Jane C. Esther, librarian, speculative fiction writer, self-professed science nerd

Jewelle Gomez, poet, playwright, and author of “The Gilda Stories,” the original Lesbian Vampire book

 

Peter Gajdics, Vancouver native, conversion therapy survivor, playwright, activist, advocate

 

 

 

 

 

Kathleen Knowles, health and safety specialist, novelist with Bold Strokes Books

 

 

 

 

 

Andrew Jordan Nance, children’s author, educator, stage director, founder of Mindful Arts San Francisco

 

 

 

 

 

Andrew and Wayne discuss Mindfulness, Eastern Thought, Childhood Psychology, and Long-lasting Relationships

 

 

 

 

 

Kevin Klehr, Australian radio host, media and communications guru

 

 

 

 

 

Adrian Shanker, healthcare activist, advocate, organizer, also founder of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania

 

 

 

 

 

Leaf Seligman, restorative justice practitioner, tree worshipper, educator, pastor

 

 

 

 

Gr Keer, poet and librarian who prefers long walks on foggy beaches, complicated personalities, and awkward silences

 

 

 

 

Lev Raphael, educator, editor, award-winning author of over 20 books of prose, memoir, short stories, and non-fiction

 

 

 

 

Arisa White, poet, Cave Canem fellow, community event organizer, and professor of Creative Writing at Colby College

 

Michael Tod Edgerton, poet, educator, lecturer

 

 

 

 

 

Europa Grace, experiential/experimental poet and Yoga instructor

 

 

 

 

Chen Chen, educator and Jacob Ziskind Poet-in-Residence at Brandeis University

 

 

 

 

 

Tom Ammiano, educator, comedian, activist, public servant, San Francisco landmark

 

 

 

 

Natasha Dennerstein is an Australian-born trans poet living in the San Francisco Bay area and is an Editorial Assistant at Nomadic Press. In a former life she functioned as a psychiatric nurse.

 

 

 

James Crews, poet, educator, anthology editor, and writing coach

 

 

 

 

Philip Dean Walker, essayist and short story writer

 

 

 

 

 

Amy Hoffman, memoirist, journalist, activist, consultant, former editor of “Women’s Review of Books”

 

 

 

 

 

Jim Van Buskirk, book group facilitator, public speaker, exhibit curator, collections manager, essayist, journalist, librarian

 

 

 

 

Olivia Wylie, landscaper and half of the writing team O.E. Tearmann, authors of the “Aces High, Jokers Wild” dystopian future series

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jerry L. Wheeler, journalist, editor, and award-winning author

 

 

 

 

Craig Laurance Gidney, award-winning short-story author and novelist

 

 

 

 

 

Lee Lynch, award-winning author and syndicated columnist (“The Amazon Trail”)

 

 

 

 

Ajuan Mance, visual artist and Professor of English at Mills College in Oakland, California

 

 

 

 

 

Gary Eldon Peter, lawyer, instructor, and short-story author, whose work has appeared on NPR’s “Selected Shorts: Shout it Out, The Stonewall Uprising at 50”

 

 

 

 

Now that I’ve had more experience in editing, I will be re-releasing several of the original podcasts, slightly updated. This week, we revisit Gar McVey-Russell, co-founder of ActUp East Bay and host of The Garspot Podcast

 

 

 

Penny Mickelbury, journalist, award-winning playwright, and novelist

 

Penny Mickelbury reads from her novel “Two Wings To Fly Away”

 

 

 

 

 

Isaac R. Fellman, Lambda Literary Award winner and historical research archivist

 

 

 

 

 

Maya Gonzales, award-winning artist, illustrator, educator, and co-creator of Reflection Press and School of the Free Mind

 

 

 

 

 

James J. Siegel, poet and host of the Literary Speakeasy series in San Francisco

 

 

 

 

 

Cass Sellars, certified fraud examiner, corporate fraud investigator, public safety trainer, and author of the Lightning series

 

 

 

 

 

Steven Reigns, poet, educator, smack-talker, founder of the “Gay Rub” project

 

 

 

 

Thea Matthews, San Francisco native, poet, scholar, and activist

 

 

 

 

 

David Hathwell, poet and former professor of English Literature

 

 

 

 

David Hathwell discusses his poetry in depth (and I contribute a few things) in this nearly un-edited episode

 

 

 

Katie Gilmartin, union organizer, sex researcher, college professor, and printmaker

 

 

 

 

 

Tim Floreen, author of Young Adult fiction, Yale graduate, yoga instructor, and devotee of Wonder Woman (who once met Lynda Carter)

 

 

 

 

Alanna McFall, author, playwright, and circus worker

 

 

 

 

Aaron Hamburger, educator and writes whose works have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Village Voice, among others.

