Professor Peyton's Podcast

In this episode, we explore the complex layers of identity, spirituality, and borderlands inspired by Gloria Anzaldúa’s groundbreaking work. Discover how borders—both physical and psychological—shape our sense of self and community, and why exploring them can be a powerful act of reclaiming your roots in a world obsessed with labels. If you've ever felt torn between cultures, identities, or histories, this episode will challenge how you see belonging and transformation.We dive deep into Anzaldúa’s concept of Nepantla—the liminal space where contradictions coexist—and how it applies not only to border regions but also to personal and collective identities. You’ll learn about the ways art, appropriation, and cultural recovery are intertwined with struggles against neocolonialism and commodification. We unpack her critique of how indigenous symbols and figures like La Llorona are reappropriated and how this reflects broader issues of cultural resilience and healing.Key insights include: how border art exposes the ongoing psychosis of cultural erasure, the power dynamics of labeling identities like “border artist” or “Chicana,” and the importance of acknowledging both our ancestral ties and our current realities. This episode is essential listening for anyone grappling with questions of racial, cultural, or spiritual identity, especially in a society that often seeks to box in what it means to belong. Whether you're an artist, thinker, or someone looking to understand your place in a fractured world, you'll walk away with new frameworks to interpret your own borderlands—mental, cultural, and spiritual—and the tools to navigate them authentically.

This episode dives into Gloria Anzaldúa's transformative spiritual and political insights, revealing how embracing spiritual practices and decolonizing our perceptions of reality can ignite profound societal change, starting within you. Discover how symbols operate within spiritual and ontological tools like tarot cards, and explore why breaking binary ways of thinking can open pathways to expanded consciousness and new ways of perceiving reality.

Gloria Anzaldúa’s teachings from over 20 years ago remain startlingly relevant as we grapple with the aftermath of 9/11, ongoing wars, and systemic trauma. In this episode, Dr. Peyton Del Toro distills Anzaldúa’s powerful insights into how confronting collective and personal shadows can be the doorway to healing, spiritual awakening, and radical change.

This episode is about Dr. Del Toro's journey to spirituality through feminist theory, specifically the work of Gloria Anzaldúa. Here, we focus on the preface of Light in the Dark by Gloria E. Anzaldúa, and we'll work through the book together in the following episodes.

This episode delves into Gloria Anzaldúa's "Borderlands/La Frontera" and its relevance to the tragic death of Renee Nicole Good. Professor Peyton explores the themes of mestiza consciousness, the historical and ongoing impact of borders, and the constructed nature of belonging and identity. The discussion highlights how Anzaldúa's work provides a framework for understanding the complexities of cultural intersections and the systemic violence perpetuated by borders.Chapters:00:00:00 Introduction to Borderlands00:03:00 Historical Context of US-Mexico Border00:09:00 Mestiza Consciousness and Identity00:15:00 Renee Good's Death and Border Violence00:21:00 Anzaldúa's Framework for UnderstandingTo take a class with Professor Peyton or learn more about how to work with her 1:1, head to www.thedelvioninstitute.com. Follow Professor Peyton @peytondeltoro on all socials and @thedelvioninstitute on Instagram.

This conversation delves into the life and works of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, a 17th-century Mexican nun, poet, and proto-feminist. The discussion highlights her challenges against patriarchy, her intellectual pursuits, and her (queer?) relationships, particularly with María Luisa. It explores her poetry's critique of male hypocrisy and her theological debates, culminating in her response to patriarchal authority and her lasting legacy as one of the earliest advocates for women's rights and intellectualism.

Professor Peyton delves into the political context of Heated Rivalry and Boots, two popular queer shows right now. This episode is about understanding homonationalism and the alignment of (certain) queer subjects with state power. Also discussed: queer representation and war legitimization, homo-nationalism and queer bodies, neoliberal politics and trans rights, necropolitics and sovereignty, war as a collective trauma, colonialism and land conquests, analysis of Heated Rivalry and Boots, capitalism and mobilization efforts, and queerness and national identity.

Welcome to Revolutionary Readings with Professor Peyto, where we take theory off the shelf and put it where it belongs: in the streets, in our bodies, and in our breath.This episode: Meeting the Universe Halfway by Karen Barad (https://www.dukeupress.edu/meeting-the-universe-halfway)Physicist, feminist, philosopher Karen Barad asks us to rethink everything we’ve assumed about reality, science, and our place in the world.We’ll explore:— What it means to live in a universe of entanglements— Why objectivity is a myth and observation is always ethical— The difference between interaction and intra-action— How quantum physics becomes a queer feminist ethics of care— And how reading this book during my Saturn return has become a spiritual practice for me personallyThis episode isn’t just about theory, it’s about accountability. About showing up in a world where we are never separate, never neutral, never untouched. Barad doesn’t give us easy answers, they offer a method. A practice. A way of meeting the universe... halfway.Theory is survival. Entanglement is sacred. Learning never ends. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly revolutionary readings, queer theory breakdowns, and poetic political education with Professor Peyto.Follow me on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@professorpeytonFollow me on Instagram: www.instagram.com/peytondeltoro

✨ Episode 1: Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby RiveraIn this episode, Professor Peyton dives into a coming-of-age novel that doesn’t flinch from the messy intersections of queerness, race, family, and feminist betrayal.We talk: - What happens when your mother doesn’t see you- What white feminism gets wrong- Being Boricua and queer in Portland- The heartbreak of looking for liberation and finding performance- The sacred act of writing yourself back into existenceFrom Juliet’s whispered coming out in the kitchen to the library girl on a motorcycle, from disappointment to divine rage, from liberal feminists to Gloria Anzaldúa, this episode is a journey through theory, tenderness, and queer becoming.Juliet says, “reading would make me brilliant, but writing would make me infinite.”🔔 Subscribe for weekly book club episodes + revolutionary theory breakdowns.

Welcome to class with Professor Peyton, where we take theory off the shelf and put it where it belongs: in the streets, in our bodies, and in our breath. Today, we’re doing the Lorde’s work! This episode dives into two of Audre Lorde’s most powerful essays: “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House” and “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power." We’ll talk about why liberation can’t come from the same systems that oppress us, what the “master’s tools” really are, and how reclaiming our feelings, our bodies, and our pleasure is part of the revolution.We also explore how Lorde’s work speaks to trans and nonbinary experiences—even if her language predates that visibility—and why the erotic is not indulgent, but necessary. #AudreLorde #QueerTheory #FeministTheory #ProfessorPeyton #RevolutionaryReadings #TheMastersTools #UsesOfTheErotic #TheoryIsSurvival #QueerFeminism #BlackFeminism