Welcome to the first episode of Literary Disparities! What an absolute joy it was to talk to Lidia Yuknavitch about the portal of perimenopause and menopause and how transformation comes, whether we're ready or not.

Lidia is an author, guide, advocate, and (I think) mystical storyteller, and her memoir The Chronology of Water was just made into a film, directed by Kristen Stewart.

Today we are talking about her work as editor on a collection of essays from writers on the experience of peri and menopause, called The Big M: 13 Writers Take Back the Story of Menopause.

We talk about UTI's, vaginal estrogen (estradiol) , the trees and river and lakes, and all the ways women have coped and thrived in a culture that assigns value based on our reproductive capacity. What happens when that reproduction is no longer centering relationships and children, but expands to include art-making, friendship, and activism?

It's been 6 years since my last podcast, The Ish, wrapped. I'm so glad to be back :)

Here are links to some of the things we talked about. Check it out:

Flashcount Diary

Darcey Steinke

Cheryl Strayed

Killer Whales and Menopause

Connect with Cameron:

Get Cameron's book This Is My Body

Follow Cameron on Instagram

Literary Disparities Instagram

Cameron's Tik Tok

https://www.instagram.com/literarydisparities/https://www.instagram.com/literarydisparities/

Taking Back Menopause with Lidia Yuknavitch