Under 10 minutes
Climb When Ready - Arlie Adlington (length: 8:21). Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4’s Short Cuts, this neat little documentary explores (indoor) rockclimbing, being trans and how the two relate.
Accessibility in Outdoor Spaces with KJ & Helen - Fat Girls Hiking (length: 4:08). What makes an outdoor space accessible - or inaccessible? In this video, KJ and Helen discuss some answers to this question: the presence or absence of properly maintained paths for users of mobility aids, gender neutral or single-user bathrooms and the reactions of other people to queer people, people of colour and wheelchair users. Also featuring a cute dog.
Invertebrate Harmonics - Chris Watson (length: 6:26). Sound art in which field recordings of insects in the Borneo jungle are used to explore a rhythmical, musical drone. This was released on the SN Variations label as part of a collection inspired by the Italian composer Giacinto Scelsi.
Candis & Jay Go Hiking - Real Love & Fairytales (length: 7:58). A fun little video documenting one couple's walk up Kennesaw Mountain. We learn it’s important to get your hair looking good just in case the strenuous hike means you have to go to hospital and then you end up on the news. Could you take Queer Out Here listeners on a hill climb near you?
Waters of Life - Earshot, ABC Radio National (length: 4:05). A short, beautiful, birds-eye view of one river (the Mitchell) and one tributary (the Dargo) in south east Australia, beginning at the coastal lakes at the river mouth and sweeping up into the high country. Includes some great snippets of field recording.
Meet the Queer POC Collective Building a Roller Skating Community - NBC News (length: 4:15). Not just roller disco! Check out the Orbit Collective in NYC, and learn a bit about their raison d'être.
When I Heard at the Close of the Day - poem by Walt Whitman, read by Xe Sands (length: 2:01). A poem, by a queer poet, about the satisfaction and happiness to be gained simply by spending time in nature with a loved one.
How to Grow Cosmos from Seeds - The Perennial Garden (length: 7:35). A short video discussing cosmos colours, collecting, storing and growing seeds.
The Wanderlust Women - Frit Tam (length: 7:39). Short film about British Muslim Indian woman Amira Patel, her mum Aysha Yilmaz and her social hiking group The Wanderlust Women.
Into - Be (length: 6:12). One of four tracks on the album One, which is an interpretation of summertime in the UK through the movement and sound of bees. This was originally conceptualised as a live performance in which the activity of a beehive would trigger certain pre-recorded sounds (of beehives and improvised music), creating an evolving soundscape.
Tour of the Trails at Piedmont Park - Mister Richardson (length: 9:06). This video documentary from the 1980s (now on YouTube) was produced by the America Music Show, Atlanta. It's pretty hilarious in places. Mister Richardson notes that the cruising area no longer exists, so it's also a cool bit of queer archive material.
Queer Gardening Trailer - Ella von der Haide (length: 1:57). Trailer for the documentary film Queer Gardening, which features 18 interviews with queer gardeners around North America. Themes of queer ecology, anti-colonialism, spirituality and community resilience emerge alongside music, dance, storytelling, body work and ritual. Another world is plantable! The interview with Xochitl (Edgar) is featured in Issue 09.
This Canadian Group is Queering Skateboarding - Xtra (length: 2:31). A short video about the importance of finding an accepting space to try things out, the importance of representation, and the love of skating. We’d love to have your mini documentaries about any groups like this in your area!
As I Am Walking (I Am Becoming) - Jonathan (length: 2:12). Queer Out Here editor Jonathan creates a textured meditation on the way a person brings themselves into being through their interactions with the environments. Part poetry, part field recording, this is an example of what we mean when we say “sound art”. This piece was featured in Issue 01.
They are Queer Woodworkers - Queers of the World (length: 9:45). Meet Lova Öberg and Helén Mahieu of Snickqueeri in Sweden, learn about what they do, how they came to do it, and why.
10-30 minutes
A Catalog of Nights - Nocturne Podcast episode (length: 24:56). A series of field recordings from around the world, documenting different nightscapes - from a thunderstorm in France to a hot night in Sydney, from frogs and canals in Italy to a camper van near bubbling geysers in New Zealand, to the weird in-between nighttime inside a plane. Experience a world of nights through your headphones and get inspired to collect your own atmospheric field recordings.
How to Overcome Fear of Wild Camping Alone - Abbie Barnes (length 27:33). Like it says on the tin: a discussion of some of the barriers people might face when deciding to wild camp. Includes footage of some of Abbie’s trips with her partner and she also mentions experiencing episodes of undiagnosed psychosis.
