Call Your Girlfriend
359 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 3.9K ratingsA podcast for long distance besties everywhere. Co-hosted by BFFs Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow. Produced by Gina Delvac. Brand new every Friday.
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Episodes
Winter Books 2021
January 15, 2021 10:46 - 1 hour - 58.8 MBWe’re reading fiction, nonfiction, essays and anxiety-producing novels. The Eagles of Heart Mountain: a True Story of Football, Incarceration, and Resistance in World War II America by Bradford Pearson Red Pill by Hari Kunzru The Resisters by Gish Jen Black Futures by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Level Up 2021
January 08, 2021 09:30 - 41 minutes - 37.7 MBThe new year has already been more of a lot. Amid so many challenges, here are the practices, advice, and rituals we're bringing with us into 2021. CYG producer Jordan Bailey shares her rituals for letting go of the old year and welcoming a new one. Sabrina Hersi Issa, whose personal inventory days may have already changed your life when she last spoke to us in 2018, is back to teach us about coming home to ourselves. Beth Pickens is keeping a death journal while hosting a new podcast and Ho...
Good Riddance 2020
December 18, 2020 08:40 - 32 minutes - 29.8 MBCrawling to the finish line of 2020, we catch up and reflect on what parts of our pandemic routines we may keep as we move into 2021. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
COVID Consent Conversations
December 11, 2020 09:30 - 46 minutes - 42.4 MBAs cases spike in the U.S., we talk to one of our favorite consent experts, sex and dating coach Myisha Battle, about how to have the COVID talk with friends, family, and potential romantic prospects. The first season of Myisha's podcast, Dating White, is out now. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Food Justice
December 04, 2020 09:30 - 35 minutes - 32.2 MBHow do you get more deeply involved in a cause you care about? Especially when it's an issue as challenging as homelessness? We talk with Melissa Acedera who practices mutual aid through Polo's Pantry, a mobile food bank in Los Angeles. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nourishment
November 27, 2020 09:30 - 44 minutes - 40.4 MBWe are enjoying this slow season, grateful for what we have and opening our wallets for those who experience food insecurity. In the first of two episodes about food justice, we discuss our Thanksgiving feels and talk with Ebony Derr, financial manager at the Okra Project, which nourishes Black trans people with meals and community. Plus, our favorite Thanksgiving movies, what we're eating, and flashpoint feelings around okra (the food itself). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...
Indoor Activities
November 20, 2020 09:30 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBPurging our archives, mailing care packages in lieu of clothing swaps, confronting our own consumerism, who we imagine perusing our estate sales, secret talents, and some delightful things we're watching (including cults and sexy chess of course). Watch List: The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix) Both versions of The Thomas Crown Affair The Vow (HBO Max) Seduced (Hulu) The Great British Bake Off (Netflix) My Octopus Teacher (Netflix) Golden Girls (Hulu) The Host (Hulu) Kramer vs. Kramer Ev...
The Curse is Broken
November 13, 2020 09:50 - 58 minutes - 53.8 MBJoe Biden and Kamala Harris won. We break away from our stress puzzling to celebrate this win. While there's so much work to be done, seeing Kamala on stage Saturday night was very moving. We revisit our 2018 interview with then Senator, now VP-elect Harris. And we are pleased to announce this officially breaks the CYG curse of only highlighting candidates who do not ultimately win! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Now?
November 06, 2020 10:25 - 48 minutes - 44.8 MBAs we await final results, we share our election week feels and discuss some of the racist scams that undergird the American electoral system - like the Electoral College itself - with Heather McGhee, author of the forthcoming book, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. Plus, the local gains, newly minted officials and old timers (like Nebraska's Ernie Chambers) who are giving us hope. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Art of Resistance: Guerrilla Girls
October 30, 2020 08:30 - 35 minutes - 33 MBThe Guerrilla Girls have been resisting sexism and racism through art for the last 30 years. An anonymous collective of gorilla-mask bedecked agitators, their campaigns have ranged from protests to posters, billboards, and museum interventions. With style, humor, and collective action, they call attention to issues rich and powerful institutions would rather side-step. All the members take pseudonyms after dead women artists. We talked with founding members Frida Kahlo and Käthe Kollwitz abo...
The Art of Resistance: Chorus
October 23, 2020 08:34 - 45 minutes - 41.5 MBActivists and artists were waking up each day in anger and despair after Trump's election. Alongside actions and demonstrations, groups started forming around the country to gather, protest, and sing. In the first episode about the art of resistance, we listen to the voices (spoken and sung) of two choirs: the Resistance Revival Chorus in New York City and Community Chorus in Los Angeles. LINKS Emma Goldman: "If I can't dance to it, it's not my revolution" The Resistance Revival Chorus: T...
