Backtalk

Latest Episodes:

Backtalk: Don't Waste Hannah Gadsby's Time Jul 26, 2018

Show notes

This week, Dahlia and Amy dig into Hannah Gadsby's tremendous, heartbreaking, and honest Nanette. Gadsby's Netflix special gives us insight into what it means to to tell one's story to wide acceptance—at one's own expense. Using comedy as an example, Gadsby asks: Is it enough to be in control of our own narratives and art if we're still creating and consuming it through a colonized gaze? When do folks from marginalized communities get to be messy, frank, show their whole selves? Plus, let us know what you want Dahlia and Amy to argue about—text "Fight" to 503-855-6485!

Popaganda: When People Become Internet Memes Jul 19, 2018

Show notes

The Internet, which connects us to each other in ways that were pretty unimaginable to most people a century ago, has become a totally casual part of daily life. It's changed so much: from the way we do business to the way we unlock our front doors. But it's also changed the way we see ourselves and our relationships to other people. We live in a time when even children are able to use social media to juggle a front-facing, personal brand with their imperfect, true selves; and when a small gaffe could bring the rage of hundreds of thousands of strangers into your life.

So I wanted to take a step back and ask, how did things get this way? And does the Internet have to be like this?

Backtalk: Turn off the Gaslight Jul 12, 2018

Show notes

This week, Dahlia and Amy got to thinking more about the ubiquity of gaslighting after seeing a Twitter thread by writer Carmen Maria Machado and the case against Junot Diaz. The term originates from an eponymous play and film about a husband who gaslights his wife into thinking she's going mad and is now commonly used to describe making another person feel as if their own thoughts and memories are untrue and inaccurate. This episode explores how gaslighting operates on a larger scale when organizations and institutions use it to make us doubt our own feelings. Plus, an Amy vs. Dahlia worth getting animated about—vote by texting "Disney" to 503-855-6485!

Popaganda: Queering Virginity Jul 05, 2018

Show notes

On her Netflix one-woman show, Nanette, Hannah Gadsby opines, "There's only ever been two options for a little girl to grow up into: virgin or whore…. And I don't fit neatly into either of those categories. Virgin or whore? I mean, on a technicality, I'd get virgin." Virginity is a weird, nebulous idea that's mostly measured in heterosexual terms. So what value does virginity hold for queer and trans people? Is it worth pulling it out of the patriarchal muck?\

So on this episode, I'll talk to Juno Roche, a trans writer and advocate who recently authored a book called Queer Sex. Then I discuss the theological aspect of virginity with Presbyterian minister Mihee Kim-Kort, author of Outside the Lines: How Embracing Queerness Will Transform Your Faith. I hope you enjoy the show!

SHOUT-OUTS

Read our interview with Juno Roche on their book, Queer Sex.

Curious about what it's like to have sex with a fake hymen? Check out this funny review from The Cut!

Here's the trailer for Daddy I Do, a documentary on purity balls.

You can watch Hannah Gadsby's Nanette on Netflix.

Backtalk: We Don't Need to Be Civil to Inhumane People Jun 28, 2018

Show notes

This week, Dahlia and Amy survived another week where hell is empty and all the devils are here on earth. It's been a couple weeks of horrifying news and the last thing we need to hear is how progressive folks need to be civil to the inhumane Right. It feels the the least possible harm that Stephen Miller, Kirstjen Nielsen, and Sarah Huckabee Sanders can face is to have their restaurant meals interrupted while they're supporting an administration that's tearing families apart at the border and putting them in detention centers. More in bad news: Screw SCOTUS. But in an attempt at some fun: a new Amy vs Dahlia!

Labors of Love Jun 21, 2018

Show notes

Why do romance novels get such a bad rap? The genre is often maligned as being inferior to more "literary" writing, but there's so much more to it than shirtless cowboys and inaccurate portrayals of BDSM etiquette. Romance writers like today's two guests live in a complicated world. They navigate arcane sorting algorithms, racism, and more intracommunity drama than you can shake a stick at. But despite all of the hardships, they keep on working hard to make sure their readers get the happy endings they're looking for.

