World of Stories
53 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 3 years ago -A podcast about diverse stories the world over.
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Episodes
S2E11 - Post-Pandemic Aspirations
June 25, 2021 05:15 - 24 minutes - 34.8 MBAs Margrit and Eileen wrap up season two, we look forward to some things we're hopeful about in a post-pandemic world. Things like compassion and understanding, redefining family and relationships, greater accessibility, and dare we say it... lower real estate prices? Recommendation of the Episode: Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake (https://www.merlinsheldrake.com/entangled-life). Question of the Episode: What are your hopes for a post-pandemic world? Join the conversation on Twitter a...
S2E10 - Well-Being
June 11, 2021 05:15 - 17 minutes - 24.8 MBWhat does it mean to be happy and healthy? Especially during a pandemic? Margrit & Eileen break down ideas about well-being, including a critique of the wellness industry. Recommendations of the Episode: The Depression Project on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/realdepressionproject/) and Nedi Nezu: Good Medicine by Tenille K. Campbell (https://arsenalpulp.com/Books/N/nedi-nezu-Good-Medicine). Question of the Episode: What are some of your well-being needs? Join the conversation on...
S2E9 - Interview with Ann Gagné
May 28, 2021 05:15 - 47 minutes - 66.7 MBOur number one fan returns to World of Stories! Special guest Ann Gagné joins Margrit and Eileen to talk about precarious work in academia, accessibility in education and beyond, touch and tactility in a pandemic, and so much more! Be sure to check out Ann's new books, The Canadian Precariat (https://www.ubcpress.ca/the-canadian-precariat) and Embodying the Tactile in Victorian Literature (https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781793617309/Embodying-the-Tactile-in-Victorian-Literature-Touching-Bodies-Bod...
S2E8 - Perfectionism
May 14, 2021 05:15 - 25 minutes - 36.6 MBMargrit & Eileen chat about perfectionism and the internal and external pressures to live up to unrealistic and unattainable expectations. They talk about the false equivalency of perfection equalling professionalism and how perfectionism is both the result of and cause of metal health issues. Finally, in a pandemic where so many of our interactions are through video conference, perfectionism has been taken to a whole new level. Recommendations of the Episode: (It's Great to) Suck at Somet...
S2E7 - Interview with Lee Czechowski
April 30, 2021 05:15 - 41 minutes - 58.2 MBMargrit & Eileen welcome Lee Czechowski to the podcast! Lee (they/them) is a queer mixed Anishnaabe/Settler midwifery student at Laurentian University. They love singing, puns, puzzles, coffee, and their three cats. When they used to have spare time, they spent it hiking, driving across the country, and building the best little queer haven in Northern Ontario. We talk about working in a hospital during a pandemic, the gender-stereotypes in midwifery, being an advocate for queer and trans pa...
S2E6 - Friendship
April 16, 2021 05:15 - 32 minutes - 45.9 MBWhat is the meaning of friendship? What are the different types of friendship? What important are friendships compared to other types of relationships? Margrit & Eileen chat about how the pandemic has strengthened some friendships and strained others; society's hierarchy of relationships that often puts friendships at the bottom; and what this means for community building. Recommendations of the Episode: Elementary (https://www.amazon.com/Elementary-Season-1/dp/B009IJJ5B4) and Sense8 (http...
S2E5 - Interview with Sarika Narinesingh
April 02, 2021 05:15 - 37 minutes - 52.7 MBMargrit and Eileen chat with Sarika Narinesingh, a communications instructor at George Brown College in Toronto. We talk about taking care of your physical body during the pandemic as a form of resistance against white supremacy, how the pandemic has affected education, and the importance of a living wage. Full episode available April 2, 2021. Recommendations of the episode: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (https://www.douglasdstuart.com/books) and Luster by Raven Leilani (https://ravenleila...
