Arts Calling

175. Scott Macklin | Now Defunkt, Jamcation!, and a creative collective sets the table

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 13:30:00 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am delighted to be arts calling Scott Macklin, of the musical collective Now Defunkt! (www.nowdefunkt.com)

About our guest:

Scott Macklin is a highly accomplished and innovative leader in higher education with extensive experience developing and implementing transformative programs and strategies. His work focuses on developing narrative-based learning systems and comprehensive strategies to improve education and the ways we can reach and engage our students and constituents. He is dedicated to addressing racial and identity inequity in his research and is deeply committed to creating systems that benefit everyone. Central to his work is the notion of storytelling where stories are forged in the process of deep hanging out; where a story is made in collaboration with a community of practice, where one engages in the act of making the story "with" people from a particular community not just "about" them. You can see his work in action at: www.scottmacklin.com

JAMCATION! A new album, now available to stream! nowdefunkt.bandcamp.com

JAMCATION! VINYL NOW AVAILABLE FROM WASHINGTONES RECORDS! https://washingtonesrecords.myshopify.com/products/jamcation-12-eco-friendly-lp-presale

About Now Defunkt:

Built on bold love, groovy grooves and a fierce sense of interdependence, Now Defunkt emerged out of lock-down as a creative collective of family and friends producing primordial sound-box of the soul shifts with a twist of lemon. Now Defunkt’s vibe is like a grooving vinyl record spinning round in a raucous room and sometimes it skips like it’s trying to tell you something. It’s got the crackle of time, the echoes of stories left unsaid, and a rhythm that dances like it’s fighting the dark. It’s messy, it’s groovy, and moves like it means it. It’s a music that travels, shifting from one place to the next, without ever truly settling, but always feeling at home wherever it is. Now Defunkt is more than just a band; it's a vibrant collection of individuals—family, friends, and a diverse group of unique personalities—who've found a way to create music together. Bringing together members from different generations, perspectives, and locations. Our collaboration is a testament to the power of diverse voices and experiences. The older members contribute their seasoned wisdom and the younger members inject a potent burst of energy, resulting in a dynamic and surprisingly effective musical synergy. Now Defunkt's music is a vibrant tapestry woven from diverse voices and perspectives. The music speaks with a gentle, heartfelt sincerity, celebrating the richness and complexity of the human experience. It's a journey, a shared exploration of creative flow and collaborative energy, where differences are celebrated, and harmonies emerge from seemingly disparate strands.

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Scott! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro.

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE. THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Much love,

174. A.M. Sosa | And I'll Take Out Your Eyes: A new novel

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 13:30:35 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am delighted to be arts calling author A.M. Sosa! (amsosa.net)

About our guest:

A. M. Sosa (they/them) is a queer Mexican-American writer from Stockton, CA, and a graduate of UC Irvine's MFA Programs in Writing where they were awarded the 2022 Henfield Prize. They have received support from Tin House, Community of Writers, and the Carolyn Moore Writing Residency. Their debut novel, And I'll Take Out Your Eyes, is being published by Algonquin, and their fiction has been published in Zyzzyva and the Santa Monica Review. Instagram: @unapinchebruja

About AND I'LL TAKE OUT YOUR EYES, now available from Algonquin Books!

BUY NOW AT: BOOKSHOP | TERTULIA | BARNES & NOBLE | AMAZON

Cría cuervos y te sacaran los ojos: Raise crows and they will take out your eyes. A boy wakes up with a knife in his hand. It's the early '90s in Stockton, CA, when Christian is caught sleepwalking in the kitchen by his family--the beginning of a curse unleashed by an aunt. To save Christian and the family from the curse, the family seeks out a curandero who promises salvation, but at a price Christian wishes he didn't have to pay. As Christian grows up the curse follows him. His father emotionally and physically torments him, his mother's health spirals, his relationship with his brother deteriorates; nothing goes his way. Christian finds solace in a group of friends, bonded together by the sufferings that plague their community. As the childhood chaos of ripping and running in order to survive breaks way to an adolescence beyond his local neighborhood and a lifeline in the form of writing, Christian must decide: be consumed and enact the same violence that has plagued him, or break the cycle, once and for all. And I'll Take Out Your Eyes is a kaleidoscopic exploration of the power of memory and the curses we inherit from our family, and how to overcome them. Told in a voice that is clear and unflinching, this is ultimately a story of redemption.

