World of Stories

As Margrit and Eileen wrap up season two, we look forward to some things we're hopeful about in a post-pandemic world. Things like compassion and understanding, redefining family and relationships, greater accessibility, and dare we say it... lower real estate prices?  Recommendation of the Episode: Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake (https://www.merlinsheldrake.com/entangled-life). Question of the Episode: What are your hopes for a post-pandemic world?  Join the conversation on Twitter at twitter.com/World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

What does it mean to be happy and healthy? Especially during a pandemic? Margrit & Eileen break down ideas about well-being, including a critique of the wellness industry.  Recommendations of the Episode: The Depression Project on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/realdepressionproject/) and Nedi Nezu: Good Medicine by Tenille K. Campbell (https://arsenalpulp.com/Books/N/nedi-nezu-Good-Medicine). Question of the Episode: What are some of your well-being needs?  Join the conversation on Twitter at twitter.com/World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

Our number one fan returns to World of Stories! Special guest Ann Gagné joins Margrit and Eileen to talk about precarious work in academia, accessibility in education and beyond, touch and tactility in a pandemic, and so much more! Be sure to check out Ann's new books, The Canadian Precariat (https://www.ubcpress.ca/the-canadian-precariat) and Embodying the Tactile in Victorian Literature (https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781793617309/Embodying-the-Tactile-in-Victorian-Literature-Touching-Bodies-Bodies-Touching).  Recommendations of the Episode: Academic Ableism by Jay Timothy Dolmage (https://www.press.umich.edu/9708722/academic_ableism), On Being Included by Sara Ahmed (https://www.dukeupress.edu/on-being-included), and Feel Ways: A Scarborough Anthology (https://www.mawenzihouse.com/product/feel-ways/).  Join the conversation on Twitter at twitter.com/World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

Margrit & Eileen chat about perfectionism and the internal and external pressures to live up to unrealistic and unattainable expectations. They talk about the false equivalency of perfection equalling professionalism and how perfectionism is both the result of and cause of metal health issues. Finally, in a pandemic where so many of our interactions are through video conference, perfectionism has been taken to a whole new level. Recommendations of the Episode: (It's Great to) Suck at Something by Karen Rinaldi and easy crafting activities, like connect-the-dots. Question of the Episode: Do you suffer from perfectionism? How do you combat it? Join the conversation on Twitter at twitter.com/World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

Margrit & Eileen welcome Lee Czechowski to the podcast! Lee (they/them) is a queer mixed Anishnaabe/Settler midwifery student at Laurentian University. They love singing, puns, puzzles, coffee, and their three cats. When they used to have spare time, they spent it hiking, driving across the country, and building the best little queer haven in Northern Ontario. We talk about working in a hospital during a pandemic, the gender-stereotypes in midwifery, being an advocate for queer and trans parents, and finding joy during difficult times.  Recommendations of the Episode: Sovereign Erotics: A Collection of Two-Spirit Literature (https://www.ubcpress.ca/sovereign-erotics) and A History of My Brief Body by Billy Ray Belcourt (https://billy-raybelcourt.com/a-history-of-my-brief-body).  Full transcript available at www.WorldOfStories.org/S2E7.

What is the meaning of friendship? What are the different types of friendship? What important are friendships compared to other types of relationships? Margrit & Eileen chat about how the pandemic has strengthened some friendships and strained others; society's hierarchy of relationships that often puts friendships at the bottom; and what this means for community building.  Recommendations of the Episode: Elementary (https://www.amazon.com/Elementary-Season-1/dp/B009IJJ5B4) and Sense8 (https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/80025744). Question of the Episode: How has the pandemic changed your friendships and what role do your friends play in your life?  Join the conversation on Twitter at twitter.com/World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

Margrit and Eileen chat with Sarika Narinesingh, a communications instructor at George Brown College in Toronto. We talk about taking care of your physical body during the pandemic as a form of resistance against white supremacy, how the pandemic has affected education, and the importance of a living wage. Full episode available April 2, 2021. Recommendations of the episode: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (https://www.douglasdstuart.com/books) and Luster by Raven Leilani (https://ravenleilani.weebly.com/) Join the conversation on Twitter at twitter.com/World_OfStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com. Full transcript available at worldofstories.org/s2e5

Eileen's got a million projects on the go, but one that is close to her heart is Queer of Colour: a storytelling platform where queer people of colour have a safe space to tell their own stories on their own terms. In this episode of World of Stories, Margrit interviews Eileen on how the project was started and how she hopes for it to grow. Recommendation of the episode: queerofcolour.ca by Eileen Liu Instagram: instagram.com/queerofcolour Facebook: facebook.com/queerofcolour Twitter: twitter.com/queerofcolour Question of the episode: What kinds of stories do you think are missing from our culture? What would you like to see more of? Join the conversation on Twitter at twitter.com/World_OfStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com. Full episode transcript available at worldofstories.org/s2e4.

No discussion about labour & productivity is complete without talking about rest. How do we rest? How often? In what way? For what purpose? The need to stay productive is so deeply entrenched in our capitalistic society that resting has become a revolutionary act, an act of resistance. Margrit & Eileen chat about how we think about rest and how we protect our time for rest. Recommendations of the Episode: How to do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/600671/how-to-do-nothing-by-jenny-odell/9781612197494/) Burnout by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski (https://www.burnoutbook.net/) Question of the Episode: What do you do for rest? How do you make sure you're getting enough rest? Full transcript available at worldofstories.org/s2e3 Join the conversation on Twitter @World_OfStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

How has the pandemic shed light on the way we work, how we're productive, and the value of our labour? Margrit & Eileen chat about how we view labour and productivity in a capitalist society and how our value as human beings is often linked to how productive we are. The flip side, isn't true, though. Artists, athletes, and people from marginalized communities are regularly expected to work without compensation or recognition. This has been so obviously highlighted by the lack of material support given to frontline workers during the pandemic.  Recommendation of the Episode: Margrit has been reading Craft in the Real World by Matthew Salesses. Salesses is an international adoptee, born in Korea and raised by a white family in the US. He writes about many accepted storytelling conventions are grounded in Western imperialism and ideas. Whereas, Asian and African stories that follow different storytelling structures are often dismissed as not worthy of publications.  Question of the Episode: How do you measure productivity? How do you value labour?  Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us directly at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.  Full transcript is available at worldofstories.org.

Margrit and Eileen (fka Lin) are back with season 2 of World of Stories.  This time around, we'll be discussing how to live in this new reality we find ourselves in. What does work look like in a pandemic? What does rest look like? Can we imagine an alternative to capitalism? Just how ableist is our language? What is the value of friendship? How do we live with trauma?  How to Human in a Pandemic?  Recommendation of the Episode: Death to 2020 on Netflix, and Yearly Departed on Amazon Prime.  Question of the Episode: What has changed for you since the start of the pandemic? How have you had to adapt? What has been the biggest challenge?  Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.  The full transcript of the show is available at WorldOfStories.org.

Episode 40! We’re using this round number to announce that we’re going on a hiatus to rethink our follow-through on the goals and wishes that fuelled us to start the podcast as a space to talk about diversity in storytelling. If you have notes, comments, and edits for us, as always, we’re happy to hear/read them.

