Inqueery: Recent Episodes
Inqueery
National and community news, politics, music, pop culture and more with a queer and intersectional perspective. Join host Marpheen Chann, guest hosts, and special guests as they explore the issues that affect the queer and intersectional community, especially in Maine.
Author and Podcast Host Marpheen Chann sits down with Coco McCracken, author of The Rabbit and forthcoming debut memoir GOOD & LOUD. Topics: Coming-of-Age, Music, Canada, Books, Asian American.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/softspokenwmc/message
Author and Podcast Host Marpheen Chann welcomes Sophia of the @BeyondTheMekong instagram account and Khmer American. Topics: Khmer Culture, Books, Cambodian Authors, Diaspora.
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Author and Podcast Host Marpheen Chann talks with Ellie Sato, a Democratic activist, candidate for state representative, dancer, and Japanese American. Topics: Running for office, Stop Asian Hate, Politics, Model Minority Myth.
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Author and Podcast Host Marpheen Chann sits down with Putsata Reang, author of Ma and Me, journalist, and educator. Topics: Cambodia, LGBTQ+, Culture, Family.
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Author and Podcast Host Marpheen Chann interviews Jaed Coffin, author of Roughhouse Friday, Contributing Editor for DownEast Magazine, and writing professor at UNH in Durham, NH. Topics: Goldfish, Time, Masculinity.
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We talk about queer placemaking and community in this podcast episode with special guest Dr. Theo Greene, associate professor of Sociology at Bowdoin College and author of an upcoming book titled Not in MY Gayborhood: Gay Neighborhoods and the Rise of the Vicarious Citizen, which explores the persistence of iconic gay neighborhoods in Washington, DC, through acts of ephemeral placemaking by nonresidential community actors (vicarious citizens). Outside the classroom, Greene enjoys extending his research for the Common Good. In addition to sitting on the Board of Advisors for “The Corner,” the Whitman-Walker Health Cultural Center, Greene also sits on the Board of Directors for the Frannie Peabody Center and the Equality Community Center.
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Maya Williams, Portland's Poet Laureate and author of a recenlty published collection of poems called "Judas and Suicide," joins me on the podcast to talk about a whole range of topics, all orbiting around the big topics of life, death, and poetry.
TW: There is discussion of suicide, suicidal thoughts, and ideation in this episode. If these topics are triggering or sensitive for you, you have option to opt-out of listening to the show. If you are struggling and seeking help, please call or text 988.
About Maya Williams:
Maya Williams (ey/em, they/them, and she/her) is a religious Black multiracial nonbinary suicide survivor who is currently an Ashley Bryan Fellow and the seventh Poet Laureate of Portland, Maine .
Maya's debut poetry collection, Judas & Suicide, is available through Game Over Books .
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In this episode I welcome my new friend Alphanso, better known as @ForeverAlphanso on TikTok and Instagram where he's garnered hundreds of thousands of followers with his hot takes on housewives and popculture. We talk about social media, building an audience, creating content, how to take care of yourself and your mental health as a content creator or influencer, and then we get into a little bit of the DRAMA with Tasha K.
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Here's part 2 of a fun and amazing conversation with my friend Shay Stewart-Bouley about dating apps and dating as people of color. We talk about our experiences on apps like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge (and Grindr for me), our best and worst experiences, and get into Shay's perspectives on how dating has changed and what it is like dating in a state like Maine. To listen to part 1, visit this link.