PRAISE FOR AND I'LL TAKE OUT YOUR EYES:

> And I'll Take Out Your Eyes is a kaleidoscopic wonder of a debut. Never boring, A.M. Sosa seems somehow capable of pulling off any form or point of view. Any sentence might be as explosive, as tender, as breathless, as surprising as life. And there is so much life in this book. If nothing else, it is rare to find a novel as alive as this one. Sosa has arrived with a cannon shot.— Matthew Salesses, author of Craft in the Real World and The Sense of Wonder

Thanks for this amazing conversation, A.M.! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro.

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE. THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Much love,

https://www.saggingmeniscus.com/catalog/tributaries

173. Kurt Luchs | Tributaries: Essays, verses, and humor

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 16:00:00 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am delighted to be arts calling humorist, poet, and essayist Kurt Luchs! (kurtluchs.com)

About our guest:

Kurt Luchs was born in Cheektowaga, New York, grew up in Wheaton, Illinois, and has lived and worked all over the United States, mostly in publishing and media. Currently he’s based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. His first poetry publication came at age sixteen in the long-gone journal Epos, right next to a poem by Bukowski. He has also written comedy for television (Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher and the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn) and radio (American Comedy Network), as well as contributing humor to the New Yorker, the Onion and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, among others. He is author of the poetry collections Death Row Row Row Your Boat (Sagging Meniscus, 2024), Falling in the Direction of Up (SM, 2021), and the humor collection It’s Funny Until Someone Loses an Eye (Then It’s Really Funny) (SM, 2017). His poetry chapbooks include One of These Things Is Not Like the Other (Finishing Line Press 2019), and The Sound of One Hand Slapping (SurVision Press 2022). He won a 2022 Pushcart Prize, a 2021 James Tate Poetry Prize, the 2021 Eyelands Book Award for Short Stories, and the 2019 Atlanta Review International Poetry Contest. He is a Contributing Editor of Exacting Clam.

About TRIBUTARIES, now available from Sagging Meniscus Press!

In Tributaries, Kurt Luchs chooses twenty poems that hold vital meaning for him as a reader and writer—many, but not all, recognized as classics—and pays twofold tribute to them. First, he explores each poem with a deep-diving personal essay on how the poet works their magic upon us. Then he gives a tribute poem of his own, in response to, or inspired by, the poem under discussion. The result is a uniquely well-rounded, multidimensional way of honoring great poems, unlocking more of their treasures for both first-time and long-time lovers of poetry. Poets featured are Wallace Stevens, Robinson Jeffers, David Ignatow, Philip Larkin, D. H. Lawrence, Etheridge Knight, Wislawa Szymborska, Lucille Clifton, Gabriela Mistral, H. D., Jorge Luis Borges, Federico Garcia Lorca, Mary Oliver, Lewis Carroll, Kenneth Koch, Homer, Louise Glück, Robert Bly, Charles Simic and James Tate.

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Kurt! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro.

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE. THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Much love,

From Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/returning-to-my-father-s-kitchen-essays-monica-macansantos/

172. Monica Macansantos | Returning to My Father's Kitchen: a collection of essays

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 15:00:47 -0000

Weekly shoutout: A new essay on HowlRound by theatermaker and friend of the show, Anne Mason!

Hi there,

Today I am delighted to be arts calling author Monica Macansantos! (monicamacansantos.com)

About our guest: Monica Macansantos is a Filipino writer from Baguio, and is currently a Marguerite and Lamar Smith Fellow with the Carson McCullers Center in Columbus, Georgia. She is the author of the essay collection, Returning to My Father's Kitchen (Curbstone/Northwestern University Press, 2025), and the story collection, Love and Other Rituals (Grattan Street Press), 2022. She was a 2024-25 Shearing Fellow with the Black Mountain Institute at UNLV, and her work has appeared in Colorado Review, The Hopkins Review, Bennington Review, River Styx, Electric Literature, Literary Hub, and Katherine Mansfield and Children (Edinburgh University Press), among other places. She earned her MFA from the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin, and her PhD in Creative Writing from the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. Her work has been recognized as Notable in Best American Essays 2016 and 2021-2023.

RETURNING TO MY FATHER'S KITCHEN, now available from Northwestern University Press/Curbstone Books:

Purchase from Northwestern University Press: https://nupress.northwestern.edu/9780810148390/returning-to-my-fathers-kitchen/

Purchase from Book People in Austin, which sells signed copies of the book! https://bookpeople.com/book/9780810148390

Also from Monica, LOVE & OTHER RITUALS, a collection of stories: https://www.monicamacansantos.com/loveandotherritualsselectedstories.html

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Monica! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro.

