Wondermine: Recent Episodes
Larissa Parson & Elizabeth M. Johnson
Welcome to Wondermine- a feminist podcast that looks at the "wow" and the "how" of living a life rooted in curiosity, community and liberation. If you've ever felt like something was missing, or you were missing something, this is the podcast for you.
On our final episode of Season 3, Elizabeth and Larissa discuss the ideas of plenty and enough--how do we know we've had enough? What does plenty feel like?
Mentioned on this episode:
Ripe Time Substack
Thistlefoot by Gennarose Nethercott
Louis Penny
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingslover
Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor
https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/p/jeans-science-part-1
www.buynothingproject.org
Tressie McMillan Cottom
Mia Birdsong
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
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On this episode, Larissa and Elizabeth break down the idea of "big community": not your friend group, but primarily place-based communities like your hometown, neighborhood, office, etc.
Mentioned on this episode:
The Part That Burns by Jeannine Ouellette
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Stay True: A Memoir by Hua Hsu
Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good by adrienne maree brown
This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron
Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories That Make Us by Rachel Aviv
Families We Choose: Lesbians, Gays, Kinship by Kath Weston
The Durham HEART program
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Follow us on Instagram @wonderminepodcast
Swiping a title from adrienne maree and Autumn Brown, we're talking about what goes into loving our friends, and why it's so important to do so.
Mentioned in this episode:
Praise by Sara Cate
And Yet by Kate Baer
Billy Collins https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/billy-collins
Mary Oliver https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/mary-oliver
Maggie Nelson https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/maggie-nelson
https://www.endoftheworldshow.org/
The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi
We also talked about Phoebe’s Snack Service and Vimala’s Curryblossom Café, for you Durham-area folks who love food.
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Follow us on Instagram @wonderminepodcast
Elizabeth and Larissa discuss how interpersonal trauma affects the way that we're able to show up for and be present in community.
Referred to in the show:
Robin Coste Lewis, Voyage of the Sable Venus and Other Poems
Elizabeth reads the poem “The Mothers," which you can read here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/58757/the-mothers
Alexis Hall, A Lady for a Duke
Dr. Marisa G Franco, Platonic
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Follow us on Instagram @wonderminepodcast
Elizabeth and Larissa break down the definitions of "community" that they're using. Community includes more people than you might think!
Mentioned on this episode:
Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon by Kate Andersen Brower
"You Just Need to Lose Weight": And 19 Other Myths about Fat People by Aubrey Gordon
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides by Geoffrey L Cohen
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Follow us on Instagram @wonderminepodcast
We're kicking off Season Three of Wondermine with a quick review of what we've discussed over the previous two seasons. Then we introduce the Season 3 theme. Hint: When we feel safe, we're able to move our perspective beyond ourselves to include a wider community.
Mentioned on the show:
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
Don’t Cry for Me by Daniel Black
Alienated America by Timothy P. Carney
https://www.maintenancephase.com/ - workplace wellness episode
Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Follow us on Instagram @wonderminepodcast
Elizabeth and Larissa sum up this season's themes and leave us with some ideas about how to keep going, even when things seem hopeless.
Show notes (book links are affiliate links to Bookshop):
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (Peregrine, book 2)
Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs (book 3)
A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs (book 4)
The Conference of the Birds by Ransom Riggs (book 5)
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
On this episode, Elizabeth & Larissa talk about ambition--why we don't talk about it, and why maybe we should. Please note: This episode was recorded prior to the Supreme Court's decision to strike down Roe v. Wade, so if it sounds out of date, it is!
Show notes:
The Swimmers Julie Otsuka
The Buddha in the AtticJulie Otsuka
Ann-Marie Slaughter “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All”
Larissa’s 2012 response to the Slaughter piece: https://mixed-metaphor.blogspot.com/2012/07/having-it-all.html
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez - House website
Lizzo
Lean In
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Elizabeth and Larissa tackle self-care: what it is, what it isn't, and how to make it more doable and accessible.
Robert Kolker, Hidden Valley Road
Melissa Bashardoust, Girl, Serpent, Thorn
Audre Lorde’s self care quote is from A Burst of Light
Tamela Gordon’s Instagram post about how self-care needs to be accessible
Maintenance Phase Michael Pollan episode
NATO Cafeteria SNL skit
Robert Jones, Jr. on Substack
Noreena Hertz, The Lonely Century
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Quick note: the audio on this episode is a bit spotty (thanks, Zoom!). Check out the transcript if it's too hard to listen!
On this episode, Elizabeth and Larissa discuss "female troubles"--the things we don't talk about when we talk about having a uterus.
Mentioned in this episode:
Margo Jefferson, Deconstructing a Nervous System
From Blood and Ash, Jennifer L. Armentrout
Turning Red (also check out the excellent bts piece, Embrace the Panda)
Are You There God, it's me, Margaret, Judy Blume
anything Beverly Cleary
Redstart Foods
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
On this episode, Larissa & Elizabeth talk about desire and power--how they're related and how we can embrace our power and act on our desires.
