Welcome to the Somewhere: For Us Podcast

We're the LGBTQ+ arts, culture, heritage and enterprise podcast for Scotland and beyond, hosted by Jules Stapleton Barnes.

After flirting with a radio broadcasting career in her 20's, Jules has since been immersed in LGBTQ+ community development work in Edinburgh, since 2010. Jules joined the Somewhere team in 2018 and is delighted to be bringing both worlds together to celebrate and champion our community through the click of a button.

"I want our podcast to shine a light on the incredible breadth of queer life in Scotland today; more diverse and deeper than stereotypes could ever capture. To celebrate the power of human connection, finding your community and a safe space where the dark and lightness of conversation leaves you feeling connected, supported and hopeful."

6 NOVEMBER 2023: Jules delves into the colourful world of Fine Artist, Greer Ralston and Writer, Director, Producer, Novelist and Founder of LezDiff, Rachel Dax, as they prepare to release a Dax's forthcoming film documentary, Giving it All to Art. Dax and Ralston forged a friendship during the Pandemic that has brought their artistic and personal worlds together and they share their mutual passion for supporting and championing fellow LGBTQ+ artists.

In this episode, find out what's drawing Greer back to her roots as a figurative painter, how painting clothes is reconnecting her with her community and why Rachel can't wait to shine a new light on her work and the women behind the paintings. Join Jules, Greer and Rachel as they also venture out to see Greer's exhibition, ‘Under The Surface’ on show at the Stirling University Innovation Park.

6 AUGUST 2023: Pride, allyship, art and language bring Rujazzle, Katucha Bento and Jules together for an intimate episode reflecting on and looking beyond Pride season in Scotland. "We are here building something together and to hold space for the dreamwork" says Katucha, of the anti-racist and anti-transphobic community she's hoping for.

In this episode, Ru, Katucha and Jules share their Pride stories; past, present and future and what they're hopeful for living in Scotland. We talk love, language, allyship and how sometimes we need to "kill joy" to build a better, safer world.

CW: Mentions of racism, homophobia, transphobia and a brief mention of suicide

2 APRIL 2023: In this episode, Jules heads to the Cairngorms National Park. In a special podcast co-produced by Alice and Eoin from Grantown Grammar School in Grantown on Spey, we find out more about what life is like for young LGBTQ+ people living rurally in Scotland.

This podcast has been supported by the Scottish Government and the Cairngorms Trust in partnership with the Cairngorms National Park Authority

4 DECEMBER 2022: In this episode, Jules chats to Coinneach MacLeod, or as he's known to his rising fanbase both home and abroad, The Hebridean Baker.

With mountains between them, Jules and Coinneach have an intimate chat about the intersections of food, heritage and identity, mental health, his epic love story with his partner Peter and how's he's unexpectedly becoming the LGBTQ+ role model he dreamt of as a boy growing up on the Isle of Lewis.

This podcast has been supported by the Rural Community Engagement Fund from Support In Mind Scotland.

26 AUGUST 2022: It's Scotland's Year of Stories (2022) and in this episode Jules is in conversation with queer Zimbabwean writer, performer and curator, mandla rae. Join Jules and mandla as they chat about mandla's first solo show and Scottish debut, 'As British as a Watermelon', the importance of queer friendships and how language can provide a necessary layer of protection when sharing a story like mandla's.

About mandla rae:
mandla is agender and has no pronouns. Raised (by queer friends) in London and now based in Manchester, but would rather be in Scotland. So mandla says!

This podcast has been supported by the Year of Stories 2022 Community Stories Fund. This fund is being delivered in partnership between VisitScotland and Museums Galleries Scotland with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund - thanks to National Lottery players.

1 JULY 2022: In this episode, Jules talks to lesbian Jewish author Ellen Galford and community activist Tim Puntis about Pride and Love in Scotland as older LGBTQ+ people.

Tim and Ellen share unique lived experiences of Pride and fresh perspectives on love and community that lead the conversation to a natural and informed optimism, revealing how influencers like these two memorable guests, shaped our community long before social media existed.

20 MARCH 2022: It’s our launch episode and Scottish writer Ely Percy chats to Jules about their Saltire-winning Scottish Book of the Year, Duck Feet, the search for a chosen family and why it’s important to write about identity on your own terms.
But it all begins with why Bad Girls was a TV treat best enjoyed alone…