Incandescently Furious
October 16, 2020 08:30 - 56 minutes - 51.9 MBWe contemplate a VC-backed startup for women who need to scream into pillows. A brief discussion of the Supreme Court nomination of the latest Judge Who Must Not Be Named. Fortunately, Rebecca Traister's work on the political power of women's anger is always timely, as we revisit our 2018 interview with her (and the unfortunately still-relevant fury of the Kavanaugh nomination). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How We're Coping
October 09, 2020 08:30 - 40 minutes - 36.6 MBIn this latest season of the pandemic (end of season 3?), we're trying to find joy where we can: guava cocktails, vintage golf clothes, journaling, repetition, boredom, and the future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Election Pep Talk
October 02, 2020 08:29 - 40 minutes - 37.5 MBManaging our election anxiety and getting out the vote. Does phone banking, text banking, and making a voting plan really move the needle? We find out with Crooked Media political director Shaniqua McClendon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Fall Books 2020
September 25, 2020 08:30 - 52 minutes - 48.2 MBDo you need something to read (and take your mind away from doom-scrolling)? We talk with Nessa Rapport about her novel Evening and Alice Wong, editor of the anthology, Disability Visibility. We're also reading (or re-reading): Zadie Smith essays, NK Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy, Angela's Ashes, and Parakeet by Marie-Helene Bertino. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Use the Power You Have
September 18, 2020 09:15 - 45 minutes - 41.4 MBHow can we create change from within institutions? We talk with longtime civil rights activist, Pramila Jayapal, who was elected to Congress in 2016 about her work with the Congressional Progressive Caucus, pushing for change within the Democratic Party. Plus, the challenging pace of change within government and the prospects for better federal policy to support immigrants, people out of work, and Black and brown communities devastated by police violence and other structures of white suprema...
These Precedented Times
September 11, 2020 08:30 - 41 minutes - 38 MBWe're engulfed in crises: caregiving, police violence, employment, and an election. These may feel like unprecedented times, and yet, some of our favorite guests have been experts and activists who tackle these issues. We listen back to excerpts from Ai-jen Poo of the National Domestic Workers Alliance on caregiving, journalist Annie Lowery on guaranteed income, Josie Duffy Rice on the criminal justice system's impacts on women, and Stacey Abrams on how all of us can lead, beginning from our...
Ace
September 04, 2020 08:30 - 37 minutes - 34.1 MBWhat does attraction mean, specifically for people who don't experience sexual attraction? Angela Chen joins us to talk about her book Ace: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Society and the Meaning of Sex. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Long Haul: Summer of Friendship #9
August 28, 2020 08:30 - 40 minutes - 36.9 MBFriendships that stretch into years and decades hold a special place in our lives, and require special tending. As we conclude our Summer of Friendship series, we hear about your big friendships that have gone the distance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Power of Community: Summer of Friendship #8
August 21, 2020 08:30 - 36 minutes - 33.3 MBWe often see people don’t have time for friends as life gets busier: Hint hint, it’s capitalism and patriarchy making you feel that way. And we interview author Mia Birdsong on building the communities and relationships we actually want, rather than those we’ve been told to want. Links Big Friendship Mia Birdsong How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Breakdowns: Summer of Friendship #7
August 14, 2020 08:30 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MBDifficult patches, communication breakdowns, and periods of estrangement are part of a LOT of important relationships, and friendships are no exception. We discuss our breakdown and why we had to go to therapy to start fixing it. And therapist Miriam Kirmayer shares tips for navigating conflict in friendship. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Zadie Smith
August 07, 2020 08:30 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBThis week we’re taking a break from our Summer of Friendship to bring you a very special guest: Zadie Smith!! Zadie Smith is the author of the novels White Teeth, The Autograph Man, On Beauty, NW, and Swing Time, as well as two collections of essays, Changing My Mind and Feel Free. Her latest is Intimations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Trapdoor: Summer of Friendship #6
July 31, 2020 08:30 - 57 minutes - 52.9 MBRace plays out differently in every friendship. And not all interracial relationships involve a Black person and a white person, but ours does. As Wesley Morris wrote in his memorable review of the forgettable movie Ted 2: "For people of color, some aspect of friendship with white people involves an awareness that you could be dropped through a trapdoor of racism at any moment, by a slip of the tongue, or at a campus party, or in a legislative campaign. But it’s not always anticipated. Yo...
The Stretch: Summer of Friendship #5
July 24, 2020 08:30 - 44 minutes - 40.5 MBWe stretch when we grow with, and in response to, a friend. But it can be hard to figure out: How do you know how much to give to a friendship—and take from it? We talk to therapist Jordan Pickell about interdependence and the blurry line between leaning on friends and asking too much of them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Story of Sameness: Summer of Friendship #4
July 17, 2020 08:30 - 44 minutes - 40.9 MBWe did not write a “female friendship” book, but we are indeed two women. And our friendship has been both strengthened and threatened by the ways we communicate. We interview linguist Deborah Tannen, whose book You’re the Only One I Can Tell: Inside the Language of Women's Friendships was a touchstone for us—explaining concepts like "story of sameness," one way that some friends bond by finding similarities in each other's lives. Catch the virtual book tour and get a copy of Big Friendship ...
