With only a few hundred people living there, the town of Barronett probably doesn’t have the most noticeable LGBTQ+ population, but it might be punching above its weight in giving voice to that community. That’s because it’s where podcast producer Jim Pounds creates the shows “This Queer Book Saved My Life” and “The Gaily Show,” which he said reach audiences worldwide, including listeners in 80 communities in Wisconsin.
“Podcasts can happen anywhere, so the fact that it’s produced in Barronett is more about where I live than where the audience is,” Pounds said.
“The Gaily Show” discusses general issues of interest to the LGBTQ+ community, while “This Queer Book Saved My Life” examines works that made a particular impact on readers, who are often joined on the show by the authors themselves. Both shows are hosted by John Parker from the Twin Cities, with Pounds cohosting “The Gaily Show.”
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Pounds spoke with WPR’s Robin Washington on “Morning Edition” about the podcasts, as well as the unlikely chance of Barronett having a pride parade on its two-block main drag.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Robin Washington: “The Gaily Show” is actually a radio program, as well, airing on AM 950 in the Twin Cities. How did the podcasts come into being?
Jim Pounds: John Parker is an avid reader, and he was struck by the idea of banning books, how un-American that seemed to be. So instead of doing something didactic about that, we decided to let average people talk about how a book impacted them, and — however they define the word “saved” — how it saved their life. And when possible, we have the author of the book join the conversation. That’s really different because you usually don’t hear the artist and the person who loved the art talking to each other.
RW: How do the shows play locally with your neighbors?
JP: I truly don’t know which of my neighbors are LGBTQ, although there’s a surprising number of people that I do know in Shell Lake and Spooner who are. But gay people aren’t unique. They’re as average as anybody else. We work in every profession, and we’re at every socioeconomic level and we’re of every faith. I just talked to a Republican fellow in St. Croix Falls who’s a horse farmer. So we’re not as exotic as I think the general market makes us out to be, and I think the podcasts are appreciated because they make us recognizable as fellow human beings.
RW: Are the shows just for the gay community to speak among itself, or are they for others to listen in, as well?
JP: I think the greatest impact is beyond the gay community. We’re talking to book lovers, and people who are book lovers love to tell other book lovers about books they love. So no matter what else is true about them, they love this podcast and appreciate it because it’s produced by people that truly love books and are open to all kinds of books.
RW: Along those lines, I noticed your shows touch on subjects that are not necessarily gay or lesbian related, such as, sadly, the recent murders of Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the shooting of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife. What program was most memorable to you?
JP: The one that was most moving for me personally was an episode with Greg Louganis, the Olympic swimmer. We had a guest who picked Greg’s book, “Breaking the Surface,” as the book that saved his life and influenced him becoming a nurse serving AIDS patients. We also had Greg Louganis on. He’s a personal hero of mine, so listening to that episode and knowing that we had something to do with bringing that out into the world was a particular source of pride for me.
RW: Might there be a pride parade in Barronett after all?
JP: We’ll get right on it!
If you have an idea about something in northern Wisconsin you think we should talk about on “Morning Edition,” send it to us at northern@wpr.org.
