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

Host: Margaret Killjoy
Date: December 28, 2025
Podcast Network: Cool Zone Media & iHeartPodcasts

Overview of the Episode

In this episode of the Cool Zone Media Book Club, host (and author) Margaret Killjoy reads and discusses the conclusion of her 2015 short story “Everything that Isn’t Winter.” The story follows Aiden, a tactical lead on a post-collapse tea commune, as they face loss, violence, and fractured relationships. This episode features dramatic readings interwoven with insights about structure, character, and the emotional heart of the narrative—a meditation on survival, love, and what’s left when the world collapses.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Recap and Setting the Stage (02:12)

• Margaret reintroduces listeners to the story, providing a quick catch-up for those who missed part one, and humorously questions why anyone would start with part two.
• Briefly recaps the events so far: Aiden’s defense of the tea commune, the fallout from a raid, and their fraught personal relationship with Khalil.

The Attack on the In Between (03:43–05:45)

• A sudden artillery assault devastates the commune’s lodge, symbolizing the fragility of hard-won peace and the omnipresence of violence in the post-collapse world.
• Aiden’s response is instinctual (“Everything is slow motion. I ran through the green fields towards the shattered lodge as people streamed out.” [04:39])—and tinged with guilt for failing as a protector.

Tactics, Paranoia, and Guerilla Warfare (05:45–08:22)

• Aiden flees east to investigate the attackers, encountering Bartley, a fellow tracker and quiet saboteur: “They’re in the tunnel… military ordnance. Two big guns, plus a whole train of weaponry…” [07:11].
• Bartley secretly mined the rail tunnel in anticipation of situations just like this, highlighting the ethical ambiguities and guerrilla tactics of their world: “I didn’t tell anyone because I thought people might get mad. And I figured our General Assembly wouldn’t go for it.” [08:17]

Negotiation and the Bandits’ True Nature (14:42–18:12)

• Aiden attempts a nerve-wracking bluff by approaching the attackers and offering surrender, hoping to buy time for Bartley to activate her explosives.
• The dialogue with General Samuel John reveals the warlord’s philosophy and pragmatic amorality:
  • “‘Washington has suffered too long without central authority.’” [15:36]
  • They mock grandiose rhetoric and admit to old-world bandit logic: “We’ve got artillery and we want the pass so we can tax caravans… That’s the world now. That’s always been the world. It’s a good world for people like me and mine, and that’s the only metric I judge by.” [15:58]

Moral Reckoning and the Firefight (18:12–22:58)

• The standoff turns violent after the bandits notice Bartley; Aiden and Bartley engage in a deadly firefight to protect the commune.
• Killjoy’s writing voices Aiden’s core moral confusion: “It was no good to question whether or not I was evil.” [22:33]
• The tactical sequence is visceral and tense—a depiction of violence’s blunt reality and its psychological toll.

Aftermath and Emotional Catharsis (26:07–30:40)

• Bartley is gravely wounded, and Aiden desperately pedals her back to the ruined commune, reflecting on their relationships and regrets.
• The reunion with Khalil is raw and vulnerable, focusing on the emotional wounds from survival:
  • “You never talk to me,” Khalil says. “Why don’t you talk to me?” [29:01]
  • Aiden confesses, “I’m afraid… I’m afraid of everything that isn’t winter. And I’m afraid of everything but dying.” [29:27]
  • The moment culminates in a deeply felt embrace and reconciliation: “He held me like he used to. He held me like he wanted me… Love was something in my gut. And it made me want to live.” [31:05]

Author’s Reflection on Story Structure (31:20–33:50)

• Margaret Killjoy breaks down her narrative technique, specifically the use of “try-fail sequences”:
  • “A character has a problem, they try to solve that problem as intelligently as they can, and they fail and make things worse… and then they succeed…” [32:00]
  • In this story, the internal (relationship) and external (commune defense) conflicts are inverted and interlocked—solving the external crisis enables the protagonist to address the internal, not vice versa.
• Comments on deliberate choice of never marking Aiden’s gender—a technical, inclusive effort.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “This is that weird week between Christmas and New Year’s that feels like the last lap in Mario, like… the one you drive afterward on autopilot while your race stats play in the foreground.” – Margaret Killjoy (02:32)
• “We used red to save our night vision. We used lights at all because they made a good distraction…” – Aiden (04:06)
• “‘I’d like to think I knew the difference between the evil and the desperate, and those two had just been desperate. I’d left their bones in the forest.’” – Aiden (05:20)
• “They’re in the tunnel. They’ve got military ordnance. Two big guns on two railcars, plus a whole train of weaponry…” – Bartley (07:11)
• “I mined the tunnel a couple years back… I didn’t tell anyone because I thought people might get mad.” – Bartley [08:15]
• “‘We’ve got artillery and we want the pass so we can tax caravans… That’s the world now. That’s always been the world.’” – General Samuel John (15:58)
• “Evil isn’t something we do to one another. It’s the way in which we do it. It’s why we do it.” – Aiden (15:17)
• “‘You never talk to me… Why don’t you talk to me?’” – Khalil (29:01)
• “‘I’m afraid… I’m afraid of everything that isn’t winter. And I’m afraid of everything but dying.’” – Aiden (29:27)
• “The stories [are] about love and who we can be and how we’re more than just this, like, simple part of ourselves and these things that we do.” – Margaret Killjoy (33:35)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:12 – Margaret’s recap and warm welcome to Book Club
• 03:43 – Opening of the story: peace at the farm; the artillery attack
• 07:10 – Reconnaissance with Bartley; discovery of enemy tactics and weaponry
• 08:17 – Revelation of the mined tunnel plan
• 14:42 – Negotiation with the warlord and discussion of new-world politics
• 18:12 – Star of the firefight; narrative on good, evil, and survival instinct
• 26:07 – The aftermath: Bartley’s injuries, return to the commune
• 29:01 – Emotional confrontation and reconciliation with Khalil
• 31:20 – Margaret’s reflection on story structure and writing
• 33:35 – Final thoughts on love, community, and hope in collapse

Tone & Final Reflections

• Cozy but not comforting: The episode’s tone balances bleakness and warmth, using “cozy” to describe intimacy and collective struggle against violence and instability.
• Direct yet poetic narrative: Margaret’s reading brings the story’s tension and tenderness alive, maintaining her dry wit and matter-of-fact delivery even in the face of trauma.
• Meta-storytelling: The discussion after the reading demystifies the writer’s process, offering both practical advice and an emotional underpinning.
• Hope despite darkness: Margaret closes on a note about finding comfort with loved ones in a collapsing world: “The world is ending in the dark all the time, but spend time with people you love and eat nourishing food. Rest up. We’ve got a good fight ahead of us… See you in the new year and love you all.” (33:50)

Summary

This episode packs a gripping post-apocalyptic tale of defense, heartbreak, and regrowth into a thoughtful, engaging hour. Listeners are treated not only to Killjoy’s sharply drawn fiction but also to her reflections on storytelling craft and the sustaining power of love—even at the end of the world.