It Could Happen Here – CZM Book Club: "Everything that Isn't Winter" by Margaret Killjoy, Part One

Podcast: It Could Happen Here
Host: Margaret Killjoy (Cool Zone Media)
Episode Release: December 21, 2025
Episode Theme: Solstice Book Club – Reading and exploring the post-collapse short story "Everything that Isn't Winter" by Margaret Killjoy (Part One)

Episode Overview

This special Solstice Book Club episode features Margaret Killjoy reading her acclaimed post-apocalyptic short story, "Everything that Isn't Winter." The episode weaves together themes of community, love, defense, and survival in a world remade by collapse. Listeners are introduced to a rare, intimate narrative of found family and the emotional complexities of self-actualization against the backdrop of an encroaching threat. The storytelling is immersive and heartfelt, reflecting both craft and the personal significance of the piece for the author.

Key Discussion Points & Story Highlights

Introduction and Context

[02:30]

• Margaret Killjoy welcomes listeners, setting the tone for the Solstice and introducing the story:

  "It's Solstice Book Club. Hello and welcome to Cool Zone Media Book Club, the only podcast where you don't have to do the reading because I do it for you."

• She explains the special resonance of "Everything that Isn't Winter," describing it as a turning point in her writing career.

  "...this story means a lot to me because I wrote it at the end of the Clarion West workshop... and it was one of my first big short story sales. It sold to Tor.com in I think 2015 and really kind helped set my career up."

• She frames the story as non-traditional, centering found family, self-actualization, and "enough winter to justify the choice."

Story Setting & Atmosphere

[03:30 – 06:00]

• The tale opens at the In Between Lodge, a communal outpost in post-apocalypse Washington State.
• The community is celebrating Beltane, highlighting rebuilt customs and a patchwork economy based on tea-growing and mutual aid.
• The protagonist observes her boyfriend, Khalil, as he dances, signaling the intimate intricacies of relationships after the world's end.

Interpersonal Relationships & Character Dynamics

[06:01 – 08:00]

• Tension and honesty between the protagonist and Khalil’s dance partner:

  "You should sleep with him, I said... The spark's gone, I said. Has been for years. I can get laid easily enough, but it isn't as easy for him." (Margaret Killjoy, 07:12)

• The protagonist's emotional detachment and frank worldview offer insight into polyamorous and post-traumatic perspectives.

Crisis: Fire & Immediate Response

[08:01 – 09:20]

• The mood breaks with the smell of fire; the community mobilizes to cut a firebreak as flames threaten their fields—the story viscerally grounds the listeners in physical labor and community survival.
• Margaret's sensory prose evokes the post-apocalyptic setting:

  "...the band played because what else can you do?" (Margaret Killjoy, 09:20)

Aftermath & Intimate Reflection

[09:21 – 10:00]

• The immediate aftermath in the protagonist’s room with Khalil is heavy with disappointment, love, and yearning:

  "It's just that it's Beltane. It's spring sex and flowers and all that shit. I should want you. It's fine, I said. It wasn't." (Margaret Killjoy, 09:40)

• The emotional exhaustion leads to the protagonist leaving to sleep at the guard post, underscoring themes of isolation and duty.

The Next Morning: Investigation & Tracking

[12:22 – 15:35]

• Margaret details returning to the forest with Bartley, the lodge’s scout, establishing both the passage of time and the communal roles each character occupies.
• Bartley’s background is one of hardship and reinvention—an archetype for many post-collapse survivors.
• The pragmatic banter and tactical decisions build realism:

  "People don't like it when other people have nice things. The In Between Lodge was nice." (Bartley, 13:15)

Tracking & Confrontation

[15:36 – 17:50]

• The community’s defenders confront a lone, ill-prepared bandit. The protagonist’s decision to use deadly force is both wrenching and pragmatic in the context:

  "I wouldn't tell you the color of the lips of your mother's cunt. I shot him." (Bandit & protagonist exchange, 16:20)

• Bartley and the protagonist reflect on the banality and weariness of violence:

  "I'm getting too old for this. The new world is getting too old for this. I said it because it was what people were supposed to think, but I didn't really feel it." (Margaret Killjoy, 17:45)

Tactical Realization

[17:51 – 19:00]

• Upon examining the bandit’s belongings (radio set, zoomed-in map), Bartley and the protagonist realize this was likely just a recon effort. They know they've been surveilled but can't pin down the enemy—introducing the broader threat.