Elaine Welteroth’s memoir More than Enough (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/598362/more-than-enough-by-elaine-welteroth/) recounts her ascent to the position of editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue in the 2010s, and the subsequent transformation of the magazine into a politically engaged voice for a diverse group of young women. In spite of her remarkable professional accomplishments, Welteroth’s memoir remains grounded and genuine, and Lin recommends it heartily. Diane Arbus revolutionized photography, and the Art Gallery of Ontario’s exhibit (https://ago.ca/exhibitions/diane-arbus-photographs-1956-1971) traces her artistic and technical development chronologically from 1956, when Arbus numbered her first roll of film #1, to her death in 1971. The stark monochrome pictures document an array of “the ceremonies of our present,” centering people from marginalized groups. Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

Braiding Sweetgrass (https://milkweed.org/book/braiding-sweetgrass) is one of the best books Lin has ever read. An Indigenous plant ecologist, Robin Wall Kimmerer, blends native healing traditions and storytelling with “hard science” to explain the medical effectiveness of plants and the sustainability of the traditional way of life. Margrit loved A.I.M’s Mixed Repertory contemporary dance performance (https://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/torque/mixed-repertory-program/). The NYC-based company blends hip-hop with classical and contemporary styles to raise questions about how we defined ourselves as individuals, how we relate to history, and how we create community with diverse perspectives. Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

Tiffany Haddish’s memoir, The Last Black Unicorn (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Last-Black-Unicorn/Tiffany-Haddish/9781501181832), balances humour with poignancy as it recounts the personal and professional struggles of the comedian trying to make it in the industry. Haddish’s irreverent style reveals a big heart and a desire to open the door to other marginalized comedians. Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey (http://www.birdsofpreymovie.net) centres a morally ambiguous female anti-hero who triumphs when bandying up with other women to defeat the villains chasing a child. The movie beats with gorgeously choreographed action and wry commentary on gender and heroism. Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

In this episode, Lin's fallen in love with Karena & Kasey’s Foreign Flavours,  a perfectly binge-able travel and food show on CBC Gem (https://gem.cbc.ca/season/karena-kaseys-foreign-flavours/season-1/1d6abffa-a00e-4192-9d55-5c78a49cfbff). Come for the enticing culinary tours these two Maori sisters from New Zealand experience, and stay for the rad haircuts and lovely sisterly relationship. Meanwhile, Margrit's family enjoyed the satirical comedy Jojo Rabbit (https://www.tiff.net/events/jojo-rabbit). Wonderfully acted and directed, this movie showcases how people can learn how to be kind and understanding to those who are different just as easily as they can be indoctrinated into bigotry. It's a message that's especially important, given the rise of anti-Semitism in Germany (https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/auschwitz-75-years-anti-semitism-germany-1.5441314). Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

Emily Chang’s Brotopia (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/547571/brotopia-by-emily-chang/) exposes the toxic monoculture of masculinity in the Silicon Valley. For Lin, it solidifies the conviction that journalists make compelling arguments in good stories backed up by a wealth of examples, so she recommends the book not just as an example of the perniciousness of promoting sameness, but for its energetic style. Many good reviews have persuaded Margrit to go back to watching Russian Doll on Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/80211627), and they’re here to urge more people to enjoy its hopeful message that resilience comes not from individual struggle, but from finding your community of people who are not the same as you. Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

We take stock and look forward in this New Year’s episode. Lin talks about the lasting mark Tanya Talaga’s Seven Fallen Feathers (Episode 7: https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-3zipj-a30adc) left on her consciousness as a settler in Canada. It fuels Lin’s resolve to attempt a zero-waste lifestyle in the year to come. Margrit remembers Tales of City (Episode 20: https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-7dnnq-b5490f) fondly and rejoices in being immersed in young-adult literature for the care and empathy it shows its characters. Seeing some of that empathy working in the world and learning how to do nothing guilt-free are some of the things Margrit looks forward to. Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

Lin appreciated the cultural respect that went into centering a Latina character and story in the movie Dora and the Lost City of Gold (https://www.paramountmovies.com/movies/dora-and-the-lost-city-of-gold). The film uses a fictional myth instead of appropriating existing ones, while the title-character actor drew on relatives for language coaching, and the result is a highly enjoyable adventure film. Hi-lo is a publishing category for stories that present high-interest themes to struggling readers. Margrit recommends Paul Coccia’s Cub (https://www.orcabook.com/Cub-P4021.aspx) for its fast-paced plot that sacrifices neither emotional depth nor character development in satisfying the low readability requirement of the category. Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

Love Boat: Taiwan (https://www.loveboat-taiwan.com/about) is a documentary showcasing the experience of diasporic Chinese and Taiwanese youth who took part in one of the longest-running summer programs in the world. Lin recounts her own experiences and juxtaposes them with the documentary interviewees’ while also providing a historical & political background for context. What are the implications of retelling the same stories over and over? Grounded in the Netflix show Lucifer (https://www.netflix.com/title/80057918), we examine this questions from a cultural and economic perspective. Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

Queer Eye in Japan (https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/81075744) straddles a fine line between imposing an eminently Western view onto relationships and approaching their makeover subjects with compassion and a genuine desire to resolve their problems. The Good Place (https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/80113701) is on the surface a feel-good comedy, but it has interesting things to say about refashioning the Western storytelling structure based on conflict. Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

Lin has enjoyed the Rice comedy show (https://www.vongshow.com), a monthly event ( https://www.facebook.com/events/545385056239991/) that showcases Asian stand-up comedians. With particular panache, the comedians present relatable aspects of the Asian immigrant experience in a hilarious way that made Lin vow she’ll be a regular from now on. In the meantime, Margrit is re-living their youth by watching Daria on Crave (https://www.crave.ca/en/tv-shows/daria). Pre-immigration Margrit learned from the show’s satire of stereotypical middle-class white American high-school experience. Instead of centering the usual popular-girl-with-an-athletic-boyfriend stereotype, Daria pokes fun at it by showcasing a proudly nerdy girl who bucks the pressures of conforming to the demands of high-school popularity. Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

Lin introduces us to the Girls on Porn Podcast (https://headgum.com/girls-on-porn), which delivers matter-of-fact reviews, analysis, and interviews on porn, helping demystify the genre and identify feminist and ethical porn. Margrit talks about two end-of-life stories: Emma Healey’s best-selling and award-winning Elizabeth Is Missing(https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/234846/elizabeth-is-missing-by-emma-healey) challenges both our prejudices and the mystery genre by showcasing a senior as narrator/detective who is gradually losing her memory. Steven Rowley’s best-selling Lily and the Octopus (https://www.stevenrowley.com/lily-and-the-octopus) centres on the relationship between a single man and his elderly dachshund, inviting us to ponder the meaning of family, love, and connection. Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

Lin visits Plum Blossom from the Bitter Cold: Selections from the Chinese Canadian Archive (https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEVT407024&R=EVT407024). It is an exhibit featuring photographs, official documents, and journals of Chinese immigrants who lived in Canada hundreds of years ago. Margrit ventures into a new genre with Wilder Girls by Rory Power (https://itsrorypower.com/books/wilder-girls/). A thriller/horror story, the novel comments on society's perception of young women, incarceration, and climate change.  Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

