Benji is a musician, writer, and co-host of the White Homework podcast. As an adoptee, exvangelical, and spiritual abuse survivor, he advocates for justice and humanity through the lens of decolonization.

A week before we recorded this conversation, Benji's work was plagiarized by an account with over 1 million followers. As a fellow writer whose work has been plagiarized, I wanted to highlight this often quiet extraction of the labor and artistry of us folks of the global majority. I share one of my personal experiences in the introduction of the episode.

May we all continue speaking up for all injustices, big and small. It all matters as we work to build a more liberated existence for all.

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Nancy Jooyoun Kim is the New York Times bestselling author of What We Kept to Ourselves and The Last Story of Mina Lee, a Reese’s Book Club pick. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she now lives in the Bay Area and teaches at the University of San Francisco.

Our conversation calls in joy, art, ancestors, and a new world...the medicine we all need in this moment.

Nancy website

Leah website

Fariha is a Muslim queer Bangladeshi who is interested in the margins, liminality, otherness, and the mercurial nature of being. Their work has pioneered a refreshing and renewed conversation about wellness, contemporary Islam, degrowth and queer identities.

Fariha’s published works include books of poetry, a journal called Being In Your Body, and a novel named Like A Bird which was named one of the Best Books of 2020 by NPR, Globe and Mail, Harper’s Bazaar, among many other accolades. Their first work of non-fiction Who Is Wellness For? was released in 2022 and they’re currently working on multiple books.

PLEASE NOTE: This episode comes with **content warnings** as we talk about sexual abuse, parental abuse, suicide, and related topics. Both Fariha and I share experiences of our childhoods which have compelled and inspired us to write. It is a deeply personal and emotional conversation which ultimately lands on hope, healing, and love.

Fariha website

Leah website