Best Lena Mattheis Podcasts (2025)

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Queerest thing you did this year? 2:23

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17d ago2:23

2:23

Share the queerest thing you did this year by 6 December to be featured on the end-of-year special and for the chance to win a special gift (if you are based in the UK). Send an email or voice recording to [email protected] by 6 December. I can't wait to hear from you!By Lena Mattheis

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“Ancient Myths and Lesbian Legends” with Mara Gold 56:01

24d ago56:01

56:01

Medusa, Medea, Artemis… we’ve all heard their stories before but what do they sound like when not told by (or centred on) men? Mara Gold, the sapphic scholar, is here to tell us all about these figures and about how there is always more than one side to a story and more than one reading to a myth. Come for the lesbian legends, stay for the witty wi…

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“The Queer Victorian Gothic” with Brontë Schiltz 46:59

1M ago46:59

46:59

Are you ready to descend into the weird world of queer Gothic writing, spooky sexology, and gay ghouls? Brontë Schiltz is an expert on all of these and so much more. We speak about the televisual Gothic and about several of Brontë’s favourite Victorian writers, including masc heartthrob Vernon Lee. If you’re into fun facts about blood transfusions …

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“Taylor’s Version Pt 2: Showgirls” with Stephanie Burt 56:11

2M ago56:11

56:11

Are you ready to become a showgirl? Poet, scholar, and Swifty extraordinaire Stephanie Burt joins me to talk about Taylor Swift’s musical genius, queer fandom and relationship to femininity. There was simply too much to squeeze into one episode, so make sure to listen to part one first and hear all about the Gaylors, before switching to part two, t…

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“Taylor’s Version Pt 1: Gaylors” with Stephanie Burt 40:24

2M ago40:24

40:24

By Lena Mattheis

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"No" with Sara Ahmed 1:01:09

3M ago1:01:09

1:01:09

Our favourite feminist killjoy is back! Sara Ahmed joins me to talk about her brand-new book No Is Not A Lonely Utterance: The Art and Activism of Complaining. In her first ever (how special are we) public conversation about the book, Sara speaks about becoming a feminist ear and a complaint collector, sharing stories of her own complaints as well …

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“Love Lies Bleeding” with Michelle Devereaux 42:04

3M ago42:04

42:04

How many times have you watched the sweaty lesbian fever dream that is Love Lies Bleeding? As you might be able to guess from this episode, Michelle Devereaux and I have stopped counting. Michelle is a feminist film-philosophy expert who joins me to talk about Rose Glass’s super queer neo noir, the interplay of genre conventions and gender dynamics…

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“Lighthouse” Queer Space Special with Mairi Oliver 21:20

3M ago21:20

21:20

If you can’t find me, I’m probably still browsing shelves of queer joy at Lighthouse, Edinburgh’s superb radical bookshop. The delightful owner Mairi Oliver took some time to chat with me about the long history of radical and queer bookshops that have come before and exist alongside this absolute gem of a queer space. We speak about queer spaces ch…

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“Queer Hong Kong” with Alvin K. Wong 47:28

4M ago47:28

47:28

What makes Hong Kong queer? Alvin K. Wong joins me to speak about how queer and decolonial thought can help us better understand Hong Kong and its relation to the Sinophone world, to Eurocentric queer theory, and to global protest culture. Alvin speaks about queer and trans photography, films and novels from Hong Kong and sprinkles in some excellen…

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“Category is Books” Queer Space Special with Bug and Fin 21:08

4M ago21:08

21:08

You know I love a queer bookshop and this Glaswegian dream of a queer space is absolutely delightful. Bug and Fin started Category is Books in 2018 to create the kind of space they were craving in their own neighbourhood. As the name promises, Category is Books has some exquisite shelving categories: from ‘Dyke Aching’ to ‘Trans Lit’ to the extensi…

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“Transitions” with Ava L. J. Kim 43:39