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE!

Much love,

Listen to Eclectic Mementos EP on Bandcamp!

171. Josh Jensen | This is Where We Landed LP, songwriting, and PNW Americana

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 15:00:47 -0000

Weekly shoutout: Check out my friends at FunUsual Suspects!

Hi there,

Today I am delighted to be arts calling singer songwriter Josh Jensen! (https://linktr.ee/joshjensenmusic)

About our guest: Josh Jensen is a singer songwriter based in Seattle that once graced the Bellingham musio stages with his band Sweet Beets. Josh’s honeyed vocals and fingerstyle guitar accompany a wide range of what he dubs as PNW Americana stylings that make up his music. Josh recently released his album This Is Where We Landed’, which was pressed on PET records through Washingtones.

THIS IS WHERE WE LANDED, the new album now available through Washingtones Records! https://washingtonesrecords.myshopify.com/products/josh-jensen-this-is-where-we-landed-180g-lp-pre-sale

Listen on Spotify | Listen on YouTube Music

Instagram: @joshjensenmusic | Follow on Youtube

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Josh! All the best!

Josh Cover Image by @twicebaked.photo.

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro.

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE!

Much love,

170. Jessica Berg | Rosecliff Literary and guiding authors to publication

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 16:00:25 -0000

Weekly shoutout: Ghostlit, poems by Theodora Ziolkowski, now available!

Hi there, Today I am delighted to be arts calling literary agent and author Jessica Berg! (https://www.rosecliffliterary.com)

About our guest: Jessica Berg is a literary agent, author, and the founder of Rosecliff Literary, where she champions bold, emotionally resonant fiction with unforgettable characters, strong stakes, and a sense of urgency. She is currently closed to fiction. She is especially drawn to upmarket, historical, and supernatural suspense, with a soft spot for haunting atmosphere, richly layered relationships, and characters who carry deep emotional wounds. Give her a protagonist standing at the edge of reinvention, a world on the brink of change, or a past that refuses to stay buried. She loves stories that explore grief, longing, ambition, and survival and the complicated ways they intersect. If your book feels like it belongs in a candlelit room with a storm raging outside, she wants to see it. She earned her MFA from Spalding University and contributes regularly to Writer’s Digest. Jessica serves on the boards of the Women’s National Book Association and the Historical Novel Society, and teaches nationally on querying, comp titles, and the business of authorship, with a focus on building sustainable, long-term writing careers. Her client list includes Vincent Zandri, Lisa Roe, Arizona Bell, and others Visit jessicaberg.me for more information.

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Jessica! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro.

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

Much love,

169. Camille U. Adams | How to Be Unmothered: a Trinidadian Memoir

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 18:30:00 -0000

Weekly shoutout: Check out Lynchpins, our ongoing David Lynch tribute series!

Hi there, we're back!

Today I am delighted to be arts calling Camille U. Adams once again! (https://www.camilleuadams.com/)

About our guest: CAMILLE U. ADAMS, Ph.D. was born and raised in beautiful Trinidad and Tobago. She is the author of the explosive memoir How To Be Unmothered: a Trinidadian memoir, finalist in the Restless Books Prize in New Immigrant Writing 2023. (https://linktr.ee/Camille_U_Adams)

Camille is a memoirist, a poet, and a nature writer. Camille has been awarded Best of The Net—nonfiction 2024. She has received five Pushcart Prize nominations and three Best of the Net nominations for her memoir writing. Camille’s work has also received recognition as a notable essay in Best American Essays 2022. Her writing has been long-listed in the Graywolf Creative nonfiction Prize 2022 and selected as a finalist for The 2021 Orison Anthology Award in Nonfiction. Her other honours include an awarded fellowship as an inaugural Tin House Reading Fellow, an inaugural Granta nature writing workshop fellowship, an inaugural Anaphora Arts Italy Writing Retreat Fellowship, a McKnight Doctoral Fellowship, a Community of Writers Fellowship, A VONA scholarship, and a Roots Wounds Words Fellowship. A Tin House Summer Workshop alum, Camille has served as a juried reader for Tin House for two consecutive years and as a moderator for two author panels. She has also received support from Kenyon Writers Workshop, Grubstreet, and others. In addition, Camille has been an associate CNF editor at Variant Lit and an assistant memoir editor at Split Lip Magazine and at The Account. She has long taught English and creative writing, emphasising the importance of strong craft, beautiful prose, and ugly truths. Having earned her MFA in Poetry from City College CUNY and her Ph.D. in Creative Nonfiction from FSU, Camille currently teaches creative writing and literature in New York City. She is at work on her second memoir.

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Camille! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro.

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

Much love,

168. Nancy Kricorian | The Burning Heart of the World: a new novel

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 09:30:52 -0000

Weekly shoutout: Check out Lynchpins at the coalition, our ongoing David Lynch tribute series!

Hi there,

Today I am delighted to be arts calling novelist Nancy Kricorian! (https://nancykricorian.net)

About our guest:

Nancy Kricorian, who was born and raised in the Armenian community of Watertown, Massachusetts, is the author of four novels about post-genocide Armenian diaspora experience, including Zabelle, which was translated into seven languages, was adapted as a play, and has been continuously in print since 1998. Her new novel, The Burning Heart of the World, about Armenians in Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War, will be published in April 2025. Her essays and poems have appeared in The Los Angeles Review of Books Quarterly, Guernica, Parnassus, Minnesota Review, The Mississippi Review, and other journals. She has taught at Barnard, Columbia, Yale, and New York University, as well as with Teachers & Writers Collaborative in the New York City Public Schools, and has been a mentor with We Are Not Numbers since 2015. She has been the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, a Gold Medal from the Writers Union of Armenia, and the Anahid Literary Award, among other honors. She lives in New York.

THE BURNING HEART OF THE WORLD, now available from Red Hen Press!

Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Amazon

Nancy Kricorian’s The Burning Heart of the World tells the story of a Beirut Armenian family before, during, and after the Lebanese Civil War. Returning to the fabular tone of Zabelle, her popular first novel, Kricorian conjures up the lost worlds and intergenerational traumas that haunt a family in permanent exile. Leavened with humor and imbued with the timelessness of a folktale, The Burning Heart of the World is a sweeping saga that takes readers on an epic journey from the mountains of Cilicia to contemporary New York City. > Like colorful miniatures–from a childhood of elders haunted by the Armenian genocide, to girlhood and adolescence amidst war in Beirut, to marriage and children in New York at the time of 9/11—Nancy Kricorian finds just the right scale to bring her heroine’s passage to vivid, reverberating life. > — Aram Saroyan > An arrestingly beautiful novel of how families draw us together, but also push us apart. Set amidst the backdrop of displacement and war, The Burning Heart of the World illuminates how we carry history deep into even the most forgotten corners of ourselves. Once you start reading about Vera and her family you won’t be able to put this book down. > — Marie Myung-Ok Lee, Author of The Evening Hero Thanks for this amazing conversation, Nancy! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro.

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

Much love,

https://www.housetheater.net/

167. Sandra Cruze | Abby Normal the Musical, House Theater, and producing your own work

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 10:30:07 -0000

Weekly shoutout: coalitionworks issue 10 is now live!

Hi there,

Today I am delighted to be arts calling writer, actor, and producer Sandra Cruze! (sandracruze.com)

About our guest:

Sandra Cruze was steeled in the uprisings of the 60’s and 70’s, and underground art world of DTLA, where she sang in punk bands, reggae bands and performed in street theater. She believes the "PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD" and picked hers up. Having experienced the transformation of good story telling which has saved her on many occasion, her works traverse the mindfield that is America today. She writes about dangerous women and women in danger.

Acting in Films, TV and Stage, Sandra also creates her own content. Her short film, "Physics of Killing", was selected for the Toronto International Women’s Film Festival 2022, and an IMDB writers credit. Her play, "Little Sugar", was a quarter finalist with ScreenCraft in 2022 and 2023. "We're Not Dead Yet", a YouTube web series co-produced by Two Heads are Better Productions, has received multiple awards and selections for both the series and the scripts, winning semifinalist for pilot script.

Further accomplishments for film and theater can be found on IMDB and https://linktr.ee/sandracruzeproductions

ABBY NORMAL THE MUSICAL FUNDRAISER EVENT AT HYPERION ARTS, LOS ANGELES: CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS APRIL 25 AND 26!

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Sandra! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro.

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

Much love,

ALSO AVAILABLE AT BARNES & NOBLE!

