Feminist philosopher Shannon Winnubst talks to Sinister Myth about her recent book, Way Too Cool: Selling Out Race and Ethics. She also explains what neoliberalism is and how specific cultures of cool which begin as a way for people of color to express resistance are often appropriated by mainstream culture but in a sanitized version. We talk about Donald Glover, Frida Kahlo, and the #metoo movement, about the same-sex marriage movement and the simultaneous rise of the carceral state, about how stories of sexuality and race can be damaging, harmful, and need to be changed.

Sinister Myth

Stop Appropriating Cool!

On November 1st, Sinister Myth held an online poetry reading a day after Halloween and a few days before the US Presidential Election. Regardless of who would win, the women reading gathered together to perform a protective hex through poems, gathering strength and power. The readers were a squad of seven: Sarona Abuaker, Sascha Aurora Akhtar, Ruth Awad, ZoëBrigley, Mari Ellis Dunning, Melissa Studdard, and Christina Thatcher.

The Hexing Circle: A Pre-election Poetry Reading

For Sinister Myth Bitesize this month, we talk with the British poet and writer Roger Robinson. This is a snippet preview of a forthcoming interview with Roger whose book 'A Portable Paradise' won the TS Eliot and Ondaatje Prizes. The T.S. Eliot Prize judges wrote of the book: “The collection’s title points to the underlying philosophy expressed in these poems: that earthly joy is, or ought to be, just within, but is often just beyond our reach, denied by racism, misogyny, physical cruelty and those with the class power to deny others their share of worldly goods and pleasures.” Roger lives between England and Trinidad, and he was interviewed by Zoë Brigley, Rob Mackenzie, and Kristian Evans, editors for the “Dwelling” issue of Magma Poetry journal. The interview was commissioned for Magma Poetry 79 out next spring. Rob asked Roger about how to survive in dark and difficult times, while Kristian posed a question about what attracts people to white supremacy.

Sinister Bitesize: Writing Empathy Machines

If you don’t know the history of U.S. interference and dubious practices in Puerto Rico, this interview with Malia Womack is a must hear. Recorded at the end of last year when Malia was completing field work in Puerto Rico, the discussion focuses on the history of US colonialism on the island including the testing of birth control on and sterilization of Puerto Rican women. We talk about the possibility of change for the better in Puerto Rico, and what we could learn from Latin America and the Caribbean in terms of activism.

Power to Women in Puerto Rico

This interview – delayed due to the global pandemic – features Elissa Washuta, a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and a nonfiction writer. She is the author of My Body Is a Book of Rules and Starvation Mode, and her book White Magic is forthcoming from Tin House Books. With Theresa Warburton, she is co-editor of the anthology Shapes of Native Nonfiction: Collected Essays by Contemporary Writers. This is essential listening for anyone who wants to find a voice for writing about difficult subjects like trauma and mental health. It covers such subjects as using humor to deal with difficult subjects, and allowing oneself to be angry. Elissa talks about what her Catholic upbringing taught her (or not), as well as negative stereotypes of native women. There’s also a moving discussion of what happens when mental health diagnoses are wrong.

Burning Down Narratives of Shame

This interview tackles the experience of black students in universities and schools, featuring the work of researcher Sherita Roundtree, Assistant Professor at Towson University. Prof. Roundtree discusses her research on developing diverse representation and equitable access for students, teachers, and scholars who write in, instruct in, and theorize about writing classrooms. Roundtree explains “Noise” pedagogy which considers how multivocal representations of belonging challenge misrecognition and mislabeling of black women in institutions like the university. How do we rethink teaching and learning when standardized approaches do not fit the teacher or students?

