Gen Z rock-music superstar, https://open.spotify.com/artist/7qrEXiLLnWkkYHhadZ1Oij?si=R2Dyk6jdTJq5_fVlE6O9IQ&utm_source=copy-link, sits down with Chloe Afte

In 2012, I was working on a career that was working.

Renowned comic and graphic novelist, John Backderf—also known as Derf—sits down with Chloe Aftel to discuss his bountiful thirty-year career, focusing specifically on his graphic novels, including, My Friend Dahmer (2012) and Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio (2010) which phenomenally investigate the political, personal, past and present. Through a focused conversation, Derf reveals his artistic motivations and unwavering instinct, emphasizing how they’ve guided him through decades of high-quality storytelling in his individual style. Over the hour, Chloe digs into Derf’s psyche, uncovering how the heavy narratives he investigates have transformed him as an artist, thinker, and member of society. In his deadpan style, Derf provides many personal anecdotes that illuminate the linearity of his career, from running the bi weekly comic, The City, from 1990-2014, to his upcoming graphic novel, The Dissidents, which will be published in September of 2026. It is this novel, which investigates a swept-under-the-rug political tale, combined with Derf’s humility and belief in the value of high quality storytelling, that reminds the listener diligent art has the power to bring light into the world.  Things to look forward to in the episode:  - He expands on how he builds off of a blank page via conceptualization of point of view, visual nuance and characterization - He shares the trials he's faced in publishing throughout his career, explaining how his artistic integrity has both benefitted his career and had prices to pay - He discusses the transformative power of telling complicated stories from both a purely objective perspective as well as from the perspective of someone involved in the narrative  John Backderf, also known as Derf, is an American cartoonist most known for his graphic novels, which include the highly acclaimed, My Friend Dahmer—winner of the Alex Award in 2013 from the American Library Association and a film adaptation in 2017. Graduating from high school in 1978 in his hometown, Richfield, Ohio, Derf would attend the Art Institute of Pittsburgh for a mere six months before dropping out and beginning a garbageman job that would later inspire his second graphic novel, Trashed, in 2015. Having been slapped awake by garbage-filled months, Derf enrolled at Ohio State University, where he would graduate with a degree in journalism and experience as a political cartoonist for the Ohio State Lantern. Professionally, he began his career at The Evening Times in West Palm Beach and then as a staff cartoonist at the Cleveland Plain Dealer in the 1980s, a time following his involvement in the punk movement of the late 1970s. In 1990, Derf began his comic strip, The City, which would appear in 174 publications across its twenty-four year lifespan. Derf’s first graphic novel, Punk Rock and Trailer Parks, was published in 2010, and launched his success in the field. This September, Derf will add The Dissidents to his dazzling catalog, and share with the world his fifth graphic novel, a suspenseful political thriller combined with comic history that is sure to leave readers satisfied. https://www.chloeaftel.com/ has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19's impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel's first book, https://www.chloeaftel.com/outside-inbetween, is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States.

Collins took money from men on the Epstein list before voting against releasing the files

Three time Grammy award-winning singer songwriter, and creator of over a dozen acclaimed albums, https://open.spotify.com/artist/60ht0hWRy1yjUDfNsLuHuP?si=vr9NU

Ashley has spent her career researching and considering the Black revolutionary women of the last century. Her most recent tome is Queen Mother about Audley Moore. With Chloe, she goes in depth about not only who these women were and how they navigated the times during which they existed, but at what cost was their activism and how their lives inform our present world. Moving through the challenges of motherhood, the tools of white control, and possibilities of Black sovereignty, Ashley broadens our understanding of historical context and explains her style of writing usable history. Highlights - How to understand possibility of America being a failed experiment for Black people - How to create meaningful, painstakingly accurate biographies of marginalized leaders - What it means to think in the longue durée  Dr. Ashley D. Farmer is an Associate Professor in the Department of History and African and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Numerous schools and foundations, including the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Whiting Foundation, have supported her research.  Farmer is also a co-editor of the https://www.blackpowerseries.com/ published with NYU Press and the https://uncpress.org/black-womens-history-series-incubator/, published with UNC Press. Dr. Farmer earned a BA from Spelman College, an MA in History, and a PhD in African American Studies from Harvard University.  https://www.chloeaftel.com/ has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19’s impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel’s first book, https://www.chloeaftel.com/outside-inbetween, is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States.

