“Let your home be a meeting place for the sages”-Pirkei Avot 1:4
Once again, we bring you the wisdom of our friend Lev Raphael for part three of the incredible conversation between him, Erika, and Andrew. On his third visit with us, we hope he’s found a comfortable chair, and that the abundant throw pillows aren’t in the way.
What makes this interview so special is that Lev was one of Erika’s favorite authors when she was young and coming into her identity. We would love to hear from you in the comments section (or in person, virtually, at the book club! See below!) if you have a similar experience with Lev or another queer author.
Look for us to get into two big topics when part three of the podcast drops on Saturday:
- In the early-to-mid 1990s, it seemed like queer culture was going to become mainstream culture: Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, which we’ve since thankfully moved past, represented at the time an admission of queer people into public spaces. Hawaii was considering legalization of same-sex marriage; the discussion was also swirling in Europe as civil unions became available but not marriage. And the first protease inhibitors were being developed–an enormous advance in medical technology, and signaled a lessening of the AIDS epidemic in the developed world. But then everything just… stopped, and we’ve had to wait until the 2010s for real progress to resume. So the question is… why?
- Generational trauma. When people experience a major trauma, they often have trouble telling their own children. But they might be able to tell their grandchildren. The question is: how to tell your children about what you’ve been through without re-traumatizing them and continuing the cycle?
Once again: join us for this beautiful conversation between Lev Raphael and our own Andrew Rimby and Erika Grumet. Erika promises that all of her fangirl squeeing happened inside her head. Let’s find out!
And don’t forget: if you enjoy this interview, you will definitely want to join us for a queer-crime-novel-themed book club:
