Poor Lass Podcast

Eyuppp, we're back! It's been a while and we can't even tell you what we've been doing honestly but here we are. Back chatting again aren't wi. In this episode we chat about class identity these days with everyone dealing with the cost of living crisis, what it's like for young people and how they see class in 2023, the price of lurpak, trying to create new and joyous content when the world is shiiiit (tiktok here we come), going back to analog, creating a fan club and looking forward to what Poor Lass could be in the future!

As part of our 10th anniversary celebrations, we're going back to where it all began - the zine! This special episode has us go back and read all the amazing stories from our first ever issue all about WORK! We read a bunch of excellent quotes from some top working class legends and also chat about some of the main themes shared by lots of folks: working class work ethic, the things our parents and guardians instill in us from young, how we understand money(catalogue life represent), realising when your family and home life isn't like your mates and of course featuring some choice regional dialect!

OMG we're only bloody turning 10! Can you believe it?! OK so the podcast is only 5 buuuut we've been doing Poor Lass a whole TEN big years. We started out as a collective zine and put out 7 issues that totally paved the way for everything we do and say today! In this episode we talk about our plans for our 10th birthday (we're gonna milk it for the full year btw), we reminisce, we talk about what's changed in the last 10yrs when it comes to class, what it's like to be "working class influencers" (hahaha!!) and the biggest most exciting thing... WE HAVE A MASSIVE GIVEAWAY REVEAL (1hr 7mins in) you're not even gonna believe it. Listen in to find out what's at stake and what you have to do to win, make sure you use #PoorLass10 to enter!

Just in time for xmas, here's another bumper 2hr edition banger of an episode with a theme we know you're gonna buzz off - home decor! In this episode we talk about how live laugh love is a class issue, we introduce a new segment 'is it posh or is it not,' we discuss how pot animals have been gentrified, how it's an Instagram trend to make it look like your house is half finished, what appliances make you nouveau riche, decorative plates, what working class people have on their fridge and SO MUCH MORE!

This is a super special episode in partnership with Barnsley Civic as part of their No Boundaries season. No Boundaries is a season of exhibitions, performances, community projects and workshops amplifying the voices and creativity of disabled artists as well as other communities under-represented in the arts and exploring the barriers that those communities face in society. For this episode, we're teaming up with the incredible Drawn Poorly zine to talk about the intersections of class with disability & illness. Drawn Poorly collates stories from people of all backgrounds and experiences and creates a safe space to tell them. We chat to Rose who is behind the zine and two contributors: Bhav & Peg. Bhav shares her experience of PCOS & endometriosis and Peg shares their experience of fibromyalgia & mental health. We talk about access to diagnosis and support, what it's like to work while in pain, benefits and the UK system (including PIP assessments) and as always, how we can all be kinder and have more empathy for those around us.

This is a super special episode in partnership with Barnsley Civic as part of their No Boundaries season. No Boundaries is a season of exhibitions, performances, community projects and workshops amplifying the voices and creativity of disabled artists as well as other communities under-represented in the arts and exploring the barriers that those communities face in society. For this episode, we're exploring the intersections between class and disability and have invited special guest Sarah along. Sarah talks about what it's like to be autistic and looks back on her childhood, discusses the fact women are under-diagnosed, what it's actually like to get diagnosed, how becoming a parent shifted things for how she was able to cope and where she's at now. As ever, we finish on what people can do to be kinder and how the world can be more accommodating to those with autism

This is a super special episode in partnership with Barnsley Civic as part of their No Boundaries season. No Boundaries is a season of exhibitions, performances, community projects and workshops amplifying the voices and creativity of disabled artists as well as other communities under-represented in the arts and exploring the barriers that those communities face in society. For this episode, we're exploring the intersections between class and disability and have invited the very excellent Rachel along. Rachel shares her experience of hearing loss and discusses what diagnosis looks like, disclosure and agency, being able to share her needs, societal and internalized shame, the politics behind identifying with the word Deaf and also disabled, barriers to work and communication, how covid-19 impacted on the Deaf and hard of hearing community and how we can all help to make their lives easier

Welcome to our suuuper special episode LIVE from London's Southbank Centre! We've hit the big time guys, check us out. Em's Dad said she'll be a diva now 'like Katie Price.' Big thanks to Scottee for inviting us to take part in Council Culture, a weekend full of awesome working class legends doing their thing on the Southbank's outdoor stage. For this episode, our theme is TALKIN TELLY! We talk about our fave working class TV shows, characters and actors. We discuss who would play us in a film (dahling!), what shows we'd watch if we had to pick one forever, the set up for watching telly, big tellys being a classic way to shame the way working class folks spend their money and lot's more PETITION TO GET US ON GOGGLEBOX!

