Queer Lit

The beauty of trans life is that it flourishes in unexpected spaces. This fortnight's guest Perry Zurn has written a beautiful book about how trans life creates spaces for itself in the cracks, at the edges and in other liminal spaces. We speak about trans life at the university, trans poetics, and the problematisation of trans inclusion. Perry tells me about how he was able to rethink methodologies and the role of the researcher by working with story-led theory. Tune in now to attune yourself to trans thinking, histories and ourchives.  References:Perry Zurn's How We Make Each Other: Trans Life at the Edge of the University (Duke University Press, 2025)Perry Zurn and Dani S. Bassett's Curious Minds: The Power of Connection (MIT Press, 2022)Ren-yo HwangEnoch PageJack GiesekingAndrea LawlorJen ManionCavar's “In Praise of -Less”https://azejournal.com/article/2022/8/4/in-praise-of-less-transmad-shouts-from-absent-placesAmherst Collee, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and University of Massachusetts Amherst  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     What might trans poetics be? How does Perry define this term?     Why does Perry like thinking through problems? What are two problems we speak about on the podcast?     Perry describes what story-led theory is and how this method is, in a way, the opposite of how philosophy traditionally uses stories. Can you explain what story-led theory is and how it is different from other theory?     How does Perry use the term ‘attunement'?     Perry explains finding thematic clusters such as pebble, dust and glue. What is an object or entity you associate with trans life?

Please listen to this super special episode to meet Mark King from Queer Britain and also to hear all about the upcoming sold-out launch of ListenQueer, the accessible LGBTQIA+ history app!listenqueer.co.ukqueerbritain.org.ukhttps://www.outsavvy.com/event/26049/listenqueer-walking-tour-and-app-launch

Meet Talia Bettcher, the amazing philosopher who gave us canonical essays like “Trapped in the Wrong Theory” and “Evil Deceivers and Make-Believers,” and has now published a paradigm-shifting book about trans philosophy. Talia tells me about why personhood may be overrated, why the existential WTF lead her to this realisation, and how it's really all about relationships. We also discuss three of Talia's highly influential concepts: reality enforcement, the wrong body account, and the beyond the binary model.CW: transphobia, violence, abuse, sexual abuse, sexual abuse while unconscious (from 28 mins)References:Beyond Personhood: An Essay in Trans Philosophy (University of Minnesota Press, 2025)Bettcher, Talia Mae. “Trapped in the Wrong Theory: Rethinking Trans Oppression and Resistance” (Signs 39.2, 2014)Merryleggs, the Magical PonyBettcher, Talie Mae. “Evil Deceivers and Make-Believers: On Transphobic Violence and the Politics of Illusion” (Hypatia 22.3, 2007)Gwen AraujoThe existential WTFReality enforcementInterpersonal spatialityMaría LugonesMarilyn FryeJohn LockePeter SingerPhoriaGloria Anzaldúa's Borderlands/La FronteraJay Prosser's Second Skins  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     What is reality enforcement and how does it express transphobia?     What is personhood? Why is it generally perceived as a positive concept?     Why does Talia put a focus on relationships instead?     Talia speaks about two ways of viewing transness: the “beyond the binary” model and the “wrong body” account. What are these and why is Talia critical of both of them?     How can you show up to support trans rights?

Welcome to a brand-new queer space special! Come along to visit All She Wrote Books, a fabulous queer feminist bookshop, located in Somerville, MA, an area that is historically significant for feminist literary activism. Owner Christina Pascucci-Ciampa tells me about what it was like turning All She Wrote Books from the queer literary pop-up that unicorn dreams are made of into a (yellow) brick (road) and mortar shop and community space. We also learn about Ruby, the bookshop's Chief Barking Officer, and about what made Christina believe in the magical powers of storytelling.References:https://www.allshewrotebooks.com/@allshewrotebooksNew WordsKristen Hogan's The Feminist Bookstore Movement (Duke UP, 2016)American Booksellers AssociationEmma StraubBooks Are MagicPatricia Highsmith's The Price of Salt (Carol)Audre LordeAdrienne Richbell hooksJulie EnszerSinister WisdomFeminist Bookstore Newshttps://sinisterwisdom.org/FBNMalinda LoRuby, Chief Barking Officerhttps://www.allshewrotebooks.com/friendsofrubyCrafty Queer Studio https://www.craftyqueerstudio.com/The Wizard of OzAudre Lorde's Sister OutsiderCarmen Maria Machado's In the Dream House/Her Body and Other PartiesThis Queer Book Saved My Life podcastLindy WestSarah Schulman  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:      Christina speaks about why pop-up bookshops were an important part of All She Wrote's journey. What are some benefits of a pop-up bookshop?     If you could host a book pop-up at any location, where would it be?     Why are libraries great? What are some of their limits?     Why do we need specialist bookshops? Why are they spaces of activism?

What does AI have to do with queerness? And how could the use of machine learning affect our lives and our rights as LGBTQIA+ people? Daniella Gáti shares the answers to these questions and more. Daniella is an expert in narrative, creative computing, and brings a unique transdisciplinary perspective to both. We touch on facial recognition, what is happening in Hungary, and speak about common misconceptions about AI.  References:Gáti, Daniella. ‘Theorizing Mathematical Narrative through Machine Learning'. Journal of Narrative Theory, vol. 53, no. 1, 2023, pp. 139–65.Gáti, Daniella . “AI, Queerness, and Humanity: How AI Reshapes the World and What We Can Do about It” (8 February, 2025, TedX Talk)The Palgrave Handbook of Feminist, Queer and Trans* Narrative Studies (Vera Nuenning and Corinna Assman, eds)Nicola Dinan's Disappoint MeThon (19th century gender-neutral pronoun)Dennis Baron's What's Your Pronoun: Beyond He and SheJordy Rosenberg's Confessions of the FoxErzsébet Galgóczi's A törvényen kívül és belül (Another Love)  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     Why might AI not be compatible with queer thought?     How can facial recognition affect rights of LGBTQIA+ people?     What is a common misconception about AI?     What is machine learning?     What role might narrative play in all of this?  

Meet Julie Enszer, editor of Sinister Wisdom, dyke poetry superstar, and protector of the lesbian archives. Julie and I speak about shared queer cultures, lesbian feminist publishing, and all of the amazing queer archiving projects Julie is involved in. We also speak about the importance of sharing knowledge and practices of resistance, especially at a time like the present moment. Since Julie is particularly invested in sharing these practices internationally, she is part of the team that is bringing the Lesbian Lives conference to New York in October 2025… Tune in for the details.  References:https://julierenszer.com/Sinister Wisdom https://www.sinisterwisdom.org/@sinister_wisom (IG)Julie Enszer's The Pinko Commie Dyke (Indolent Books, 2024) with illustrations by Isabel Clare PaulOutWrite: The Speeches that Shaped LGBTQ Literary Culture (ed. Julie Enszer and Elena Gross, Rutgers UP, 2022)The Complete Works of Pat Parkers (ed. Julie Enszer, Sinister Wisdom/A Midsummer Night's Press, 2016)Fire-Rimmed Eden: Selected Poems by Lynn Lonidier (ed. Julie Enszer, Sinister Wisdom, 2023)Sinister Wisdom 128: Trans/FeminismsReveal Digital Archiveshttps://about.jstor.org/revealdigital/The Lesbian Poetry Archive http://lesbianpoetryarchive.org/Feminist Bookstore News Archivehttps://www.lesbianpoetryarchive.org/fbnCarol SeajayWomen in Print MovementCatherine NicholsonHarriet DesmoinesHillary ClintonLesbian Lives ConferenceElla Ben HagaiThe Journal of Lesbian StudiesOlu JenzenCLAGS (The Centre for LGBTQ Studies, CUNY)https://www.gc.cuny.edu/clags-center-lgbtq-studiesMatt BrimGrace Nichols' The Fat Black Woman's PoemsHeresieshttp://heresiesfilmproject.org/archive/Cheryl Clarkehttps://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/cheryl-clarkeTim Retzloffhttps://michiganlgbtqremember.com/842-2/Alison Bechdel's Fun HomeMarilyn Hacker's Love, Death and the Changing of the Seasons (1986)  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:1.      How do we build lesbian and feminist communities? Which examples does Julie give?2.      What are the Reveal Digital Archives?3.      What types of writing does Sinister Wisdom publish and what would Julie like to see more of? In which year was the journal launched?4.      How does Julie describe the importance of lesbian archives?5.      How might archives help us with lesbian, queer and trans oganising?  