Organizing Defense & Emotional Fallout

[21:09 – 24:30]

• The lodge braces for attack; all hands are called for a watch.
• Margaret delivers a poetic meditation on the difference between roads and railroads, drawing analogies with the challenge of building and repurposing infrastructure after collapse:

  "...when you're using something specialized and you're using it wrong, that's the beauty in life." (Bartley, 22:45)

• The protagonist’s reunion with Khalil is raw and emotionally resonant:

  "He was one of the only people in the world who was large enough to make me small." (Margaret Killjoy, 23:10)

• The burden of leadership and anxiety about loved ones is a recurrent motif.

Cliffhanger & Meta Reflection

[25:10 – 26:22]

• The episode ends on a cliffhanger as the community waits for an attack, with Margaret encouraging listeners to return for part two:

  "Dun dun dun. What's gonna happen? What's going to happen to the In Between Lodge? There's people who are maybe attacking it. Or was it just the one kid who knows? You'll know in a week." (Margaret Killjoy, 25:28)

• She shares a note from Hazel, who selects stories for the Book Club—emphasizing the relatability of Aiden's struggle with love and hypervigilance:

  "Hazel... relates a lot to Aiden trying to navigate love and hypervigilance." (Margaret Killjoy quoting Hazel, 26:30)

• Margaret invites listeners to connect with her online and wishes everyone a "cool, good holiday season."

  "...may the coming light find you with peace and solace for the new year." (Margaret Killjoy, 26:45)

Notable Quotes

• Margaret Killjoy (on unconventional stories and tradition)

  "But what are we here if non traditional? It's still got found family. It's got self actualization and enough winter to justify the choice." (02:55)

• On post-apocalyptic community:

  "We built the in between in the narrow valley below the pass. The Green river guarded our north, the mountains our south. A road from the west met its end at the door to the lodge, and a railroad ran the whole of our land. We were unwalled. We were unwalled for a thousand reasons. We were unwalled because we were peaceful." (Margaret Killjoy, 23:28)

• On love, trauma, and leadership:

  "Love is a thing that gets into my gut, makes me wish I were dead." (Margaret Killjoy, 18:00)

• On the story’s personal meaning:

  "...this story... was still like on a craft level really important to me. And also it was one of my first big short story sales. It sold to Tor.com in I think 2015 and really kind helped set my career up." (Margaret Killjoy, 02:50)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:30] – Margaret introduces the story and contextualizes it within her life and writing.
• [03:30] – Opening of "Everything that Isn't Winter."
• [08:01] – The Beltane fire incident and emergency response.
• [12:22] – Next morning: investigation in the forest with Bartley.
• [16:20] – Confrontation with the bandit.
• [17:45] – Reflections on violence and survival.
• [21:09] – Tactical preparations, organizing the lodge's defense.
• [23:10] – Poignant reunion with Khalil, emotional grounding.
• [25:28] – Cliffhanger and invitation to return for Part Two.

Final Thoughts

This Book Club episode of It Could Happen Here delivers an evocative, emotionally rich reading directly from Margaret Killjoy. It beautifully balances worldbuilding and personal struggle, winding together the everyday struggles of rebuilding society and maintaining intimate bonds in the aftermath of collapse. Listeners are left eager for the conclusion in next week’s episode.

For those interested:

• The full story, "Everything that Isn't Winter," is available in Margaret Killjoy’s collection We Won't Be Here Tomorrow or free on Tor.com.

Stay tuned for Part Two and Happy Solstice from the Cool Zone Media team!