Is it possible to make art and make rent without compromising your values? Since 2013, Nia King has been interviewing queer and trans artists of color to find out. Here's what she learned.
Queer Colombian Salvadoran Alejandro Varela's is one of my favorite living writers. His work weaves together comedy and tragedy as if it was the easiest thing in the world. His first novel, The Town of Babylon, is about growing up queer and brown in a place where neither is possible. His second book, The People Who Report More Stress, begins with a short story about gay hookups at the U.N. I had the honor of interviewing him in mid-October when he was in Philly to promote his new book, Middle Spoon. We nerd out about the craft of writing, explore how his public health background shapes the way he sees the world, and discuss how white supremacy leaves immigrants of color blaming themselves for failing to achieve the American Dream.
Read the transcript at scribd.com/artactivistnia.
Support the podcast at patreon.com/artactivistnia.
5 Oct 2025
125: Charles A. Bush
Charles A. Bush is a Black queer writer from West Philadelphia. In this interview, we dive deep into their first book, Every Variable of Us, a love story between two high school girls, one Black and one Indian American. Listen in to find out how much of the story is based on Charles' real life. It's much more than I expected. Find Charles at @Charles_A_Bush on Instagram and TikTok and @CharlesBush10 on X.
Trigger warning for discussion of domestic violence.
Read the interview at scribd.com/artactivistnia.
Support the podcast at patreon.com/artactivistnia.
27 Jun 2025
124: Adiba Jaigirdar
Novelist Adiba Jaigirdar discusses writing queer love stories, addressing racism in Ireland, and representing diverse relationships in her novels, in an interview with the host.
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