What does it really mean to be yourself when the world tries to define you?
In this episode of The Meaning of Men we're joined by award-winning poet and author Dean Atta to explore identity, masculinity, and the courage it takes to live authentically.
Dean opens up about his childhood growing up in a mixed-race, single-parent family, and the role writing played in helping him process emotions and claim his identity. He shares candidly about his journey of coming out as gay and the challenges of navigating the stigma he experienced.
We also examine masculinity—how it’s too often reduced to stereotypes of strength and toughness—and what it really means to embrace vulnerability, creativity, and authenticity as forms of power.
This conversation is a heartfelt invitation to rethink what manhood means—and to embrace openness, self-acceptance, and a broader vision of resilience.
Hear more from Dean:
Confetti: A colourful celebration of love and life
https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/dean-atta/confetti/9781408362082/
I Can't Even Think Straight: A queer coming of age story
https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/dean-atta/i-cant-even-think-straight/9781444960969/
Person Unlimited: An Ode to My Black Queer Body
https://buythebook.online/person-unlimited-dean-atta
Timestamps:
03:09: Identity and Background Exploration 04:57: The Journey of Coming Out 12:02: Support Systems and Chosen Family 15:10: Redefining Masculinity and Queerness 16:54: Navigating Identity and Safety 18:53: Redefining Masculinity 23:50: Exploring Strength and Vulnerability 26:21: The Role of Poetry in Identity 33:18: Acceptance and Healing Through Writing
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!