SUPPORT SHAY: Patreon to become a subscriber https://www.patreon.com/BGIM; Venmo to make a one time gift: @shay-stewart-bouley
About Shay Stewart-Bouley: https://blackgirlinmaine.com/about-shay-stewart-bouley/
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This was a fun and amazing conversation with my friend Shay Stewart-Bouley about dating apps and dating as people of color. We talk about our experiences on apps like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge (and Grindr for me), our best and worst experiences, and get into Shay's perspectives on how dating has changed and what it is like dating in a state like Maine. Part 2 of this convo is coming out later this month! SUPPORT SHAY: Patreon to become a subscriber https://www.patreon.com/BGIM; Venmo to make a one time gift @shay-stewart-bouley
About Shay Stewart-Bouley: https://blackgirlinmaine.com/about-shay-stewart-bouley/
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In this episode podcast host Marpheen Chann interviews Randy Kim, host of The Bánh Mì Chronicles podcast, on the balance of visbility and social media presence with the need for self-care and preventing and managing burnout. About the GuestRandy Kim is a queer 2nd generation Viet-Khmer American from the Chicagoland area. He is the producer and host of “The Banh Mi Chronicles” podcast. The Banh Mi Chronicles Podcast was recognized by National Geographic Society as one of the recommended Asian American podcasts in April 2021. In May 2021, Apple Podcast named "The Banh Mi Chronicles Podcast" as part of the "Never Voiceless, Moving Forward" playlist to celebrate Asian Pacific Islander Month. Randy currently serves as a board member with the National Cambodian Heritage Museum . He recently received his Masters in Nonprofit Management at DePaul University and works for a nonprofit organizationAbout the HostMarpheen Chann is a politician, thinker, author, and speaker on social justice, equity, and inclusion. As a gay, first-generation Asian American born in California to a Cambodian refugee family and later adopted by an evangelical, white working-class family in Maine, Marpheen uses a mix of humor and storytelling to help people view topics such as racism, xenophobia, and homophobia through an intersectional lens.Intro and Outro Music: Marpheen Chann (me!)About Moon in Full: A Modern-Day Coming-of-Age Story:Moon in Full, a contemporary coming-of-age story, shines light on one young man’s search for truth and compassion in a complicated era as it unwinds the deep-seated challenges we all face finding our authentic voice and true identities. Author Marpheen Chann’s heart-warming journey weaves through housing projects and foster homes; into houses of worship and across college campuses; and playing out in working-class Maine where he struggles to find his place. Adopted into in a majority white community, Chann must reconcile his fears and secret longings as a young gay man with the devoutly religious beliefs of his new family. Chann, a second-generation Asian American, recounts what he has learned, what he has lost, and what he has found during his evolution from a hungry refugee’s son to religious youth to advocate for acceptance and equality.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/softspokenwmc/message
It's been awhile since my last episode! Coming out of the holidays there was lots of work to catch up on but I'm glad to be updating the podcast now and to let you in on what I've been thinking about this week.
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The holidays aren't all merry and joyful for everyone, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community. So here's some advice on how to help those who don't have the same holiday season experience.
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This holiday season, let's be intentional about celebrating with friends, neighbors, and family who are from different faith, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. I think it's too easy during the holiday season to only focus on just the holiday traditions and celebrations that we've grown up celebrating in America. When we dig deep into our history, how American values and traditions have changed and expanded over time with successive waves of new Americans, we'll find that our ways of celebrating, finding warmth, and creating opportunities to be together during the winter months are not the same - and that's a good thing!
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Let's not overthink how we can find peace, serenity, and calm. It's something we can find if we commune with nature and something that is freely given by Mother Earth. So this episode is about the art of listening to nature, specifically the sound of fire, the wind in the trees and grass, and the sound of rain. We need not travel far (at least in Maine) to a park or trail where you can commune with nature.
Hope you enjoy!
Marpheen Chann
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In the third episode of SoftSpoken, I expand on a few themes and topics about modernity, work-life balance, and self-care by reading from an excerpt from my book Moon in Full: A Modern-Day Coming-of-Age Story. The excerpt reflects on my experience working as a grocery store cashier and how modern work and management strategies dehumanize workers and make the work environment devoid of human relationships and collaboration beyond what is productive for management and the company. In addition, wages haven't kept up with production so people are forced to get more than one job and thus lose time that they could be spending with family, attending community and public meetings, school and sports events, and things that help strengthen the social and democratic fabric. Hope you enjoy and feel free to leave a voicemail on the Anchor page!
About Moon in Full:
In his memoir, Moon in Full, Marpheen Chan recounts an emotional and modern day coming-of-age story that has roots in the Cambodian genocide and weaves through troubled familial relationships, housing projects, foster homes, churches, and college life, as well as rural Maine where he struggles to reconcile his fears and beliefs as a young gay man of color adopted into a white Evangelical family. He has continually struggled with his lost identity as a Cambodian and homophobia as a young gay man of color. As PTSD, poverty, abuse, and addiction took their toll on his mother, Chann and his siblings were removed and placed into foster care. And that is where his journey into adulthood truly begins.
With compassion and honesty, Chann recalls what he has learned, what he has found and what he has lost in his evolution from rebel boy to holy-roller youth to advocate for equality and civil rights, all in one of the nation's oldest and least diverse states; but a state that he proudly calls home. Chann's story shines a spotlight on the search for truth, compassion, and the struggles of our complicated era.
