Getting Better with Jonathan Van Ness

This holiday season, we’re inviting Getting Curious listeners to reflect on what it means to be in community. In that spirit, we’re re-releasing a conversation about mutual aid with the writer and activist Dean Spade. Mutual aid is all about meeting people’s survival needs at a local level, and building sustained, decentralized, compassionate support networks. We encourage you to take a listen to Dean and Jonathan’s conversation, then take some time to learn about—and get involved in—mutual aid initiatives in your community. Dean Spade has been working to build queer and trans liberation based in racial and economic justice for the past two decades. He’s the author of Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics, and the Limits of Law, the director of the documentary “Pinkwashing Exposed: Seattle Fights Back!,” and the creator of the mutual aid toolkit at BigDoorBrigade.com. His latest book, Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next), was published by Verso Press in October 2020. You can follow Dean on Instagram @spade.dean and Twitter @deanspade.  Want to take action but not sure where to start? Here are some resources Dean recommends: Shit’s Totally FUCKED! What Can We Do?: A Mutual Aid Explainer   What is Mutual Aid? (Classroom Version)   Workshop Series: Building Capacity for Mutual Aid Groups   Truthout’s Movement Memos: Dean Spade Is Asking Activists, “How Much Bolder Could You Be?”   And if you’re curious about Dean’s work beyond mutual aid, check out how he approaches the romance myth from a feminist, radical perspective:   New Romance Webinar: Dismantling the Cycle of Romance Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

23 Marras 202252min

This week we’re learning all about the culture of cheese, and literal cheese cultures, with Carlos Yescas and Lee Hennessy. They join Jonathan to discuss how cheese is made, the politics and economics of the global cheese industry, and why we should enjoy Swiss cheese while we have it. It’s the episode equivalent of a gorgeous charcuterie board!   Carlos Yescas is a cheese scholar, advocate, distributor, and researcher. He documents cheese traditions and stories and is currently researching raw-milk use in cheesemaking around the world.   Lee Hennessy is the founder, farmer, and cheesemaker of Moxie Ridge Farm. Lee is a first-generation farmer and a transgender man with a surprising background in both wine and Hollywood. He lives and works in Argyle, NY and in his spare time he enjoys spending time with his goats, reading long fantasy series, learning to play instruments and singing.   Want to stop doomscrolling? Take Carlos’ advice and learn more about cheese! He’s on TikTok @cheeseyescas and Instagram @CarlosYescas.    Lee is on Instagram @hennessie. Moxie Ridge Farm is on Instagram @moxieridgefarm, and at moxieridgefarm.com. Sign up for their newsletter for information about seasonal cheese shipping, and Lee’s cheesemaking class through Small Farm School.   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

16 Marras 20221h 7min

If you take a shower and use basic cosmetics, you could be exposed to more than 100 chemicals. Add in your furnishings and food, and we’re talking several hundred chemicals, some of them bioaccumulative—and dangerous. But if we know that certain consumer goods have toxics in them, how did they end up on shelves? And why are they still for sale? This week, Dr. Norah MacKendrick joins Jonathan to break down the history and politics of daily chemical exposure, and what needs to change so that we can stay safe. Dr. Norah MacKendrick is Associate Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University. She's the author of Better Safe Than Sorry: How Consumers Navigate Exposure to Everyday Toxics. Her research falls within the fields of environmental sociology, gender, medical sociology, and consumer studies.   You can follow Dr. MacKendrick on Twitter @nmackend, on Instagram @nmackendgreen, and at norahmackendrick.com.    Curious about limiting exposure to toxic chemicals? Here are some resources she recommends:   The Center for Environmental Health offers essential information, webinars, and resources and check out the Environmental Working Group’s map on PFAS water contamination.   Ready to take action? Start with the nationwide Mind the Store campaign – then explore the Detox Me Action Kit from Silent Spring Institute and the EWG’s Skin Deep Database for guidance on safer personal care products.    Want to get involved with organizations protecting consumers of color? Check out WE ACT's Beauty Inside Out Working Group and Black Women For Wellness.   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

9 Marras 20221h 4min

This week’s episode is a gymnastics EVENT! Olympic silver medalist Jordan Chiles joins Jonathan to discuss how she’s taking the sport to new heights at both the elite and collegiate levels, why she doesn’t take any wins for granted, and who’s on her playlist heading into competition days. Whether you’re a gymnastics newbie or an elite level fan like Jonathan, this one’s a winner.   One note is that we recorded this episode just before Jordan qualified for the 2022 World Gymnastics Championships. Make sure to check out the competition before it ends on November 6!   Jordan Chiles is a globally-recognized, nationally-ranked gymnast and Olympic silver medalist. With legendary basketball star Michael Jordan as her namesake, Chiles’ trajectory has, fittingly, been driven by athletic excellence. Her breakout performance at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games catapulted the athlete to a global stage. Chiles currently resides in Los Angeles and attends UCLA.   You can follow Jordan on Instagram @jordanchiles, on Twitter @ChilesJordan, and on TikTok @JordanChiles.    Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2 Marras 202250min

