Coffee with Comrades: Recent Episodes
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Dear listeners of Coffee with Comrades, with special regard to the wonderful folks who support this program on Patreon,
Hello!
I hope that the autumnal season has brought crisp, cool air and abundant joy to you and yours. I write to you today with a bittersweet sense of pride and melancholy to announce Coffee with Comrades is officially coming to an end.
Although I know I don’t “owe” anyone an explanation, I thought it wise—for both my own peace-of-mind and for the wonderful community that has sprung up around this show—to offer a bit of insight into my thought process on the matter and why I eventually came to this decision.
Coffee with Comrades got its start in June of 2018. I had recently moved back to Orlando, FL and was hanging out with my friend, Bree. She said, “Pearson, y’know what? We should start a podcast and name it Coffee with Comrades!” and (for better or worse) that’s exactly what we did. Over the 5+ years this show has been online, a lot has changed. History has happened, carrying each of us with it inexorably. A global pandemic shuttered windows, closed doors, and swept us all into quarantine. A massive, anti-racist uprising rocked the U.S. Strikes were won. Wars ravaged.
Here at Coffee with Comrades, we have gone through multiple co-hosts. I met authors, musicians, artists, and the hosts of other podcasts and radio shows who I had long respected and finally got to befriend. I’ve broken bread with these folks, slept over at their homes, and turned to them for advice in times of need. I linked up with listeners all across the U.S. and became dear friends with many of them. We cultivated a joyful, wholesome, queer community on Discord where many have half-jokingly said, “I was cis when I got here!” In the end, if it weren’t for this silly little program, I would never have met my partner, Megan, and fallen in love. For a long, long time now, Coffee with Comrades has been an integral facet of my life.
I’m in a different place in 2023 than I was in 2018. I am a partner and a parent now. I am teaching full-time. Over the past year, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on how Coffee with Comrades factors into my life. As many of you know, I graduated in May ‘23 with a PhD in Literature, Media, and Culture. Bree and I started this show about the same time I got accepted to teach at Florida State University. With each passing year, that degree took more and more of a toll on my mental health. In the end, it got to a point where I loathed the very idea of reading—a pastime that once brought me inexpressible pleasure and euphoria. Although I am slowly starting to get that sense of enjoyment back when it comes to reading, I cannot help but notice that I am starting to feel a similar sense of frustration and, if I am honest, even contempt whenever I think about creating another episode of the podcast.
Cycles of burnout and frustration are, on the whole, pretty normal in community-organizing. For a time, I thought that was just what I was going through: the normal pattern of excitement, burnout, then new excitement once again. After all, this wouldn’t be the first time I went through that cycle working on Coffee with Comrades. On several occasions, I have taken breaks from the show to get back into the right mindset. This happened again fairly recently when Megan and I found out one of our dear friends had died. I put the show on hold so I could take care of my partner, our friends, and (importantly) take care of myself.
But during that time of contemplation and distance from the show, I felt a disconnect greater than any I had experienced before. I realized I didn’t want to go back to putting out episodes. I did eventually put out another episode (and I am happy with it!) But I was actually low-key dreading getting back into the swing again. As I have said before, putting together a podcast is an enormous amount of work. Booking guests, scheduling recording times, doing the pre-production, recording the actual show, editing the show, doing post-production, uploading everything to the internet, managing social media, etc. It all adds up to an extraordinary amount of effort and, increasingly, I am noticing the fact that it has taken away from the number one creative passion in my life: writing.
Writing stories, poems, and essays has been an enduring wellspring of joy throughout my life. I started writing stories when I was just seven years old and I have never stopped. But there have also been periods where I was more (or less) committed to my craftsmanship. Coffee with Comrades has been a creative project, to be sure. But it has also been one that has sapped my ability to concentrate more time and effort on other creative endeavors.
Even still, I recently released my second collection of poetry, Your Mind is the Cathedral Where I Finally Find god. But what that experience helped me remember was just how life-affirming it is for me to write. How much I need the deft and lyrical melody of the written word. How playing with language mirrored the experience of reuniting with lifelong friends after too long spent apart. I began to realize that I was neglecting what I am best at, ignoring or overlooking the skills I worked so hard to cultivate. Alas, there are only so many hours in the day for creativity amidst the drudgery of wage labor, the thrills of being a partner, and the dedication require to be a diligent, compassionate parent.
