Queer Lit

Welcome, children of the night, to a particularly shameless spooky special all about an eternally queer-coded fan favourite: the vampire. RJ Wade and Sarah Prescott join me to speak about bookish bloodsuckers, raunchy revenants, and sapphic succubi. The dramatic reading of a yet unperformed Carmilla play had me at the very edge of my seat and I also learned a lot about both the cultural and the literary history of vampirism. References: Quite Shameless: Cultural Reflections on the Vampire https://library.leeds.ac.uk/events/event/1900/galleries/1085/quite-shameless-cultural-reflections-on-the-vampire RJ Wade’s An Exhibition History of Victorian Leeds (Liverpool UP, 2023) https://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10.3828/9781802078541 University of Leeds Cultural Collections Bram Stoker’s Dracula Animated Activism: Women Empowered https://library.leeds.ac.uk/events/event/1900/galleries/844/animated-activism-women-empowered Hamilton Deane’s Dracula (1924) Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla (1872) The Dark Blue Byron Dracula Society https://www.thedraculasociety.org.uk/ Radclyffe Hall’s The Well of Loneliness (1928) Virginia Woolf’s Orlando (1928) Dora Mary Patrick Quincey Morris Van Helsing Stage@Leeds https://stage.leeds.ac.uk/ Christopher Craft’s “‘Kiss Me with those Red Lips’: Gender and Inversion in Bram Stoker's Dracula” (1984) https://www.jstor.org/stable/2928560 Chris Latham Revenant Wharram Percy Maurice Beresford Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma Josephine Butler @lulgalleries C.E. McGill’s Our Hideous Progeny https://cemcgill.com/our-hideous-progeny/ BorrowBox Libby Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Ally Wilkes’ All the White Spaces The Bookish Type https://thebookishtype.co.uk/ Kit Heyam https://kitheyam.com/ Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: What might make a vampire queer? Which literary vampires do we speak about in the episode? When Sarah talks about a ‘pleasing terror’, what kind of experience is described and who is this phrase borrowed from? Have you ever felt a pleasing terror? How is the revenant figure similar to and different from the vampire? What does Wade say about the relevance of the medical humanities lens? Please look up the term medical humanities if you are not familiar. Do you have a favourite vampire? How queer-coded are they?

Have you ever thought about your age as being assigned at birth? In this episode, Simon(e) van Saarloos and I explore how queer thought might allow us to move beyond preconceptions of age, but also about the manifold and intersectional consequences of ageism. Simon(e) reflects on how trans narratives might work without reliance on linearity and why age is such a powerful category when it comes to agency. CW: Around minutes 11 to 13, there is a nongraphic mention of sexual violence. References: Simon(e) van Saarloos’ Against Ageism: A Queer Manifesto (2023) Simon(e) van Saarloos’ Playing Monogamy (2019) Simon(e) van Saarloos’ Take ‘Em Down: Scattered Monuments and Queer Forgetting (2021) Simon(e) van Saarloos’ Give Piss A Chance: A Willing Suspension of Consequences Trans Despair (2027) Samantha Nye MU Hybrid Art House in Eindhoven Mona Eltahawy Ira Kip KIP Republic Denise Ferreira Da Silva Roe vs Wade Crip time Mel Y. Chen Chrononormativity (Elizabeth Freeman) Alison Kafer JJJJJerome Ellis Fred Moten Fumi Okiji @svansaarloos Jordy Rosenberg’s Night Night Fawn Saketopoulou, A. (2026). Exigent Sadism. Social Text , 44 (1), 25–51. https://doi.org/10.1215/01642472-12195785 Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: What does Simon(e) mean by ‘change-phobic’? I really love when Simon(e) explains that “linear time is mapped onto the body and we call that age.” – How could we understand age in other ways? What might a queer approach to age be? Simon(e) mentions age-segregated institutions. What are examples of these and how does age shape institutions? How do race and colonialism play into age? How often do you think about age? Do you perceive age differently in and outside of queer and trans community?