We chat with USA Today bestselling author Tamsen Parker about writing political romance, ensuring diverse representation in publishing, and being an introvert in the era of personal branding. Warning: there’s a lot of honest talk, laughter, and even one F-bomb. Proceed at own risk. Find Tamsen online at: http://tamsenparker.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/tamsenparkerFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/tamsenparkerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/authortamsenparker/ Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

In this PODVERSARY!-Episode, we have a conversation about diversity, the pressure on successful marginalized people to represent their identity and educate the public, and the hierarchy between high and commercial art. Lin brings up the sitcom Mr. Iglesias (https://www.netflix.com/title/80209013) and Margrit talks about the reality competition Blown Away (https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/80215147) on Netflix. Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

Special guest, 'Nathan Burgoine, joins Lin and Margrit in this episode to chat about diversity in speculative fiction, found families, working with queer youth, and how to be better allies.  'Nathan Burgoine is a tall queer guy who mostly writes shorter queer stories, though he's somehow up to four novels now. Regardless of length, his happy place is queer stories with speculative elements. Light, his debut, was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award, and his most recent, Exit Plans for Teenage Freaks, is a finalist for this year's Prix Aurora Award in YA. He lives in Ottawa, Canada, with his husband Dan and a giant husky floof named Max. You can find out more about 'Nathan on his website (nathanburgoine.com), Twitter (https://twitter.com/NathanBurgoine), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/apostrophen/), and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/apostrophen/). Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

Lin raves about the ROM special exhibit Treasures of a Desert Kingdom: The Royal Arts of Jodhpur, India (https://www.rom.on.ca/en/exhibitions-galleries/exhibitions/rajasthan). The exhibit features beautiful artifacts and opportunities for interactivity and learning about India’s rich history through one of its former kingdoms, Jodhpur. Margrit recommends the short story collection Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (https://www.nanakwameadjei-brenyah.com/friday-black-1) that mixes speculative fiction with elements from popular TV shows to showcase pressing issues in contemporary US society and the world. Consumerism, racism, and violence all loom large in these short stories that manage to eschew hopelessness. Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

This special “WoS: Food Edition” episode centres on momos, the Tibetan dumplings that started it all. We chat about the tumultuous Tibetan history, its culinary traditions and diasporic influences, and we cap it all off by enjoying many delicious momos at the annual Momo Crawl (https://www.blogto.com/events/momo-crawl-to-2019-toronto/) organized by Students for a Free Tibet (https://www.sftcanada.org/) in Toronto’s Little Tibet. Brace for many happy-belly noises! Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

We chat with Dr. Ann Gagné (https://twitter.com/AnnGagne; http://allthingspedagogical.blogspot.com) about access and inclusion in post-secondary education and in the wider world. Ann contextualizes her doctoral research on how Victorians used touch and tactility as code for queer relationships. Ann’s reading recommendations include Zalika Reid-Benta’s Flying Plantain (https://houseofanansi.com/products/frying-plantain) and Jon Macy’s Teleny and Camille (https://northwestpress.com/shop/teleny-and-camille/). Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

Michelle Obama’s Becoming (https://becomingmichelleobama.com/) is an inspiring and candid memoir that does not flinch away from the hard decisions she’s had to take or the political opinions she had not expressed as a First Lady. Rakesh Satyal’s No One Can Pronounce My Name (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250112125) shows a way to do the work of compassion and love for our fellow humans, so we eschew the knee-jerk reaction of fear and mistrust of difference. Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com. 

Lin enjoyed Netflix’s The Indian Detective (https://www.netflix.com/title/80190279) in which Russell Peters brings his irreverent brand of self-deprecating humour to a cop show full of mishaps and cultural commentary. Margrit raves about Netflix’s Tales of the City (https://www.netflix.com/title/80211563) and its nuanced depiction of the different lives of it diverse queer characters. Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com. 

Lin enjoyed Netflix’s Sex and Love around the World (https://www.netflix.com/title/81011682), which showcases Christiane Amanpour interviewing people in six big cities about their love- and sex-lives. It’s a refreshing and honest look at cultural views of these taboo topics and Amanpour serious demeanour allows for frank and interesting conversations. Margrit discusses Toronto Public Library’s annual Young Voices (https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/teens/young-voices.jsp) publication, which features literary and visual contributions from twelve- to nineteen-year-olds. This one example of the amazing services TPL offers allows readers to appreciate and empathize with young people and their interests. Question of the Episode: We're thinking of doing a project around food and stories, so can you let us know what your comfort food is and why? Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com. 

While in Taipei, Lin interviews author Ekaterine Xia. They chat about being third culture kids and the importance of food to the Taiwanese identity.  About Ekaterine Xia:  Born in Taiwan and raised abroad, Ekaterine is a first generation immigrant third culture kid. If push comes to shove, Somerville Massachusetts is home. She's currently living in Taiwan.   Ekaterine studied psychology in undergrad and has started a Masters in interpretation and translation. She is a self-published author of fantasy and romance. She also spends a lot of time on Twitter talking about puns and culture stuff.   Website: http://www.ekaterinexia.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/KatjeXia Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/katje  

As Lin returns from her trip to Taiwan, she shares a little about what she learned of the Tao people, an indigenous group from Lanyu Island off the coast of Taiwan (https://lanyu.land/category/people/). Her stories highlight the objectification of people when they become tourist attractions.  Margrit did some traveling through books when they read My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (https://oyinkanbraithwaite.com/about-the-book/). In the book, older sister Korede is a nurse who cleans up after her younger sister, Ayoola, who has a habit of killing her boyfriends. It is a story about sisterhood, love and trust, and standing together against the patriarchy.  Question of the Episode: Have you ever traveled to a new place and learned about the historical complexities of that place?  Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com. 

Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/545731/sour-heart-by-jenny-zhang/9780399589409/) is a collection of short stories about Chinese immigrant families in 1980’s and 1990’s New York City. The stories are told from the perspectives of the daughter in each family, showcasing the challenges of immigration on marriages, parenting, cultural identity, and belonging. The stories closely mirrored Lin's own immigrant experience, which made the book touching and difficult to get through. In Gengoroh Tagame’s manga My Brother’s Husband (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/545416/my-brothers-husband-volume-1-by-gengoroh-tagame/9781101871515), single dad Yaichi receives an unexpected visit from his Canadian brother-in-law Mike. This occasions Yaichi’s revisioning of his relationship with his twin brother Ryoji, a backdrop for the book’s investigation of Japanese attitudes toward queerness and many descriptions of delicious meals. Question of the Episode: There are a lot of representations of “traditional” families in popular culture. What stories have you come across that challenge that notion of a “traditional" family? Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com. 

The Feels (https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/80222256) is a Netflix movie about a lesbian bachelorette party that goes awry when one of the brides admits she's never had an orgasm! It's a comedy with very dry humor that sucker punched Lin with all the feelings right at the very end. She recommends it! Adib Khorram’s Darius the Great Is Not Okay (https://adibkhorram.com/) is a YA novel about a mixed raced teenager who discovers more about his Iranian identity. It delves into the difficult topics of diasporic identity and clinical depression with a lot of heart and gentleness. Margrit binged it twice in a row and recommends it enthusiastically. CW for depression, bullying, and self-harm ideation. Question of the Episode: Have you ever had the opportunity of experiencing a certain part of your identity for the first time? What did that look like/feel like? Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com. 

