Queer Lit on Amplified

From Christopher Isherwood to Djuna Barnes, some of the most prolific queer writers of the 20th century wrote in exile. Ben Robbins joins me to explain how and why queer writers connected with each other in exile and how (in)voluntary movement shaped their stories. Ben shares some surprising encounters from the archives and paints a picture of some of the locations of queer exile: Berlin, Tangier and Capri.  References:Networked Narratives: Queer Exile Literature 1900-1969Funded by the Austrian Science Fund/FWF (Project DOI: 10.55776/P35199)  https://www.uibk.ac.at/projects/networkednarratives/Ben Robbins’ “‘Marriages ought to be secret’: Queer Marriages of Convenience and the Exile Narrative” JAAAS: Journal of the Austrian Association for American Studies, vol. 5, no. 1, Dec. 2023, pp. 100–122, https://doi.org/10.47060/jaaas.v5i1.173.Networks of Anglophone LGBTQ+ Exile Writershttp://queerexilelit.uibk.ac.at/ Robbins, Ben, and Ralph J. Poole. "Introduction: Queer Ruralisms." AmLit – American Literatures 4.2 (2024): 4-21.Ben Robbins’ Faulkner's Hollywood Novels: Women between Page and Screen (University of Virginia Press 2024) https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/5855/Queer Second CitiesMaria SulimmaBen Robbins’ “Christopher Isherwood in Exile” https://www.huntington.org/verso/christopher-isherwood-exileHarry Ransom CenterBryher (Annie Winifred Ellerman)Oscar WildeW. Somerset MaughamE.F. BensonJohn Ellingham BrooksRomaine BrooksJohn EllermanRobert McAlmonDjuna Barnes’ NightwoodNatalie BarneyChristopher Isherwood’s Goodbye to BerlinStephen Spender’s The TempleJane Bowles’ Two Serious LadiesW.H. AudenPatricia HighsmithAllen GinsbergClaude McKayThornton WilderBen Robbins. "Space, Sexuality, and Thornton Wilder's Villa Rhabani." Thornton Wilder Journal 5:1, November 2024, pp. 99-119. DOI: 10.5325/thorntonwilderj.5.1.0099 https://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/psup/thornton-wilder/article-abstract/5/1/99/392187/Space-Sexuality-and-Thornton-Wilder-s-Villa?redirectedFrom=fulltextOpen access: https://ulb-dok.uibk.ac.at/urn/urn:nbn:at:at-ubi:3-40689William Burroughs’ Naked LunchAlfred Chester’s Looking for Genet: Literary Essays and ReviewsSusan SontagGore VidalHenry JamesTruman Capote  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     How does Ben define ‘exile’? How is this similar to and different from ‘expat’?     How does exile relate to class status and financial means?     Why are queer networks so important in this context?     What does Ben say about exile and (involuntary) movement affecting narrative form?     How do you find out where you can safely travel?

Time for a cross-over! I had the absolute pleasure on being invited to join the Amplified network and appear on their superb podcast. Here is our episode and Amplified's show notes:"Amplified is an audio blog series about the sounds of scholarship from our team here at the Amplify Podcast Network. This month on Amplified, Stacey Copeland and Hannah McGregor are joined by Lena Mattheis to kick off a brand new series featuring the latest additions to our sustained cohort of podcasters. Lena is the creator and host of Queer Lit, a podcast about LGBTQIA2S+* literature and culture. In this conversation, we reflect on podcasting as a tool for community building and queer scholarly practice, tracing how Queer Lit emerged from Lena's teaching practice and a commitment to accessible feminist and queer knowledge creation."