We all know that trans people have existed throughout history, but what about before that? S.K. Marley does fascinating research on queerness and transness that predates written history and joins me to speak about what antler headdresses and wooden dolls might teach us about transness. We also discuss how transness, walking and wellbeing are entangled, which landscapes are the most nonbinary, and why ‘prehistory’ is a contested term in itself. Since we’re chatting in a beautiful park in York, this episode has some bonus bird song and squirrel mischief. References: Out and Wild https://www.outandwild.co.uk/ Our Transcapes https://skmarley.co.uk/our-transcapes/ Ballachulish Goddess Braak Bog Figures The Wittemoor Figures Shigir Idol https://skmarley.co.uk/ @sk____marley Our Flag Means Death Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: What does ‘prehistory’ mean? Why does S.K. speak about being trans and being in nature? What does this have to do with wellbeing? S.K. speaks about notions of truth in contemporary trans debates and about colonial perspectives in academia. Why is their focus on British prehistory important in both of these contexts? Why are the antler headdresses S.K. talks about a turning point in their research and their thinking about duality? Why are bogs trans? What is the most trans or nonbinary landscape you have ever encountered?

What does sound have to do with sexuality? C. Jade MacDonald has some fascinating insights on the queerness of noise, on trans voices in hyperpop, and on sound in literature. Learn about the queer kinship created by remixes and covers in contemporary music, but also about which sound technologies are historically entangled with sexology. My favourite bit: hearing about how Gertrude Stein resonates with SOPHIE. References: C. Jade MacDonald (2024) “The Alien Resonances and Queer Obscurities of Hyperpop’s 100 gecs” Journal of Popular Music Studies, 36.2, pp. 76-98. C. Jade MacDonald (2025) " ' A Story that Wasn’t in the Words’: Music, Mothering, and Minor Figures " in The Crossroads of Music and Literature: New Essays on the Muse of Song , edited by Kelly Baron and Andrew DuBois, pp. 113-28. C. Jade MacDonald (2027) "Their Lover's Noise: Modernism's Queer Phonographies" in Routledge Companion to Literature and Sound , edited by Birgitte Stougaard Pedersen and Maria Engberg. Foucault’s The History of Sexuality Saidiya Hartman Julie Beth Napolin’s "Unrecordable Sound: Media History, Technology and the Racial Unconscious" in Anna Snaith, ed. Sound and Literature (Cambridge UP, 2020) Jonathan Sterne’s The Audible Past: Cultural Origins of Sound Reproduction (Duke UP, 2003) Sara Ahmed’s Queer Phenomenology Althusser Gertrude Stein SOPHIE 100 gecs’ “money machine” Wendy Carlos Dorian Electra Charli xcx A.G. Cook Kodwo Eshun’s More Brilliant Than The Sun: Adventures in Sonic Fiction (Quartet Books, 1998) alien sonorities Alice B. Toklas Edmund Husserl Alexander G. Weheliye’s Phonographies: Grooves in Sonic Afro-Modernity (Duke UP, 2005) Grace E. Lavery’s Pleasure and Efficacy: Of Pen Names, Cover Versions, and Other Trans Techniques (Princeton UP, 2023) Perverse sincerity Simon & Garfunkel Shakira Gorillaz “Feel Good Inc” @C.jademacdonald cameronjade.macdonald@utoronto.ca Aoife Josie Clements’ Persona (Little Puss Press, 2026) Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: Why might noise be queer? How is voice usually perceived in music? What might the distortion and non-human quality that hyperpop can lend voices signify in relation to transness? What does Jade say about remixes and covers? Do you see them as queer kinship? Why does Jade speak about 100 gecs? What is this example illustrating? Please listen to at least one musician that you heard about on this episode and think about whether you can hear any ‘alien resonances’.

