Secret Feminist Agenda
115 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 219 ratingsSecret Feminist Agenda is a weekly podcast about the insidious, nefarious, insurgent, and mundane ways we enact our feminism in our daily lives.
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Episodes
Bonus Episode: A Sentimental Education
October 12, 2022 21:43 - 1 hour - 129 MBWhat’s that? Another bonus episode??? Kind of! On September 22 (I say October in the episode and I’m too lazy to go back and fix it, but it was September) I launched my new book, A Sentimental Education, at Iron Dog Books. The launch took the form of a conversation between me, Minelle Mahtani (Associate … Continue reading Bonus Episode: A Sentimental Education
Bonus Episode: Burning Out
May 20, 2021 21:49 - 23 minutes - 32 MBFor no other reason than I felt like it, here’s a bonus episode. This is an audio version of the essay “Burning Out” that I published in 2020, in the Hair issue of Room Magazine. Content warning for discussion of weight loss and disordered eating, suicide and death, and racism and settler colonialism. The podcast … Continue reading Bonus Episode: Burning Out
Episode 4.30 Thinking Intergenerationally Toward a Future with Eugenia Zuroski
December 04, 2020 13:00 - 1 hour - 102 MBIn this, the final episode of Secret Feminist Agenda, I sat down with Eugenia Zuroski to talk about hope, planifestos, collectivity, mentorship, and where we know from. As far as final conversations go, this one felt absolutely perfect. Here are some links! Learn more about Gena’s work on her website, by following her on Twitter, … Continue reading Episode 4.30 Thinking Intergenerationally Toward a Future with Eugenia Zuroski
Episode 4.29 Saying No! Again! Forever!
November 20, 2020 13:00 - 13 minutes - 18.6 MBIt’s here! The final minisode of season four (and frankly, probably, all?) of Secret Feminist Agenda! Ending this podcast series, in its current form at least, is a way of saying no to one thing so that other things will be possible. So join me for one last exploration of the feminist power of refusal. … Continue reading Episode 4.29 Saying No! Again! Forever!
Episode 4.28 Welcoming the Roasting of the TikTok Youth with andrea bennett
November 06, 2020 13:00 - 1 hour - 85.9 MBBrace yourself for the lively energy of an interviewer who has been pandemic-isolated for too long and an interviewee who really just wants to talk about reality television. I sat down with author and person-I-want-to-trick-into-being-my-IRL-friend andrea bennett to talk about their new book, Like a Boy but Not a Boy, out now with Arsenal Pulp … Continue reading Episode 4.28 Welcoming the Roasting of the TikTok Youth with andrea bennett
Episode 4.27 Asking For Help (Again)
October 23, 2020 12:00 - 11 minutes - 15.7 MBThis week we’re revisiting one of my all-time favourite conversations: asking for help! I’m asking some of the Big Questions(TM) that have been keeping me awake lately, such as: why do I find it so much harder to ask a colleague for help than a friend? What is the relationship between asking for help and … Continue reading Episode 4.27 Asking For Help (Again)
Episode 4.26 Becoming “The Man” with Lily Cho
October 09, 2020 15:31 - 1 hour - 93.8 MBIn this episode I sat down (virtually, of course) with Lily Cho to talk about feminist mentorship, the importance of boundaries, and trying to make change from within institutions. What if mentorship wasn’t based on intimacy but on clear boundaries and structures? What if the best way to transform the university is to really understand … Continue reading Episode 4.26 Becoming “The Man” with Lily Cho
Episode 4.25 Mentorship
September 25, 2020 12:00 - 17 minutes - 24.6 MBAre you ready to talk about mentorship? Because that’s what we’re doing for (checks watch) about 18 minutes. While we’re at it, here are a few articles on feminist mentoring: “Feminist Co-Mentoring: A Model for Academic Professional Development” by Gail M. McGuire and Jo Reger “‘Will you be my mentor?’ Feminist mentoring at mid-career for … Continue reading Episode 4.25 Mentorship
Episode 4.24 Providing Some Helpful Discomfort with Cicely Belle Blain and Vivek Shraya
