We Want the Airwaves
Is it possible for queer and trans artists of color to make a living off their creative and intellectual labor? Nia King interviews QTPOC cultural workers to find out. Read the transcripts at scribd.com/artactivistnia. Support the podcast at patreon.com/artactivistnia. Logo by Joamette Gil.
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118: Queer & Trans Comics & Zines
04/14/2024
118: Queer & Trans Comics & Zines
A panel featuring four of Nia King's favorite artists: , Joe Hatton, , and . Zines played a crucial role in reducing social isolation for many of us, whether we were one of the only punks of color in our scene (Nia in Boston, Joe in the Dakotas, and Vo in Sydney, Australia), or the only gay in our rural Virginia town (Sawyer). Cristy C. Road discusses growing up in Miami's predominantly Black and brown punk scene and using zines to process heartbreak and trauma. Other important zinesters that received shout-outs (or should have include): the this list truly never ends. Shout out to Amirah Mizrahi for the and Maliha Ahmed for running tech.
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117: Ten Year Anniversary Episode, pt. 1
04/02/2023
117: Ten Year Anniversary Episode, pt. 1
celebrates 10 years with a panel featuring six of the artists from : , , , , , and ! (This is the first part of a two-part episode, so you will only hear Ant, Kamal, and Jo on it.) This panel is co-hosted by Maliha Ahmed, co-editor of , and sponsored by the Aydelotte Foundation, Black Studies, Film & Media Studies, and the Libraries at Swarthmore College. Art by Gabriela Riveros and Dan Nosheny. Tune back in next month for part two! Read the transcript . Support the podcast .
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116: No Hay Tos
11/25/2021
116: No Hay Tos
In this very special CROSSOVER episode, I interview the hosts of the Mexican podcast No Hay Tos (in English after they interviewed me for their own show in Spanish). Beto and Héctor, both long-time Spanish teachers, discuss their own language-learning journey, what they love about podcasting, and some of the challenges of teaching. Check out their podcast at nohaytospodcast.com. Read the transcript of this interview at scribd.com/artactivistnia. Support the podcast at patreon.com/artactivistnia.
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115: Simi Kadirgamar
03/08/2021
115: Simi Kadirgamar
Sri Lankan-American Tamil trans woman reporter and martial artist Simi Kadirgamar is the guest on this month's podcast episode. In it, we discuss her reported/illustrated zine on the Indian and Pakistani occupation of Kashmir, a family that peddles Brazilian Jiu-jitsu training to police all over the world, and why she chose hate groups and the far-right as her beat. Shout out to my BFF Amirah for introducing me to this amazing woman! Read the transcript at scribd.com/artactivistnia. Support the podcast at patreon.com/artactivistnia.
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114: Briyana D. Clarel
03/01/2021
114: Briyana D. Clarel
Singer, dancer, actor: Briyana Clarel is a triple threat! In this episode, the Black, nonbinary theater artist discusses growing up in South Jersey, racism at Princeton, and learning to love musical theater, sketch comedy, and a capella. Read the transcripts at scribd.com/artactivistnia. Support the podcast at patreon.com/artactivistnia.
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113: Princess Harmony
10/18/2020
113: Princess Harmony
Afro-Latina trans woman essayist Princess Harmony stops by the podcast to discuss her writing for Black Girl Dangerous, Wear Your Voice and Workers World. We also discuss what's missing in reporting about the opioid pandemic, the different types of medication-assisted treatment available and whether rehab is a scam. Read the transcript at scribd.com/artactivistnia. Support the podcast at patreon.com/artactivistnia.
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112: Gabriela Watson-Burkett, pt 2
09/21/2020
112: Gabriela Watson-Burkett, pt 2
In part two of my interview with Afro-Peruvian Brazilian filmmaker Gabriela Watson-Burkett, we discuss her second film, Baobab Flowers and her new organization, Presente! Media. Baobab Flowers follows the parallel lives of two Black women educators, one who lives and teaches in São Paulo, Brazil and another who lives and teaches in Philly. At the end, we discuss the new media org Gabriela co-founded with two other Latina media-makers. We also talk about anti-Blackness and colonial legacies in Brazil. Read the transcript at scribd.com. Support the podcast at patreon.com/artactivistnia.