Listen, this episode is as delightful as it sounds. Audiophile Stacey Copeland tells me all about feminist soundwork, radical radio, and lesbian podcasts – all of which Stacey writes about in the excellent new book Lavender Sounds. Tune in for the sonic histories, stay for the moment when Stacey illustrating the crafted intimacy of podcasts will make you a little weak in the knees. If you are interested in the politics and potential of audio media, you will absolutely love this episode. References: Stacey Copeland’s Lavender Sounds: From Lesbian Radio to Queer Feminist Soundwork (University of Michigan Press, 2026) Amplify Network Copeland, Stacey "Sustaining queer joy and potentiality: Through independent production with homoground music podcast." Journal of popular music studies 35.4 (2023): 111-124. Betty Friedan Lavender Menace Michele Hilmes Bluestockings Cooperative bell hooks Hannah McGregor The Lesbian Show Fonds are held at the City of Vancouver Archives https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/the-lesbian-show Kaitlin Prest Jennifer Lynn Stoever’s The Sonic Color Line (NYU Press, 2016) Silva Tenenbein’s original interview with Stacey aired on FemRadio in 2018 https://soundcloud.com/scopeatryerson/the-lesbian-show Dykes on Mykes is back on the airwaves at CKUT Montreal https://ckut.ca/playlists/DM The ArQuives - https://arquives.ca/ ‘Temporal drag’ is a reference from Elizabeth Freeman’s Time Binds: Queer Temporalities, Queer Histories (Duke University Press, 2010) The Heart’s “Lesbian Separatism is Inevitable” - https://www.theheartradio.org/solos/2020/1/15/lesbian-separatism-is-inevitable NK (Nicole Kelly) Phoebe Unter staceycopeland.com Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives - https://www.nfb.ca/film/forbidden_love/ Studio D – The women’s film studio founded in 1974 under the NFB (National Film Board of Canada) Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: How does Stacey define lavender sounds and why is the colour lavender connected to queerness, historically and politically? What is soundwork? What is feminist soundwork? Why is audibility important to consider, not just visibility? What does Stacey mean when speaking about the everydayness of soundwork? Why does radio hold radical potential? How does sound relate to time in Stacey’s work?

Meet Ayse, founder of Queer Girls Book Club, defender of the heated debate, and dyke of the people. In this live recording from the amazing Out and Wild festival, Ayse tells me about why running a queer book club is not just about putting LGBTQIA+ titles on your reading list, all the work she is doing to nurture her bookish community, and a why disagreeing is a good skill to have. To quote Joelle Taylor: That’s community, babe! References Out and Wild https://www.outandwild.co.uk/ Housmans Joelle Taylor’s The Night Alphabet Emily Witham Grace Flahive Polly Shute Gillian Anderson Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home and Spent Gay on Wye Carol Ann Duffy’s Rapture and “Forest” Jackie Kay Lamya H’s Hijab Butch Blues Zoë Berryman Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: Why did Ayse start Queer Girls Book Club? Have you ever thought about starting a group? What was/would have been your motivation? What does Ayse say about contributing to community? How do you feel about this? We speak about literature as being a protected space to practice debate and disagreement. Have you ever experienced this? Which example does Ayse give? How does Ayse speak about marginalised voices in the publishing industry? What can we as readers do to promote change? Are you coming to our next live recording?

In the sapphic launderette play Spin Cycle, the washers are loaded and so are the questions. Penned by Zofia Zerphy, Spin Cycle is an absurdist exploration of intense connections, queer memory and lesbian storytelling. In this summer special, I am joined by Zofia and Rhiannon Bell, who play the main characters and speak to me about crafting a play in queer community, why queer narratives can operate in different realms of sense and meaning making, and why exploring flawed characters is vital to queer and trans representation. References: Berserk Theatre The L Word Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Mitski’s “Washing Machine Heart” Act On Tap Bethan Rose Edinburgh Dyke Bar Ros Watt’s Trans People Are Awful Radclyffe Hall’s The Well of Loneliness Joe Carstairs Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: Zofia and Rhi speak about the different responses queer and non-queer audience members had to the play’s absurdist elements. What do they say about queer narratives making sense and what is your take? Which trope(s) of sapphic storytelling do we mention in the episode? We speak about Spin Cycle using memory and forgetting in queer ways. What could queer memory mean? What does it mean to you? Rhi highlights the importance of showing flawed trans and nonbinary characters on stage. How do you feel about this? Can you think of another example of a flawed LGBTQIA+ character in literature or theatre? Have you ever seen yourself represented on stage? What was that like?

