We’re switching things up for this, the final episode of season two. Instead of playing host, this week I’m playing guest, and being interviewed by my brilliant pal Lucia Lorenzi. Also, since this is the end of another season, I’m once more asking you to give me some feedback on the podcast. Questions below. But first? Links!
- The article I mention about supporting women academics who are being harassed is “I get by with a little help from my friends: The ecological model and support for women scholars experiencing online harassment.”
- If you want to check out the first season’s peer review, you can read it here.
- Lucia talks about Adrienne Maree Brown‘s brilliant writing, including her work on pleasure.
- Oh, I mention Jordan Peterson, and so should definitely link to this brilliant new article about his citational practice as an indicator of his attitude toward scholarly knowledge production.
- Lucia’s references of “white civility” are allusions to the book White Civility: The Literary Project of English Canada, which is a must-read for anyone interested in the particular shape that white supremacy takes in Canada. (So is Robyn Maynard’s Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present. Have you read it yet?)
- The reference to “rupture events” is actually a reference to Jacques Rancière’s “Ten Theses on Politics.”
- One last reference! Lucia talks about Sherronda Brown‘s work, specifically this article on the decolonization of Black intellectualism.
Download Episode / Read Transcription
Season Two Feedback Questions:
- What do you think of the new format (longer interview episodes and shorter minisodes)? Are there any changes to the format that you would prefer?
- What is your favourite episode in season 2? What’s your least favourite? Why?
- What guests (specific or general) or topics do you want the podcast to tackle next season?
- Do you think of the podcast as scholarly? Why or why not?
- If you could make one change to the podcast, what would it be? If you could guarantee one thing would stay the same, what would it be?
The podcast theme song is “Mesh Shirt” by Mom Jeans off their album “Chub Rub.” Listen to the whole album here or learn more about them here. MY theme song is “Truth Hurts” by Lizzo.
Secret Feminist Agenda is recorded and produced by Hannah McGregor on the traditional and unceded territories of the Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.
Secret Feminist Agenda 
Hi Hannah, here are my answers to your questions.
I absolutely love the new format. I love the interviews but the shorter oral essays or whatever they are seem to afford you a lot of freedom and honesty that I would really miss if you went back to the other format. I also just love hearing from you and feeling seen the way I feel seen by you, and then have it followed up by Kaarina being absolutely wonderful.
I can’t choose just one favourite episode, but 2.2, 2.3 (I still think about it, and oh boy did I cry), 2.8 and 2.20 are some of my favourites. I generally really like the balance with heartbreaking, funny and educational stuff. I don’t really have a least favourite episode, but there are moments where I feel a little uncomfortable because I don’t quite understand the academic system well enough to follow along completely. But then a few weeks later I hear some fancy man trying to excuse his actions using fancy words I now know because of this podcast, and that makes me feel clever and like a secret superhero, so I don’t think you should stop using the fancy words and concepts.
I would LOVE for you to talk to Kat Lo (@lawlkat) about basically anything you two would like to talk about (to my understanding she is an online communities/ online harassment researcher), I really think any conversation with her would be fascinating.
I’d also be really interested in hearing you talk about death/funeral industry feminism for example with Caitlin Doughty, but she might be difficult to get on the podcast, so anyone within that industry would be interesting. Ooh and Aaron Ansuini, I’m not sure about a topic with him tbh, there are a lot of options, I just think a conversation between you two would be deeply interesting – and he is canadian too, so that might help.
I don’t really know what would make something scholarly, but these episodes feel like having a feminism tutor who understands that I’m not an expert, but that I’m keen to learn, and takes me by the hand to teach me. You’ve basically given me free access to a university professor in a field I would otherwise never end up exploring, and using theories and perspectives I would otherwise never have heard of. I’m doing my thesis on online platforms and designing for older users, and a year ago I never would have thought that that might in any way involve feminism. Silly silly me. But yeah uh, if scholarly is something academic that teaches you something, then this podcast is pretty scholarly, although it doesn’t feel like that, it just feels like having a really really clever friend.
One change to the podcast: I can’t think of anything right now, sorry. Maybe just more “Complaining with Kaarina” episodes when you feel like it?
One thing to keep: Your honesty. I get that you have a right to protect yourself, but how honest and personal these episodes are is amazing. Also: Your laughter is magical.
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I would really love to hear from some more working class folks, or just people who are outside the world of academia. I would also be interested in more discussion of ableism and disability (both physical and mental). It seems like both of these are things that are frequently referenced in passing on the podcast but rarely show up in regards to who is interviewed, episode topics etc. As a person who loves learning but has found academia consistently inaccessible and exhausting because of mental illness and neurodivergence, it would be super interesting to explore those intersections a little more.
On that note, I would also love to hear from some neurodivergent guests! (autism or others as well)
I really like the new format but regardless, the podcast is easily one of my top favourites. Thanks for all your hard work and care!
