Embodied

Curtis Chin grew up inside Chung’s Cantonese Cuisine. His great-grandfather first opened the Detroit restaurant in 1940, and in the 1970s and ‘80s Chung’s was the backdrop for many of Curtis’s formative lessons about race, identity and belonging.He talks to Anita about his experience learning how to code-switch as an Asian American and gay kid in a Black and white city — and how serving and observing customers in the restaurant helped him find his own way as a writer, filmmaker and activist.
Meet the guest:
- Curtis Chin is the author of “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant”
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Please note: This episode originally published December 18, 2025.
Updates: The sequel to Curtis Chin's memoir is coming out in Spring 2028. It is called, "For Here or To Go," and his latest film for PBS is available on YouTube.

When it comes to preventing pregnancy, women often bear the brunt of responsibility for birth control in their partnerships. Sociologist Krystale Littlejohn decided to dig into how it affects women’s lives to be told to "just get on the pill." She tells guest host Carvell Wallace about what she learned from interviewing over 100 young women and offers suggestions for making contraception less gendered. Carvell also talks with Matthew Treviño, a former participant in a trial for hormonal male birth control.
Meet the guests:
- Krystale Littlejohn is the author of "Just Get on the Pill: The Uneven Burden of Reproductive Politics" and an associate professor at the University of Oregon
- Matthew Treviño is a former participant in a trial for hormonal male birth control
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Black horror writer Tananarive Due fell in love with the spectacle of horror when she was a little kid. But it was only after she was well into her horror writing career that she discovered that the genre can provide not just entertainment but healing. Tananarive talks to Anita about why she believes horror can help folks process real-world fears and trauma, using her most recent award-winning book “The Reformatory” as a case study.  
Meet the guest:
- Tananarive Due is an educator and the author of several horror novels, including "The Reformatory"
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Please note: This episode originally published February 26, 2026.
Update: Tananarive Due's latest novel, "Mazywood," is available now.

Jillian Celentano felt that something was different about her gender identity when she was five years old. But this was in the 1960s. “Transgender” wasn’t a part of popular vocabulary, and trans folks who were in the public eye were often ridiculed…even arrested. So Jillian kept her identity hidden…until she was 55 years old. Jillian talks with guest host Carvell Wallace about why she finally transitioned in adulthood, and the joys and challenges of embracing a new identity. She also talks about the lessons she passes on as a trans elder to younger trans people.
Meet the guest:
- Jillian Celentano is a social worker, psychotherapist and the author of "Transitioning in Later Life: A Personal Guide"
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For almost 29 years, journalist Jennifer Senior was a self-described “brilliant sleeper.” Then, one night, something changed…and Jennifer has struggled with chronic insomnia ever since. She talks to Anita about insights on insomnia from both her reporting and personal life. Then, we meet a couple who share suggestions for navigating insomnia in a romantic partnership.
Meet the guests:
- Jennifer Senior is a staff writer for The Atlantic and the author of "Why Can't Americans Sleep?"
- Gabrielle Moss and Jesse Rifkin are writers living in New York City
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Please note: This episode originally published October 9, 2025.
Update: Gabrielle Moss has a new book, "The Midlife Plot Twist: How to Reboot Your Life Without Burning It Down (Even If You Really, Really Want To)."