In 1977 more than 100 disabled activists in San Francisco took over a federal building for 25 days. It was the longest non-violent occupation of a federal building in United States history. As they advocated for their rights, they found an ally in the Black Panther Party, which understood that disability rights were connected with their own anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist racial justice work. This week, Professor Sami Schalk joins Jonathan to discuss how Black cultural workers have approached disability as a social and political issue in the U.S. from the 1970s to the present, and what it looks like to honor Black disability politics through language, legislation, and beyond.  Sami Schalk is an associate professor of Gender & Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the author of Bodyminds Reimagined: (Dis)ability, Race & Gender in Black Women’s Speculative Fiction (Duke UP 2018) and Black Disability Politics (Duke UP 2022). Schalk identifies as a fat Black queer disabled femme and a pleasure activist.    You can follow Professor Schalk on Twitter @drsamischalk and on Instagram as @fierceblackfemme.    Her new book Black Disability Politics is essential reading, and Professor Schalk has made it open access, so make sure to track down a copy—and drop in on one of the hybrid launch events in the coming weeks!   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

26 Loka 20221h 17min

Let’s say you pass a group of people dressed identically. Are they a) following a trend, b) wearing uniforms, or c)  in a cult? And who’s to say the answer can’t be all of the above? This week, we’re diving fabric first into the world of American cults, communes, and alternative communities with fashion historian and archivist Sarah C. Byrd. Listen in as she and Jonathan discuss how these groups have historically expressed themselves through style—and why the definition of “cult fashion” might be more expansive than we think. Sarah C. Byrd is a fashion historian, archivist, & educator based in New York. Her independent research focuses on the history of clothing within American “cults” and alternative communities, as well as the role of museums in fashion design education. She is also passionate about creating space to engage in learning outside of institutional programs. You can connect with Sarah via her website: sarahcbyrd.com. Still curious after listening to this episode? Sarah has suggested a handful of resources, and places to learn and visit, for each of the communities featured in the episode. All of these resources are linked in the episode entry on jonathanvanness.com: The Shakers: Shaker Museum Collection (New Lebanon, NY) Hancock Shaker Village (Hancock, MA) Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community (Sabbathday Lake, ME)   The Oneida Community: Oneida Community Archive Collection (Syracuse University Library) Oneida Community Mansion House (Oneida, NY)  FLDS: A House Full of Females: Plural Marriage and Women's Rights in Early Mormonism, 1835-1870 (Book by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich) Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (Netflix) Prophet's Prey (Showtime) The Source Family: The Source Family (Documentary) The Source: The Untold Story of Father Yod, YaHoWha 13, and The Source Family (Book by Isis Aquarian & Electricity Aquarian) Heaven’s Gate: Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults (HBO) Heaven’s Gate (Witness Docs podcast, hosted by Glynn Washington) General: America and the Utopian Dream (Yale University Beinecke Library) American Messiahs: False Prophets of a Damned Nation (Book by Adam Morris)   Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

19 Loka 20221h 6min

This week, we’re traveling back to one of our favorite sites for curiosity: the ancient Mediterranean. Professors Sarah Derbew and Nandini Pandey join Jonathan to discuss how people across the region experienced cultural diversity; how they related to—and set themselves apart from—their neighbors; and what it looks like to approach the ancient past on its own terms rather than filtered through contemporary assumptions.   Sarah Derbew is an assistant professor of Classics at Stanford University. She writes, teaches, and speaks widely about ancient Greece’s literary and visual heritage, considering its representations of black people that nimbly provoke - and cut through - modern hierarchies.    You can follow her on Twitter @BlackAntiquity, and at www.sarahderbew.com. Her new book Untangling Blackness in Greek Antiquity is out now, and you can purchase it using the coupon code UBGA2022.    Nandini Pandey is an associate professor of classics at Johns Hopkins University who writes and teaches about Roman culture, Latin literature, ancient race and identity, and the ways that all of these live on in the modern world.     You can check out her books, essays, media, and events at nandinipandey.com or follow her on Twitter @global_classics. Her first book is on The Poetics of Power in Augustan Rome.   Want to learn more about race in classical antiquity? Professor Pandey recommends Rebecca Futo Kennedy’s writing.    Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

12 Loka 20221h 10min

Treat this episode like a spritz of your favorite fragrance. Let the beauty talk consume you. Linger on the film industry stories. Stay for the base notes of Jonathan in disbelief that our guest is literally Michelle Pfeiffer. Michelle Pfeiffer joins Jonathan to discuss the science of scent, the trade secrets harming people’s health, and how she’s modeling transparency with her company Henry Rose.    Need more Jonathan and Michelle in your life? Check out their Instagram Live from earlier this year. And stay tuned for an episode later this fall with an amazing sociologist that explores how consumer choice in beauty and other goods has become our go-to defense against toxic products—and how the US government has designed the system this way.   Michelle Pfeiffer is a three-time Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe Award winner, and Emmy nominee who has captivated film audiences with her compelling performances for over three decades. She is also the Founder and Creative Director of Henry Rose, a line of fine fragrances and personal care products that sets a new precedent for ingredient transparency.   You can follow Michelle on Instagram @michellepfeifferofficial. You can follow Henry Rose on Instagram and TikTok @henryrose.    Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

5 Loka 202235min