Thomas Dai on Mapping, Naming, Borders, and Immigration

Essayist Thomas Dai joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss his new collection, Take My Name But Say It Slow, in which he writes about place and identity. Dai talks about the imperialist impulse behind Trump’s attempt to turn the Gulf of Mexico into the “Gulf of America,” the power of naming, and the appeal and uncertainty of mapping. He also reflects on the surprising history of border policing, queer cartographies, and the sometimes paradoxical relationship between inner self and physical space. Dai reads from Take My Name But Say It Slow.    To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/ This podcast is produced by Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan. Selected Readings: Thomas Dai Take My Name But Say It Slow Others National Archives, The Chinese Exclusion Act  “Queering the Map” Thomas Pynchon, Mason & Dixon Peter Ho Davies, The Fortunes “Think There’s Nothing You Can Do to Stop ICE? Think Again.” | The Nation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices