Relationscapes

Blair Hodges
  • 5.0 (61)
  • RELATIONSHIPS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY
Relationscapes

Exploring the ever-changing terrain of relationships, gender, and sexuality. Award-winning journalist Blair Hodges talks to the best experts and authors about who we are and how we connect with each other. (Formerly known as ”Family Proclamations.”)

  1. Writing Great Trans Stories for All Ages (with Kyle Lukoff)

    FEB 18

    Writing Great Trans Stories for All Ages (with Kyle Lukoff)

    Kyle Lukoff knows how to captivate readers, and he also knows what it feels like to have his books taken captive by bans. Because in picture books like Call Me Max and middle grade novels like Different Kinds of Fruit, Kyle introduces characters who proudly defy common expectations of gender identity. Trans readers love to see themselves reflected in his books. But frankly, Kyle's giving readers of all backgrounds the opportunity to think more deeply about our own journeys of self-discovery. In this candid interview, the acclaimed author pulls back the curtain on his creative process—how he threads the needle to create inclusive and captivating stories without getting preachy about it. We focus especially on his spooky middle-grade novel Too Bright to See.    Show Notes See Kyle's letter, "On the Eanes School District's response to 'Call Me Max.'"   About the Guest Kyle Lukoff is the award-winning author of several picture books including the Stonewall Award winner When Aiden Became a Brother, Explosion at the Poem Factory, and the acclaimed Call Me Max. His first middle-grade novel, Too Bright To See, was a finalist for the National Book Award, received six starred reviews, and appeared on numerous "best of the year" lists. His accolades include the Stonewall Book Award, and Newberry Honor author. After working as a bookseller and a school librarian, he now writes full time.  Full transcript available here at relationscapes.org.

    53 min
  2. Swipe Left on Romance (with Sabrina Strings)

    FEB 4

    Swipe Left on Romance (with Sabrina Strings)

    The dating world today feels like a minefield—swiping, ghosting, endless situationships, and more. What if the problem isn’t just app fatigue, but the very idea of romance itself? Sociologist Sabrina Strings unpacks how centuries of racism and sexism have shaped our ideas about modern love, leaving many people—especially women who don’t fit the "white enough" ideal—excluded from the fairy tale of true love. Drawing from her latest book, The End of Love: Racism, Sexism, and the Death of Romance, and her own experiences, Strings challenges everything we think we know about love, and asks: Is something better possible?   ABOUT THE GUEST Sabrina Strings is author of The End of Love: Racism, Sexism, and the Death of Romance. She is Professor and North Hall Chair of Black Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She was a recipient of the UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship with a joint appointment in the School of Public Health and Department of Sociology. A certified yoga teacher, her work has been featured in The Feminist Wire, Yoga International, and LA Yoga. Sabrina is also an award-winning author with publications in diverse venues including, Ethnic and Racial Studies; Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, Fat Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Body Weight and Society and Feminist Media Studies. Her first book, Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia (NYU Press 2019), was named one of Essence magazine’s "10 Books We're Dying To Toss Into Our Summer Totes." It also made “must read” lists in Ms. Magazine, Colorlines, and Bitchmedia, and has been featured on NPR, KPFA and WNYC.  Full transcript available here at relationscapes.org.

    1h 10m
  3. Creating More Equal Partnerships (with Kate Mangino)

    JAN 21

    Creating More Equal Partnerships (with Kate Mangino)

    Have you ever felt resentment about how responsibilities are divided in your relationship? Kate Mangino joins us to break down why this dynamic exists—and more important, what you can do about it. Outdated gender norms are causing a lot of problems for people whether they're married, dating, or in a queer or straight partnership. Luckily, some small, everyday changes can lead to a more balanced home life where everyone has time for work, family, and themselves. We're talking about the book, Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equality at Home.   SHOW NOTES State of the World's Fathers Report "In a Growing Share of U.S. Marriages, Husbands and Wives Earn About the Same," Pew Research Center "What to Do if You're Doing Too Much," Kate Mangino, Psychology Today   ABOUT THE GUEST Kate Mangino is author of Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equality at Home. She has written and delivered curricula in over 20 countries about issues such as women’s empowerment, healthy masculinity, HIV prevention, and early and forced childhood marriage. Kate's work can be found in Time, Slate, and the Harvard Business Review. Subscribe to her newsletter at katemangino.com. Full transcript available here at relationscapes.org.