September 11, 2020 12:00 - 55 minutes - 76.2 MBI’m back from a much-needed hiatus and ready to jump into the final half-dozen episodes of season four, starting with a doozy. I talked to Vivek Shraya and Cicely Belle Blain about Vivek’s imprint VS Books, Cicely’s new book Burning Sugar, and the importance of mentorship. Also, dinosaurs. Also, links: You can read Audre Lorde’s … Continue reading Episode 4.24 Providing Some Helpful Discomfort with Cicely Belle Blain and Vivek Shraya
Episode 4.23 Being a Demon Bitch About Justice
June 26, 2020 12:00 - 13 minutes - 18.1 MBThis week I’m announcing a wee hiatus as I regather my resources to finish up season four. I’m also talking about what it might look like for us to collectively reject civility and instead become a hoard of demon bitches for justice. Also here are some links: For the millionth time I’m recommending the Sandy … Continue reading Episode 4.23 Being a Demon Bitch About Justice
Episode 4.22 Disability Art is the Last Avant-Garde with Sean Lee
June 12, 2020 12:00 - 53 minutes - 72.9 MBThis week I sat down virtually with Sean Lee, Director of Programming at Tangled Art + Disability, to talk about radically accessible curation, the transformative possibilities of disability as disruption, and the exciting work of Tangled and Bodies in Translation. So many links! To learn more about Tangled Art + Disability, check out recent exhibits … Continue reading Episode 4.22 Disability Art is the Last Avant-Garde with Sean Lee
Episode 4.21 Introducing the Amplify Podcast Network
May 29, 2020 01:43 - 16 minutes - 23.2 MBAre you ready to learn all about the Amplify Podcast Network? Great. The podcast theme song is “Mesh Shirt” by Mom Jeans off their album “Chub Rub.” Listen to the whole album here or learn more about them here. Follow me @hkpmcgregor and tweet about the podcast using #SecretFeministAgenda. Want to email me about your killjoy survival kit? Send … Continue reading Episode 4.21 Introducing the Amplify Podcast Network
Episode 4.20 Producing Queer Media with Stacey Copeland
May 15, 2020 17:02 - 44 minutes - 60.5 MBIn this very special cross-over episode, I’m talking to Stacey Copeland, audio producer extraordinaire and the project manager of the SpokenWeb Podcast, which I also host! We talk about our feminist scholarly awakenings, the gendered policing of women’s voices, what queer media sounds like, and why we should be listening to archival audio more. Here … Continue reading Episode 4.20 Producing Queer Media with Stacey Copeland
Episode 4.19 Listening
May 01, 2020 12:00 - 20 minutes - 27.9 MBThis minisode is dedicated to the newest episode of the SpokenWeb podcast, which it’s preemptively responding to (that episode will be out on Monday, and I’m going to have to insist that you listen to it). That episode is thinking about how we are listening differently right now, and it prompted me to think for … Continue reading Episode 4.19 Listening
Bonus Episode: Secret Feminist Agenda and Peer Reviewing Podcasts at Mount Royal University
April 23, 2020 20:09 - 1 hour - 117 MBAnother bonus episode coming at you! This one was recorded on April 4, 2019 at Mount Royal University and features me and Siobhan McMenemy interviewing one another about our collaborative work on peer reviewing podcasts. I don’t think there are a lot of links to add beyond that link to our own work, but I … Continue reading Bonus Episode: Secret Feminist Agenda and Peer Reviewing Podcasts at Mount Royal University
Episode 4.18 Running out of Fucks to Give with Carolyn Camman
April 17, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 94.7 MBThis week I’m talking to evaluation consultant and podcaster Carolyn Camman about radicalizing the apocalypse, queering objectivity, learning to listen to our bodies, and what the heck evaluation actually is. I learned a ton from this conversation, and I think you will, too! Here are some links! To learn more about Carolyn, read this recent … Continue reading Episode 4.18 Running out of Fucks to Give with Carolyn Camman
Bonus Episode: Response to Review of Season 3