Lin ventures out of her apartment and braves the real world to see Captain Marvel (https://www.marvel.com/movies/captain-marvel) in the theatre! She enjoyed it and didn't understand why some reviews were negative; let's face it, it's probably because of misogyny.  Margrit read I'm Afraid of Men by Vivek Shraya (https://vivekshraya.com/projects/writing/im-afraid-of-men/), who is a multi-platform artist. She writes fiction and non-fiction, composes and performs music, and as Margrit can attest, is a delightful public speaker. In I'm Afraid of Men, Shraya draws upon her experience as a trans woman to comment on gender, gender expectations, and misogyny.  Lin and Margrit then launch into a discussion on the social constructs of genders.  Question of the episode: What is your view on adaptation? Do you enjoy something that is more faithful to the original text, or an adaptation where the original text serves simply as inspiration? Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com. 

Last month, the publisher Little Brown announced they would publish a problematic book that misgenders a historical figure. When called out on it, the publisher and the author doubled down on their position. In December 2018, an article appeared in the Romance Writer's Report criticizing historicals for romanticizing white supremacy. The article garnered backlash from authors who felt they had creative license to write whatever they want, including only tragic endings for people of color and queer people. Lin rants about all this and then counters with the History is Gay podcast (https://www.historyisgaypodcast.com/), which features the real life stories of queer historical figures.  Margrit raves about The Poet X (http://www.acevedowrites.com/books), slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo’s masterful debut novel about a teen girl struggling to project her voice from under both her mother’s weighty expectations of piety and society’s projections. Hope and light come, as is often the case, from art and poetry. Question of the episode: Is there a story that made you understand your own life struggles better? Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com. 

In the documentary Heritage Journey (https://youtu.be/dpMsvc2_fXY, https://youtu.be/MJKxu6x7e50), Rondel Holder shows how the popular trend of DNA testing can be illuminating for African Americans whose specific ancestry may have been lost in the Transatlantic slave trade. Lin recommends this informative and thought-provoking documentary. The concept for Netflix’s non-scripted Dating Around (https://www.netflix.com/title/80204889) is five first dates, but only one second date for a protagonist per episode. Its second episode features Gurki Basra, a successful professional woman of Punjabi descent. This episode contains a problematic, potentially triggering scene which showcases the chasm between unacknowledged privilege and marginalization. Question of the episode: Have you had a DNA test done? If so, what did you think of the results? If not, what do you think about the benefits and drawbacks of DNA testing? Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com. 

If you’ve grown up playing Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, Lin wants you to know that you can relive its delights with Netflix’s eponymous new series (https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/80167821). It brings entertaining geography lessons alongside fun and dynamic adventures which prove Carmen to be a thief with a heart of gold. Kelly Yang’s middle-grade novel Front Desk (https://www.frontdeskthebook.com/) features the so-called “sandwich generation” of Chinese immigrants who came to North America in the 1980s-90s. Through the eyes of ten-year old Mia Tang, we grasp the multi-faceted experiences of struggling immigrants, while holding out hope for the better. Lin's new book FLY WITH ME is available for pre-order now! books2read.com/flywithme Question of the episode: What’s your experience with learning about the world—history or geography, for example—from fiction? Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com. 

Lin has been enjoying Netflix comedy specials and she recommends a number of shows that tackle immigration and cultural translation with humour and panache. Such as Maz Jobrani’s Immigrant, Vir Das’s Abroad Understanding and Losing It, Gabriel Iglesias’s I’m Sorry For What I Said When I Was Hungry, Hari Kondabolu’s Warn Your Relatives, Mo Amer’s The Vegabond, Ali Wong’s Baby Cobra and Hard Knock Wife, Gina Yashere’s Laughing to America and Skinny Bitch, and Tig Notaro’s Happy To Be Here and TIG. (Netflix.com) Margrit talks about Heidi Heilig’s fantasy duology, The Girl from Everywhere & The Ship beyond Time (http://www.heidiheilig.com/books/). Heilig weaves myth & history from all over the world in these beautifully written books, thus taking the whole Eurocentric genre of fantasy in a global direction. Question of the episode: What stories have you read that paints the world from a non-dominant point of view? Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com. 

Jackie Lau (https://jackielaubooks.com, https://twitter.com/JackieLauBooks, https://www.instagram.com/jackielaubooks/) joins us for a lively conversation. We talk about indie vs. traditional publishing, writing ethnically diverse characters respectfully, writing humour that eschews damaging stereotypes, and having a great sense of place in a story. Margrit watched Outrageous Acts of Science (https://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/outrageous-acts-of-science/) because hashtag children on holiday, but liked the diversity of the cast of scientists who comment on the intrepid amateur experiments. Lin enjoyed Crazy Rich Asians (http://www.crazyrichasiansmovie.net) for its authentically East-Asian scenes and its entertainment value. As a consumer of Asian media, Lin is baffled at how surprised Western audiences were by the quality of this film, and questions why the behind-the-scenes names were not as predominantly Asian as the cast. Question of the Episode: Have ever found a book or a TV show with a great sense of place that transported you there or made you want to visit? Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com. 

Lin has been bingeing The Fosters on Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/70281526), and she recommends it for broad representation of diversity, in terms of race/ethnicity, gender and sexual identity, as well as disability. It doesn’t hurt that the writers have nailed the dramatic structure, so that each episode ends on a cliff hanger. You have no choice but to binge-watch! In the mean time, Margrit has caught up to 2016! They watched finally watched Hidden Figures (https://www.foxmovies.com/movies/hidden-figures) and are here to tell you it’s super well done, offering a nuanced glimpse into the hurdles of African American women’s efforts to forge a professional career at NASA in segregated early-1960s Virginia. But, of course, you already knew that, because you haven’t been living under a rock deprived of this awesome film. Question of the episode: What’s a good show or movie that you’ve watched that walks the talk of diversity? Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com. 

Tanya Talaga’s non-fiction book Seven Fallen Feathers illustrates the vicious confluence of racist attitudes and a colonizing culture through the stories of seven indigenous children who died in similar circumstances in Thunder Bay, Ontario. We talk about how much of the history and reality of indigenous people living in Canada is still obscured and rendered invisible today. Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan weaves the fictional stories of three musically gifted children who live in politically charged times in mid-twentieth century. From Nazi Germany through the American Depression to the impact of Japanese interment in the US during WWII, political turmoil is personalized in the lives of children whose fates are linked by a special harmonica. Question of the episode: Do you have an example of a story that touched you and informed you of people you didn’t really know much about? Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

We revisit Green Book, and discuss how marginalized people—or parts of a marginalized existence—are left out of mainstream stories told from a more privileged perspective. Lin rejoices in the rich conversations about disability at the launch of Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha. Margrit brings up some middle-grade novels featuring disabled protagonists. In some of them, living with disability is the main plot point, e.g., El Deafo by Cece Bell, Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper, and Wonder by R.J. Palacio. In The Magisterium series by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare, the protagonist’s disability is neither easy to overlook, nor an impediment in the adventures he lives through. Question of the episode: What do you think about the pressures on marginalized people to constantly explain their marginalization? Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

Lin went to the promisingly titled “Telling Stories in the Age of Historical Amnesia” 2018 Harold Innis Lecture at the University of Toronto, and found it did not live up to the expectations. Charlotte Gray, a highly acclaimed author of historical non-fiction, insisted on the need to understand and critique events in their historical context. We found it troubling when Gray used as an illustrative example the removal of the statue of John A. MacDonald, Canada’s first prime minister, from in front of the city hall in Victoria, British Columbia. Margrit raves about the Pulitzer-winning novel Less, by Andrew Sean Greer, that rare kind of book that approaches deep issues, but leaves you feeling joyous and hopeful. A book that manages to embed love within its structure, Less deals with all its characters and their idiosyncrasies not with mocking cruelty but with supreme gentleness. GIVEAWAY: Open from Friday, November 23, to Friday, December 10, 2018. We are giving away a copy of Less by Andrew Sean Greer. To enter, follow us on Twitter @World_ofStories, and answer our question on Twitter or by email at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com. The winner will be drawn randomly and announced on our podcast on December 21, 2018. Question of the episode: Have you come across a story that involved difficult topics, perhaps controversial, perhaps ugly, yet it was told in a beautiful and uplifting way? Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com. 