American novelist and essayist Marilynn Robinson sits down with host Chloe Aftel to discuss the idea of writing as a practice of honesty, reflection, and attention to lived experience while allowing both real life and remembrance to help shape narratives. Robinson emphasizes the importance of truth in writing and frames her approach as taking in the world around you, and translating it into words. She views simplicity not as a limitation, but as a discipline that requires careful attention and sincerity. They also discuss the relationship between memory and storytelling, and how personal history informs perspective. Robinson reflects on writing as an ongoing practice, emphasizing that the act itself holds just as much value as the final outcome. Highlights: - Marilynn Robinson discusses her approach to writing, speaking about how evocation and lived experience informs a narrative - She describes the act of writing as an act of reflection rather than performance, requiring honesty on behalf of the writer - She discusses her perspective on simplicity in writing, viewing it as a way to make stories more accessible Biographies: Marilynn Robinson is an American Novelist born in Sandpoint, Idaho in 1943. She studied at Pembroke College for her undergraduate and later received her PhD in English from the University of Washington in 1977. She speaks about writing as an ongoing process of observance, remembrance, and expression, viewing it not as something to perfect, but something to practice. To her, writing is a way to process life, make sense of events and emotions, and preserve them in a form that remains both accessible and genuine. Her body of work highlights the value of authenticity and attentiveness in both writing and life, with some of her notable pieces include Housekeeping (1980), Gilead (2004),and Home (2008). She has won thePulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005, National Humanities Medal in 2012, and the 2016 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction, Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2009, National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction in 2004 & 2015, PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay in 1999 and others. https://www.chloeaftel.com/ has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19’s impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel’s first book, https://www.chloeaftel.com/outside-inbetween, is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States.

One billion board feet per year... 30 days to make your voice heard.

Ghanaian American writer Meri Nana-Ama Danquah sits down with host Chloe Aftel to discuss immigration, mental health, and self preservation. They talk about Danquah’s experience having learned about her undocumented status as an adult, and how that severely impacted not only her life, but her mental health. She remarks on the irony of the fact that though she was highly regarded and often asked to speak on issues of mental health, she wasn’t able to speak on one of the key causes of her own depression due to the danger it would put her in. They discuss her writing process, noting that she writes about her experiences not to ruminate but to give other people the opportunity to understand and dissect what it means to exist as a person whose identity and life experience is inherently intersectional. Highlights: - Danquah talks about her own experience being an immigrant who spent many years of her life undocumented and how though the modern day anti immigrant rhetoric is both frightening and harmful, it’s also something that has always existed - They discuss her writing, with her stating that she believes that writing involves both responsibility and a willingness to tell the truth - They talk about California Proposition 187, an initiative that passed in 1994 that aimed to prohibit undocumented immigrants from accessing healthcare, social services, and education - Danquah discusses the suicide rates amongst activists and stresses the importance of self preservation and self care, and how community building is an inherent part of that - Danquah brings up the topic of gender identity and healthcare, going into depth about her own experiences with menopause, endometriosis, and the stigma that surrounds those topics Biographies: Meri Nana-Ama Danquah is an acclaimed Ghanaian American author, editor, journalist, and public speaker who is best known for her memoir entitled Willow Weep for Me: A Black Woman’s Journey Through Depression. Born on September 13, 1967 in Accra, Ghana, Danquah would immigrate to the United States at the age of six, three years after her mother had immigrated. She eventually learned as a young adult that she was undocumented, despite having come legally. After coming to terms with this information and following the birth of her daughter, Danquah relocated to Washington DC where she would then come to understand that she had been suffering from clinical depression, something she would start exploring more in her writing. She went on to be chosen by the National Health Association to act as spokesperson for their campaign on Clinical Depression. She then went on to earn her Master of Fine Arts degree from Bennington College and has taught at various universities across the globe. https://www.chloeaftel.com/ has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19's impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel's first book, https://www.chloeaftel.com/outside-inbetween, is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States.

