23 episodes

Welcome to Loitering, the occasional but lovable traveling mini pod I am currently testing in newsletter format.

loitering.substack.com

Loitering Sonia Paul

    • Society & Culture
    • 5.0 • 2 Ratings

Welcome to Loitering, the occasional but lovable traveling mini pod I am currently testing in newsletter format.

loitering.substack.com

    Loitering at the Merylthon

    Loitering at the Merylthon

    Hello, everyone. Before I get into the topic of this interview…
    Suffice it to say it’s been an incredibly long time since my last update… Over a year, in fact. I swore to myself at the end of last year that I’d be more consistent with updates for 2023 (starting with “Loitering in the Closet” — and yes, I still plan to do that episode). But scheduling hurdles for planned episodes got in the way, and then, with news of a bill to ban caste discrimination in California, my time and attention snapped onto covering that issue.
    I had already wrapped up my production work on an audio documentary about caste in Silicon Valley for The Documentary podcast on the BBC when Seattle became the first city in the U.S. to ban caste discrimination. Cue me crouching in the closet to re-track that narration so we could include it in the BBC story. Then, California state Senator Aisha Wahab announced SB 403, a bill that would clarify existing California civil rights laws to explicitly ban caste discrimination as well. Cue more re-tracking.
    By the time The hidden caste codes of Silicon Valley (as we finally called the BBC story) was finally released, there was a ton of attention on SB 403. And suddenly, here was this audio documentary with me interviewing Dalits and asking people somewhat uncomfortable questions about caste in front of an Indian grocery store. Suddenly, I found myself going on podcasts and news shows to talk about the issue and the significance of the bill, as well as actively reporting on the ground in Sacramento as meetings on the proposal drew intense crowds of supporters and protestors.
    You may have heard that California Governor Newsom recently vetoed the bill after it was passed by a majority of the California State Legislature. However you feel about that news, it seems pretty certain this issue isn’t going away. If you’re interested, you can hear me wax on about my reporting on Here and Now, Our Body Politic, KQED’s The Bay, The Grand Tamasha, Forum on KQED, KALW and Vox’s Today, Explained. I also wrote and reported this story about the bill for Mother Jones. This was all before Newsom’s decision, by the way, so there’s definitely more to report and say.
    That’s an update on what’s been preoccupying my energy recently, but that’s not necessarily the point of this post. I very well realize that as I write, a conflict is raging in Israel-Gaza that’s scary, heartbreaking and devastating on multiple levels. And that people are very afraid and hurting. It’s a grim time. And I say/write this as someone relatively distanced from the situation. I can only imagine how this is impacting Israelis, Jews, Palestinians and others for whom this hits closer to home. There is a lot to absorb about what’s been happening. I found this one of the more insightful pieces I’ve come across, as it doesn’t lose sight of the necessity of managing complexity in this moment.
    Now, onto expanding upon the Loitering interview embedded in this post. It may seem frivolous in comparison to the previous discussion. But I actually find it quite beautiful and meaningful on top of being funny and silly. And that is the Merylthon.
    The Merylthon is/was a “unique 3-day film marathon featuring Meryl Streep in 8 iconic film roles.” It was the brainchild of my good friend Evan Roberts, who orchestrated the event after it first started out as a fun pun back in 2006. The point of the actual Merylthon was not just to finally bring the concept to life, but to also fundraise for Queer Life Space, a Bay Area organization that offers evidence-based training and mental health services for the LGBTQIA+ community.
    I went to the showing of The Devil Wears Prada at San Francisco’s Four Star Theater during the Merylthon only to find an original Guess Who game featuring Meryl…
    … as well as a ton of original paraphernalia and promotional items (see the video).
    Sadly, I missed the drag performances because it took so long to find

    • 4 min
    Loitering in Oslo With Tommy 'Shakur' Ross

    Loitering in Oslo With Tommy 'Shakur' Ross

    Hello, everyone… So it’s been quite some time since the last episode of Loitering. Some helpful information you should know to understand this current episode is that at the end of last year, I started teaching at Uncuffed, a podcast and audio journalism training program in California prisons. That work recently brought me and my colleagues (including several formerly incarcerated producers of Uncuffed) to Norway. More information about that when you listen to this episode! The person you’ll hear is Tommy Ross, who goes by Shakur, and it was recorded on June 16, 2022, in the lobby of Oslo’s Hotel Verdandi. Shakur wanted to send along some pictures for this episode, so here they are below. You’ll understand these moments when you listen. :)
    Shakur and Ninna (who you’ll hear about during the episode) at the FedEx facility:

    Shakur at the San Francisco International Airport:

    Shakur running into Eli (who you’ll also hear about during this episode) in Amsterdam:

    Some members of the Uncuffed team visiting Halden Prison in Norway:

    Me, Ninna and Shakur at Oslo City Hall:

    Shakur in Norway!