S2E4 - Queer of Colour
March 19, 2021 05:15 - 14 minutes - 20.4 MBEileen's got a million projects on the go, but one that is close to her heart is Queer of Colour: a storytelling platform where queer people of colour have a safe space to tell their own stories on their own terms. In this episode of World of Stories, Margrit interviews Eileen on how the project was started and how she hopes for it to grow. Recommendation of the episode: queerofcolour.ca by Eileen Liu Instagram: instagram.com/queerofcolour Facebook: facebook.com/queerofcolour Twitter:...
S2E3 - Rest
March 05, 2021 05:15 - 19 minutes - 27.8 MBNo discussion about labour & productivity is complete without talking about rest. How do we rest? How often? In what way? For what purpose? The need to stay productive is so deeply entrenched in our capitalistic society that resting has become a revolutionary act, an act of resistance. Margrit & Eileen chat about how we think about rest and how we protect our time for rest. Recommendations of the Episode: How to do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell (https://www.pengui...
S2E2 - Labour & Productivity
February 19, 2021 05:15 - 20 minutes - 29 MBHow has the pandemic shed light on the way we work, how we're productive, and the value of our labour? Margrit & Eileen chat about how we view labour and productivity in a capitalist society and how our value as human beings is often linked to how productive we are. The flip side, isn't true, though. Artists, athletes, and people from marginalized communities are regularly expected to work without compensation or recognition. This has been so obviously highlighted by the lack of material sup...
S2E1 - How to Human in a Pandemic
February 05, 2021 05:15 - 18 minutes - 17.7 MBMargrit and Eileen (fka Lin) are back with season 2 of World of Stories. This time around, we'll be discussing how to live in this new reality we find ourselves in. What does work look like in a pandemic? What does rest look like? Can we imagine an alternative to capitalism? Just how ableist is our language? What is the value of friendship? How do we live with trauma? How to Human in a Pandemic? Recommendation of the Episode: Death to 2020 on Netflix, and Yearly Departed on Amazon Prim...
Ep 40 - Goodbye For Now
March 27, 2020 05:15 - 14 minutes - 14.3 MBEpisode 40! We’re using this round number to announce that we’re going on a hiatus to rethink our follow-through on the goals and wishes that fuelled us to start the podcast as a space to talk about diversity in storytelling. If you have notes, comments, and edits for us, as always, we’re happy to hear/read them.
Ep 39 - More Than Enough and Diane Arbus
March 13, 2020 05:05 - 31 minutes - 30 MBElaine Welteroth’s memoir More than Enough (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/598362/more-than-enough-by-elaine-welteroth/) recounts her ascent to the position of editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue in the 2010s, and the subsequent transformation of the magazine into a politically engaged voice for a diverse group of young women. In spite of her remarkable professional accomplishments, Welteroth’s memoir remains grounded and genuine, and Lin recommends it heartily. Diane Arbus revolutioniz...
Ep 38 - Braiding Sweetgrass and the Torque Dance Festival
February 28, 2020 05:15 - 27 minutes - 26.2 MBBraiding Sweetgrass (https://milkweed.org/book/braiding-sweetgrass) is one of the best books Lin has ever read. An Indigenous plant ecologist, Robin Wall Kimmerer, blends native healing traditions and storytelling with “hard science” to explain the medical effectiveness of plants and the sustainability of the traditional way of life. Margrit loved A.I.M’s Mixed Repertory contemporary dance performance (https://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/torque/mixed-repertory-program/). The NYC-based compan...
Ep 37 - The Last Back Unicorn and Harley Quinn
February 14, 2020 05:15 - 24 minutes - 23.5 MBTiffany Haddish’s memoir, The Last Black Unicorn (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Last-Black-Unicorn/Tiffany-Haddish/9781501181832), balances humour with poignancy as it recounts the personal and professional struggles of the comedian trying to make it in the industry. Haddish’s irreverent style reveals a big heart and a desire to open the door to other marginalized comedians. Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey (http://www.birdsofpreymovie.net) centres a morally ambiguous female anti-he...
