A note about the work "Dyed" from Anji Shin: At its core, this story is about girlhood — the ways in which girls are coded to behave, and how much of this is taught and enforced by girls ourselves. Within this, I wanted to explore how desirability and belonging become inseparable, and the ways girls are taught to perform and ritualize both. My hope is that I’ve written something true to my own lived experience as a Korean girl growing up in Oxford, but also universal in the tragedy inherent in the endless quest to belong, something that perhaps many of us can recognize in our own stories
5 Aug 2026
Summer 2026 | Mehr-Afarin Kohan Reads “The Plastic Bag”
A note about the work "The Plastic Bag" from Mehr-Afarin Kohan: "“The Plastic Bag” was born out of a philosophical debate— with myself, with my country of origin (Iran) which operates on restrictive principles, and more broadly with a particular way of being in the world, specifically a way of being that feels threatened by difference, diversity, multiplicity and liberty of thought. In a world burdened by so much suffering, inequality, injustice, is there any place left for freedom? What would “freedom” mean in such a world? Would it even matter? In my protagonist’s relationship with a queer man in Tehran, liberty comes to be the thing that matters the most in the face of any other imaginable suffering in their lives because exercising their freedom is exercising a will to life, without which all else loses meaning. This philosophical debate was the driving force of this story as it was transformed through many reiterations, dragging me with it. While it feels autobiographical, the story is fictional. It is fiction that could be autobiographical, as it has strong resonances with my life and important others in my life. This story is part of a linked story collection that is in the process of being published."
5 Aug 2026
Summer 2026 | Yahya Frederickson Reads “In Your Video from Beit Lahia”
A note about the work "In Your Video from Beit Lahia" from Yahya Frederickson: "For those of you who’ve had a friend or colleague from Palestine, you’ve probably heard many stories of how challenging life can be. This poem has its origins in one such friendship; my friend is from Gaza, specifically Beit Lahia, at the northern end of the Gaza Strip. My friend left Gaza for schooling and employment in the US, and has since moved elsewhere. But some years ago, before the current genocide, between border closures and Israeli “mowing the lawn” as they call it, my friend was able to return home to Gaza with his family for a summer visit. There, he made a brief video— doing one of the things that both he and I like to do: walking in a garden—and sent it to me via WhatsApp. Since then, I’ve thought a lot about my friend and his 22-second video. I doubt that the setting of this poem still exists. But I hope the poem’s rendition of this scene helps, somehow, to keep our memories and our hope alive."
Who has been a guest on MQR Sound
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Ezza Ahmed
Sanjana Bijlani
Diya Abbas
Louise Glück
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 32 / 100
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Quality
41
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
60
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