Unsafe Higher Education Spaces and Noise Pedagogy

2020 sees a new production team working on Sinister Myth, and Zoe Brigley interviews them about their interests for creating new thematic strands, including political debates about trauma, the experience of minority students in higher education, and healing in the context of the community. Alex Ameter worked for political campaigns, a foreign policy think tank and the US Army. Has a BA in International Relations and Political Science from the Ohio State University and an MA in Diplomacy and International Conflict Resolution from Norwich University. Alex’s research focuses on identifying the social impacts of trauma through the lens of organization psychology to build sustainable remedies that address systemic sources and mitigate individual repercussions. Deborah Eshun is a multimedia journalist graduating from the Ohio State University in May and has a passion for storytelling using all things digital. When not producing episodes, she does stand-up comedy, sewing and dances to the beat of her own drum. McKinzi Warren is completing a masters in social work at the Ohio State University. She stands to create communities that are as diverse as they are united. She is the owner of Global Conversations LLC and its subsidiary SpeakIt! Language Learning, an adult foreign language program that makes conversational fluency in another language fast and fun. She is a passionate advocate for how focussing on community-care and self-care together heals trauma, and has recently accepted the role of Creative Content Director at The Trauma Masterminds, a private practice outside Columbus Ohio that specializes in trauma-based counseling.

Meet the New Sinister Myth Team

New for 2020, we begin a new series “Sinister Case Study” where specific critics and experts comment on particular cases of violence. Zoë Brigley discusses the recent case of gang rape in Cyprus, commenting on the inadequacies of institutional responses to sexual violence, and the scrutiny of survivors’ experiences and responses to trauma as a means to discount their testimony.

Sinister Myth: Case Study

For this special Halloween issue of Sinister Myth Bitesize, Professor Shannon Winnubst talks about the vampire and racist imaginaries that project violence on black and minority men.

Sinister Bitesize: Vampires and Queerness

In this thought-provoking interview, Nick White talks about his relationship with queerness in the American South and now in the Midwest, in relation to his new books. A fiction-writer, White has an incredible facility with creating complex characters, for example in his short story collection, Sweet and Lowdown(2018), and he talks about researching gay conversion therapy for his lacerating critique of the practice in How to Survive a Summer(2017). Funny, compassionate, and moving, this interview with White is a must-hear episode.

The Flourishing of Queerness in the American South and Beyond

Sinister Myth Bitesize is a tasty morsel of sinister wisdom to keep you going until the next full podcast. In this edition, Erin Upchurch talks about the inadequacies of sex education, and what we can do to improve it.

Sinister Bitesize: Erin Upchurch on Sex Education

Elisha Clark Halpin and Megan Moore, dance academics and practitioners at the Pennsylvania State University, talk about the liberating potential of dance for expressing the concerns of women and minorities, as well as outlining problems of homogenized bodies in narrow ideas of what dance can be. They talk about the healing potential of dance where the body is holding trauma, and they consider how grief rituals might play a positive role in dealing with grief.

Dance, Trauma, and the Autonomous Body

Brendan Walsh and Zoë Brigley Thompson discuss "gaslighting", a term often used to describe the psychological manipulation of someone leading them to often question their own sanity. In this episode, you will learn the origins and aspects of gaslighting and its negative impacts on relationships.

Sinister Keywords: "Gaslighting"

Sinister Myth Bitesize is a tasty morsel of sinister wisdom to keep you going until the next full podcast. In this month’s bitesize, Treva Lindsey talks about the possibilities and politics of hair for black women.

Sinister Bitesize: Treva Lindsey on Hair

Treva Lindsey, author of Colored No More: Reinventing Black Womanhood in Washington, discusses the myths told about black women, as well as stories about American nationhood which work to privilege whiteness and marginalize minorities. An eloquent anti-violence advocate, Lindsey discusses the fight over representations of black women, including trans women, and she explains how online campaigns like #sayhername and #metoo are changing the terrain in the effort to demand justice and change in how black women are policed. Lindsey also speaks on allyship, and how we might build a sturdy table for all.

Building a Sturdy Table

Sinister Myth challenges cultural mythologies about sexuality in the West, because so often they encourage, perpetuate, or foster violence against women and minorities. The series is made up of interviews with writers, academics, and people working on community projects. Alongside the interviews, the series also includes “Sinister Bitesize” which offer short soundbites from experts with advice on allyship and more, and there will also be “Sinister Keywords,” which feature short conversations about language, and how words can encourage or harm minority groups. Sinister Myth was generated through an Ohio State Affordable Learning Exchange (ALX) Grant, and it was created by Zoë Brigley Thompson and Brendan Walsh. The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Sinister Myth podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of the Ohio State University and its employees.