What is the queerest thing you did this year? Listen to the festive special to find out how queer our guests and listeners made 2025!References:Liz BreslinHow To Read podcasthttps://www.howtoreadpodcast.com/elaine-auyoung-one-sided-relationships/Queer Forms and Pronouns: Gender Nonconformity in Anglophone Literature (OUP, March 2026)https://global.oup.com/academic/product/queer-forms-and-pronouns-9780198974116?q=lena%20mattheis&lang=en&cc=gbSusan StrykerLouise Siddons’ Good Pictures Are A Strong Weaponhttps://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517910730/good-pictures-are-a-strong-weapon/Category is Books (Glasgow)Lighthouse Books (Edinburgh)The Bookish Type (Leeds)Kit HeyamRoyal Vauxhall TavernAll Of Us StrangersNick CherrymanEuropean Gay Ski WeekOliver Slate-Green’s The Way Blood TravelsLeah DavidsonListenqueer.co.ukOut and WildLeilah KingCoast is QueerJack GiesekingOur Dyke Histories podcastJulie EnszerLesbian Lives Sinister WisdomThe Essential Poems of Pat Parker (The 87 Press)Caro de Robertis’ The Palace of ErosJoelle Taylor’s MaryvilleAlison Bechdel’s SpentAllan Johnson https://thisisallan.medium.com/elf-and-safety-2b061323dbc1Flora Johnson’s Christopher Popinkins

What is the queerest thing you did this year? Listen to the festive special to find out how queer our guests and listeners made 2025!   References: Happiest Season Kristen Stewart Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid Joe Jukes https://www.hiss.sydney/ Virginia Gay’s Cyrano Qtopia Sydney Queer Britain @guildfordgaybookclub New House Art Space (Guildford) Juno Dawson’s Stay Another Day Layla McCay’s The Queer Bookshelf: A Reader’s Guide (June 2026) Libro.fm Pillion Arzner @Arznercinema  

Share the queerest thing you did this year by 6 December to be featured on the end-of-year special and for the chance to win a special gift (if you are based in the UK). Send an email or voice recording to [email protected] by 6 December.I can't wait to hear from you!

Medusa, Medea, Artemis… we’ve all heard their stories before but what do they sound like when not told by (or centred on) men? Mara Gold, the sapphic scholar, is here to tell us all about these figures and about how there is always more than one side to a story and more than one reading to a myth. Come for the lesbian legends, stay for the witty witches and follow us @queerlitpodcast and @sapphic_scholar.  ReferencesMara Gold’s Ancient Myths and Legends Without Men (2025)Mara Gold’s “Rebels Against the Tyranny of Men’: Women Performing Greek Comedy in Early Twentieth-Century Britain” in Women Creating Classics (2025) https://mara-gold.com/@sapphic_scholarBeyond the Binary Pitt Rivers Museumhttps://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/beyond-the-binaryAshmolean MuseumRebellious Bodies audio tour https://app.smartify.org/en-GB/tours/ashmolean-rebellious-bodies-tour?utm_campaign=ashmoleansmartifywebpage&utm_medium=webpagelink&utm_source=ashmoleanwebsite&utm_content=rebelliousbodiestourSmartifyHélène Cixous’ “The Laugh of the Medusa” (1975)Femme fataleGorgonsApotropaic figureAthenaHeraNatalie Haynes’ Stone BlindMadeleine Miller’s CirceRosie HewlettPat BarkerMadeleine Miller’s CirceSirensOdysseyDurham CastleHans Christian AndersenSelkieDemeterPenelopeMedeaMaenadDionysusBacchusTrue BloodAmazonAtalantaNataly BarneyLesbos-en-SeineArtemisDouble Slicehttps://doubleslice.studio/ActaeonCallistoZeusAphroditeJasonArgonautsGlauceSuranne JonesDoctor FosterGentleman JackChildren of Srikandi (2012)Hector and HephaestusRadical Book FairLighthouse Books EdinburghThe Bookish TypeCaper bookshopThe MagiciansPersephoneCassandra  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     What is sapphism?     What is classical reception? How is this relevant to Mara’s work?     What are the archetypes that Mara uses to structure the book? Which one are you most interested in and why?     What does Mara say about Srikandi and Srikandi’s role in LGBTQIA+ activism in Indonesia?     How can we draw on ancient myths for queer activism today? What does Mara say about this? What are your thoughts?     Do you have a favourite figure from mythology or legends?  