To a certain extent, Coffee with Comrades began to feel like an obligation rather than a creative and political passion project. Gradually, it became increasingly evident that this dynamic was engendering a sense of anger and antipathy. I no longer wanted to put together episodes because I felt a strong need to address an injustice, uplift an important artistic project, or dive into political theory and action. I put together episodes because I hadto. Because Tuesday was coming up and I had to put out Content to feed the algorithm gods. Something, it seemed, was fundamentally broken and—try as I might—I couldn’t seem to fix the shattered fragments.
Something, somewhere had to give.
Throughout its 5+ years, Coffee with Comrades has always centered the theme of militant joy. But, sad as it is to admit, this show is no longer bringing me joy. Instead of something that enhances my life and, by extension, the lives of others, Coffee with Comrades has become a toil, a drudgery. It has become work. This is antithetical to everything I cherish about anarchy. When I cast my gaze soberly upon all that I had wrought, I realized it was time to draw this chapter of my life to a close. In the end, in order to stay true to the principles I hold dear, it has come time for me to bid a fond farewell to this podcast and move on.
I know this announcement may come as a bit of a shock to some of you, especially those of you who may not be in the Coffee with Comrades Discord server or those of you who haven’t read between the lines of our on-again-off-again scheduling as of late. I am happy to answer any questions folks might have about the podcast in our Discord, Patreon, or via email. I also understand this announcement may be especially disappointing to recent subscribers on the Coffee with Comrades Patreon. If this is the case, please get in-touch! I’d like to have the opportunity to make amends. I have taken steps to ensure that Patreon will no longer charge anyone starting Nov. 1, 2023.
All that said, I am proud of the work I have done with this program. In the end, between formal/numbered episodes and bonus editions of the podcast, we have put forward over two hundred episodes of Coffee with Comrades. That legacy and that library live on for people to listen to and engage with and learn from. I know that the relationships I have made with friends, comrades, and fellow revolutionaries will continue onward into the future, come what may. I know that our struggle to transform the world into something more just, compassionate, and egalitarian endures so long as there is breath in our lungs and we continue to love and support one another.
As a media project, I hope that this program helped elevate important conversations with community-organizers, authors, musicians, artists, and revolutionaries over the 5+ years we were on air. Anarchy is a powerful political philosophy. I have seen it put into practice time and time again in the communities I have had the good fortune of inhabiting. I do not know what sort of ruptures will happen in the weeks, months, years, and decades ahead as the empire I write within continues to self-immolate, catching us all in the raging inferno. But I reckon solidarity, mutual aid, autonomy, liberation, and anti-authoritarianism are our only path out of the morass of social hierarchy. If anarchy proves to be triumphant—even if only in fits and starts, at first—then that is due entirely to the strength of the relationships we forge in the crucible of struggle.
To those of you who have supported this program over the years, I extend a tremendous and sincere thank you. Whether it was from financial contributions to our Patreon or just by telling a friend about Coffee with Comrades, I want you to know how meaningful it is to have been able to create something that resonated so powerfully with its audience. Even in a time of such marked turmoil and suffering, the friendships and camaraderie that I have experienced because of this show are truly inspiring and give me a sense of hope for the future of our world and all the critters who call it “home.”
Know that even though Coffee with Comrades has come to an end, I will continue to be there with you—either in spirit or, with any luck, in the streets—in the struggles ahead.
Stay wild out there, comrades.
Yours in depthless love and deathless solidarity,
Pearson
This week, I sat down with Marisa Holmes, one of the organizers behind Occupy Wall Street, to talk about her new book Organizing Occupy Wall Street: This is Just Practice.
- Follow Marisa on Twitter and Instagram and pick up a copy of her book.
- Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website.
- Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network.
- Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations!
- Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.
