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Always Looking Up - Tori Calamito On Oz, Wicked: For Good, And What Defines A Munchkin
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Tori Calamito On Oz, Wicked: For Good, And What Defines A Munchkin

Always Looking Up

12/16/25

61m

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In this week’s episode I sat down with Tori Calamito. Tori, Oz historian and content creator, is a life-long Oz fan who has been collecting Oz memorabilia for 28 years and has been posting about Oz online for 20 years. Tori is a multi-platform content creator and a trusted source for all things Oz. “The Oz Vlog” has helped connect fans and collectors around the world through the wonders of social media. We discuss disability in The Land Of Oz and Wicked: For Good, the parallels between Oz and the real world, what defines a Munchkin and who is, or isn’t, one, and much, much more.

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.

All proceeds from purchasing this episode will be split between ⁠City Harvest⁠ and ⁠Food Bank For NYC⁠.

Join Always Looking Up on Substack: ⁠https://jilliancurwin645746.substack.com⁠

Join The Patreon: https://patreon.com/AlwaysLookingUp

Follow Tori: Instagram: @theozvlog TikTok: @theozvlog YouTube: Tori .Calamito Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theozvlog

Follow Me: Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@jill_ilana⁠⁠⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠⁠⁠@alwayslookingup.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@jillian_ilana⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.jillianilana.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠alwayslookingup227@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

Read With Me:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Goodreads⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠The StoryGraph⁠⁠⁠⁠

Support Those Impacted By The Cutting Of SNAP Benefits:

Feeding America: ⁠https://www.feedingamerica.org⁠

World Central Kitchen: ⁠https://wck.org⁠

No Kid Hungry: ⁠https://www.nokidhungry.org⁠

List Of NYC Food Pantries: ⁠https://www.nyc.gov/site/dycd/services/food_pantries.page⁠

Support Immigrant Communities (all links came from ⁠⁠⁠⁠@chnge⁠⁠⁠⁠):

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (⁠⁠⁠⁠@chirla_org⁠⁠⁠⁠): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.chirla.org/donatenow/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Immigrant Defenders Law Center (⁠⁠⁠⁠@immdef_lawcenter⁠⁠⁠⁠): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.immdef.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Inland Coalition 4 Imm Justice (⁠⁠⁠⁠@ic4ij⁠⁠⁠⁠): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://se...

In this week's episode it is just me and the microphone. With the chapter that was the year 2025 coming to an end, and 2026 just around the corner, I wanted to take a moment to unpack and reflect. I went into this year with plans and expectations that quickly and quite often had to be altered, in both good ways and bad. And those experiences have made an impact on my body, physically, mentally, emotionally, and have both enabled and empowered me to redefine what it means, for me, to be a little person, a person with dwarfism, in an average-height world.

All proceeds from purchasing this episode will be split between City Harvest and Food Bank For NYC.

Join Always Looking Up on Substack: https://jilliancurwin645746.substack.com

Follow Me: Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@jill_ilana⁠⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠⁠@alwayslookingup.podcast⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠@jillian_ilana⁠⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.jillianilana.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email: ⁠⁠⁠alwayslookingup227@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠

Read With Me:

⁠⁠⁠Goodreads⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠The StoryGraph⁠⁠⁠

Support Those Impacted By The Cutting Of SNAP Benefits:

Feeding America: https://www.feedingamerica.org

World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org

No Kid Hungry: https://www.nokidhungry.org

List Of NYC Food Pantries: https://www.nyc.gov/site/dycd/services/food_pantries.page

Support Immigrant Communities (all links came from ⁠⁠⁠@chnge⁠⁠⁠):

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (⁠⁠⁠@chirla_org⁠⁠⁠): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.chirla.org/donatenow/⁠⁠⁠

Immigrant Defenders Law Center (⁠⁠⁠@immdef_lawcenter⁠⁠⁠): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.immdef.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Inland Coalition 4 Imm Justice (⁠⁠⁠@ic4ij⁠⁠⁠): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://secure.actblue.com/donate/jornaleros⁠⁠⁠

Relief For Disabled People Impacted By The Los Angeles Fires:

Richard Devylder Disaster Relief Fund: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://disabilitydisasteraccess.org/rd-relief-fund/⁠⁠⁠

United Spinal Disaster Relief Grant: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this week’s episode I sat down with Niamh Ni Hoireabhaird. Niamh is a disability journalist from Ireland. Having been featured in publications like the Guardian, HuffPost, the Journal, the Irish Independent and the Women's Media Center, Niamh’s work seeks to highlight and raise awareness of national and international disability issues.. We discuss disability as a practice, society not wanting disabled people to take up space, and our refusal to listen, becoming a journalist and writing stories for everyone through a disabled lens and much, much more.

This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.

All proceeds from purchasing this episode will be split between ⁠⁠City Harvest⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Food Bank For NYC⁠⁠.

Join Always Looking Up on Substack: ⁠⁠https://jilliancurwin645746.substack.com⁠⁠

Join The Patreon: ⁠https://patreon.com/AlwaysLookingUp⁠

Follow Niamh: Instagram: @niamhnih TikTok: @niamhnih Muckrack: https://muckrack.com/niamh-ni-hoireabhaird

Follow Me: Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@jill_ilana⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@alwayslookingup.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@jillian_ilana⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.jillianilana.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠alwayslookingup227@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Read With Me:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Goodreads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The StoryGraph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Support Those Impacted By The Cutting Of SNAP Benefits:

Feeding America: ⁠⁠https://www.feedingamerica.org⁠⁠

World Central Kitchen: ⁠⁠https://wck.org⁠⁠

No Kid Hungry: ⁠⁠https://www.nokidhungry.org⁠⁠

List Of NYC Food Pantries: ⁠⁠https://www.nyc.gov/site/dycd/services/food_pantries.page⁠⁠

Support Immigrant Communities (all links came from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chnge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠):

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chirla_org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.chirla.org/donatenow/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Immigrant Defenders Law Center (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immdef_lawcenter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.immdef.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Inland Coalition 4 Imm Justice (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ic4ij⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://secure.actblue.com/donate/jornaleros⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Relief For Disabled People Impacted By The Los Angeles Fires:

Richard Devylder Disaster Relief Fund: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://disabilitydisasteraccess.org/rd-relief-fund/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

United Spinal Disaster Relief Grant: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://unitedspinal.org/disaster-relief-grant/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Inevitable Foundation Emergency Relief Fund: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.inevitable.foundation/erf⁠

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