Hope in trying times. Margrit finds refuge in Thích Nhất Hạnh’s book Happiness that combines meditation practices by the renowned Buddhist monk and activist with anecdotes from his daily life. We chat about the West’s penchant for appropriating spiritual practices like meditation and yoga and stripping them of their roots. Lin’s quest turns sour when the rom-com she chooses, Dating You/Hating You by Christina Lauren, turns out to be a study in barely challenged sexism. With a heroine who’s professionally successful, yet unpopular, and a hero who’s perfect on paper but unconvincing, Dating You/Hating You only goes through the motions of feminism, without actually embracing it. Question of the episode: Where do you find hopes in trying times? Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com. 

Lin liked Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You for its complex and unflinching portrayal of life as a racialized minority in 70’s America. The well-crafted story elicits strong emotions through the interwoven narrative strands that revolve around coping with grief and with oppressive social dynamics. Another interwoven narrative, Brian Selznick’s The Marvels is a touching middle-grade story set against the background of the AIDS crisis in the early nineties. Margrit loved it for the way it unfolds like a mystery with ever higher emotional stakes and for the message that everyone deserves to find themselves reflected in stories. Question of the episode: Do you have a found story of your own, one that you were so excited to find and really spoke to you for who you were, even if it made you angry with its stark realism? Have you ever had the experience of finding your own story? Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.