166. Mo Milan | Musical identities, songwriting, and going beyond sound

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 09:45:55 -0000

Weekly shoutout: Christopher Soriano-Palma (AC23) releases a new poetry collection!

Hi there,

We're back! Today I am delighted to be arts calling musician/producer Mo Milan! (momilan.com)

About our guest:

Mo Milan is a Las Vegas-based composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, crafting music under two distinct monikers: Cocoa Pastel and Mo Milan.

As Cocoa Pastel, she delivers vibrant, synth-driven pop infused with dark wave and electronic influences, centering on resilience, reinvention, and new beginnings. Handling every aspect of production—from songwriting to mixing—she creates dynamic, immersive soundscapes.

Under Mo Milan, she explores experimental and introspective realms, blending neo-classical, folktronica, and cinematic elements. A classically trained violinist and skilled multi-instrumentalist, she pairs music with self-directed visuals, amplifying emotional depth.

Previously a member of REIGN-A, Atomic Heart Band, Echo Stains, and Angel Groove, Milan is now preparing her debut dual mini-album: two EPs showcasing the energetic pulse of Cocoa Pastel and the cinematic introspection of Mo Milan.

Project Premiere March 28th in Las Vegas, NV at SPCKRFT STUDIOS!

Instagram: @noitsnotmo

LISTEN TO COCOA PASTEL HERE: https://linktr.ee/cocoapastel

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Mo! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro.

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

165. Anna Capunay | La Gota Fría, playwriting, and the way to dramedy

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 10:30:30 -0000

Weekly shoutout: Read Issue 5 of Engine(Idling Lit!

Hi there,

We're back! Today I am delighted to be arts calling playwright/producer Anna Capunay! (annacapunay.com)

About our guest:

Anna Capunay is a Queens, NY native. Her plays include: A Cat’s Tale (Roy Arias Stages), and Cowl Girl (The Players Theatre). These works were adapted for the screen -- A Cat’s Tale winning Best Director for Comedy and Best Ensemble Cast for Comedy at the San Francisco’s Best Actors Film Festival. The indie feature debuted at the Chelsea Film Festival in NYC, 2016. Cowl Girl was shot as a TV pilot and was included as Best of the Fest finalist at the Chicago International REEL Shorts Film Festival, 2017. Anna’s directorial debut was for the short film she also wrote, Your Silent Face. The short won multiple awards via the film festival circuit, most notably for Best Screenwriting at the Festival of Cinema NYC and Best LGBTQ Film at the L.A. Punk Film Festival, both in 2023. Anna has received multiple grants over the years supporting her projects. Most recently, she was awarded the NYC Women's Fund for Media, Music and Theatre via the New York Foundation for the Arts. This grant has fully funded this stage production of La Gota Fria: The Cold Sweat. Additionally, Anna was awarded a Queens Arts Funds grant (her third) to help produce her short film, Sombras, later this year. Anna’s upcoming project includes writing her first feature film to be produced with her partner, Bill McDonald, called Contigo.

ABOUT THE PLAY: LA GOTA FRÍA: THE COLD SWEAT is a dramedy set in 1990s Queens, NY. When the matriarch of the Gonzalez family falls ill, her loved ones rally around her: a blind but hyperaware grandfather, a frenzied daughter and her doting husband. And the meddlesome family friend with a particular interest for the Gonzalez women, including the cat. LA GOTA FRÍA:THE COLD SWEAT is a new sick family comedy that will have you rethink your choices for cancer treatments. So let's go back in time to Queens, NY in the 1990s when you, your family and your friends were dancing to new and classic Salsa, Merengue and Latin Pop! Website: https://lagotafriaplay.com

Now playing at The Players Theatre NYC, March 6-23 2025. Get your tix NOW! https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/277/1740805200000

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Anna! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro.

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

164. Theodora Ziolkowski | Ghostlit: Myth, memory, and strands of narrative

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 10:30:25 -0000

Weekly shoutout: Read the latest literary releases from Punk Noir Magazine!

