Episodios

  • “Bellies” with Nicola Dinan

    “Bellies” with Nicola Dinan
    Jul 23 2024
    If I hadn’t already been a massive fan of Nicola Dinan, I would have become one after this! I was beyond excited to get to speak to Nicola at Surrey New Writers Festival and was extremely grateful that she was able to take some time after our panel to tell me more about her incredible debut novel Bellies (2023), about capitalism and queerness, about food and affection, and so much more. Find Nicola and the podcast on Instagram: @nicoladinan and @queerlitpodcast.

    Thank you to the amazing Sharlene Teo for creating this space and for inviting me to be a part of it!

    References:
    Nicola Dinan’s Bellies (2023)
    Disappoint Me (forthcoming in 2025)
    Rowan Hisayo Buchanan
    Homo Sapiens Podcast
    James Baldwin’s Another Country
    Francis Bacon

    Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:

    1. Bellies is a love story told from the perspective of both lovers. What would you imagine this entails for the plot? What do we learn that we would not learn from a ‘one-sided’ love story?
    2. In the episode, we speak quite a bit about ways of living together. How do you think queerness, class and nationality affect expectations of how, where and with whom we may want to live?
    3. Nicola comments on questions about Bellies no longer being exclusively about transition. Why do you think this is?
    4. Is food connected to affection in your mind? Why or why not?
    Más Menos
    30 m
  • “Theoryish” with Paola Medina-Gonzalez and Hannah Ayres

    “Theoryish” with Paola Medina-Gonzalez and Hannah Ayres
    Jul 9 2024
    Meet your new favourite theory podcast! Theoryish is a brilliant audio journey that may just meet all your academic needs. Paola and Hannah are an amazing team and bring you everything from an introduction to queer studies to a deep dive into a critique of #girlboss. If you’re looking for a fun and relatable entry point to that particular theory you were always wondering about, come, follow me…

    For quality academic memes, follow @theoryish_pod on Instagram and check out @queerlitpodcast too!

    References:
    Third Reich
    Queer/Disrupt
    https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/research/centres/queerhistory/queeringthequarantine/
    Nick Cherryman
    Linda Nochlin “Why Are There No Great Women Artists”
    Igor Ahmedov
    Kierkegaard
    Susan Sontag
    Notes on Camp
    bell hooks
    Adebayo Quadry-Adekanbi
    Sue Lemos
    Jennifer V. Evans
    Meaghan Allen
    Julia Kristeva’s Powers of Horror
    Herbert Tobias
    Anna Hájková
    Medina-Gonzalez, P. "Appropriateness, Consent, and Intergenerational Kinship: Discussions of Herbert Tobias’sManfred Schubert",New Fascisms Syllabus.
    https://newfascismsyllabus.com/contributions/roundtable_queer_art_history/appropriateness-consent-and-intergenerational-kinship-discussions-of-herbert-tobiass-manfred-schubert/
    José Esteban Muñoz’s Cruising Utopia
    Hannah Ayres; Where Do We Reside?: Queer Space, Existences, and Future Imaginings. (Book Review) TSQ 1 November 2023; 10 (3-4): 550–552.
    https://read.dukeupress.edu/tsq/article/10/3-4/550/385682/Where-Do-We-Reside-Queer-Space-Existences-and?guestAccessKey=6c2ea6ad-9141-4784-b86b-e0498ad955b1
    Karen Tongson
    https://www.hannahayres.co.uk/
    @Miss_HVA
    Jack Halberstam’s The Queer Art of Failure
    Pinky and the Brain
    @paolaMedGonz
    @theoryish_pod

    Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:
    1. Why did Hannah and Paola start Theoryish? Can you relate?
    2. Paola explains the complexity of theory as layers. What does Theoryish do to break through the layers and make theory more accessible?
    3. How does disciplinary knowledge play into the Theoryish approach?
    4. How do Hannah and Paola describe queer knowledge production and/or pedagogical practice?
    5. Do podcasts help you access new knowledge?
    Más Menos
    47 m
  • “Queer Podcasting and Knowledge Production” with Hannah McGregor

