Second Adolescence

This week’s guest is costume designer, Saawan Tiwari (they/them). They share with us their experience navigating gender and sexuality, as a queer Indian kid born into a body of male sex within a community that was predominantly white and conservative. They share about their little kid self identifying with the label of “tomgirl,” which began their journey of understanding and finding ways to express their true identity. They go on to share about the evolution of making sense of their queerness as they progressed through adolescence, their process coming out, and then navigating queer culture as a non-binary transfem person and the subsequent toxic fetishization directed at them which led to a future need to unlearn an internalized belief of not deserving love. They were so generous with their story and are inviting us all into it. About the guest:Saawan Tiwari (they/them) identifies as a non-binary transfem queer Indian American. They are an up and coming costume designer born and raised in California, and currently based in New York City. They obtained their BFA from the University of Michigan in 2020, and have gone on to design for theatres around the country as well as teach for Roundabout Theatre Company among others. Follow Saawan on Instagram @saawantiwari .For more, visit www.secondadolescencepod.com or @secondadolescencepod.Download episode transcript here. 

This week's guest is librarian and mental health advocate, Fen Sturniolo (they/them). Before this conversation I knew librarians were incredible but, holy moly, I truly think its going to be queer librarians who are going to save this world because I felt so inspired and invigorated by Fen and the work they do as a teen librarian, first working in schools and now working in the public library. In addition to sharing about their work, Fen invites us all into their journey - their queer journey and their mental health journey. As with many queer people who come out in adulthood, Fen had an experience of having their authentic identity be resisted and repressed for so much of their life. It wasn't until recent years that space was created to embrace the fullness of who they are. Fen shares with us about this and about the liberation that has come with existing as they are now. Their story is so powerful and they were so generous with it by inviting us all in.  Note for the listener: the topics of suicidal ideation and self harm are components of todays conversation so feel free to do what ever you need to care for yourself with this heads up. About the guest:Fen (They/Them) is a librarian, passionate about representation in literature and breaking mental health stigma. You can follow them and their work on IG at @fenwickerbasketFor more, visit www.secondadolescencepod.com or @secondadolescencepodDownload the episode transcript here. 

This week’s episode is writer, Brian Watson (he/him). Brian brought to this conversation his experience growing up as a gay man born in the 1960s, navigating the underground gay hookup scene in the late 70s during the beginning of his sexual awakening, coming out and navigating life as a gay man amongst the AIDS crisis, and so much more. He has a fascinating personal journey that eventually took him to Japan where much of his Second Adolescence played out and how his Second Adolescence has been about his reunification of between his romantic and sexual selves after he spent his first adolescence divorcing romance and intimacy from sex. This was such a great conversation and I'm excited to invite you into it. About the guest:Brian Watson is currently revising and querying his first memoir, Crying in a Foreign Language: Pink Lady, Fictional Girlfriends, and the Deity that Answered my Plea. Originally from New York State, he lives in the Seattle area after years in Massachusetts, Japan, and British Columbia. His recent essays and a book review have appeared in Brevity’s online blog. His essays and book reviews have also appeared in Hippocampus magazine. He is also the author of an upcoming article on marriage equality in the US and Japan for JETs on Japan magazine. He spends his days with his partner/spouse of twenty-nine years, Hiro. Brian lives online at iambrianwatson.com—sign up for his Out of Japan newsletter, a quirky look at Japanese history, culture, and Brian’s time in Japan, there and follow him on Twitter @iambrianwatson and on Instagram @iambrianwatson.For more, visit www.secondadolescencepod.com and @secondadolescencepod.Download episode transcript here. 

This week features Brandon Rumaker, a multidisciplinary queer artist known for creating inclusive spaces through various art forms. They share their poignant journey from a challenging upbringing to discovering their true identity as a non-binary individual. Brandon discusses healing from intergenerational trauma and the importance of community in self-acceptance. They explore the complexities of intimacy, the joy of first romantic experiences, and reflect on how the pandemic sparked deep self-inquiry. Their insights inspire ongoing healing and growth within the queer community.

This week’s guest is writer and screenwriter Hari Ziyad (he/they). They are author of the incredible memoir Black Boy Out of Time which explores Hari's experience of healing from anti-blackness, anti-queerness, and the carceral dissonance that separates black people from their childhood selves. In this conversation, Hari shares about the book, their writing of it, and their life story of navigating growing up in this anti-black, anti-queer world, and their connection with abolition as the path towards individual and collective healing and liberation. They were so generous with their story, I was so honored they wanted to share this with us all. About the guest:Hari Ziyad (he/they) is a screenwriter and the bestselling author of Black Boy Out of Time (Little A). Previously, they were the managing editor of the Black Youth Project, the editor-in-chief of RaceBaitr, a staff writer on The Neighborhood (CBS), and a script consultant on David Makes Man (OWN). You can follow Hari on Instagram at @hariziyadFor more, visit www.secondadolescencepod.com or @secondadolescencepod.Download episode transcript here. 

