Woodrat Podcast
A weekly virtual campfire for the sharing of poems, stories, and B.S. (Click on “Play in new window” for uninterrupted listening.) Subscribe in iTunes.
March 15th, 2010
John Miedema talks about his book Slow Reading and the practice and experience of reading in general. Some of the questions he addresses include:
Is the length of a book an indication of profundity?
Are books mind-altering substances?
Which kinds of writing work better in print and which work better on the web?
How do you reconcile technophilia with bibliophilia?
Can slow reading flow from slow writing?
Should we persist in trying to make the web more print-like?
How should we read newspapers and magazines?
Is it possible to read too much?
Do slow readers make better citizens?
Is speed-reading on the web changing the way we think?
Does information overload matter?
How can readers get beyond being passive consumers of information or tourists of the reading experience?
Theme music: “Le grand sequoia, by Innvivo (Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike licence)
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March 8th, 2010
Ren (Katherine) Powell talks about how living in Norway and translating Norwegian poets, and also a Yemeni poet, have shaped her own growth as a writer
Included in the conversation are readings of four poems by Odveig Klyve, two by Mansur Rajih, and three of Ren’s own poems, “It Wasn’t the Flu,” “Spring Heralds,” and “Losing My Religion.” See Ren’s website for links to more of her poems online, and Anima Poetics for her Flash animations.
Theme music: “Le grand sequoia,” by Innvivo (Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike licence).
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March 1st, 2010
Chris Bolgiano and Marcia Bonta talk about some of the threats to natural world they love so much, and what to do about it (Part 2 of 2)
In this second part of our phone conversation, Chris shares some instructive and sobering tales from her years as an environmental writer. Topics include: what we can learn from German foresters; anti-Appalachian prejudice in the nature-writing community; mountaintop removal and the insidious ways of Big Coal; global climate change and how — or whether — to talk about it; Big Wind vs. distributed generation; rooftop solar and the feed-in tariff system.
Links:
Theme music: “Le grand sequoia,” by Innvivo (Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike licence)
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February 22nd, 2010
A conversation with Chris Bolgiano and Marcia Bonta (Part 1 of 2)
Chris Bolgiano and Marcia Bonta
Two Appalachian-based authors of mid-list nonfiction books about ecology and natural history share their experiences with publishers, editors, Eastern cougars and other dangerous beasts. Today’s show focuses mainly on writing; next week’s show will be devoted to environmental issues facing the region.
Links:
Theme music: “Le grand sequoia,” by Innvivo (Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike licence)
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February 15th, 2010
A conversation with Todd Davis about life and death, religion and poetry
Todd Davis stops by to read some poems from his latest book, The Least of These, as well as from his previous books, and to talk about public reading, what motivates him as an artist, growing up with Mennonites and how that shaped his own beliefs, nature poetry, travel poetry, deer and deer hunting, how to kill in a manner that honors the spirit of the slain, and more.
Here’s a set list of the poems in the podcast:
If you live within driving distance of Altoona, Pennsylvania, don’t miss Todd’s reading on Thursday, February 18, at 7:30 p.m.
Theme music: “Le grand sequoia,” by Innvivo (Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike licence)
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February 8th, 2010
A conversation with Houston-based poet Radames Ortiz and his audio collaborator, the composer Trills (Jonathan Jindra).
Topics include: How electronic music is composed; the arts scene in Houston; composing and improvising music to accompany poems; making the transition from ambient music to electronica that demands active listening; how Radames started writing poetry and why he chose not to get an MFA; turning a poetry reading into a multimedia experience and getting the audience involved; online reading, e-book readers and the supposed death of the text; the obligation of poets and writers to master multimedia tools; making and watching videopoetry.
Links:
Theme music: “Le grand sequoia,” by Innvivo (Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike licence)
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February 1st, 2010
Terry McBride, Steve Bonta, and Tony Bonta play banjos and talk about banjo playing
Here’s what they play:
- Blackberry Blossom
- Come Together
- Salt River (with Steve playing clawhammer style)
- Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms
- Foggy Mountain Breakdown
- Spiderman theme song
- Salty Dog
And here are a few links:
Theme music: “Le grand sequoia,” by Innvivo (Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike licence)
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January 25th, 2010
Rachel Barenblat on poetry and religion
Rachel talks about writing poetry vs. writing liturgy, studying with David Lehman, images of motherhood and divinity, wordless prayers, and the challenges of writing while caring for an infant. Two-month-old Drew adds a few wordless prayers of his own.
Links:
Theme music: “Le grand sequoia,” by Innvivo (Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike licence)
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January 18th, 2010
A conversation with Beth Adams about books, publishing, and music
In which I am flabbergasted by Beth’s secret plot to rescue some of my poems from a purely digital existence and give them a better life in print north of the border. We talk about the pitfalls of self-plagiarism, what writers can learn from musicians, the ins and outs of small publishing, and what the hell is up with chalk-line reels that aren’t blue. I read a few of the odes, and manage a plausible-sounding explanation for what I was thinking when I came up with the series.
Links:
Subscribe in iTunes
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January 11th, 2010
What I’ve been reading, what I’ve been writing, and what’s up with all the banjos
Topics include: Why a podcast and what I hope to accomplish with it; what a woodrat is; how to keep mandatory titles from messing up haikus; poems by Howie Good, John Haines, Sarah Jane Sloat, Esther Jansma, and Vasko Popa; what I look for in poetry and why I write it; how I got started writing banjo poems; Jonah and the gourd vine; and New Year’s resolutions.
Links:
Now available in iTunes. Here’s the RSS feed, now fully formatted with podcatcher-friendly metadata.
Thanks to T.M. Camp for the podcast inspiration.
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