 

 

 

 

Sampson McCormick, stand-up comedian, filmmaker, and author

 

 

 

 

 

Chris Delyani, Boston born and schooled journalist who moved to San Francisco in 1993 to devote his life to writing

 

 

 

 

Juliana Delgado Lopera, award-winning Colombian writer, historian, speaker, storyteller, and former Executive/Artistic Director of RADAR Productions in San Francisco

 

 

 

 

 

Catherine Lundoff, writer, editor, fan, and self-proclaimed geek

 

 

 

 

Daniel Jaffe, formerly a corporate/securities attorney, currently a teacher at the UCLA Extension writers’ program

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheryl Head, television producer, filmmaker, broadcast executive, media funder, and author of the Charlie Mack Motown Mystery Series

 

 

 

 

Alvin Orloff, former Go-Go Boy, punk band member, impresario, and current manager at Dog Eared Books in San Francisco’s Castro District

 

 

 

 

 

Michael Nava, attorney, advocate, activist, award-winning author of the “Henry Rios” series

 

 

 

Avery Cassell, writer, poet, cartoonist, grandpa, and artist

 

 

 

 

 

Wayne Hoffman, journalist, activist, columnist, managing editor at Tablet Magazine

 

 

 

 

 

 

Luiza Flynn-Goodlett, poet, reviewer, and editor-in-chief at Foglifter

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vincent Meis, ESL educator, travel writer, reviewer

 

 

 

 

 

Julian Shendelman, contributing editor at the University of Pennsylvania and Trans advocate

 

 

 

 

Christian Baines, Australian-born self-proclaimed awkward nerd who writes the gay paranormal series “The Arcadia Trust.” He stays in Toronto when he can’t find his passport

[Recorded at Saints + Sinners in New Orleans]

 

 

 

 

Lara Zielinsky, reviewer, short-story writer, award-winning novelist

 

 

 

 

 

Dolores Maggiore, memoirist, YA author, social worker, psychotherapist, and bonne vivante

 

 

 

 

 

Eric Poole, memoirist, award-winning commercial writer, and Endora wanna-be

 

 

 

 

 

Ali Sands, author, speaker, consultant, founder of “Illuminating Identity.” She kept a journal throughout her partner’s transition, which became the basis of her book “I Know Who You Are, But What Am I?”

 

 

 

 

Charles Busch, playwright, actor, leading lady, novelist, director, portrait artist, and cabaret entertainer

 

 

 

 

 

Charles Busch discusses performing as a woman, “Drag,” and “Camp”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lise Weil, award-winning editor, translator, and essayist. Originally from Chicago, she has lived in Montreal since 1990.

 

 

 

 

 

Felice Picano, activist and award-winning author of more than thirty books of poetry, fiction, memoir, non-fiction, and plays. He is one of the founders of modern gay literature, along with other members of the Violet Quill

 

 

 

 

 

Felice Picano discusses Diana Vreeland, Jackie Kennedy, and his time at the Rizzoli Bookstore in New York

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marcus Ewert, children’s author, filmmaker, and bookslinger at Dog Eared Books Castro

 

 

 

 

Jasper David Lauter, poet, trans activist, and drag performer

 

 

 

 

David Pratt, performer, director, YA author, and founder of Hosta Press

[Recorded at Saints + Sinners in New Orleans]

 

 

 

 

 

Rachel Gold, journalist, YA author, comic book enthusiast, and self-professed nerd

 

 

 

 

 

Skye Allen, musician, chicken wrangler, award-winning author of speculative fiction for younger readers

 

 

 

 

 

Andrew Chen, physician and memoirist. His book “Along Alien Roads” chronicles his life journeys

 

 

 

 

 

Willy Wilkinson, writer, public health consultant, expert in transgender issues, and LGBTQ activist

 

 

 

 

 

A discussion with Wilfredo Pascual about one of my favorite phrases: Bahala na

 

 

 

 

 

Wilfredo Pascual, Philippine-born, award-winning essayist, photographer, and international educator