    “Queer Podcasting and Knowledge Production” with Hannah McGregor
    Jun 25 2024
    Combine the age-old art of conversation with easy access to digital dissemination and you get: podcasting! Hannah McGregor is THE expert on scholarly podcasting, new approaches to peer review and (although we only mention this briefly) feminist lesbian dinosaurs. In this episode, we chat about how Hannah approaches podcasting, what it can and can’t do, and why it is such a useful tool in queer knowledge production. Whether you’re interested in podcasting, queer scholarship or changing the very nature of academic discourse, this episode is for you.

    Learn more about Hannah’s work (and fabulous style) on Instagram (@hkpmcgregor) and give @queerlitpodcast a follow while you’re there.

    References:
    https://www.hannahmcgregor.com/
    Witch Please
    The Secret Feminist Agenda
    Material Girls
    Amplify Podcast Network
    Hannah McGregor’s A Sentimental Education (2022)
    Lori Beckstead, Ian M. Cook, and Hannah McGregor’s Podcast or Perish (2024)
    Hannah McGregor’s Clever Girl (2024)
    Siobhan McMenemy
    Marcelle Kosman
    Brenna Clarke Gray’s “The University Cannot Love You”
    Jenny Odell’s Saving Time and How To Do Nothing
    Leah Lakshmi Piepzna Samarasinha's Care Work

    Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:
    1. What is Hannah’s definition of knowledge production?
    2. How do podcasts produce knowledge? Do they do this queerly?
    3. Which academic format does Hannah liken podcast conversations to? Would you agree with this comparison or have you had a different experience?
    4. Towards the end of the episode, Hannah and I speak about the body in academia. Why is embodiment relevant in scholarship and podcasting?
    5. Have you ever produced knowledge through conversation? What did that feel like?
    Más Menos
    48 m
  • “Narrating Palestine” with Nora Parr

    “Narrating Palestine” with Nora Parr
    Jun 11 2024
    Narratives can help us make sense of trauma – but what if these trauma narratives do not fit into preconceived structures of storytelling? Nora Parr joins me to speak about the role of narrative in trauma, in mental health and in understanding national, cultural and individual identity construction. Nora talks about how Palestinian literature forges its own narratives, why Palestinian literary history has so often been made invisible, and what genre conventions have to do with all of this.

    Learn more about Nora’s work by following @noraehp on Instagram!

    References:
    Novel Palestine: Nation through the Works of Ibrahim Nasrallah (2023) by Nora Parr
    Susan Lanser
    Narrative Conference (ISSN)
    https://www.thenarrativesociety.org/2024-conference-1
    The Palestine Trauma Centre
    https://www.palestinetraumacentre.uk/
    Nakba
    Road to Beersheva by Ethel Mannin (to see how some Arab critics received her work see this translation in the Journal of Arabic Literature https://doi.org/10.1163/1570064x-12341510)
    Bab al-Shams (trans. as Gate of the Sun) by Elias Khoury
    Children of the Ghetto series
    https://rayaagency.org/book-author/khoury-elias/
    Don’t Look Left: Diary of a Genocide by Atef Abu Saif, translated and published by Comma Press in Manchester
    Ellipses (the first instance that really got Nora thinking is addressed in chapter 4 of the book Novel Palestine, page 77 has an image of the ellipses in question!) https://luminosoa.org/site/books/10.1525/luminos.168/read/?loc=001.xhtml
    This article looks the problem of ‘eloquent silence’ from a different angle.
    https://archiv.ub.uni-marburg.de/ep/0003/2018/229/7792/
    Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
    J.M. Coetzee (writing on this is in a forthcoming chapter in Teaching Politically from Fordham Uni press, eds May Hawwas and Bruce Robbins)
    https://www.gazapassages.com/
    https://www.instagram.com/wizard_bisan1/
    https://www.instagram.com/motaz_azaiza/
    https://www.instagram.com/omarherzshow/
    The Tale of a Wall by Nasser Abu Srour
    Maya Abu Al-Hayat
    Memory of Forgetfulness by Mahmoud Darwish
    Maria Sulimma
    Trees for the Absentees by Ahlam Bsharat
    Rights4Time
    https://rights4time.com/nora-parr/

    Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:
    1. Throughout the podcast, Nora mentions how genre and genre expectations (for YA literature, science fiction, and serial narratives, for example) impact how we perceive narratives. Do you have an example for this?
    2. What does Nora say about the temporal structure of trauma and storytelling?
    3. What might the study of narrative have to do with mental health?
    4. Which narratives can social media convey about everyday life in Gaza? Which examples does Nora give?
    5. How willing are you to engage with narratives that are uncomfortable?
    Más Menos
    42 m
  • “Lesbian Fashion History” with Eleanor Medhurst

    “Lesbian Fashion History” with Eleanor Medhurst
    May 28 2024
    Did you know that lesbians sporting sportswear is a queer tradition dating back centuries? Or that 1910s Japanese lesbians liked to don a yukata to send subtle signals about their gender identity and sexual orientation? My favourite foremost expert in lesbian fashion history, Eleanor Medhurst, is gracing the podcast with a return performance, sharing her vast knowledge about all of these topics and more.

    Listen now to learn all about how queer and gendernonconforming people dressed through the ages and follow @dressingdykes and @queerlitpodcast on Instagram to stay up-to-date and to book your tickets for Ellie’s book tour!

    References:
    @dressingdykes
    Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion
    https://dressingdykes.com/
    Lesbian Lives Conference
    Anne Lister
    Sarah Wingrove
    Queen Christina of Sweden
    Radclyffe Hall
    The Well of Loneliness
    Crufts
    Female Husbands
    Jen Manion
    Sappho
    Meiji Era
    Seitō
    Sexology
    Hiratsuka Raichō
    Otake Kōkichi
    Yukata
    Kimono
    Queering Desire: Lesbians, Gender and Subjectivity
    Amy Tooth Murphy
    Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home
    “Ring of Keys”
    Roots Lesbian Fashion
    Gillian Anderson
    Cameron Esposito
    Queery (podcast)
    Lesbian Chique
    k.d. lang
    Vanity Fair
    The L Word
    The Queery (Brighton)
    The Feminist Bookshop
    Freya Marske’s The Last Binding Trilogy
    Kristen Stewart
    Happiest Season

    Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:
    1. Can you name at least three historical fashion icons we speak about in the episode?
    2. Eleanor explains why literature is important in fashion history. In which ways does Ellie use literary texts to learn about lesbian dress?
    3. We use multiple words to describe the people whose fashion Eleanor writes about in Unsuitable. Why is that and what are some of the difficulties with labelling a historical figure?
    4. Many of the people Ellie speaks about combine clothes with different gender connotations. Can you give an example of this? Do you think this is still relevant today?
    5. Do you think lesbians are fashionable?
    Más Menos
    50 m
  • 100 Episodes!

    100 Episodes!
    May 21 2024
    Can you believe this is our 100th episode? Listen now to hear about some listeners’ favourite episodes, about future plans for the podcast and about how the cats are feeling these days.