Hi there,

We're back! Today I am delighted to be arts calling author Theodora Ziolkowski! (www.theodoraziolkowski.com)

ABOUT OUR GUEST: THEODORA ZIOLKOWSKI is the author of the novella, On the Rocks (2018 & 2020, The University Press of SHSU/Texas Review Press) and the short story chapbook, Mother Tongues (2016 & 2018, The Cupboard). On the Rocks, winner of a 2018 Next Generation Indie Book Award, is now available as an audiobook. Ziolkowski's debut collection of poems, Ghostlit (2025), is now available. Ziolkowski’s work has received support from the Vermont Studio Center, the National Alumni Association (University of Alabama), and Inprint (Houston, Texas). Her fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared in The Writer's Chronicle, Short Fiction (England), and Prairie Schooner, among over sixty other literary journals, magazines, anthologies, and exhibits. In the past, Ziolkowski has served as Poetry Editor for Gulf Coast, Fiction Editor for Big Fiction, and Assistant Poetry Editor for Black Warrior Review. She holds an MFA from the University of Alabama, where she was honored as a ‘30 Under 30’ alum, and a PhD in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Houston, where she was the recipient of the Inprint Marion Barthelme Prize in Creative Writing. Currently, she teaches creative writing as an assistant professor of English at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

GHOSTLIT: A new poetry collection, is now available!

BOOKSHOP.ORG | BARNES & NOBLE | POWELL'S BOOKS | AMAZON

ABOUT GHOSTLIT: Intimate, urgent, and relentlessly inventive, the poems in Ghostlit reflect upon mythology and feminist pop culture and contemporary ideology as they may become embedded in the psyches and even the bodies of their inheritors. Through visceral and sometimes gothic-inspired images, mythological allusions, and the assemblage of strands of narrative, the poems in this collection chart the ways in which manipulative emotional strategies on individual and cultural levels inflict lingering harm upon minds and bodies. Throughout, the poems peel back the layers of what it means for an abuse survivor to reclaim a sense of self—long after the damage has been done. “It turns out that the years I believed myself lucky/were partly responsible for my thinking/there was something deeply wrong with me” could be understood as a refrain for the speaker in Ghostlit or as a shorthand for a cautionary tale about how many survivors may be encouraged to deny the reality of abuse.

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Theodora! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro.

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

163. Jen Ponton | Sugarcoated, Maiden Mother Crone Premiere, and crafting a solo play

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 06:59:35 -0000

Weekly shoutout: Subscribe to Flash Perspectives from author Tommy Dean!

Hi there,

We're back! Today I am delighted to be arts calling writer/performer Jen Ponton! (jenponton.com)

About our guest:

JEN PONTON (writer/performer SUGARCOATED) returns triumphantly to the New York stage with Sugarcoated, her autobiographical solo show, in its New York premiere. Last seen off-Broadway in Halley Feiffer’s How To Make Friends and then Kill Them (Rattlestick, 2013), Jen has spent the past decade building a vibrant career in film and television. Highlights include Dietland, 30 Rock, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Orange is the New Black, Law & Order: SVU, and Blue Bloods, among many others. Jen also starred in Ash Christian’s Love on the Run alongside Frances Fisher, Annaleigh Ashford, and Steve Howey. She has since appeared in Rebecca Miller’s She Came to Me and Todd Solondz’s Wiener-Dog opposite Greta Gerwig and Kieran Culkin.

Off-screen, Jen is a passionate creator. Her works include the storytelling podcast All the Fucks with co-host Lillian Bustle_, a nostalgia-packed puppet sitcom, and her TEDx Talk, “Hollywood’s Fatphobia Problem.” Her collaboration with _Sugarcoated director Tessa Slovis began with Tessa’s film Pizza Party, wherein the two found an immediate connection through their commitment to bold activism through storytelling. Explore more about Sugarcoated at jenponton.com.

Maiden Mother Crone: an evening of poignant storytelling as two extraordinary solo shows, THE LONGER MY MOTHER IS DEAD THE MORE I LIKE HER by Deborah Unger and SUGARCOATED by Jen Ponton, take center stage at The Pete at The Flea from February 12–23, 2025.

ABOUT SUGARCOATED: Jen Ponton takes audiences on a visceral journey through the polished facade women are often forced to wear. With biting humor and profound vulnerability, Sugarcoated strips away societal expectations, revealing raw truths about trauma, survival, and self-empowerment. Best known for her role on AMC's Dietland, Ponton has made waves in TV, film, and theater. Sugarcoated, which premiered at the Denver Fringe Festival, is a testament to her fearless approach to storytelling and her commitment to exploring the untold narratives of women.

