The Queer & Trans Nonfiction Podcast

Episode 10: Mackenzie Kwok aka Lin

My good friend and writer Mackenzie Kwok (who also makes music under her artist name, Lin), joins the conversation in episode 10. We discuss tons of topics such as: the crossover between the disciplines of writing and music, defining “folklore” and “folk and traditional arts,” Asian hate during Covid, the allure of the American Girl Doll universe in the 90s and 2000s, fictional characters with historical context, misrepresentation, writing with the current interests of the internet in mind, meme accounts, erasure of Asian American activism and history, research approaches, AWP hot takes, the appeal of creative nonfiction that fuses trauma and humor, writing songs vs. writing essays, choosing an artist name, journaling processes, lyrics that audiences react to, and popular indie musicians. Writers/Books/Things to Check Out mentioned in this episode: When the City Stopped: Stories from New York's Essential Workers edited by Robert W. Snyder, An American Girl Anthology edited by Justine Orlovsky-Schnitzler and KC Hysmith, AFS (American Folklore Society), University Press of Mississippi, The Care and Keeping of You, Asian American Histories of the United States by Catherine Ceniza Choy, AWP, I’m Laughing Because I’m Crying by Youngmi Mayer, There’s Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib, SOULMATE AS A VERB by Kelsey L. Smoot, Good Luck in the Real World by Adrienne Novy, NoSo, Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler Links: * Purchase An American Girl Anthology [https://flyleafbooks.com/book/9781496858061] * Lin's Linktree [https://linktr.ee/lin.liketwotrees] Intro/Outro Music by Lin * Lin's Bandcamp [https://linliketwotrees.bandcamp.com/] * Lin's Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/artist/6sqigIeBdZRfHsQvAxQ9X8?si=yEeEXizHRym8SSd-sh1ZJA]

Episode 9: Edgar Gomez

Multi-memoirist Edgar Gomez is our special guest for episode 9 of the QT Nonfiction Pod! Listen in as we discuss topics such as: Substack, the importance of a good title, writing for the self instead of an audience, queerness as a privilege, getting from one published memoir to a second, sounding confident in a book proposal, self-promotion as a skill, the joy of meeting your readers, balancing childhood perspective with adult realizations, establishing major characters and planting seeds for larger themes in the earliest pages, non-linear structure as a natural storytelling form, writing about the Pulse Nightclub massacre, what needs to change in the publishing industry, and our favorite Ru girls. Things to Check Out mentioned in this episode: Soft Skull Press, J. Lo’s Versace dress, Melissa Broder, America’s Next Top Model, The Nonbinarian Bookstore, Ru Paul’s Drag Race Links: * Edgar's Website [https://edgargomez.net/] * Purchase Alligator Tears [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/743399/alligator-tears-by-edgar-gomez/] Intro/Outro Music by Lin * Lin's Bandcamp [https://linliketwotrees.bandcamp.com/] * Lin's Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/artist/6sqigIeBdZRfHsQvAxQ9X8?si=yEeEXizHRym8SSd-sh1ZJA]

Episode 8: Aubrey Hirsch

On episode 8 of the QT Nonfiction Podcast, Aubrey Hirsch and I discuss a wide range of topics such as: the accessibility of information in graphic nonfiction, colors and images in the attention economy, whittling down research to the absolute most important points, the helpful confines of short form, service journalism, infusing humor into graphic nonfiction on heavy topics as a means of acknowledging the absurdity, anger as a necessary tool for revolution, cover art that accurately represents a book, working with a great small press, getting informational works into the hands of folks who need to learn, deciding when and when not to include comics, bi-erasure, the freedom in publishing whatever you want and keeping a personal archive on Substack, and more. Writers/Books/Things to Check Out mentioned in this episode: Roxane Gay’s "The Audacity," The Rumpus, Split Lip Press, Kristine Langley Mahler, The People’s Project curated by Saeed Jones and Maggie Smith, Alexander Chee, Joy Harjo, Kiese Laymon, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture edited by Roxane Gay, Shay Mirk’s “Crucial Comix,” Thi Bui, Eleri Harris, Yifan Luo, Sanika Phawde, Hyesu Lee, Alex Norris. Links: * Purchase Graphic Rage [https://www.splitlippress.com/product-page/graphic-rage] * Aubrey's Newsletter [https://aubreyhirsch.substack.com/] * Aubrey's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/aubreyhirsch] Intro/Outro Music by Lin * Lin's Bandcamp [https://linliketwotrees.bandcamp.com/] * Lin's Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/artist/6sqigIeBdZRfHsQvAxQ9X8?si=yEeEXizHRym8SSd-sh1ZJA]

Episode 7: Carvell Wallace

A thoughtful discussion with author Carvell Wallace on topics such as: love and beauty as a means of healing from trauma, finding and collecting bits of life to share with others, form reflecting content, distinguishing the difference between child and adult narration, essay as exploration or asking "what's missing?", the ongoing tragedies of masculinity, run-on sentences, 2nd person point of view, writing about survival, expanding readers' understanding of queerness, challenging traditional ideals of intimacy on the page, using writing as an investigative tool to detangle ourselves from oppressive systems, and much more. Writers/Books/Things to Check Out mentioned in this episode: Lani Ka'ahumanu, Jayda Shuavarnnasri, Vaim by Jon Fosse, Good Morning, Destroyer of Men's Souls by Nina Renata Aron, Family Guy, Weird Spotify Playlists subreddit, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, Women Without Men by Shahrnush Parsipur, Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson, and Pure Ghost Radio, a podcast by Carvell. Links: * Carvell's Website [https://www.carvellwallace.com/] * Purchase Another Word for Love [https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374237820/anotherwordforlove/] Intro/Outro Music by Lin * Lin's Bandcamp [https://linliketwotrees.bandcamp.com/] * Lin's Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/artist/6sqigIeBdZRfHsQvAxQ9X8?si=yEeEXizHRym8SSd-sh1ZJA]

Episode 6: Zoë Bossiere

On this episode of the QT Nonfiction Podcast, Zoë Bossiere and I discuss topics such as: the formula for a successful flash nonfiction piece, editing an anthology of contemporary creative nonfiction, beginning a memoir with a photo, writing a setting that is alive and immersive, home video as helpful archive, generational differences in queer longing, determining the right time to share drafts with family members, depicting the self at different ages in different genders, the urgency of the childhood perspective, coming out constantly via publishing a book, writing the middle first and going back to write the beginning and ending, and navigating gender norms as a parent. Writers/Books/Things to Check Out mentioned in this episode: Brevity, Riverteeth’s Beautiful Things, The Art of the Personal Essay by Phillip Lopate, The Best American Essays of the Century by Joyce Carol Oates, Touchstone Anthology of Contemporary Creative Nonfiction, Erica Trabold, Wayne State University Press, KB Brookins, The Florida Project, Mac Crane. Links: * Zoë's Website [http://zoebossiere.com] * Purchase Cactus Country: A Boyhood Memoir [https://bookshop.org/p/books/cactus-country-a-boyhood-memoir-zo-bossiere/6fe1e7d7f5421085?ean=9781419773181&next=t&aid=113108&listref=memoirs-look-around-books] Intro/Outro Music by Lin * Lin's Bandcamp [https://linliketwotrees.bandcamp.com/] * Lin's Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/artist/6sqigIeBdZRfHsQvAxQ9X8?si=yEeEXizHRym8SSd-sh1ZJA]