CW: In this week’s episode, we discuss anti-Semitic violence. Listener discretion is advised. Today, Ami Weintraub (he/they) joins us to discuss his new book To the Ghosts Who Are Still Living. In this joyous and melancholic discussion, Ami and I explore the essay collection in detail, touching on anti-fascism, anti-semitism, Jewish identity in diaspora, and Ami’s … Read more "Episode 195: “The Earth Tells Our Story of Imperfect Beauty” ft. Ami Weintraub"
On today’s episode of Coffee with Comrades, I am pleased to be joined by Chris Robé, a professor of film and media studies at Florida Atlantic University and the author of the new book Abolishing Surveillance: Digital Media Activism and State Repression. Follow Chris on Twitter and pre-order a copy of Abolishing Surveillance! Check out … Read more "Episode 194: “Smashing the Surveillance State” ft. Chris Robé"
This week, I sat down with some of the organizers behind Dual Power Gathering Midwest to discuss the weekend long event, the concept of dual power, building solidarity, and sharing knowledge with each other as we develop our greater movement affinity. Dual Power Gathering Midwest 2023 will take place in the traditional homelands of the … Read more "Episode 193: “Building Power in the Midwest”"
This week, I was joined once again by Scott Branson to discuss the new anthology they helped edit for PM Press, Surviving the Future: Queer Abolitionist Strategies. Scott and I had a lovely conversation about queerness, futurity, healthcare, academia, and everything in between. Purchase a copy of Surviving the Future: Queer Abolitionist Strategies today! Follow … Read more "Episode 192: “Visions of Queer Futurity” ft. Scott Branson"
This week, we’re sharing a recent conversation with some of the organizers behind the International Day of Solidarity with Marius Mason & All Longterm Anarchist Prisoners. Check out June11.org and read this essay from CrimethInc. to learn more about the long-term struggles of anarchist prisoners. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, … Read more "Episode 191: “June 11th”"
We spoke with Mixæl Laufer of Four Thieves Vinegar Collective. Check it out! Follow Mixæl on Twitter and visit Four Thieves Vinegar Collective’s website! Check out our previous episodes with Mixæl, too: Episode 14, 21, and 171. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades t-shirt … Read more "Episode 190: “Everything Grade B Sucks” ft. Mixæl Laufer"
This week, I hung out with Brenton Lengel to talk about Issue #2 of Durruti: Shadow of the People, a comic exploring the life and times of revolutionary Spain’s Buenaventura Durruti! Pick up a copy of the Durruti, Issue #2 special variant to benefit folks displaced by the war in Ukraine * Follow Brenton on Twitter. * Check out our previous dialogue with Brenton in Ep. 152 of Coffee with Comrades! * Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. * Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network. * Coffee with Comrades* is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! * Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.
This week, I sat down with Michael Löwy and David Campbell to talk about the book Michael co-wrote and David recently translated into English, Revolutionary Affinities: Toward a Marxist Anarchist Solidarity. The three of us got into a lovely dialogue about the recent uprisings in France against the neoliberal Macron regime, as well as the painstaking labor David undertook of translating this book into English by hand. Then, we dive into the book and talk about the principled points of solidarity and the potential areas of conflict between Anarchists and Marxists before contemplating what these struggles mean for today.
- Pre-order a copy of Revolutionary Affinities: Toward a Marxist Anarchist Solidarity today!
- Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website.
- Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network.
- Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations!
- Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.
Note:
A minor correction. David mentioned the anti-basin protest was at “Sainte Solite.” It’s actually Sainte Soline.
This episode of the program features my conversation with Alex Knight, designer and developer of the board game Land and Freedom, inspired by the Spanish Revolution and Civil War.
- Check out Land and Freedom today!
- Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website.
- Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network.
- Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations!
- Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.
We are back with another episode of Coffee with Comrades featuring Shannon Clay, one of the folks behind the new book We Go Where They Go: The Story of Antiracist Action available today via PM Press.
- Pick up a copy of We Go Where They Go today!
- Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website.
- Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network.
- Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations!
- Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.
This episode of Coffee with Comrades is dedicated to Tortuguita. Rest in Power, Tort. May we carry on the defense of Earth in your memory.
Here are some ways to support the defense of the forest in Atlanta:
- Donate to the Atlanta Solidarity Fund to support legal costs for arrested protestors and ongoing legal action.
- Call on investors in the project to divest from Cop City (list of APF investors). Call on builders of the project to drop their construction contracts.
- Organize political solidarity bail funds, forest defense funds, and forest defense committees where you live.
- Participate in or organize local solidarity actions.
- Endorse and circulate this statement of solidarity. Email defendweelaunee@riseup.net.