Big Friendship
July 10, 2020 08:30 - 37 minutes - 34.4 MBDays away from the release of Big Friendship, Aminatou and Ann share key definitions from the book and read a passage about a very challenging time in their friendship, early in the life of this podcast. Catch the virtual book tour and get a copy at bigfriendship.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Teen Feelings: Summer of Friendship #2
July 03, 2020 08:30 - 1 hour - 63.2 MBWe learn about young Aminatou and Ann from Faith and Bridget, our high-school besties—who both remain close friends today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Origin Stories: Summer of Friendship #1
June 26, 2020 08:40 - 55 minutes - 50.5 MBWe kick off a summer dedicated to friendship—its joys and its difficulties—as we get ready for the release of Big Friendship. On this episode, we talk about our friendship origin story, and interview our mutual friend Dayo Olopade about how she knew we'd hit it off. Also, we're looking for your voicemails about long-term friendship—stories about difficult patches you've survived, and also your questions for us about keeping friendships strong in the long term. Leave us a message at (714) 681...
Media Reckoning
June 19, 2020 08:30 - 42 minutes - 38.8 MBOn the conflict between outward facing antiracist messaging (ads, content, “solidarity” statements) and internal office behavior: who’s hired, who’s promoted, who’s given a raise, how Black people feel at your place of work, whose ideas are supported and welcomed—in media, and beyond. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Gossip Queen
June 12, 2020 09:00 - 1 hour - 57.6 MBWe talk with queen of gossip and media literacy Lainey Gossip about the meaning of gossip, the royals, how covering celebrity has changed, knowing your worth in your work, and the empire she's launched her site LaineyGossip.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Police Abolition
June 05, 2020 09:06 - 56 minutes - 51.4 MBIt's been a week. Amid uprisings and violent police suppression, we turn to Mariame Kaba. Mariame is a longtime police and prison abolitionist, educator, and organizer who has been doing the day-in, day-out work of activism and opposing state-sponsored violence since the early 2000s. If you've been wondering: what's police abolition? what's prison abolition? why not simply reform or defund police departments? how do I commit myself to racial justice? what does a post-police future look like...
Whimsy and Elegance
May 29, 2020 10:07 - 54 minutes - 50.1 MBThe inimitable Maurice Harris joins us to discuss his creative origins, how he started using flowers in art, being a small business owner in the time of corona, and his new show Centerpiece. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Joe Biden Problems - Part 2
May 22, 2020 08:26 - 58 minutes - 53.2 MBIn the second of two parts, we discuss Tara Reade's sexual assault allegation against Joe Biden with Vox's Laura McGann who spoke with Tara when she came to her in 2019 with a different complaint about abuse of power in Biden's Senate office. Plus, how Biden makes progressives complicit in his pattern of non-consensual behavior, why you may or may not vote for him, and how we can be re-center survivors in our discourse. Links: Laura McGann on reporting out Tara Reade's allegations Tarana ...
Joe Biden Problems - Part 1
May 15, 2020 09:00 - 33 minutes - 31 MBThroughout public life, Joe Biden has claimed to stand for women. His long career from the Senate to the Vice Presidency to presumptive Democratic nominee can paint a very different picture. In the first of two episodes, we discuss key moments that give us pause about Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. 1991: Biden mishandles Anita Hill's testimony during Clarence Thomas's confirmation hearings as chair of the Senate Judiciary committee. 1994: Biden uses the Violence Against Women Act as characte...
Things That Scare Us
May 08, 2020 08:44 - 43 minutes - 40 MBFrom snakes to ocean waves to people's unstated political ideologies, we talk about our fears. Plus, journalist Eva Holland on how fear lives in the body and her new book where she unwinds trauma, phobia, and grief. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Resilience
May 01, 2020 09:00 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBWhat allows people to endure and try again? In the first of a series tackling big ideas that are helping us get through these deep-feeling quarantimes, we talk with Lulu Miller about a scientist who lost everything - again and again - and somehow was never fazed. Plus, Amina's love of country music, and how friendship is a beautiful unexplained anomaly in an often-selfish world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Get Counted
April 24, 2020 08:50 - 27 minutes - 25.2 MBThe U.S. Census is underway and - if you just started snoozing, gently nudge yourself awake. This once-a-decade opportunity to be counted. Why? As Jeri Green of the National Urban League tells us, the Census is used to determine everything from how Congressional seats states get to federal funding for student loans, and much more. And now you complete it online. It's especially important for people from marginalized communities to get counted. Go to My2020Census.gov to fill out the quick and...