Ep 36 - Karena & Kasey's Foreign Flavours and Jojo Rabbit
January 31, 2020 05:15 - 27 minutes - 26.2 MBIn this episode, Lin's fallen in love with Karena & Kasey’s Foreign Flavours, a perfectly binge-able travel and food show on CBC Gem (https://gem.cbc.ca/season/karena-kaseys-foreign-flavours/season-1/1d6abffa-a00e-4192-9d55-5c78a49cfbff). Come for the enticing culinary tours these two Maori sisters from New Zealand experience, and stay for the rad haircuts and lovely sisterly relationship. Meanwhile, Margrit's family enjoyed the satirical comedy Jojo Rabbit (https://www.tiff.net/events/joj...
Ep 35 - Brotopia and Russian Doll
January 17, 2020 14:15 - 30 minutes - 29 MBEmily Chang’s Brotopia (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/547571/brotopia-by-emily-chang/) exposes the toxic monoculture of masculinity in the Silicon Valley. For Lin, it solidifies the conviction that journalists make compelling arguments in good stories backed up by a wealth of examples, so she recommends the book not just as an example of the perniciousness of promoting sameness, but for its energetic style. Many good reviews have persuaded Margrit to go back to watching Russian D...
Ep 34 - A Look Back and A Look Forward
January 03, 2020 05:15 - 32 minutes - 30.8 MBWe take stock and look forward in this New Year’s episode. Lin talks about the lasting mark Tanya Talaga’s Seven Fallen Feathers (Episode 7: https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-3zipj-a30adc) left on her consciousness as a settler in Canada. It fuels Lin’s resolve to attempt a zero-waste lifestyle in the year to come. Margrit remembers Tales of City (Episode 20: https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-7dnnq-b5490f) fondly and rejoices in being immersed in young-adult literature for the care and empathy it ...
Ep 33 - Dora and the Lost City of Gold and Cub
December 20, 2019 12:26 - 27 minutes - 26.5 MBLin appreciated the cultural respect that went into centering a Latina character and story in the movie Dora and the Lost City of Gold (https://www.paramountmovies.com/movies/dora-and-the-lost-city-of-gold). The film uses a fictional myth instead of appropriating existing ones, while the title-character actor drew on relatives for language coaching, and the result is a highly enjoyable adventure film. Hi-lo is a publishing category for stories that present high-interest themes to struggling...
Ep 32 - Love Boat: Taiwan and Lucifer
December 06, 2019 05:15 - 39 minutes - 37.5 MBLove Boat: Taiwan (https://www.loveboat-taiwan.com/about) is a documentary showcasing the experience of diasporic Chinese and Taiwanese youth who took part in one of the longest-running summer programs in the world. Lin recounts her own experiences and juxtaposes them with the documentary interviewees’ while also providing a historical & political background for context. What are the implications of retelling the same stories over and over? Grounded in the Netflix show Lucifer (https://www....
Ep 31 - Queer Eye in Japan and The Good Place
November 22, 2019 05:15 - 37 minutes - 34.8 MBQueer Eye in Japan (https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/81075744) straddles a fine line between imposing an eminently Western view onto relationships and approaching their makeover subjects with compassion and a genuine desire to resolve their problems. The Good Place (https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/80113701) is on the surface a feel-good comedy, but it has interesting things to say about refashioning the Western storytelling structure based on conflict. Join the conversation on Twitter at ...
Ep 30 - Rice Asian Comedy Showcase and Daria
November 08, 2019 05:15 - 33 minutes - 31.2 MBLin has enjoyed the Rice comedy show (https://www.vongshow.com), a monthly event ( https://www.facebook.com/events/545385056239991/) that showcases Asian stand-up comedians. With particular panache, the comedians present relatable aspects of the Asian immigrant experience in a hilarious way that made Lin vow she’ll be a regular from now on. In the meantime, Margrit is re-living their youth by watching Daria on Crave (https://www.crave.ca/en/tv-shows/daria). Pre-immigration Margrit learned f...