April 07, 2020 23:34 - 1 hour - 91.3 MBThose of you who have been following along at home probably already know this, but Secret Feminist Agenda is part of a collaborative project with Wilfrid Laurier University Press looking at ways to edit and evaluate podcasts as a form of scholarly communication. The first two seasons of the podcast received an open peer review, … Continue reading Bonus Episode: Response to Review of Season 3
Bonus Episode: Season 3 Peer Review of Secret Feminist Agenda
April 07, 2020 23:29 - 1 hour - 140 MBThose of you who have been following along at home probably already know this, but Secret Feminist Agenda is part of a collaborative project with Wilfrid Laurier University Press looking at ways to edit and evaluate podcasts as a form of scholarly communication. The first two seasons of the podcast received an open peer review, … Continue reading Bonus Episode: Season 3 Peer Review of Secret Feminist Agenda
Episode 4.17 It’s Okay Not to Be Okay
April 03, 2020 12:00 - 11 minutes - 15.2 MBIt’s time for Feelings 101, aka wow what a completely wild and difficult time to be a person who feels things, let’s talk about that. I’m exploring being okay with not being okay, taking a strange comfort in recognizing my own grief, and building feminist survival kits for a moment when survival is our main … Continue reading Episode 4.17 It’s Okay Not to Be Okay
Bonus Episode: Fireside Chat with Alex Ketchum
March 24, 2020 19:00 - 1 hour - 120 MBWelcome to the first of a whole series of bonus episodes coming your way over the next few weeks! This one is a fireside chat with Dr. Alex Ketchum, recorded as part of the Feminist and Accessible Publishing and Communications Technologies Speakers and Workshop Series. If you’d prefer to watch this as a video, you … Continue reading Bonus Episode: Fireside Chat with Alex Ketchum
Episode 4.16 Choosing Love with Kai Cheng Thom
March 20, 2020 12:00 - 50 minutes - 68.8 MBThe original plan was for Kai Cheng Thom and I to talk while she was in town to deliver the keynote at the Growing Room literary festival, but plans change, don’t they? So we talked on Skype instead, about creative ways to sustain communities in midst of crisis, the importance of choosing love, and the … Continue reading Episode 4.16 Choosing Love with Kai Cheng Thom
Episode 4.15 #WorldObesityDay
March 06, 2020 13:00 - 16 minutes - 22.9 MBIn this week’s minisode we’re celebrating #WorldObesityDay by talking about how everything you thought you knew about obesity is wrong and also why fat people are brilliant and gorgeous and worthy of celebration. Links! Here’s the original post by Sofie Hagen on reclaiming #WorldObesityDay Here’s why “Everything You Know About Obesity Is Wrong” And here’s … Continue reading Episode 4.15 #WorldObesityDay
Episode 4.14 #Mood with Hilary Atleo
February 21, 2020 13:00 - 1 hour - 88.5 MBLast week I went to Iron Dog Books after hours to hang out with co-owner Hilary Atleo and talk about settler-colonial mind-fucks, problematic favs, the pleasures of queer feminist sci-fi, why cities thrive on independent arts businesses, and whether or not grapefruits have gotten sweeter. Here are some links! If you want to learn more … Continue reading Episode 4.14 #Mood with Hilary Atleo
Episode 4.13 Empathy Fatigue & Hopepunk
February 07, 2020 15:00 - 18 minutes - 25.5 MBThis week’s minisode is a little more leisurely than last time, as I think my way through empathy fatigue aka burnout in the face of crisis, and whether hopepunk is a possible way through feelings of numbness and overwhelm. And to accompany this slightly longer episode, here are some unusually concise links! Anne Helen Petersen’s … Continue reading Episode 4.13 Empathy Fatigue & Hopepunk
Episode 4.12 Cool Poet Mom with Dina Del Bucchia
January 24, 2020 15:00 - 1 hour - 104 MBTo make up for the very mini minisode, here’s an extra-long interview with extra-awesome human being Dina Del Bucchia! We talk about poetry, publishing, cats, farts, and basically everything in between. Here are a million links! First! Check out the rest of Dina’s stuff here on her website, and then subscribe to her awesome podcast … Continue reading Episode 4.12 Cool Poet Mom with Dina Del Bucchia
Episode 4.11 Cozy Resolutions
January 10, 2020 15:00 - 8 minutes - 11.9 MBI’ve set a new record in this, the first minisode of 2020, for just how mini a minisode can be. Turns out? pretty mini! But that’s okay, it’s a new year and we’re being gentle with ourselves. This week’s topic was inspired by this tweet. And here’s the thread of great responses about how people … Continue reading Episode 4.11 Cozy Resolutions
Episode 4.10 Cozy Resolutions
January 10, 2020 15:00This week’s topic was inspired by this tweet. And here’s the thread of great responses about how people are being gentle with themselves this January. Finally, Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror, specifically the essay “Always Be Optimizing,” has been challenging me to rethink how we try to optimize our own lives. You can listen to an … Continue reading Episode 4.10 Cozy Resolutions
Episode 4.10 Our Categories of Knowledge Suck with Tina Sikka
December 20, 2019 15:00 - 53 minutes - 73.9 MBThis week I’m talking with Dr. Tina Sikka about her work in feminist science studies, from feminist analysis of geoengineering to the intersections of race and the diet industry. This is one of those episodes where I probably learned as much as you’re going to. I love these episodes! Come learn with me. Also, links: … Continue reading Episode 4.10 Our Categories of Knowledge Suck with Tina Sikka
Episode 4.9 Abundance
December 06, 2019 15:00 - 13 minutes - 18.3 MBThis minisode is about taking stock and resisting the urge to turn our own lives into listicles or “best of the decade” featurettes, but instead residing in the messy and complex abundance of it all. You know, just some low-stakes early December thoughts. Also, here are some low-stakes early December links: Much of my thinking … Continue reading Episode 4.9 Abundance
Episode 4.8 I Wish I Had A Mustache with Max Collins
November 22, 2019 15:00 - 1 hour - 83.5 MBIn this episode I’m talking to Max Collins, campus radio advocate and producer behind the new investigative podcast “Dragged Out.” We discuss about four thousand things, including: community-based podcasting, drag performance and gender, Vancouver real estate, funding/monetizing art, and queer community building across generations. Also I say some shit that just might upset Toronto listeners. … Continue reading Episode 4.8 I Wish I Had A Mustache with Max Collins
Episode 4.7 Trans Rights Are Human Rights
November 08, 2019 15:00 - 22 minutes - 30.9 MBIn this minisode I’m thinking through recent protests agains “gender identity debates,” which institutions need to have values, and how we sustain ourselves when doing organizing or activist work that can feel so completely exhausting sometimes. This feels like a sad episode to me, but also maybe a hopeful one. Also, here are some links: … Continue reading Episode 4.7 Trans Rights Are Human Rights
Episode 4.6 Rape is Real & Everywhere with Emma Cooper
October 26, 2019 21:38 - 1 hour - 83.8 MBContent warning for discussions of rape and sexual assault as well as a reference to torture. This week I sat down to talk with Emma Cooper, creator of the comedy show Rape is Real & Everywhere, which highlights the comedy and storytelling of rape and sexual assault survivors. I had a chance to see the show … Continue reading Episode 4.6 Rape is Real & Everywhere with Emma Cooper
Episode 4.5 International Day of the Girl
October 11, 2019 14:00 - 15 minutes - 21.8 MBThis is a slightly unusual episode, inspired by an email I got from Plan International Canada about International Day of the Girl which is, in fact, today! October 11! They shared with me some data they’ve gathered about how girls picture themselves (or don’t picture themselves) in leadership positions, and guess what, I’ve got some … Continue reading Episode 4.5 International Day of the Girl
Episode 4.4 Off-Mic Conversations with Khairani Barokka
September 27, 2019 13:00 - 1 hour - 83.8 MBContent warning for discussions of sexual abuse, child abuse, child pornography, racism and ableism. This episode was actually recorded in early May, and here it is over four months later, FINALLY seeing the light of day, and I’m so delighted because Okka–poet, writer, and artist–is a goddamn delight. But don’t just take my word for … Continue reading Episode 4.4 Off-Mic Conversations with Khairani Barokka
Episode 4.3 ENTHUSED!!!