Hannah Breckbill on Social Justice & Activism - In Her Boots episode (length: 14:20). Hannah Breckbill is a farmer in the USA, who set up the worker-owned cooperative organic farm, Humble Hands Harvest. In this issue she talks about how she uses her farming practice to support and open space for different communities and ideas.
Street Harassment - Trans Specific Partnership Podcast (length: 11:34). In this podcast episode, hosts Joanna Cifredo and Rebecca Kling talk about their complicated relationship with street harassment. Not all interactions with outdoor spaces are positive, not all instances of street harassment are interpreted as negative. It’s interesting to hear about this issue from two thoughtful trans women.
Joe Jukes: Look & Look Again - Surprise, Affect & Queer Rurality - Technecast episode. What is “rural”? And how can queerness and rurality co-create certain spaces, ideas and feelings? The first half of this episode is wonderful examination, a mini essay, that takes the UK west country as its setting and starting off point. The second half is an interview, teasing out some of the ideas.
Give Me Space Below My Feet - Between the Ears, BBC Radio 3 (length: 29:43). A wonderful mix of interview, poetry and binaural stereo field recordings, this immersive piece by Helen Mort traces memories and stories of Gwen Moffat's mountaineering life. Listen with headphones for full effect and be inspired to try a different approach to outdoors audio.
Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) 2019 - Week Two - Uphill Adventure (length: 14:22). Sarah and Jess attempted a thru-hike of the PCT in 2019 and uploaded weekly diaries to YouTube until they got off trail. In this update they pass the amazing Eagle Rock and have an amusing encounter with some cows.
Walking with Delta Kay to the Sacred Women's Teatree Lake - Go Earthcare, Bay FM 99.9 (length 18:45) - Host Ros Elliott and Arakwal woman Delta Kay visit the sacred women's Tea Tree Lake. They discuss what this living place means to Bundjalung Arakwal people and why the sacred women’s site should be respected - not be visited, picnicked at or swum in by men, not “developed” or (as in the past) used for sand mining.
Soho LGBT Walking Tour - Clayton Littlewood (length: 13:14). A mini-documentary about the history - and particularly the surprisingly longstanding LGBTQIA+ history - of this area of London. The walking tour is (was?) run by Centered and includes some information about the area as well as the development of the tour itself.
Regenerating the Land - Regenerative Films (length: 28:24). Lynn Cassells and Sandra Baer discuss life on their 150 acre farm, Lynbreck Croft, near the Cairngorms in Scotland. Elements include permaculture, agroforestry, regenerative farming, community supported agriculture, beekeeping, business and rotational grazing.
Over 30 minutes
The Harriet Tubman Freedom Farm - Queer the Table (length: 31:15). Nico from Queer the Table talks to Dallas Robinson, a young black Dyke who is working to bring a visionary farm and education center to life. Really interesting discussion of the racial politics of food growing, farming and land use in the USA.
Walk to Connect - The Dirtbag Diaries (length: 39:46). Jonathon Stalls shares his experiences of walking across the USA. This story takes us from the disconnection and isolation Jonathon felt as a queer kid growing up in suburbs, where people’s main outdoors activity happened between their front door and their car door, to the connections he made moving at human speed, the fear and freedom he felt walking through the “edgeless embrace” of the desert. Hear more from Jonathon in Issue 03.
Queer Nature on Reclaiming Wild Safe Space - For the Wild podcast (length: 1:21:49). Pinar and So Sinopoulos-Lloyd of Queer Nature engage in a productive discussion with host Ayana Young about the ways in which humans interact with and are part of more-than- or other-than-human worlds. From the podcast page: So and Pinar “explore how tracking and trailing answer the call of our ancestral bodies and the land, what deep intimacy with the more than human world looks like, how place-based skills are tools of liberation, and how to heal community we cannot solely be in reciprocal relationships, we must be in accountable ones as well.”
Trail Running with Transgender Runner Toby Fells - LGBTQ+ OUTdoors Clubhouse Sessions. Hosted by Frit Tam, these online discussions include questions from the audience as well as the interviewer. Here Frit discusses trail running with Toby Fells - the joys and difficulties of the activity, as well as how it relates to his trans identity.
Get Outside Day - The Barefoot Backpacker podcast (length: 39:13). The Barefoot Backpacker discusses mental health, forest bathing and (of course) walking barefoot. Ace folks represent!
Creating A Queer Safe Haven For Skaters - Queer Black & Awkward podcast (length: 33:17). The first half of this episode focuses on Kira’s work as a tattoo artist, then host Orion moves the conversation to Oddity Skateboarding, the non-profit organisation Kira co-founded to create space for queer (especially queer BIPOC) skaters.