5M ago43:39

43:39

What do transitions have to do with the nation state? More than you think! Ava Kim joins me to speak about how conceptions of gender are deeply (and problematically) entwined with the nation. Ava speaks about powerful examples of transition narratives from Chile, Vietnam and Argentina to illustrate this and gives us a sneak peek into her forthcomin…

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“Hungry for Androgyny” LIVE with Leilah Jane King 43:17

5M ago43:17

43:17

Coming to you live from the Spoken Word stage at Out and Wild, the UK’s biggest festival for lesbian, bi, trans and queer women and those who are non-binary! This conversation with the delightful Leilah King has everything you could hope for: laughing, rhyming, swooning, and a whole lot of poetry reading. Tune in to hear Leilah speak about gender n…

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“Spent” with Alison Bechdel 41:45

6M ago41:45

41:45

Come along on this deep dive into Alison Bechdel’s new autofictional comic novel Spent, that will give you everything from Edward Gorey Easter eggs to Harriet the Spy content. Alison teaches me things about myself (I’m a bottom-up thinker. Who knew!) and reflects on what Alison, the character, learns from finally meeting the much beloved Dykes to W…

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“Trans Life and Story-Led Theory” with Perry Zurn 44:15

6M ago44:15

44:15

The beauty of trans life is that it flourishes in unexpected spaces. This fortnight’s guest Perry Zurn has written a beautiful book about how trans life creates spaces for itself in the cracks, at the edges and in other liminal spaces. We speak about trans life at the university, trans poetics, and the problematisation of trans inclusion. Perry tel…

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ListenQueer Launch Special: "Queer Britain" with Mark King 16:57

7M ago16:57

16:57

Please listen to this super special episode to meet Mark King from Queer Britain and also to hear all about the upcoming sold-out launch of ListenQueer, the accessible LGBTQIA+ history app! listenqueer.co.uk queerbritain.org.uk https://www.outsavvy.com/event/26049/listenqueer-walking-tour-and-app-launch…

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“Beyond Personhood” with Talia Mae Bettcher 46:33

7M ago46:33

46:33

Meet Talia Bettcher, the amazing philosopher who gave us canonical essays like “Trapped in the Wrong Theory” and “Evil Deceivers and Make-Believers,” and has now published a paradigm-shifting book about trans philosophy. Talia tells me about why personhood may be overrated, why the existential WTF lead her to this realisation, and how it’s really a…

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“All She Wrote Books” with Christina Pascucci-Ciampa 41:51

8M ago41:51

41:51

Welcome to a brand-new queer space special! Come along to visit All She Wrote Books, a fabulous queer feminist bookshop, located in Somerville, MA, an area that is historically significant for feminist literary activism. Owner Christina Pascucci-Ciampa tells me about what it was like turning All She Wrote Books from the queer literary pop-up that u…

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“Queer AI?” with Daniella Gáti 46:50

8M ago46:50

46:50

What does AI have to do with queerness? And how could the use of machine learning affect our lives and our rights as LGBTQIA+ people? Daniella Gáti shares the answers to these questions and more. Daniella is an expert in narrative, creative computing, and brings a unique transdisciplinary perspective to both. We touch on facial recognition, what is…

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“Sinister Wisdom” with Julie Enszer 45:18

9M ago45:18

45:18

Meet Julie Enszer, editor of Sinister Wisdom, dyke poetry superstar, and protector of the lesbian archives. Julie and I speak about shared queer cultures, lesbian feminist publishing, and all of the amazing queer archiving projects Julie is involved in. We also speak about the importance of sharing knowledge and practices of resistance, especially …

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"Pronouns" with Laura Paterson 42:42

9M ago42:42

42:42

Whether you share them, prefer them or avoid them – pronouns are everywhere. As Laura Paterson, a linguist who specialises in pronouns, tells us, this is a. because they are an essential part of grammar and b. because they are particularly sexy right now. Laura tells us what exactly a pronoun is and why third-person personal pronouns can cause so m…

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“Qtopia” with George Savoulis 29:12