First, we have Tracey Livesay, a former criminal defense attorney and current author of interracial romance novels. She talks about how she became a fan of the genre and why she loves its community. Second, CK Gold, writer of LGBTQ fantasy romance ebooks, shares some fascinating things she's learned about race, marketability, and metadata.

SHOUT-OUTS

https://www.buzzfeed.com/bimadewunmi/meet-the-black-women-upending-the-romance-novel-industry

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/books/review/jaime-green-romance-columnist.html

https://www.amazon.com/Billionaire-Werewolfs-Princess-Harlequin-Nocturne-ebook/dp/B076ZLWRFZ/

Backtalk: Summer Screen Faves Jun 14, 2018

Show notes

This week, Dahlia and Amy are ringing in the summer raving about some of the best anticipated film and television shows coming out. Dahlia has rounded up Bitch-approved TV shows and movies premiering soon, and is obviously really loving all the great horror and true crime shows and films. Spending a few hours watching some of great television and films can be a balm against all the horrible news we're seeing everyday. Plus, some Amy vs Dahlia results!

The Best Things in Life Are Freelance Jun 08, 2018

Show notes

Almost half of millennials do freelance work—that is, they work as contract laborers, often in fields like writing, design, and computer programming—and the majority of those workers are women. The idea of ditching the office, the 9 to 5, and the butthead coworkers can be so tempting, but is this life all it's cracked up to be? How do you find community when you don't have to go anywhere to do your job? And what are your rights as a freelance worker?

First, we talk to Danielle Corcione, a freelance journalist who recently looked into how #MeToo intersects with the lack of labor protections for freelancers. Then, we speak with Emma Denny, a lawyer who specializes in workplace harassment litigation, on what the options are for folks who want to fight back against sexist workplaces, both physical and digital. And finally, we go to The Coven, a coworking space for women and nonbinary folks in Minneapolis, MN, and talk to the founders about how they took the work of building a safe and equitable space into their own hands.

SHOUT-OUTS

The frustrating truth I learned about co-working spaces after I was sexually harassed in one

The Gig Economy May Strengthen Men's 'Invisible Advantage' at Work

"Freelancing in America," the survey sponsored by Upwork and the Freelancers' Union

Backtalk: Racists, Stop Calling The Cops May 25, 2018

Show notes

This week, Dahlia and Amy talk about the spate of incidents of racists calling the police on Black people and POC doing everyday things. When Black and Indigenous people took up space at a Starbucks, enjoyed themselves at a park BBQ, and went on a campus visit at a university, anxious white racists took to dialing 911. This is a case of white supremacy literally policing where non-white people are allowed to go in their daily lives, posing a danger to the lives of people of color in these situations. Let's keep talking about these incidents so they don't become normalized. Some communities have come together to show they won't be scared off, like the folks in Oakland around Lake Merritt. Plus, we still really want to hear about your fave Golden Girl!

What Does Gender Sound Like? May 17, 2018

Show notes

Music interacts with gender in surprising and strange ways: sometimes upholding the binary, sometimes undermining it. In this episode, we'll talk to three people who've thought deeply about that dynamic and come up with their own interpretations of what it all means.

First, we discuss how gender identities are constructed through music with Marcy Nabors, an independent composer. Then we talk to Musicology scholar Emily Masincup about how the musical motifs of the Lord of the Rings trilogy—known sausage fest—helped her enjoy the films on a deeper level. Finally, you'll hear from Aiden Feltkamp, an opera librettist and producer, about "pants roles" and his fight to make opera more accessible and welcoming for LGBTQIA folks.

SHOUTOUTS

Check out the Bandcamp article Marcy references on the different ways composers are using Vocaloid audio.

For more on Pyotr Tchaikovsky and how sexuality figured into his work, start with this book on his 6th, or Pathétique, Symphony.

And here's Joni Mitchell on her "sus chords."

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