Ep 29 - Girls on Porn and End-of-Life Stories
October 25, 2019 05:15 - 39 minutes - 36.8 MBLin introduces us to the Girls on Porn Podcast (https://headgum.com/girls-on-porn), which delivers matter-of-fact reviews, analysis, and interviews on porn, helping demystify the genre and identify feminist and ethical porn. Margrit talks about two end-of-life stories: Emma Healey’s best-selling and award-winning Elizabeth Is Missing(https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/234846/elizabeth-is-missing-by-emma-healey) challenges both our prejudices and the mystery genre by showcasing a senior...
Ep 28 - Chinese Canadian Archives and Wilder Girls
October 11, 2019 05:15 - 20 minutes - 19.5 MBLin visits Plum Blossom from the Bitter Cold: Selections from the Chinese Canadian Archive (https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEVT407024&R=EVT407024). It is an exhibit featuring photographs, official documents, and journals of Chinese immigrants who lived in Canada hundreds of years ago. Margrit ventures into a new genre with Wilder Girls by Rory Power (https://itsrorypower.com/books/wilder-girls/). A thriller/horror story, the novel comments on society's perception of y...
Ep 27 - Interview with Tamsen Parker
September 27, 2019 05:15 - 47 minutes - 44.6 MBWe chat with USA Today bestselling author Tamsen Parker about writing political romance, ensuring diverse representation in publishing, and being an introvert in the era of personal branding. Warning: there’s a lot of honest talk, laughter, and even one F-bomb. Proceed at own risk. Find Tamsen online at: http://tamsenparker.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/tamsenparker Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tamsenparker Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authortamsenparker/ Join the conversa...
Ep 26 - Mr. Iglesias and Blown Away
September 13, 2019 05:15 - 32 minutes - 30.9 MBIn this PODVERSARY!-Episode, we have a conversation about diversity, the pressure on successful marginalized people to represent their identity and educate the public, and the hierarchy between high and commercial art. Lin brings up the sitcom Mr. Iglesias (https://www.netflix.com/title/80209013) and Margrit talks about the reality competition Blown Away (https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/80215147) on Netflix. Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstorie...
Ep 25 - Interview with 'Nathan Burgoine
August 30, 2019 05:15 - 56 minutes - 52.8 MBSpecial guest, 'Nathan Burgoine, joins Lin and Margrit in this episode to chat about diversity in speculative fiction, found families, working with queer youth, and how to be better allies. 'Nathan Burgoine is a tall queer guy who mostly writes shorter queer stories, though he's somehow up to four novels now. Regardless of length, his happy place is queer stories with speculative elements. Light, his debut, was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award, and his most recent, Exit Plans for Tee...
Ep 24 - Treasures of a Desert Kingdom and Friday Black
August 16, 2019 05:15 - 25 minutes - 24.4 MBLin raves about the ROM special exhibit Treasures of a Desert Kingdom: The Royal Arts of Jodhpur, India (https://www.rom.on.ca/en/exhibitions-galleries/exhibitions/rajasthan). The exhibit features beautiful artifacts and opportunities for interactivity and learning about India’s rich history through one of its former kingdoms, Jodhpur. Margrit recommends the short story collection Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (https://www.nanakwameadjei-brenyah.com/friday-black-1) that mixes spe...
Ep 23 - Food Edition: Tibetan Momos
August 02, 2019 05:15 - 40 minutes - 37.8 MBThis special “WoS: Food Edition” episode centres on momos, the Tibetan dumplings that started it all. We chat about the tumultuous Tibetan history, its culinary traditions and diasporic influences, and we cap it all off by enjoying many delicious momos at the annual Momo Crawl (https://www.blogto.com/events/momo-crawl-to-2019-toronto/) organized by Students for a Free Tibet (https://www.sftcanada.org/) in Toronto’s Little Tibet. Brace for many happy-belly noises! Join the conversation on Tw...