This is part two of our new series where we chat to people about their experiences of the pandemic. What have people's set ups been like, how has it affected them, what are they most looking forward to doing once it's over and the big question - if the press came up to you in the street and asked you for a quote in one sentence on how the government dealt with the pandemic - what would you say? 2 mins in..Lou - Gov worker, Mum of 3 kids 23 mins in... Sy - HR worker and Mum 40 mins in... Maryam - Early Years Teacher 53 mins in... Lowri - Legal Asst

This is a super SPECIAL episode of Poor Lass Podcast where we meet 4 young people who are part of the Creative Protagonists project. Daniel, Hazel, Ed and Jevan share their experiences with us of what it's like to be a creative working-class young person in the world today. We also welcome Izzy who is part of the great work being done by Reclaim. Working in partnership with RECLAIM, Creative Protagonists is a programme of eight young working-class artists developing their skills and creating radical artistic work. The group have been exploring social issues and themes and are creating new poetry films, exhibitions, theatre pieces and an EP. These projects are now in progress and more information will be on the Contact website soon! RECLAIM’s groundbreaking programmes have enabled over 1,000 young leaders to critically explore the world around them and to implement powerful social change initiatives aimed at readdressing the status-quo of class-based inequality, wherever it occurs. Contact is the leading national theatre and arts venue to place young people at the decision-making heart of everything. Creative Protagonists is funded by Young Manchester. To find out more head to: https://www.reclaim.org.uk/ https://contactmcr.com/

This is part one of our new series where we chat to people about their experiences of the pandemic. What have people's set ups been like, how has it affected them, what are they most looking forward to doing once it's over and the big question - if Boris knocked on your door, what would you say to him? 2 mins in... Kaz (Em's mum)- NHS Worker 18 mins 30 in... Georgie - Business Owner 38 mins in... Faith - Long Term Shielder 1hr 1 min in... Maria - Vaccine Rollout Volunteer

In this episode, we talk about that awkward subject - money! Who makes the rules on who gets paid what? The more you graft doesn't necessarily mean the more you get paid but why? We chat through how typically working class folks don't like to talk about money, how we're never sure if we're well paid or not compared to others, how getting paid by the hour differs to salaries, how you learn about pensions and insurance, the guilt if you earn good money, billionaires and 'philanthropy,' the concept of financial literacy, tipping and lots more!

It's been a shit year hasn't it? You can't polish a turd so here we are, a year in review - telling it like it is with some real talk but as always some laughs for you as well. We talk through the madness of quarantine, people needing to stop being such dickheads, the legend that is Marcus Rashford, working in retail during covid-19 and then the double whammy of xmas, having the heating on, christmas traditions and what people and things got us through the year

Welcome to a bumper BIG BOY TWO HOUR episode of Poor Lass. This episode features special guest Kathleen who is a LEGIT middle class person. Wild eh, who'd a thought?! Kathleen is a friend of ours who we feel 'gets it' and she's always been good to chat through class stuff with. We thought it would be cool to chat through some things for an episode to highlight how chatting to family, friends, colleagues etc about class can be done respectfully and honestly and how important it is to not just stay in our own bubbles. Not gonna lie, it gets intense, it's crazy honest and shows us all how vital conversations like these are. We talk about buying houses, inheritance tax, covering up privilege for punk points, smoke and mirrors on class chats despite being politically bang on in other areas, talking about money on both sides, inter-class relationships and also parenting, posh school vs state school and SO MUCH MORE. This is a long one so get that tea brewed, get some biscuits on the go and get stuck in!

It's that time of year, you're either absolutely buzzin to get back to school with your new shoes & stationery or you're devvo'd. In this episode we chat through our own education journeys, our qualifications and where they led us. We discuss how being working class affects your education, catchment area politics, period poverty, EMA (we're in our 30s OK!), the impact teachers have, free school dinners / uniforms and how having positive working class professional role models or seeing people like you succeed works wonders for aspiration

We're back for another chat, this time on speech. We talk about the ways working class people speak, regional accents, how accents and dialect are a big part of our culture and also carrying on traditions and stories, code switching, we tackle the use of academic language especially in political spaces and how alienating it can be, we discuss the concept of ebonics and appropriation and as always chuck in a bunch of daft stories!

We finally did it - we made a food episode! We've been asked for probably the whole 8yrs we've been doing Poor Lass to do a print zine issue or a podcast episode on food and we just never got round to it. We were clearly making a big mistake though as instagram went legit mad when we posted it would be the next episode. So get ready for some serious talk of Billy Bear meat, Fray Bentos pies, condiments as meal staples, how Jack uses his cutlery in Titanic, what you had in your packed lunch at school and family traditions for meal times. We also talk about what foods you and others thought of as posh - which also crosses into a discussion on the ignorance of the white working class lens eg. eating a limited palette and thinking everything is 'foreign' to what it's like to grow up in the UK when your parents aren't and the foods you eat being described as weird or posh when they really aren't! To join in the discussion on social, head to instagram.com/poorlasszine