MAIDEN MOTHER CRONE plays the following schedule through Sunday, February 23: Preview Performances: February 12 & 13 at 7 PM Opening Night: February 14 at 7 PM February 15 (2 PM & 7 PM, with matinee talkback) February 16 (2 PM) February 19–21 (7 PM) February 22 (2 PM & 7 PM, with matinee talkback) February 23 (2 PM)

Tickets are $40 and can be purchased at maidenmothercroneshow.com or in person at the theater ½ hours before the performance.

Venue: The Pete at The Flea, 20 Thomas Street, New York, NY 10007 Running Time: 2h15 mins (with intermission) Website: maidenmothercroneshow.com

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Jen! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro.

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

162. Em J Parsley | You, From Below: a new novella, and environmentalism

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 06:58:21 -0000

Weekly shoutout: New classes and projects from friend of the show, playwright Sarah Congress!

Hi there,

We're back! Today I am delighted to be arts calling author Em J Parsley! (emjparsley.com)

About our guest: Em J Parsley (they/he) is a fiction writer, poet, educator, and environmentalist who received their MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Texas at El Paso and makes their home in rural Kentucky with their beautiful devil-cat, Griffin. He is a 2024 Artist-In-Residence at Wormfarm Institute and Art Farm, and their work has been published or is upcoming in Silk Road Review, Screen Door Review, ANMLY, Birdcoat Quarterly, The New Flash Fiction Review, and various other places in print and around the internet. Their poetry chapbook, the anonym gospels, won the 2023 Apogee Poetry Award and is available through April Gloaming Publishing. You can follow him on instagram @emjparsley.

You, From Below: Now available from Split/Lip Press! https://www.splitlippress.com/you-from-below

About You, From Below: When an Appalachian holler town is suddenly swallowed into the earth, its sole survivor embarks on a journey up a nearby mountain to get answers. With a mysterious envelope in their pocket that they know they must deliver, the narrator encounters a faceless beekeeper, an undying woman, and a righteous schoolteacher of a town that was raptured overnight while confronting their own past and the death of both the town and people they left behind. Em J Parsley’s You, From Below burrows into the ecological, economic, and emotional state of Central Appalachia to examine its past, present, and the nature of reciprocity through this speculative, introspective, fable-like exploration of collapse and regeneration.

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Em J! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro.

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

161. Kim Dower | What She Wants: A New Poetry Collection

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 16:05:02 -0000

Weekly shoutout: Visit Coalitionist, a new literary project at the coalition!

Hi there,

We're back! Today I am delighted to be arts calling acclaimed poet Kim Dower! kimdowerpoetry.com

About our guest:

Kim (Freilich) Dower (City Poet Laureate of West Hollywood from October 2016 – October 2018) has published five highly acclaimed collections of poetry all from Red Hen Press.

Her most recent book, the bestselling, I WORE THIS DRESS TODAY FOR YOU, MOM, an Eric Hoffer Book Award Finalist, was called a “fantastic collection” by The Washington Post, “impressively insightful, thought-provoking, and truly memorable” by The Midwest Book Review and Shelf-Awareness said, “These gorgeous gems are energized by the sheer power of her wit and irreverent style.” AIR KISSING ON MARS, Kim’s first collection, was described by the Los Angeles Times as, “sensual and evocative . . . seamlessly combining humor and heartache.” SLICE OF MOON was called “unexpected and sublime,” by “O” magazine, LAST TRAIN TO THE MISSING PLANET “poems that speak about the grey space between tragedy and tenderness, memory and loss, fragility and perseverance,” said Richard Blanco, and SUNBATHING ON TYRONE POWER'S GRAVE won the 2020 Independent Publishers Book Award Gold Medal for Poetry.

Kim’s work has been featured in numerous literary journals including Plume, Ploughshares, Rattle, The James Dickey Review, and Garrison Keillor’s “The Writer’s Almanac,” and her poems are included in several anthologies, notably, Wide Awake: Poets of Los Angeles and Beyond. She teaches poetry workshops for Antioch University, UCLA Extension Writer’s Program, and the West Hollywood Library. Born and raised on the Upper West Side of New York City, and a graduate of Emerson College in Boston, Kim is also the proud owner of Kim-from-L.A., long-standing literary publicity company that helps authors around the country get the word out about their wonderful books.

WHAT SHE WANTS, now available from Red Hen Press. Purchase your copy today!

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!