Who coined the term cis and why are some people calling it a slur? Amazing return guest Perry Zurn joins me to discuss what the concept of cis does, why it’s helpful to look at its origins and etymology and where it might oversimplify the project of gender. Not one to be missed! References: Perry Zurn’s Cisgender: Disorienting a Category (Duke UP, 2026) Perry Zurn’s How We Make Each Other: Trans Life at the Edge of the University (Duke UP, 2024) John Hollister Riva Lehrer’s Golem Girl Marquis Bey’s Cistem Failure: Essays on Blackness and Cisgender (Duke UP, 2022) Stephanie Clare’s Nonbinary: A Feminist Autotheory (Cambridge UP, 2023) Jonathan Ned Katz’s The Invention of Heterosexuality (1995) Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: What does cis mean? Which term is older: cis or trans? When does the term cis emerge? Which community coined the term cisgender and why? What is Perry saying about simplified notions of cis and which example does he give? How does Perry put disability and race in dialogue with cisness and transness?

From popstars to rugby players, this episode has all the Welsh queer icons you could want. Emily Garside teaches me about H from Steps, Russel T. Davies, the Ladies of Llangollen and so many other fascinating LGBTQIA+ people from Wales. We talk about whether wondering if you’re queer enough is similar to wondering if you’re Welsh enough and how the prejudice against ‘sounding gay’ relates to sounding Welsh. Books by Emily Garside: Rainbow Wales: Queer Icons Past and Present (Calon, May 2026) Out of the Box: Queer TV through the Decades (Manchester University Press, January 2027) Gay Aliens and Queer Folks: How Russell T Davies Changed TV (Calon, 2023) Seasons of Love: Why Rent Matters (Applause) You Are My Happy Ending: Schitt’s Creek and the Legacy of Queer TV (Applause) Angels in America at the British National Theatre (McFarland) Love that Journey for me: The Queer Revolution of Schitt’s Creek (404 Ink) Other References: Russel T Davies Ladies of Llangollen Edward II. Piers Gaveston Steps Ian ‘H’ Watkins Elliot Page Luke Evans Eisteddfod Cymru Marquess of Anglesey Viscount Tredegar Norena Shopland Jan Morris’ Conundrum Ivor Novello Colin Jackson Connie Orff Alun Saunders Natha Wyburn Queer As Folk It’s A Sin Lisa Power Section 28 @emigarside (IG) https://thenerdynotebook.substack.com/ https://emilygarside.com/ Surrey Rainbow Choir https://www.rainbowchoir.co.uk/ Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: Is there such a thing as a cohesive Welsh queer identity? What are Emily’s thoughts on this and what is her approach? Emily speaks about parallels between attitudes towards Welsh and queer identities. Which one does she discuss? Is there a facet of your identity that feels similar yet different from your queerness? What is an eisteddfod? Please look it up if you’re not familiar because we forgot to explain the term in the episode. Have you ever askes yourself whether you are queer or trans enough? How do we speak about this question in this episode? Who was your favourite person to learn about in the episode?

If you have not read A Black Queer History of the United States yet, you are so lucky to have this fantastic book in your future! And lucky for me that this is also an excellent opportunity to speak to two dream guests: C. Riley Snorton and Darius Bost speak about gender trouble in the Black queer archives, how Black and queer histories need to be thought together and why grounding oneself in community is part of what it means to survive. References: C. Riley Snorton and Darius Bost’s A Black Queer History of the United States (2026) C. Riley Snorton’s Nobody is Supposed to Know: Black Sexuality on the Down Low (U of Minnesota Press, 2014) C. Riley Snorton’s Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity (U of Minnesota Press, 2017) Darius Bost’s Evidence of Being: The Black Gay Cultural Renaissance and the Politics of Violence (U of Chicago Press, 2019) Cathy J. Cohen “Deviance as Resistance: A New Research Agenda for the Study of Black Politics” (2014) William Cathay/Cathay Williams Phil Black The Funmakers Ball Cheryl Dunye’s The Watermelon Woman Erica R. Edwards Marsha P. Johnson Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) Combahee River Collective National Black Justice Coalition “Black Lesbian Thought” with Briona Simone Jones @c.rileysnorton dbost@uic.edu @windycitybq Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman’s Neptune Frost Jellicle Ball Essex Hemphill’s Ceremonies: Prose and Poetry Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: Why do Black and queer history need to be thought of together? How are they sometimes separated? Darius speaks about the book having two parts. What is each about? Riley speaks about gender and sexual deviance as forms of survival or escape. What does this mean? Can you name an example? What does Darius say about the relationship between civil rights ideology and non-normative gender? Why is it important to speak about collectives as well as individuals when engaging with Black queer history?

