17. Transforming toxic masculinity through Poetry, w/Will McInerney

Will McInerney is a Gates Scholar and PhD Candidate at the Cambridge Faculty of Education. His research focuses on gender equality, masculinity and men's violence against women. Will is also an award-winning and highly talented poet, who has been using poetry as a vehicle for transformation in violence-prevention programs working with young men. In this episode, he shares his insights from years of experience as a peace practitioner and as a researcher, as he looks for new ways to engage men in working towards gender equality. He also brought along some of his own spoken word poetry to perform for us! I ask Will all kinds of questions, like: Why are men generally more violent than women, and is it true that 'boys will be boys', or can this be changed? Why do some men feel alienated from feminism, and how can we move from 'patriarchal' or toxic masculinity towards more healthy, peaceful conceptions of masculinity? Is violence against women a 'women's issue' only, or does it involve men too? Will powerfully makes the case for poetry, arts and community-based approaches to build trust, create space for vulnerability and to radically redefine what it means to be strong, courageous and brave, whilst also (in the words of bell hooks) being 'disloyal to patriarchy'.