Podcasts by Fainting Couch Feminists
Writer and musician Mica Lemiski interviews women and non-binary artists about a range of topics (gender! politics! love! literature!) in a podcast best-suited to bitches, witches, and anyone who's ever been called "hysterical."
Further podcasts by Room Magazine
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A Bunch of Women Talk About Important Things from 2020-01-27T08:00:30
Over the past 2.333 years there have been some amazing and super sweet guests on Fainting Couch Feminists! This episode is an audio highlight reel, featuring snippets from some of the best convos h...
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The Love Episode feat. Mandy Len Catron and Carrie Jenkins (Re-release) from 2020-01-20T08:00:10
We went back into the archives for an oldie but greatie! Join Mica as she chats with love experts Mandy Len Catron and Carrie Jenkins about love sweet love. Together, they answer questions from lis...
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Love & Death & Magic feat. Cara Nelissen from 2020-01-13T08:00:26
Poet Cara Nelissen's writing explores desire—but not the grand, romantic, gotta-have-you-now kind. She's more interested in pining, unrequited wanting, and the kind of bleeding love that makes us a...
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Have Yourself a Merry Little Whatever. from 2019-12-16T19:51:55
In this seasonally-driven solo episode, Mica lays on the table all her varied feelings about the holidays and attempts to charm you with stories of Christmas magic and mayhem. She discusses the ver...
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Powerful, Terrifying Brains: Brandi Bird Talks Psychosis and OCD from 2019-12-09T09:00:13
Three years ago, Brandi Bird began experiencing some terrifying delusions. They believed their neighbour was building a bomb, their step-mom had been replaced, and people everywhere were out to har...
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I'm Still Processing: Saffron A Talks Trauma, Songwriting, and Shaving Her Head from 2019-12-02T09:00:13
Musician Saffron A has always been an outsider. A songwriter with a clear sense of self, Saffron's clarity of purpose has often isolated her from the "in-crowd" but left her with a ton of creative ...
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Are We All Just Pervs?: Jess Taylor Talks Female Desire and Taboo from 2019-11-25T09:00:13
Jess Taylor's new short story collection, "Just Pervs," explores women's desire and sexual taboo in strange, wonderful, necessary ways. In this ep, Jess and Mica talk about why we rarely think of w...
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Expectation Vs. Reality: Caitlyn Sponheimer Talks Romance, Role-Playing, and Selling Used Underwear from 2019-11-18T20:06:28
Caitlyn Sponheimer is a writer, filmmaker, and actor whose new movie, April in Autumn, explores the tension between fantasy and reality in grand romance narratives. Even if we dream of so-called "g...
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The Horror of Sweetness: Mona Awad Talks Performing Cuteness and Power in 'Bunny' from 2019-11-11T09:00:14
Mona Awad is the author of Thirteen Ways of Looking At A Fat Girl as well as the new bestseller, Bunny, which dives into the sweet horror of mean-girl-groups in a truly dark setting: grad school. I...
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Girls Need Not Apply: Kelly Thompson Talks Sexism and Life in the Military from 2019-11-04T09:00:12
Kelly S Thompson is writer and former Captain in the Canadian Armed forces. She's also the author of the brilliant new memoir, "Girls Need Not Apply," which delves into the highs and lows of her ex...
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How to Build a Feminist City feat. Urban Geographer Leslie Kern from 2019-10-28T08:00:12
Leslie Kern has a career you've probably never heard of but definitely need to know about! She's an urban feminist geographer and she's here to discuss why and how cities were literally not built t...
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Killer Content: Showrunner Alexandra Cunningham Talks TV Writing and True Crime from 2019-10-21T09:00:12
Power guest alert! Alexandra Cunningham is a showrunner, writer, and producer best known for her work on Desperate Housewives and, most recently, Bravo's Dirty John, where she is the showrunner aka...
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Can Love Survive A Terminal Illness? feat. Alison Acheson from 2019-10-07T06:00:34
Alison Acheson is a writer and teacher whose latest book, Dance Me to the End, is a memoir of her time caregiving her husband, Marty, through ALS. In this episode Mica and Alison tackle questions l...
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Everyone's a Critic: Chandler Levack Talks Filmmaking and Cancelled Culture from 2019-09-30T09:00:14
Chandler Levack is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker who is in love with Jonah Hill! (She interviewed him and the chemistry was HOT.) Chandler is here to talk about how being a film critic ...
