Best Lena Mattheis Podcasts (2025)

1
“Beyond Personhood” with Talia Mae Bettcher 46:33

6d ago46:33

46:33

Meet Talia Bettcher, the amazing philosopher who gave us canonical essays like “Trapped in the Wrong Theory” and “Evil Deceivers and Make-Believers,” and has now published a paradigm-shifting book about trans philosophy. Talia tells me about why personhood may be overrated, why the existential WTF lead her to this realisation, and how it’s really a…

1
“All She Wrote Books” with Christina Pascucci-Ciampa 41:51

21d ago41:51

41:51

Welcome to a brand-new queer space special! Come along to visit All She Wrote Books, a fabulous queer feminist bookshop, located in Somerville, MA, an area that is historically significant for feminist literary activism. Owner Christina Pascucci-Ciampa tells me about what it was like turning All She Wrote Books from the queer literary pop-up that u…

1
“Queer AI?” with Daniella Gáti 46:50

1M ago46:50

46:50

What does AI have to do with queerness? And how could the use of machine learning affect our lives and our rights as LGBTQIA+ people? Daniella Gáti shares the answers to these questions and more. Daniella is an expert in narrative, creative computing, and brings a unique transdisciplinary perspective to both. We touch on facial recognition, what is…

1
“Sinister Wisdom” with Julie Enszer 45:18

2M ago45:18

45:18

Meet Julie Enszer, editor of Sinister Wisdom, dyke poetry superstar, and protector of the lesbian archives. Julie and I speak about shared queer cultures, lesbian feminist publishing, and all of the amazing queer archiving projects Julie is involved in. We also speak about the importance of sharing knowledge and practices of resistance, especially …

1
"Pronouns" with Laura Paterson 42:42

2M ago42:42

42:42

Whether you share them, prefer them or avoid them – pronouns are everywhere. As Laura Paterson, a linguist who specialises in pronouns, tells us, this is a. because they are an essential part of grammar and b. because they are particularly sexy right now. Laura tells us what exactly a pronoun is and why third-person personal pronouns can cause so m…

1
“Qtopia” with George Savoulis 29:12

2M ago29:12

29:12

Would you like to hear about a 100-year-old public Art nouveau toilet turned queer art gallery? Or about the police station that went from a site of protest and oppression to a place of LGBTQIA+ storytelling? Then this is the episode for you. George Savoulis, director of Qtopia Sydney, is taking us all the way to Australia to tell us all about the …

1
"Good Pictures Are a Strong Weapon" with Louise Siddons 45:17

3M ago45:17

45:17

Join me and Louise Siddons, professor of visual politics par excellence, to learn about Laura Gilpin, the lesbian photographer who spent 30 years creating her book The Enduring Navaho in and with both queer and Navajo community. Louise speaks about the lesbian gaze in Gilpin’s photographs, the lesbian networks of Santa Fe, where Gilpin and her part…

1
"Black Trans Feminism" with Marquis Bey 49:12

3M ago49:12

49:12

Do we perhaps deserve the impossible? This is only one of the many beautiful questions Marquis Bey asks in this poem of an episode. Marquis is an exquisite thinker who joins me to speak about the incredible book Black Trans Feminism and share thoughts about why such a feminism is for everyone. Marquis speaks about how literature allows us to imagin…

1
“Autotheories” with Alex Brostoff 46:39

4M ago46:39

46:39

You’ve read Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts but have you heard of the scholar who puts the auto in theories? Meet Alex Brostoff, my new favourite autotheorist. Alex is here to clear up common misconceptions about autotheories and tell us more about biomythography, teoría de la noche, and reading beside. I was also intrigued to learn about intertextua…

1
"Cyrano" with Virginia Gay 37:39

4M ago37:39

37:39

Are you in the mood for queer joy and lots of panache? Come, come, listen to this episode about Virginia Gay’s Cyrano, an excitingly fun, gender-twisting play that you will love to the moon and back. Virginia talks about why this play resonates so much for queer people, how James McAvoy made her want to write it, and why theatre should always be ho…