Stream Me, Feel Me, Watch Me, Heal Me
April 17, 2020 09:01 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBThe legendary Fran Tirado is here to tell us what to watch and where we can stream it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wow, No Thank You
April 10, 2020 08:45 - 53 minutes - 48.9 MBWe talk with national treasure Samantha Irby about her hilarious and confident writing about all of her foibles and insecurities. From dealing with money and contracts, to love, her white stepchildren, and her fondness for TV's Judge Mathis, Sam is the antidote to all of our cooped-up sadness right now. Her latest book, Wow, No Thank You is out now. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Read Me
April 03, 2020 09:48 - 49 minutes - 45.2 MBOur book is finally available (for pre-order at least)! Aminatou and Ann discuss the making of Big Friendship, writing in a single voice, and the vulnerability in a deep creative partnership. Plus, how to support your local indie bookstore, and even more reading recommendations from Emma Straub. And we talk with Adeline Dieudonne about her novel Real Life, just translated to English, and Ashley Woodfolk about her new YA novel about a friend breakup, When You Were Everything. See omnystudio....
Spring Books 2020
March 27, 2020 09:07 - 40 minutes - 37.5 MBBooks are one of our go-to ways to stay sane, when bored, cabin-feverish or stressed out. And there are so many great authors and bookstores who need our support right now. At the moment, we're curled up with Nobody Will Tell You This But Me by Bess Kalb and Thin Places by Jordan Kisner. Pro tip: if buying books isn't possible for you right now, your local public library probably uses the Libby app to get audiobooks and e-books to you, even while branches are closed. Links Nobody Will Tel...
Homebodies
March 20, 2020 08:27 - 49 minutes - 45 MBHave you ever spent so much time at home? For those of us lucky enough to have somewhere to shelter in place, self-isolate, or recover from illness, we're gaining a new appreciation for what are homes are. Or maybe just dying of frustration at so many uncompleted projects. Never fear. Curbed Executive Editor and interim Editor-in-Chief Mercedes Kraus is here. Mercedes is a long-time curator of well-appointed spaces and shares her tips for shopping for and envisioning a welcoming place to liv...
Corona Community
March 13, 2020 08:15 - 38 minutes - 35.2 MBAre we overreacting? Not scared enough? The answer is probably both. We discuss how to keep your screwed on while dealing with an extremely serious situation and some do's and don'ts for controlling the contagion of panic. Yes, social distancing is a good idea right now. But even as you keep your germs to yourself, don't forget to check on your friends, get to know your neighbors, see who needs help, and as always, wash your hands. Links: Curbed: In a disaster that calls for isolation, you...
Queen of Revolutionary Feelings
March 06, 2020 09:45 - 54 minutes - 50.3 MBShe left her husband for a female Olympian. She survived addiction. And that's just the beginning. Glennon Doyle's new book Untamed encourages women to break out of being good daughters, mothers, partners and be good to ourselves -- and then, in living fuller lives, the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Love is Blind
February 28, 2020 10:06 - 37 minutes - 34 MBThe show, the "science" and men's feelings... we have quite a few, too, about this Netflix phenomenon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Science of Friendship
February 21, 2020 09:30 - 40 minutes - 37.1 MBFrom looking at our brain activity inside fMRI machines to mapping social networks, scientists are looking closely at friendship. Science journalist Lydia Denworth shares her look into the latest research finding what we know affectively to be true -- that friendship helps us live longer, better lives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Big Books & the Body Image Babadook
February 14, 2020 09:30 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MBAmerican Dirt. Plus, our 90s fashion trauma. Reading List: American Dirt, explained NYT review Myriam Gurba on American Dirt Brandon Taylor on writing about people who don't look like you Against italicizing "foreign" words Chunky soles: All the rage Books we’re reading in lieu of American Dirt: Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe Mean by Myriam Gurba Girl by Edna O’Brien Real Life by Brandon Taylor See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Winter Books: Critical Histories
February 07, 2020 09:30 - 57 minutes - 52.9 MBIn a special edition of our winter books episode, we talk with three of our favorite herstorians about American icons that could use a rewrite: Harriet Tubman, George Washington, and McDonald's. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Bad Bosses
January 31, 2020 11:00 - 57 minutes - 53 MBWe discuss some of our worst bosses, the difference between held to a high standard and a toxic environment, and what happens when women are bad bosses. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Can a Woman be President?
January 24, 2020 09:30 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBCoffee is a hard drug. MLK Day is a mindf*ck, especially when brands, the FBI, and the GOP chime in. RIP Mr. Peanut. And the cumulative impact of being told that your gender or race will stop you from reaching your goal, when that goal is the presidency. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.