9M ago29:12

29:12

Would you like to hear about a 100-year-old public Art nouveau toilet turned queer art gallery? Or about the police station that went from a site of protest and oppression to a place of LGBTQIA+ storytelling? Then this is the episode for you. George Savoulis, director of Qtopia Sydney, is taking us all the way to Australia to tell us all about the …

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"Good Pictures Are a Strong Weapon" with Louise Siddons 45:17

10M ago45:17

45:17

Join me and Louise Siddons, professor of visual politics par excellence, to learn about Laura Gilpin, the lesbian photographer who spent 30 years creating her book The Enduring Navaho in and with both queer and Navajo community. Louise speaks about the lesbian gaze in Gilpin’s photographs, the lesbian networks of Santa Fe, where Gilpin and her part…

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"Black Trans Feminism" with Marquis Bey 49:12

10M ago49:12

49:12

Do we perhaps deserve the impossible? This is only one of the many beautiful questions Marquis Bey asks in this poem of an episode. Marquis is an exquisite thinker who joins me to speak about the incredible book Black Trans Feminism and share thoughts about why such a feminism is for everyone. Marquis speaks about how literature allows us to imagin…

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“Autotheories” with Alex Brostoff 46:39

11M ago46:39

46:39

You’ve read Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts but have you heard of the scholar who puts the auto in theories? Meet Alex Brostoff, my new favourite autotheorist. Alex is here to clear up common misconceptions about autotheories and tell us more about biomythography, teoría de la noche, and reading beside. I was also intrigued to learn about intertextua…

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"Cyrano" with Virginia Gay 37:39

11M ago37:39

37:39

Are you in the mood for queer joy and lots of panache? Come, come, listen to this episode about Virginia Gay’s Cyrano, an excitingly fun, gender-twisting play that you will love to the moon and back. Virginia talks about why this play resonates so much for queer people, how James McAvoy made her want to write it, and why theatre should always be ho…

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Festive Special Part 2 22:03

12M ago22:03

22:03

In part two of our festive end-of-year special, you will hear about queer families and mourning, gay novels and book festivals, cargo pants and Vaseline, and lesbians and travel. What’s the queerest thing you did in 2024? And how will you power bottom that in 2025? References: Karen Tongson’s Norm Porn Amber Jamilla Musser Feminist Keywords podcast…

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Festive Special Part 1 19:20

12M ago19:20

19:20

In part one of our festive end-of-year special, you will hear about queer weddings and Madonna, intersex dinosaurs and PhDs, crafting and queer culture, and how all lesbians do kind of know each other. What’s the queerest thing you did in 2024? And how will you top that in 2025? References: Hollis Griffin Libro.Fm Ashley Herring Blake’s Make the Se…

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“Clever Girl” with Hannah McGregor 45:09

12M ago45:09

45:09

Fierce femme dinosaurs, intersex embodiment, Laura Dern – it’s surprisingly easy to read Jurassic Park as a feminist celebration of monstrous queer bodies, at least when you have the magnificent Hannah McGregor by your side. In Hannah’s ‘bookiest book yet,’ we learn about lesbian dinosaurs, the ignorance of white male adventurers, and how and why t…

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“Trans Literature and Science Fiction” with Sabine Sharp 45:01

1y ago45:01

45:01

Have you thought to yourself recently: How come trans literature is having such a moment right now? Then this episode is for you. Sabine Sharp, editor of The Routledge Handbook of Trans Literature (2024), is joining me for a chat about the significance of trans literature today, as well as its roots and legacies, especially in the 20th century. Sab…

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“Shadows and Noise” with Amber Jamilla Musser 43:42

1y ago43:42

43:42

How does your embodiment affect your perception and thus your writing? This is one of many questions Amber Jamilla Musser tackles in her most recent monograph, which builds on her brilliant work in Black feminism and queer femininity. Amber tells us how sensation and individual experience need to be part of an ethics of perception and why queerness…

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“Gothic Transgressions” with Sarah Faber and Kerstin-Anja Münderlein 43:08

