Gar McVey-Russell, co-founder of ActUp-East Bay and host of the blog The Garspot
Natasha Dennerstein
Natasha Dennerstein is an Australian-born trans poet living in the San Francisco Bay area. In a former life she functioned as a psychiatric nurse.
Richard May
Richard May, my partner for over 10 years, was the first conversation I had for Queer Words Podcast. He has hosted several reading series in and around San Francisco.
Leon Acord
Leon Acord, award-winning actor, writer, and occasional producer
Jeffrey Dale Lofton
Jeffrey Dale Lofton, senior advisor at the Library of Congress, and former actor
Patrick E. Horrigan
Patrick E. Horrigan, memoirist and former literature professor
Rob Kirby
Rob Kirby, cartoon/graphic novel creator, collaborator, and editor
Richard D. Mohr
Richard D. Mohr, journalist, and professor of philosophy, classics, and queer literature
Royce Hall
Royce Hall, actor, recording artist, screenwriter, poet, spoken word artist, musician, and sketch artist
Robert Hofler
Robert Hofler, theater critic, former entertainment and managing editor
Lisa Bunker
Lisa Bunker, former state legislator and radio station program director
Jasper Fforde
Jasper Fforde, an ally who has queered English Literature
Benjamin Alire Saenz
Benjamin Alire Saenz, award-winning poet, and author of “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe,” which has been banned in several places
Curtis Chin
Curtis Chin, writer, producer, director, and activist
Anne Myles
Anne Myles, poet and professor of early America literature
Jesse Leon
Jesse Leon, social impact consultant
Larry Duplechan
Larry Duplechan, actor, singer, and award-winning author
Juliet Patterson
Juliet Patterson, creative writing and literature instructor at St. Olaf College
Xavier Axelson
Xavier Axelson, LA-based columnist
Donald Mengay
Donald Mengay, professor of Queer and Post-Humanist Literature
Mark S. King
Mark S. King, activist, blogger, essayist, and actor, who won a car on “The Price Is Right”
A.J. Bermudez
A.J. Bermudez, screenwriter, director, former boxer and EMT
Sam Weis
Sam Weis, abstract painter, guitarist, and songwriter
Bill VanPatten
Bill VanPatten, language professor and screenwriter
C.H. Williams
C.H. Williams, violist, fantasy author and illustrator
Greg Marshall
Greg Marshall, former arts and entertainment editor with degrees in journalism, fiction, and screenwriting
Dazié Grego-Sykes
Dazié Grego-Sykes, Oakland-based performance artist, educator, and musician
Dee Holloway
Dee Holloway, librarian and essayist
Laird Ryan States
Laird Ryan States, actor and corporate trainer
Tilly Bridges
Tilly Bridges, screenwriter and host of the podcast “Tilly’s Trans Tuesdays”
Jeff Billington
Jeff Billington, journalist, communications professional, and political operative
Ash Hurtado
Ash Hurtado, performer, librettist, and horror fan
Fred Karger
Fred Karger, political consultant, activist, and first openly-gay presidential candidate in a major party
Meliza Bañales
Meliza Bañales, slam poet, advocate, and adventurer, also known as Missy Fuego
Kyle Turner
Kyle Turner, essayist, and film critic whose work has appeared in Playboy, The Village Voice, Slate, and The New York Times
Karen Poppy
Karen Poppy, poet, librettist, attorney, and equestrian
Gus Klein
Gus Klein, screenwriter, voice actor, and former interior decorator
Len M. Ruth
Len M. Ruth, self-professed nerd who enjoys inventing musical instruments and telling stories
Aaron Shurin
Aaron Shurin, poet, essayist, and retired educator
Frank Arthur Smith
Frank Arthur Smith, screenwriter and actor who has tidied up with Mary Kondo
Shannon T.L. Kearns
Shannon T.L. Kearns, playwright, speaker, storyteller, and ordained priest
Felice Cohen
Felice Cohen, journalist, memoirist, and former occupant of a tiny apartment in New York
David Eugene Perry
David Eugene Perry, journalist, co-founder of the San Francisco Rainbow Honor Walk, creator of “10 Percent,” and host of the video interview show “Ahoy!”