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111: Gabriela Watson-Burkett
09/06/2020
111: Gabriela Watson-Burkett
Filmmaker and producer Gabriela Watson-Burkett makes work to connect people across the African diaspora. Her first film, Nosotros Afroperuanos, discusses Black history in Peru and its erasure. Her second film, Baobab Flowers, draws parallels between a Black woman educator in São Paulo, Brazil and a Black woman educator in Philadelphia. Her most recent project, ¡Presente! Media, is an activist media organization she co-founded with two other Latinas. In part one of this two-part interview, we discuss her experience growing up Afro-Peruvian in Brazil and covering Brazil's immigrant communities as part of one of her (many) internships in broadcast journalism. Keep an ear out for part two, coming later this month! (Photo by Scott Burkett) Read the transcript at scribd.com/artactivistnia. Support the podcast at patreon.com/artactivistnia.
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110: Mike Watkins and Teresa Ellis
08/17/2020
110: Mike Watkins and Teresa Ellis
How has coronavirus impacted the fitness industry? In this episode Nia chats with two queer Black business owners, athletic trainer Mike Watkins and Pilates instructor Teresa Ellis, to find out. They also discuss creating fat-positive fitness spaces, working with disabled clients, and ways they try to make their services accessible to low-income folks who want to work out. Read the transcript at scribd.com/artactivistnia. Support the podcast at patreon.com/artactivistnia.
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109: Fèini Yĭn
08/02/2020
109: Fèini Yĭn
At the intersection of political art and environmental science, queer nonbinary Chinese-American Fèini Yĭn is a celestial presence in a static world. Their work ranges from enthralling pieces in The New York Times, to art processions designed to shake up science communities, to short stop-motion films about the natural world — a praxis that challenges the status quo and engages the people, cuts out the traumatic edges of displacement and reanimates them for a new world. Nia chatted with Fèini about the mash-up of art, activism and the radical implications of an expansive view of the scientific. (Episode description written by Alex Smith. Photo by Kieran Alessi) Read the transcription at scribd.com/artactivistnia. Support the podcast at patreon.com/artactivistnia.
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108: Anna Vo
06/01/2020
108: Anna Vo
To say that Vo, a nonbinary trans masc Vietnamese immigant, is an artist is to dance to the arrhythmic tune of understatement: they are a traveler, social worker, and wizened anarchist soul who not only dabbles in various artistic media, but transforms each discipline they encounter. Their galvanizing work in the zine underground with the international BIPOC [Black/Indigenous/People of Color] zine "Fix My Head" and the political perzine "The Swan, the Vulture," in comics, contemporary visual art, experimental fabric manipulation, and their ever-evolving musical explorations with textural metal-inspired folk, is astonishing. Vo brings their experience as an activist to their work, imbuing their many endeavors with radicalism, emotional intensity, and humor, all hallmarks of a wandering spirit whose work leaves a lasting impact on those touched by it. Nia sat down with Vo and explored the chaos, beauty, and radical potential of living an eclectic life shaped and molded by all things. (copy written by Alex Smith, alexoteric.com) Read the transcript at scribd.com/artactivistnia. Support the podcast at patreon.com/artactivistnia.
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107: Ignacio Rivera
05/10/2020
107: Ignacio Rivera
Black Boricua Taíno queer and trans artist Ignacio Rivera is a poet, performer and activist working to end child sexual abuse, or CSA. They are also a grandparent. In this interview, featuring their baby grandson, Ignacio discusses growing up in Brooklyn, becoming politicized in Massachusetts, and the connections between sexual liberation and ending CSA. Read the transcript at scribd.com/artactivistnia. Support the podcast at patreon.com/artactivistnia.
