Poema Podcast
Episodes
Monday Jan 31, 2022
Poema S8 005 | Kacey’s Journey to Freedom & Discovering Themselves
Monday Jan 31, 2022
Monday Jan 31, 2022
TW: spiritual abuse, emotional abuse, domestic abuse,
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In this episode my friend Kacey tells their story. They share their experience of growing up in an evangelical home, the expectations and demands, and their experiences of several types of abuse, in particular from their ex-husband. They talk about the impact this had on them physically, mentally and emotionally.
Kacey then talks about how they finally began to break free from this environment, in the process deconstructing their faith and their very identity. They tell us the challenges this brought, what they discovered about themselves, and how they've finally discovered freedom and embodiment in this process.
Kacey is both inspiring and courageous, and I'm so grateful they shared their story today.
Please Note: Since this was recorded Kacey has come out as non-binary. When this episode was originally recorded they had yet to do this and were using different pronouns (including she/her). As such different pronouns to their current ones are used in this episode.
I've used Kacey's current pronouns in these show notes and will do if they return to the podcast in future.
Monday Jan 24, 2022
Poema S8 004 | Rashid Darden on Anti-Racism & Pop Culture
Monday Jan 24, 2022
Monday Jan 24, 2022
I'm honoured today to be joined by best-selling author, novelist, educator and activist Rashid Darden.
Rashid tells us his story, and his lived experiences growing up and living as an LGBTQI black man raised by a single mother, and how this influenced his writing and his activism.
We explore together how pop culture and black & LGTQIA representation, past, present and future, and why it continues to be increasingly important.
We also touch on examples from the MCU, Superman and even Doctor Who (a mutual love) where we are seeing more representation and his hopes for this. Rashid talks about his own experience of watching Black Panther, and the significance of that movie and the metaphors & messages within it.
Rashid has so much wisdom and insight on all these important issues, and it was an honour to chat with him.
Monday Jan 17, 2022
Poema S8 003 | Luke Wilson on Conversion Therapy & Deconstruction
Monday Jan 17, 2022
Monday Jan 17, 2022
**TW: conversion therapy**
Today I'm joined by writer, PhD candidate and lecturer Luke Wilson, to hear his story of deconstruction, as well as his experience with and escape from conversion therapy.
Luke lays bare his lived experience of conversion therapy and how he broke free of this and how this impacted his own mental health, his spiritual journey and his work.
He also tells us about the advocacy and writing he does now, against conversion therapy and other practices which hurt the LGBTQIA community.
Thursday Jan 13, 2022
Thursday Jan 13, 2022
Special bonus episode today, with my friends Kevin Nye and Emma Morrison where they and I chat together about the award-winning show, Wandavision.
We explore the themes of processing grief, certainty and how this show gives us an echo of the roots of fundamentalism and oppressive systems. We explore some of the deeper themes and story arcs and reflect on what the story means for us, and what we can learn from it.
This is also a semi-preview of my second podcast, launching this coming week, "The Kryptonian, the Princess and The Avenger", where all three of us (me 'the Kryptonian', Emma 'the Princess', and Kevin 'The Avenger) and others will be chatting every fortnight about the stories which shape us, talking about movies, TV shows and other geeky stuff which inspires us.
You can follow the new show on IG and Twitter @KalElLeiaKevin and it'll be on all podcast platforms soon.
Meanwhile the Poema Podcast will continue every week...with some great guests coming up in the next few months!
Monday Jan 10, 2022
Poema S8 001 | Holly Smale on Ending the Stigma around Autism
Monday Jan 10, 2022
Monday Jan 10, 2022
Today author Holly Smale, author of the bestselling Geek Girl books, joins me to share her story and talk about the lived experience of being autistic.
She talks about her writing career, and how creating geek girl actually helped her discover she was autistic and get a formal diagnosis. We discuss together our shared lived experiences of being autistic and the challenges autistic people face living in the world as it is - and the stigma and lack of understanding which still exists.
We also talk about how we've found solidarity and support in fictional characters such as Tony Stark (we're both MCU fans) and what we can do to create a better world for autistic people.