The Queer Arabs

We talked to the incredibly talented gay Lebanese photographer, Munir Abdallah, based in Beirut.  This conversation is what has really inspired Ellie to genuinely want to visit Lebanon for the first time in her adult life.  Munir’s candidness and openness about queer life in Beirut was very cathartic to hear about and talk about.  Munir has photographed queer beauty in the form of sexual exp...

الحلقه ١٥ بالعربي: لقاء مع اسيل الحمصي. تكلمنا عن تجربه اسيل في ترجمه كتاب “كن نفسك” إلى اللغه العربي. الكتاب يشرح مفاهيم الجندر و الحب بصوره مبسطه. Arabic episode 15: An interview with Aseel Houmsse. We talked about Aseel’s experience translating “You Be You,” a book explaining gender, love, and family, to Arabic. Book by Jonathan Branfman (Author), Julie Benbassat (Illustrator)...

We got to talk to an incredible music and visual artist, Amanda Bahia. They’re so creative and talented, and we are grateful to have gotten to talk about their music, drawing, and experience growing up in a Palestinian-American family in the United States. ALSO!! It’s February 15 and today is Amanda Bahia’s EP release party in Cleveland. (If you’re in the area, go to it!!)...

It was so fun talking with Raneen, a Saudi art curator who has a lot to say about the art scene in Saudi Arabia! It was great learning about the evolution of art in Saudi Arabia over the recent years. Raneen has been passionate about art her whole life and you can hear that when she talks about curating. She’s an amazing woman and we are honored to have her on the podcast! Read more about Ra...

It’s February 1 and it’s cold! Summer is here to bring you some much-needed warmth with stunning poetry and lovely descriptions of her parents’ home in Palestine. Summer Farah is a writer who is studying English literature at Berkeley. During this episode, we also talked about gaming (mainly Pokemon) and the ways gaming can impact a person’s life in ways that we often forge...

We are incredibly honored and grateful to have talked with Tania Safi! Tania grew up in Sydney, Australia, and has done extensive work in media journalism internationally. Tania is a filmmaker; she was head of video for Buzzfeed Australia and then moved to Los Angeles, where she was the senior video producer for Bring Me and Buzzfeed Entertainment. Nadia Khayrallah co-hosted this episode with us a...

. الحلقه ١٤ بالعربي: مقابله مع الفنان منير عبدالله. فنان فوتغرافي من لبنان An interview with Munir Abdullah, a photographer from Lebanon. To see his photography, click hereAnd hereTo read more about Munir’s exhibition, check out this blog Here’s a video from a recent exhibition of “Fleeting Acts”

This episode is all about SWANA DJ badassery! You’re all in for a treat. These two were such a delight. Soraya (DANA) and Ayn (FANA) are lovely DJs with some music you will be so glad to have in your life. Soraya made this playlist for you all; give it some love and check it out! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhN-YdOexg9-1yWkhCBfXuM8JnF9ForRK Soraya’s new track: https://soundc...

Ellie and Alia ask each other questions for a get-to-know-you episode. Learn about Ellie’s trashy taste in books and Alia’s trashy taste in TV. On a more serious note, E & A talk about their families, a little about their upbringings, and more.

Ellie and Alia talk about their wishes for 2019, Ellie’s not-so-fun experience at the airport recently, and more! Thank you all for listening; happy new year!

.الحلقه ١٣ بالعربي: مقابله مع ادم. كاتب مسرحي شاب من مصر. كلام حول المسرح و الأدب و الكوميديا Arabic episode 13: An interview with Adam. An Egyptian playwright.

We had so much fun hanging out with the Zakar twins while they were in town on tour! Zach and Michael are Iraqi-American queer activists and writers. They use their voices to bring much-needed queer Arab representation to the media! We had a wonderful conversation with them, and that same day, we loved going to see them on their tour with A Drag Queen Christmas. They’ve been touring around t...