Discussed on this episode:
K.F. Breene, Magical Midlife Madness series
Gina at Incandescent Tarot
Larissa’s current favorite tarotdeck is the Lightseer’s Tarot
The Myth of Closure: Ambiguous Loss in a Time of Pandemic and Change
by Dr. Pauline Boss
Nobody's Normal: How Culture Created the Stigma of Mental Illness
Roy Richard Grinker
Appetites: Why Women Want, by Carolyn Knapp
I Am Always Hungry When I Write
On motherhood, writing, being selfish, and doing it anyway
Shine Theory
Isaac’s Bagels
Joanne Chang
Jewish For Good Challah
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Show notes:
This episode was recorded on April 7, about a month prior to the Supreme Court Draft Opinion leak, so we know it might sound a little out of date! Here’s a comprehensive list (via Alison Turkos) of ways to support abortion access and reproductive rights.
Mentioned in this episode:
America’s Next Top Model
The Chiffon Trenches by Andre Leon Talley
Power of Change: Leading Lady
Dietland by Sarai Walker
Matrix by Lauren Groff
Abortion:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_the_United_States#:~:text=The%20legal%20position%20prior%20to,for%20the%20legalization%20of%20abortion.
https://www.guttmacher.org/perspectives50/abortion-and-after-legalization
https://www.aclutx.org/en/know-your-rights/abortion-texas
https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2022/01/28/heres-how-abortion-access-would-change-if-supreme-court-erodes-roe
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/09/08/evolution-education-united-states-is-more-complicated-than-you-think/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/01/22/most-americans-want-abortion-remain-legal-back-some-state-restrictions/
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/13/opinion/missouri-abortion-roe-v-wade.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/19/briefing/abortion-debate-public-opinion.html
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/roe-v-wade-overturn-abortion-rights/629366/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=atlantic-daily-newsletter&utm_content=20220404&utm_term=The%20Atlantic%20Daily
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Welcome back to another season of Wondermine! For Season Two, we're talking about things we don't talk about...and why we don't talk about them. Episode One: Elizabeth and Larissa share why they're focusing on this theme.
Show notes:
Johann Hari’s newest book “Stolen Focus”
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
“Marriage Requires Amnesia.” by Heather Havrilesky
Foreverland, Heather Havrilesky
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
This is our second bonus episode on BOOKS! This time we talked about what makes us re-read a book, put a book down, or keep reading. And more!
As always, links to Bookshop are affiliate links.
Pindar
Plato
Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita
NK Jemisin, Broken Earth Trilogy
Dante, Divine Comedy
Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Dr, Honorée Fannone Jeffers, The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois
Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in The Castle
Stephen King, Eyes of the Dragon
James Joyce, Ulysses
James joyce, Finnegan’s Wake
Julia F. Green (IG)
Lauren Groff, Matrix
Toni Cade Bambara, These Bones Are Not my Child
G.R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones series
Robert Jones, Jr., The Prophets
David Sedaris
Tayari Jones, Silver Sparrow
Colson Whitehead, The Nickel Boys
MeToo
Stats on who is in juvenile detention centers (these are from 2017, and look at the trend from 1997-2017)
Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad
Percival Everett, The Trees
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Water Dancer
Kiese Laymon, Heavy
The third rail (politics)
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
On this bonus episode, Larissa and Elizabeth discuss their favorite books as children, what they read for now, and who's on their shitlist in 2022.
We mentioned a lot of authors and books! Many of these links are to Bookshop; we'll receive a small affiliate payment if you purchase through these links.
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Langston Hughes
Little House on the Prairie (series)
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Julie of the Wolves
Nancy Drew
Beverly Cleary
Judy Blume
bell hooks, All About Love
Brené Brown, Atlas of the Heart
VC Andrews
Clan of the Cave Bear
Land of Stories series
Harry Potter series
Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
The Love Songs of WEB DuBois
Loulou & Yves: The Untold Story of Loulou de la Falaise and the House of Saint Laurent
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
In this episode Elizabeth and Larissa wrap up and recap the themes of this series of podcasts. If we could sum it up in one word: titration.
Mentioned in this episode:
Matrix, Lauren Groff (bookshop)
Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone, Diana Gabaldon (bookshop)
Allegory of the Cave from Plato’s Republic
Pleasure Activism, adrienne maree brown (bookshop)
The Body Is Not An Apology, Sonya Renee Taylor (bookshop)
Strong Arm Baking Co.
Deb Malkin
Nuvotaco Durham
Cocoa Cinnamon coffee in Durham
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
On today's episode, Larissa & Elizabeth talk about what it means to feel at home in your body, and Larissa gives Elizabeth (and you!) some experiences to try during the call--with fascinating results! Small steps, and lots of practice and self-compassion are key to feeling that your body is your home.