1
Festive Special Part 2 22:03

5M ago22:03

22:03

In part two of our festive end-of-year special, you will hear about queer families and mourning, gay novels and book festivals, cargo pants and Vaseline, and lesbians and travel. What’s the queerest thing you did in 2024? And how will you power bottom that in 2025? References: Karen Tongson’s Norm Porn Amber Jamilla Musser Feminist Keywords podcast…

1
Festive Special Part 1 19:20

5M ago19:20

19:20

In part one of our festive end-of-year special, you will hear about queer weddings and Madonna, intersex dinosaurs and PhDs, crafting and queer culture, and how all lesbians do kind of know each other. What’s the queerest thing you did in 2024? And how will you top that in 2025? References: Hollis Griffin Libro.Fm Ashley Herring Blake’s Make the Se…

1
“Clever Girl” with Hannah McGregor 45:09

5M ago45:09

45:09

Fierce femme dinosaurs, intersex embodiment, Laura Dern – it’s surprisingly easy to read Jurassic Park as a feminist celebration of monstrous queer bodies, at least when you have the magnificent Hannah McGregor by your side. In Hannah’s ‘bookiest book yet,’ we learn about lesbian dinosaurs, the ignorance of white male adventurers, and how and why t…

1
“Trans Literature and Science Fiction” with Sabine Sharp 45:01

6M ago45:01

45:01

Have you thought to yourself recently: How come trans literature is having such a moment right now? Then this episode is for you. Sabine Sharp, editor of The Routledge Handbook of Trans Literature (2024), is joining me for a chat about the significance of trans literature today, as well as its roots and legacies, especially in the 20th century. Sab…

1
“Shadows and Noise” with Amber Jamilla Musser 43:42

6M ago43:42

43:42

How does your embodiment affect your perception and thus your writing? This is one of many questions Amber Jamilla Musser tackles in her most recent monograph, which builds on her brilliant work in Black feminism and queer femininity. Amber tells us how sensation and individual experience need to be part of an ethics of perception and why queerness…

1
“Gothic Transgressions” with Sarah Faber and Kerstin-Anja Münderlein 43:08

7M ago43:08

43:08

Have you heard of the wholesome queer Gothic? This is the cool new term that might just explain why so many of us were obsessed with monsters, witches, witches and vampires before we came out of the coffin, uhm, closet. Sarah Faber and Kerstin-Anja Münderlein join me for this spooky special to speak about their favourite Gothic books, games, and tr…

1
“Queering Desire” with Róisín Ryan-Flood and Amy Tooth Murphy 53:50

7M ago53:50

53:50

Femme theory, bisexual butches, racy footnotes – the brand-new edited collection Queering Desire has it all. The brilliant editors, Róisín Ryan-Flood and Amy Tooth Murphy, join me for a chat about what the book means to them and how challenging and rewarding interdisciplinary research on lesbians and sapphics can be. They dive into the multi-facete…

1
“Queering French Fairy Tales” with Mélie Boltz Nasr 31:36

7M ago31:36

31:36

Get ready, queer language enthusiasts and trans literature francophiles! In another spontaneous recording from Lesvos, Mélie Boltz Nasr aka May tells us all about their genderbending fairy tale collection for adult readers. We also speak about feminist fonts, French grammar and how queering language is not just an activist aim but also a beautiful …

1
“Lifting Off in Lesvos” with Karen McLeod 22:26

8M ago22:26

22:26

Guess who I ran into on the beautiful island of Lesvos: Karen McLeod, author of the amazing memoir Lifting Off. Karen sat down with me at Ohana Saloon, a queer-owned beach bar in Skala Eressos, and told me about her performance art, about working as aircrew as a queer woman, experiences with addiction, and about a new Lesvos-related book she is jus…

1
“Before We Were Trans” with Kit Heyam 36:40

8M ago36:40

36:40

Kit Heyam’s amazing history of gender nonconformity across the globe is a dazzling journey into the intricacies of trans history and if it’s not your favourite book already, it will be after listening to this episode. Learn why Kit particularly enjoyed writing about Edo Japan, what they discovered about intersex history and who their favourite pers…

1
“The Queer Arab Glossary” with Marwan Kaabour 38:57

8M ago38:57

38:57

Graphic designer Marwan Kaabour has created a stunning book that is so much more than your average glossary. Join me and Marwan to talk about what makes The Queer Arab Glossary so special: from the illustrations that powerfully reclaim slurs to the essays that explore the queer methodology of the book. It was an absolute pleasure chatting to Marwan…

1
“Bluestockings” with Raquel Espasande 20:34

9M ago20:34

20:34

Let’s go on a field trip! New York City is an amazing city for book shopping and LGBTQIA2S+ activism. Bluestockings Cooperative offers both. This amazing bookstore and community space almost feels too good to be true: nestled into the Lower East Side, Bluestockings has provided dyke dating, community support and all kinds of activism for well over …

1
“Queer Television and Bad Objects” with Hollis Griffin 34:33

9M ago34:33

34:33

Queer television is clearly having a moment and I got to learn more about this from my new favourite LGBTQ TV expert: Hollis Griffin. From the problematic categorisation of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ representation to watching telly at the gay bar, we talk about what queer TV can and can’t do and why it’s so enjoyable even when it’s bad. Hollis shares expert…

1
“Bellies” with Nicola Dinan 29:46

10M ago29:46

29:46

If I hadn’t already been a massive fan of Nicola Dinan, I would have become one after this! I was beyond excited to get to speak to Nicola at Surrey New Writers Festival and was extremely grateful that she was able to take some time after our panel to tell me more about her incredible debut novel Bellies (2023), about capitalism and queerness, abou…

1
“Theoryish” with Paola Medina-Gonzalez and Hannah Ayres 47:18

10M ago47:18

47:18

Meet your new favourite theory podcast! Theoryish is a brilliant audio journey that may just meet all your academic needs. Paola and Hannah are an amazing team and bring you everything from an introduction to queer studies to a deep dive into a critique of #girlboss. If you’re looking for a fun and relatable entry point to that particular theory yo…

1
“Queer Podcasting and Knowledge Production” with Hannah McGregor 48:01

11M ago48:01

48:01

Combine the age-old art of conversation with easy access to digital dissemination and you get: podcasting! Hannah McGregor is THE expert on scholarly podcasting, new approaches to peer review and (although we only mention this briefly) feminist lesbian dinosaurs. In this episode, we chat about how Hannah approaches podcasting, what it can and can’t…

1
“Narrating Palestine” with Nora Parr 41:31

11M ago41:31

41:31

Narratives can help us make sense of trauma – but what if these trauma narratives do not fit into preconceived structures of storytelling? Nora Parr joins me to speak about the role of narrative in trauma, in mental health and in understanding national, cultural and individual identity construction. Nora talks about how Palestinian literature forge…

1
“Lesbian Fashion History” with Eleanor Medhurst 50:16

12M ago50:16

50:16

Did you know that lesbians sporting sportswear is a queer tradition dating back centuries? Or that 1910s Japanese lesbians liked to don a yukata to send subtle signals about their gender identity and sexual orientation? My favourite foremost expert in lesbian fashion history, Eleanor Medhurst, is gracing the podcast with a return performance, shari…

1
100 Episodes! 24:42

12M ago24:42

24:42

Can you believe this is our 100th episode? Listen now to hear about some listeners’ favourite episodes, about future plans for the podcast and about how the cats are feeling these days. References: https://ko-fi.com/queerlit Karen Tongson Normporn Susan Stryker Cate Sandilands Kew Gardens Elizabeth Freeman Diane Watt Briona Simone Jones Yesterqueer…

1
“Normporn and Queer Imaginaries” with Karen Tongson 54:15

12M ago54:15

54:15

What could be more soothing than escaping your beautiful but complex queer life by watching a bunch of straight people remodel their suburban home in a new shade of beige? Karen Tongson joins me to explain why mainstream television can be so comforting and why admitting to having watched Gilmore Girls for the fourth time can feel a bit like sharing…