 

 

 

 

Anand Vedawala, Indian-born writer, artist, educator, and Executive Director of San Francisco Zine Fest

 

 

 

 

 

Richard Loranger, writer of poetry and prose, as well as a spoken word, performance, and visual artist, who has lived in many parts of the country, including New York, Austin, Boulder, Ann Arbor, Chicago, San Francisco, and Oakland

 

 

 

Gr Keer, poet and librarian who prefers long walks on foggy beaches, complicated personalities, and awkward silences

 

 

 

 

 

Baruch Porras-Hernandez, poet, artist, stand-up comedian, host of open-mike comedy, and head organizer for ¿Donde Está Mi Gente?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kimberly Dark, award-winning writer and storyteller who uses humor to help audiences discuss challenging topics

 

 

 

 

 

Arisa White, poet, Cave Canem fellow, community event organizer, and professor of Creative Writing at Colby College

 

 

 

 

 

 

David-Matthew Barnes, educator, playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and poet who writes under the pennames Declan Mayfair, Dylan Madrid, and Wren Valentino

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dylan Edwards, award-winning queer and trans cartoonist, keeper of Studio NDR

 

 

 

 

Nona Caspers, short-story writer and professor of creative writing at San Francisco State University

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lucy Jane Bledsoe, world traveler, explorer, hiker, and award-winning novelist

 

 

 

 

 

Terry Baum, playwright, performer, Lesbian activist, and world traveler

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vernon Keeve III reads from “My Mother Introduced Me to My Spirit,” based on ghost stories his mother told him as a child

 

 

 

 

 

Vernon Keeve III, high school English teacher in Oakland, CA, and director of the Association of Black & Brown Writers

 

 

 

Jeff Mann, author, poet, and teacher of creative writing at Virginia Tech

 

 

 

 

 

Ajuan Mance, visual artist and Professor of English at Mills College in Oakland, California

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daniel Curzon, playwright, educator, author of “Something You Do in the Dark” and many other groundbreaking works 

 

 

 

 

 

Trebor Healey reads from his poetic works

 

 

 

 

 

Trebor Healey, social activist, award-winning author and poet

 

 

 

 

Hans Hirschi is a Swiss-born, American-educated author and activist who now lives in Sweden

 

 

 

 

Europa Grace, experiential/experimental poet and Yoga instructor

 

 

 

 

 

Tara Madison Avery, cartoonist, illustrator, and publisher at Stacked Deck Press

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a bonus episode, here are several of the Queer Words Podcast authors discussing their approaches to writing and sharing some inner thoughts with other queer writers. Included are: Meg Elison, Andrew Demcak, Ajuan Mance, Natasha Dennerstein, Rick May, Jewelle Gomez, Gar McVey-Russell, Europa Grace, Trebor Healey, Rob Rosen, and Nona Caspers.

 

 

Andrew Demcak, librarian, poet, and author of the YA series “The Elusive Spark.”

 

Rob Rosen, multi-award-winning and best-selling author/editor/anthologist. His short stories have appeared in more than 200 anthologies. He is the editor of Best Gay Erotica

 

 

 

Meg Elison, speculative fiction writer and feminist essayist whose writings often incorporate the themes of female empowerment, body positivity, and gender flexibility

 

 

 

 

Jewelle Gomez discusses her body of work and reads from “The Gilda Stories.”

 

 

Jewelle Gomez, poet, playwright, and author of “The Gilda Stories,” the original Lesbian Vampire book. In the Bonus material, she discusses her body of works and reads from “The Gilda Stories.”

 

 

 

[Transcript]

 

Gar McVey-Russell was a co-founder of ActUp-East Bay. He hosts a blog called The Garspot.

 

 

 

 

 

Gar McVey-Russell [Transcript]

 

 

 

 

Richard May is co-host of the Perfectly Queer Readings series and a short-story author. His most recent book is “Inhuman Beings,” a collection of erotic stories based on myths, monsters, and science-fiction.

 

 

 

 

Rick May [Transcript]

 

 

Natasha Dennerstein discusses her upcoming novel “Abomination.”

 

 

Natasha Dennerstein is an Australian-born trans poet living in the San Francisco Bay area and is an Editorial Assistant at Nomadic Press. In a former life she functioned as a psychiatric nurse.

 

 

 

Natasha Dennerstein [Transcript]