September 13, 2019 13:00 - 17 minutes - 23.8 MBHere are some things to look forward to in this minisode: the sound of my voice with a pretty bad head cold; a characteristic quantity of grappling; and the announcement of the new minisode segment [fanfare sound effect]. And while we’re at it, here are some links: My favourite piece on the culture of academic … Continue reading Episode 4.3 ENTHUSED!!!
Episode 4.2 Dreaming Big Wild Worlds with Dawn Serra
August 30, 2019 13:00 - 1 hour - 95.5 MBWith apologies for its tardiness, I present to you the first interview of season four, and this one’s a doozy. I’m talking to rad queer fat genius, sex & relationship coach, and pleasure advocate Dawn Serra about shame, vulnerability, pleasure, boundaries, joy, imagining radical futures, and so much more. This conversation broke open my brain, … Continue reading Episode 4.2 Dreaming Big Wild Worlds with Dawn Serra
Episode 4.1 Growing Roots
August 09, 2019 13:00 - 13 minutes - 18.9 MBHOLY SHIT IT’S SEASON FOUR! Can you believe it’s season four already? This season there are going to be a few changes. Kaarina won’t be joining us for Self-Care Corner, meaning I’m on the lookout for new segment ideas, plus I’m moving to a fortnightly release schedule. It’s all about sustainability, baby! Plus this season … Continue reading Episode 4.1 Growing Roots
Episode 3.30 Brilliant and Disgusting with Brenna Clarke Gray, Lucia Lorenzi, and Erin Wunker
May 17, 2019 13:00 - 1 hour - 102 MBIt’s here! The final episode of season three! This episode responds explicitly to Carla Rice’s peer review of season two, specifically this sentence: “Follow-up episodes featuring panels of feminist scholars, educators and activists could have opened space to reflect on ethical processes of speaking out and listening to criticism—on how critique might engender difficult emotions … Continue reading Episode 3.30 Brilliant and Disgusting with Brenna Clarke Gray, Lucia Lorenzi, and Erin Wunker
Episode 3.29 Feminist Anecdotes
May 10, 2019 16:30 - 26 minutes - 36.3 MBIt’s the last minisode of season three, and I’m doing some very specific responding to Anna Poletti’s peer review of season two. Specifically, I’m taking up the genre of the anecdote, and the kind of work it does in Secret Feminist Agenda. I’m thinking about anecdotes as teaching tools and as central to feminist knowledge … Continue reading Episode 3.29 Feminist Anecdotes
Episode 3.28 Living a Feminist Life with Sara Ahmed
May 03, 2019 12:00 - 56 minutes - 77.9 MBContent warning for discussions of cancer and death. This episode is an absolute dream come true: I spent a full hour talking to Sara Ahmed about feminism. Can you believe it??? Our conversation focused on Sara’s most recent book, Living a Feminist Life (pictured in this photo!). We talked about public scholarship, practical versus theoretical approaches to feminism, finding … Continue reading Episode 3.28 Living a Feminist Life with Sara Ahmed
Episode 3.27 Killjoy Survival Kits
April 26, 2019 14:00 - 21 minutes - 29 MBThis week’s episode continues our mini-cluster on feminist public scholarship by talking about a feminist genre of knowledge-creation that’s new to me: the killjoy survival kit. Want to know what a killjoy survival kit is? Then you should probably listen to this episode. Also, here’s an unusually short list of links! You can read Sara Ahmed’s … Continue reading Episode 3.27 Killjoy Survival Kits
Episode 3.26 Masters of Text with Ames Hawkins
April 19, 2019 20:01 - 57 minutes - 79.3 MBThis week we’re continuing the mini-arc on feminists who use podcasting for public scholarship, with the brilliant and delightful Ames Hawkins, scholar and artist and podcaster behind Masters of Text (that name tho). This episode seriously pushed forward my thinking on podcasting as creative-critical practice and conversation as the feminist co-creation of knowledge, and I … Continue reading Episode 3.26 Masters of Text with Ames Hawkins
