The Fire These Times cover art

The Fire These Times

The Fire These Times

By: Joey Ayoub
Listen for free

How do we build the new in the shell of the old? How do we tackle global warming and its associated crises? How do we make it easier to imagine the end of capitalism than the end of the world? Every week, Joey Ayoub and guests explore how to answer these questions and more. We get into everything from anti-fascism to Star Trek, degrowth to Solarpunk, genocide to mutual aid. From Syria to Taiwan, Ukraine to Bosnia, Ethiopia to Argentina. This is a one-nerd project. To Support: https://www.patreon.com/firethesetimesJoey Ayoub Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • James Baldwin and the Black Atlantic w/ John Drabinksi (E222)

    James Baldwin and the Black Atlantic w/ John Drabinksi (E222)
    Aug 24 2026
    This will come as a total surprise, but I really like James Baldwin. I know, it’s shocking. I always kept it subtle, like how I named this podcast after his book The Fire Next Time, and how I have been bringing him up every other episode for years, and how I have a shelf that is just for books by him and about him. The reason I like James Baldwin is that I’ve found something for me in his work, something that I can not just relate to but also use to understand the wider world, including my own world. This is a curious thing in the context of Baldwin because he was, ultimately, an American writer. An African-American writer, to be exact of course, but his Americanness is something which he took to heart. Not in a weird nationalist way but rather in a sort of matter-of-factly kind of way. So how did I come to relate to him? That’s one of the questions we explored here, but to be honest it’s not even the main one. What I wanted to know, and what my guest John E. Drabinski has explored in his book So Unimaginable a Price: Baldwin and the Black Atlantic, is why did Baldwin, a man clearly concerned with the fate of the world, rarely engage with the Black Atlantic and might even be described as an ‘anti-diaspora’ thinker, at least to some extent. This is a conversation about Baldwin, yes, but ultimately it is a conversation about shifting identities and perspectives in a rapidly changing world, one which seems to be changing even faster now than it did during Baldwin’s time.John E. Drabinski is Professor in the Department of African American and Africana Studies, with a joint appointment in the Department of English. Along with Ashley Newby and Brie Gorrell, he co-hosts The Black Studies Podcast, which documents the history and future of the field of Black Studies from the perspective of students, professors, artists, and activists. He is both co-editor of Journal of French and Francophone Philosophy and co-editor of the book series Global Black Critical Thought on Cambridge University Press.Mentioned:James Baldwin ReviewBlack Cultural Archives, BrixtonBeing Black and British with David OlusogaThis episode was first released for Patreon supporters on 14 August 2026 and made public on 24 August 2026.------If you’d like to support The Fire These Times, the best way to do it is through⁠ ⁠⁠Patreon.com/thefirethesetimes⁠. In return, you’ll get early access to everything I record, exclusive videos, the mini-series all at once, access to the monthly hangout, discounts on ⁠my classes⁠ and ⁠newsletter⁠, the class recordings (all of them), an invitation to join the Discord chat, merch, personalised thank you cards, and more stuff to come.Registrations for the November class (online) on modern Lebanese history and politics are now open: ⁠https://thefirethesetimes.com/lebanonclass ⁠------Social Media: Elia (⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠), TFTT (⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)For feedback, requests etc: ⁠⁠ayoub@thefirethesetimes.com⁠⁠Everything else is archived on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠the website⁠⁠.------Elia's recent pieces​ShadoMag:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Belfast pogrom was predictable⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​972Mag:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lebanon walks into Israel’s trap⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Also, for Hauntologies​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Report from Belfast. Day 1.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Recent Podcast interviews​It Could Happen Here:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Media Context for the Belfast Pogrom⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​It Could Happen Here:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lebanon's Agreement with Israel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠------CreditsElia Ayoub (host, producer, episode design),⁠ ⁠⁠⁠the rosa artist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design),⁠ ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (my profile pic),⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), and⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Antidote Zine⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Transcriptions)As always, thank you for listening and take care.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 1 min
  • November Lebanon Class: Registration Open

    November Lebanon Class: Registration Open
    Aug 18 2026

    In which I talk about the upcoming class on modern Lebanese history and politics, the 5th and last one one this year.


    Dates (UK Time):

    • November 7, 2-4 pm

    • November 14, 4-6 pm

    • November 21, 4-6 pm

    • November 28, 4-6 pm


    Quick links:

    • All details here: https://thefirethesetimes.com/lebanonclass/

    • All Patreon supporters get a discount (message me!)

    • Email: ayoub@thefirethesetimes.com or Signal: Ayoub.02 (please introduce yourself)

    • Book your spot here: https://ko-fi.com/eliaayoub

    Show More Show Less
    9 mins
  • Beyond the Apocalypse w/ Waubgeshig Rice (E221)

    Beyond the Apocalypse w/ Waubgeshig Rice (E221)
    Aug 17 2026
    These days, the apocalypse has been on my mind a lot. Maybe that's not surprising, given the state of the world. This can easily descend into dread and hopelessness, which is something I try and avoid for my own sake. When I picked up Moon of the Crusted Snow and Moon of the Turning Leaves, written by my guest Waubgeshig Rice, in a bookshop in Ottawa, I didn't know what to expect. I've always been into 'post-apocalyptic' stories, but I soon found out that there was something different about this cast of characters: their people, the Anishinaabe, had already survived multiple apocalypses at the hands of the Canadian state. In this episode, Waubgeshig and I spoke about the Whitesky saga books, the ongoing wildfires, passing on traditions, learning Ojibwe and teaching it to his kids, Gaza, how the father-daughter relationship in the books inspired my own relationship, and so much more.Waubgeshig’s Recommendations:​⁠Buffalo Hunter Hunter⁠ by Stephen Graham Jones ​⁠The Sorceress of Sky Serpents⁠ by Eden Robinson​⁠County Road Six⁠ by Kevin Hardcastle------This episode was first released ⁠on Patreon⁠ on 11 August 2026, a day after recordingVideo version premiering on YouTube on 17 August 2026 at 6pm UK time: https://youtu.be/37-oFTg6xBIIf you’d like to support The Fire These Times, the best way to do it is through⁠ ⁠⁠Patreon.com/thefirethesetimes⁠. In return, you’ll get early access to everything I record, exclusive videos, the mini-series all at once, access to the monthly hangout, discounts on ⁠my classes⁠ and ⁠newsletter⁠, the class recordings (all of them), an invitation to join the Discord chat, merch, personalised thank you cards, and more stuff to come.Registrations for the November class (online) on modern Lebanese history and politics are now open: ⁠https://thefirethesetimes.com/lebanonclass ⁠------Social Media: Elia (⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠), TFTT (⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)For feedback, requests etc: ⁠⁠ayoub@thefirethesetimes.com⁠⁠Everything else is archived on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠the website⁠⁠.------Elia's recent pieces​ShadoMag:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Belfast pogrom was predictable⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​972Mag:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lebanon walks into Israel’s trap⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Also, for Hauntologies​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Report from Belfast. Day 1.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Recent Podcast interviews​It Could Happen Here:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Media Context for the Belfast Pogrom⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​It Could Happen Here:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lebanon's Agreement with Israel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠------CreditsElia Ayoub (host, producer, episode design),⁠ ⁠⁠⁠the rosa artist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design),⁠ ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠ (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (my profile pic),⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), and⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Antidote Zine⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Transcriptions)As always, thank you for listening and take care.
    Show More Show Less
    53 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet