@APapayanis profile picture
Alena Papayanis (she/her) @APapayanis

Writer/Essayist/Memoirist, Prof, podcaster, speaker, Tiktoker, recovering people-pleaser & later in life queer *currently writing two essay collections*

Joined April 2011
  • Tweets 2,312
  • Following 440
  • Followers 205
174 Photos and videos
I was on CBC radio today talking about the mundane mixer I organized at the grocery store —- Metro Morning with David Common - Oct. 15, 2024: Looking for love in Toronto? Try your grocery store cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-3…
1
93
I’m beyond honoured to have made this shortlist for The International Amy McRae Award for Memoir. Not only is it a beautiful contest, but after a year of steady rejections, this feels particularly special. alisonwearing.com/2024-longl…

1
1
86
Wrote this people about people-pleasing (and the gendered nature of it) for the Globe and Mail. Let’s be more honest and less “nice” in 2024 theglobeandmail.com/opinion/…

Opinion: This year, don’t be a people-pleaser

I’m not proposing that I, or any other people-pleaser, become cruel. I’m advocating for honesty and bravery, for being bigger and louder

theglobeandmail.com
5
195
Alena Papayanis (she/her) retweeted
queertechhq@queertechhq
2 Nov 2023
Happening now for the #QTQ2023 Leadership Track: "How to Stop People-Pleasing at Work and in Life" with @APapayanis ✍️💡 "Some of us people-please because we felt small as kids. Others do it to feel needed. The goal is not to let guilt be our compass or to guide our decisions."
1
2
271
I’m starting an advice podcast called Dear Queer, and we’re taking your questions and comments. You can find us at dearqueer.ca or on Instagram at @dear.queer.podcast or you can just reply here!
1
129
Alena Papayanis (she/her) retweeted
The Globe and Mail
@globeandmail
20 Jun 2023
Laughter makes life feel lighter and is one valuable way that @APapayanis processes both personal and societal woes. theglobeandmail.com/life/art…

‘If we do not laugh, we will cry’: Why humour is essential for understanding ourselves and our world

The news can feel like too much. The antidote? History and science all point towards laughter as good medicine for the soul and for society at large

theglobeandmail.com
2
4
6
8,544
Why you should take comedy seriously, written for the @globeandmail #comedy #globeandmail theglobeandmail.com/life/art…

‘If we do not laugh, we will cry’: Why humour is essential for understanding ourselves and our world

The news can feel like too much. The antidote? History and science all point towards laughter as good medicine for the soul and for society at large

theglobeandmail.com
1
1
132
Alena Papayanis (she/her) retweeted
Erika Casupanan@erika_cas
28 May 2023
Thank you @APapayanis and @Chatelaine. It's a dream come true to be featured! 💖
Alena Papayanis (she/her)@APapayanis
25 May 2023
Very grateful to have learned more about the person behind the @survivorcbs win in this @Chatelaine feature on @erika_cas chatelaine.com/living/cultur…
1
1
23
5,617
Very grateful to have learned more about the person behind the @survivorcbs win in this @Chatelaine feature on @erika_cas chatelaine.com/living/cultur…

Erika Casupanan Is Canada’s First-Ever Survivor Winner—But She’s Still Fighting For Representation...

The Toronto podcaster says her experience on the show was a microcosm of her experiences in everyday life as an Asian woman.

chatelaine.com
3
27
9,368
Been thinking a lot about the difference between hope and expectation. This is from a piece I’m writing about it right now:
1
2
141
Expectation applies pressure and holds on too tight, whereas hope has a gentle comforting grip; it’s the difference between being strangled and being held.
1
3
110
Expectation can kill a relationship, whereas hope can sustain it. Expectation can break a heart, whereas hope can renew it.
1
95
Used to enjoy listening to @jayshetty and @LewisHowes podcasts but they feel increasingly patronizing and out-of-touch (in that order). What podcasts should I be listening to instead?
389
What’s the word for when your seasonal depression and existential fatigue are pretty much equal?
2
1
365
Alena Papayanis (she/her) retweeted
Paul Fairie@paulisci
1 Jan 2023
A List of Predictions Made in 1923 About 2023 🧵
245
10,287
52,925
10,564,308
I’m so happy when Steve Martin and Martin Short are in a show together because I don’t have to pause and think about which Martin is the right Martin to mention
1
4
484
Alena Papayanis (she/her) retweeted
Dan Savage
@fakedansavage
20 Nov 2022
It's not just that gay bars are supposed to be a safe space.
344
10,543
69,171
Alena Papayanis (she/her) retweeted
Xtra@XtraMagazine
11 Oct 2022
Starting off with @APapayanis's piece about coming out later in life. #NationalComingOutDay xtramagazine.com/power/late-…

I came out later in life. I’ve never felt more free—nor more alone | Xtra Magazine

Before I could find belonging among fellow queers, I first needed to learn how to belong to myself

xtramagazine.com
1
1
3
Alena Papayanis (she/her) retweeted
The Globe and Mail
@globeandmail
10 Sep 2022
Karaoke is back after it was deemed a risky activity during the pandemic. On the surface, it might seem like people are just singing and dancing along to prerecorded music, but something more collective happens at karaoke nights.🎤 @APapayanis explains: tgam.ca/3B7RF4O

As lockdowns lift, amateur lead singers are using karaoke for pitch-perfect self-care

After pandemic lockdowns, isolation and frustration ease, singing out loud is the feel-good boost we all need (and science agrees)

theglobeandmail.com
3
4
11
I wrote a piece for @globeandmail on post-pandemic karaoke 🎤 theglobeandmail.com/life/art…

As lockdowns lift, amateur lead singers are using karaoke for pitch-perfect self-care

After pandemic lockdowns, isolation and frustration ease, singing out loud is the feel-good boost we all need (and science agrees)

theglobeandmail.com
6
Load more