    1h 18m
  4. Coming of Age in a Cult and Beyond (with Guinevere Turner)

    JAN 7

    Coming of Age in a Cult and Beyond (with Guinevere Turner)

    One January day in 1975, seven-year-old Guinevere Turner put on her best dress, hugged her favorite toy tightly, and waited for the spaceship to arrive. The world was ending and she would be saved, spirited away to Venus with the rest of her enormous and enlightened family. When the prophecy failed, the cult carried on. But Guinevere would soon find herself thrown out into the world beyond, where things somehow became more nightmarish than before. In this episode, Guinevere Turner joins us to talk about her remarkable memoir, When the World Didn't End. Note: This episode includes discussion of psychological manipulation and sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised.   SHOW NOTES Buy the book here. Read Guinevere's piece in The New Yorker that led to her memoir here.  ABOUT THE GUEST Guinevere Turner is an acclaimed screenwriter and director. She co-wrote the screenplays for American Psycho and The Notorious Bettie Page and, most recently, wrote the screenplay for Charlie Says. She also wrote and starred in the film Go Fish and was a writer and actor on Showtime’s The L Word. An essay she wrote for The New Yorker is the inspiration for this memoir. She lives in New York and Los Angeles. A full transcript is available here at relationscapes.org.

    1h 6m
  5. MINI EPISODE: In Defense of No-Fault Divorce (with Heather Quick)

    12/23/2024

    MINI EPISODE: In Defense of No-Fault Divorce (with Heather Quick)

    Attorney Heather Quick stops by to talk about the importance of no-fault divorce. She also has tips about what to look for in a divorce lawyer.  Check out Heather's resources: Florida Women's Law Group resources Women Winning Divorce podcast We also hear from some listeners about their divorce experiences.  The full transcript of this episode is available here.

    32 min
  6. Painfully Funny (with Paul Scheer)

    12/10/2024

    Painfully Funny (with Paul Scheer)

    Paul Scheer is an award-winning actor, screenwriter, comedian and podcast host of How Did This Get Made? So you'd think his most interesting life stories would be about his audition for Saturday Night Live or how he came up through improv comedy to star in shows like The League and Black Monday. Those are interesting stories, but in his new memoir, Paul gives center stage to family stories. Growing up with a loving mom and dad who divorced, the tyranny of an abusive stepfather, and what it's like to become a marriage partner and a parent in the shadow of traumatic experiences.   ABOUT THE GUEST Paul Scheer is author of the New York Times best-selling memoir, Joyful Recollections of Trauma. He's a comedian and a Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actor from shows like The League, Veep, Fresh Off the Boat, and Black Monday. He’s a podcaster of the smash-hit How Did This Get Made and also Unspooled with his co-host Amy Nicholson. He lives in LA with his partner June Diane Raphael and their two kids.  Full transcript available here at relationscapes.org.

    56 min
  7. Beyond Barbie Feminism (with Rafia Zakaria)

    11/26/2024

    Beyond Barbie Feminism (with Rafia Zakaria)

    Mainstream feminism today was created mostly by white women, for white women. It has soaked into American pop culture, social media, the economy, politics, and more. Rafia Zakaria wants that to change. In this episode, we discuss her book Against White Feminism: Notes on Disruption.   ABOUT THE GUEST Rafia Zakaria is a Pakistani-American attorney, feminist, journalist, and author. Her books include he authored the books The Upstairs Wife: An Intimate History of Pakistan and Against White Feminism: Notes on Disruption.

    1h 3m
  8. Trans in the Latter Days (with Laurie Lee Hall)

    11/12/2024

    Trans in the Latter Days (with Laurie Lee Hall)

    Laurie Lee Hall was a promising college student studying architecture, and she was known to the world as a man. When she encountered The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints she saw a well-defined path that fit the gender she was assigned at birth. So she buried her past to become the perfect Mormon man.  Wearing her male disguise, she married, had children, and rose to the position of chief architect for the LDS Church, overseeing its most sacred building projects. But her past refused to stay buried. Could she become who she really was without risking her family, her career, and her church membership? Her whole world?   ABOUT THE GUEST Laurie Lee Hall is author of Dictates of Conscience: From Mormon High Priest to My New Life as a Woman. She was raised in New England and trained in architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Her career included managing design and construction programs for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as its chief architect. She simultaneously served in several ecclesiastical leadership positions until her church excommunicated her following her gender transition. Since then she has served on the executive committee of Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families & Friends. In 2023, she became the first transgender recipient of Affirmation’s Paul Mortensen Award, for leadership within the LGBTQ/Mormon-­adjacent community. She and her partner, Nancy Beaman, live in Kentucky and have nine children and twenty-­four grandchildren.

    2h 5m
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5
out of 5
61 Ratings

About

Exploring the ever-changing terrain of relationships, gender, and sexuality. Award-winning journalist Blair Hodges talks to the best experts and authors about who we are and how we connect with each other. (Formerly known as ”Family Proclamations.”)

Information

  • Creator
    Blair Hodges
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Fireside Podcasts, 2025. All Rights Reserved.
  • Show Website
    Relationscapes

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