Redfern Jon Barrett
Redfern Jon Barrett, British-born essayist and advocate for LGBTQ+ and Polyamory rights who now lives in Berlin
Michele Kirichanskaya
Michele Kirichanskaya, journalist, daydreamer, cartoon geek, and asexual writer
Christopher Rice
Christopher Rice, co-host of The Dinner Party Show with Christopher Rice & Eric Shaw Quinn
Elinora Westfall
Elinora Westfall, poet, playwright, and screenwriter
David Santos Donaldson
David Santos Donaldson, Bahamian-born playwright and thespian who attended The Julliard School
Kate Greene
Kate Greene, technology journalist, essayist, former laser physicist, and poet who, once upon a time, lived on Mars
Andrew Gurza
Andrew Gurza, Disability Awareness Consultant and host of the podcast Disability After Dark
Kathryn Lund
Kathryn Lund, award-winning author and environmentalist with degrees in archeology and creative writing
Michael R. Collins
Michael R. Collins, musician, activist, and co-host of the Bi+Plus Podcast
Tonya Todd
Tonya Todd, screenwriter, actress, and coordinator of the Henderson Writers Group Dime Grinds program
Mike Albo
Mike Albo, journalist, presenter, and performer
Gayleen Froese
Gayleen Froese, singer-songwriter who lives in Edmonton, Alberta
Matthew R. Corr
Matthew R. Corr, stage and screen performer
Elliott DeLine
Elliott DeLine, award-winning transgender author, activist, and public speaker
Valerie J. Runyan
Valerie J. Runyan, blogger, podcaster, and writing life coach
Radclyffe
Radclyffe, publisher at Bold Strokes Books and former physician
Alden M. Hayashi
Alden M. Hayashi, technology journalist, editor, and third-generation Japanese-American
Chris Stark
Chris Stark, Anishinaabe & Cherokee writer, instructor, and consultant
Ken Harvey
Ken Harvey, creative writing instructor and literary critic
Tori Mirosevich
Toni Mirosevich, award-winning poet and retired creative writing instructor
Adam Arbiter
Adam Arbiter, creative writing facilitator and proud parent
B. Danielle Watkins
B. Danielle Watkins, filmmaker, screenwriter, and director
Lisa Dordal
Lisa Dordal, poet and teacher
Gerard Cabrera
Gerard Cabrera, journalist, public health educator, and attorney
Patricia Grayhall
Patricia Grayhall, former medical doctor
David Ellison
David Ellison, former educator and columnist
Suzanne Feldman
Suzanne Feldman, award-winning author and former educator
Zeyn Joukhadar
Zeyn Joukhadar, award-winning author, world traveler, guest editor and mentor
Louis Flint Ceci
Louis Flint Ceci, former educator, tech worker, and competitive swimmer
Cary Alan Johnson
Cary Alan Johnson, activist in international queer politics and culture, he helped to found several groundbreaking community organizations
Maria Konner
Maria Konner, former engineer and consultant, turned performer, organizer, and cybersecurity architect
Gary Pedler
Gary Pedler, world traveler, musician, and memoirist
Peter M. Krask
Peter M. Krask, art photographer, journalist, librettist, essayist, floral artist, and creativity guide
Vincent Scott
Vincent Scott, world traveler and future astronaut
Mike Keren
Mike Keren, clinical psychologist, bowler, and former stand-up comic
Claudia Rodriguez
Claudia Rodriguez, poet, playwright, performance artist, and human rights advocate
Lewis DeSimone
Lewis DeSimone, editor and former medical systems manager
Mimi Tempestt
Mimi Tempestt, multidisciplinary artist and poet
Daniel W.K. Lee
Daniel W.K. Lee, New Orleans-based poet, former freelance market editor, infrequent fashion stylist, product manager, and creative director
Melanie Mitzner