Kat Chow of NPR's Code Switch wrote about using the term "yellow" to describe East Asians in her article If We Called Ourselves Yellow. Lin discusses her unease with the term and its association with disease. From there, a conversation about acetate glasses manufactured to fit only a narrow strip of the population evolves into how stereotypes about races and ethnicities still reign in the popular imagination. Finally, Margrit raves about Webtoons and their rich and entertaining library of diverse comic art. Question of the episode: How do you feel about using the word "yellow" to describe East Asians? Bonus question: Do you have trouble finding glasses that fit? Do you have any solutions for making glasses fit better? Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.  Transcript Margrit  00:00 Hi, welcome to World of Stories. I'm Margrit and my pronoun is they.   Lin  00:05 I'm Lin and my pronouns she and we're here to talk about diversity and storytelling.   Margrit  00:09 Indeed. So what's new this week in your life, Lin.   Lin  00:13 So there is an article written by Kat Chow, who is a journalist with NPR's CodeSwitch podcast and the article is called If We Called Ourselves Yellow. And it is about the term "yellow" to describe East Asians and she writes about how--sort of the origins of where this term came from, and some of the negative connotations that surround the use of this term "yellow" and how other ethnicities use colors like Black and Brown to describe themselves. And, the use of those terms is not viewed in a negative light. But yet yellow still is. And so she was saying how she's thinking about reclaiming this word. And it's a very, it's a very interesting article and it goes both into history and also sort of her thoughts about what to do with this term. Yeah, what to do with this term going forward?   Margrit  01:29 Right? Right. It does a really good job of presenting the cultural history of the term and how it pans out in like a bunch of movies and other kinds of, you know, cultural artifacts that were distributed and how that perpetuated a certain image of East Asian people in general. And how also that connected to policy, right?   Lin  02:00 Yeah, with immigration policies in the US. There was the Chinese Exclusion Act, I believe that was in place for decades and decades, where Chinese people were just not allowed to immigrate into the US. And then there was also Japanese internment during World War Two. I think there's a couple of others that she mentioned.   Margrit  02:22 Both of which Canada--   Lin  02:26 Yes, that's right. Yes. Those were both in Canada. And if I remember correctly, the Japanese internment was actually worse in Canada than it was in the US. If I have my Canadian history remembered correctly.   Margrit  02:54 I find this concept, like this way of reclaiming former slurs as a means of empowerment for a certain community, I find it really interesting. And it's very cool how it pans out for all kinds of marginalization. Like, for example, the term queer, being reclaimed and used as a way of identifying. And I was just wondering how you personally felt about it. After I read the article--I think it's a really, really well written article. And it's really wonderful in terms of being informative, but it will also leave you very angry if you have any kind of social justice leanings. How do you feel about this term?   Lin  03:39 Yeah, I've always... So it's interesting that this article came out now because I have been thinking about the use of the term yellow a couple of months ago, and I have no idea why I was thinking about it, but I was. And then again, this comparison with using Black to describe people, and Brown to describe certain groups of people. And I am kind of uncomfortable with the term yellow.   Margrit  04:09 Why is that?   Lin  04:10 It always reminds me, it reminds me of jaundice. Like yellow skin is like jaundice, right? Which isn't like an illness. It's a sickness. It's a disease and so... so yeah, that's, I guess my aversion to it. And she doesn't actually mention jaundice in the article, but it does talk about how there's a connotation of illness and toxicity and poison when it comes to this idea of yellow, particularly yellow skin. So yeah, I'm not opposed to the idea of reclaiming that word. And in viewing a different definition and connotation on to that word. And like, as you said, like, the term queer and a lot of members of the LGBTQ community have reclaimed that word. And I think there's certainly power in that. I just--for yellow, might take some time getting used to.   Margrit  05:21 Oh no, absolutely. And that's obviously up to the community and she--Chao--does a good job of, I think, interviewing a bunch of people and asking them, how do you feel about that? What do you think about that? And I think the way that the article presented, it's a really interesting way in which, you know, every single person that she's interviewed, then comes with a different facet of the history of the use of the term and its representation, popular culture and how it still sort of influences popular representations to this day and a lot of harmful stereotypes when it comes to East Asian people, right?   Lin  06:03 Yeah. And, you know, this reminds me of this other article that I was--that I came across today. Or a couple of days ago, I should say. Give me one second, I'm just going to find it.   Margrit  06:19 When she talks about the late 60s movements, like reclaiming the word yellow, and the yellow power, it just reminded me of the Black Panthers who did kind of the same thing. And it was, it was kind of at the same time, too. So, you know, the late 60s revolutionary movements across the world, really, were trying to shift, you know, oppression away and empower marginalized communities in that way. And there's a lot of similarities and--   Lin  06:52 Yeah, I think in order to reclaim that word, people actually have to use it. And I don't know if I've seen that many East Asian people be willing to use the word yellow? I could be wrong. I could just not be aware of, of groups who are using that. But, yeah, I just don't see it anywhere. So that article around Asian stereotypes reminds me of this other article on Refinery29 written by Kristin Wong, and the article is called the "Ideal" Immigrant Worker is a Problematic Trope, especially for women. And she goes into--she starts the article off talking about her mother calling her, and her mother is complaining, confiding about some workplace relationships that seem to be perpetrated by racial stereotypes. And so she goes into how a lot of the values and the sort of behavioral--how do I say this?  This is why I need scripts.  So she goes into how a lot of the values of immigrants, particularly East Asian immigrants, affect the way that people interact in the workplace and to the detriment of the immigrant. And that's obviously not limited just to East Asians, but also to other--   Margrit  08:57 But there is and I think, more in the States. There's this notion of the model minority, right? And East Asians are, and South Asians to some degree. And I think it refers to the fact that, you know, some communities tend to struggle, probably financially and in many other ways in order to get their children in education. So they sacrifice everything, just to get that education and to make sure that the children, you know, first generation immigrants and so on, attain a certain social status. And, that's viewed as sort of the ideal immigrant basically.   Lin  09:40 Yeah, so the values of you know, working hard, not complaining.   Margrit  09:43 Exactly.   Lin  09:44 You know, just like doing the work.   Margrit  09:46 Not stirring the pot.   Lin  09:48 Right and not claiming rights that they don't feel that they are entitled to.   Margrit  09:54 Yeah.   Lin  09:56 And so yeah, that really resonated with me. And yeah. And so speaking about things that East Asians don't feel like we are entitled, I actually have a rant about glasses. Okay, so I've worn glasses since I was eight years old, I think so I've worn glasses my whole life. And for people who know, who wear glasses, there are two main types of glasses, one is the wireframe glasses, with the clear plastic nose pads that are attached to the wireframe. And then the other group is acetate glasses, which is basically like the hard plastic and the nose pad is part of the frame. It's just molded plastic. Yes, okay. So when I was in high school or university, I don't remember now. But around that time, all of the trendy glasses were acetate glasses. And you know, I wanted to be the cool kid and be trendy and all that. So, I bought acetate glasses, because that's what all the cool kids were wearing. Right? Exactly. And, but they always slid down my nose and I thought, well, that's just what glasses, do they just slide down people's noses. And I didn't know any better from so for like 20 years. This is not 20 years of not quite that old. But for a good 10 plus years. That's just what my glasses always did. They just slid down my face. And about two years ago, some manufacturers started making these things called Asian fit glasses.   Margrit  10:22 Oh my god.   Lin  10:54 Yeah. And I was like, what is this and I like, went to a store, I tried them on and I'm like, "Oh my god, I didn't realize glasses could fit well." Like, they're not falling off my face, they like stay where I want them to stay, and they're comfortable. What is going on?   Margrit  12:13 So glasses are not supposed to just slide down your nose?   Lin  12:16 Apparently not. Yeah, who knew. And so the difference is that these are--the quote unquote Asian fit glasses are acetate glasses, but the nose piece is bigger so it actually extends out toward the face more than the standard fit glasses. And so what that does is it lifts the whole glasses higher up off the face and positions it correctly. It's less likely to slide down the nose because there's more plastic or material to sort of grip the nose and then my cheeks don't touch the bottom of the glasses, which in a lot of cases they do and then it just like, it's uncomfortable and it's smudges the classes as well. So I was like, I can't believe that my entire life I've been wearing glasses that don't fit my nose because as the case with most East Asian people, I have a flat wide nose. And that's technically called a low nose bridge nose.   