Show Notes
Are you ready to become a showgirl? Poet, scholar, and Swifty extraordinaire Stephanie Burt joins me to talk about Taylor Swift’s musical genius, queer fandom and relationship to femininity. There was simply too much to squeeze into one episode, so make sure to listen to part one first and hear all about the Gaylors, before switching to part two, to learn about Taylor's relationship to femininity, class and race. Stephanie will also tell you why she thought the “You Need To Calm Down” video was a big mistake…
Follow Stephanie and myself at @notquitehydepark and @queerlitpodcast for even more content!
References Stephanie Burt’s We Are Mermaids (Greywolf Press, 2022) Stephanie Burt’s Super Gay Poems (2025) Stephanie Burt’s Taylor’s Version: The Poetic and Musical Genius of Taylor Swift (Basic Books, 2025) Stephanie Burt’s “Prayer for Werewolves” Poetry Unbound John Donne Katherine Philips Geoffrey Chaucer Walt Whitman Charlotte Mew Sarah Records Heavenly Tender Trap Blueboy Ella Darling Motown Carole King Dolly Parton “You Belong With Me” Red Reputation Miss Americana (2020) Lover Rachel Hartman’s Tess of the Road Gaylorism Gaylors and Hetlors “When Emma Falls in Love” “All Too Well” Joe Jonas Taylor Lautner Jake Gyllenhaal “Back to December” John Mayer The Life of a Show Girl Elizabeth Taylor Katharine Hepburn Ophelia Hamlet Julia Serano Frozen Mononormativity Evermore “Tis The Damn Season” The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection “Christmases When You Were Mine” Crass Grace Petrie Taylearning podcast “Clara Bow” Britney Spears Miley Cyrus “You Need to Come Down” Adeem the Artist Journey to Fearless Lara Heimert @notquitehydepark Rachel Gold’s In the Silences Imogen Binnie’s Nevada X-Men Gold 30 D.A. Powell Team Dresch’s Captain My Captain Slater Kinney Heartbreak High Sex Education Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina
Questions you should be able to respond to after listening: How does Stephanie speak about the relationship between poetry, lyrics and music? Where does this become relevant in Taylor Swift’s work? What does the term ‘Gaylor’ refer to and why are there so many of them? We speak about sapphic forms in this episode. What makes a form sapphic for you? What is feminophobia and why could being femme be read as giving up power? How does this relate to trans femininity? What does Stephanie suggest about the representation of class in the “You Need To Calm Down” video? Why does Stephanie stress that Taylor knows that she is white? How does Stephanie describe Taylor’s engagement with race and the music of Black women? Does Taylor’s music speak to you? Why or why not?
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