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Let's Talk About DEATH feat. Elee Kraljii Gardiner from 2019-09-23T09:00:06
It's terrifying and abstract and it's coming for us all! That's right: we're talking DEATH, a subject Elle Kraljii Gardiner knows intimately, having been through multiple near death experiences her...
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I've Escaped My Arranged Marriage—Now What?: Samra Habib Talks Queer Muslim Identity from 2019-09-16T09:00:15
Writer and photographer Samra Habib was only 16 when she married her cousin (not by choice). Now she's here to talk about her memoir, "We Have Always Been Here," which follows Samra as she fights t...
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How Should We Respond to "Compliments" From Male Strangers? from 2019-09-02T09:00:15
In this solo episode, Mica discusses the dilemma of unsolicited attention from men. How do you get out of a conversation you never wanted to be a part of in the first place? A quick exit should be ...
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Braless Freedom, Purity Balls, and the Kardashian Empire feat. Lori Lansens from 2019-08-26T09:00:15
New York Times bestselling author Lori Lansens is here! In this ep, we discuss Lori's new book (This Little Light, out now) in relation to some anti-feminist atrocities such as Purity Balls (GROSS)...
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Hello I Want to Die Please Fix Me: Anna Mehler Paperny Talks Depression and Suicide from 2019-08-12T09:00:05
Award-winning journalist Anna Mehler Paperny is here to discuss her new book, "Hello I Want to Die Please Fix Me," an absolutely must-read that chronicles her multiple suicide attempts, subsequent ...
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Is Fast Fashion Consuming Us?: Jael Richardson On Her 360-Day Shopping Detox from 2019-08-05T09:00:15
Shopping is FUN. More tops! More dresses! More shoes! But how do we know when our love of shopping is becoming a problem, either in a personal or a larger, cultural sense? Writer, radio host, and s...
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Girls Who Gig: Rachel Jansen Talks Mushroom Picking, Freelance Life, and Peeing in the Woods from 2019-07-29T09:00:05
The fabulous Rachel Jansen is back! Last year, Rachel went on a mushroom picking escapade to make some sweet cash and she’s here to answer some juicy questions like: why are people so obsessed with...
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We're Addicted But We're Trying: Anne T. Donahue Talks Twitter, Alcohol, and Body Image from 2019-07-22T09:00:14
Anne T. Donahue is a writer, funny person, and pop culture critic who is here to chat about so many things we hysterical women care about! In this ep, Mica and Anne discuss intersections such as: p...
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Twats, Tots, and Biological Clocks: Sara Graefe Talks Queer Conception and Motherhood from 2019-07-15T09:00:24
Conceiving a child isn't always a romantic process—especially for queer folks. There are doctors, donors, crinkly hospital gowns, stirrups (nooooo), and about a million questions you and your partn...
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The Feminist Anthems You Need on Your Playlist This Summer from 2019-07-08T09:00:09
Summer is here and it's time to pump up some juicy jams! In this episode, Mica celebrates her love of pop by breaking down some summer bangers (Lizzo! Miley! Tove Lo!) that will lift you up and mak...
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Sex, Desire, and Power Moves: Lisa Taddeo On the Sex Lives of Ordinary Women from 2019-07-02T09:00:09
Lisa Taddeo is an American journalist and writer who spent the last eight years of her life studying how women and men navigate desire. The product of her research is the highly-anticipated "Three ...
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Performative Vs. Productive Allyship: A Taylor Swift Deep-Dive from 2019-06-24T09:00:09
Mica basks in the afterglow of the Aly & AJ concert (which was amazing and a childhood fantasy come true) and launches into a discussion of allyship, activism, and our girl Taylor Swift, whose new...
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What Makes A Social Movement Successful?: Linda Hirshman Talks The Battle Against Sexual Harassment from 2019-06-17T09:00:16
New Yorks Times bestselling author and social change historian Linda Hirshman is here to discuss her new book, Reckoning: The Epic Battle Against Sexual Abuse And Harassment, which chronicles 50 ye...
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Everything You Need To Know About Abortion Rights in the US and Canada from 2019-06-03T18:10:59
What exactly is happening with all this anti-abortion action in the US? Can states like Alabama really criminalize abortion, and what will happen if Roe v. Wade is overturned? Will Canada be impact...
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I Smoked Weed And Saw THE VOID: The Menace of Anxiety + Drugs from 2019-05-27T17:54:34
Anxiety is a bitch. So are drugs, apparently. A recent and terrifying experience with "greening out" causes Mica to take a look inward and unpack why her recent mental health has been a little shak...
