Episode 96: Judy Grahn

Dear Listener,

As many of you know, this summer has been difficult. We’ve been adjusting to the near-complete reopening of American cities while COVID-19 variants surge worldwide, frequent and devastating hurricanes crawl up the Gulf and East Coasts, and extreme heat and drought across the North American West are causing rampant wildfires. Closer to home, Rachel had a cancer scare, which necessitated another brief hiatus. Thankfully, amid all the bad news, Rachel’s health has improved–so we’re back… again!

One of the recurring themes of conversations we’ve had recently is how awareness of history shapes how we live in the present. This is especially true of Rachel’s conversation with Judy Grahn: the prolific poet, philosopher, and co-founder of Gay Women’s Liberation, whose research into human origin stories has inspired activists and scholars of feminism and queer studies since the 1960s.

In this conversation, Grahn discusses her origins as a thinker and activist, what a long view of history can teach younger activists, metaformic philosophy, and her latest text, Eruptions of Inanna: Justice, Gender, and Erotic Power, published by Nightboat Books. Some of you may know that Rachel also has a longstanding personal connection to the stories of Inanna: her mother, Diane Wolkstein, authored the classic translation Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth with Samuel Noah Kramer. The two examine Inanna’s relevance to modern literature, activism, and identity.

This year, her sister books Eruptions of Inanna and Touching Creatures, Touching Spirit: Living in a Sentient World, debuted with Nightboat Books and Red Hen Press, respectively.

LISTEN TO EPISODE 96!

In the coming months, look out for new conversations with lecturers in the Bagley Wright Lecture Series (of which Rachel is an alum) about the lecture as a form, a retrospective with several special guests for our 100th episode, conversations with Torrey Peters, Camille Dungy, and more.

And if you’re new here, don’t forget to sign up for our Patreon. As a thank you, we’ll send you up to three books of your choice from our Commonplace Book Club (while supplies last). Active patrons can also participate by referring friends! Check social media for more details.

Have thoughts on the episode? Join the discussion on social media. We want to know: what origin story, epic, or myth do you go to for instruction/comfort/self-understanding? If you, like so many US American educated folx, were given (only) the Odyssey, how do you imagine your writing or worldview might be different if you’d been given/taught Inanna instead? You can Tweet at us, DM us on Instagram, talk to us on Speakpipe, leave us a voice message at (347) 762-3405, or even just reply to this email.

As always, thank you for listening and for your endless support.

Love and solidarity,

Valentine & the Commonplace Team