Sinister Myth

Spoken word poet Catherine Maynard talks about how audiences to spoken word poetry react to sharing stories sexual violence. She talks about her decision to share poems about sexual assault, and she reads her poem, ‘Smile.' Content warning: mention of violence against women and sexual violence.

In a strong worded discussion of heteronormative pressure, psychology student Sydney Williams explains what bi-erasure means, and how assumptions about bisexuality can have real impacts in the world. Content warning: use of strong language. Please note that these recent podcasts were recorded under pandemic conditions, and so we were not able to record them in the studio.

Why are LGBTQ suicide rates high and what can we do to change that? Medical anthropology student Adalie Schmidt interviews expert Dr. Alexandra VanBergen of University of Rochester about her research into suicidal thoughts and behaviors in the US. Alexandra VanBergen discusses the risks, highlights the problems for adolescents in particular, and talks about how prevention needs to start at home. Content warning: discussion of suicide. Please note that these recent podcasts were recorded under pandemic conditions, and so we were not able to record them in the studio.

This interview tackles the experience of Black students in universities and schools, featuring the work of researcher Sherita V. Roundtree, Assistant Professor at Towson University. Prof. Roundtree discusses her research on developing diverse representation and equitable access for students, teachers, and scholars who write in, instruct in, and theorize about writing classrooms. Roundtree explains noise pedagogy which considers how multivocal representations of belonging challenge misrecognition and mislabeling of Black women in institutions like the university. How do we rethink teaching and learning when standardized approaches do not fit the teacher or students?

On November 1st, Sinister Myth held an online poetry reading a day after Halloween and a few days before the US Presidential Election. Regardless of who would win, the women reading gathered together to perform a protective hex through poems, gathering strength and power. The readers were a squad of seven: Sarona Abuaker, Sascha Aurora Akhtar, Ruth Awad, ZoëBrigley, Mari Ellis Dunning, Melissa Studdard, and Christina Thatcher.

For Sinister Myth Bitesize this month, we talk with the British poet and writer Roger Robinson. This is a snippet preview of a forthcoming interview with Roger whose book 'A Portable Paradise' won the TS Eliot and Ondaatje Prizes. The T.S. Eliot Prize judges wrote of the book: “The collection’s title points to the underlying philosophy expressed in these poems: that earthly joy is, or ought to be, just within, but is often just beyond our reach, denied by racism, misogyny, physical cruelty and those with the class power to deny others their share of worldly goods and pleasures.” Roger lives between England and Trinidad, and he was interviewed by Zoë Brigley, Rob Mackenzie, and Kristian Evans, editors for the “Dwelling” issue of Magma Poetry journal. The interview was commissioned for Magma Poetry 79 out next spring. Rob asked Roger about how to survive in dark and difficult times, while Kristian posed a question about what attracts people to white supremacy.

If you don’t know the history of U.S. interference and dubious practices in Puerto Rico, this interview with Malia Womack is a must hear. Recorded at the end of last year when Malia was completing field work in Puerto Rico, the discussion focuses on the history of US colonialism on the island including the testing of birth control on and sterilization of Puerto Rican women. We talk about the possibility of change for the better in Puerto Rico, and what we could learn from Latin America and the Caribbean in terms of activism.

This interview – delayed due to the global pandemic – features Elissa Washuta, a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and a nonfiction writer. She is the author of My Body Is a Book of Rules and Starvation Mode, and her book White Magic is forthcoming from Tin House Books. With Theresa Warburton, she is co-editor of the anthology Shapes of Native Nonfiction: Collected Essays by Contemporary Writers. This is essential listening for anyone who wants to find a voice for writing about difficult subjects like trauma and mental health. It covers such subjects as using humor to deal with difficult subjects, and allowing oneself to be angry. Elissa talks about what her Catholic upbringing taught her (or not), as well as negative stereotypes of native women. There’s also a moving discussion of what happens when mental health diagnoses are wrong.

What does emotional labor mean and how does it manifest itself? Ohio State University English major Megan Moody discusses what the term means and how it affects women and minorities disproportionately. Please note that these recent podcasts were recorded under pandemic conditions, and so we were not able to record them in the studio.

In this “Sinister Myth: Case Study”, Natarshia Corley tackles the killing of Florida activist Oluwatoyin Salau, questioning to what extent black women's lives lost are registered in the struggle to end the violence. Natarshia Corley is a graduate student at the Ohio State University, working in the Self, Stereotypes, and Social Norms Lab. Sinister Myth Case Studies feature recent news stories that may have been overlooked and that tell us something important about how stories we tell perpetuate violence. Please note that these recent podcasts were recorded under pandemic conditions, and so we were not able to record them in the studio.

