Who are you and why are you in my house? 

I'm writer and freelancer Joe Love. Unfuck the Poor is my podcast. Sometimes article pitches don't get picked up by editors and I'm left with piles of research and rough drafts that I eventually have to bury in the back yard. I've dug up all those articles to bring you Unfuck the Poor. 

My article on Kenya's Dandora landfill was titled "Unfuck the Poor" and focused on the 10,000 trashpickers who make a living sorting through garbage at Kenya's open-air dump located in the middle of Dandora. Highlights Magazine said the article was too depressing and the title wasn't kid-appropriate. That's fair. But I challenge you, isn't the idea of children sorting through wet garbage more depressing and inappropriate than some arbitrary foul language? 

All across the globe and in our own backyard, people - children, women, and men - are being exploited to the advantage of a select few. Whether we're talking about mental health, war, climate, pop culture, economics, or abuse, someone's suffering is another's gain. Unfuck the Poor wants to know more about that. 

My writing has appeared in numerous publications, with fiction appearing in West Branch, Raritan, Drunken Boat, Timber Creek Review, and many others. I was also nominated for the Pushcart Prize...once. My reporting and nonfiction has appeared in Grit, American Forests, Truthout.org, and elsewhere. I also do photo-journalism and street photography, so I've got that going for me. 

The first season of Unfuck the Poor is actually an audiobook about economics and the deleterious impact capitalism has on the global poor. One important thing to note: poor countries are not poor until settler colonialism and the market economy land on their shores. The commodification of life's essentials brings with it exploitation, debt, and inequality. And lots of abuse. 

So, obviously, this is a fun podcast with a lighthearted vibe. I make a lot of jokes but that's only to keep from crying.