Show-Notes:
Matt and John of Working Class History join me to discuss their new interactive map and smartphone app that helps users connect with working class history on the streets worldwide.
- Follow Working Class History on Twitter and Instagram, visit their website, and support them on Patreon.
- Check out the Working Class History Map and Stories App!
- Pick up a copy of Working Class History: Everyday Acts of Resistance & Rebellion.
- Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website.
- Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network.
- Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations!
- Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.
This episode of Coffee with Comrades is dedicated to Tortuguita. Rest in Power, Tort. May we carry on the defense of Earth in your memory.
Eros, a dear friend and comrade of Manny “Tortuguita” Teran, joins me to memorialize the dearly departed.
Donate to the GoFundMe for Manny’s family.
Here are some ways to support the defense of the forest in Atlanta:
- Donate to the Atlanta Solidarity Fund to support legal costs for arrested protestors and ongoing legal action.
- Call on investors in the project to divest from Cop City (list of APF investors). Call on builders of the project to drop their construction contracts.
- Organize political solidarity bail funds, forest defense funds, and forest defense committees where you live.
- Participate in or organize local solidarity actions.
- Endorse and circulate this statement of solidarity. Email defendweelaunee@riseup.net.
Show-Notes:
- Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Mastodon, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website.
- Coffee with Comrades is a proud affiliate of the Channel Zero Network.
- Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations!
- Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.
We are back with our first episode of 2023!This edition of Coffee with Comrades features a dialogue with my dear friend and comrade, Caleb Wexler. Our conversation is pretty wide-ranging. We spend the first half of the episode talking about Caleb’s housing cooperative—how it runs, how they make decisions, and what it looks like to exist in the liminal space between our contemporary housing hellscape and the better tomorrow we’re all dreaming of and fighting for. In the second half of the episode, we speak at length about two of the best works of media that came out in 2022: Citizen Sleeper and Andor. Fair warning, we spend a good chunk of time delving into spoilers in those latter sections, so be sure to check out the time-stamps below!Technologies of Hope, Caleb’s M.A. Thesis on Solarpunk: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K0KkJroaKyCNHv8NT48y_Zyh_ur7cJKU/viewSpoiler Talk:* Citizen Sleeper: 1:09:00 * Andor: 1:20:23
Show Notes:* Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitterand Instagram, and visit our website. * Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch store. * Coffee with Comrades is a proud member of the Channel Zero Network. * Coffee with Comrades is an affiliate of the Firestorm Books & Café. Check out our reading recommendations! * Our logo was designed by Nathanael Whale.
This week, we are sharing a recent conversation I had with Chad Pearson about his book Capital’s Terrorists: Klansmen, Lawmen, and Employers in the Long Nineteenth Century. Chad and I chat about vigilante violence, the coercive nature of the law, the capaciousness of the term “terrorism,” and a whole lot more. Follow Chad on Instagram … Read more "Episode 182: “The Lapdogs of Capital” ft. Chad Pearson"
Recently, I hung out with scholar and organizer Mohamed Abdou. We spoke at length about his book Islam and Anarchism: Relationships and Resonances. Follow Mohamed on Twitter and pick up a copy of Islam & Anarchism: Relationships and Resonances today! Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitterand Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee … Read more "Episode 181: “Anarcha Islām” ft. Mohamed Abdou"
Recently, I hung out with my very dear friend, carla bergman. carla and I spent a good chunk of time talking about their new edited anthology, Trust Kids! Stories on Youth Autonomy and Confronting Adult Supremacy. Pick up a copy of carla’s book, Trust Kids! Check out Grounded Futures, as well. Support Coffee with Comrades … Read more "Episode 180: “Solidarity Begins at Home” ft. carla bergman"
I recently sat down with the one and only Shane Burley to talk about his new edited anthology, No Pasarán: Dispatches from a World in Crisis. The book is a collection of essays by and interviews with antifascists: community-organizers, researchers, journalists, artists, and more. Shane and I have a pretty wide-ranging dialogue, touching on violence, … Read more "Episode 179: “No Pasarán!” ft. Shane Burley"
James Yeoman, author of Print Culture and the Formation of the Anarchist Movement in Spain, 1890-1915 joins me to talk about propaganda by the deed, violence, terror, education, and the anarchist printing press in Spain at the turn of the twentieth century. Pick up a copy of Print Culture and the Formation of the Anarchist Movement in … Read more "Episode 178: “Tierra y Libertad” ft. Jim Yeoman"
I recently sat down with my dear friend and comrade, Jimmy Dunson, who put together an anthology on mutual aid, disaster relief, and building dual-power called Building Power While the Lights Are Out. The anthology is gripping and brilliant and the two of us have a wide-ranging conversation on a number of the essays contained … Read more "Episode 177: “Kin-Making in Disaster’s Wake” ft. Jimmy Dunson"
Today, we’re sharing an interview with the all-around-badass Margaret Killjoy. Margaret is a writer of fiction, a musician in multiple bands, and she is also the host of two great podcasts: Live Like the World is Dying and Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff. And that’s an inexhaustive list. Margaret joined me to talk about … Read more "Episode 176: “The Power of Story” ft. Margaret Killjoy"
In this special bonus edition of Coffee with Comrades, I sit down with Tallahassee, FL-based artist and community-organizer, Eric Champagne, to talk about the life and plight of Dan Baker. Dan Baker is a YPG veteran, yoga instructor, and anarchist who was arrested for posts he made on social media in the wake of the … Read more "BONUS: “Free Dan Baker!”"
