Dean Atta on being united by his identities, the importance of collecting stories from our elders, and celebrating Black queer youth
Release Date: 09/21/2022
Michael Caines on being one of the few Black Michelin star chefs in the world, how food connects us to culture, and working in predominantly white environments
Mixed Up
The one where the cream rises to the top Emma and Nicole speak to Michael Caines, is a two-Michelin star awarded chefs and one of six Black Michelin star chefs in the world. Born in Exeter, Michael was adopted into a white family at a young age and his love of cooking lead him to apprentice under Raymond Blanc, and at the age of 25 a car accident lead to him losing his right arm. He discusses growing up in a white family and predominantely white environments, working in fast-paced and highly competitive environments, relearning his skills after losing an arm, and how food connects us to...
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Why we need to re-examine the phrase white passing: Becca Dudley on flying the flag for reggae and having your authenticity questioned
Mixed Up
The one where they expect you to play Britney Spears because they think you're a white girl Emma and Nicole speak to Becca Dudley, a DJ and TV presenter who has been in the music industry for over a decade. Becca has Jamaican, British and German heritage, and set up the platform Deadly to showcase the best of reggae, dancehall and grime, and to shine a light up-and-coming artists. They discuss being misidentified, having your authenticity questioned, imposter syndrome, coming out online to different communities and the fear of being labelled a 'culture vulture'. Pre-order our book The...
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All my friends are white - how our authentic selves are shaped by location and the people around us
Mixed Up
Emma and Nicole speak to Hanako Footman, actor and author of her debut novel, Mongrel, following the lives of three women, Mei, Yuki and Haruka "revealing a tangled web of desire, isolation, belonging and ultimately, hope." Hanako is British-Japanese and has appeared in ITV's The Town, BBC Two's Defending the Guilty, and Netflix's The Crown. They discuss growing up in predominantly white environments, what it means to be mixed Asian, the casting couch as a mixed person, how we hold on to our identity when we lose a parent and why we hate the phrase 'white passing'. Pre-order our book The...
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LIVE: Maggi in your shepherd's pie - how food and storytelling go hand in hand
Mixed Up
The one where we trace pepper across the globe In this week's live episode, Emma and Nicole speak to writer, journalist, poet and academic, Dr Anna Sulan Masing. Her work centres around identity, race and gender and looks to decolonise the cultural spaces we live in, particularly within food. They discuss the relationship between food and searching for 'home', how identity changes when location changes, and how perceptions and stereotypes around East and Southeast Asians have changed over time. Many thanks to Spiritland for hosting us for the evening! Pre-order our book The Half Of...
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Everybody has a hair journey: can we retire the hair typing chart yet?
Mixed Up
The one where we finally sit down as Black and mixed race women to talk about our hair This week Emma and Nicole sit down with Paige Lewin (host of Texture Talks) and multihyphanete creative, Oneness Sankara, to decide if it's time to scrap the hair texture chart. They find out how we can talk to each other properly as Black and mixed women about our hair knowing that the struggles are different, but they're there. They also dig into expectations about "who has it worse" and dissect the myth on how "difficult" it is to have Black hair. This episode is in collaboration with Texture Talks...
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Dating apps are modern day segregation: a look into how the algorithms keep us apart
Mixed Up
The one where Hinge needs to drop their location Emma and Nicole speak to Apryl Williams, an assistant professor of communication and digital studies at the University of Michigan, senior fellow in Trustworthy AI at the Mozilla Foundation, and faculty associate at Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. She’s the author of Not My Type: Automating Sexual Racism in Online Dating. They discuss Apryl's research into about dating app inequality and sexual racism in online dating and how prejudice and bias gets baked into modern day dating culture through...
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Mel B on idenitfying as mixed, surviving abuse, and getting her Girl Power back
Mixed Up
The one where we meet an actual Spice Girl Emma and Nicole are joined by Mel B to discuss her deeply open and vulnerable memoir, Brutally Honest. She shares with how emotional abuse is something that we are all closely linked to as women. She speaks candidly on motherhood, surviving abuse and PTSD, and recovery through to finding joy. Thank you to art'otel London Battersea Power Station for hosting us! Mel B's Instagram: Pre-order our book The Half Of It: Instagram: Website: Substack:
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BONUS EPISODE: South Africa, classification and why Coloured Lives Matter
Mixed Up
The one where people need to accept that if Tyla says she’s coloured, it is what it is Emma and Nicole speak to authors of Coloured: How Classification Became Culture, Tessa Dooms and Lynsey Chutel, as well as digital creator Zeena Edwards and presenter Carissa Cupido. They discuss South Africa's history of apartheid and classifcation, its impact on the country, language and its evolution, and the forging of a proud and vibrant culture. Pre-order our book The Half Of It: Instagram: Website: Substack: https://mixeduppod.substack.com/
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LIVE: Melissa Hemsley on how food feeds us on every level, secret comfort foods, and how we can't all eat the same
Mixed Up
The one where we talk weird food rules Emma and Nicole sit down at a live recording at Soho House with chef, best-selling author and sustainability champion Melissa Hemlsey to discuss how the industry shapes how our attitudes towards certain foods, food and cookery trends, her feel good food philosophy. Melissa is the author of five best-selling cookbooks including Feel Good, Eat Happy and Eat Green. Preorder our book The Half Of It: Our website: Our Patreon: Our Instagram: Melissa Hemsley: Feel Good:
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Emma Dabiri: an exploration of beauty, power, and capitalist systems
Mixed Up
The one where 'our judgment of other women is a reflection of the harshness with which we treat ourselves' Emma and Nicole speak with Sunday Times best-selling author, academic and broadcaster Emma Dabiri on her new book, Disobedient Bodies: Reclaim Your Unruly Beauty. They discuss the history of beauty, convention and beauty constructs and its links to control, patriarchy and capitalism. Emma Dabiri is also the author of Don't Touch My Hair and What White People Can Do Next. Preorder our book The Half Of It: Our website: Our Patreon: Our Instagram: ...
info_outlineThe one where we are Black flamingos
Nicole is solo this week speaking to Dean Atta, an author, writer and poet from London who is of Greek Cypriot and Caribbean heritage. His award-winning YA book, The Black Flamingo, is a moving coming of age story published in 2019 with inspiration drawn from Dean’s life and experiences coming of age as a mixed-race teenage boy. His latest YA book is called Only On The Weekend following the love story of Mack and Karim and Finlay and his new poetry collection, There is (still) love here, is out in September 2022. We spoke about being solid in our identities, telling Black queer stories and the importance of collecting stories from our elders
Preorder our book The Half Of It: https://amzn.to/3rDq1qo
Our website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/
Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mixeduppodcast
Our Instagram: https://instagram.com/mixedup.podcast
Dean's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deanatta/
The Black Flamingo: https://amzn.to/3BxmmAS
Only On The Weekends: https://amzn.to/3dwPQXm
Culture mix:
Jordan Stephens and Beth Suzanna's The Missing Piece: https://amzn.to/3qSC98r