Mentioned in this podcast (Bookshop links are affiliate links):
The Warmth of Other Suns- Isabel Wilkerson (bookshop)
The reference to “dark emotions” is a Miriam Greenspan term. Her book is Healing Through the Dark Emotions. (bookshop)
Wayward Son - Rainbow Rowell (bookshop)
How Emotions Are Made - Lisa Feldman Barrett (bookshop)
Shake It Off - Taylor Swift (YouTube)
Tigress Osborn - https://www.instagram.com/iofthetigress/ Tigress's essay on the history of body positivity
The Body Is Not An Apology, Sonya Renee Taylor (bookshop)
Lauren Ohayon (website)
My Grandmother’s Hands - Resmaa Menakem (bookshop)
Jane Clapp (website)
What Happened To You by Bruce Perry & Oprah Winfrey
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Elizabeth and Larissa consider what alternatives to binary thinking might look like. And we added an episode ahead of this one, which is why we say it's Episode 5 when it's really episode 6. We hope you enjoy!
Wayward by Dana Spiotta (bookshop)
These Bones Are Not My Child by Toni Cade Bambara
(Divorcing) White Supremacy Culture
Binary thinking: https://www.whitesupremacyculture.info/eitheror--the-binary.html
Anna Sweeny, dietitian @DieticianAnna on Instagram
https://www.wholeliferd.com/#welcome
Kiese Laymon in conversation with Tressie McMillan Cottom on The Ezra Klein Show.
Hear To Slay episode, “Fat is Not a Feeling,” when Tressie McMillan Cottom and Roxane Gay talk to Julia Turschen
These Bones Are Not My child by Toni Cade Bambara (bookshop)
The Body Is Not An Apology, Sonya Renee Taylor (bookshop)
Your Body Is Not An Apology, Sonya Renee Taylor (bookshop)
Kelly Diels
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
In this episode, Larissa & Elizabeth discuss what play and getting curious have to do with liberation. If we could sum up this episode in one sentence: How we create a better world is by creating opportunities for people to play together, and to enjoy being together.
Stuff we mentioned:
Honorée Fanonne Jeffers' book, ‘The love songs of WEB DuBois’
'Cloud cuckoo land’ by Anthony Doerr.
Stuart Brown TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/stuart_brown_play_is_more_than_just_fun/transcript?language=en#t-758879
Summary of Brown’s work by Larry Maguire-- Larissa found this while googling for a list of the properties and it’s just very concise.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
We mentioned, but did not quote, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s work on flow.
Dianne Bondy & Amber Karnes, Yoga for All
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
We explore who your Right People are, how to figure out who your Right People are NOT, and talk about Right Relationship.
Mentioned in this episode:
Everyman, M. Shelly Conner
Rock The Boat, Resmaa Menakem
Conflict Is Not Abuse, Sarah Schulman
The Love Songs of WEB Dubois, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
The Prophets, Robert Jones Jr.
Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi
How We Show Up, Mia Birdsong
Relationship Red Flags, Elizabeth M. Johnson
Annie Duke
Duped podcast
Toi Marie on the "impossibility of removing ourselves from a capitalist system."
Bruce Perry
The Body Is Not An Apology, Sonya Renee Taylor
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Larissa and Elizabeth discuss big pleasures, small pleasures, and how pleasure is essential to liberation.
Some things we mention:
Christy Harrison, Anti-Diet
Holland Cotter, Can We Ever Look at Titian’s Paintings the Same Way Again?
TJ Klune, The Extraordinaries
Huberman Lab: Controlling Your Dopamine For Motivation, Focus & Satisfaction | Huberman Lab Podcast #39
Dorothy Roberts, Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction and the Meaning of Liberty
adrienne maree brown, Pleasure Activism
Audre Lorde, Uses of the Erotic (reprinted within Pleasure Activism)
adrienne maree brown and Emma Bracy interview: https://repeller.com/what-is-pleasure-activism/The Nap Ministry
Dr. Bruce Perry
Sonya Renee Taylor
Strong Arm Baking Co.
Fieldstone Garden CSA
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
One reason it’s impossible to say that everyone is doing the best they can is because humans are physically unable to control a trauma/stress response. Elizabeth & Larissa dive deep into this idea.
NOTE: We actually recorded this episode early on, right after our intro episode, but then decided it didn't fit there. So you'll hear us refer to things that aren't quite current right now. We think you can handle it, and that you'll agree this fits better with the shift to winter!
Mentioned during the podcast:
Everyman by M. Shelly Conner
The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr.
When Sorrows Come by Seanan McGuire
Rising Strong by Brené Brown
What Happened To You by Bruce Perry & Oprah Winfrey
Healing Through the Dark Emotions by Miriam Greenspan
Raising Human Beings by Ross Greene
Emily & Amelia Nagoski’s podcast
Matt Priselac
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Elizabeth and Larissa share a bit about themselves and their vision for Wondermine.
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay
Music by ZakharValaha from Pixabay