Madness Cafe

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This minisode was inspired by an episode of The New York Times podcast The Interview where guests Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor discuss end times fascism.

The Interview:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/naomi-klein-and-astra-taylor-say-the-end-of-the-world/id1624946521?i=1000789153139

Support the show

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

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Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!

This month's banned book is The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood, the second book in the MaddAdam trilogy. The first book in the trilogy, Oryx and Crake, was discussed in episode 189 which aired on February 6, 2025. We are fortunate to have our dear friend Carolyn Crane of The Whimsy Farm podcast on the show to discuss The Year of the Flood with us. 

Where to find Carolyn Crane: https://whimsyfarm.net/

Mentioned in this episode: https://swarthmorebookgroup.wordpress.com/2019/12/11/discussion-questions-for-margaret-atwoods-year-of-the-flood/

Support the show

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!

This week's episode features return guest N.G. Avant joining us to discuss her new book Witchy Women: Hammer. In this book, the 4 main characters travel back in time for the greater good of women as well as that of society. Tune in to this episode to hear why storytelling is so important in imagining and bringing about a better future for all of us. 

Where to find N.G. Avant:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561615521907

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ngavantauthor/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@NGAvantAuthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/49417296.N_G_Avant

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-g-avant

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ngavantauthor.bsky.social

Pinterest: https://ca.pinterest.com/ngavantauthor

Support the show

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!

We’re back with another banned book discussion; this month’s book is The Giver by Lois Lowry. Tune in to hear our thoughts about The Giver.

Mentioned in this episode: https://thisbookisbanned.com/banned/the-giver-banned/

Support the show

Support the show

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!

At the young age of 14, guest Linda Gambill decided that she wanted to join the Peace Corps. In her early 20s, Linda took the plunge and became one of the many Peace Corps volunteers in 1978. In her memoir, The Geography of Desire, Linda takes us along as she revisits her time in The Gambia. If you ever wanted to know what it's really like to be a volunteer in a foreign land, this is the episode for you. 

Linda Gambill has been a therapist at a state psychiatric hospital, a Peace Corps volunteer, a nationally exhibited photographer, and a teacher of English as a Second Language. Her writing has appeared in Persimmon Tree and Parhelion Literary. The Geography of Desire is her first book. A fellow of the Hambidge Center, she lives in Tennessee with her husband and their talkative rescue cat.

Where to find Linda Gambill:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindaVgambill/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindagambillwriter/

Support the show

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!

We're starting a new, periodic series on the show about envisioning matriarchy. This episode is such a great way to start this series. Our guest this week, Sam Cross, literally wrote a book about it - Manifesting Matriarcy. In this episode, we talk about what matriarchy really is, how it can show up now in our daily lives, and what we can do to help bring it about for all of us. 

Sam Cross is a spiritual teacher and artist. She channels the information she receives through her creative work, and she also helps other purpose-based creatives channel their work. As she sees it, "creativity" is the divine light we can all access. Sam's work centers around gender, purpose, soul embodiment, and understanding what we're really talking about when we use words like "divine feminine" and "matriarchy."

Where to find Sam Cross:

Instagram: @crosssam

TikTok: @cross.sam

Books: The Art of Being Light, my handwritten illustrated memoir (2025, digital and on Amazon) AND   Manifesting Matriarchy, another handwritten journey (2026, digital)

Course: The Grounded Creator

Podcast: Let's Get Metaphysical

Substack: Queerituality

Support the show

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!

It's time for another installment of our Banned Books Series! This time we're discussing Zakiya Dalila Harris' debut novel, The Other Black Girl. Tune in to hear our conversation about the book and what it says about the lack of diverse representation in the publishing industry, tokenism, and what it means to be the "other Black girl".

Support the show

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!

In this episode, guest Jen Gallagher of Jen Gallagher Counseling LLC joins the show to talk anger and rage in midlife women. In her work as a limited licensed psychologist, owner of Jen Gallagher Counseling LLC, a certified menopause mental health provider and a recovering 'nice girl’, Jen focuses her practice on midlife women and their rage. Tune in to this conversation to learn more about rage and anger and their rightful place in the experiences of midlife women. 

Where to find Jen Gallagher:

Website: https://www.jengallaghercounseling.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-gallagher-ma-llp-mmhpc-473355409/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midliferagetherapy/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61585676378977

Support the show

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!

The topic of this minisode is Pink Pill Ideology. Not quite sure what that is - here's the link to the Instagram post that inspired this conversation: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZaBSGMq29F/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Has your social media feed been infiltrated by Pink Pill Ideology? Or your real life? We'd love to hear about your experience!

Support the show

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “well read”? Books written by a bunch of dead white men probably comes to mind. Thankfully, Glory Edim’s anthology Well-Read Black Girl turns that on its head by focusing on literature written by Black women. Tune in to hear our thoughts.

Support the show

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at [email protected].

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

Thanks!