This week, I am sharing a dialogue I recently had with my new friend Nash Flynn. Nash is a comedian, historian, and host of the podcast Death and Friends. In our dialogue, we talk about death. A lot. Like, a whole helluva lot. So keep that in mind as you wade into this discussion. We … Read more "Episode 175: “Deathways” ft. Nash Flynn"
Shawn of Srsly Wrong joins me for a discussion inspired by two books: Escape from Childhood by John C. Holt, and Raising Free People by Akilah S. Richards. In our expansive dialogue, we talk about climate anxiety, raising kids, studenthood, the abolition of family, and the process of teaching yourself how to treat children with … Read more "Episode 174: “Children’s Liberation, Now!” ft. Srsly Wrong"
Today, we’re sharing an interview with an Ashville-based collective called Firestorm Books. For those not already acquainted with our Appalachian comrades’ work, Firestorm Books is a queer, feminist, anarchist collective operating a co-op bookstore and social movement space. Esmé, Ash, and Libertie sat down with me this past week to talk about starting up their … Read more "Episode 173: “Anarchists Care About Books” ft. Firestorm Books"
In this week’s special, collaborative episode of Coffee with Comrades, Parker from Overcritical joins me to discuss the “most watched” television phenomenon of all time: Squid Game (2021). Follow Overcritical on Twitter and Instagram. While you’re at it, follow Parker, too! Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitterand Instagram and Mastadon, and … Read more "Episode 172: “What Are the Rules in Hell?” ft. Overcritical"
In this edition of Coffee with Comrades, we talk with Dr. Mixæl Laufer about Four Thieves Vinegar Collective’s most recent DIY, autonomous medicine shenanigans. Mixæl walks us through abortion pills that’ve been transposed to business cards. We talk about 4TVC’s revamp of the Microlab Suite, which now features an intuitive system for researching medicines and … Read more "Episode 171: “This Card is an Abortion” ft. Dr. Mixæl Laufer"
Today, we’re sharing an interview with Tallahassee-based poet, essayist, and social ecology community organizer, Adrien. You might know Adrien better by their pen-name, Cybele. Recently, Adrien put out a new essay called (Re)Growing Communal Life: Preparing the Soil for Revolution. I’d recommend checking it out, if you got a sec. The essay is pretty short … Read more "Episode 170: “Preparing the Soil” ft. Adrien of L.O.R.E."