Whether you share them, prefer them or avoid them – pronouns are everywhere. As Laura Paterson, a linguist who specialises in pronouns, tells us, this is a. because they are an essential part of grammar and b. because they are particularly sexy right now. Laura tells us what exactly a pronoun is and why third-person personal pronouns can cause so much controversy, despite the fact that their main job is just to point to things.  References: Paterson, Laura L. The Routledge Handbook of Pronouns. (Routledge, 2024)Paterson, Laura L. and Gregory, Ian N. Representations of Poverty and Place: Using Geographical Text Analysis to Understand Discourse. (Palgrave, 2018)Paterson, Laura L. British Pronoun Use, Prescription, and Processing: Linguistic and Social Influences Affecting 'They' and 'He' (Palgrave, 2014)Ann LeckieMarge Piercy's Woman on the Edge of TimeAshley Reilly-ThorntonSusan StrykerLal ZimmanGardelle, Laure. “Pronoun Activism and the Power of Animacy” The Routledge Handbook of Pronouns. (Routledge, 2024)Journal of Language and Discrimination (https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JLD)Dennis Baron's What's Your Pronoun (Liveright, 2020)Chloe Benjamin's The Immortalists (‎G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2018)  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:What is a pronoun?Why can pronouns ‘humanise' characters?Which two uses of singular they do we speak about? Can you think of others?When might the pronoun ‘it' become important in activism?What are combined pronouns and why are they no longer in fashion?What are some considerations around pronoun sharing that Laura touches on? How do you feel about this?   

Would you like to hear about a 100-year-old public Art nouveau toilet turned queer art gallery? Or about the police station that went from a site of protest and oppression to a place of LGBTQIA+ storytelling? Then this is the episode for you. George Savoulis, director of Qtopia Sydney, is taking us all the way to Australia to tell us all about the magic of queer history, reclaiming of space, and the beauty of queer creativity.  References:https://qtopiasydney.com.au/Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi GrasDarlinghurst Police StationTroughmanVirginia Woolf's Orlando  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     What is the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras?     Where did the 1978 protests take place and what were they about?     What is the pink triangle?     If you could choose any space to turn into a queer gallery, museum or performance space, which space would that be?  

Join me and Louise Siddons, professor of visual politics par excellence, to learn about Laura Gilpin, the lesbian photographer who spent 30 years creating her book The Enduring Navaho in and with both queer and Navajo community. Louise speaks about the lesbian gaze in Gilpin's photographs, the lesbian networks of Santa Fe, where Gilpin and her partner lived, and the intersectional methods that Louise brings to writing about these. The thoughtful (and fun) observations Louise shares about Gilpin's work and voice will stay with you.Come for the fascinating content, stay for the free writing advice, and get more of both by following @lsiddons.bsky.social and @uni_southampton_wsa (on Instagram). Stay up-to-date about the podcast on Instagram @queerlitpodcast or on Blue Sky (@lenamattheis.bsky.social).  References:Louise Siddons' Good Pictures Are a Strong Weapon: Laura Gilpin, Queerness and Navajo Sovereignty (University of Minnesota Press, 2024)Louise Siddons' Centering Modernism: J. Jay McVicker and Postwar American Art (University of Oklahoma Press, 2018)Laura Gilpin's The Enduring Navaho (University of Texas Press, 1968)Wanda Corn, professor emerita, Stanford University Clarence Hudson White, photographer (American, 1871-1925)Elizabeth Forster (public health nurse and Gilpin's partner, American, 1886-1972)Amon Carter Museum of American ArtHelen Langa, emerita, American UniversityLesbian gazeHerbert Blatchford (Diné (Navajo), dates unknown)Karen-edis Barzman, scholar in residence, Newberry LibraryHeather Love, University of PennsylvaniaMara Gold, University of OxfordLaura Gilpin, The Summer Shelter of Old Lady Long Salt (published in The Enduring Navaho, gelatin silver print, 1953)Bean Yazzie (Diné (Navajo), b. 1978)Refugee TalesDavid Herd, University of St. AndrewsJanice Gould's Doubters and Dreamers (University of Arizona Press, 2011)    Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     Who is Laura Gilpin?     Why are lesbian networks relevant in Louise's thinking about Gilpin's work?     What do you think a lesbian gaze might be?     Why is intersectionality such an important topic in this episode, although we only explicitly speak about it at the end?     Louise shares some writing advice in the episode. What is your favourite bit of writing advice?

Do we perhaps deserve the impossible? This is only one of the many beautiful questions Marquis Bey asks in this poem of an episode. Marquis is an exquisite thinker who joins me to speak about the incredible book Black Trans Feminism and share thoughts about why such a feminism is for everyone. Marquis speaks about how literature allows us to imagine new possibilities to exist in the world and see how everything is entangled with everything else. Join me to learn from Marquis, to think about abolition, coalition, fugitivity and traniflesh, and to imagine what the world could be beyond the realistic and the possible.  References:https://www.marquisbey.com/Marquis Bey's Black Trans Feminism (Duke UP, 2022)Marquis Bey's Cistem Failure (Duke UP, 2022)Marquis Bey's The Problem of the Negro as a Problem for Gender (University of Minnesota Press, 2020)Marquis Bey's “RE: [No Subject]—On Nonbinary Gender.” Qui Parle: Critical Humanities and Social Sciences (2022)Saidiya HartmanAlexis Pauline Gumbs' M Archive and UndrownedLauryn HillDenise Ferreira da SilvaToni MorrisonN.K. JemisinOctavia ButlerRivers SolomonAndrew CutroneSarah Jane CervenakFred MotenRoxane GayStefano HarneyJack HalberstamTina CamptRalph EllisonTranifleshEmma HeaneyHortense Spillers' “Mama's baby, papa's maybe”K. Marshall GreenTreva EllisonTranifest Spillers, Hortense, et al. "" Whatcha gonna do?": Revisiting ‘Mama's baby, papa's maybe:' An American grammar book": A conversation with Hortense Spillers, Saidiya Hartman, Farah Jasmine Griffin, Shelly Eversley, & Jennifer L. Morgan." Women's Studies Quarterly 35.1/2 (2007): 299-309.Abraham Weil https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua_Hm6weProCiara CreminTransgender Theory (Bloomsbury)https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/series/transgender-theory/A Nonbinary Life (forthcoming) Asterisk (Duke UP) https://www.dukeupress.edu/series/asterisk-gender-trans-and-all-that-comes-afterJian Neo ChenSusan StrykerEliza SteinbockC. Riley Snorton's Black On Both SidesJess Goldberg's Abolition TimeFrieren  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     What is Black Trans Feminism? Why is it for everyone?     How can identities provide comfort and safety and why is that not always useful?     What are the terms Marquis thinks about in relation to allyship?     How does Marquis define traniflesh?     Which thinkers inform Marquis' thinking about fugitivity and what is the central metaphor Marquis introduces here?     What might be challenging about thinking Black Trans Feminism in the way Marquis proposes it?     How do you feel about the impossible and the unrealistic?

You've read Maggie Nelson's The Argonauts but have you heard of the scholar who puts the auto in theories? Meet Alex Brostoff, my new favourite autotheorist. Alex is here to clear up common misconceptions about autotheories and tell us more about biomythography, teoría de la noche, and reading beside. I was also intrigued to learn about intertextual kinship and hear Alex's (beautifully phrased) thoughts on co-writing and co-translating. References:Alex Brostoff and Lauren Fournier (eds) Autotheory (special issue of ASAP/Journal, 2021)Alex Brostoff and Vilashini Cooppan (eds) Autotheories (MIT Press, 2025)Alex Brostoff's Unruly Relations: A Critical Reframing of Autotheory (Columbia University Press, forthcoming)Alex Brostoff and rl Goldberg (eds) Trans Literature (special issue of College Literature, 2025)Alex Brostoff and rl Goldberg (eds) Reassignments: Trans and Sex from the Clinical to the Critical (Fordham University Press, forthcoming)Stryker, Susan. "Transgender studies: Queer theory's evil twin." GLQ: A journal of lesbian and gay studies 10.2 (2004): 212-215.Intertextual kinship in Brostoff's “An Autotheory of Intertextual Kinship: Ambivalent Bodies in the Work of Maggie Nelson and Paul Preciado.” Special issue, “Dissident Self-Narratives: Radical and Queer Life Writing,” ed. Aude Haffen. Synthesis: An Anglophone Journal of Comparative Literary Studies 14 (2021): 91-115.Kai Minosh Pyle trans*temporal kinshipMaggie Nelson's The ArgonautsRoland BarthesPaul Preciado's Testo JunkieOn the Eve of This DeathFreccero, Carla. "The ‘Auto' of Theory." in Autotheories (MIT Press, 2025) FoucaultDerridaGloria AnzaldúaThis Bridge Called My Back Borderlands/La FronteraTheory in the flesh Autohistoria-teoríaAudre Lorde's ZamiBiomythographyMaría Moreno's teoría de la noche (theory of the night)Sedgwick's reading besideLauren Berlant and Kathleen Steward's The HundredsHeather LoveJohn MoneyRichard GreenJudith Butler's Who's Afraid of GenderCameron Awkward-RichStephanie BurtLiz RoseNat RivkinJordy RosenbergTrish Salahtorrin a. greathouseCole RizkiTSQ@alextakesfotos (on Instagram)@AlexBrostoff (on X)@alexbrostoff.bsky.social (on Bluesky)TravestiAmara Moira, “Loose Tongues,” a selection from Neca (2021), translated by Jesse Rothbard and edited by Cole Rizki, TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly (forthcoming, 2025).Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:What is autotheory and why might Alex prefer the plural autotheories?What are some related concepts or theories?Which thinkers do we commonly associate with autotheories?Name at least two texts that Alex posits as central to autotheories.Alex speaks a lot about co-writing. Have you ever experienced “being deep in the trenches of someone else's sentences”? How do you co-write?