Who designs the rules of inclusion? Kevin Guyan has given a lot of thought to this question in his excellent book Rainbow Trap, which thinks through the many categories that fall under the rainbow umbrella and how they might include, exclude, limit, and even harm the people they are supposed to benefit. Listen now to learn more about why our future might hold fewer boxes to tick and how we can break boundaries to get there. References: Kevin Guyan’s Rainbow Trap: Queer Lives, Classifications and the Dangers of Inclusion (2025) Kevin Guyan’s Queer Data: Using Gender, Sex and Sexuality Data for Action (2022) https://kevinguyan.com/ @kevin.guyan on Instagram ( https://www.instagram.com/kevin.guyan/ ) kguyan on LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/kguyan/ ) Gender Recognition Reform Bill Gender Recognition Act Kit Heyam Geoffrey Bowker and Susan Leigh Star – in particular, Sorting Things Out: Classification and Its Consequences (1999) Ian Hacking Looping effect Sara Ahmed – in particular, On Being Included: Racism and Diversity in Institutional Life (2012) A Black Queer History of the United States (2026, C. Riley Snorton and Darius Bost) Gender and Sexuality Data Lab ( https://gensexdatalab.com/ ) Queer Data Showcase Mystika Glamoor Dean Spade’s Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics, and the Limits of Law (2011) Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: What is a rainbow trap? Have you ever been trapped in one? Kevin speaks about ‘the dark sides of being included’. What does this mean? Have you experienced this form of categorisation? What does Kevin think about in the chapter on health and fitness? How are labels multidirectional? What are ‘looping effects’ in this context? What is a box breaker? Are you one?

We’re all still here, still ready to love, and to build community with trans books! In this extremely fun conversation, Cat Fitzpatrick talks about her poetry, her work with Little Puss Press, and a person called Crabstick. If you are wondering how all these things can go together and if you want to hear a fantastic poet speak about her favourite lyric forms as well as her favourite forms of activism, this episode is for you. References: Cat Fitzpatrick’s The Dinner Party (Seven Stories Press, 2026) Little Puss Press Cat Fitzpatrick’s The Call-Out Cat Fitzpatrick’s Glamourpuss Meanwhile, Elsewhere (edited by Cat Fitzpatrick and Casey Plett) https://www.catfitzpatrick.net/ @intermittentcat Chiara Pellegrini The Earl of Rochester “A Letter from Artemesia in the Town to Chloe in the Country” Richard Barnfield Uxorious Virgil Aphra Behn Gwen Aube’s Missed Connections with Tall Girls Violet Allen’s Plastic, Prism, Void Sybil Lamb’s I’ve Got a Time Bomb Jeanne Thornton’s A/S/L Shola von Reinhold’s Lote Imogen Binnie’s Nevada Sophia Dahlin’s Glove Money Futurepoems Joss Barton's Goodbye to a Dream Believed Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: Cat and I speak about several poetic forms in this episode. What is Cat’s take on poetic form and the patriarchy? What is yours? Which kinds of love do we speak about in the episode? Cat describes part of her writing process as “I hold on to my feelings until I can make use of them.” Can you relate to this? What does Cat mean when she talks about books as time capsules? How can literature help us build community and engage with trans rights?

If you want to know what Roxy wants, this episode is a great place to start. Diva’s fabulous editor in chief joins us for a chat about her lovely memoir What A Girl Wants, which is just as heartwarming, insightful and fun as the author herself. Roxy and I speak about femme invisibility, queer timelines, body image and lesbian breakups. Not one to be missed. References: DIVA Out and Wild Zoe Berryman Caitlin Moran Dolly Alderton Ann Bannon’s I Am A Woman (1959) The Beebo Brinker Chronicles Carol Cate Blanchett Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: Roxy’s book regularly employs direct address of the reader. What does Roxy say about this? Why was this formal feature important for writing this book? Roxy and I speak about queered timelines. What do we suggest and what do you think about this topic? How does Roxy speak about approaching chronology and structure in memoir?

