When we speak of “sexual orientation,” we really just mean whether people are gay, straight, or bi. But people differ from each other in many other interesting ways. Sex, as a realm of difference, is much richer than this single orientation implies. When I talk with my friends about their desires, I am often surprised by how many things it is possible to want. Talking about sex makes sex better, because it opens our minds to an endless expanse of possibility.

Hosted and written by Sophus Helle. Sound editing by Simone Nystrup-Larsen. Edited by Andreas Lindinger Saxild.

Find out more at sophushelle.com/monkeymind.

Monkey Mind

Combining wit and wisdom, silliness and seriousness, the podcast Monkey Mind by Sophus Helle takes the audience on a weekly jaunt through the jungle of the mind. Each episode throws a new and unusual light on the issues of everyday life—trees, typos, taxes, and much more besides—making the audience look again at a world they thought they knew. It tells stories that are designed to make the listener chuckle, then reflect, drawn from both the host’s own life and from the deep well of history.

Sophus Helle is a writer, translator, and cultural historian. He is an expert in the Babylonian epic Gilgamesh and the ancient poet Enheduana.