Are you in the mood for queer joy and lots of panache? Come, come, listen to this episode about Virginia Gay's Cyrano, an excitingly fun, gender-twisting play that you will love to the moon and back. Virginia talks about why this play resonates so much for queer people, how James McAvoy made her want to write it, and why theatre should always be hot, weird, funny and no more than a 90-minute experience.To keep up-to-date with this beautiful production, follow @cyranolive and @thatsmsgaytoyou on Instagram. @queerlitpodcast is there too.  References:Cyrano de BergeracFried Green TomatoesPark Theatre London @parktheatrelondonJames McAvoyJamie LloydSteve MartinRoxanne (1987)Daryl HannahL'esprit de l'escalierJessica WhitehurstJoseph EvansThe HandmaidenSarah Waters' FingersmithRoxane GayVirginia Gay's Cyrano (Spotify) https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Uayz56Nzmdekj1rry7rIP   Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     Virginia's Cyrano is what one might call a gender-swap moment. Can you think of other plays, rewrites, or adaptions that alter the story by changing the protagonist's gender?     We use three different pronouns for Cyrano in the episode. Which one is your favourite and why?     Virginia speaks about several moments of metatheatre. Can you look up what metatheatre means and name one example?     What does ‘l'esprit de l'escalier' mean and how does it relate to writing?     Virginia speaks about the complicity of the audience in problematic stories. Have you ever wanted to apologise to a character?     What playlist (or play) gives you queer joy?

In part two of our festive end-of-year special, you will hear about queer families and mourning, gay novels and book festivals, cargo pants and Vaseline, and lesbians and travel. What's the queerest thing you did in 2024? And how will you power bottom that in 2025?  References:Karen Tongson's Norm PornAmber Jamilla MusserFeminist Keywords podcastAlexis Pauline Gumbs' Survival is a Promise and UndrownedMabel MundyKerstin-Anja MuenderleinJack Strange's Look Up, HandsomeGay on WyeOut and WildPigeon BooksLondon LGBTQ CentreBluestockingsLiz's Book BarSweet Pickle BooksThe Ripped BodiceGay's The WordHappiest Season  Victor Garber

In part one of our festive end-of-year special, you will hear about queer weddings and Madonna, intersex dinosaurs and PhDs, crafting and queer culture, and how all lesbians do kind of know each other. What's the queerest thing you did in 2024? And how will you top that in 2025?  References:Hollis GriffinLibro.FmAshley Herring Blake's Make the Season BrightBridgertonMaterial GirlsHannah McGregor's Podcast or Perish and Clever GirlJurassic ParkTheoryishHannah AyresPaola Medina-GonzalezToshikazu Kawaguchi's Before the Coffee Gets ColdMo MoultonSo Mayer's Truth & Darelistenqueer.co.ukBlossom LGBTQThe Female GlazeKit SchusterMartha Wells' The Murderbot DiariesMarquis Bey's Black Trans Feminism

Fierce femme dinosaurs, intersex embodiment, Laura Dern – it's surprisingly easy to read Jurassic Park as a feminist celebration of monstrous queer bodies, at least when you have the magnificent Hannah McGregor by your side. In Hannah's ‘bookiest book yet,' we learn about lesbian dinosaurs, the ignorance of white male adventurers, and how and why they're erotically eviscerated for their flaws. Not to be missed!If you would like to observe us in the wild, follow us on Instagram: @hkpmcgregor and @queerlitpodcast.  References:Jurassic ParkHannah McGregor's Podcast or PerishMaterial GirlsTheodor RexWhoopi GoldbergEmmanuel LevinasLaura MulveyHannah McGregor's A Sentimental EducationThe Little MermaidUrsulaThe Last UnicornJen Sookfong Lee (Pop Classic series)Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha's Femme Shark Manifesto!Terra nulliusLaura DernVerlyn Klinkenborg's “What Were Dinosaurs For?”Prehistoric Planet with David AttenboroughEllen RipleyTales of the City@hkpmcgregor and @ohwitchplease (Instagram)Making Worlds podcast https://www.hannahmcgregor.com/Agatha All Along  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     Why/How can we read Jurassic Park as a feminist film?     What is the ‘monstrous-feminine'? How does Hannah speak about this? Can you find out which other scholar(s) we may associate with this term?     What does terra nullius mean? How is this relevant to Hannah's reading of the film?     Lena calls Jurassic Park a queer ecology in the episode. Please name at least two reasons why this term might apply.     What does Hannah highlight about Indigenous and decolonial scholarship in relation to Jurassic Park?    How do you feel about Laura Dern?  

Have you thought to yourself recently: How come trans literature is having such a moment right now? Then this episode is for you. Sabine Sharp, editor of The Routledge Handbook of Trans Literature (2024), is joining me for a chat about the significance of trans literature today, as well as its roots and legacies, especially in the 20th century. Sabine speaks about the difficult implications of transness as a symbol of futurity in science fiction and contrasts a personal connection with 1970s feminist science fiction to contemporary frictions between some feminisms and transness.As you listen to this episode, we recommend transing transily through your house and following @queerlitpodcast on Instagram.  References:The Routledge Handbook of Trans Literature (2024)Material Girls podcastMaia Kobabe's Gender QueerDouglas VakochThe Climate Deniers PlaybookRollie WilliamsNicole ConlanBecky Chambers' Monk and Robot duologyMartha Wells' The Murderbot DiariesJudith Butler's Undoing GenderEman Abdelhadi and M. E. O'Brien's Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052–2072Marge Piercy's Woman on the Edge of TimeUrsula LeGuinPhilip K. DickCecilia Gentili's Faltas: Letters to Everyone in My Hometown Who Isn't My RapistLittle Puss  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     How does Sabine describe the current moment in trans literature? Why do we need a handbook of trans literature now?     What might the relationship between trans literature and ecocriticism be?     Why is science fiction an interesting but also potentially problematic genre when it comes to depiction of transness and gender nonconformity?    What is Sabine gesturing to when speaking about the relationship between feminist science fiction and transness in the late 20th century and feminism and transness today?     What can we learn from trans literature?

How does your embodiment affect your perception and thus your writing? This is one of many questions Amber Jamilla Musser tackles in her most recent monograph, which builds on her brilliant work in Black feminism and queer femininity. Amber tells us how sensation and individual experience need to be part of an ethics of perception and why queerness is method that allows us to think capaciously and in connection with the body.Come and marinate in the unruliness of being with us! Follow @queerlitpodcast and @a_jamilla on Instagram for more.  References:https://www.amberjamillamusser.com/Sensational Flesh: Race, Power, and Masochism (NYU Press, 2014)Sensual Excess: Queer Femininity and Brown Jouissance (NYU Press, 2018)Between Shadows and Noise: Sensation, Situatedness, and the Undisciplined (Duke University Press, 2024)Queer Form (special issue of ASAP, edited by Kadji Amin, Amber Jamilla Musser and Roy Pérez)Keywords for Gender and Sexuality Studies (NYU Press, 2021)Feminist Keywords PodcastKaren TongsonAssociation for Study of the Arts of the Present (ASAP)Jordan Peele's UsMing Smith's Flamingo Fandango (West Berlin) (painted)Édouard GlissantRonak KapadiaStephanie ClareSharon Holland's an otherTiffany Lethabo KingAlexis Pauline GumbsAudre LordeTitus Kaphar's Pillow for Fragile FictionsAudre Lorde's Zami: A BiomythographyMecca Jamilah Sullivan's Big Girl  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     What does Amber mean when she speaks about masochism?     What might an ethics of perception be?     Amber speaks about how our bodily histories affect how we perceive. What is you bodily history?     Amber suggests that queerness is a method in Between Shadows and Noise. What does this method allow Amber to do?     How is knowledge embodied? Do you think about this when you read or write academic texts, which often suggest a neutral, disembodied perspective?