Melanie Mitzner, screenwriter, journalist, and self-proclaimed “Fruit Lady” of Provincetown
Emory Easton
Emory Easton, memoirist and survivor of much adversity and trauma
Samuel R. Delany
Samuel R. Delany (known affectionately to his friends as “Chip”), educator, memoirist, essayist, and critic who has penned dozens of titles
Jules Ohman
Jules Ohman, co-founder of the non-profit Free Verse and Literary Arts Writers in the Schools program coordinator
Annie Krabbenschmidt
Annie Krabbenschmidt, essayist and media project consultant
Nevo Zisin
Nevo Zisin, performer, activist and public speaker based in Melbourne
Shelley Wong
Shelley Wong, award-winning poet and self-avowed Xennial
Victor Evans
Victor Evans, entertainment journalist, educator, documentary filmmaker, and world traveler
Jesse Xander
Jesse Xander, biological anthropologist who fancies archeology and J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth
Chris Pepin-Neff
Chris Pepin-Neff, lobbyist, congressional aide, and political activist, now a senior lecturer at the University of Sydney
Brontez Purnell–Revisited
Brontez Purnell, dancer, musician, filmmaker, and host of “Cooking with Brontez”
Keely Shinners
Keely Shinners, essayist, editor of “ArtThrob,” founder of “[in review],” and co-founder of Best Friend Club, who lives in Capetown
Lance Ringel–Revisited
Lance Ringel, political activist, playwright, and staff member at Vassar College
Kelliane Parker
Kellian Parker, Latinx poet who has a vision of a world free from victim blaming and shaming
Brian Broome–Revisted
Brian Broome, poet, screenwriter, K. Leroy Irvis Fellow and instructor in The Writing Program at the University of Pittsburgh
Casey Hamilton
Casey Hamilton, story-teller, and content creator for the web series “Judys”
John Copenhaver–Revisited
John Copenhaver, award-winning author, teacher, and book reviewer
Vi Khi Nao
Vi Khi Nao, artist, filmmaker, poet, and former fellow at the Black Mountain Institute
Arisa White–Revisited
Arisa White, poet, Cave Canem fellow, community event organizer, and professor of Creative Writing at Colby College
Preston Allen
Preston Allen, a government licensed professional who likes to travel to foreign countries, explore interesting cuisine, and visit theme parks
Michael Nava–Revisited
Michael Nava, attorney, advocate, activist, award-winning author of the “Henry Rios” series
J.P. Jackson
J.P. Jackson, health-care IT analyst and breeder of African Violets by day, summoner of demons, witches, and shapeshifters by night
Leslie Cohen
Leslie Cohen, former art dealer, night club owner, and political activist
Lillian Faderman
Lillian Faderman, educator and historian
Dennis E. Staples
Dennis E. Staples, Red Lake Nation Ojibwe Minnesotan who likes dark, otherworldly fiction
Rem Wigmore
Rem Wigmore, novelist, fantasist, and teller of tall tales
Gwen Paradice
Gwen Paradice, two-spirited Cherokee, weightlifter, and video gamer
Damian Serbu
Damian Serbu, educator, who writes about vampires and other scary beasties
Anne Shade
Anne Shade, avid crafter and future bed & breakfast proprietor
Brontez Purnell
Brontez Purnell, dancer, musician, filmmaker, and host of “Cooking with Brontez”
Christopher Castellani
Christopher Castellani, faculty and board member of the Warren Wilson MFA Program and the Bread Loaf Writers Conference, and artistic director of the Grub Street writing center
SA Baz Collins
SA Baz Collins, classically trained singer/actor, graphic artist, and co-host of the “WROTE” podcast
Victoria Sheridan
Victoria Sheridan, student of archeology, cultural anthropology, and East-Asian studies (but does nothing with those)