The final episode of the Queer Forms and Pronouns series got a bit more personal than I expected. The incredible Teagan Bradway and I speak about misgendering ourselves, giving the gift of language to our loved ones and why not just the function but also the beauty of gender-nonconformity pronouns is politically and personally significant. We speak about my anxieties about it pronouns and how this plays out in different genres from speculative fiction to memoir. Teagan’s insights into narrative agency and pronominal shifts are incredibly helpful in taking one last deep dive into the world of pronouns. This conversation is part of a miniseries that accompanies my book Queer Forms and Pronouns: Gender Nonconformity in Anglophone Literature (Oxford University Press, 2026). I hope you like hearing more from your host, but not to worry: we will be back to our usual format after this one. References: Bradway, Teagan. "Queer Narrative Theory and the Relationality of Form." PMLA 136.5 (2021): 711-727. Bradway, Teagan, and Elizabeth Freeman, eds. Queer Kinship: Race, Sex, Belonging, Form . Duke University Press, 2022. Bradway, Teagan. "Introduction: Queer Metarelationality." differences 35.3 (2024): 1-13. Bradway, Teagan. "Queer Formalism." The Palgrave Handbook of Feminist, Queer and Trans* Narrative Studies . Palgrave, 2025. 95-109. https://teaganbradway.com/ Les Feinberg Torrey Peters’ Stag Dance Becky Chambers’ Monk and Robot Octavia Butler’s Lilith’s Brood Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer Diane Watt Jack Halberstam Dana Luciano Mel Y. Chen Spivak pronouns (E/em/eir) Isaac Fellman Andrea Gibson Hekanaho, Laura. "A thematic analysis of attitudes towards English nonbinary pronouns." Journal of Language and Sexuality 11.2 (2022): 190-216. Mattheis, Lena. "Nonbinary Narration." The Palgrave Handbook of Feminist, Queer and Trans* Narrative Studies . Palgrave, 2025. 25-39. Vera Nuenning Corinna Assmann Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: What does narrative agency have to do with pronouns? How might narrative point of view affect pronouns? Why do we discuss genre? What could the implications of discussing pronouns in speculative fiction be? How can ‘it’ pronouns allow us to think about gender, personhood and humanness? What are Spivak pronouns? You may want to look this up as we only mention them very briefly. What do Lena and Teagan think about mispronouning? Why do we speak about pronouns as a gift that is not always easy to give? How do you feel about sharing your pronouns or learning someone else’s?

The fantastic Jas Morgan is back for a conversation about pronouns in Two-Spirit literature! We think about how kinship is reflected in language, what role pronouns take on in translation and how they can easily be misunderstood, especially when working across cultures and languages. Our conversation is based on a dialogic chapter of Queer Forms and Pronouns , which I co-wrote with Kai Minosh Pyle. This conversation is part of a miniseries that accompanies my book Queer Forms and Pronouns: Gender Nonconformity in Anglophone Literature (Oxford University Press, 2026). I hope you like hearing more from your host, but not to worry: we will be back to our usual format in just a few weeks. References: Kai Minosh Pyle Jas Morgan’s “My Pronouns are Kiy/Kin” https://web.archive.org/web/20210416065231/https://aabitagiizhig.com/2016/05/13/red-rising-my-pronouns-are-kiy-kin/ Jas Morgan’s nîtisânak Riot Grrrl Robin Wall Kimmerer Wahkohtowin Joshua Whitehead’s “A Queer Geography of Woundings” Billy-Ray Belcourt Lambda Literary Awards Kin (web series) Justin Ducharme Aalayna Ta’Kaiya Blaney https://jasmorgan.com/2020/10/25/sewing-circle-kin-web-series/ @notvanishing (IG) Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: Why might pronouns work differently in Two-Spirit literature? What do pronouns have to do with kinship? How are pronouns connected to animacy? We speak about pronouns in translation between languages that attach gendered notions to them or not. How might this affect communication? Are pronouns gendered in your favourite language? What does Jas mean by ‘I am not a metaphor’?