1
“Trans in Translation” with Alberto Poza 17:52

1y ago17:52

17:52

Have you read the iconic Taiwanese novel The Membranes by Chi Ta-Wei? If so, in which language? Alberto has crafted the fabulous Spanish translation of this beautifully genderweird text and joins me to speak about the opportunities and challenges the highly gendered structures of Spanish offer for this. If you have ever wondered which pronoun or ge…

1
“Knight as a Gender” with Mabel Mundy 14:43

1y ago14:43

14:43

If you could pick a gender, any gender, which one would that be, and why would it 1000% be knight? In this special minisode, I get to answer that question with Mabel Mundy, who shares fascinating insights into the genderfuckery of chivalric romance and crossdressing knights. Tune in now, to learn more about why gender ambiguity clearly is, and has …

1
“Gendered Bodies and Narrative Form” with Chiara Pellegrini 45:15

1y ago45:15

45:15

How does a queer, trans or intersex body take shape in a narrative? Dr Chiara Pellegrini is here to help us better understand how narrative form, point of view, and embodiment interact in contemporary storytelling – whether that be in novels, short stories or reality TV. We speak about problematic narrative tropes of trans narration, such as the ‘g…

1
Humanities under Threat 27:15

1y ago27:15

27:15

https://surrey-ucu.org.uk/category/news/ https://www.instagram.com/supportsurreysll/?hl=en https://www.change.org/p/support-our-surrey-campaign? This is not an isolated issue! See this list of current large-scale UK HE redundancies: https://qmucu.org/qmul-transformation/uk-he-shrinking/ IG: @supportsurreysll Twitter/x: @SaveSurreySLL https://univer…

1
“Feeling Bad” with Hil Malatino 50:13

1y ago50:13

50:13

Despite the title, this episode contains a generous amount of laughter, because it is just that enjoyable to talk to Hil Malatino, brilliant author of Side Affects: On Being Trans and Feeling Bad (2022). Hil has published groundbreaking work on trans and intersex stories and histories and, in this most recent monograph, draws our attention to the c…

1
“Hijab Butch Blues” with Lamya H. 39:03

1y ago39:03

39:03

How often do you get to chat with the author of your major literary obsession and learn something about queer storytelling at the same time? I cannot believe I actually got to sit down with @lamyaisangry to talk about their brilliant novel Hijab Butch Blues, their essay writing and the queer future, which, according to Lamya, will be weird AF. List…

1
“Nonbinary History and Queer Kinship” with Mo Moulton 45:23

1+ y ago45:23

45:23

This episode is all about both/and: both trans and queer history, both kinship and relationships, both the past and the present. Mo Moulton, our illustrious guest this fortnight, is an expert in all of them. Mo is a historian of community, who is particularly interested in nonbinary methods to approach gender nonconforming figures of the past. In t…

1
“The Shape of Sex” with Leah DeVun 41:15

1+ y ago41:15

41:15

Nonbinary Jesus. Did that get your attention? If so, this episode is for you. Historian extraordinaire Leah DeVun joins me to talk about the pre-modern history of nonbinary gender, about intersex brides, transitioning saints and what terms such as androgyne and hermaphrodite might tell us about conceptions of sex, gender and sexuality. Leah explain…

1
“Trans Future Fiction” with Kit Schuster 39:26

1+ y ago39:26

39:26

How can we imagine a trans future? Kit Schuster joins me to talk about how transgression in fiction can help us think new futures. We speak about trans, nonbinary and gendernonconforming characters, norms and settings in science fiction, but Kit also stresses that their definition of trans is not limited to gender. Instead, Kit invites us to have o…

1
The queerest thing you did in 2023: Part Two 24:25

1+ y ago24:25

24:25

The queerest thing you did in 2023: Part Two Are you ready for 2024? I absolutely am not but to prepare for another queer year, I listen to more of your voice notes and I give you what you probably have not been waiting for: the queerest thing I did this year. References: ListenQueer https://listenqueer.wordpress.com/ Kit Schuster Jack Jen Giesekin…