Have you heard of the wholesome queer Gothic? This is the cool new term that might just explain why so many of us were obsessed with monsters, witches, witches and vampires before we came out of the coffin, uhm, closet. Sarah Faber and Kerstin-Anja Münderlein join me for this spooky special to speak about their favourite Gothic books, games, and tropes, and about the amazing collection they co-edited. Tune in for seasonal reading recommendations and reflections on gender transgressions in Gothic narratives.  References:Rethinking Gothic Transgressions of Gender and Sexuality (Routledge, 2024)Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto (1764)Ann Radcliffe's The Italian (1797) and The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794)Daphne du Maurier's RebeccaNaomi Novik's Uprooted and The ScholomanceK.J. Charles's Band SinisterVampire: The Masquerade -- BloodlinesBloodborneDark SoulsFallen LondonCastlevaniaSunless SeaDoppelgangerLara BrändleFranziska QuabeckCharles DickensAlycia GarbayGrace KingKit SchusterJennifer's BodyDraculaEdgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of UsherJulia Armfield's Private RitesThe Hays CodeRuPaul's Drag RaceHeartstopperCasey McQuistonBuffy The Vampire SlayerInterview with The VampireBrad PittNight CascadesHanako GamesCarolyn DinshawElizabeth FreemanKirsty Logan's Things We Say in the DarkJuno Dawson's Wonderland (2020)  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     Why is the Gothic both a genre and a mode? What do these terms mean?     What are typical tropes and features of Gothic writing?     Which century might we consider as an origin point of Gothic writing?     What is the wholesome queer Gothic?     What are male and female traditions of the Gothic?     What is your favourite kind of monster and why?            

Femme theory, bisexual butches, racy footnotes – the brand-new edited collection Queering Desire has it all. The brilliant editors, Róisín Ryan-Flood and Amy Tooth Murphy, join me for a chat about  what the book means to them and how challenging and rewarding interdisciplinary research on lesbians and sapphics can be. They dive into the multi-faceted contributions and how they matter to queer culture today and also generously share their personal experience in collecting the many gems that make up Queering Desire. Follow @roisinryanflood and @queerlitpodcast on Instagram to learn more!References:Holding Hands: Experiences of shame, pride and protest among LGBT relationship partnersCentre for Intimate and Sexual Citizenshiphttps://www.essex.ac.uk/centres-and-institutes/intimate-and-sexual-citizenshipNotchesEsther NewtonSally MuntAnne ListerLes FeinbergBillie EilishCharli XCXEleanor MedhurstSarah Joy FordSusan StrykerRosalind GillKimberley MatherMie Astrup JensenEl. Reid-BuckleyPhoebe Kisubi MbasalakiLiz MillwardMarie Lou DuretPrudence Bussey-Chamberlain #Ken PlummerAgnesElla Ben HagaiDominique Adams-SantosSkala EressosSapphoSadie LeeLibro Levi Bridgeman's The Butch MonologuesJack Halberstam's Female MasculinitiesLadies of LlangollenJosé Esteban MuñozK. Allison HammerGay's The WordEsther Newton's My Butch CareerBoots of Leather, Slippers of GoldPatricia Highsmith's Carol (The Price of Salt)The Talented Mr RipleyAndrew Scott AlfredHitchcock Strangers on a TrainLillian Faderman's Surpassing the Love of MenGrace Ellis' Flung out of Space  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     The editors speak a lot about interdisciplinarity and their respective backgrounds in the humanities and in sociology. Which challenges and benefits of working across disciplines do they mention? Can you think of others?     Another important thread is queerness across different generations. How do you experience queer kinship across generations? What do you think the term ‘queer lineage' might mean?     What might femme theory be? Please look up the term and see what you find.     What do the editors say about online and physical queer space?     Which essay of Queering Desire are you going to read first and why?  

Get ready, queer language enthusiasts and trans literature francophiles! In another spontaneous recording from Lesvos, Mélie Boltz Nasr aka May tells us all about their genderbending fairy tale collection for adult readers. We also speak about feminist fonts, French grammar and how queering language is not just an activist aim but also a beautiful creative practice. To learn more about May, follow them on Instagram and check out @queerlitpodcast while you're there.  References:Skala EressosSapphoContes D'Un Autre Boishttps://www.editions-ixe.fr/catalogue/contes-dun-autre-bois/Charles PerraultGrimm brothersWalt DisneyHassan Abdulrazzak's Laila Pines For The Wolfhttps://medium.com/@abdulrazzak/laila-pines-for-the-wolf-3710e81ebbd0Éditions iXeBye Bye Binaryhttps://typotheque.genderfluid.space/fr@bye.byebinaryBBB BaskervvolGlyphAlpheratzUrsula Le Guin “Is Gender Necessary? Redux” https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/ursula-k-le-guin-is-gender-necessary-reduxAesopLettre Aux Copaines https://lettre-aux-copaines.kessel.media/posts  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     What might the political framework of your favourite fairy tale be?     Have you ever used an inclusive font? What do you think of this idea?     What is an example of feminist grammar in your native language?     Do you think nonbinary language is political? What is its place in creative practice?     If you were to invent a nonbinary font, what would it be called?    

Guess who I ran into on the beautiful island of Lesvos: Karen McLeod, author of the amazing memoir Lifting Off. Karen sat down with me at Ohana Saloon, a queer-owned beach bar in Skala Eressos, and told me about her performance art, about working as aircrew as a queer woman, experiences with addiction, and about a new Lesvos-related book she is just starting to write…Warning for the noise-sensitive: you will be able to hear the ocean, the wind, and the many, many lesbians.Learn more about Karen's work on Instagram @therealkarenmcleod and see @queerlitpodcast for our newest episodes.  References: Out and WildBarbara BrownskirtLifting OffIn Search of a Missing EyelashMuswell PressThe Bookseller CrowCindy ShermanSection 28PolariShirley ValentineThe Short Tall Letter https://karenmcleod.substack.com/Julia Darling's Crocodile SoupJackie KayStella Duffy  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     We are recording in Skala Eressos, which has a close connection to Lesbian poet Sappho. Why not take a moment to read more about Sappho right now?     Karen begins by speaking about her experience of not being able to be out at work. Do you ever have to hide parts of yourself, based on where you are and who you interact with?     Karen briefly mentions Section 28. If you are not familiar, please look up what this term means in the context of the United Kingdom and homophobic legislation.     Karen and I speak about how amazing intergenerational queer spaces are. Do you share that experience? Why do you think different age groups can learn from one another, especially in an LGBTQIA2S+ context?

Kit Heyam's amazing history of gender nonconformity across the globe is a dazzling journey into the intricacies of trans history and if it's not your favourite book already, it will be after listening to this episode. Learn why Kit particularly enjoyed writing about Edo Japan, what they discovered about intersex history and who their favourite person to write about was. We also have a discussion about how biological sex has always been a difficult thing to define and, drumroll, Kit even tells me what their next book will be about…Grab your earphones, start listening, and follow @kitheyamwriter and @queerlitpodcast on Instagram to learn more.  References:Kit Heyam's Before We Were Trans (2022)Kit Heyam's The Reputation of Edward II, 1305-1697 (2020)IgboEdo JapanShungaWakashūSexologyThomas/Thomasine HallRoberta CowellMeg-John BarkerPrincess SeraphinaBlake GuttIphis and IantheHarlan Weaver's Bad Dog: Pit Bull Politics and Multispecies Justice (2011)Mo MoultonHijraJessica HinchyJules Gill-Peterson@kitheyamwriterSara Taylor's The LaurasAda Palmer's Terra IgnotaThe Iliad  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     What is Kit's view of trans history? How do they feel about labels?     We speak about how gender expression and sexuality may intersect (although of course they are separate for some people). What does Kit see as a challenge here? Is your gender connected to your sexuality?     One of Kit's favourite chapters is about biological sex. How would you define biological sex? How has it been defined historically in the examples Kit provides?     What does trans family mean to you?     Kit briefly speaks about the agency of children. Why is that an important topic in queer and trans studies and lives?

Graphic designer Marwan Kaabour has created a stunning book that is so much more than your average glossary. Join me and Marwan to talk about what makes The Queer Arab Glossary so special: from the illustrations that powerfully reclaim slurs to the essays that explore the queer methodology of the book. It was an absolute pleasure chatting to Marwan about the journey that led him to start his amazing platform @takweer_ and learn about how the community he created through Takweer helped him shape the Glossary.Listen now to learn about Marwan's favourite word in the book (Qāyiso-l-mā'), my favourite word (boya) and follow @ustaz_marwan and @queerlitpodcast on Instagram to learn more.  References:@takweer_Haitham HaddadMichelangelo's The Creation of AdamLotQāyiso-l-mā'boyaMāl al-ḤūṭaBahrainSophie Chamas@ustaz_marwanCinema FouadMohamed SoueidOscar Al-Halabiye https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDtRCpWxB1Q  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     Why did Marwan begin the queer Arab glossary?     Which three notions of queer Arabic language does Marwan speak about when explaining the submission process for the glossary?     How do we define when a word is hurtful or playful? Why does Marwan decide he cannot make that distinction in the glossary?     Which countries make up the Arab speaking world? We mention some of them in the episode. Please look up the rest.     Marwan speaks about water as a central element in the book. Why is that? Can you relate to this?

