Late in 88

Late in 88

Late in ‘88 is a podcast that explores the blurred lines of truth and memory as two grade school classmates, Bronwin Parks and Elinor Svoboda share their experiences of growing up queer and gender non-conforming in Calgary, Alberta 1988 & 1998, at a time when there wasn't language to describe identities that were fringe and undefinable. By shining a light on their middle childhood and late teens, Bronwin and Elinor explore the impact of historical context and the gift of contemporary language that allows more freedom of self expression. The series will welcome many special guests and experts including grade school classmates, professors, doctors, and experts in their fields. Bronwin Parks is a Calgary city kid who grew up to be a rancher, rodeo cowboi, and the founder of the award-winning Feisty Creative, a top-notch creative agency for the music, film, television, and digital media industries. Through Feisty, Bronwin has worked with brands, award shows, and all of Canada’s major music labels. Since coming out as queer in 1996 at the age of 16 and later in 2020 as non-binary, Bronwin has fought hard to be a much-needed and outspoken champion for diversity and equity. Their dedication in fighting for systemic change has led them to serve on several music and creative industry boards, pushing DEI initiatives, creating inclusive spaces, and bringing more opportunities for 2SLGBTQIA+ people. Elinor Svoboda is an award-winning filmmaker, sound designer, educator, with over 20 years of experience. Her work has been nominated for both Grammy and Juno Awards, shortlisted for the Berlin Film Festival, and premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival. Notably, her 2012 short Documentary Tegan and Sara: INDIA was broadcast and distributed internationally via Warner Brothers Music. Alongside her directorial and sound work, Elinor works as a dedicated educator, having previously served as a sessional professor at Sheridan College and an instructor at York University. She has also been a faculty member of the Training in Power Academy of Meditation and Healing for the last 20 years. Having spent several years in Toronto, Elinor recently returned to her home province of Alberta, where she is developing several television and feature narrative projects under her company, Ellefire Media. Late in 88 is created by: Bronwin Parks and Elinor Svoboda Distributed by: Women in Media Network Edited by: Ellefire Media Original Music by: Aaron Hutchinson

Episodes

June 26, 2026 26 mins
CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains subject matter that some listeners may find triggering around self harm and teenage substance abuse. If you or someone you love is struggling please contact the Canadian suicide crisis help line at 988, or kidshelpphone.ca anytime, day or night. Internationally please contact your local crisis assistance centre. Late in 88 returns for a new season, jumping a decade to 1998, the senior high ...
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Mark as Played
Hosts Bronwin Parks and Elinor Svoboda bring back queer historian Kevin Allen to highlight significant advancements in queer history between 1980s into the 90s, touching on the AIDS crisis, the first Pride parade in 1990, and the Delwyn and Vreen case, which ruled against discrimination based on sexual orientation. The conversation also touches on cultural backlash, the emergence of queer community spaces, and the impact of AIDS on...
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Mark as Played
June 23, 2026 1 min
Late in 88 is a podcast hosted by Bronwin Parks and Elinor Svoboda. The two grade school classmates will share their experiences of growing up queer and gender non-conforming in Calgary, Alberta 1988, at a time when there wasn't language to describe identities that were fringe and undefinable. By shining a light on their middle childhood, Bronwin and Elinor explore the impact of historical context and the gift of contemporary langu...
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Watch
Mark as Played
August 9, 2024 26 mins
Hosts Bronwin Parks and Elinor Svoboda take the podcast on location and meet up in present day Calgary (2024) and it was a more visceral experience than either one of them expected. They tour their elementary school, explore old artifacts and finally answer the question of the podcast: What if they would have been friends from a more impressionable age in 1988? Resources: It Gets Better by Dan Savage (book - youth) - https://www.pe...
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Mark as Played
July 25, 2024 24 mins
Grade 4 brings the onset of puberty, burgeoning crushes and big questions. Host Bronwin Parks and Elinor Svoboda discuss how an encounter with ‘the question box’ in health class changed Bronwin's middle childhood. This leads the hosts to investigate how the Alberta curriculum approached homosexuality in 1988. Spoiler: It hasn’t really changed 30 years later.  This episode includes interviews with: Associate P...
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Mark as Played
July 11, 2024 26 mins
Hosts Bronwin Parks and Elinor Svoboda explore the complexity of gender roles and social expectations in adolescence, with a focus on the impact of patriarchy on gender-nonconforming behaviours. Clinical psychologist Dr. Kate Thomson helps them navigate identity during middle childhood, as they reflect on changing social constructs around friends who were boys, despite their identifying as “tomboys”. Along with special ...
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Mark as Played
June 27, 2024 21 mins
Alberta has always been known as one of the most conservative provinces in Canada. Imagine growing up as a queer kid in Calgary in the 1980s...there were definitely some challenges. In this episode of Late in 88, hosts Bronwin Parks and Elinor Svoboda explore the impact that Olympic fever had on their friends when the Winter Olympic games came to town in 1988. Olympic tales are told between childhood classmates, sporting events are...
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Mark as Played
June 27, 2024 23 mins
How much can you remember from your childhood? Say, when you were eight years old? It may be a bit fuzzy, but this is where we meet the hosts of Late in 88, Bronwin Parks and Elinor Svoboda. They travel back to grade four; a time when they both identified as tomboys but never really understood where they belonged. Through discussing their shared challenges surrounding gender identity and queerness, they arrive at the question: what...
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Mark as Played

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