    References:
    https://ko-fi.com/queerlit
    Karen Tongson
    Normporn
    Susan Stryker
    Cate Sandilands
    Kew Gardens
    Elizabeth Freeman
    Diane Watt
    Briona Simone Jones
    Yesterqueer’s Holigays
    Out and Wild
    https://www.outandwild.co.uk/
    Alison Bechdel
    Alex Iantaffi
    Kai Cheng Thom
    Sara Ahmed
    Alexis Pauline Gumbs
    Mo Moulton
    Alberto Poza

    Questions I still have:
    1. What can I do to make my listeners even happier?
    2. Who are all these awesome people that spend their time with me and my guests?
    3. Will I really make another 100 episodes?
    4. When will Rufus take over as podcast host?
    Más Menos
    25 m
  • “Normporn and Queer Imaginaries” with Karen Tongson

    “Normporn and Queer Imaginaries” with Karen Tongson
    May 14 2024
    What could be more soothing than escaping your beautiful but complex queer life by watching a bunch of straight people remodel their suburban home in a new shade of beige? Karen Tongson joins me to explain why mainstream television can be so comforting and why admitting to having watched Gilmore Girls for the fourth time can feel a bit like sharing your browser history… In this curious entanglement of norms, shame, and self-soothing, Karen also shares insights into the shifting views of what is normal and what this means for queer life – televisually as well as geographically and sociopolitically.

    Listen now to hear Karen speak about “surrendering to the spontaneous overflow of basic feelings” and don’t forget to follow Karen on Instagram @tongsonator to keep up to date with her work.

    References:
    Karen Tongson’s Normporn: Queer Viewers and the TV That Soothes Us (2023)
    Karen Tongson’s Relocations: Queer Suburban Imaginaries (2011)
    Karen Tongson’s Why Karen Carpenter Matters (2021)
    Karen Tongson’s Empty Orchestra (forthcoming)
    The Ultimatum
    Thirtysomething
    Parenthood
    True Blood
    Gilmore Girls
    José Esteban Muñoz
    Catherine Zimmer
    Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette
    The Phantom of the Opera
    Michael Crawford
    Sailor Moon
    Tuxedo Mask
    Gestalt
    The Traitors
    Alan Cumming
    @tongsonator
    Karentongson.org

    Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:
    1. Can you define ‘normporn’ and give an example of what might be a typical normporn show?
    2. What is the ‘porn’ in ‘normporn’? How does shame play into watching mainstream TV as queer escapism?
    3. What role does grief play in relation to normporn?
    4. Karen talks about discussions of normalcy as a throughline for all three of her currently published books. Which type of ‘normal’ does each monograph discuss?
    5. Which show do you find particularly soothing and why?
    Más Menos
    54 m
  • “Trans in Translation” with Alberto Poza

    “Trans in Translation” with Alberto Poza
    Apr 30 2024
    Have you read the iconic Taiwanese novel The Membranes by Chi Ta-Wei? If so, in which language? Alberto has crafted the fabulous Spanish translation of this beautifully genderweird text and joins me to speak about the opportunities and challenges the highly gendered structures of Spanish offer for this. If you have ever wondered which pronoun or gendered inflection to use for a cyborg and what language might best describe a trans machine, this is the episode for you.

    Learn more about Alberto’s work on Instagram @aiweip or on Twitter (@Albertop_p) and consider giving @queerlitpodcast a follow as well.

    References:
    Queer and Trans Philologies
    Diane Watt
    Chi Ta-Wei’s The Membranes
    Ari Larissa Heinrichs
    Queer Ecologies and Environmental Writing (module)
    https://lenamattheis.files.wordpress.com/2023/12/module-handbook-queer-ecologies.pdf
    Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun
    Jack Halberstam
    Paul Preciado
    Alana Portero’s Bad Habit (La Mala Costumbre, 2023)

    Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:
    1. Have you ever read a queer text in different languages? Do you experience gender differently depending on language?
    2. Why do we gender some machines and not others?
    3. Alberto comments on how Anglophone readers tend to focus on the trans elements of The Membranes. Why do you think they stand out to Anglophone readers?
    4. Alberto comments of generic masculine, generic feminine and genderneutral forms in Spanish. How do you think translations into other languages have dealt with this dilemma and how would you translate this?
    5. If you could speak any language fluently, which one would you choose and why?
    Más Menos
    18 m