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Life After Sexual Assault feat. Jen Sookfong Lee and Stacey May Fowles from 2019-05-21T07:00:27
We're still talking about sexual assault because it's still happening. And although the #MeToo movement has motivated us to have important conversations about sexual violence and trauma, we hardly ...
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Shrill, PEN15, Fleabag, and the Feminist TV We're Loving feat. Jocelyn Tennant from 2019-05-13T20:55:01
Friend and TV writing goddess Jocelyn Tennant is back! This week Mica and Joss are chatting about all things TV, with a focus on three shows (Shrill, Pen15, and Fleabag) that they are currently obs...
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What It Means To Say "I Love You" To Friends from 2019-05-06T09:00:39
Mica recently interviewed a lot of men about platonic love, and how they feel about saying "I love you" to their friends, and she is here to unpack her findings! Are there differences in how men an...
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Are We Unhappier Than Ever?: 94-Year-Old Cardy Raper Talks Science, Sex, and Political Unrest from 2019-04-29T09:00:19
Cardy Raper is a 94-year-old mycologist (basically, a mushroom scientist) who trail-blazed her way into a biology career when women scientists were almost unheard-of. In this episode, Cardy chats w...
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That Time I Chased A Boy Overseas: Prioritizing Romantic Love as a Feminist from 2019-04-23T21:12:34
There's a common misconception that being a "real feminist" means prioritizing your career over your romantic life, but Mica is here to discuss why that's a load of bunk! Part of being a feminist i...
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The Power of Women's Anger feat. Soraya Chemaly from 2019-04-15T09:00:34
Soraya Chemaly is the author of the critically-acclaimed book, Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Womens’ Anger, and that’s exactly what we’re talking about today: women’s anger, its power, and why thi...
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Our Identities Are Continuous: Alix Ohlin Discusses Building a Life As a Writer from 2019-04-08T09:00:22
Alix Ohlin has a very impressive resume. She completed her BA at Harvard, her MFA at the Michener's Center for Writers in Texas, and she's currently the Chair of the UBC Creative Writing Department...
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How Can I Do This Story Justice?: Katie Douglas Talks Acting Traumatic Narratives from 2019-04-01T21:18
Katie Douglas's acting career began when she was just six years old, meaning she's been a part of the adult world for much longer than most 20-year-olds. She's starred in films that navigate diffic...
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The Money is in the Hustle feat. Sharon Bala from 2019-03-18T08:00:38
Award-winning writer and novelist Sharon Bala is here! In this episode, we chat about how Sharon makes a living as a full-time writer and break down which sources of income are actually the most pr...
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This One Looks Like A Boy: Lorimer Shenher Discusses His Gender Journey from 2019-03-11T08:00:28
Born female, Lorimer knew he was a boy from the time he was only four or five years old. But Lorimer did not fully come to terms with his transness until he was 50 years old, at which point he chos...
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Does This Pain in My Head Mean I'm Dying?: Catastrophizing About Illness from 2019-03-04T09:00:33
Do you ever experience strange pains in your head (or your chest or other areas where vital organs are kept)and read them as signals of your imminent death? You are not alone! Join Mica as she reco...
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Advice From A Kombucha Mother: Jessica Johns Talks Reciprocal Living from 2019-02-25T09:00:26
Jessica Johns is perhaps the ultimate Kombucha mother, and she's here to explain exactly what Kombucha is, how her brewing practice creates community, and what it really means to live symbiotically...
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How to Turn Your Passion Into A Career feat. Naomi Snieckus from 2019-02-18T09:00:25
Acclaimed actor and comedian Naomi Snieckus is here to give all the dreamers and doers out there a big hit of "don't give up." In this morale-boosting conversation, Naomi chats with Mica about how ...
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Please Don't Serenade Me Atop A Cliff: A Valentine's PSA from 2019-02-11T09:00:15
In this Valentine's Spectacular, Mica dissects the culture's various feelings towards V-day and dives into her personal history with this truly embarrassing holiday. She also reflects on her first-...
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Advice We'd Give Our High School Selves feat. Stacey Lambert from 2019-02-04T08:07:40
One of Mica's all-time favourite people (Stacey Lambert, a videographer, dog fanatic, and feminist superhero) is here to share what advice she'd give her teenaged self, which basically boils down t...
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How Our Mothers Impact Our Sex Lives feat. Joyce McFadden from 2019-01-28T09:00:23
Joyce McFadden is a psychoanalyst and the author of Modern Mothering, a book that explains how our relationships with our mothers affect our sexuality, as well as how the ways we learned about sex ...
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A Little Pop Culture, A Little Gay, A Little Spiritual feat. Estlin McPhee from 2019-01-18T09:00:25
Estlin Mcphee is a writer who grew up in the Bible Belt of B.C. in an Evangelical Christian household, and whose first queer role model was the fabulous and culturally disruptive George Michael. In...
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I Am Manifesting Some New Years Resolutions (Maybe) from 2019-01-11T09:00:25
Do you think New Years resolutions are dumb and pointless? Maybe they are, but still, what's the harm in trying to be THE BEST YOU? (That might be the cringiest thing I've ever written but let's dr...
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It's Christmas and I'm Overthinking Everything from 2018-12-21T09:00:25
Mica was going to do a fun, light-hearted, holiday-themed episode but that didn't really end up happening. A recent nighttime interaction with a male stranger prompts her to recount times she has t...
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Life As a TV Writer: Sophie Buddle Tells Us How She Scored a Comedy Writing Job At 24 from 2018-12-14T09:00:35
Sophie Buddle has been a performing stand-up comedy since she was only 15, and after 9 years of grinding it out at open mics and comedy shows, she's now a writer for CBC's sketch comedy series, Thi...
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My Brain Feels Weird: Rachel Jansen Talks OCD and Anxiety from 2018-12-07T09:00:17
We all want our brains to feel good, but sometimes they are stubborn and silly and uncooperative and BLEGH WHY. Writer and wonder-woman Rachel Jansen knows all about this, and she's hear to give us...
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The Patriarch Has Died (Literally) And I'm Sad from 2018-11-30T09:00:04
Mica discusses the recent passing of one of her all-time favourite patriarchs, Donald, aka her grandfather, aka "the charismatic misogynist," who is proof that you can love some wholeheartedly whil...
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Gross Femininity: Molly Cross-Blanchard Talks Pussies, Farts, and Masturbation from 2018-11-23T09:00:44
The hilarious and bouyant Molly Cross-Blanchard is here to talk about how we're all gross, and why that grossness is important to recognize honestly. Molly and Mica chat about the innate humour of ...
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How To Make a Living As a Writer in your 20's from 2018-11-16T15:00:18
In this solo episode, Mica tells us how she makes the big bucks (spoiler alert: she does not make big bucks, but she does OK) through a combination of freelance writing, podcasting, and Christmas e...
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How to Have a Feminist Wedding feat. Mallory Tater from 2018-11-02T14:00:13
All-star guest and friend Mallory Tater is back to discuss the glory of matrimony and how she and poet-husband Curtis Leblanc pulled off the most spectacularly woke engagement and wedding probably ...
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I'm Cute, But Also Political: Celina K. Discusses the Power of Pop Music from 2018-10-26T17:00:13
“Don’t be such a snob about pop music!” could also be the title of this episode, which features Vancouver pop princess Celina K., also known as the musical act “future star.” Celina and I chat abou...
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When Your Book Becomes A Movie feat. Eden Robinson from 2018-10-19T18:01:08
Acclaimed author and wonderful human Eden Robinson is here to discuss what it's like to have your book turned into a movie! Eden chats with Mica about what a mind trip it is to visit a film set and...
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We Oughta Know About Buffy Sainte-Marie: Andrea Warner Discusses A Musical Icon from 2018-10-12T09:01:18
Buffy Sainte-Marie is a musical phenom, Indigenous activist, folk hero, and overall powerhouse who has been revolutionizing the Canadian music scene—whether we know it or not—since the early 60s. S...
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Should We Stop Calling Masculinity Toxic?: Vivek Shraya Talks Men, Transness, and Self-Love from 2018-10-05T16:00:29
Vivek Shraya's new bestseller, "I'm Afraid of Men," was called "cultural rocket fuel" by Variety—and for good reason. On this episode, Vivek chats with Mica about what inspired the book and its att...
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Body Hair is Sexy: Adèle Barclay Discusses Furry Women from 2018-09-28T09:00:39
The radiant poet Adèle Barclay is here to discuss furry armpits, fuzzy legs, pretty pubes, and why having hair makes her feel feral and alive! Adèle is all about the pursuit of joy, and shaving jus...
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Trump's America Vs. Real America: Laura Anne Harris Talks About Life as a Professional Eavesdropper from 2018-09-21T09:00:36
Laura Anne Harris is a solo performer whose latest show, "Destiny USA," is based on her experiences working as a relay operator for the deaf and hard of hearing. The conversations she heard from st...
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Neo Nazis, Women's Marches, and Serena Williams: Lutze Segu talks Intersectional Feminism from 2018-09-14T09:00:26
This is an alarm clock of an episode because it will wake you up—especially if you've ever claimed to be an "Intersectional Feminist." Lutze Segu is a multi-issue social justice activist and practi...
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Peep Shows and Pornos: Alexandra Bischoff's Absurd, Intimate Performance Art from 2018-09-07T05:00:16
In this absurd and sensual episode, dear friend and performance artist Alexandra Bischoff joins Mica to chat about her former job at The Fantasy Factory (Canada's oldest sex shop franchise) and how...
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Fat Suits, Airbrushing, and the Shortcomings of #BodyPositive: A Convo with Megan and Jocelyn from 2018-08-15T05:35:46
Today we're talking bodies. Friends of the podcast Jocelyn Tennant (a screenwriter and short fiction writer) and Megan Jones (a model and poet)join Mica in a conversation about how our experiences...
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I'm All Worked-Up About Bikinis and Their Terrifying History from 2018-08-09T21:23:55
Mica blazes through the (literally) nuclear history of bikinis, what they have come to mean culturally, and why tiny bathing suits can be simultaneously liberating and oppressive. Mica also delves ...
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How to Get A Book Deal When You're 26 feat. Mallory Tater from 2018-08-02T19:18:54
Mallory Tater's debut novel, The Birth Yard, has just been contracted by Harper Collins and she's here to answer the question of HOW DO YOU DO THAT? She's also here to remind us that just because T...
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Dina Del Bucchia: Everything We Love and Hate About Rom Coms and Marriage from 2018-07-16T01:21:39
For better or for worse, it's wedding season! This love fest features Dina Del Bucchia, a writer, rom com expert, and self-identified small town bitch. Dina chats with Mica about how romance is rep...
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Alea Rae Clark: The Power of Sadness, Androgyny, and Art Rock from 2018-06-14T21:45:44
This episode features Alea Rae Clark, a singer, lyricist, and guitarist in the band Douse. Alea chats with Mica about why they transitioned away from their image as "front-woman" and how identifyin...
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Alba Sotorra: How an All-Female Battalion is Revolutionizing Syria from 2018-05-14T02:35:20
This episode features an interview with Spanish filmmaker and documentarian Alba Sotorra. Alba's latest film, Commander Arian, follows the title character and her journey alongside the Women's Prot...
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Mozhdah: Risking Her Life for Feminism from 2018-04-16T01:56:53
This episode features Mozhdah Jamalzadah, an Afghan-Canadian pop-singer and talk show host deemed "Afghanistan's Oprah" by Time Magazine. In this interview, Mozhdah chats with host Mica about what ...
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She's Just So "Her": Live with Katie-Ellen Humphries! from 2018-03-15T02:31:18
Live from the back room of R&B brewing, comedian Katie-Ellen Humphries joins host Mica Lemiski to chat about the different roles we perform—whether on stage, through our art, or in our everyday liv...
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It's Time to Un-White from 2018-02-14T23:14:16
Alicia Elliot joins Mica on the couch to discuss why seeing yourself and your community lovingly represented in literature is so important, and also why colonialism sucks. Also included: Alicia rev...
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Now What?: After #MeToo from 2018-01-15T09:03:38
Sooo . . . now what? It's the question on everybody's mind, and here to help us sort through the raging garbage fire of our culture (aka rampant sexism) is Morgan Brayton, a most wonderful actor, c...
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Family Secrets (Part 2) from 2017-12-22T23:29:33
Do we ever really know our parents? Do we even want to? These are just some of the questions author Gurjinder Basran (Everything Was Goodbye, Someone You Love is Gone) tackles with host Mica Lemisk...
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Family Secrets (Part 1) from 2017-12-15T07:08:02
When a loved one dies, is “closure” something we really want? Carys Cragg—author of Dead Reckoning: How I Came To Meet the Man Who Murdered My Father—doesn’t think so, and says her relationship wit...
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Why We Write from 2017-09-19T21:27:12
Episode 1: "Why We Write", featuring poets Selina Boan and Mallory Tater.
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