Let's go on a field trip! New York City is an amazing city for book shopping and LGBTQIA2S+ activism. Bluestockings Cooperative offers both. This amazing bookstore and community space almost feels too good to be true: nestled into the Lower East Side, Bluestockings has provided dyke dating, community support and all kinds of activism for well over two decades years now. Tune in today to hear lovely bookseller Raquel tell me more about the shop and its history.And did you know? All the cool queers follow @bluestockingsnyc, @raqthebookseller and @queerlitpodcast on Instagram.  References:Kathryn Welsh (now Grantham, owner of Black Bird Bookstore in California)Gay's The WordSara AhmedTransparencyBlack and Pink New York@BlackandpinknycBluestockings.com@bluestockingsnyc@bluestockingscaresSamuel R. Delany's Time Square Red, Time Square BlueRudy Giuliani  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     If you could dream up an LGBTQIA2S+ space, what would it look like?     What is your favourite thing about going to community-run spaces?     Raquel speaks a lot about trust. Why do you think it is that supposedly inclusive spaces do not always feel inclusive? What might we do to change this?     Which of the activist organisations or activities that Raquel mentions are you going to check out?  

Queer television is clearly having a moment and I got to learn more about this from my new favourite LGBTQ TV expert: Hollis Griffin. From the problematic categorisation of ‘good' and ‘bad' representation to watching telly at the gay bar, we talk about what queer TV can and can't do and why it's so enjoyable even when it's bad.  Hollis shares expert knowledge, personal anecdotes and an amazing Lauren Berlant quote: “Nobody like their pleasure undone by somebody with a theory.”References:Gentrification Imaginaries ConferenceFreiburg UniversityMaria SulimmaHollis Griffin's Feeling Normal: Sexuality and Media Criticism in the Digital Age (Indiana, 2017) Hollis Griffin (ed) Television Studies in Queer Times (Routledge, 2023)Hollis Griffin's Securing the Big Apple: Television and the Gentrification of New York (forthcoming)Will and GraceLauren Berlant's Desire/LoveCael Keegan's “In Praise of the Bad Transgender Object: Sleepaway Camp” (2020)https://www.flowjournal.org/2020/07/in-praise-of-the-bad-sleepaway/Allison Page's Media and the Affective Life of Slavery (2022)Melrose PlaceAaron SpellingInterview with the Vampire IsaacFellman's Dead CollectionSusan StrykerThe Fathers Project Hunter Hargraves  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     What does representation mean? In how far it is a useful category?     What can ‘bad objects' teach us? Do you have an example?     What are places where one might watch queer TV and how do these places influence viewing behaviour?     Why is there pleasure in watching TV? Which shows do you enjoy?     Please look up at least one of the scholars that you learned about in this episode and find out more about their work.  

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 BuchananHomo Sapiens PodcastJames Baldwin's Another CountryFrancis Bacon  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     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?     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?     Nicola comments on questions about Bellies no longer being exclusively about transition. Why do you think this is?     Is food connected to affection in your mind? Why or why not?  

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 ReichQueer/Disrupt https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/research/centres/queerhistory/queeringthequarantine/Nick CherrymanLinda Nochlin “Why Are There No Great Women Artists”Igor AhmedovKierkegaardSusan SontagNotes on Camp bell hooksAdebayo Quadry-AdekanbiSue LemosJennifer V. EvansMeaghan AllenJulia Kristeva's Powers of HorrorHerbert TobiasAnna HájkováMedina-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 UtopiaHannah 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_HVAJack Halberstam's The Queer Art of FailurePinky and the Brain@paolaMedGonz@theoryish_pod  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     Why did Hannah and Paola start Theoryish? Can you relate?     Paola explains the complexity of theory as layers. What does Theoryish do to break through the layers and make theory more accessible?     How does disciplinary knowledge play into the Theoryish approach?     How do Hannah and Paola describe queer knowledge production and/or pedagogical practice?     Do podcasts help you access new knowledge?

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 PleaseThe Secret Feminist AgendaMaterial GirlsAmplify Podcast NetworkHannah 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 McMenemyMarcelle KosmanBrenna Clarke Gray's “The University Cannot Love You”Jenny Odell's Saving Time and How To Do NothingLeah Lakshmi Piepzna Samarasinha's Care Work  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     What is Hannah's definition of knowledge production?     How do podcasts produce knowledge? Do they do this queerly?     Which academic format does Hannah liken podcast conversations to? Would you agree with this comparison or have you had a different experience?     Towards the end of the episode, Hannah and I speak about the body in academia. Why is embodiment relevant in scholarship and podcasting?    Have you ever produced knowledge through conversation? What did that feel like?  

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 ParrSusan LanserNarrative Conference (ISSN)https://www.thenarrativesociety.org/2024-conference-1The Palestine Trauma Centrehttps://www.palestinetraumacentre.uk/NakbaRoad 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 KhouryChildren of the Ghetto serieshttps://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 ManchesterEllipses (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.xhtmlThis 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 ShibliJ.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 SrourMaya Abu Al-Hayat Memory of Forgetfulness by Mahmoud DarwishMaria SulimmaTrees for the Absentees by Ahlam BsharatRights4Timehttps://rights4time.com/nora-parr/Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: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?What does Nora say about the temporal structure of trauma and storytelling?What might the study of narrative have to do with mental health?Which narratives can social media convey about everyday life in Gaza? Which examples does Nora give?How willing are you to engage with narratives that are uncomfortable?

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:@dressingdykesUnsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashionhttps://dressingdykes.com/Lesbian Lives ConferenceAnne ListerSarah WingroveQueen Christina of SwedenRadclyffe HallThe Well of LonelinessCruftsFemale HusbandsJen ManionSapphoMeiji EraSeitōSexologyHiratsuka RaichōOtake KōkichiYukataKimonoQueering Desire: Lesbians, Gender and SubjectivityAmy Tooth MurphyAlison Bechdel's Fun Home“Ring of Keys”Roots Lesbian FashionGillian AndersonCameron EspositoQueery (podcast)Lesbian Chiquek.d. langVanity FairThe L WordThe Queery (Brighton)The Feminist BookshopFreya Marske's The Last Binding TrilogyKristen StewartHappiest Season  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     Can you name at least three historical fashion icons we speak about in the episode?     Eleanor explains why literature is important in fashion history. In which ways does Ellie use literary texts to learn about lesbian dress?     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?     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?     Do you think lesbians are fashionable?

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/queerlitKaren TongsonNormpornSusan StrykerCate SandilandsKew GardensElizabeth FreemanDiane WattBriona Simone JonesYesterqueer's HoligaysOut and Wildhttps://www.outandwild.co.uk/ Alison BechdelAlex IantaffiKai Cheng ThomSara AhmedAlexis Pauline GumbsMo MoultonAlberto Poza  Questions I still have:     What can I do to make my listeners even happier?     Who are all these awesome people that spend their time with me and my guests?     Will I really make another 100 episodes?     When will Rufus take over as podcast host?

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 UltimatumThirtysomethingParenthoodTrue BloodGilmore GirlsJosé Esteban MuñozCatherine ZimmerHannah Gadsby's NanetteThe Phantom of the OperaMichael CrawfordSailor MoonTuxedo MaskGestaltThe TraitorsAlan Cumming@tongsonatorKarentongson.org  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     Can you define ‘normporn' and give an example of what might be a typical normporn show?     What is the ‘porn' in ‘normporn'? How does shame play into watching mainstream TV as queer escapism?     What role does grief play in relation to normporn?     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?     Which show do you find particularly soothing and why?

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 PhilologiesDiane Watt  Chi Ta-Wei's The MembranesAri Larissa HeinrichsQueer Ecologies and Environmental Writing (module)https://lenamattheis.files.wordpress.com/2023/12/module-handbook-queer-ecologies.pdfKazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the SunJack HalberstamPaul PreciadoAlana Portero's Bad Habit (La Mala Costumbre, 2023)  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     Have you ever read a queer text in different languages? Do you experience gender differently depending on language?     Why do we gender some machines and not others?     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?     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?     If you could speak any language fluently, which one would you choose and why?      

If you could pick a gender, any gender, which one would that be, and why would it 1000% be knight? In this special minisode, I get to answer that question with Mabel Mundy, who shares fascinating insights into the genderfuckery of chivalric romance and crossdressing knights. Tune in now, to learn more about why gender ambiguity clearly is, and has always been, super hot, and how this plays out in Edmund Spenser and Philip Sidney's writing.If you too are picturing Brienne of Tarth at the bathhouse when hearing about Britomart, follow @queerlitpodcast on Instagram and let me know in the comments. To learn more about Mabel's work, follow her on Twitter at @mabelcjmundy.A big, big thank you to the brilliant team of Queer and Trans Philologies at Cambridge University for creating this space!References:Petition: https://www.change.org/p/support-our-surrey-campaign?This is not an isolated issue! See this list of current large-scale UK HE redundancies: https://qmucu.org/qmul-transformation/uk-he-shrinking/https://www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/39800/#call-for-papersQueer and Trans PhilologiesUniversity of CambridgeCRASSH @crasshlive (Instagram)CrossdressingGenderfuckeryEdmund Spenser's The Faerie QueeneSir Philip Sidney's ArcadiaMargaret Cavendish's The Covenant of PleasureChivalric RomanceBritomartMalecastaBradamanteLudovico Ariosto's Orlando FuriosoDiane WattThe Redcrosse KnightUnaQuestions you should be able to respond to after listening:What forms of genderfuckery does Mabel talk about? If you are not familiar with the term, please look it up and/or check out the Queer Lit episode with Nick Cherryman.Why is Mabel particularly interested in doing research on chivalric romances?Mabel comments on how crossdressing knights can reveal something about the social category of gender that is possibly more important than their individual gender. Would you agree with that? Why or why not?Do you have a favourite knight?