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Hello Hannah,
Congratulations on finishing season 2! What an accomplishment! I can’t tell you how happy I was to hear in this episode that you plan to continue, and that season 3 is coming to us so quickly. I am so glad that making this show is fun for you, and that it seems to feed into good things in your life- such as having deep conversations with friends and tricking new people into being your friend. I get so much joy out of this podcast I am delighted that you get joy out of it as well! Here are my question answers:
What do you think of the new format (longer interview episodes and shorter minisodes)? Are there any changes to the format that you would prefer? I love the new format. I wouldn’t have thought of it myself, but I think it’s great. I love that it gives the interviews more space, and also love that there are the shorter interludes during which we can hear you thinking outloud/pondering/turning over a problem on your own.
What is your favourite episode in season 2? What’s your least favourite? Why?
It is extremely difficult to pick a favorite. I will say that I listened to 2.29, on re-listening, twice in a row. Literally as soon as it was done I just played it again, and got new stuff out of it the second time. I also adored 2.26, sourdough with Emily Hoven, which inspired a long conversation between me and my best friend about baked goods in general as a metaphor for care. As a person with two degrees, and who got a degree partly so people would take me seriously in my field, 2.23 gave me a lot of food for thought. Because of episodes 2.20 and 2.6 I read “So You Want To Talk About Race” and also “Why Indigenous Literatures Matter.” I really appreciate both your conversations with indigenous people and your modeling of how to be better aware of indigenous issues. As bad as Canada can be about indigenous rights I feel that where I live in the US it’s even worse. And part of why it is worse is that we don’t even talk about it here. I don’t have a least favorite episode, but if I think about which episode seems least similar to all of the others from the season I’d call 2.22, the interview with Alba Sotorra, the odd one out. I think it sticks out to me because it concerns events not taking place in North America, not involving the university or related spheres, and it talks about people in an active warzone. I found this episode challenging in different ways than other episodes are challenging.
What guests (specific or general) or topics do you want the podcast to tackle next season? I like being surprised, and I love hearing you talk with people you love, so I’m happy to keep listening to you interview each of your friends in turn. Another thing you could do (but only if you want to) is reach out to other podcast hosts and see if they’d like to do joint episodes with you. My favorite way to learn about new podcasts is by hearing people guest on podcasts I already listen to, so if you interviewed some of your favs, then your listeners could also learn about them!
Do you think of the podcast as scholarly? Why or why not? I do. I think it is scholarly because you are a scholar. Listening to episodes is like listening to the best kind of college lectures- thoughtful, funny, well-researched, profound, kind.
If you could make one change to the podcast, what would it be? If you could guarantee one thing would stay the same, what would it be? I’d love to have a regular book recommendation segment. I know you always post links in the show notes and sometimes they are for books if a book has come up in conversation. But I’d love if it perhaps at the end of minisodes (before or after Kaarina) you told us about a book you thought was important, and what you got out of it or why we should also read it. One thing I hope never changes is that you continue to make this podcast as long as it feels good to do so!
~Maia, aka redgoldsparks
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Hi Hannah, I absolutely love this podcast. Here are my thoughts:
What do you think of the new format (longer interview episodes and shorter minisodes)? Are there any changes to the format that you would prefer?
I really like the new format. It allows the minisodes to be more fully fleshed out and less rushed discussions of your thoughts, which I appreciate.
What is your favourite episode in season 2? What’s your least favourite? Why?
I loved Soft Bois and the Law School episode, which were two that felt directly relevant to me. I’m in graduate school and have been doing a lot of fighting within my school to make it more trans-inclusive, and it’s been so hard. Soft Bois felt lovely and sweet and validating in such a beautiful way.
I’m not an academic and I’m not very excited about poetry, so neither of those episodes really appealed to me, but I enjoyed them nonetheless.
What guests (specific or general) or topics do you want the podcast to tackle next season?
You mentioned in this last episode some of your ideas, and I’d really like for you to do more work with trans folks. I’d love more discussion about clothing and presentation. I’m in social work school, so I’d be really interested in a feminist therapy episode, as well as feminist approaches to eating disorders and trauma. I’d also enjoy if you had Marcelle on and did a discussion of the feminism of Witch Please.
Do you think of the podcast as scholarly? Why or why not?
I honestly don’t know. I feel like my only association with whether something is “scholarly” is whether I’m allowed to cite it in a paper for grad school. Which is to say, I don’t really care. I find it interesting, and informative, and useful, and a form of sharing information.
If you could make one change to the podcast, what would it be? If you could guarantee one thing would stay the same, what would it be?
One change: something about the recording equipment that Kaarina uses leaves a high-pitched whisper sound which I find uncomfortable. If there’s an easy fix, that’d be great!
Keep the thoughtfulness: your discussions–both in the minisodes and the full episodes–have really helped me think through some difficult issues with a lot of compassion. I appreciate the thoughtful and generous pacing and analysis.
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I would say this episode is my favorite of the season. You really shed light on the academic career path and the direction that scholarly feminist work is going. I find it difficult to read a lot of feminist theory and work because it is so negative. What you said about finding joy was really moving and so important. Feminist theory will never be able to reach everyone when it is so full of hate. In regards to how this podcast is scholarly, scholarly work should be original and unique and your work is, you are approaching popular ideas from a different, honest angle and a big part of that is the way you bring humor and joy to difficult topics. Your scholarly work is creative and reassuring to read, it gives me, a very cynical person, hope and I want to thank you for that.
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