    Shakur being interviewed by Angela (who you’ll also hear about during this episode) the morning after we recorded this interview:
    If you’re looking to understand more about why Californians are interested in Norway’s prison system, have a listen/read to this piece from KQED (which features Isiah Daniels, who also has a cameo in this episode of Loitering)!
    Some other updates from me: Earlier this year a piece I reported for the BBC World Service profiling the Ethiopian American writer Meron Hadero aired/published. You can have a listen to that here. And a piece I’d been working on for some time about caste in Silicon Valley came out in March and was featured in the April issue of WIRED magazine. You can read that here.



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit loitering.substack.com

    • 25 min
    Loitering With Albert Samaha & Friends

    Loitering With Albert Samaha & Friends

    Hello, everyone! It’s been a long year, to say the least. Hard to believe 2021 is about to close. Before it does, however, please check out this special episode of Loitering, featuring Albert Samaha, Johana Bhuiyan and Arvin Temkar. We discuss Albert’s new book, Concepcion, and dig into the process of excavating family history and identity. I like to think of it as the good thinking, good listening podcast we could use for our ears right now! Let me know what you think.
    Peace,
    Sonia
    Sonia Paul 0:13
    Okay, thank you both for agreeing to join me for this book club/book talk about Concepcion, by Albert Samaha. And so before we like get into the book discussion, could you each introduce yourselves so listeners know who are friends of Loitering right now? Sure.
    Johana Bhuiyan 0:34
    I am Johana Bhuiyan. I am a tech reporter and editor at The Guardian. I live in the Bay Area. I'm half Filipino, half Bangladeshi. That's pretty much the pertinent information.
    Arvin Temkar 0:48
    Oh, that's super cool. Yeah, we're all half. We're all mixed. That's really interesting. So my name is Arvin Temkar. I am a freelance photojournalist and writer in Atlanta. And I used to live in the Bay Area. So a lot of the book was really interesting to kind of learn about the history of San Francisco. And I met Sonia in the bay,
    Sonia Paul 1:08
    And to Arvin's point about all of us being mixed, I think that is interesting. All of us have a connection to Filipino culture. My mom's side of the family is born and raised in the Philippines. They're like mixed Indian-Filipino from the Philippines. So there's so much of that culture in my family as well.
    So to that end, I'm curious because how this started is that I knew Arvin would be reading this book, and I was interested in reading this book. And then I was like, let's have a book club. I know who was probably reading this book as well. And that would be Johana. But also, like, let's pinpoint what was compelling each of us to read this book.
    Johana Bhuiyan 1:47
    I worked with Albert at BuzzFeed. So that was part of it, part a lot of it was just in support of. But I also I mean, I am really interested in my Filipino culture and learning more about the history of the Philippines. There was a lot of like, wanting to learn a little bit more about my Filipino ethnicity. My dad is the Bangladeshi one. I grew up largely culturally Bangladeshi. So I learned how to speak Bangla. Like, I really don't know a ton of the Tagalog. So honestly, any opportunity I get to learn a little bit more about Filipino culture and people who have Filipino backgrounds. And obviously, Albert, knowing him personally, I was really interested in, and he had done a couple of articles too about his mother. And I was actually hoping to read a little bit more about that as well.
    Sonia Paul 2:30
    Yeah, did you to have a chance to like, exchange information or experiences about being half Filipino?
    Johana Bhuiyan 2:38
    No, I honestly, like did not know that. He was half Filipino. I like did not know what ethnicity he was. Until he started writing about his Filipino mom. I'm like, Oh, this makes a lot of sense, based on his name. Like, I'm like, this all started to click for me. But yeah, I'd never put two and two together. We had like, talked about it after I stopped working on Buzzfeed. But it was never like a topic of conversation.
    Sonia Paul 2:59
    Hmm, interesting. How about you, Arvin.
    Arvin Temkar 3:02
    I also know Albert, we're friends. And we went to journalism school together. So obviously, I want to support him and his brilliant writing. But you know, I'm also just super interested in all of the topics that he writes about, particularly in this book, the question of whether his family or anybody's family is better off moving to the United States and kind of pursuing the American dream, as many of us have been raised to believe. I didn't mention this earlier, but my mom is Filipino, and my dad is Indian. But I rela

    • 1 hr 1 min
    Loitering in L.A. With Latif Nasser 🌳

    Loitering in L.A. With Latif Nasser 🌳

    Hello! This episode of Loitering is a brief one, so no transcript. Hope you enjoy!
    Here is a picture of the trees discussed in the episode. According to the app PlantSnap, they are Ceiba speciosa, otherwise known as silk floss trees.
    From front to back: Breezy Treezy, Cheesy Treezy, and Weezy Treezy.

    Here is a portrait of Latif with Breezy Treezy.