How does a queer, trans or intersex body take shape in a narrative? Dr Chiara Pellegrini is here to help us better understand how narrative form, point of view, and embodiment interact in contemporary storytelling – whether that be in novels, short stories or reality TV. We speak about problematic narrative tropes of trans narration, such as the ‘gender reveal', but also about how some narrative voices protect their characters from voyeuristic intrusions. I'm also absolutely fascinated by Chiara's take on Barbie.Don't delay, listen today! To learn more about Chiara's work, follow her on Twitter @chiarapg4 and, while you're at it, stay in touch with the podcast on Instagram @queerlitpodcast.    References: Pellegrini, Chiara. Trans Narrators: First-Person Form and the Gendered Body in Contemporary Literature. Edinburgh University Press, 2025.Gillis, Stacy and Chiara Pellegrini (eds.) The Cultural Politics of Greta Gerwig's Barbie. Special Issue of Feminist Theory 25.4 (2024).Mejeur, Cody and Chiara Pellegrini (eds.) Trans/forming Narrative Studies. Special Issue of Narrative 32.2 (2024).Pellegrini, Chiara. ‘Anticipating the Plot: Overdetermining Heteronormative Destiny on the Twenty-First- Century Screen', Textual Practice (2022): 1-23.Pellegrini, Chiara. ‘“Declining to Describe”: Intersex Narrators and Textual Visibility'. Interdisciplinary and Global Perspectives on Intersex. Ed. Megan Walker (Palgrave, 2022): 49-64.ISSN International Society for the Study of Narrativehttps://www.thenarrativesociety.org/2024-conference-1Narrative for Social Justicehttps://www.thenarrativesociety.org/n4sjJay Prosser's Second SkinsTravis Alabanza's None of the AboveCalvin Gimpelevic's Invasions: StoriesSusan Lanser “Queering Narrative Voice” Textual Practice 32.6 (2018)Sara Taylor's The LaurasJordy Rosenberg's Confessions of the FoxJeffrey Eugenides' MiddlesexMarquis Bey's Black Trans FeminismHida Viloria - Born Both: An Intersex Life (Hachette 2017)Hannah Gadsby's The Gender AgendaDahlia Belle (the comic Lena mentions)Cody MejeurCasey Plett and Cat Fitzpatrick's Meanwhile, ElsewhereThe UltimatumQuestions you should be able to respond to after listening:    How might narrative point of view affect trans and intersex narratives? Why do you think the first person has been a particularly popular point of view in trans texts?     What does ‘embodiment' mean when it comes to narration?     Chiara suggests that narratology (the study of how we tell stories) can learn a lot from trans narrative forms. What, for example, can we learn from a trans perspective?     We speak about problematic narratives that conceal trans or queer bodies, only to reveal them to readers or viewers later on. Can you think of an example for this type of narrative? Why would this be harmful?     How do you feel about some of the recent queer reality TV shows?    

https://surrey-ucu.org.uk/category/news/https://www.instagram.com/supportsurreysll/?hl=enhttps://www.change.org/p/support-our-surrey-campaign?This is not an isolated issue! See this list of current large-scale UK HE redundancies:https://qmucu.org/qmul-transformation/uk-he-shrinking/IG: @supportsurreysllTwitter/x: @SaveSurreySLLhttps://universityenglish.ac.uk/englishcreates/#:~:text=EnglishCreates%20is%20a%20campaign%20to,literature%2C%20language%20and%20creative%20writing@queerlitpodcastqueerlitpodcast@gmail.com

Despite the title, this episode contains a generous amount of laughter, because it is just that enjoyable to talk to Hil Malatino, brilliant author of Side Affects: On Being Trans and Feeling Bad (2022). Hil has published groundbreaking work on trans and intersex stories and histories and, in this most recent monograph, draws our attention to the complexities of trans affect. In order to explore emotions such as numbness, fatigue, envy and rage, Hil consults literary texts as well as performance art, so of course I make Hil talk about my new favourite performance art obsession Cassils, alongside Casey Plett and Kai Cheng Thom. Tune in now to learn about all of these fascinating people, about human dolphin communication, about the manifold uses of ketamine, and about Xena and Subaru.Find Hil on Instagram @gay_vague and everywhere else @HilMalatino and follow the podcast @queerlitpodcast on Instagram. References:Hil Malatino's Side Affects: On Being Trans and Feeling Bad (UP Minnesota, 2022)Hil Malatino's Trans Care (2020)Hil Malatino's Queer Embodiment (2019)Katy Steinmetz “The Transgender Tipping Point” (2014)https://time.com/135480/transgender-tipping-point/Casey PlettCeCe McDonaldCassils' ‘Monument Push' and ‘Becoming an Image'Sandra Harding's strong objectivityAutotheoryKai Cheng Thom's Fierce Femmes and Notorious LiarsPaul PreciadoSusan StrykerMarina Abramovic InstituteTiresiasSam TenorioReed EricksonThe Human Potential MovementIsaac Fellman's Dead CollectionsSarah Schulman's Girls, Visions and EverythingDorothy Allison's Two or Three Things I Know for Sure Bastard Out Of CarolinaMo MoultonXena: Warrior Princess WGS Southhttps://wgssouth.org/ Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: Which types of affects does Hil write about in Side Affects? What role do they play in trans storytelling? Can you list the bad feelings that Hil discusses in the book? Hint: You can also look at the table of contents online. How does Hil describe the method of Side Affects, in terms of selecting and discussing texts? Why does Hil find ‘triumphant' narratives about trans lives problematic? Can you think of an example of such a narrative? Hil speaks about positionality in academic writing. How do you feel about this? Do you write about yourself in your work?

How often do you get to chat with the author of your major literary obsession and learn something about queer storytelling at the same time? I cannot believe I actually got to sit down with @lamyaisangry to talk about their brilliant novel Hijab Butch Blues, their essay writing and the queer future, which, according to Lamya, will be weird AF. Listen now, to hear about queer readings of the Quran, gender expression at the gym, new coming out narratives, and Lamya's queer writing ancestors. Not to be missed! References:Lamya H. “A Fragile Dance: Queer Brown Futures (Or Lack Thereof).” Autostraddle, 23 April 2015.https://www.autostraddle.com/a-fragile-dance-queer-brown-futures-or-lack-thereof-284789/Leslie Feinberg's Stone Butch BluesAudre Lorde's Sister OutsiderZami"A Litany for Survival" Dionne Brand's What We All Long ForDorothy Allison's Bastard Out of CarolinaCavedwellerStone Wall AwardAmerican Library Associationhttps://www.lamyah.com/ Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:Lamya writes in a very interesting form of memoir. What makes the structure of their novel unique?What does Lamya think about coming out narratives and how they are changing in contemporary literature?Who does Lamya name as her queer ancestors? Please look up at least one of them to find out a little more about their life and work.What does Lamya say about the queer future? What do you think the queer future, or the future of queer narratives, will look like?

This episode is all about both/and: both trans and queer history, both kinship and relationships, both the past and the present. Mo Moulton, our illustrious guest this fortnight, is an expert in all of them. Mo is a historian of community, who is particularly interested in nonbinary methods to approach gender nonconforming figures of the past. In this episode, Mo talks about a queer and trans desire for kinship with the past, about chosen families, and (my favorite bit) about dogs and the trans experience. If I were you, I would listen right now and follow @queerlitpodcast and @movin_on_out on IG.References:Moulton, Mo. Mutual Admiration Society: How Dorothy L. Sayers and Her Oxford Circle Remade the World for Women . Hachette UK, 2019.Moulton, Mo. ““Both Your Sexes”: A Non-Binary Approach to Gender History, Trans Studies and the Making of the Self in Modern Britain.” History Workshop Journal 95 (Spring 2023)Moulton, Mo. “Dogs in the Picture: Restoring the Queer History of the Irish Family.” History of the Family (forthcoming 2024)Getting CuriousHarlan Weaver, Bad Dog: Pit Bull Politics and Multispecies Justice (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2021)“Queer Pets” with Sarah Parker and Hannah Rochehttps://www.spreaker. com/episode/queer-pets-with-sarah-parker-and-hannah-roche--47535404Dorothy StokesJules Gill-PetersonC. Riley SnortonHil MalatinoDorothy L. SayersMuriel St Clare ByrneEdward Carpenter's The Intermediate SexUrningDeadloch Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:1. What constitutes a nonbinary approach to history?2. Which three scholars does Mo refer to when they talk about beginning their research on the history of gender?3. Mo explains that historians often apply the category of gender while speaking about the past while, at the same time, being very careful about not anachronistically using terms such as lesbian or trans. What does Mo think about this? Do you agree?4. We use two terms that you may or may not be familiar with: 'rainbow washing' and the 'pink pound.' Please look them up and think about whether you have ever encountered an example of one of them.5. What does Mo say about the perception of radical or transgressive identities? Do you agree? What are your thoughts on this?