Ep 22 - Interview with Dr. Ann Gagné
July 19, 2019 05:15 - 44 minutes - 41.5 MBWe chat with Dr. Ann Gagné (https://twitter.com/AnnGagne; http://allthingspedagogical.blogspot.com) about access and inclusion in post-secondary education and in the wider world. Ann contextualizes her doctoral research on how Victorians used touch and tactility as code for queer relationships. Ann’s reading recommendations include Zalika Reid-Benta’s Flying Plantain (https://houseofanansi.com/products/frying-plantain) and Jon Macy’s Teleny and Camille (https://northwestpress.com/shop/teleny...
Ep 21 - Becoming and No One Can Pronounce My Name
July 05, 2019 05:15 - 28 minutes - 27.1 MBMichelle Obama’s Becoming (https://becomingmichelleobama.com/) is an inspiring and candid memoir that does not flinch away from the hard decisions she’s had to take or the political opinions she had not expressed as a First Lady. Rakesh Satyal’s No One Can Pronounce My Name (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250112125) shows a way to do the work of compassion and love for our fellow humans, so we eschew the knee-jerk reaction of fear and mistrust of difference. Join the conversation on Tw...
Ep 20 - The Indian Detective and Tales of the City
June 21, 2019 05:15 - 23 minutes - 22.8 MBLin enjoyed Netflix’s The Indian Detective (https://www.netflix.com/title/80190279) in which Russell Peters brings his irreverent brand of self-deprecating humour to a cop show full of mishaps and cultural commentary. Margrit raves about Netflix’s Tales of the City (https://www.netflix.com/title/80211563) and its nuanced depiction of the different lives of it diverse queer characters. Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at [email protected].
Ep 19 - Sex & Love and Young Voices Magazine
June 07, 2019 05:15 - 29 minutes - 28 MBLin enjoyed Netflix’s Sex and Love around the World (https://www.netflix.com/title/81011682), which showcases Christiane Amanpour interviewing people in six big cities about their love- and sex-lives. It’s a refreshing and honest look at cultural views of these taboo topics and Amanpour serious demeanour allows for frank and interesting conversations. Margrit discusses Toronto Public Library’s annual Young Voices (https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/teens/young-voices.jsp) publication, whic...
Ep 18 - Interview with Ekaterine Xia
May 24, 2019 05:15 - 36 minutes - 34.1 MBWhile in Taipei, Lin interviews author Ekaterine Xia. They chat about being third culture kids and the importance of food to the Taiwanese identity. About Ekaterine Xia: Born in Taiwan and raised abroad, Ekaterine is a first generation immigrant third culture kid. If push comes to shove, Somerville Massachusetts is home. She's currently living in Taiwan. Ekaterine studied psychology in undergrad and has started a Masters in interpretation and translation. She is a self-published author...
Ep 17 - Tao People of Lanyu and My Sister, the Serial Killer
May 10, 2019 05:15 - 29 minutes - 27.6 MBAs Lin returns from her trip to Taiwan, she shares a little about what she learned of the Tao people, an indigenous group from Lanyu Island off the coast of Taiwan (https://lanyu.land/category/people/). Her stories highlight the objectification of people when they become tourist attractions. Margrit did some traveling through books when they read My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (https://oyinkanbraithwaite.com/about-the-book/). In the book, older sister Korede is a nurse...
Ep 16 - Sour Heart and My Brother's Husband
April 26, 2019 05:15 - 25 minutes - 24.6 MBSour Heart by Jenny Zhang (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/545731/sour-heart-by-jenny-zhang/9780399589409/) is a collection of short stories about Chinese immigrant families in 1980’s and 1990’s New York City. The stories are told from the perspectives of the daughter in each family, showcasing the challenges of immigration on marriages, parenting, cultural identity, and belonging. The stories closely mirrored Lin's own immigrant experience, which made the book touching and difficul...