Come along for a deep dive into mixed pronouns in queer, trans and nonbinary narratives with none other than Sue Lanser, your favourite narratologist’s favourite narratologist. Sue and I talk about why we might need to rethink the concept of gender disguise narratives, where we find mixed pronouns in literary histories and why mixed pronouns often become sensual in literature. My favourite bit: Sue asks me about my personal hero, the Grinch. This conversation is part of a miniseries that accompanies my book Queer Forms and Pronouns: Gender Nonconformity in Anglophone Literature (Oxford University Press, 2026). I hope you like hearing more from your host, but not to worry: we will be back to our usual format in just a few weeks. References Sue Lanser’s The Sexuality of History Sue Lanser’s Narrative Theory Unbound Sue Lanser’s “Trans-forming Narratology” Narrative 32.2 (2024) Jeanette Winterson’s Written on the Body Le Roman de Silence Michel de Montaigne’s Journal de Voyage Margaret Cavendish’s Assaulted and Pursued Chastity Lyly’s Galatea Chevalièr(e) d’Éon Alex Myers’ Revolutionary Deborah Samson Jenny Fran Davis’ Dykette Isaac Fellman’s Dead Collections Spiel, Katta, Os Keyes, and Pınar Barlas. 2019. ‘Patching Gender: Non-Binary Utopias in HCI’. Extended Abstracts of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems , May 2, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1145/3290607.3310425. The Grinch Dr Seuss Jim Carrey Benedict Cumberbatch Les Feinberg Maggie Nelson Harry Dodge Jen Manion Dean Spade Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: What role does narrative agency play in the difference between external and intrinsic pronoun ascription? Why does Susan suggest that we need to revisit Shakespeare’s and other’s gender disguise narratives? Susan mentions how characters that are perceived as masculine but use she/her are much more frequently ridiculed than characters viewed as feminine who use he/him. Why do you think that is? How has feminism expanded what ‘she/her’ can mean? How does mixing pronouns do similar or different work from singular they? Why does the Grinch, according to Lena, have big they energy?

It was an incredible honour to have THE Susan Stryker join me for a chat about ambiguous pronouns, trans literature and linguistic creativity. Susan’s wealth of knowledge on pronouns across languages and literary history was incredibly enriching and allowed me to speak about some of my favourite examples of ambiguous pronoun use in literature. This conversation is part of a miniseries that accompanies my book Queer Forms and Pronouns: Gender Nonconformity in Anglophone Literature (Oxford University Press, 2026). I hope you like hearing more from your host, but not to worry: we will be back to our usual format in just a few weeks. References: Susan Stryker’s “My Words to Victor Frankenstein above the Village of Chamounix” Susan Stryker’s Transgender History Susan Stryker, Stephen Wittle, Aren Aizura (eds) The Transgender Studies Reader Susan Stryker’s Changing Gender: The History and Future of a Concept (August 2026) Sara Taylor’s The Lauras Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s The Sleeping Hermaphrodite (1620) Teagan Bradway Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer (2019) Lal Zimman Rivers Solomon Aphra Behn’s “To The Fair Clorinda” and “The Widow Ranter” Thomas(ine) Hall Nathaniel Bacon Mel Y. Chen Andrea Lawlor’s Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl Andrea Gibson’s “Your Life” Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: Which pronouns are ambiguous when it comes to gender in English? Which ones are ambiguous in your first or favourite language? What creates ambiguity when we use pronouns? How might this ambiguity be productive? Susan explains why gendered pronouns in English function in an unusual way compared to other languages. What is something new you learned about this? We speak about why literature can teach us something about pronoun use that we might overlook when focusing on grammar. What is that? Can you name one of the examples of ambiguous pronoun use in literature we discuss?