1y ago43:08

43:08

Have you heard of the wholesome queer Gothic? This is the cool new term that might just explain why so many of us were obsessed with monsters, witches, witches and vampires before we came out of the coffin, uhm, closet. Sarah Faber and Kerstin-Anja Münderlein join me for this spooky special to speak about their favourite Gothic books, games, and tr…

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“Queering Desire” with Róisín Ryan-Flood and Amy Tooth Murphy 53:50

1y ago53:50

53:50

Femme theory, bisexual butches, racy footnotes – the brand-new edited collection Queering Desire has it all. The brilliant editors, Róisín Ryan-Flood and Amy Tooth Murphy, join me for a chat about what the book means to them and how challenging and rewarding interdisciplinary research on lesbians and sapphics can be. They dive into the multi-facete…

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“Queering French Fairy Tales” with Mélie Boltz Nasr 31:36

1y ago31:36

31:36

Get ready, queer language enthusiasts and trans literature francophiles! In another spontaneous recording from Lesvos, Mélie Boltz Nasr aka May tells us all about their genderbending fairy tale collection for adult readers. We also speak about feminist fonts, French grammar and how queering language is not just an activist aim but also a beautiful …

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“Lifting Off in Lesvos” with Karen McLeod 22:26

1y ago22:26

22:26

Guess who I ran into on the beautiful island of Lesvos: Karen McLeod, author of the amazing memoir Lifting Off. Karen sat down with me at Ohana Saloon, a queer-owned beach bar in Skala Eressos, and told me about her performance art, about working as aircrew as a queer woman, experiences with addiction, and about a new Lesvos-related book she is jus…

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“Before We Were Trans” with Kit Heyam 36:40

1y ago36:40

36:40

Kit Heyam’s amazing history of gender nonconformity across the globe is a dazzling journey into the intricacies of trans history and if it’s not your favourite book already, it will be after listening to this episode. Learn why Kit particularly enjoyed writing about Edo Japan, what they discovered about intersex history and who their favourite pers…

1
“The Queer Arab Glossary” with Marwan Kaabour 38:57

1+ y ago38:57

38:57

Graphic designer Marwan Kaabour has created a stunning book that is so much more than your average glossary. Join me and Marwan to talk about what makes The Queer Arab Glossary so special: from the illustrations that powerfully reclaim slurs to the essays that explore the queer methodology of the book. It was an absolute pleasure chatting to Marwan…

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“Bluestockings” with Raquel Espasande 20:34

1+ y ago20:34

20:34

Let’s go on a field trip! New York City is an amazing city for book shopping and LGBTQIA2S+ activism. Bluestockings Cooperative offers both. This amazing bookstore and community space almost feels too good to be true: nestled into the Lower East Side, Bluestockings has provided dyke dating, community support and all kinds of activism for well over …

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“Queer Television and Bad Objects” with Hollis Griffin 34:33

1+ y ago34:33

34:33

Queer television is clearly having a moment and I got to learn more about this from my new favourite LGBTQ TV expert: Hollis Griffin. From the problematic categorisation of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ representation to watching telly at the gay bar, we talk about what queer TV can and can’t do and why it’s so enjoyable even when it’s bad. Hollis shares expert…

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“Bellies” with Nicola Dinan 29:46

1+ y ago29:46

29:46

If I hadn’t already been a massive fan of Nicola Dinan, I would have become one after this! I was beyond excited to get to speak to Nicola at Surrey New Writers Festival and was extremely grateful that she was able to take some time after our panel to tell me more about her incredible debut novel Bellies (2023), about capitalism and queerness, abou…

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“Theoryish” with Paola Medina-Gonzalez and Hannah Ayres 47:18

1+ y ago47:18

47:18

Meet your new favourite theory podcast! Theoryish is a brilliant audio journey that may just meet all your academic needs. Paola and Hannah are an amazing team and bring you everything from an introduction to queer studies to a deep dive into a critique of #girlboss. If you’re looking for a fun and relatable entry point to that particular theory yo…

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“Queer Podcasting and Knowledge Production” with Hannah McGregor 48:01