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106: Suzy X
04/19/2020
106: Suzy X
Bisexual Latina writer, comics artist and musician Suzy X has gone from making zines to drawing comics for to writing for (RIP) to being the Latin music editor at in the short time (approx. 7 years) I've known her, and I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this success. In this interview we discuss her zines and , illustrating her first graphic novel, and the challenges of working in media as a young woman of color. Photo by Ebru Yildiz. Read the transcript at . Support the podcast at .
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105: Rahul Mehta
03/09/2020
105: Rahul Mehta
Queer Indian-American author discusses his award-winning collection of short stories, Quarantine; growing up Asian in Appalachia; and how LGBTQ audiences in India have received his work. We also try to sort out why he's so drawn to unlikeable protagonists. Photo by Matthew Hamilton. Read the transcript at . Support the podcast at .
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104: Alex Smith
02/03/2020
104: Alex Smith
Alex Smith is a queer, Black sci-fi writer, musician and visual artist. In this interview, we discuss his collection of short stories, , as well as his many influences, ranging from Public Enemy to Nirvana and Marvel Comics to the Black Panther Party. Photo by Shane Jenkins. Read the transcript at . Support the podcast at .
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103: BL Shirelle
12/16/2019
103: BL Shirelle
BL Shirelle of Die Jim Crow Records discusses the challenges of recording and releasing music by incarcerated artists. She also shares stories of dealing drugs, doing time and raising kids with her wife. (Photo by Verse.) Support the podcast at . Transcript coming soon.
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102: Oliver Spencer / St. Sol
11/03/2019
102: Oliver Spencer / St. Sol
Black queer Philadelphia-based musician and visual artist (known musically as ) discusses growing up between North Carolina and Okinawa, how their dad's military service impacted their life, and finding the space to be weird in (an arts) high school. We also talk about the whiteness of art school(s), not letting perfectionism hold you back, and using music to assert your humanity. Photo by Georgia Wescott. Read the transcript at . Support the podcast at .
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101: Joyce Hatton
10/13/2019
101: Joyce Hatton
Black asexual zinester and cartoonist discusses their comic Locks and their zines Trust the Knife and Grief. Joyce is a survivor of breast cancer, homelessness, and a suicide attempt, so this episode gets pretty heavy. We also talk about the concept of "trauma porn" (which is not actual porn), when illustrations come easier than words, and their love of birds. Here is a link to the I reference in this episode. Buy Joyce's work . You can support the podcast at . Transcript coming soon.
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August 2019 announcements
08/05/2019
August 2019 announcements
1.) I'm taking a break from the podcast. I'll be back in October. 2.) I'm moving to Philly. Please hit my up if you have leads on any jobs! 3.) The for Queer & Trans Artists of Color, Volume 3 is October 19th at East Bay Booksellers in Oakland, featuring , and . PLEASE so we can hire ASL interpreters for the event. Thank you! <3 <3 <3 Launch party GoFundMe:
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100: Mey Rude
07/05/2019
100: Mey Rude
Bisexual trans Latina writer Mey Rude discusses growing up in Idaho, getting kicked out of her church family, and how comics helped her find her queer- and trans-ness. Read the transcript at . Support the podcast at .
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99: Aja Archuleta
06/10/2019
99: Aja Archuleta
Two-Spirit mestiza musician Aja Archuleta discusses growing up in a big Mexican family with deep Denver roots, discovering her Indigenous identity, and why "Two-Spirit" now fits her better than "trans". She also shares how her love of music evolved: from playing piano in Catholic school to discovering the how much fun noise-punk could be to making massage music. Photo by Kristin Cofer. Read the transcript at . Support the podcast at .
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98: Kyle Casey Chu
05/06/2019
98: Kyle Casey Chu
Queer Chinese-American drag queen, filmmaker, and musician, talks growing up in SF, touring the South in a punk band, and changing media representations of Asian-American men. Photo by Vincent Flores. Read the transcript at scribd.com/artactivistnia. Support the podcast at patreon.com/artactivistnia.
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97: 6 Year Anniversary Episode!
