The Queer Arabs Alia, Ellie, Ahmed, Nadia and Adam

Tarik Zahr is a Lebanese PhD candidate in New York City; his focus is the study of NASH and Atherosclerosis. We were excited to have this episode dedicated to science, to learn about some of the ways metabolic diseases can manifest, and to discuss how his research may be able to benefit individuals of Middle Eastern descent.  We also discussed queer Arab science, the importance of archiving, and the need for diverse representation within the medical research field. (Science!) Twitter: tarik_zahr

It’s our 200th episode! Alia, Ellie, and Nadia celebrate with a deep and messy group chat. We recall the early days of the podcast and some tough lessons about trust learned along the way. Then we discuss the World Cup, the brief resurgence of pan-Arabism surrounding the Moroccan team, and what we think of discourse on migrant workers’ rights, LGBTQ rights, and alcohol in Qatar. We talk about how frustrating our mental healthcare system can be when it comes to seeking non-emergency support, and what’s missing from the “check on your friends” memos. We also vague-cast (the podcast equivalent of…

Sarah Bitar is an actor, writer, and teaching artist from Lebanon. Since graduating from the Stella Adler School of Acting, she has been living and creating in NYC. Sarah joined us to talk about her experiences in both the Lebanese and New York theater scenes, and the relative challenges of finding space, funding, community, and consistency in each.  Sarah mentions her recent/upcoming projects including: Stockade, a thriller film directed by Eric McGinty, in which Sarah plays a Lebanese painter in NYC–amidst her artist visa application process–who takes on a job delivering a mysterious parcel. Diss Oriental, a play co-written with…

Elias Jahshan is a Palestinian/Lebanese-Australian journalist, writer and editor. He most recently edited the anthology This Arab Is Queer, which features eighteen queer Arab writers (including a good handful of former podcast guests) sharing stories across a variety of locations, experiences, and aesthetic styles. Elias joined us to talk about growing up in Western Sydney, breaking into the journalism field in Australia and England, and the assumptions he encountered while writing for both Arab and LGBTQ centered publications. He also discussed the process of putting this memoir together, the particular care involved in editing personal work, the quandaries involved in…

This week we were joined by Iranian-Canadian lawyer, researcher, and writer Aytak Dibavar for an episode focused on the recent uprisings in Iran following Jina (Mahsa) Amini’s murder by “morality” police. Aytak discussed aspects of the movement that have been neglected in mainstream media and discussion, including Jina’s Kurdish identity, its working class roots, and the inclusion of queer voices. We also discuss the historical context of American intervention in Iran and previous protest movements, often absent from Western coverage. We discuss the hesitancy of international leftists in speaking out–whether due to oversimplified ideas of anti-interventionism or concerns of promoting…

On August 30, 2021, we published a magical bicoastal, virtually-recorded episode with Amir Aram Ronaldo.  We now have an in-person episode with them a little over a year later!  On October 30, 2022, we (Alia, Nadia, and Aram) set out on an adventure in NYC on a Halloween bookstore crawl.  Boba tea was had.  Pickles were purchased at a bookstore that has books and pickles.  Cats being walked in clear backpacks were discussed. We took a break, sat on a large rock in a park, and recorded this mini-episode!  Hear all about Avocado Toast’s, Bella Hadid’s, and Cher from Clueless’…