Ep. 92: Saladin Ahmed & Talia Lavin

Practice that evil laugh -- it’s a brand new episode of Go Fact Yourself!

Saladin Ahmed is an Eisner Award-winning comic book writer who prides himself on showcasing truly lived-in worlds. He says that whether you're writing a story set in the Marvel universe or Detroit, the little details matter. But he’s also helped affect things in our world too -- like when he helped call out some racist art on a box of Corn Pops. You can find Saladin’s creator-owned imprint at copperbottle.net.

Talia Lavin’s writing has appeared in The New Yorker and The Washington Post. But her most well-known work may be the viral joke that she made as a contestant on “Jeopardy.” That wasn’t the only time she took a big risk either; she’ll tell us about the time that she catfished a white supremacist dating site. Talia’s book about that adventure, Culture Warlords, is available now.

Our guests will face off in a trivia battle about timeless nerdy inspirations.

What’s the Difference: Pain in the Butt

What’s the difference between “tortuous” and “torturous?”

What’s the difference in the function of the anus and the rectum?

Areas of Expertise:

Saladin: Mythological monsters, 20th Century American poetry, and action figure cartoons of the 1980s

Talia: The TV show “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” author Terry Pratchett, and the “Monkey Island” video games

Appearing in this episode:

J. Keith van Straaten

Helen Hong

Saladin Ahmed

Talia Lavin

With guest experts:

Alan Oppenheimer, actor, who has appeared in dozens of TV shows and movies for over six decades -- including as Skeletor!

Denise Crosby, actor and producer whose numerous film and television roles include playing

Lieutenant Tasha Yar (and her daughter) on “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

Go Fact Yourself was devised and produced by Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten, in collaboration with Maximum Fun.

Theme Song by Jonathan Green.

Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher.

Associate Producer and Editor is Julian Burrell.

Vaccine-getting by YOU.