Diversity on the Trail - Trail Correspondents, The Trek (length: 1:23:41). The Trek’s Trail Correspondents series follows a number of thru-hikers as they attempt to complete various long distance trails in the USA. In this episode, correspondents are asked to reflect on ‘diversity’ and trail culture. Sassafrass is the only openly queer reporter featured, but there are some interesting points raised by different folks here.
Wallace Washington aka Stark Naked - Hiking Thru podcast (length: 1:55:18). An engaging interview including a really honest discussion about how Stark Naked’s experiences of racism on the PCT lead to them breaking three toes and cutting their thru-hike short. It’s not all serious business, though - there’s a lot of fun and joy to be had, too!
#BlackBirdersWeek and Its Impact with Corina Newsome & Tykee James - American Birding Podcast (length: 38:54). Nate Swick starts with a discussion about the politics of naming birds after historic people and why some should be changed, but the bulk of this episode is a great discussion about the development and impact of Black Birders Week.
Queer Berlin Walking Tour - #FemGeniusesInBerlin (length 35:53). University students from the USA go on a queer walking tour of Berlin. There's an introduction and some clips from the tour - the first talking about historical figures, the second providing an outline of a contemporary space for queer and other marginalised people. This is followed by a discussion (there is a lot of background noise) reflecting on some of the ideas the tour deliberately and inadvertently brought up.
Nature’s Always Been Queer - Two Spirit Talks podcast (length: 37:51). “I go into the wilderness to heal.” Vivian Mork, Tlingit elder and traditional foods knowledge holder, illuminates the innate relationships between nature, language, sexuality, and well-being - and how the damage of climate change threatens these connections. One of many interesting episodes from a podcast to pop on your feed.
Climbing with Pride - Brian Spiegel (length: 1:00:08). A documentary film about Homoclimbtastic, an annual festival or convention for queer rock climbers. Consisting mainly of talking heads and festival footage, the film covers a lot of ground - one section, discussing why there might be a need or desire for a queer-specific climbing event, starts at the 25 minute mark.
Podcasts, programmes and projects
Outdoors-focussed shows
Off Track - "A radio show and podcast which combines the relaxing sounds of nature with awesome stories of wildlife and environmental science, all recorded in the outdoors." Currently hosted by Dr Ann Jones, this show from Australia's ABC Radio National switches from the scientific minutiae of odd natural phenomena and weird creatures, to big picture social and environmental stories related to migration, land use and so on. It often features lovely field recordings and it's always a bit of a lucky dip - as Ann says, "Join me next week - that's when I'll take you somewhere else."
Where We Walk: Stories of the Appalachian Trail - “A special podcast series developed by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in collaboration with the She Explores Podcast … This groundbreaking six-part miniseries explores the women who have helped make the Trail what it is today, as well as those who are shaping its future.” Released in 2020, the series features discussion about race, wildlife, volunteering, thru-hiking and more.
Out There - "Hosted by Willow Belden, the award-winning podcast captures the understanding, the strength, the inspiration, the healing that humans draw from spending time outside, to help you navigate life’s big questions and ease the anxieties of adulting today."
Paul Kirtley Podcast - Paul Kirtley is a professional bushcraft instructor, passionate about nature and wilderness travel. His podcast includes long conversations with people engaged in these fields.
Mountain - "A podcast about adventure." Mountain was produced and hosted by Christopher Sleight, veteran radio-type, who describes the podcast as "a crafted mix of interviews, sound and music, brought together to tell compelling and immersive stories." While episodes of Mountain are, unsurprisingly, all mountain themed, the content varies from stories about mountain rescues, cycle races or climbing trips, investigations of caves, music, history.
Identity-focussed shows
Gender Reveal - “The Gender Reveal podcast explores the vast diversity of trans experiences through interviews with a wide array of trans, nonbinary and two-spirit people. Created by journalist and educator Tuck Woodstock, the show also serves as a free educational tool for anyone seeking to learn more about gender.”
The Ride - “Ride OUTside was created to provide a platform for the voices of queer people in the outdoors” - and The Ride is their podcast. Episodes are straightforward interviews with queer folk who “find joy” in being outside. Seems to have stopped in early 2020 - maybe pandemic related?
Tough Girl Podcast - "Every episode of the Tough Girl Podcast is full of inspiring stories of women overcoming great challenges." Host Sarah Williams interviews an outdoorsy, sporty or adventuring woman every week. The interviews follow a fairly standard format discussing the interviewee's background, their adventures, how they train for and fund their challenges and so on.
Transcripts - “A podcast about how trans people are remaking the world.” Originally a podcast using oral histories from the Tretter Transgender Oral History Project at the University of Minnesota, hosts Andrea Jenkins and Myrl Beam and the production team are constantly finding and sharing great stories.