Ep 15 - The Feels and Darius the Great is Not Okay
April 12, 2019 05:15 - 25 minutes - 24.3 MBThe Feels (https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/80222256) is a Netflix movie about a lesbian bachelorette party that goes awry when one of the brides admits she's never had an orgasm! It's a comedy with very dry humor that sucker punched Lin with all the feelings right at the very end. She recommends it! Adib Khorram’s Darius the Great Is Not Okay (https://adibkhorram.com/) is a YA novel about a mixed raced teenager who discovers more about his Iranian identity. It delves into the difficult top...
Ep 14 - Captain Marvel and I'm Afraid of Men
March 29, 2019 05:15 - 23 minutes - 22.6 MBLin ventures out of her apartment and braves the real world to see Captain Marvel (https://www.marvel.com/movies/captain-marvel) in the theatre! She enjoyed it and didn't understand why some reviews were negative; let's face it, it's probably because of misogyny. Margrit read I'm Afraid of Men by Vivek Shraya (https://vivekshraya.com/projects/writing/im-afraid-of-men/), who is a multi-platform artist. She writes fiction and non-fiction, composes and performs music, and as Margrit can attes...
Ep 13 - History is Gay and The Poet X
March 15, 2019 05:15 - 21 minutes - 20.7 MBLast month, the publisher Little Brown announced they would publish a problematic book that misgenders a historical figure. When called out on it, the publisher and the author doubled down on their position. In December 2018, an article appeared in the Romance Writer's Report criticizing historicals for romanticizing white supremacy. The article garnered backlash from authors who felt they had creative license to write whatever they want, including only tragic endings for people of color and...
Ep 12 - Heritage Journey and Dating Around
March 01, 2019 05:15 - 24 minutes - 23.5 MBIn the documentary Heritage Journey (https://youtu.be/dpMsvc2_fXY, https://youtu.be/MJKxu6x7e50), Rondel Holder shows how the popular trend of DNA testing can be illuminating for African Americans whose specific ancestry may have been lost in the Transatlantic slave trade. Lin recommends this informative and thought-provoking documentary. The concept for Netflix’s non-scripted Dating Around (https://www.netflix.com/title/80204889) is five first dates, but only one second date for a protagon...
Ep 11 - Carmen Sandiego and Front Desk
February 15, 2019 05:15 - 18 minutes - 18.2 MBIf you’ve grown up playing Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, Lin wants you to know that you can relive its delights with Netflix’s eponymous new series (https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/80167821). It brings entertaining geography lessons alongside fun and dynamic adventures which prove Carmen to be a thief with a heart of gold. Kelly Yang’s middle-grade novel Front Desk (https://www.frontdeskthebook.com/) features the so-called “sandwich generation” of Chinese immigrants who came to N...
Ep 10 - Netflix Comedy Specials & Heidi Heilig's YA Duology
February 01, 2019 12:59 - 23 minutes - 22 MBLin has been enjoying Netflix comedy specials and she recommends a number of shows that tackle immigration and cultural translation with humour and panache. Such as Maz Jobrani’s Immigrant, Vir Das’s Abroad Understanding and Losing It, Gabriel Iglesias’s I’m Sorry For What I Said When I Was Hungry, Hari Kondabolu’s Warn Your Relatives, Mo Amer’s The Vegabond, Ali Wong’s Baby Cobra and Hard Knock Wife, Gina Yashere’s Laughing to America and Skinny Bitch, and Tig Notaro’s Happy To Be Here and ...
Ep 10 - Netflix Comedy Specials & Heidi Heilig's YA Duology
February 01, 2019 12:59 - 23 minutes - 22 MBLin has been enjoying Netflix comedy specials and she recommends a number of shows that tackle immigration and cultural translation with humour and panache. Such as Maz Jobrani’s Immigrant, Vir Das’s Abroad Understanding and Losing It, Gabriel Iglesias’s I’m Sorry For What I Said When I Was Hungry, Hari Kondabolu’s Warn Your Relatives, Mo Amer’s The Vegabond, Ali Wong’s Baby Cobra and Hard Knock Wife, Gina Yashere’s Laughing to America and Skinny Bitch, and Tig Notaro’s Happy To Be Here and ...
