Workers' Lit

Workers' Lit
  • 5.0 (8)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

A podcast about books and the news with Lenore, Aysha, Jen, and Jacob Books/Culture episodes on Mondays! News/Politics episodes on Wednesdays! Read good books, tell bad jokes, and fight for a better future! Contact us at workerslit@gmail.com

  1. On Trans-Feminism and Gender War, ft. Talia Bhatt

    13H AGO

    On Trans-Feminism and Gender War, ft. Talia Bhatt

    This is a really, really, REALLY cool guest. Today we are joined by Talia Bhatt, writer and radical trans-feminist whose work covers epistemic injustice, Third World feminism, and ranked competitive breast growth (yes, she has RANGE!) Want to know more? Just listen! She’ll explain it better than we can. You can find info on all of Talia’s work (including her new book, “Brown/Trans/Les”) at her website below: https://taliabhatt.com/

    1h 21m
  2. Indie Publishing, Ft. Neon Hemlock

    2D AGO

    Indie Publishing, Ft. Neon Hemlock

    What's more literary than talking about one piece of literature? Talking about the very nexus from which literature flows! Today we sat down with Dave Ring of Neon Hemlock, an independent press for speculative fiction, rad zines, and queer chapbooks. Discussion topics range from the mission of Neon Hemlock to the state of publishing in the Age of Slop to the importance of queer art. Links to check out the things we mention in this episode: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/davering/what-elegant-stars https://www.neonhemlock.com/books/bitten-peach https://www.neonhemlock.com/books/cyberscion https://www.neonhemlock.com/books/shatter-the-sun https://www.bafflingmag.com/issue-twenty-two/crowdfund-your-new-citizen-body-a-performance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing

    1h 3m
  3. On the Narrative Battle: Hamilton, Rightwing Media, ICE's Lies, and More

    JAN 28

    On the Narrative Battle: Hamilton, Rightwing Media, ICE's Lies, and More

    Welcome to Workers' Lit, your favorite show about the battle for narrative. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Today we talk about our focus as a show before discussing the ongoing narrative war in our culture...on several fronts. First, we made Jen watch Hamilton, so we chat about that, which turns into a bit of a side conversation about right-wing films. Then we get back into ICE and mass deportations. Is Trump on the back foot? Will the Democrats step up? Is the so-called "Joe Rogan Coalition" getting squeamish on MAGA? All that and more. Finally, we acknowledge Holocaust Remembrance Day and read Bend the Arc's statement. Read Bend the Arc's Statement Here. Read Prem Thakker's piece in Zeteo we quote here

    1h 2m
  4. United States of Banana, ft. Karlo Yeager Rodríguez

    JAN 26

    United States of Banana, ft. Karlo Yeager Rodríguez

    9/11, Hamlet, the Statue of Liberty, Segismundo, Zoroastrianism, Puerto Rican Independence, Bananas: If you hear all those terms and think, “wow, this sure does sound like the building blocks of a great book,” then congrats, you’re award-winning author Giannina Braschi. We are joined by brilliant writer and host of Podside Picnic, Karlo Yeager Rodríguez, to discuss Braschi’s 2011 postmodern novel, “The United States of Banana.” This book gets real weird with it, so follow along as we spring Segismundo from his prison beneath the Statue of Liberty’s skirt, fight an American occupation with coconuts and witticisms, and set sail to liberate Puerto Rico! Go read Karlo’s newest short story, “Blanquitos,” here! Go listen to Podside Picnic here!

    1h 25m
  5. On Donald Trump: A Year In Review

    JAN 21

    On Donald Trump: A Year In Review

    We are officially one year into Donald Trump’s second term. How’s everybody feeling? This week we discuss the nightmare 365 days that have passed, the battles to come, and the framework that’ll beat Trump for real. Also, we congratulate Usha Vance and her pool boy on their soon-to-be-born child. (We had some technical issues on sound today, so sorry about that!) Articles quoted from in today’s episode: https://zeteo.com/p/our-year-from-hell-trump-first-draft https://zeteo.com/p/trump-robbery-285-days-to-stop

    1h 11m
  6. The Great Gatsby, ft, Joshua Ilon of the Penumbra Podcast

    JAN 19

    The Great Gatsby, ft, Joshua Ilon of the Penumbra Podcast

    It’s time to get real old-sporty This week we narrowly avoided death-by-pool to deliver you a discussion of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 gilded age masterpiece, “The Great Gatsby.” Joining us is Joshua Ilon, voice actor on The Penumbra Podcast (Juno Steel, Mr. Serling, Jacob, Sir Tristan the Cold) to discuss just how ridiculously relevant Gatsby has become in 2026, our own fraught gilded age. Listen to the Penumbra Podcast here! Listen to Kevin and Harley of Penumbra’s episode of Workers’ Lit about “The Secret History”

    1h 33m
  7. On ICE: The State's Fascist Thugs

    JAN 14

    On ICE: The State's Fascist Thugs

    It's time to break the ICE. Jen and Jacob discuss the dramatic week that's passed since the murder of Renée Nicole Good, the latest stats on ICE, Trump, and Congress' popularity, and the campaigns in motion to hold these fascists to account. Read Renée's poem here: https://poets.org/2020-on-learning-to-dissect-fetal-pigs Sources cited in the episode: https://www.filesforprogress.org/datasets/2026/1/dfp_ice_shooting_minneapolis.pdf https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jan/04/ice-2025-deaths-timeline https://zeteo.com/p/keith-ellison-minnesota-ice-trump-vance https://www.cnn.com/polling/approval/trump-cnn-poll-of-polls https://news.gallup.com/poll/1600/congress-public.aspx https://substack.com/home/post/p-184378952

    46 min
  8. T.S. Eliot’s “The Wasteland,” ft. The Eclectic Radical

    JAN 12

    T.S. Eliot’s “The Wasteland,” ft. The Eclectic Radical

    April is the cruelest month, but it’s January so we should be good. Today we’re discussing T.S. Eliot’s 1922 modernist poetic masterpiece, “The Wasteland.” We also discuss Eliot himself…who’s a lot less cool than his poem. Joining us as we wander the wasteland is Chris Richards, AKA The Eclectic Radical. You can check out his work here!

    1h 21m
See All (147)

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

A podcast about books and the news with Lenore, Aysha, Jen, and Jacob Books/Culture episodes on Mondays! News/Politics episodes on Wednesdays! Read good books, tell bad jokes, and fight for a better future! Contact us at workerslit@gmail.com

Information

  • Creator
    Workers' Lit
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    147
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Workers' Lit
  • Show Website
    Workers' Lit

You Might Also Like