1+ y ago48:01

48:01

Combine the age-old art of conversation with easy access to digital dissemination and you get: podcasting! Hannah McGregor is THE expert on scholarly podcasting, new approaches to peer review and (although we only mention this briefly) feminist lesbian dinosaurs. In this episode, we chat about how Hannah approaches podcasting, what it can and can’t…

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“Narrating Palestine” with Nora Parr 41:31

1+ y ago41:31

41:31

Narratives can help us make sense of trauma – but what if these trauma narratives do not fit into preconceived structures of storytelling? Nora Parr joins me to speak about the role of narrative in trauma, in mental health and in understanding national, cultural and individual identity construction. Nora talks about how Palestinian literature forge…

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“Lesbian Fashion History” with Eleanor Medhurst 50:16

1+ y ago50:16

50:16

Did you know that lesbians sporting sportswear is a queer tradition dating back centuries? Or that 1910s Japanese lesbians liked to don a yukata to send subtle signals about their gender identity and sexual orientation? My favourite foremost expert in lesbian fashion history, Eleanor Medhurst, is gracing the podcast with a return performance, shari…

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100 Episodes! 24:42

1+ y ago24:42

24:42

Can you believe this is our 100th episode? Listen now to hear about some listeners’ favourite episodes, about future plans for the podcast and about how the cats are feeling these days. References: https://ko-fi.com/queerlit Karen Tongson Normporn Susan Stryker Cate Sandilands Kew Gardens Elizabeth Freeman Diane Watt Briona Simone Jones Yesterqueer…

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“Normporn and Queer Imaginaries” with Karen Tongson 54:15

1+ y ago54:15

54:15

What could be more soothing than escaping your beautiful but complex queer life by watching a bunch of straight people remodel their suburban home in a new shade of beige? Karen Tongson joins me to explain why mainstream television can be so comforting and why admitting to having watched Gilmore Girls for the fourth time can feel a bit like sharing…

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“Trans in Translation” with Alberto Poza 17:52

1+ y ago17:52

17:52

Have you read the iconic Taiwanese novel The Membranes by Chi Ta-Wei? If so, in which language? Alberto has crafted the fabulous Spanish translation of this beautifully genderweird text and joins me to speak about the opportunities and challenges the highly gendered structures of Spanish offer for this. If you have ever wondered which pronoun or ge…

1
“Knight as a Gender” with Mabel Mundy 14:43

1+ y ago14:43

14:43

If you could pick a gender, any gender, which one would that be, and why would it 1000% be knight? In this special minisode, I get to answer that question with Mabel Mundy, who shares fascinating insights into the genderfuckery of chivalric romance and crossdressing knights. Tune in now, to learn more about why gender ambiguity clearly is, and has …

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“Gendered Bodies and Narrative Form” with Chiara Pellegrini 45:15

1+ y ago45:15

45:15

How does a queer, trans or intersex body take shape in a narrative? Dr Chiara Pellegrini is here to help us better understand how narrative form, point of view, and embodiment interact in contemporary storytelling – whether that be in novels, short stories or reality TV. We speak about problematic narrative tropes of trans narration, such as the ‘g…

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Humanities under Threat 27:15

1+ y ago27:15

27:15

https://surrey-ucu.org.uk/category/news/ https://www.instagram.com/supportsurreysll/?hl=en https://www.change.org/p/support-our-surrey-campaign? This is not an isolated issue! See this list of current large-scale UK HE redundancies: https://qmucu.org/qmul-transformation/uk-he-shrinking/ IG: @supportsurreysll Twitter/x: @SaveSurreySLL https://univer…

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“Feeling Bad” with Hil Malatino 50:13

2y ago50:13

50:13

Despite the title, this episode contains a generous amount of laughter, because it is just that enjoyable to talk to Hil Malatino, brilliant author of Side Affects: On Being Trans and Feeling Bad (2022). Hil has published groundbreaking work on trans and intersex stories and histories and, in this most recent monograph, draws our attention to the c…