Our Daily Beard Emily Win

On this Season 2 FINALE episode, I throw it back to the beginning by sitting in closet with a mic to talk to the air for 30 minutes about my own writing (lol). This time, though, I share some crucial pieces (others AND my own) that influenced and inspired this podcast. By taking you through some of my own writings, I attempt to convey both the foundations and the future of this queer, spiritual podcast. A never-before-heard-or-seen piece is included PLUS many big announcements :) 

If you're a book nerd, space nerd, Sci-fi nerd, queer nerd, or all of the above, this episode might be your favorite piece of podcast work that exists on the internet. Join me as I pick Cam Coulter's brain on how Sci-fi and Fantasy lend themselves to radical queer representation. Cam shares their experience in finding queer/trans community within the internet Sci-fi niche and walks me through the many different (and totally rad) pronouns that exist in alternate universes. Come to get your mind blown, stay for the book recs. 

This week I bring on another internet friend, McKenzie, to share her experience as a parishioner of St. Luke's Church in Long Beach. A self-identified queer, disabled person, she talks about her experience navigating affirming, supportive spaces amidst the vague advertising of "inclusive churches." We sit down to have a real chat about how St. Luke's strives to be a 'social justice church,' not just on paper, but IRL. 

We have super special guest Enoch Miller, most popularly known as The Empress of WeHo, on ODB to talk about his experience undergoing conversion therapy in the South. He invites us into a very raw conversation about what it was like growing up gay and a pastor's kid. 

What is the role of art and icons in reconciling religion with queerness? I invite my self-identified "walking strap-on" artistic friend Mary to let me into her journey growing up queer in the Eastern Orthodox Church. We talk through moments of accepting certain religious comforts while desiring to express queerness through alternative spiritualities. Mary walks us step by step through her artistic process as a means of thinking through creative theological spaces. 

This week I bring on soon-to-be counselor (and friend of...5 years?) Daniel Lovan to speak on his work with creating healing spaces between queer and religious communities. He walks us through the Jesuit "See. Judge. Act." model and explains why tools like emphatic confrontation and restorative circles can help seemingly polar communities meet in the middle. You can find him and his stellar work @daniellovan72.