Are you ready to descend into the weird world of queer Gothic writing, spooky sexology, and gay ghouls? Brontë Schiltz is an expert on all of these and so much more. We speak about the televisual Gothic and about several of Brontë’s favourite Victorian writers, including masc heartthrob Vernon Lee. If you’re into fun facts about blood transfusions and half-human, half-snake main characters, this episode is for you.  References:Manchester Centre for Gothic StudiesVernon Lee (1856-1935)Ali SmithSarah WatersTelevisual gothicA Ghost Story For ChristmasM.R. James“The Dead Room”Mark GatissThe Oxford Book of Gothic TalesChris BaldickNigel KnealeMatthew Lewis’ The MonkOscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian GrayJen Beagin’s Big SwissKarl Heinrich Ulrichs’ ManorSexology“Plain Reasons Against Sodomy”Horace WalpoleJohn Addington SymondsDraculaGeorge Haggerty’s Queer GothicJohn Singer SargentClementina Anstruther-ThomsonAffect studiesVernon Lee’s Hauntings“A Wicked Voice”“Prince Alberic and the Snake Lady”Megan MilksAli Smith’s Hotel WorldMiskatonic Institute of Horror StudiesThe Horse Hospital https://www.thehorsehospital.com/events/miskatonic-televisualgothic  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     What is the Gothic? What did you know about the Gothic before listening and what did you learn from Brontë?     How is the Gothic queer?     Why is the Victorian period an interesting time to look at queerness?     How does Brontë speak about queerness in relation to illness?     What is your favourite spooky story?          

Are you ready to become a showgirl? Poet, scholar, and Swifty extraordinaire Stephanie Burt joins me to talk about Taylor Swift’s musical genius, queer fandom and relationship to femininity. There was simply too much to squeeze into one episode, so make sure to listen to part one first and hear all about the Gaylors, before switching to part two, to learn about Taylor's relationship to femininity, class and race. Stephanie will also tell you why she thought the “You Need To Calm Down” video was a big mistake…Follow Stephanie and myself at @notquitehydepark and @queerlitpodcast for even more content!  ReferencesStephanie Burt’s We Are Mermaids (Greywolf Press, 2022)Stephanie Burt’s Super Gay Poems (2025)Stephanie Burt’s Taylor’s Version: The Poetic and Musical Genius of Taylor Swift (Basic Books, 2025)Stephanie Burt’s “Prayer for Werewolves”Poetry UnboundJohn DonneKatherine PhilipsGeoffrey ChaucerWalt WhitmanCharlotte MewSarah RecordsHeavenlyTender TrapBlueboyElla DarlingMotownCarole KingDolly Parton“You Belong With Me”RedReputationMiss Americana (2020)LoverRachel Hartman’s Tess of the RoadGaylorismGaylors and Hetlors“When Emma Falls in Love”“All Too Well”Joe JonasTaylor LautnerJake Gyllenhaal“Back to December”John MayerThe Life of a Show GirlElizabeth TaylorKatharine HepburnOphelia HamletJulia SeranoFrozenMononormativityEvermore“Tis The Damn Season”The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection“Christmases When You Were Mine”CrassGrace PetrieTaylearning podcast“Clara Bow”Britney SpearsMiley Cyrus“You Need to Come Down”Adeem the ArtistJourney to FearlessLara Heimert@notquitehydeparkRachel Gold’s In the SilencesImogen Binnie’s NevadaX-Men Gold 30D.A. PowellTeam Dresch’s Captain My CaptainSlater KinneyHeartbreak HighSex EducationRachel Hartman’s Seraphina  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     How does Stephanie speak about the relationship between poetry, lyrics and music? Where does this become relevant in Taylor Swift’s work?     What does the term ‘Gaylor’ refer to and why are there so many of them?     We speak about sapphic forms in this episode. What makes a form sapphic for you?     What is feminophobia and why could being femme be read as giving up power? How does this relate to trans femininity?     What does Stephanie suggest about the representation of class in the “You Need To Calm Down” video?     Why does Stephanie stress that Taylor knows that she is white? How does Stephanie describe Taylor’s engagement with race and the music of Black women?     Does Taylor’s music speak to you? Why or why not?