Ben Kline
Ben Kline, former farm boy, poet, boy city fella, bourbonite, and fit-fiend
Jude Treswell
Jude Treswell, devotee of sedimentary geology who writes a blog about asexuality, polyamory, beer, and tattoos
Alexander Watson
Alexander Watson, who leads a riparian life aboard a vintage mahogany and chrome yacht
Anne Raeff & Lori Ostlund
Anne Raeff & Lori Ostlund, educators, award-winning authors, and proud parents
Tyler Davis
Tyler Davis, screenwriter and blogger
Natasha Saje
Natasha Saje, English Professor, poet, essayist, and food critic
Timothy Jay Smith
Timothy Jay Smith, world traveler, award-winning stage and screen writer, founder of the Smith Prize for Political Theater
Joelle Circé Laramée
Joelle Circé Laramée, painter, trans advocate, and resident of Quebec
Kergan Edwards-Stout
Kergan Edwards-Stout, award-winning director, HIV educator, and proud father of two children
Cliff James
Cliff James, globe trekker, cultural dissident, journalist, and grower of olives
Dayna Ingram
Dayna Ingram, queer genre fiction writer
Monica Nolan
Monica Nolan, filmmaker, lecturer, and former bookstore clerk
Zack Smedley
Zack Smedley, chemical engineer who enjoys building furniture, baking, programming, screenwriting, and tinkering with electronic systems
John Copenhaver
John Copenhaver, award-winning author, teacher, and book reviewer
Rick R. Reed
Rick R. Reed, award-winning author whose passions include food, cooking, running, and traveling to Montreal
Tanea Lunsford Lynx
Tanea Lunsford Lynx, instructor, abolitionist, and fourth generation Black San Franciscan on both sides
Gregory L. Norris
Gregory L. Norris, screenwriter and full-time professional writer being romanced by his muse
Achy Obejas
Achy Obejas, former journalist and activist
Robert Jones Jr.
Robert Jones Jr., creator and curator of the social justice, social media community Son of Baldwin
Robert Jones Jr.–Bonus Material
Additional conversation with Robert Jones Jr. in which we discuss Ma Rainey, Phillis Wheatley, “Kick the Ick,” and a few other topics
Britt East
Britt East, inspirational speaker and blogger
Maurice Carlos Ruffin
Maurice Carlos Ruffin, New Orleans native, lawyer, and former restauranteur
Julia Serano
Julia Serano, performer, activist, musician, and biologist
Miguel Murphy
Miguel Murphy, award-winning poet, beach bum, rapscallion, and coffee fiend
D’yan Forest
D’yan Forest, comedienne, chanteuse, golfer, and swimmer
Liz Faraim
Liz Faraim, former soldier, bartender, shoe salesperson, assistant museum curator, and driving instructor who writes strong, queer, female leads who don’t back down
Kellie Doherty
Kellie Doherty, Alaska native, publisher, freelance editor, and avid tea drinker
Patrick Earl Ryan
Patrick Earl Ryan, literary journal editor, martial arts philosophy and tai chi chuan instructor, winner of the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction
Wayne Goodman–Yet again…
I recently appeared on Ben Tanzer’s “This Podcast Will Change Your Life”
Jade Winters
Jade Winters, London born and educated journalist and filmmaker
Sebastian Stuart
Sebastian Stuart, screenwriter, playwright, ghost writer, and manuscript consultant
Brian Broome
Brian Broome, poet, screenwriter, K. Leroy Irvis Fellow and instructor in The Writing Program at the University of Pittsburgh
Johnson Chong
Johnson Chong, spiritual guide, founder of the Sage Sapien Soul Academy
Jenn Shapland
Jenn Shapland, essayist, literary detective, and Lammy Award winner
Laury A. Egan
Laury A. Egan, fine arts photographer and former book designer