04/08/2019
97: 6 Year Anniversary Episode!
Acclaimed author and artist Luna Merbruja interviews me (Nia King) about my pre-podcast life as zinester and cartoonist, turning the podcast into a book, and how the QTPOC art world has changed since We Want the Airwaves began six years ago.
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96: The Lady Ms. Vagina Jenkins
03/04/2019
96: The Lady Ms. Vagina Jenkins
Black queer femme Southerner The Lady Ms. Vagina Jenkins may be best known as a burlesque performer, but she's also a stand-up comic, filmmaker, and taxidermist. In this interview, she discusses growing up working-class in the country, starting sex work after finishing college, and moving to the Bay (nearly ten years ago) to pursue greater artistic opportunities. Read the interview at scribd.com/artactivistnia. Support the podcast at patreon.com/artactivistnia.
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95: Breena Nuñez and Lawrence Lindell
02/14/2019
95: Breena Nuñez and Lawrence Lindell
Queer Black and brown punk weirdos in love! In this episode, Breena Nuñez and Lawrence Lindell, both cartoonists, musicians, and educators, tell the story of how they met and how the places they grew up shaped them. They also discuss getting what you need out of art school DESPITE the faculty and administration, making a living off of art (but pursuing higher education to make a living as teachers), and their "gateway" comics and punk bands. To see some of Breena’s comics about their Afrolatinx experience, and learn more about their work: To see Lawrence’s affirming comics about queerness and Blackness: Read the transcript at . Support the podcast at .
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94: Jocquese Whitfield
01/08/2019
94: Jocquese Whitfield
Black queer SF native and dancer Jocquese Whitfield discusses discovering vogue in college, his first ball in Oakland, performing with MIA and Azealia Banks, taking corporate money and giving back to the community. (Photo by Ejects Collection) Read the interview at . Support the podcast at .
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93: Arielle Twist
11/05/2018
93: Arielle Twist
Indigenous trans woman poet discusses her upcoming book , growing up Cree on a M'ikmaq reservation, and the mentorship she's received from other trans women of color poets. This conversation also covers the importance queer sex education, the problems of performative allyship, and the meaning of the phrase “all trans girls are ghosts.” Photo by Laurence Philomene. Read the transcript at . Support the podcast at .
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92: Malcolm Lasalle
09/30/2018
92: Malcolm Lasalle
Is visibility ultimately a good thing for the artist with revolutionary intentions? For most artists, seeking to be visible to the mainstream mass media is key to economic survival. However that visibility and the surveillance that comes with it can be detrimental to the intent of subversive art. What if we accept that anything we get paid to do can never be truly revolutionary, and that anything truly revolutionary cannot be done in public? explored these and other questions in their essay "," (published in , Volume I, Number 5). Read the transcript at . Support the podcast at .
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91: Jackie Wang, pt 2
09/18/2018
91: Jackie Wang, pt 2
Jackie Wang's book Carceral Capitalism helps draw a direct line between the Recession of 2008, the following calls for austerity, and the visible uptick in anti-Black police violence. Indebted cities are trying to cut costs and raise funds, and they are doing it by having machines and algorithms make decisions that cops and judges would usually make. In places like Ferguson, MO, they're also charging exorbitant fees and fines for the most minor infractions, making poor Black residents' lives way harder than they need to be. Find out exactly how new, technologically advanced, supposedly race-neutral methods of policing continue to perpetuate racism, classism, and heterosexism in this episode. Photo by Sasha Pedro. Read the transcript at . Support the podcast at .
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90: Jackie Wang
09/03/2018
90: Jackie Wang
Queer mixed-race writer Jackie Wang and I lived parallel lives in different parts of the country. In this first half of the interview, we reminisce about our teen years, spent listening to punk, reading/writing zines, and volunteering at Food Not Bombs. We also discuss her trajectory from zinester to blogger to published author and from dropping out of a poetry MFA program in the desert to becoming a PhD candidate at Harvard. Read the interview at . Support the podcast at .
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