    Listen to Radiolab here.
    Listen to Latif’s award-winning podcast, “The Other Latif,” about a detainee at Guantanamo Bay who shares his name, and what 9/11 and the War on Terror have brought us 20 years later.
    Check out Latif on the Netflix show “Connected” here.
    Read this affecting piece by Niha Masih about covering India’s devastating surge of coronavirus while the pandemic also infected everyone in her entire family.
    And check out “Dreamland: The Burning of Black Wall Street,” directed and produced by Salima Koroma, with Adam Perez serving as director of photography (and a host of other talented team members supporting the production, as is the case with most other podcasts and documentaries you consume)! Here’s some info on how to watch from the CNN Press Room: “Beginning Tuesday, June 1, the film will be available on demand via cable/satellite systems, CNNgo platforms, and CNN mobile apps.  DREAMLAND will encore Saturday, June 5 at 9:00pm Eastern.  HBO Max will offer the film for subscribers at a later date.”



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit loitering.substack.com

    • 5 min
    Loitering on 🔥 Imposter Syndrome🔥 With Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey

    Loitering on 🔥 Imposter Syndrome🔥 With Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey

    Heylo!!! It’s been quite a while since the last episode… and now, 2021 is certainly upon us. There’s much to update on, but first, here’s an episode of Loitering recorded about a month ago… that stems from this article by Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey I read a couple of months before that, about a phenomenon that might ring a bell to many listeners — 🔥 imposter syndrome🔥.
    As you’ll hear, there are burning flames around this term for a reason. Enjoy! Also, please scroll ahead to the links below the transcript for some updates from me. :)
    Sonia Paul  00:11
    Hello, everyone, welcome to Loitering, the occasional but lovable traveling mini pod I am currently testing in newsletter format. And today I am loitering with two very special guests. Can you please introduce yourself?
    Ruchika Tulshyan  00:27
    Sure, I'm Ruchika Tulshyan, I'm a former journalist. And currently, I write about gender diversity and racial equity in the workplace for Harvard Business Review. I also run an inclusion strategy practice called Candour.
    Jodi-Ann Burey  00:43
    Hi, and I am Jodi-Ann Burey. I'm a speaker, writer, I call myself a disrupter because we have to do things differently if we want to achieve social change. I speak and write at the intersections of race, culture, and health equity. I also created and host the podcast Black Cancer, which is about the lives of people of color told through their cancer journeys. Also have a TED talk titled “The myth of bringing your full, authentic self to work,” where I really try to disrupt what we think of how racism shows up in the workplace.
    Sonia Paul  01:16
    Cool, thank you both so much for making the time to talk. And the two of you both co-authored an article recently for the Harvard Business Review, titled “Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome.” And I was just wondering, you know, first of all, can we just define what do we mean when we say imposter syndrome? Because I also feel like it has become a catch-all term for a lot of different things that maybe have the same source, and how are you defining it?
    Jodi-Ann Burey  01:47
    So imposter syndrome is defined as not having an internal sense of success, despite probably having what other people might call success, right. So whether it's the degrees that you've had, the accolades that you've had, you know, whatever area in your professional life where you are, quote, unquote, high achieving, that sense of achievement isn't felt internally. So the short for that is having this feeling like you're a fraud, or a high level of self-doubt in your, you know, whatever your work environment is, or whatever the context is.
    Ruchika Tulshyan  02:25
    And while feelings of self-doubt, and largely, you know, this, this diagnosis of imposter syndrome can really impact anyone where they may be doubting their self-worth, or their abilities or their successes, it definitely is much more prevalent in women, in terms of the way the research has been done. And it is also sort of a syndrome that's really, you know, placed upon women. And so often women get diagnosed with imposter syndrome, we're invited to a lot of events, women's events, conferences, where women are essentially being taught how to overcome their imposter syndrome. So even though feelings of self-doubt and feeling like, you know, maybe you question whether you belong in a place, or whether you really are a fraud, those feelings might be fairly universal by gender and race, there is a very gendered aspect to how it shows up in our society.
    Sonia Paul  03:23
    Yeah, and, you know, something that I was just like, very curious about is just this notion of being a fraud, and how essential that is to the definition of imposter syndrome, because I think — I personally think, for example, that there is a lot of maybe the influence of humility in fueling imposter syndrome, just, you know, women who wouldn't boast about themselves, who do acknowledge that they are success

    • 46 min
    Loitering With Tracie Hunte

    Loitering With Tracie Hunte

    Hi everyone,
    I hope you all are staying safe and well, despite the pandemic and attempted coup... That being said, this episode of Loitering with Tracie Hunte was recorded just over a week ago at the tail end of 2020 but already feels like a lifetime ago. There’s no transcript, but there is some useful listening that’ll offer context to the discussion (namely this piece about protests and this piece about Nina Simone). I should also mention that while there’s been some radio drama recently, this was pure radio joy.
    On another note, one of Loitering’s favorite listeners, Chris Turillo, reminded me of this piece recently, and I thought it was worth sharing with all of you.
    Thanks to Tracie for loitering. :) Here’s to staying strong in 2021.
    Sonia




    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit loitering.substack.com

    • 37 min

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