Are you ready to become a showgirl? Poet, scholar, and Swifty extraordinaire Stephanie Burt joins me to talk about Taylor Swift’s musical genius, queer fandom and relationship to femininity. There was simply too much to squeeze into one episode, so make sure to listen to part one first and hear all about the Gaylors, before switching to part two, to learn about Taylor;s relationship to femininity, class and race. Stephanie will also tell you why she thought the “You Need To Calm Down” video was a big mistake…Follow Stephanie and myself at @notquitehydepark and @queerlitpodcast for even more content!  ReferencesStephanie Burt’s We Are Mermaids (Greywolf Press, 2022)Stephanie Burt’s Super Gay Poems (2025)Stephanie Burt’s Taylor’s Version: The Poetic and Musical Genius of Taylor Swift (Basic Books, 2025)Stephanie Burt’s “Prayer for Werewolves”Poetry UnboundJohn DonneKatherine PhilipsGeoffrey ChaucerWalt WhitmanCharlotte MewSarah RecordsHeavenlyTender TrapBlueboyElla DarlingMotownCarole KingDolly Parton“You Belong With Me”RedReputationMiss Americana (2020)LoverRachel Hartman’s Tess of the RoadGaylorismGaylors and Hetlors“When Emma Falls in Love”“All Too Well”Joe JonasTaylor LautnerJake Gyllenhaal“Back to December”John MayerThe Life of a Show GirlElizabeth TaylorKatharine HepburnOphelia HamletJulia SeranoFrozenMononormativityEvermore“Tis The Damn Season”The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection“Christmases When You Were Mine”CrassGrace PetrieTaylearning podcast“Clara Bow”Britney SpearsMiley Cyrus“You Need to Come Down”Adeem the ArtistJourney to FearlessLara Heimert@notquitehydeparkRachel Gold’s In the SilencesImogen Binnie’s NevadaX-Men Gold 30D.A. PowellTeam Dresch’s Captain My CaptainSlater KinneyHeartbreak HighSex EducationRachel Hartman’s Seraphina  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     How does Stephanie speak about the relationship between poetry, lyrics and music? Where does this become relevant in Taylor Swift’s work?     What does the term ‘Gaylor’ refer to and why are there so many of them?     We speak about sapphic forms in this episode. What makes a form sapphic for you?     What is feminophobia and why could being femme be read as giving up power? How does this relate to trans femininity?     What does Stephanie suggest about the representation of class in the “You Need To Calm Down” video?     Why does Stephanie stress that Taylor knows that she is white? How does Stephanie describe Taylor’s engagement with race and the music of Black women?     Does Taylor’s music speak to you? Why or why not?

Our favourite feminist killjoy is back! Sara Ahmed joins me to talk about her brand-new book No Is Not A Lonely Utterance: The Art and Activism of Complaining. In her first ever (how special are we) public conversation about the book, Sara speaks about becoming a feminist ear and a complaint collector, sharing stories of her own complaints as well as those shared with her in community. Explaining how the power of complaining lies in creativity and collectivity, Sara shows why saying no is a powerful queer method.  References:Sarah Ahmed’s No Is Not A Lonely Utterance (Allen Lane, 2025)Sarah Ahmed’s The Feminist Killjoy Handbook (Penguin, 2023)Sarah Ahmed’s Complaint! (Duke, 2021)Sarah Ahmed’s What’s the Use (Duke, 2019)Sarah Ahmed’s On Being Included: Racism and Diversity in Institutional Life (Duke, 2012)OnomatopoeiaJean PorcelliRace Relations Amendment ActCARD Complaint Against Racial DiscriminationKennetta Hammond Perry’s London is the Place for Me: Black Britons, Citizenship and the Politics of Race (2018) https://global.oup.com/academic/product/london-is-the-place-for-me-9780190909949?cc=gb&lang=en&Heather Love’s Feeling BackwardChelsea Watego’s “Always Bet On Black (Power)” (2021)https://meanjin.com.au/essays/always-bet-on-black-power/  Questions you should be able to respond to after listening:     What is a feminist ear? How might you become one?     We speak about the role of energy in complaining. Where can energy come from or disappear to? To quote Sara: ‘puff, puff’     How does Sara define institutional fatalism and why might it be an illusion?     What makes complaint a queer method?     This is a question from Sara’s book: What is the first complaint you remember making? How do you feel about it now?