now Streaming
Qin Sun Stubis, Author of Once Our Lives: Life, Death and Love in the Middle Kingdom
September 2025
3rd - S4 EP 186: Now Streaming
Rachelle Bergstein, Author of The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us
10th - S4 EP 187: Now Streaming
Jason Brick, Author of There I was...When Nothing Happened
17th - S4 EP 188: Now Streaming
Joan Slonczewski, Microbiologist and Author of Minds in Transit
24th - S4 EP 189:
Derrick M. Jackson, Military Thriller Author of Shadow One (Based on a True Story)
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