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Acclaimed Belgian cinematographer Benoît Debie joins host Chloe Aftel to discuss the way that encouraging experimentation and improvisation in film can push the story even further and make the visuals even more impactful to the audience. Debie discusses how his process came to be, citing his time working on his first feature film, Gaspar Noé’s Irreversible (2002), and how having the limitation of only using natural lighting in that project while also trying to preserve the color in the scenes taught him to embrace spontaneity and intuition as a part of his artistic process. He discusses some of the techniques, tools, and processes he uses to create these visuals, emphasizing the importance of experimentation and how failure can create the most inspiration towards a better final image. Debie also discusses the importance of respecting not just the story and the audience, but also the creatives as well, discussing how his collaboration with his crew is the most significant part of his process and how leading with respect creates an environment that actualizes potential through failure, embracing unknowns and always learning. Highlights: - Debie talks about intentional accidents and how working with Gaspar Noé has helped him embrace being willing to tackle a project with flexibility and intuition in mind - He brings up the flexibility that working in both feature film and commercial work allows him, saying that by working in both it gives him the freedom to be more selective about the projects he decides to pursue - Debie talks about his approaches to portraying female characters, especially when the scene involves sensitive topics, stating that it’s important to respect both the story and the character, and how the use of exploitation in those visuals would only take away from the impact of the story - He discusses various different techniques he uses to create different effects, including using older lenses when shooting digitally to help give the visuals a more natural and analog look Biographies: Benoît Debie is an acclaimed Belgian cinematographer, best known for his innovative and experimental approaches when it comes to lighting and color grading. He grew up in Belgium and began his career working as a camera assistant after graduating from the Institut des Arts de Diffusion. Throughout his early career he worked both in television and on various short films and commercials, but he would eventually get contacted by frequent collaborator, Argentinian director Gaspar Noé, to work as a director of photography on Noé’s 2002 feature film Irréversible, a project he said working on helped create the foundation for his visual style. Since then he has worked on various feature projects, including Innocence (2004), Enter the Void (2009), Spring Breakers (2012), and The Sisters Brothers (2018), the latter in which his work on ended up earning him a César Award for Best Cinematography the same year.  https://www.chloeaftel.com/ has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19's impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel's first book, https://www.chloeaftel.com/outside-inbetween, is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States.

Welcome to our 'Lightning Round' with Other podcast guest and Catholic Priest Michael Pfleger! The idea is to ask questions that he — and hopefully you — don't expect, and that the answers will be as equally interesting and hopefully amusing. Please enjoy. Biographies: Michael Pfleger is an American Catholic priest and social activist who has gained notoriety in recent years for being outspoken about the countless systemic issues and injustices that exist within the Catholic Church and how they impact the world around us. Pfleger was ordained as a priest in May of 1977 by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, after studying at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary South, Loyola University, and the University of Saint Mary of the Lake. He would then go on to lead the Parish of Saint Sabina, a predominantly black church located in the heart of Chicago where he has been since 1981. In his work he emphasizes leading with love rather than judgement and has dedicated his time to running food drives, encouraging sex worker outreach, and helping lead local anti drug campaigns. Under his leadership, Saint Sabina has also been able to develop various programs to provide resources for their community, including an elder’s home, a social center, and an employment resource center. https://www.chloeaftel.com/ has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19's impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel's first book, https://www.chloeaftel.com/outside-inbetween, is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States.

American Catholic Priest and social activist Michael Pfleger sits down with host Chloe Aftel to discuss the weaponization of faith to target marginalized populations, the importance of taking care of your communities, and what it means to practice your faith through action. Pfleger discusses how he believes that justice and faith are inherently intertwined and in order to create safe and inclusive environments for those who most need it, they need to be met where they are with love rather than judgement. He criticizes many Republican leaders who use faith as a means to justify their attacks on the rights of vulnerable populations as well as the systems they rely on. He also brings light to some of the issues that are pushing young people away from the church, validating their concerns and emphasizing the importance of speaking up and holding institutions accountable.  Highlights: - Pfleger talks about the impact that ICE raids have had on local communities and the fear and trauma that they result in - Pfleger discusses the Republican Party and how, despite the fact that they claim to be representative of Christianity, they are often acting in opposition to its teachings - Pfleger brings up the hypocrisy of the pro life movement, stressing that if you are not willing to advocate for the social systems that provide children and mothers with the means to not only survive but, to thrive, then you are not pro life - Aftel and Pfleger discuss Zohran Mamdani and how despite the fact that today many young people have given up on faith and government, grassroot campaigns like the one run by Mamdani have encouraged young people to take action, resulting in one of the largest youth voter turnouts in recent elections - Pfleger discusses how he believes that accountability is a Christian obligation and that justice is an idea that is central to the faith, citing moments from the bible where Jesus not only cared about and protected those who were vulnerable, but actively spoke out against the institutions that rendered them vulnerable to begin with Biographies: Michael Pfleger is an American Catholic priest and social activist who has gained notoriety in recent years for being outspoken about the countless systemic issues and injustices that exist within the Catholic Church and how they impact the world around us. Pfleger was ordained as a priest in May of 1977 by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, after studying at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary South, Loyola University, and the University of Saint Mary of the Lake. He would then go on to lead the Parish of Saint Sabina, a predominantly black church located in the heart of Chicago where he has been since 1981. In his work he emphasizes leading with love rather than judgement and has dedicated his time to running food drives, encouraging sex worker outreach, and helping lead local anti drug campaigns. Under his leadership, Saint Sabina has also been able to develop various programs to provide resources for their community, including an elder’s home, a social center, and an employment resource center. https://www.chloeaftel.com/ has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19's impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel's first book, https://www.chloeaftel.com/outside-inbetween, is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States.