Nonbinary Jesus. Did that get your attention? If so, this episode is for you. Historian extraordinaire Leah DeVun joins me to talk about the pre-modern history of nonbinary gender, about intersex brides, transitioning saints and what terms such as androgyne and hermaphrodite might tell us about conceptions of sex, gender and sexuality. Leah explains how thinking about nonbinary gender was and is a way of interrogating what it means to be human.Join us for this journey into nonbinary history and religion and, if you just can't get enough, follow @ldevun (IG), @DevunLeah (Twitter) and @queerlitpodcast on Instagram. References:The Shape of Sex: Nonbinary Gender from Genesis to Renaissance (Columbia UP, 2021) TSQ special issue: Trans*historicities, co-edited by Leah DeVun and Zeb Tortorici (2018)Resemblance (2022-)https://www.leahdevun.com/resemblanceLamya H.'s Hijab Butch BluesGladstone's LibraryTrans/Formations (SCM Press, 2009)AndrogyneHermaphroditeJudith Butler's Who's Afraid of GenderEleanor RykenerRolandina RonchaiaBerengaria Castelló of Castelló d'EmpúriesJoseph of SchönauGenesis P-OrridgeThrobbing GristlePsychic TV Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:How does Leah define the term nonbinary? How is this similar to or different from other definitions you have come across?Leah explains that thinking about nonbinary gender has an impact on categories other than gender. What does this imply and what would be examples?Why does Leah say that focusing on a nonconforming individual should not be the only way to write nonbinary history?Leah explains that when we learn about nonbinary people of the past, we usually meet them on the worst day of their life. What does this mean and how should this influence the way in which we read source texts?Please look up one of the people Leah mentions in the episode and learn a little more about them.

How can we imagine a trans future? Kit Schuster joins me to talk about how transgression in fiction can help us think new futures. We speak about trans, nonbinary and gendernonconforming characters, norms and settings in science fiction, but Kit also stresses that their definition of trans is not limited to gender. Instead, Kit invites us to have our queer minds blown in all kinds of ways by future fictions but also by Gothic and horror texts. Apologies for the audio quality! Sometimes, a podcaster needs to improvise…If you enjoyed this episode, why not follow @officialkitschuster and @queerlitpodcast on Instagram, where you can also learn more about all the great stuff Freiburg University is doing: @engsemfreiburg and @fs.anglistik.freiburg. References:“From Gothic Heroines to Monstrous Prom Queens: Gender Horror in Dracula and Jennifer's Body,” Rethinking Gothic Transgressions of Gender and Sexuality New Directions in Gothic Studies. ed. Sarah Faber and Kerstin-Anja Münderlein. Routledge, 2024.Queer Second Citieshttps://queersecondcities.wordpress.com/Queer Perseverance https://www.anglistik.uni-freiburg.de/events/topicweeksJennifer's BodyDraculaRivers Solomon's An Unkindness of GhostsAfrofuturismGenerationshipPosthumanismFrankensteinSusan StrykerTorey Peters' Detransition, Baby!Cael KeeganJulian K. Jarboe's Everyone on the Moon is Essential Personnel and “I AM A BEAUTIFUL BUG!”The Murderbot DiariesAmal El-Mohtar's How To Lose The Time War“One-Sided Relationships with Elaine Auyoung” How to Read PodcastHomo SapiensChappel Roan's The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess and “Red Wine Supernova” Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: What is Kit's definition of ‘trans'? Can you think of a different one or do you have your own? What does Kit think we can learn from trans future fictions? Do you agree? When talking about the future, Kit says that “the past and the future are the same country”. What do you think they mean here? What does Kit say about the collaborative nature of knowledge production in academia? Who inspires you to come up with new ideas? Have you read a text that you think could qualify as trans future fiction?

The queerest thing you did in 2023: Part TwoAre you ready for 2024? I absolutely am not but to prepare for another queer year, I listen to more of your voice notes and I give you what you probably have not been waiting for: the queerest thing I did this year. References: ListenQueerhttps://listenqueer.wordpress.com/ Kit SchusterJack Jen GiesekingAmerican Studies MeetingLindsey FreemanTrans Community RunMr SamoLondon LGBTQ+ Community CentreClea DuVallTugce KayaalHeather LoveJustin Torres' BlackoutsWhitechapel GalleryNicole EisenmanSusan Stryker Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:What is the queerest thing you did this year?Do you have a queer tradition for this time of year?Can you relate to any of the experiences my guests talk about in this episode?Are you doing okay? If not, let me know and I will help you find a supportive queer community space.

We're revisiting a holigay chat from two years ago, talking to a wonderful friend about how hard the festive season can be for queer and trans people.CW: grief, death, trauma, religion, violence, antiqueerness, antitransness, family trauma

It's here! It's here! The Queer Lit end-of-year special has arrived and it comes in two parts. One you'll get now and the other we'll save for Christmas Eve. Tune in to hear me gush about all the lovely messages I received and listen to this year's Queer Lit guests talk about their supergay highlights of 2023. References: Maria SulimmaQueer Perseverance https://www.anglistik.uni-freiburg.de/events/topicweeksQueer Second Cities https://queersecondcities.wordpress.com/Jan WilmThe ArgonautsJoan DidionWhite ElephantHappiest SeasonOut and WildOut on the PageElizabeth Chakrabarty's Lessons in Love and Other CrimesWeirdoMess MarketNew House Art SpaceThe Common PressThe QueeryLondon LGBTQ CentreKatherine HubbardDiane WattSGS MSc https://www.surrey.ac.uk/postgraduate/sex-gender-and-sexualities-mscI, JoanThe GlobeKai Minosh PyleTrans*temporal kinshipQueer Christmas quiz to download here: https://lenamattheis.wordpress.com/teaching/Grace Ellis' Flung Out of SpacePatricia Highsmith's The Price of SaltCarol Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: What is the queerest thing you did this year? Do you have a queer tradition for this time of year? Can you relate to any of the experiences my guests talk about in this episode? Are you doing okay? If not, let me know and I will help you find a supportive queer community space.

This extraordinary queer space special makes all my dreams come true: I get to hang out with Erica Gillingham in the basement of Gay's The Word! Sitting between towering stacks of books and boxes of GTW archival material that goes back all the way to the birth of this magnificent LGBTQ+ bookshop in January 1979, Erica shares some highlights of the turbulent and inspiring history of GTW. She also talks about what is happening in queer publishing right now and shares some of her favourite queer YA and romance authors. Hearing Erica speak about the way in which GTW and its magnificent team of booksellers hold space for our community is truly magical and if I could live in that basement forever, I absolutely would.All I want for Queermas is for you to follow @gaysthewordbookshop, @ericareadsqueer and @queerlitpodcast on Instagram! References:Rosa Guy's Ruby (1976)Pride (2015)Ernest HallOscar Wilde Bookshop (New York City)Gay SocialistsIcebreakersLesbian Discussion Group (LDG)Gay and Disabled GroupBlack Gay GroupLesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM)Mark AshtonHousman'sBlack Lesbian Discussion GroupAce Reading GroupJim MacSweeneyUli LenartCommon PressLondon LGBTQ CentreSection 28Laura KayJustin MeyersAlexis HallLily LindonEmily Danforth's The Miseducation of Cameron PostMalinda LoIsabel Waidner's Corey Fah Does Social Mobility and We Are Made of Diamond Stuff Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: When was Gay's The Word established and what are some of the groups that are associated with the shop? What does Erica say about the publishing industry and queer books? What are your thoughts on this? Erica talks about her interest in YA texts and romance novels. Why would queer books in these genres potentially be treated differently by publishers? Do you remember the first time you went to a designated LGBTQIA+ space? What was that like?

