Workers' Lit

Workers' Lit
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Your favorite podcast about literature for hot, cool, gay, and/or working class people. Hosted by Aysha, Lenore, Jen, and Rahab. New episodes on Mondays. Patreon: Patreon.com/workerslit Contact us at workerslit@gmail.com.

  1. 11 hr ago

    How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, ft. Isaac of the SDCC

    Have y'all heard about this whole "European colonialism" thing? It's bad news, REALLY bad news! Isaac, an organizer with the South Dekalb Coordinating Committee joins us today for a conversation about a true political titan: Walter Rodney. A Guyanese historian, political philosopher, and organizer, Rodney published his masterwork, "How Europe Underdeveloped Africa" in 1972. This conversation takes you through Rodney's life, the outline of his arguments, and a high-level view of the historical processes by which European colonization and imperialism stunted the growth of the African continent, leaving us with the geopolitical situation we see today. It's upsetting stuff, but it's absolutely crucial to understand should we want to see change! Go support the South Dekalb Coordinating Committee in its quest to organize, educate, and support the people of the Metro Atlanta area in their fight against capitalism and racism! https://linktr.ee/SDCC_ Go check out Isaac's writing on Substack! https://substack.com/@isaacboa Go support Workers' Lit on Patreon! https://patreon.com/workerslit Links to sources for this episode: https://www.economist.com/special-report/2025/01/06/the-economic-gap-between-africa-and-the-rest-of-the-world-is-growing https://www.policycenter.ma/publications/impact-chinese-investments-africa-neocolonialism-or-cooperation https://www.worldbank.org/en/brief/2026/09/17/the-job-i-hope-for https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/m7o1qi/africa_according_to_the_conference_of_berlin/

    How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, ft. Isaac of the SDCC

  2. 2 days ago

    [BONUS EPISODE PREVIEW] Article Brain: Make Books Manly Again, Make David Funny Again

    This is a preview. To access the full episode please go support Workers' Lit on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/workerslit It's time for yet another installment of Lenore and Rahab's monthly patron-only miniseries, "Article Brain!" This time we wade into two very different, very stupid articles. First, Jacobin asks us why books aren't manly anymore. Then, Larry David (yes, that Larry David) shows that even a generational comedian can't make "socialism is when no iPhone" funny. Links to the articles. Please do not read them, this is just to cite our sources or whatever: https://jacobin.com/2026/10/lonesome-dove-reading-novels-men https://airmail.news/issues/2026-10-17/the-view-from-here

    [BONUS EPISODE PREVIEW] Article Brain: Make Books Manly Again, Make David Funny Again

  3. 19 Oct

    "Metal From Heaven" ft. Amal El-Mohtar. Or: Let's Go Lesbians

    IMPORTANT NOTE: You might notice one of our hosts is going by a new name (Rahab/Ray). Have you slipped into an alternate reality? Perhaps, perhaps not. For some specifics, go check out the "Rise of Rahab" episode on the Patreon. Or just pretend it was always this way, that works too. Let's Go Lesbians! This is a really special episode. The incredible science fiction author Amal El-Mohtar joins us to discuss August Clarke's 2024 "Metal From Heaven," a queer, violent, exciting, sexy, brutal, blast of a novel that will have YOU ready to join the Highwaymen's Choir. Discussion includes: building parallel systems in the face of oppression, the performance of gender and its intersection with sexuality, the need for more strap-ons in science fiction, and becoming communist God. Go check out Amal's incredible work at her website: https://amalelmohtar.com/ Go support Workers' Lit on Patreon: https://patreon.com/workerslit Sources from the episode: https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html https://www.semcoop.com/blog/post/end-hereafter-qa-august-clarke-author-metal-heaven

    "Metal From Heaven" ft. Amal El-Mohtar. Or: Let's Go Lesbians

  4. 12 Oct

    "Automatic Noodle," ft. Cecilia Tan

    The age of humanity has passed. The age of the noodle is at hand! This week, we are joined by the brilliant author Cecilia Tan to discuss "Automatic Noodle," a cozy sci-fi novella by Annalee Newitz. This book will finally answer the question we've all been waiting to solve: What happens when a bunch of abandoned, sentient robots try to claim their autonomy and open a restaurant? This episode has a bit of friendly disagreement as we discuss questions like: Is the environment TOO warm and fuzzy? Where does sci-fi succeed/fail as it turns real-world issues into allegory? How did California separate from the United States? All this and more! Cecilia Tan is an incredible author. Go buy her books and support her on Patreon! All relevant info can be found at Cecilia's website here: https://www.ceciliatan.com We also covered one of Cecilia's books, "The Mystery of the Bitten Peach," just a few months ago. Go listen to that here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6q5EVMX85CuyFPD1SeSUke Go support Workers' Lit on Patreon! https://patreon.com/workerslit