2020 sees a new production team working on Sinister Myth, and Zoe Brigley interviews them about their interests for creating new thematic strands, including political debates about trauma, the experience of minority students in higher education, and healing in the context of the community. Alex Ameter worked for political campaigns, a foreign policy think tank and the US Army. Has a BA in International Relations and Political Science from the Ohio State University and an MA in Diplomacy and International Conflict Resolution from Norwich University. Alex’s research focuses on identifying the social impacts of trauma through the lens of organization psychology to build sustainable remedies that address systemic sources and mitigate individual repercussions. Deborah Eshun is a multimedia journalist graduating from the Ohio State University in May and has a passion for storytelling using all things digital. When not producing episodes, she does stand-up comedy, sewing and dances to the beat of her own drum. McKinzi Warren is completing a masters in social work at the Ohio State University. She stands to create communities that are as diverse as they are united. She is the owner of Global Conversations LLC and its subsidiary SpeakIt! Language Learning, an adult foreign language program that makes conversational fluency in another language fast and fun. She is a passionate advocate for how focussing on community-care and self-care together heals trauma, and has recently accepted the role of Creative Content Director at The Trauma Masterminds, a private practice outside Columbus Ohio that specializes in trauma-based counseling.

New for 2020, we begin a new series “Sinister Case Study” where specific critics and experts comment on particular cases of violence. Zoë Brigley discusses the recent case of gang rape in Cyprus, commenting on the inadequacies of institutional responses to sexual violence, and the scrutiny of survivors’ experiences and responses to trauma as a means to discount their testimony.

For this special Halloween issue of Sinister Myth Bitesize, Professor Shannon Winnubst talks about the vampire and racist imaginaries that project violence on black and minority men.

In this thought-provoking interview, Nick White talks about his relationship with queerness in the American South and now in the Midwest, in relation to his new books. A fiction-writer, White has an incredible facility with creating complex characters, for example in his short story collection, Sweet and Lowdown(2018), and he talks about researching gay conversion therapy for his lacerating critique of the practice in How to Survive a Summer(2017). Funny, compassionate, and moving, this interview with White is a must-hear episode.

Sinister Myth Bitesize is a tasty morsel of sinister wisdom to keep you going until the next full podcast. In this edition, Erin Upchurch talks about the inadequacies of sex education, and what we can do to improve it.

Elisha Clark Halpin and Megan Moore, dance academics and practitioners at the Pennsylvania State University, talk about the liberating potential of dance for expressing the concerns of women and minorities, as well as outlining problems of homogenized bodies in narrow ideas of what dance can be. They talk about the healing potential of dance where the body is holding trauma, and they consider how grief rituals might play a positive role in dealing with grief.

Brendan Walsh and Zoë Brigley Thompson discuss "gaslighting", a term often used to describe the psychological manipulation of someone leading them to often question their own sanity. In this episode, you will learn the origins and aspects of gaslighting and its negative impacts on relationships.

Feminist philosopher Shannon Winnubst talks to Sinister Myth about her recent book, Way Too Cool: Selling Out Race and Ethics. She also explains what neoliberalism is and how specific cultures of cool which begin as a way for people of color to express resistance are often appropriated by mainstream culture but in a sanitized version. We talk about Donald Glover, Frida Kahlo, and the #metoo movement, about the same-sex marriage movement and the simultaneous rise of the carceral state, about how stories of sexuality and race can be damaging, harmful, and need to be changed.

Sinister Myth Bitesize is a tasty morsel of sinister wisdom to keep you going until the next full podcast. In this month’s bitesize, Treva Lindsey talks about the possibilities and politics of hair for black women.

Treva Lindsey, author of Colored No More: Reinventing Black Womanhood in Washington, discusses the myths told about black women, as well as stories about American nationhood which work to privilege whiteness and marginalize minorities. An eloquent anti-violence advocate, Lindsey discusses the fight over representations of black women, including trans women, and she explains how online campaigns like #sayhername and #metoo are changing the terrain in the effort to demand justice and change in how black women are policed. Lindsey also speaks on allyship, and how we might build a sturdy table for all.

Sinister Myth Bitesize is a tasty morsel of sinister wisdom to keep you going until the next full podcast. Here Erin Upchurch talks about allyship, and what we can do for minority communities besides listening. Interview by Brendan Walsh.

Jonathan Branfman is interviewed about his experience working on a sex education program at the Ohio State University, which seeks to bring clarity on issues like consent, STDs, and the much needed LGBTQ+ education that is so often erased or sidelines in schools. Branfman is the author of a book for children –not on sex education, but explaining sexuality and gender –and he explains his mission to change how and what young people learn about sexuality.

Brendan Walsh and Zoë Brigley Thompson discuss “internalized oppression,” a term often used to describe self-policing in response to pressure from society. What are the uses of this term? Can it empower people, or can it also be weaponized to be used against minority communities?

In the first interview of the Sinister Myth series, Erin Upchurch talks about her work as the director of Kaleidoscope. Upchurch talks about her background of service in the community, and how she came to work with LGBTQ+ youth. She discusses the challenges that queer youth face, including trans people and people of color, and she describes ways for other groups to provide allyship.

In this introductory episode, Michaela Corning-Myers interviews Brendan Walsh and Zoë Brigley Thompson, who together created this Sinister Myth podcast series. They talk about the origins of the title, the podcast’s aim to challenge stories about women and minorities that perpetuate violence, and how it is being used in Sexuality Studies teaching.