Episode 9 - Interview with Jackie Lau, plus Crazy Rich Asians, and Outrageous Acts of Science
January 18, 2019 05:01 - 48 minutes - 45.1 MBJackie Lau (https://jackielaubooks.com, https://twitter.com/JackieLauBooks, https://www.instagram.com/jackielaubooks/) joins us for a lively conversation. We talk about indie vs. traditional publishing, writing ethnically diverse characters respectfully, writing humour that eschews damaging stereotypes, and having a great sense of place in a story. Margrit watched Outrageous Acts of Science (https://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/outrageous-acts-of-science/) because hashtag children on hol...
Episode 8 - The Fosters and Hidden Figures
January 04, 2019 05:01 - 20 minutes - 19.3 MBLin has been bingeing The Fosters on Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/70281526), and she recommends it for broad representation of diversity, in terms of race/ethnicity, gender and sexual identity, as well as disability. It doesn’t hurt that the writers have nailed the dramatic structure, so that each episode ends on a cliff hanger. You have no choice but to binge-watch! In the mean time, Margrit has caught up to 2016! They watched finally watched Hidden Figures (https://www.foxmov...
Episode 7 - Seven Fallen Feathers and Echo
December 21, 2018 05:00 - 23 minutes - 22.3 MBTanya Talaga’s non-fiction book Seven Fallen Feathers illustrates the vicious confluence of racist attitudes and a colonizing culture through the stories of seven indigenous children who died in similar circumstances in Thunder Bay, Ontario. We talk about how much of the history and reality of indigenous people living in Canada is still obscured and rendered invisible today. Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan weaves the fictional stories of three musically gifted children who live in politically charge...
Episode 6 - Green Book Revisited, Care Work, and Disability Kid Lit
December 06, 2018 05:00 - 32 minutes - 30.3 MBWe revisit Green Book, and discuss how marginalized people—or parts of a marginalized existence—are left out of mainstream stories told from a more privileged perspective. Lin rejoices in the rich conversations about disability at the launch of Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha. Margrit brings up some middle-grade novels featuring disabled protagonists. In some of them, living with disability is the main plot point, e.g., El Deafo by Cece Bell, Out ...
Episode 5 - Charlotte Gray's 2018 Harold Innis Lecture and Less
November 23, 2018 05:00 - 22 minutes - 21.4 MBLin went to the promisingly titled “Telling Stories in the Age of Historical Amnesia” 2018 Harold Innis Lecture at the University of Toronto, and found it did not live up to the expectations. Charlotte Gray, a highly acclaimed author of historical non-fiction, insisted on the need to understand and critique events in their historical context. We found it troubling when Gray used as an illustrative example the removal of the statue of John A. MacDonald, Canada’s first prime minister, from in ...
Episode 4 - Happiness and Dating You/Hating You
November 08, 2018 05:00 - 25 minutes - 24.6 MBHope in trying times. Margrit finds refuge in Thích Nhất Hạnh’s book Happiness that combines meditation practices by the renowned Buddhist monk and activist with anecdotes from his daily life. We chat about the West’s penchant for appropriating spiritual practices like meditation and yoga and stripping them of their roots. Lin’s quest turns sour when the rom-com she chooses, Dating You/Hating You by Christina Lauren, turns out to be a study in barely challenged sexism. With a heroine who’s ...
Episode 3 - Everything I Never Told You and The Marvels
October 26, 2018 05:00 - 24 minutes - 23.5 MBLin liked Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You for its complex and unflinching portrayal of life as a racialized minority in 70’s America. The well-crafted story elicits strong emotions through the interwoven narrative strands that revolve around coping with grief and with oppressive social dynamics. Another interwoven narrative, Brian Selznick’s The Marvels is a touching middle-grade story set against the background of the AIDS crisis in the early nineties. Margrit loved it for the way...