Today, I’m joined by labor organizer Tom Wetzel, author of the new book Overcoming Capitalism: Strategy for the Working Class in the Twenty-First Century. Pick up a copy of Tom’s book, Overcoming Capitalism. Support Coffee with Comrades on Patreon, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our website. Pick up a Coffee with Comrades shirt or coffee mug at our official merch … Read more "Episode 169: “We Will Overcome” ft. Tom Wetzel"
In this edition of Coffee with Comrades, we sit down with Kristian Williams, author of the new book Gang Politics: Revolution, Repression, and Crime. Kristian and I explore the long history of counterinsurgency, the emergence of gang-style political formations in the imperial core, the efficacy of community armed self-defense, and so much more. Pick up … Read more "Episode 168: “Turf Wars” ft. Kristian Williams"
I recently sat down with Bruce E. Levine to talk about his new book A Profession without Reason: The Crisis of Contemporary Psychiatry Untangled and Solved by Spinoza, Freethinking, and Radical Enlightenment. In my conversation with Bruce, we touched on a whole host of things: freethinking, care work, peer-to-peer mutual aid groups of psychiatric survivors, … Read more "Episode 167: “Care without Fear” ft. Bruce E. Levine"
In this week’s edition of Coffee with Comrades, I’m joined by writer, artist, and game designer Gareth Damian Martin, developer of the new indie RPG Citizen Sleeper. Gareth and I talk about Citizen Sleeper’s systems, structures, and mechanics, its vast cast of NPCs, themes of precarity and symbiosis, and the importance of mushrooms. Like Gareth’s … Read more "Episode 166: “Like Mushrooms Thriving Amidst Ruins” ft. Gareth Damian Martin"
Chris, a psychotherapist with sixteen years in the field, joins me to critique the psych profession. We explore the history of psychology and psychiatric coercion, the violence and carceral logic implicit in locking away the “insane.” We discuss the ways in which neurotypicality is constructed to serve the hegemony of the ruling class. Chris and … Read more "Episode 165: “Toward an Anarchist Critique of Psychiatry”"
Today, I’m very excited to share a conversation with you that I had with Peter Gelderloos, author of the new book The Solutions Are Already Here, available now through Pluto Press. Peter and I talk about why “climate change” doesn’t quite capture the urgency of ecological catastrophe, why a fixation on “fossil fuels” is a … Read more "Episode 164: “Thriving in the Ruins” ft. Peter Gelderloos"
On this week’s edition of Coffee with Comrades, I am joined by carla bergman to discuss the pamphlet she co-authored with scott crow, Just anarchy. carla and I explore intergenerational struggle, burnout, the general utility of peer-to-peer mentorship, anarchist conceptions of authority, trusting kids, cultivating kinship, and a whole lot more. Follow carla on Twitter, … Read more "Episode 163: “Horizontal Mentorship” ft. carla bergman"
Today, we’re sharing an interview with Jay Dragon and Mercedes Acosta, two of the developers, designers, and writers behind the brand new TRPG Yazeba’s Bed & Breakfast which, as of today, is officially available to support on Indiegogo! We had a really lovely conversation about sanctuary, refuge, transgender characterization, seeing elements of yourself reflected back … Read more "Episode 162: “Room for Everyone…” ft. Jay Dragon & Mercedes Acosta"
This week, I am joined by my friend and comrade Charli Ash to talk about, well, a whole helluva lot. In this dialogue, Charli lays out trans history, including how transgender folks have been pathologized, how trans folks have accessed medical care for transition, the pathologization of transness, and a whole bunch more. Then, we … Read more "Episode 161: “Trans Liberation, Now!” ft. Charli Ash"
I recently caught up with Tim Holland Pacal Bayley, better known as Sole and DJ Pain 1, to chat about their forthcoming record, Post-American Studies, out this week on the record label Emergency Hearts. Tim, Pacal, and I had a humorous, wide-ranging chat about the record, its themes, and the artists’ shared musical history. Pick … Read more "Episode 160: “Went to Bed in a Failed State, Woke Up in a Fugue State” ft. Sole & DJPain1"
On this week’s edition of Coffee with Comrades, I sit down with Margaret Killjoy to discuss the new edition of A Country of Ghosts, an anarchist utopian fantasy novel. Pick up a copy of A Country of Ghosts! Follow Margaret on Twitter and listen to Live Like the World is Dying. Support Coffee with Comrades … Read more "Episode 159: “Directions to Move Towards” ft. Margaret Killjoy"