This week’s guest is writer Garrett Schlichte (he/they). Garrett recently had published on the New York Time’s Modern Love podcast their essay entitled "Confessions of a Late Bloomer" which literally before you listen to my conversation with Garrett you should go listen (here on Apple Podcasts, or here on Spotify) because it was such a beautiful representation of what Second Adolescence is all about. In today’s conversation, we get to hear Garrett share about writing this essay and the dynamic with their younger sister that was central to it - while their 14 year-old sister was going through her first adolescence, Garrett was going through their Second Adolescence. Garrett shares about how their experience growing up left them without the adolescence they saw her getting to have and how their twenties has been filled experiences and relationships that have allowed them to flex the muscles and parts of self that laid dormant in their adolescence and be in the continuous journey that is queer healing that so many of us have to travel. It was such an honor to get to have time with Garrett and I’m excited to invite you into it.  About the guest:Garrett Schlichte is a writer and columnist living in San Francisco. After escaping Florida (no offense) at 22, they've been running around writing about love, dating, and relationships for The Washington Post, The New York Times, Jezebel, and in their column Love, Us for Them. Most importantly, they're looking for someone to read them one of the 17 books currently collecting dust on their nightstand. You can find their work at garrettschlichte.com, and if you can read and would like to slide into their DMs, you can do that @gschlichte. For more, visit www.secondadolescencepod.com or @secondadolescencepod.Download episode transcript here. 

This week's guest is Noris Chavarría (he/him/él). Noris is someone who has dedicated his adult life to serving others, particularly LGBTQ youth through his work in the non-profit sector, and today he’s further contributing to our community by sharing his own story. On this episode, he shares growing up in Queens, New York with his mother who had immigrated from El Salvador. He shares about his own personal journey navigating boyhood, adolescence, and adulthood within our culture of heteronormativity and white supremacy as a queer man of color. Noris was so generous with his story and I’m grateful he wanted to contribute to the collective work of this podcast. About the guest:Noris Chavarria (he/ him /él), a native New Yorker, and queer Latino was raised in Jamaica, Queens. He's dedicated 20+ years of his career life to social impact connecting the nonprofit, private, and public sectors to support his BIPOC + LGBTQ+ community and their many intersections.  After founding Give OUT Day in New York, Noris chased his California Dream and moved to San Francisco in 2014 with Kaipirinha (Kai), his miniature pinscher. Most recently, Noris spent his summer road-tripping across the U.S. with Kai and has now become addicted. His next adventure will take off May 2022, as he makes his way back home to NYC. To learn more about his and Kai's adventures follow him on IG @SocialArtivista.For more visit www.secondadolescence.com or @secondadolescencepod.Download episode transcript here. 

Welcome back after a break! This week's guest is Nikki Hiltz (they/them). Nikki is a professional runner and major advocate for the greater LGBTQ+ community. Fun fact: Nikki and host of the show, Adam, knew each other when each were in their respective closets and chat a bit about this on the show. Nikki goes on to share about their experience of growing up, navigating the limiting box of society’s gender and sexuality expectations, the experience of pushing away thought of their gender and sexual identity and using their success as an athlete as a place to focus their energy instead, and then what their own process of coming out and back to their true self has looked like; first embracing their sexual and romantic identity and then embracing their gender identity, and how they have used their platform to be a voice to increase representation, visibility, and inclusion of trans and queer people both in sport and in the world. About the guest:Nikki Hiltz is a professional track and field athlete from Aptos, California who specializes in the 1500m. In high school, they were the 2012 California State Champion. In college, they were a 6 time All American while competing for the University of Oregon and University of Arkansas. As a professional runner, Hiltz has become a Pan American Champion, US road mile champion, and a World Championship Finalist. Hiltz is also the founder and race director of the Pride 5k and an avid advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. They are trans nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns.For more from Nikki, follow them on Instagram @NikkiHiltzFor more about Second Adolescence, visit www.secondadolescencepod.com or @secondadolescencepod.Download episode transcript here.

In a poignant solo discussion, the host addresses the complexities of grief during Second Adolescence. He shares personal reflections that resonate with many, especially from his experiences with queer youth. The conversation highlights the importance of reconnecting with one's youthful self as a pathway to healing. Additionally, he explores the emotional weight of mourning unrealized experiences and identities from adolescence, emphasizing the need for connection and acceptance while navigating this tumultuous period.

This week's guest is Michael Constable (he/him). Michael hosts the podcast Reaching Out on which he interviews queer people about their coming out journey, and today he’s sitting in the guest chair to share about his own story. He shares about growing up in the midwest and within the culture of football and traditional masculinity, and how his gayness was not something he was cognizant of. He shares about his own process of getting clear on his identity, what coming out was like, and how his Second Adolescence was filled with meaningful and uncomfortable Firsts as he has began finding his self as a gay man over the past four years. This was such a great conversation!About the guest:Michael is a 32-year old gay man living in San Francisco. While originally from the midwest, he likes to think he has found "home" in several different places around the world thanks to a few years of being a nomad prior to moving to SF (Mexico City being his all-time favorite place). As someone who came out in his late 20s, he wants to help people who are struggling with coming out through story sharing on his podcast, @reachingoutpod. In his free time, Michael loves to take photos around the city and watch Marvel easter egg videos on YouTube.For more, visit www.secondadolescencepod.com.Listen to Reaching Out with Michael Constable here.Download episode transcript here.