Our first segment focuses on the history of socialism and science fiction (SF) in the early to mid-20th century United States, in particular the novels of George Allan England and the Popular Front SF of the Michelists in the 1930s and 1940s.

Our guest for the second half of Locust Radio episode 15 is our very own Alexander Billet. Alex is a writer, artist, and editor at Locust Review. They join us in the virtual Locust studio to discuss the editorial for Locust Review 8, “The Utopia Principle,” which Alex took the lead on writing.

This is an excerpt from the second half of Locust Radio episode 14. To get the full episode subscribe to Locust Review. In the second half of the episode, we continue to talk to Crystal Stella Becerril about making art as a human compulsion vs. making art for pleasure, how pleasure is distorted by capitalism, art and community, organizing for reproductive rights and unions, making art for our communities and working-class siblings and comrades, Theresa May wearing a Frida Kahlo bracelet, poetry zines, the Bluestockings cooperative bookstore, and more.

After Sewerbot rises into the city, Tish and Adam talk to Locust collective member and artist Omnia Sol and listen to songs from their new album Sunshine Tapes. They discuss vaporwave, glitch art, NFTs (the “Funko Pops of digital art”), and more.

In the second half of the episode — for patrons and subscribers only — R. Faze reads their story, “I Live an Hour from My Body” from Locust Review #4. We then continue to discuss art and politics with Laura Fair-Schulz, including her works, “Song of the Barren Tree,” “Circuit Eye Vines,” and “Dysmorph Becoming Aware.” We also discuss Laura’s process in greater detail, NFTs and art world finance, Marxism and art history, “business ontology,” division on the left, Mark Fisher’s “Exiting the Vampire Castle,” the contradictions of social media, colonization, and more.

To hear the full episode, subscribe to Locust Review here.

Locust Radio is hosted by Tish Turl and Adam Turl. Locust Radio is produced by Alexander Billet and Drew Franzblau. Music is by Omnia Sol.

In the second half of episode 10 — available to Locust subscribers and patrons only — Richard Hamilton reads more from his new collection of poetry, Rest of Us. Tish and Adam read “HPV/Ballgraves” by Michel(le) D. Yomack Wolheim III, a story about cybernetic labor in a major drug store chain, from Locust Review #6.

In the second half of episode 9, available for subscribers and patrons, we discuss the relationship between class, subjectivity, and art in collective wall writing and the socialist punk band, the Minutemen; post-capitalist culture; the need for revolutionary struggle in the absence of revolutionary models; the fragmentation of the left and the class; and more. Tish and Adam also read excerpts from The Stink Ape Resurrection Primer.

In this episode begin with an excerpt from the Locust anthology series, Swarm Stories, and then Tish and Adam move on to discussing art, politics, and propaganda with Locust comrade Anupam Roy. Anupam Roy is an artist and propagandist with the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation. We also discuss Anupam’s drawings, appearing in Locust Review #5, Excuse Me I Was Sharpening My Teeth and May Day; Tish’s “franken-prose-poetry” series, The Stink Ape Resurrection Primer'; and Adam’s painting/collage, Snek Rallies the Oil Snakes, while Aelita Beheads Elon Musk, and Possum Sings Against the Rain, and augmented digital print series, Social Resurrection Task-Prints.

In the second half of episode eight, recorded in July, we read and discuss excerpts from the first issue of Imago; the new theory annual from Locust Review. Tish reads the 1937 Michelist speech, presented at the third Science Fiction convention in Philadelphia, “Mutation or Death,” outlining their communist perspective for the SF genre. Alex reads an excerpt from Kira Woodworth’s essay, “Pink Parasols at the Barricades” about the Seattle CHOP autonomous zone created during the BLM uprising in 2020. And Adam reads the Imago review of A.M. Gittlitz’s book, I Want to Believe: Posadism, UFOs, and Apocalypse Communism, explaining the particular origins of what has become a kind of socialist ufology.

In the second part of our show, available to SUBSCRIBERS ONLY, Tish and Alex read some new poems. We also continue our discussion about surrealism, particularly how it might pertain to our organizations and the possibility of transformation. Can the odd and nonsensical allow us to envision our lives and cities dramatically reshaped?

After Salvador Dali receives a well-deserved beat-down, Tish, Adam and Alex talk surrealism! Widely known, but frequently depoliticized in our current day, surrealism is a cornerstone of the critical irrealist project for us at Locust Review. We discuss its origins, missions and goals in liberating the mind from the fetters of capitalism and empire, and its communist activism.

In the second part of our show, available to SUBSCRIBERS ONLY, Mike and Leslie join us to talk about how utterly feeble most conceptual poetry and art are, and contrast it with their own vital experiences in Corpus Christi’s underground music and arts scenes. We ponder how the pandemic relief packages may have provided some breathing room for the working class to rediscover its creativity. And finally, we ramble on for a while about our own work, and we hear some more poetry from Leslie.

For the second half of episode four -- which first aired for Locust patrons on December 29, 2020 -- Tish Turl and Adam Ray Adkins share more of their work. Adam Turl, Tish Turl, and Alex Billet also talk with Omnia Sol and Adam Ray Adkins about Ilya and Emilia Kabakov and narrative conceptual art, and why the Peoria Cookie Monster mural is so much more interesting than those stupid monoliths that have been appearing lately.

In this second half of episode three (originally posted to our Patrons in December, 2020) Adam, Tish, and Alex share some of our current writing and research, including a report on the Michelists and an overview of the work of Hugo-nominated fantasy writer Chuck Tingle.