In this episode of Coffee with Comrades, T.L and Greg, designers of the forthcoming third edition of Bloc by Bloc: Uprising join me to discuss the game’s revamped mechanics, new and emergent gameplay, mutual aid, insurrection, and so much more. In many ways, this conversation functions as a follow up to an earlier episode of … Read more "Episode 158: “Creation & Destruction, Bloc by Bloc” ft. Out of Order Games"
This week, I’m sharing a conversation I had with my family about children’s liberation and parenting as radicals. The dialogue is pretty wide-ranging. We talk about the “bedtime discourse” that sparked the idea for this episode, chat about unschooling, the limitations of “abolishing the family,” parenting as anarchists, how to be good models as adults … Read more "Episode 157: “Bedtime Tyranny (& Other Myths)” Children’s Liberation & Radical Parenting"
Episode 2: “Arm The Proletariat, Not The Police” – Violence, Control, & Liberation On this episode of Coffee with Comrades, Bree and Pearson explore the history of gun control in the United States, tracing the legacy of the Black Panthers’ armed resistance in order to better understand the racist enforcement of gun control legislation. … Read more "Episode 2: “Arm The Proletariat, Not The Police”"
On today’s episode, Bree and Pearson dig into the Kafkaesque cluster-fuck that is ICE and the CBP, examining the historical context of these relatively young agencies. As outrage explodes over the detention of children and the separation of families, resistance, defiance, and the #OccupyICE movement grows across stolen lands. Bree and Pearson dissect the reactionary … Read more "Episode 1: “All the Walls Will Fall”"
Episode 3: “Kylo Ren was a School Shooter” – A Leftist Analysis of Star Wars, Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi On today’s show, Bree and Pearson take you to a galaxy far, far away for a leftist analysis of the most controversial Star Wars film to date—Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi. But, before digging into … Read more "Episode 3: “Kylo Ren was a School Shooter”"
Coffee with Comrades is coming to you a little early this week. We’re pleased to present our first podcast collaboration: an analysis of the film “V for Vendetta” with our pals in the Left Media Podcast. In this episode, we discuss the motion picture’s political themes, its lackluster portrayal of its female and LGBTQ+ characters, … Read more "Episode 9: “Remember, Rembember the 5th of November” feat. the Left Media Podcast"
This episode is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Nancy Van Vessem, a professor at FSU’s College of Medicine, and Maura Binkley, an FSU English student, murdered by the fascist violence of misogyny & racism. Rest in power, Maura & Nancy. This week, Bree and Pearson tackle the classic Tarantino motion picture, Pulp Fiction. But, … Read more "Episode 19: “Walk the Earth”"
TW: Be advised, this episode includes a sound-byte from Richard Nixon’s chief of staff, Lee Atwater, spewing racial slurs from 22:02–22:22. In this week’s episode of Coffee with Comrades, Bree and Pearson discuss the #August21 Prison Strike and dissect the prison-industrial complex, the abolition movement, and transformative justice. But, first, a look at this week … Read more "Episode 7: “Empty Every Cage, Break Every Chain”"
On today’s episode of Coffee with Comrades, Bree and Pearson explore the symbiotic relationship of science and anarchy with Kaleb Morgan. But first, some current events: A FL auto shop owner snitched on a fifteen-year-old girl who escaped her ICE captors A six-year-old girl was sexually abused while in a DHS detention facility Comrades in … Read more "Episode 6: “Build the Spine”"
Episode 0: What is Coffee with Comrades? On the premiere episode of Coffee with Comrades, Bree and Pearson fumble through their first time recording a podcast together! Learn a bit about what motivated the two hosts to team-up and create this show. Twitter: @coffeewcomrades Website: http://www.coffeewithcomrades.com Intro: Woody Guthrie, “I Ain’t Got No … Read more "Episode 0: What is Coffee with Comrades?"
On the latest episode of Coffee with Comrades, Bree and Pearson explore late-stage capitalism’s neoliberal paradigms. Today’s News: Liberate Stonybrook Migrant Mothers in ICE detention facilities are staging hunger-strikes to demand calls with their separated children Standing Rock water protectors face jail time for civil disobedience J20 defendants fight back Anti-Antifascist Bill Alerta, alerta! Antifascista! … Read more "Episode 4: “Not Even Babies Get a Free Lunch”"
On the latest episode of Coffee with Comrades, we spend the hour discussing contemporary politics in the UK with Bree’s partner, Ben Stone, a British citizen living in the United States. But first, in lieu of a current events segment this week, Pearson drove south and sat down for an interview with two of the … Read more "Episode 5: “I’m Literally a Communist, You Idiot”"