We had a lovely and cathartic conversation with Maya of The Gaysian Project! The Gaysian Project has a podcast (which we were featured on this week, by the way – check it out on iTunes or Spotify!) and several other wonderful things. Follow this project on Facebook, Twitter @gaysianproject, and Instagram @thegaysianproject. We talked about the need for inclusion of all Asian identities when...

During this episode, we talked to an incredible artist named Jadd Tank (he also was a guest on the Arabic side of the podcast recently)!  Nadia Khayrallah guest co-hosted this episode, which was super fun.  We talked about so many things: virtual reality, a communal pet camel, the Beirut dance scene, the pros and cons of New York, and so much more. ———————...

We had an incredible conversation with Anna Hossnieh and Shereen Lani Younes!  They’re the cohosts of the podcast Ethnically Ambiguous; Anna is Iranian-American and Shereen is Syrian-American.  This podcast played a big part in our decision to start a podcast of our own – it was inspiring to hear people podcasting who are so relatable to us.  During this episode, we talk...

Arabic episode 12: an interview with Lebanese Artist Jadd Tank. We talked about art and living in Lebanon and New York. الحلقه ١٢ بالعربي: مقابله مع الفنان جاد تانك. كلام عن #الفن و #لبنان و #نيويورك As mentioned in the episode: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-38692382

We had a fantastic convo with Egyptian playwright Adam Elsayigh!  Adam came to Mark for Redaction in NY, which is where we first met him.  It was so nice to get to talk with him more. Adam has been creating plays that give voice to the issues that queer Egyptians have faced.  During this episode, we talked about the importance of representation of SWANA artists, about the reactions that different...

There’s cat fur in this pic because cats sit here.  Also, Ellie and Alia talked about Yoshi in this episode. Ellie and Alia talk Saudi Arabia, Mark for Redaction, and Thanksgiving. Articles mentioned: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/oct/17/why-is-saudi-arabia-under-fire-over-jamal-khashoggi-but-not-yemen https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/saudi-womens-rights-advocates-r...

.الحلقه ١١ من برنامج الميم العربي – لقاء مع الدكتور يزن و كلام عن المهنه و المجتمع و أمور أخرى

Episode (38) 666! (Bio and references are written by Anan) IT’S TRANS AWARENESS WEEK! Anan/Cloud is a queer trans angry Arab. References in the podcast: Best way to contact Anan: anancloud06@gmail.com Instagram (note slide into the Dm’s and let them know that your there from the podcast also they reserve the right to deny your request): birthdaycakeandbombs   Mention of poems in Za’fara...

This episode was recorded during the weekend we went to NYC for Mark for Redaction at Flux Factory.  This is a queer MENA art exhibit that we got to experience.  Join us for a slice of the beautiful surroundings we found ourselves in.  The art brought us all together and we all felt so understood and the deepest sense of belonging.  We are honored to have been part of something this profound and m...

!!!الحلقه ١٠ بالعربي – كلام عن الدراك ريس!!! ملكات الجر

Pictured: Wayne, Carrie, and Anas On this episode, we got to soak in the positive vibes from a wonderful couple in Canada!  We talked with Carrie and Wayne Broughton, who are the parents of a young trans activist, Tor.  We got to hear their perspective re: being parents of a trans son, and they talked about their local support group for parents of trans folks: TransParent Okanagan.  Thank you to t...

Meet Mais!  She lives in Denver now, and is one of the co-founders of Salam of Denver, which is the first established queer SWANA group in Denver.  We had a beautiful conversation with Mais.  We talked about the group, the need for queer SWANA spaces, Mais’s experiences as an immigrant (she’s from Iraq and has also lived in Syria and Kuwait), and food.  She’s so easy to talk to,...

(الحلقه ٩ بالعربي: لقاء مع هادي داميان (مؤسس بيروت برايد Portrait of Hadi Damien, Photography by Ad Achkar Arabic Episode 9: An interview with Hadi Damien (Beirut Pride’s Founder)