About Marpheen Chann:
Marpheen Chann, a second generation Asian American, is a writer, speaker, and gay man. In 2014, Chann was the first of his biological and adoptive families to graduate college. He studied political science, philosophy, and economics at the University of Southern Maine, where he helped start the Queer Straight Alliance. He also graduated from USM School of Law and co-founded the Cambodian Community Association of Maine. Chann lives in Portland. Moon in Full is his first book.
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Sorry folks for missing the episode last Sunday. I was just getting over having COVID and have been experiencing some longer lasting symptoms (fatigue and shortness of breath). In this week’s episode I’ll be talking about the need to slow down and to listen to your body and how the way we live in these modern times makes it so hard to do. Hope you enjoy! As always, feel free to leave a voicemail in the Podcast inbox.
Intro and outro music by yours truly.
About Marpheen Chann
Marpheen Chann is a politician, thinker, author, and speaker on social justice, equity, and inclusion. As a gay, first-generation Asian American born in California to a Cambodian refugee family and later adopted by an evangelical, white working-class family in Maine, Marpheen uses a mix of humor and storytelling to help people view topics such as racism, xenophobia, and homophobia through an intersectional lens.
About Moon in Full: A Modern-Day Coming-of-Age Story:
Moon in Full, a contemporary coming-of-age story, shines light on one young man’s search for truth and compassion in a complicated era as it unwinds the deep-seated challenges we all face finding our authentic voice and true identities. Author Marpheen Chann’s heart-warming journey weaves through housing projects and foster homes; into houses of worship and across college campuses; and playing out in working-class Maine where he struggles to find his place. Adopted into in a majority white community, Chann must reconcile his fears and secret longings as a young gay man with the devoutly religious beliefs of his new family. Chann, a second-generation Asian American, recounts what he has learned, what he has lost, and what he has found during his evolution from a hungry refugee’s son to religious youth to advocate for acceptance and equality.
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/softspokenwmc/message
I went back and forth trying to figure out what topic to talk about in the first episode of SoftSpoken: A Podcast. But I landed on the topic of "Being You." As an openly gay, Cambodian American who was adopted by a white, evangelical family when I was 14 (you can read more in my memoir Moon in Full: A Modern-Day Coming-of-Age Story), identity and being as been a very important topic to wrestle and grapple with. And so this episode encapsulates a little of what I've learned throughout my life about belonging, being human, being you, identity, and the balancing that we have to do as we live and engage with the world around us. Hope you enjoy!
Intro and Outro Music: Marpheen Chann (me!)
About Moon in Full: A Modern-Day Coming-of-Age Story:
Moon in Full, a contemporary coming-of-age story, shines light on one young man’s search for truth and compassion in a complicated era as it unwinds the deep-seated challenges we all face finding our authentic voice and true identities. Author Marpheen Chann’s heart-warming journey weaves through housing projects and foster homes; into houses of worship and across college campuses; and playing out in working-class Maine where he struggles to find his place. Adopted into in a majority white community, Chann must reconcile his fears and secret longings as a young gay man with the devoutly religious beliefs of his new family. Chann, a second-generation Asian American, recounts what he has learned, what he has lost, and what he has found during his evolution from a hungry refugee’s son to religious youth to advocate for acceptance and equality.
--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/softspokenwmc/message
Join Marpheen Chann, author, speaker, and writer, for a new podcast called "SoftSpoken". If you're looking for something to help relax and deal with "Sunday Scaries", feel free to pop on some headphones and wind down as Marpheen reflects on the past week and periodically answers prompts.
Music by Marpheen Chann.
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Join us as we discuss Attorney General Jeff Sessions' announcement about the creation of a religious liberty task force. Special guests include Cindy Maddox, a minister in Maine, and Brandan Robertson, an author, pastor, and activist working at the intersections of spirituality and socia renewal. You can find more information on Brandan at www.brandanrobertson.com. Intro and outro music by Podington Bear.
Conversion therapy is harmful and causes real emotional harm, especially in our youth. In this episode, we reach out to professionals and State Rep Ryan Fecteau to talk about Governor Paul LePage's veto of his bill to ban conversion therapy. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or self-harm, please call the Trevor Project hotline at 866.488.7386 or text and chat at http://thetrevorproject.org/help. Intro and outro music by Podington Bear.