Episode 3.25 Keep Podcasting Weird
April 12, 2019 14:00 - 14 minutes - 20.1 MBCollectively, Kaarina and I are bringing you some ~extremely chill vibes~ today. I’m talking about why we need to embrace the radical potential of podcasting as a medium that has yet to be fully absorbed into the mainstream, but I’m lying on my couch while I do it. And Kaarina’s self-care corner features a very … Continue reading Episode 3.25 Keep Podcasting Weird
Episode 3.24 Trauma Queen with Jimanekia Eborn
April 05, 2019 14:00 - 54 minutes - 74.4 MBThis episode is the beginning of a mini-cluster or mini-arc that will conclude season three of Secret Feminist Agenda. The coming episodes will focus on other feminist podcasters and/or public scholars, starting with this week’s incredible guest, Jimanekia Eborn, creator and host of the podcast Trauma Queen. We talk about podcasting, sex education, respecting your guests, … Continue reading Episode 3.24 Trauma Queen with Jimanekia Eborn
Episode 3.23 Pain
March 29, 2019 14:00 - 27 minutes - 38.1 MBContent warning for discussions of chronic pain and illness, drug addiction, and cancer. I jokingly tweeted a screenshot of the audio file for this episode with the caption “The telltale shape of a hard-to-record minisode.” I was referring to the long, conspicuous gaps that betray how hard I find it to talk about some topics. … Continue reading Episode 3.23 Pain
Episode 3.22 Interfering with the Legitimacy of the Settler State with Chelsea Vowel
March 22, 2019 14:00 - 52 minutes - 71.6 MBHold onto your hats it’s a LIVE EPISODE! This one was recorded at the University of Alberta, as part of the Canadian Literature Centre’s Brown Bag Lunch series. I’m talking to the brilliant Chelsea Vowel, aka âpihtawikosisân. The ostensible topic of the conversation is Refuse: CanLit in Ruins (which I co-edited and to which Chelsea contributed), … Continue reading Episode 3.22 Interfering with the Legitimacy of the Settler State with Chelsea Vowel
Episode 3.21 Citing Your Sources
March 15, 2019 14:00 - 23 minutes - 33 MBThis minisode topic is very close to my heart, not just because part of my job is teaching students how to properly cite their sources, but also because I think sound citational politics are both the cornerstone of what’s good about academia and the potential site of massive transformations in how we do our work. … Continue reading Episode 3.21 Citing Your Sources
Episode 3.20 A Trojan Horse of Radical Values with Zena Sharman
March 01, 2019 15:00 - 1 hour - 84.2 MBFor this episode I sat down with the brilliant and luminous Zena Sharman to talk about her work as an LGBTQ+ health advocate (seriously click on that link and look at that website, it is a testimony to femme web design and I am in love). We talk about thinking strategically, changing systems, editing anthologies, … Continue reading Episode 3.20 A Trojan Horse of Radical Values with Zena Sharman
Episode 3.19 Dealing With Criticism
February 22, 2019 15:00 - 32 minutes - 45 MBOof! This week Kaarina and I are bringing you a minisode with many feelings in it, as we both process difficult aspects of being a human in the world: I’m talking about dealing with criticism, and Kaarina is talking about holding friends accountable when they’ve hurt you. Hopefully these experiences will resonate with some of … Continue reading Episode 3.19 Dealing With Criticism
Episode 3.18 The Monáe Test with Taylor Crumpton
February 15, 2019 15:00 - 48 minutes - 66.8 MBContent warning for discussions of police violence. This week I’m talking to journalist and totally-not-a-bot Taylor Crumpton. We talk about how Taylor went from grad student to freelance journalist, how Twitter is a platform for both highlighting marginalized voices and exploiting Black women’s labour, and why it might not be a good idea to burn … Continue reading Episode 3.18 The Monáe Test with Taylor Crumpton