What can you do when the language for who you are doesn't exist yet? Kai Minosh Pyle's answer: write gorgeous poetry about it! In this episode, Kai reads one of their multilingual pieces, but they also talk about the benefits of using words that ‘kind of' fit, and about finding trans*temporal kinship with Two-Spirit ancestors in creative writing and scholarly research. Kai introduces us to some less well-known figures from Indigiqueer history, they talk about the challenges of teaching Two-Spirit writing and they even (possibly) coin a new term right here in this episode!If you are excited at the prospect of finding out what Indigitrans might mean, don't delay – listen today! References:Pyle, Kai, and Danne Jobin. "Transgender, Two-Spirit and Nonbinary Indigenous Literatures: An Introduction." Transmotion 7.1 (2021): 1-9.AnishinaabeMétisLouise (Wzawshek)PotawatomiOzaawindibRalph Kerwineo“The Midwest is a Two-Spirit Place”Sweeter Voices StillTrans*temporal kinshipLisa TatonettiJas MorganWahkohtowinAiyyana Maracle's A Journey in GenderOjibweMichifKeguro MachariaT4TJenzen, Olu. "Revolting Doubles: Radical Narcissism and the Trope of Lesbian Doppelgangers." Journal of Lesbian Studies 17.3-4 (2013): 344-364.IndigitransJoshua WhiteheadArielle TwistMuxeLukas AvendañoJenny DavisAlex WilsonGary BowenLeslie FeinbergWhess Harman's Salmon Journeyhttps://www.whessharman.com/comics Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: In this episode, we speak about Two-Spirit identities without defining the term. Can you briefly explain what Two-Spirit means? If not, please look up the term or listen to the Queer Lit episode on the subject with Lisa Tatonetti. Please name at least two of the historical Two-Spirit figures Kai introduces here. Were you familiar with any Two-Spirit figure or author before listening to this episode? Kai speaks about coining the beautiful term ‘trans*temporal'. Can you explain what this means? Have you ever experienced something similar? With their poem “T4T” and in their research, Kai negotiates how gender moves through language. What does Kai see as benefits of understanding gender through multiple languages? What are challenges? Did you ever have to translate (literally or figuratively) your gender and/or sexuality? What was that like?

You may think that second wave feminism and trans activism are mutually exclusive but guess what: there is actually a whole lot of diversity in second wave feminist theory, writing, activism and print culture. Emily Cousens has done lots of archival research to highlight trans thinking and the way it has informed and shaped second wave feminism. Listen to our conversation to learn more about the grassroots movements, trans newsletters and gendernonconforming thinkers that make the second wave trans. References:Emily Cousens' Trans Feminist Epistemologies in the US Second Wave (Palgrave, 2023)University of Victoria ArchivesGLBT Historical Society San FranciscoDigital Transgender Archive https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/Louise Lawrence Archive San FranciscoMs Bob DavisVirginia PrinceTransvestiaFoundation for Full Personality Expression (FPE)STAR Street Transvestite Action RevolutionariesBlack Lives MatterSisters UncutCombahee River CollectiveFoucaultBarbara SmithJudith ButlerMaxine WolfLesbian AvengersDyke MarchDressingDykes (Eleanor Medhurst) https://dressingdykes.com/2022/03/25/clothing-culture-at-the-lesbian-conference/Tri Sigma Heterosexual Crossdresser's SocietyRobert StollerJohn MoneyKate MilletGayle RubinMargo SchulterMeg-John BarkerLeslie FeinbergBeth ElliottSandy StoneRadclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: What is second wave feminism and how is it frequently misrepresented? Why are trans studies and second wave feminism often viewed as incompatible? What are Emily's thoughts on this? What are some of the sources Emily works with? How is print culture defined here? Who is John Money? Why is he significant? How does Emily describe the role of nonbinary and intersex people in their research? How are trans men and trans women viewed differently in second wave feminism?

If you would like to be a part of the Queer Lit winter tradition, let me know about the queerest thing you did this year and/or any queer winter/holiday traditions and reading recommendations by the end of November. Can't wait to hear from you at queerlitpodcast@gmail.com!

We're so done with scary trans villains and monsters – or are we? Cáel Keegan explains why we might be able to learn lessons about trans liberation from Buffalo Bill and why The Silence of the Lambs, upon its release, was actually protested for homophobia. Cáel speaks about transfixing and spellbinding media, from The Matrix to Buffy to video games. Dark Willow makes an appearance. Not to be missed. References:Keegan, Cáel M. Lana and Lilly Wachowski. University of Illinois Press, 2018.Keegan, Cáel M. "Emptying the future: Queer melodramatics and negative utopia in Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Queer Studies in Media & Popular Culture 1.1 (2016): 9-22.Keegan, Cáel M. "Getting disciplined: What's trans* about queer studies now?." Journal of homosexuality 67.3 (2020): 384-397.Keegan, Cáel M., Laura Horak, and Eliza Steinbock. "Cinematic/trans*/bodies now (and then, and to come)." Somatechnics 8.1 (2018): 1-13.Orange is the New BlackThe MatrixThe Silence of the LambsHannibal LecterJodie FosterHomonormativityMads MikkelsenAnthony HopkinsWill GrahamBuffalo BillDark WillowSoldier's GirlHil MalatinoLeah Lakshmi Piepzna-SamarasinhaMark Fisher's Capitalist RealismJudith Butler's Panicked MimesisMcKenzie Wark's Gamer TheoryWork in ProgressAbby McEnanyTheo GermaineThey/ThemEdie Fake's Gaylord Phoenix Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: Why is Cáel so interested in mass media? What can we learn from widely received stories – even, or especially when, they're problematic?Cáel explains how we can take care of difficult texts or even diffuse them like bombs. What does this mean? Did either concept resonate with you?What is cisgender realism and which theorist is Cáel building on with this concept?What is your favourite scary queer text and why is it Carmilla?

Get the garlic, sprinkle the holy water, but please, leave the antiqueer racism out of my Gothic romance! Dr Maisha Wester (Sheffield/Indiana University) explains why Horror films are so interesting to study, what Brexit has to do with Zombies, why King Kong film posters reveal blatant racism, and why ghosts are not always gay but most definitely queer. Lusty lesbian vampires, Cat People (are those the same?), spiders, sharks, and Supernatural fan fiction: this episode has everything the tell-tale heart could want.Texts, Films and Stories mentioned:DraculaKing KongLe Fanu's CarmillaJulia Kristeva's Powers of Horror: An Essay on AbjectionFamily GuyThe PerfectionRoderick Ferguson's The Nightmares of the HeteronormativeThe Hottentot VenusRawCat PeopleI walked with a ZombieGanja & HessArachnophobiaJawsTendai Huchu's The Library of the DeadThe Amityville HorrorTeju Cole's Open CityOctavia Butler's “Bloodchild”SupernaturalThe Haunting of Bly ManorNot scared enough? Follow Maisha (@maishawester) and me (@queerlitpodcast) on Instagram.Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:1. In what ways are horror narratives and motifs political?2. Why are queerness and race frequently negotiated in Gothic and horror stories?3. Why are vampires often coded as queer? Which example for this does Maisha give? Do you have a favourite vampire?4. What is the abject? What is Other(ing) in literary studies?5. Open question: What do you think about the role of fear in the representation of queerness and race?

It's time to be real. In this episode with queer studies luminary Heather Love, it's all about what you find, what you feel, what you knooooow(-ah) to be real. We talk about feeling and looking backward while shifting paradigms, about the semiprivate space of the queer classrooms, about the entanglements of queer, trans and disability studies and so much more. Tune in now and follow @queerlitpodcast on Instagram for more realness and reading recs. References to Heather's work:Underdogs: Social Deviance and Queer Theory. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2021.Feeling Backward: Loss and the Politics of Queer History. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2007. 2023 Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick Memorial Lecture in Gender + Sexuality Studies by Heather Love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU6bT2ZtNlA“Assessing Critique, Scholarly ‘Habits,' Queer Method and ‘Turns': An Interview with Heather Love.” In Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics, ed. Salla Peltonen and Marianne Liljeström 1.1 (Autumn 2017). “Gyn/Apology: Sarah Orne Jewett's Spinster Aesthetics.” ESQ: A Journal of the American Renaissance. ESQ 55.3-4 (Winter 2009): 305-334.“Safe.” American Literary History 25.1 (Spring 2013): 1-12. Special issue on second books, ed. Gordon Hunter. Other references:Davy KnittleParis is BurningCheryl Lynn's “To Be Real”Susan Stryker's “My Words to Victor Frankenstein” (GLQ, 1994)Mary Shelley's FrankensteinJacques DerridaJean-Paul SartreJudith Butler's Gender TroubleAlison Kafer's Feminist Queer CripTobin Siebers Rachel CarrollSusan Stryker's “More words about ‘My words to Victor Frankenstein'.” (GLQ, 2019)Audre Lorde's “The Uses of Anger”William Wordsworth: “Overflow of powerful feelings [...] recollected in tranquillity”Ellen Rooney. “A Semiprivate Room.” (Differences, 2002)Paolo FreireHerb Kohlbell hooksPatricia Highsmith's The Price of SaltCarolGrace Ellis' Flung Out Of Space Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: How does Heather define realness? How does it relate to realism and authenticity? What does being real mean to you? What does Heather say about the impulse to prioritise novelty in queer studies and in capitalist systems? Which Susan Stryker essay does Heather speak about? Why does she find it so important? How do affect studies come into Heather's work? What does she say about Audre Lorde and writing from a place of anger? Do you think that the classroom is a ‘semiprivate' space? Take a look at the Rooney essay to investigate. Please pick one of the texts Heather mentions (either her own or other scholars' work) and read it. The reading recommendations in this episode are heartfelt and brilliant!