For this episode we welcome our special guest Melissa who along with Seleena is part of Over Here Zine Fest which is a not-for-profit event showcasing the work of Black / Asian / BAME / POC zine makers, artists, writers and activists. We talk about feelings over the last few weeks, how it feels to be black in a world where suddenly everyone is talking on behalf of you as if you're not in the room, how racism hasn't suddenly just been discovered and is not new, the current state of social media platforms, how working class and middle class people approach things differently, what the future could look like and where to find joy in such a difficult and intense time

Episode 8 is us avin a chat about what feels like it isn't for you as a working class person. How you navigate that stuff and the idea of taking up space. We cover fitting into the art world; being present in galleries and openings and what you need to do to be a 'proper artist.' We chat about the hobbies and interests we like in our own way whether we have a degree in in or not (and hypothetical dinner party awkwardness with subject matter 'experts'). We talk about architecture, certain types of music, restaurants and hotels, the theatre / opera / ballet, using a knife and fork the right or wrong way, own brands vs brand purchases and....electric toothbrushes!

Episode 7 is a special collaborative episode in conjunction with Tenants Union UK. Our special guest is Rachael who you'll remember joined us to talk about Reclaim and also appeared on Em's panel at Poor Lass LIVE! Find out more about rental unions, how to join and what they can offer. We talk all things housing intersecting with class and identity. How that bloody coronavirus is affecting housing at the moment, rent freezes, power dynamics between landlords and tenants and more. Plus the usual avin a good chat and a laugh

Episode Six is all about the bloody coronavirus. Mad we have this as a title but you know what, this shit is disproportionately affecting working class people so we need to say it. How can we help eachother? What's going down and how can our communities get through it? Our special guest, the excellent Holly Casio also joins us to talk about unions, how you can (should) join one, what it all means explained in a way we all understand. With the usual Poor Lass LOLZ throughout, we promise it's not all doom and gloom!

Join Em & Seleena for their first ever LIVE episode recording with special guest Laura Swithenbank! The theme of this episode is - Working Class Heroes - set to a backdrop of over 100+ slides of amazing working class people we love. Recorded in front of a live audience at Federation, Manchester 17th August 2019. Features some beef on Caitlin Moran, if you were a Take That or East 17 fan, if you knew Cilla was a tory or not, which good or bad eggs are from your home town and loads more daft stuff

Join Em for her panel on Identity at PoorLassLIVE! She is joined by Iqra Choudhry, Sade Mica & Rachael Catherine. They discuss being read as working class, how class shapes your identity, discussing class with friends and family, how race determines how people read your class, adjusting to university and social mobility

Join Seleena at Poor Lass LIVE as part of her panel on Arts & Culture. Joining her is Jack Fallows & Alison Erika Forde. Both are working class artists and they discuss how identifying as an 'artist' makes them feel, earning a living, existing in arts spaces as a working class person and all their top tips!

Join Seleena and Em LIVE in Manchester UK for an all day event - PoorLassLIVE! This intro features them jogging in, ahem, looking awkward and standing up in front of a lot of people and explaining what all this is all about. Let's be real though, the audience was just buzzing to run and pick up a free crisp sandwich!

Poor Lass is a zine and podcast created by Em Ledger & Seleena Laverne Daye. It focuses on real life experiences from the mouths of legit working class people. Episode 5's theme is FASHION. We talk about legitimacy, appropriating working class culture and masquerading when it suits, buying your gear out the catalogue for 33p a week, gold jewellery, 'work wear' and more

Poor Lass is a zine and podcast created by Em Ledger & Seleena Laverne Daye. It focuses on real life experiences from the mouths of legit working class people. Episode 4's theme is MONEY. We talk about how to make, manage and save it as well as what to do to improve credit, how to hustle and Em shares her own experience of bankruptcy

Poor Lass is a zine and podcast created by Em Ledger & Seleena Laverne Daye. It focuses on real life experiences from the mouths of legit working class people. Episode 3 welcomes Rachael from RECLAIM, a Manchester based project focusing on young working class people. We discuss gentrification, Big Asda, the idea of girlboss, being talking about or on behalf of, what it means to make it and estate life.

Poor Lass is a zine and podcast created by Em Ledger and Seleena Laverne Daye. It focuses on real life experiences from the mouths of legit working class people. Episode 2 is about the experience of class from the perspective of being the child of an immigrant. Seleena's dad is from Jamaica and she chats to our two guests Kirby (Ghana) and Melissa (St Lucia/Venezuela)on everything from North/South working class traits, Wakanda, Desmonds, revisiting the country your family is from and class differences from there to the UK, The Good Immigrant and more.

Poor Lass is a podcast hosted by Em Ledger and Seleena Laverne Daye about real life experiences from the mouths of legit working class people. Episode 1 is an introduction to who we are, what the project is about and the print zine collection we've been publishing since 2012.