    "Automatic Noodle," ft. Cecilia Tan

  5. 5 Oct

    Health Communism, ft. Jake Flores

    Capitalism is not up to the task of 21st century healthcare. Facing wars, an ageing population, fossil fuel-driven disasters, debilitating diseases, and the everyday rigors of life, the capitalist healthcare system instead prioritizes profit above all else. On this episode Jake Flores of "Pod Damn America" joins Jen and Lenore to discuss this crisis, then they get into a different healthcare model presented by, "Health Communism," a 2025 book written by Artie Vierkant and Beatrice Adler-Bolton of the "Death Panel" Podcast. It's a great book. It's a great episode. Don't miss it! Go support "Workers' Lit" on Patreon! https://patreon.com/workerslit Go check out Jake Flores' podcast, "Pod Damn America" https://www.patreon.com/poddamnamerica Go check out "Health Communism" https://www.versobooks.com/products/2801-health-communism

    Health Communism, ft. Jake Flores

  6. 28 Sept

    Summer Sons: 5 years later. A Retrospective with Lee Mandelo

    On September 28, 2021, Lee Mandelo released his debut novel: "Summer Sons," a southern gothic horror that wrestles with guilt, sexual repression, the long shadows of southern history, the evils of academia, and reinventing BDSM dynamics from first principles with your buddies. On September 28, 2026, Workers' Lit released an episode with Lee himself, looking back on "Summer Sons" as a book. We've had authors on to talk about their books, but never to break down their novels in a beat-by-beat way we typically review literature. We were thrilled to have Lee back on the show for this amazing topic. Want more of Workers' Lit/Lee collaboration content? You'd be crazy not to. Links to his two previous appearances and our coverage of "Woods All Black" here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5j6AH8gxlpojTjZdEiuJH9?si=0qRwbRd3Q_G8w26qW-EGhw https://open.spotify.com/episode/5M8AaWNVKHh0zuhWDVbt81?si=fl-JuDvlTiqgoojLR7ztGg https://open.spotify.com/episode/3CRYIorpGHJVC0oYvtJhLu?si=_qTz2i4OR9eWku4PjLnIzQ Want to support Workers' Lit on Patreon? Of course you do. Link here! https://patreon.com/workerslit Want more of Lee? OBVIOUSLY! Link here! https://leemandelo.com/

    Summer Sons: 5 years later. A Retrospective with Lee Mandelo

  7. 21 Sept

    Antonio Gramsci's "Prison Notebooks," ft. Caleb of Kill the Computer

    Now is the time of monsters! Caleb from Kill The Computer and 60 Minute Drill returns to the pod to discuss the legendary Italian intellectual, Antonio Gramsci. Trace the life story of this short king with us as he travels from the poor countryside of his youth to meet baddies in a Moscow sanitarium all the way to revolutionary struggle and prison in fascist Italy…and bro didn’t stop there! As soon as he hit the jail cell he started, “The Prison Notebooks.” Over 3000 pages of documents, “The Prison Notebooks” contains keys for understanding the failure of the working class to defend its own interests, the way the ruling class exerts control despite all odds, and answers the key question: is Macklemore an intellectual? Go Support Workers’ Lit on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/WorkersLit Go Check out Caleb’s podcasts! https://www.killthecomputer.com/ https://linktr.ee/60MinuteDrill

    Antonio Gramsci's "Prison Notebooks," ft. Caleb of Kill the Computer

  8. 18 Sept

    [Bonus Episode Preview] Article Brain: Ross Douthat and AI Apocalypse

    This is a preview. To access the full episode please go support Workers' Lit on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/WorkersLit Once again it's time for an Article Brain, the monthly sub-series where we find the worst articles of our day and age to torment one another with. First up, we read Ross Douthat's departure from the New York Times. In typical Ross fashion, he manages to "both sides" in a way specifically designed to drive us insane. And then we get CNN's take on the AI Apocalypse. Sure, it's coming, but don't we prefer an American AI Apocalypse to a Chinese one?? Links (not recommending you read these please God don't): https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/08/opinion/obama-trump-biden-enemy.html https://us.cnn.com/2026/09/15/tech/ai-kill-everyone-china

    [Bonus Episode Preview] Article Brain: Ross Douthat and AI Apocalypse
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About

Your favorite podcast about literature for hot, cool, gay, and/or working class people. Hosted by Aysha, Lenore, Jen, and Rahab. New episodes on Mondays. Patreon: Patreon.com/workerslit Contact us at workerslit@gmail.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Workers' Lit
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    204
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Workers' Lit
  • Show Website
    Workers' Lit

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