Welcome to a miniseries about gender nonconformity pronouns in literature! In this episode, the amazing linguist Laura Paterson asks me many clever questions about singular they in literature. We talk about the function of pronouns, common misunderstanding about singular they, and neutral versus gender-nonconforming use of this fantastic third person pronoun. Whether you would like reading recommendations (Virginia Woolf, Lamya H, Rae Spoon…) or some insight into what singular they can do in creative and academic writing, this episode might have some answers – or questions – for you. References Lena Mattheis’ Queer Forms and Pronouns: Gender Nonconformity in Anglophone Literature (Oxford University Press, 2026) Laura Paterson (ed.) The Routledge Handbook of Pronouns (Routledge, 2023) Anna Livia Lamya H’s Hijab Butch Blues (2023) Rae Spoon’s Green Glass Ghosts (2021) Jeanette Winterson’s Written on the Body (1992) Anne Garréta’s Sphinx (1986) Charlie Josephine’s I, Joan (2022) The Globe https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/identity-in-i-joan/ Kit Heyam Laura Paterson and Georgina Turner (eds) Approaches to Discourses of Marriage (Routledge, 2024) Lal Zimman Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: What is a pronoun? How does Lena define gender-nonconformity pronouns? Why is it relevant whether a narrator comments on pronoun use or not? Which examples does Lena provide? Which literary texts do Laura and Lena mention? Which one would you like to read and why? What do Laura and Lena discuss about pronouns in academic writing? Do you have an established practice for this?

What is queer food, you ask? Let’s find out! Alex Ketchum and Megan Elias tell me all about the connections between gender and food, cooking and sexuality, and recipes and community. The amazing book Queers at the Table is a product of the queer food conference Alex and Megan ran in 2024 (returning in 2026!) and consists of essays, stories, comics and endlessly inspiring reflections on queer cooking and intellectual inquiry. Lesbian chefs, feminist cafes, queer community cookouts – this episode has them all. References: Queers at the Table (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2025) Alex Ketchum’s Ingredients for Revolution: A History of American Feminist Restaurants, Cafes, and Coffeehouses (Concordia UP, 2022) https://press.library.concordia.ca/projects/ingredients-for-revolution (open access) Megan Elias’ Food on the Page (Penn Press, 2017) Queer Food Conference https://www.queerfoodconference.com/ @queerfoodconference Alex Ketchum’s How to Organize Inclusive Events and Conferences (Microcosm, 2026) https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/63461 Alex Ketchum’s Digital Queers and High Tech Gays (MIT Press, 2027) @dr.alexketchum http://alexketchum.ca Alex Ketchum’s Engage in Public Scholarship!: A Guidebook on Feminist and Accessible Communication (Concordia Uni Press, 2022) https://press.library.concordia.ca/projects/engage-in-public-scholarship (open access) https://www.justfeministtechandscholarshiplab.com/ Greggor Mattson Prism Comics Queer Food Foundation The Female Glaze @thefemaleglaze The Nonbinarian Bookstore https://thenonbinarian.gay/ Bishakh Som’s Spellbound Cait McKinney’s Information Activism: A Queer History of Lesbian Media Technologies The Ripped Bodice Casey McQuiston’s The Pairing Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: How do Megan and Alex define queer food? Megan thinks about what ‘not queer food’ might be and whether we would want to define this. What is your opinion? Is there ‘straight’ food? How is gender connected to food? Were you surprised by anything we mention? What connections do Megan and Alex draw between sexuality and food? Alex and Megan speak a lot about community. Can you name two examples of how community makes food queer? How might food be linked to queer knowledge production?

The incredible author Lauren J. Joseph joins me to talk about her new book Lean Cat, Savage Cat – out on 26 February 2026. Lauren talks about the genre-bending ambiguity of the novel, about characters that have followed her from the stage to the page, and about writing across languages. We touch on the intricacies of first-person narration, but also on what it’s like to write a novel versus writing a PhD. References: Lauren J. Joseph’s Lean Cat, Savage Cat (2026) Lauren J. Joseph’s At Certain Points We Touch (2022) Ben Robbins Alexander Geist David Bowie Bryan Ferry Morrissey Hildegard von Bingen Marty Supreme Timothée Chalamet Essen Dortmund Karstadt KaDeWe Romy Haag Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy: Low, Heroes, Lodger Narcissus and Echo Céleste Albaret Proust American Psycho Pedro Lemebel’s My Tender Matador Jean Genet