Mothers & Others Julian K. Jarboe

In the final episode of the season, we’re focusing on Mother Earth. We talk to microbiologist Maya about researching the tiniest living parts of the natural world, accounting for bias, plant emotions, and the ecstatic delight of slime blobs. Topics Touched: plant diseases, creepy plant metaphors for human bodies, the handful of differences between humans … Continue reading EP10: Mother Earth and Mother Nature →

Wren describes his home life with cats Duncan, a massively kingly whiner, and Sweet Sweet, a deadly assassin, who would probably for that very reason make a great mom.

This week we welcome poet and shark-lover Wren to discuss critters, creatures, and creepy-crawly moms of all kinds. You can find Wren on Twitter @suitofscales and be sure to check out his work at wrenhanks.com. Sabrina also joins again to discuss the wonders and horrors of the natural world and its multitude of mothers. Topics … Continue reading EP09: Wild Critters →

Trans writer, gamer, and resident eldritch abomination Sabrina Boynton joins us this week to discuss a sensitive topic very near and dear to everyone’s heart: giant fucking spider moms. Topics Touched: abject horror, Sonic Dreams, Charlotte’s Web, maternal industriousness, James and the Giant Peach, arachnophobia, The Red Spot, the devouring mother, the castrating mother, love bombing, J. R. … Continue reading EP08: Gigantic Mythic Spiders →

Cora is with us again to talk about black cultural studies, motherhood, and gender. You can check out Cora’s multi-media work at https://polychora.org/. Topics Touched: Hortense Spillers, foundational work in black studies, cultural archetypes of black womanhood, the Moynihan Report, gender and race in the American imagination, construction of black motherhood, erasure of black fatherhood, intersectionality … Continue reading EP07: Mama’s Baby, Papa’s Maybe →

Cora joins us again to to discuss race, blackness, mothering and motherhood, and reproductive labor. You can explore Cora’s work at https://polychora.org/. Topics Touched: housewifery as administrative experience, the institution of “hired help,” the legacy of slavery, the archetype of the mammy, controlling images, Octavia Spencer, black female characters in film, the perverse psychodrama of US … Continue reading EP06: Mammies, Nannies, and Reproductive Labor →