1
Yesterqueer's Holigays 20:20

1+ y ago20:20

20:20

We're revisiting a holigay chat from two years ago, talking to a wonderful friend about how hard the festive season can be for queer and trans people. CW: grief, death, trauma, religion, violence, antiqueerness, antitransness, family traumaBy Lena Mattheis

1
The queerest thing you did in 2023: Part One 30:38

1+ y ago30:38

30:38

It’s here! It’s here! The Queer Lit end-of-year special has arrived and it comes in two parts. One you’ll get now and the other we’ll save for Christmas Eve. Tune in to hear me gush about all the lovely messages I received and listen to this year’s Queer Lit guests talk about their supergay highlights of 2023. References: Maria Sulimma Queer Persev…

1
Queer Space Special: “Gay’s The Word” with Erica Gillingham 23:31

1+ y ago23:31

23:31

This extraordinary queer space special makes all my dreams come true: I get to hang out with Erica Gillingham in the basement of Gay’s The Word! Sitting between towering stacks of books and boxes of GTW archival material that goes back all the way to the birth of this magnificent LGBTQ+ bookshop in January 1979, Erica shares some highlights of the …

1
“Two-Spirit Kinship” with Kai Minosh Pyle 39:25

1+ y ago39:25

39:25

What can you do when the language for who you are doesn’t exist yet? Kai Minosh Pyle’s answer: write gorgeous poetry about it! In this episode, Kai reads one of their multilingual pieces, but they also talk about the benefits of using words that ‘kind of’ fit, and about finding trans*temporal kinship with Two-Spirit ancestors in creative writing an…

1
“Second Wave Trans Feminism” with Emily Cousens 42:33

1+ y ago42:33

42:33

You may think that second wave feminism and trans activism are mutually exclusive but guess what: there is actually a whole lot of diversity in second wave feminist theory, writing, activism and print culture. Emily Cousens has done lots of archival research to highlight trans thinking and the way it has informed and shaped second wave feminism. Li…

1
How queer was your year? 1:54

1+ y ago1:54

1:54

If you would like to be a part of the Queer Lit winter tradition, let me know about the queerest thing you did this year and/or any queer winter/holiday traditions and reading recommendations by the end of November. Can't wait to hear from you at [email protected]!By Lena Mattheis

1
Spooky Special: "Trans-fixing Media” with Cáel Keegan 44:33

1+ y ago44:33

44:33

We’re so done with scary trans villains and monsters – or are we? Cáel Keegan explains why we might be able to learn lessons about trans liberation from Buffalo Bill and why The Silence of the Lambs, upon its release, was actually protested for homophobia. Cáel speaks about transfixing and spellbinding media, from The Matrix to Buffy to video games…

1
VINTAGE Fear Lit: “Queerness and Race in Gothic and Horror” with Maisha Wester 47:48

1+ y ago47:48

47:48

Get the garlic, sprinkle the holy water, but please, leave the antiqueer racism out of my Gothic romance! Dr Maisha Wester (Sheffield/Indiana University) explains why Horror films are so interesting to study, what Brexit has to do with Zombies, why King Kong film posters reveal blatant racism, and why ghosts are not always gay but most definitely q…

1
“Realness, Loss and Underdogs” with Heather Love 46:32

1+ y ago46:32

46:32

It’s time to be real. In this episode with queer studies luminary Heather Love, it’s all about what you find, what you feel, what you knooooow(-ah) to be real. We talk about feeling and looking backward while shifting paradigms, about the semiprivate space of the queer classrooms, about the entanglements of queer, trans and disability studies and s…

1
“The Coast is Queer” with Sarah Boira and Vedrana Velickovic 23:43

1+ y ago23:43

23:43

Have you asked yourself lately: What could I do to make my October really super extra queer? Sarah Boira and Vedrana Velickovic have THE festival for you. Listen to this episode to learn all about The Coast is Queer, the UK’s first LGBTQIA+ literary festival that celebrates all texts queer. Some of the events to get excited about: a panel on queer …

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Lena Mattheis Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen