The Heart Is a Carnival: Embodiment and queerness as liberation and joy - a podcast by Kathryn Fink

Carnival might seem to add up to nothing more than a raucous party, but in fact this is a liberatory rite that can allow us to reconnect with our exuberance and resilience, speak back against imbalances of power, and envision freer futures.

In this episode, we meet some of these customs and characters from carnival and its related winter rites in Central and South America, Europe, and the Caribbean, and then in the second half of the episode, we play within the medicine of carnival, its insights and invitations into embodiment and queerness.|| 0:00 || Opening spell

|| 1:02 || Hearthtending—news about reduced cost of the Patreon patreon.com/theheartisacauldron|| 4:00 || Introducing carnival and today’s episode

Correction: I edited and reuploaded this track to reference Lunar New Year rather than giving an example of Chinese New Year only. More on why this is important: https://www.instagram.com/p/CK_wZKHnVD5/?igshid=2psnpzflj906|| 10:03 || The many beginnings and histories of carnival, beyond the usual euro-centric story

|| 14:11 || Carnival customs|| 27:32 || MUSICAL INTERMISSION “Federation” by the band Small Island Pride, from the album Calypso Awakening on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. To purchase the song or album, or access liner notes: http://s.si.edu/3d3JLPD

Please note: The singer frames the West Indies Federation movement in cheeky language, comparing communal organizing in terms of romance and socialization across diverse cultural groups, including Chinese immigrants who originally arrived as indentured servants. While he references them in solidarity, the term used is outdated and offensive, and so I added a silent bleep.|| 30:13 || Carnival’s medicine of embodiment

|| 38:38 || Carnival’s medicine of queering realities and futures* * * * * * * * * * * *

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Instagram post with examples of carnival creatures: https://www.instagram.com/p/CLM8xnJHr9O/Full quote from QueerNature referenced in the episode: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJjYt9wgk_7/"Day Dreaming Yourself Into Existence"by Alok https://www.alokvmenon.com/blog/2021/1/12/day-dreaming-yourself-into-existence

Bibliography available for free/to all via the Patreon (no membership needed)Image by Charles Fréger, from his incredible carnival character portraits https://www.charlesfreger.com/portfolio/wilder-mann/

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