Margrit  13:33 I like how it's still your problem. You don't have a standard nose, you have low bridge. So I mean, get that sorted out.   Lin  13:47 Okay, but hold on a second now, like most East Asian people have this type of nose, but also Southeast Asians and Africans and Black people and Indigenous people. This is like half the world that have noses that are like this.   Margrit  14:01 This is what my sarcasm was aimed at is that you know.   Lin  14:04 I know.   Margrit  14:05 Oh my goodness, this is--   Lin  14:07 Yeah, so it's like half the planet can't wear glasses that fit their faces.   Margrit  14:12 Right. So right, because they're designed...   Lin  14:16 Yeah, they're designed for like a narrow, pointy-er, for lack of a better word, or like a higher nose bridge nose.   Margrit  14:28 Or the much dreaded amongst my people, the Jewish nose, which has a bump right after the bridge. I was blessed without it. And but my whole experience, especially as a young person in Europe, when I would tell somebody that I'm Jewish, they would look at me like askance, you know, like the head tilt? Like the puppy, the confused puppy look where it's like, but you don't have a Jewish nose. And I'm like, well I must not be Jewish. Thank you so much for informing me about that.   Lin  15:05 Right, because you have to have that nose in order to be Jewish.   Margrit  15:08 Ah, right. And and it's interesting that we kind of roll back to kind of where we started from that shows, sort of cultural investigation of the use of the word yellow and, and all kinds of representations of Asian people because the idea of the Jewish nose was popularized by Nazi propaganda in all of their caricatures and representations of the Jewish menace. There was always like, sort of hunchback, middle aged Jewish man with a hook nose, and that was out to get the poor, you know, the poor Arian people out of their rightful place in, in the world, right? And so again, talking about stereotypes that endure. It's ridiculous how one small thing can just or something that somebody just throws out there can just live forever and ever and be so incredibly harmful to so many people.   Lin  16:14 Yeah, yeah, that's crazy.   Margrit  16:17 Yeah, because when I was reading--again, when I was reading Chao's article, it reminded me a few years ago, I was teaching a course on race and ethnicity and literature and we were reading Edward Long's History of Jamaica. And Edward Long was this British colonizer in Jamaica, he was some sort of official there and he just, you know, out of his own, free will took it upon himself to write a history of Jamaica, because obviously he was the expert. This was mid-18th century, 1770-something I think it was when it was written. And he was the one who was like, "Okay, I am observing things and therefore that must be the truth." So he, I think the whole image of like, the over sexualized African person can be traced back to his observations because he basically said, "Oh, look, African people have very, very wide lips, therefore, they must be very into sex."   Lin  17:19 Oh my god.   Margrit  17:20 And so this is a stereotype that endures. It has been so harmful, you know, the whole sexualization of Black people and sort of, you know, Black men are out there to rape white women and so they're very, very harmful. It's just to this day such an enduring, harmful, terrible stereotype that we just cannot get rid of that easily. And it's just something that originated with somebody who just thought themselves entitled to what is out there.   Lin  17:52 Yeah, and like, same thing with the exoticizing of East Asia, right? Going back to Chao's article. East Asia was always thought of as this very exotic place. And for some reason yellow was also, has that same connotation, which I don't understand how yellow can be--the color yellow is exotic, but anyways. Even to this day when there are so many stories out there when you think of, oh, the Orient is this exotic place and you know, the white man goes to somewhere in the Orient and learns, you know, enhances his sexual prowess through learning from some, like teacher or something like that. You know, there's a lot of that stuff going on too, today.   Margrit  18:45 Yeah, yeah, yes, absolutely. The exoticizing is alive and well and you know, Asia as a place of mystery and people being lazy because it's warm outside. And therefore they don't have to work. All of these connections that just seem like when you try to unpack them, they just seem so ridiculous and untenable, and yet they persist in the sort of white Western Eurocentric imagination as proof, right? Yeah.   Lin  18:46 Yeah. Yeah.   Margrit  19:22 Well, yeah.   Lin  19:24 That was all very depressing.   Margrit  19:28 No.   Lin  19:30 So, um, what have you been enjoying this week?  Let's talk about something to lift our spirits?   Margrit  19:36 Yes, I have been enjoying this for a long time. It's webtoons. Do you know about webtoons?   Lin  19:42 Webtoons. I've heard it because you've told me about it. Please tell us more.   Margrit  19:47 So webtoons is basically this type of comics that originated in South Korea. I think it was in the early 2000s. But I wouldn't--I don't have a citation for that. So it's very unacademic of me. And it's the thing about them is that basically they're comics that are, unlike manga that are published in books, they're designed for the online environment. And so they have vertical scroll, and they're very colorful. And I've been enjoying this app called Webtoon, which is available, I guess, on all platforms. And it's a platform for comic artists to present their, their work. And it's curated. So do you, do you ever read comics?   Lin  20:41 You know, I have not. So I wouldn't say I know anything about comics.   Margrit  20:48 There's a terrible gap in your cultural knowledge and you should totally remedy it, Lin. I don't know if we can be friends anymore. But the thing about Webtoon is that they have all of the genres so you can find romance or you can find science fiction or fantasy or slice of life. And there is a, there's a huge variety of artistic styles as well. So some of them are sort of very elaborate and complex drawings with a lot of--you can see that they've gone through many, many, many stages and drafts, and others are, you know, sketches in which the focus is on the story or on the shtick or anything like that. So there's definitely something for everyone. Even if you're not, you know, that much or you think you're not that much into comics, it's just a very good way to unwind these days with all that's happening.   Lin  21:54 Do you have any recommendations for where people can start?   Margrit  21:58 Oh, well, I can tell you what I've been enjoying so I, I love a bunch of them. And I'm only gonna mention--you have to stop me. So one of my favorites is Jem Yoshioka's Circuits and Veins. And it's about two women, one of whom is human. And the other one is an android and they sort of move in--they don't move in--the android moves into the apartment next door to the human and the human suffers from anxiety. And so a lot of it is just up in her apartment. And it's, and I think the way that they meet--the meet cute as it were--is that the human has designed these software, VR pets. They're kind of like a cross between very cute pomeranians and pineapples,   Lin  22:48 And pineapples?   Margrit  22:50 Pineapple pomeradians kind of a thing. It's really really cute and I am not doing it justice. So they meet and they kind of like each other and they start dating. And it's just so so super adorable. And this one particularly is very, very low angst. And I find I find this a lot about the stories in Webtoon, especially these days with all of the things that are happening in the real world and in politics and stuff like that. I find that low angst is my comfort. So if you are into anime, I really recommend a slice of life kind of comic. Like there's this, I think the artist is based in Malaysia, and she draws this comic called My Giant Nerd Boyfriend. And again, so super cute. The whole shtick is that the boyfriend is I think around two feet taller than the girlfriend. Oh, right, the 60 centimeters or so I think, the art is not very complex, but it's so good with the story and it's all about their daily life and their day-to-day relationship and how lovely and caring they are to one another. And it's just adorable. And it's just one of those things that gives you hope, or you know, makes you smile and gives you hope for the day till you encounter another article about microaggressions.   Lin  24:28 We need a lot of hope these days. A lot of it.   Margrit  24:31 I think we do.   Lin  24:33 Okay, should we do question of the episode?   Margrit  24:35 Sure. Let's do a question of the episode.   Lin  24:38 Okay, so how about what do listeners think about using the term yellow to describe East Asians? Does it give you an icky feeling like it gives me or do you think it's something that East Asians should reclaim and give a new definition to?   Margrit  25:03 That is a very, very good question. And I hope you will take a moment to answer it. And you can answer it on Twitter at @World_ofStories. And we look forward to hearing from you.   Lin  25:22 Yes. And bonus question. If you wear glasses, do you have problems finding glasses that fit? And if you've figured out a solution to get glasses to fit better, please tell me because I desperately want to know.   Margrit  25:39 Help Lin out with the glasses.   Lin  25:42 I have glasses problems. So come join the conversation. We want to know what you think. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen, iTunes or Google Play or on Spotify. We are now on Spotify, which is very exciting. And if you like our show, please leave us a review or tell your friends. And we hope that you have a great couple of weeks.   Margrit  26:10 Wonderful. Subscribe and we'll hear from you soon, I hope. Take care.   Lin  26:14 Take care. Bye