NB: My Non-Binary Life - A series from the BBC in 2019, hosts Caitlin Benedict and Amrou Al-Kadhi (AKA Glamrou) discuss what being non-binary means, feels like and looks like in different contexts. With conversations, interviews, musings and field recordings, this is an all-round well produced show.
Queers at the End of the World - A fantastic podcast, discussing the end of the world and queerness in media and in real life. Features “nerdy queer and trans folks prepping for the apocalypse the only way we know how: by podcasting about books, games, shows, movies and comics.” We feature an excerpt from a Season 1 episode in Issue 07.
Awaye! - A programme from ABC's Radio National, which "brings you diverse and vibrant Aboriginal arts and culture from across Australia and the best from Indigenous radio broadcasters around the world."
Bad Gays - “A podcast about evil and complicated queers in history.” Hosts Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller paint in-depth portraits of their subjects - are they evil, are they gay, how are they a product of their context?
Country Queers - Country Queers is a multimedia oral history project documenting the experiences of queer folks in rural U.S.A. The first season featured interviews with folks from the project, and later episodes have been interviews with queer folks from all over, doing their queer thing in rural spaces. We a few extracts of interveiws in Issue 07.
How to be a Girl - This podcast is produced by a mother of a trans daughter (M), about navigating life as a trans kid - and as the parent of a trans kid - in the USA. As of late 2020, M (who is now a teenager) will have much more say in the production and content of the show.
Nancy - "Provocative stories and frank conversations about the LGBTQ experience today." Hosts/BFFs Kathy Tu and Tobin Low take us from the importance of queer role models to anti-trans politics in the USA mainstream, from a camp for queer women and enbies/non-binary identified folk to the intricacies of being queer and/or out at work. Wrapped up in 2020.
Audio-focussed shows
The World According to Sound - "A 90 second audio show." Most episodes consist primarily of a sound along with a small amount of informative voiceover. Sounds range from singing sand to hold music, notes made by blowing on leaves, water pipes, archive sounds and protests. Think of episodes as something a bit like audio snapshots of a places, times, people and objects.
Field Recordings - “A podcast where audio-makers stand silently in fields (or things that could be broadly interpreted as fields).” Each ‘episode’ is a field recording - anything from under a minute to half an hour - showcasing the sounds of a particular time and place. Contributors sometimes offer a bit more context in the show notes.
Audio Playground - An occasional, exciting project that offers audio prompts and the collected responses, run by Sarah Geis. “The point isn’t to make something good - though fine if it is - but to make it.”
Twenty Thousand Hertz Podcast - "The stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds." The sound a car door makes when closing can signify quality and luxury, noise pollution has physical and psychological effects on those who live with it, and it's pretty weird to find out that a voice acting gig you did six years ago means you're now the voice of Siri. Host Dallas Taylor is usually the guide through these professionally-produced stories.
Miscellaneous shows
Polyculture Podcast - “From permaculture to pop culture! Lena Greenberg and Gabriel Coleman unpack complicated environmental ideas and discuss how environmental ideas show up in cultural products.” Check out Queer Out Here in their queer cultures episode.
Nocturne Podcast - "Peering into the dusty corners of the night." Host Vanessa Lowe and co-creator Kent Sparling describe Nocturne as "essay radio - a hybrid form of audio storytelling that blends elements of documentary, fiction and sound-art." The theme of the podcast is night; interpretation of the theme is varied, from short documentaries to interviews to collections of sounds.
Short Cuts - "Short documentaries and adventures in sound." This ongoing series of shorts, found sound, music and spoken word is hosted by comedian and activist Josie Long on BBC Radio 4. Episodes usually feature three or four pieces, loosely based around a theme or concept - time, borderlands, witness, copycat, the voice, anonymity - with linking bridges from Josie Long. Here’s one on the general theme of ‘sports’, including a piece about trans climbers.
Soundmarks - “An art/archaeology collaboration between Rose Ferraby and Rob St. John using sound and visual art to explore and animate the sub-surface landscape of Aldborough Roman Town in North Yorkshire, UK.” Definitely click through to their Soundcloud to listen to the various interviews and sound art pieces.
The Heart - "An audio project about intimacy and humanity." From joy to sorrow, The Heart explores humanity through the lens of love and intimacy. There is happiness, confusion, sadness and wonder, in episodes that range from around 5 to 45 minutes. With a rich sound design that integrates sound art, interviews and fiction, this podcast asks questions about who we are and how we love.
Flex Your Heart Radio - "A podcast about body positivity, fitness, feminism, recovery, taking risks, and crushing it at life." Hosted by Muffy (previously Lacy) J Davis - we used an excerpt from this podcast in Issue 01.