Interview with Ana

Monika: Today’s interview will be with Ana, a transgender woman that documents her transition on Reddit.com as MontanaPython1993. She describes herself as a writer and role-playing hobbyist. Hello Ana! 

Ana: Hello Monika! 

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Ana: For me, summing myself up is a bit of a chore, but I’ll try. I’m in the sticks of Washington state, I do a lot of reading and one of my favorite past times is tabletop role-playing games. I am actually quite invested in world-building for my own settings to use for Dungeons and Dragons.

I’m also a bit of a writer, in the process of regaining my momentum following a long and drawn-out writer’s block. I am also sort of between unemployment and not-very-stable employment. For this interview, I’m probably going to end up with long responses to questions.

Interview with Kate Bornstein

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Kate Bornstein, an American author, playwright, performance artist, and gender theorist, the author of many influential books, including: “A Queer and Pleasant Danger: A Memoir”, “My New Gender Workbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving World Peace Through Gender Anarchy and Sex Positivity” and “Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us”. Hello Kate!

Kate: Hello, Monika. Thank you for welcoming me into the amazing company of trans folks that you’ve pulled together here.

Monika: My first question must be about your health. Are you feeling OK now? The media were full of information about your fight against cancer, and the $100,000 crowdfunding campaign…

Kate: Ah, you’re sweet to ask. Thank you. Yep, I’m feeling very well thank you. In 2012, I was diagnosed with lung cancer. And this was on top of a leukemia diagnosis from back in 1996. Surgery didn’t get all the cancer out of my lung, so the next step was chemotherapy and radiation. But because of my two cancers, there was no approved chemotherapy being used by any doctors on my health plan. The only doctor who was working on that kind of combination of cancer was not covered by my insurance, and cost a lot of money that I didn’t have.

Interview with Griffin Rae Birdsong

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Griffin Rae Birdsong, an American poet, writer, official blogger, and contributor to the Death Rattle Writer's Festival, and member of Idaho's 2015 National Poetry Slam Team, the author of the biographical book titled “A Pansexual Adventure Through Time: A Transition Autobiography” (2016). Hello Griffin Rae!

Griffin Rae: Howdy! And thank you so much for interviewing me! I feel so special! 

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Griffin Rae: Oh, I’m just your average 26-year-old trans woman looking for a purpose in life. I’m a chronically unemployed college dropout. I was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho and I currently live in Boise, Idaho. Lucky for me there is an excellent artistic community that has accepted me for who I am and allowed me to flourish as a fledgling performance poet.

Monika: Is there anything like transgender literature?

Griffin Rae: Yes and no. On one hand, the transition autobiography genre is a fairly new and emerging trend in literature. On the other hand, I think it’s important to remember that transgender literature is human literature. While trans narratives seem new and exciting to most people, I’m certainly not the first to feel this way and I’m sure that anyone who has ever set out to find themselves could relate.

Interview with Katie Bainbridge

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Katie Bainbridge, a Scottish writer, blogger, and the author of the autobiographical book titled “Flowers and Tightropes” (2015). Hello Katie!

Katie: Hi Monika! Thanks for asking me to do this interview.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Katie: I'm a 47-year-old, transgender woman. I was born in Scotland and I now live in Cornwall. I am a writer, author and I also work part-time as an administrator.

Monika: Why did you decide to write your autobiography?

Katie: Well, I didn't just decide. It sort of evolved. Every Monday, Anja, my friend, and housemate, have a creative evening (her idea originally) and we produce and perform pieces of work for it. Anja started the evenings because she wanted someone to perform to and I wanted to take part so, I started writing pieces about my life. After a year and a half of these evenings, I found I had myself a book.

Interview with Sandy Stone

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Sandy Stone, an American academic theorist, writer, and founder of the academic discipline of transgender studies. She is currently Associate Professor and Founding Director of the Advanced Communication Technologies Laboratory (ACTLab) and the New Media Initiative in the Department of Radio-TV-Film at the University of Texas at Austin. Hello Sandy!

Sandy: Hi Monika!
Monika: What are you doing these days?
Sandy: Teaching. Writing. Making a recording studio. Making robots. Making art. Doing things with my grandkid. Hanging out with my family. Performing, lecturing. Discoursing with Cynbe. Living life. Having a hell of a good time.

Interview with Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi

Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to interview Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi, a Nigerian, Cuban Indigenous American actress, singer, dancer, writer, radio host, oracle, healer, and teacher, the first trans woman of color in Washington DC to publish a work of fiction, a member of the leadership team of Trans Women of Color Collective, listed in the 2015 Trans 100, a group of trans people honored for their work on trans issues in the United States and having a positive impact. Hello Dane!

Dane: Hi Monika, How are you? 

Monika: I am fine, thank you. You are a woman of so many talents! Let’s start with one of your blessings, namely, singing. You are dubbed the Ancient Jazz Priestess of Mother Africa … 
Dane: I am, I was given that title a while ago when I was very young, and a powerful medium was reading my aura as I performed. He said, “You are a priestess of Mother Africa”.