Lin talks about how much she loved Green Book, winner of TIFF’s People’s Choice Awards, and its realistically diverse supporting cast surrounding the main story. Margrit tries to learn about North-American middle-graders from Kids Baking Championships, but comes out with questions about why the onus is always on the minority to conform to dominant cultures. Plus, what the heck are bar cookies? Question of the episode: What stories have you seen that actually walks the talk of diversity? That shows marginalized people in everyday real ways. Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com.  Transcript Margrit  00:00 Welcome to World of Stories. I'm Margrit and my pronoun is they.   Lin  00:04 I'm Lin and my pronoun is she and we're here to talk about diversity and storytelling.   Margrit  00:09 There's so much awful stuff going on in the world around this. And I thought we could counteract that a bit. So what are you loving this week, Lin?   Lin  00:17 So at the annual Toronto International Film Festival ended this past weekend. And on the last day of the festival, they always have a free screening of the film that won the People's Choice Award. And this year, the film that one is called Green Book directed by Peter Farrelly and it was so good.   Margrit  00:34 I've heard about this movie and then quickly read up about it. And I'm so happy to hear you've seen it, would you think of it?  It is based on a true story. It's set in the 1960s about a Black pianist, played by Mahershala Ali, the guy from Moonlight and the pianist is about to go on tour to play a series of concerts across the American deep south, And because being a Black guy and the deep south in the 1960s isn't necessarily the safest thing, he hires a driver played by Viggo Mortensen, who is an Italian American from the Bronx, who has a reputation for being a little rough around the edges and being able to take care of business, so to speak. Yeah, he's like, that kind of--the bouncer at the club type of character. Which actually, he is a bouncer at a club. And so it's this contrast in different personalities where the pianist is very highly educated, very cultured, very well spoken. He's a little eccentric, you know, he lives in an apartment above Carnegie Hall. He sits on a throne. He has like elephant tusks and his apartment is a little wacky. And then the driver's from this working class family, like I said, rough around the edges. Not very well educated. But it's so good.  It's a little bit like Driving Miss Daisy, but race and gender swapped?   Lin  02:06 I think so yeah, I haven't actually seen Driving Miss Daisy, but it sounds like it could be a good comparison. So the movie starts with the driver being a little bit racist. I mean, he doesn't outright hate Black people or other minorities, but it's part of the society that he's from, and there's a lot of systemic racism that he's bought into. But as they're traveling across the country, especially in the southern US, where segregation was still a thing at the time, his eyes are open to both the subtle racism that is has been ingrained in him and then also the very overt racism in the society that they're traveling through.   Margrit  02:52 So stuff like microaggressions that we still have to this day.   Lin  02:56 Yeah, totally. And you know, in the movie, At the beginning of the movie, he uses racial slurs quite easily not just for Black people but for East Asians and for all sorts of people. But I think he uses them without realizing they're offensive. And that's part of what he's learning as he goes is that these little things, you know, they might not seem a lot to him but they do add up and they do make a big impact. And then, again as they're traveling through these different communities, there's a lot of racism towards toward the pianist that is blatant outright racism, you know. So he's on stage and he's entertaining these people and this white audience just loves him. All these shows are sold out, but the minute he steps off stage, he's not allowed to use the same washroom as them and he's not allowed to eat in the dining room with the rest of them. So it's a really interesting--   Margrit  04:01 Illustration. Yeah, yeah, the segregation.   Lin  04:05 Yeah, exactly. And so, you know, throughout the story, the pianist also, he starts off very hoity toity and sort of hides behind his culture and education. But through his interactions with the driver, he realizes that, you know, he needs to relax a little, he's led a very lonely life. Because he's isolated, he's not really accepted by any of the social groups. You know, he's not accepted by the white community. He's not really accepted by the Black community either. So, you know, the way I just have described this movie makes it sound really heavy, but it's actually very, very funny. And the dialogue between the driver and the pianist is really witty, really sharp and they trade barbs back and forth. And so it's able to bring a degree of humor to the story without diminishing any of the seriousness that the movie's dealing with.   Margrit  04:58 Right and it sounds like It's trying to illustrate the sort of intersections and the way that we might have relative privilege compared to other people and how that pans out in interactions and what that implication has in real life. I love that kind of storytelling when we're dealing with the political issues that are embedded a narrative that allows for character--for like, realistic characters and a good plot and sort of real interactions between humans. And it seems to me like Mahershala Ali specializes in starring in these kinds of movies where, like, really important political issues of the day are told from an emotional, human scale viewpoint and like in Moonlight--like he does in Moonlight in such a brilliant way.   Lin  05:49 Yeah, definitely. So I think that Green Book is very similar to Moonlight in that way. And one other thing I wanted to highlight about Green Book is that at the beginning of the movie, when the story is still in New York, they've cast people of color as extras and in small roles that really reflects the diversity of the city. And I don't think we see that very often. It's usually people of color show up when they need to have a person of color in a particular role. But it's less often that we see them just being people on the street or, you know, in this case, there is an East Asian actor who was one of the drivers that was interviewing for that role. And there's a bartender who's also an East Asian actor. And I remember when the bartender came up on the screen, I was surprised, like I actually was taken aback that "Oh my goodness, there is an East Asian person playing a bartender in this story." When it would have made more sense or not made more sense, but I would have expected just having a white guy there but--   Margrit  06:50 It just shows you the way in which we've been inured to certain kind of typecasting in terms of race and ethnicity.   Lin  06:57 Right. Yeah, exactly. And then the other person of color I want to mention is the pianist has a butler slash valet assistant person and it's played by South Asian actor named Iqbal Theba who's been in tons and tons of things, actually. He's a very--I think he has a very successful career, even though he might not be a household name. And I know him from Glee. He plays the president of the--sorry, not the president--the principal of the high school a Glee. So, yeah, and so it's great to see these these minority people of color, just being everyday people who, like they do in real life.   Margrit  07:39 Oh, indeed, I cannot wait to see this movie.   Lin  07:41 It's coming out in November 2018. So be sure to check it out.   Margrit  07:45 I will for sure.   Lin  07:46 So Margrit, what have you been loving this week?   Margrit  07:49 Well, I've been trying to immerse myself in the world of middle graders because I'm revising my middle grade manuscript and I did not have a childhood here. So I can't really relate to Canadian-US, you know, Western kids going through middle school here. You know, you hear all the stories and I just--on the one hand I want to veer away from, you know, painting it in very cliched ways. And so I've been watching kids baking championships, on Food Network. It is so lovely. It is just--the kids' are enthusiastic and they're so adorable. And they help one another and care for one another and they're so incredibly creative.   Lin  08:32 I love baking shows and I watch a lot of Great British Baking Show. Is it something like that?   Margrit  08:38 Yeah, I love cooking shows. I think they're really relaxing. And I especially like this one. And I appreciated that the producers have taken care to cast a diverse group of kids and one of the things that's been a little bit irking me as I was watching this, was the assumption that people from dominant culture have about the things everyone should know. So maybe it's because I'm an immigrant myself, and so I don't have a lot of in-culture knowledge or anything like that. But you know, in one of the episodes, the kids were asked to make desserts that evoke a day at the ballgame and incorporate popcorn. And the white kids had no problem with it. But some of the kids of color were at a total loss about what a day at the ballgame entails. And I am too, I have to say, and maybe that's why I noticed it.   Lin  09:26 Yeah, that sounds really awkward. And I can totally relate to that. Because even though I did grow up in Canada, I never went to baseball games as a kid. You know, my family didn't have a lot of money when we first came here. And so live games were completely out of our budget. So if I had been on that show, even though I may have watched plenty of baseball games on TV, I wouldn't have known what happens on a live game.   Margrit  09:49 So one of the girls was like, I'm not really sure what happens at the ballgame, and she was totally feeling bad. And she was trying to rationalize why this was her problem, you know, and it was heartbreaking. Because it was not her problem, she should not have been put in that position. But again, it naturalizes the idea that the onus is always on marginalized people to act in the dominant culture and to know everything about the dominant culture. And whereas the reverse is not true, right. And in another episode, a kid of East Asian descent had no idea what bar cookies were, do you know what bar cookies are?   Lin  10:28 No, is it a cookie that looks like--   Margrit  10:32 Quiz time. This is what I thought and this is what this kid thought. And so he found a really clever workaround. He pre cut his base cookies to look like bars. And then he built this amazing cookie with various textures and really, really awesome. But the presenters were kind of elbowing each other, you know, the adult presenters who should have been adult and they're both white. Right? And I know when they were chuckling at the kid's ignorance, which totally irked me, because, you know, like, it just shows that just going through the motions and merely casting a diverse group of people is not doing enough for diversity if you don't do the hard work of checking your assumptions, right? Why would an East Asian kid have to know what bar cookies are? Do you know how to make mochi off the top of your head? Or do you know how to make mooncake even if you're a pastry chef? I'm sorry, I might just get a little bit riled up by that.   Lin  11:25 No, I totally get that because you know pro forma efforts at diversity, I think, can be more harmful than no efforts at all, right? Like, if you're going to say, "Oh, we're being diverse," but you're not actually diverse than it just shows people how disingenuous you are, which is more hurtful in a lot of ways, I think.   Margrit  11:45 It is more harmful, especially--especially for this girl, Natasha, who felt so bad and she was trying to make excuses like she was caught not knowing her lesson, right. So she will internalize this feeling that she's not good enough because she doesn't know absolutely everything about the dominant culture, right? Anyway.   Lin  12:02 But I'm gonna have to go what bar cookies are now.   Margrit  12:06 Yeah, right. Learn up because if you're going to end up on some sort of baking championship. But kids baking championships is a pleasure to watch. And it's all thanks to the kids who are really amazing and lovely.   Lin  12:21 Oh, that's good. That's great. Okay, so we have, we're gonna have a question for every episode. And this week's question is going to be for our listeners. What have you been watching that actually walks the talk of diversity. Is there a show or a book or anything else you've come across that shows marginalized people in real everyday ways?   Margrit  12:42 Yeah. So we will look forward to your comments. And the way that you can voice those comments is on Twitter at @World_ofStories and we'd love to hear what you think about this.   Lin  13:01 Yeah, we really do. And thank you so much for listening and stay tuned for our next episode.