BOOKSELLER PRAISE FOR ‘WHAT SHE WANTS

“Psychologically astute and playfully resolute at evoking the irrevocable desire for love, attraction, seduction and yes, companionship, What She Wants belongs on every bookshelf: not just for poetry lovers. But the poetry is there, singing its echoing delight through the lines, like desire itself, and enticing, resolving, and picturing the myriad ways we are compelled by desire and all its fruits.” —John Evans, Co-Owner Diesel, a Bookstore

“Desires, both feral and mundane, are slung across these pages in a crescendo of sexual longing and urgent vitality.” —Amanda Youngman, Manager, Barnes & Noble at The Grove

“A fantastic book!” —Suzy Takacs, owner of The Book Cellar Bookstore in Chicago, Illinois

“From whispered secrets to consuming obsessions, these poems unveil the complexities of love, longing, and the urgency that prods us to pursue the objects of one’s desire.” —Luisa Smith, Buying Director, Book Passage Bookstore

“I love this collection!” —Dan Graham, Book Soup Bookstore

“Captures the timeless art of storytelling through verse with raw and unfiltered emotions, lyrical language and vivid imagery. With every turn of the page, readers will find themselves drawn deeper into a world where words hold the power to inspire, delight and transform.”—Julie Slavinsky, Director of Events, Warwick’s

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Kim! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro.

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

160. Hannah Wyatt | Sunday Cowboy, songwriting, and indie music production

Sun, 08 Dec 2024 03:00:12 -0000

Weekly shoutout: Check out new indie artists over at Washingtones Records!

Hi there,

Today I am delighted to be arts calling indie folk singer-songwriter Hannah Wyatt! (linktr.ee/hannahwyatt)

About our guest: hannah wyatt is an emerging indie folk singer-songwriter. her melancholic sound has blossomed over the years with influence from a score of artists the likes of keaton henson, joe purdy, the civil wars, gregory alan isakov, de-esser, sparklehorse, m. ward, and more. with her roots in upstate new york, hannah began classical violin at eight, and began songwriting around the age of thirteen. she earned her bachelor's degree in music production & recording arts at elon university. her first year at college, hannah was signed as an artist & managed through limelight records. the following year, she redirected her focus as an independent artist & later joined up with NC-based americana/folk band "love & valor" as a violinist, vocalist, graphic designer & recording engineer - touring & performing with the band until 2020.

at her core, hannah remains an independent musician, writing, recording & producing all her projects. while her early releases began in 2016 under a former name, she took a step down a new path in 2021 with the release of the album "phantom burn" under the new artist name hannah wyatt, later re-releasing an abridged version of this original album. throughout 2021 in various locations across the country, but mostly central colorado, her ep "iron line" was crafted & later released january of 2022. that following spring, she collaborated remotely with DC-based americana artist e li waltz, the duo released a 5-track EP entitled "waltz & wyatt" & embarked on a west coast tour that summer to promote the release. they have since done a second west coast sprint during the spring of 2024.

her following album, "hummingbird" is a 15-track record. with a more experimental, lo-fi tinge, expanding her sound from the somewhat more commercially friendly tracks of her past. the "underground" ep was released in may 2023 and continues along her more lo-fi bedroom sound. this project flirts with being a miniature concept album, dancing around the ideas of human nature during the state of cold war. hannah spends her free time freelancing string arrangements and various recordings for artists both local and far, and collaborates with bellingham label washingtones records.

SUNDAY COWBOY: Click here to pre-order a copy of this limited batch run, to secure your record now!

Bandcamp: hannahwyatt.bandcamp.com/music | Check out Hannah's music on YouTube! | Instagram @hannahwyattmusic

ABOUT SUNDAY COWBOY: full-length album, "sunday cowboy" will be released digitally december 13, and on PET records on december 21, 2024. these recyclable plastic records are an eco-friendly alternative to traditional PVC vinyl, which leaves a harmful and toxic carbon footprint. her album will be pressed by leading PET companies green vinyl records and good neighbor.

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Hannah! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro.

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

Much love,

artscalling.com/links

159. Jennifer Lang | Landed: A yogi's memoir in pieces and poses

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 19:29:22 -0000

Weekly shoutout: Be sure to check out books by Vine Leaves Press!

Hi there,

Today I am delighted to be arts calling author, yogi, and writing teacher Jennifer Lang! (israelwriterstudio.com/about)

About our guest: Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jennifer Lang lives in Tel Aviv, where she runs Israel Writers Studio. Her prize-winning essays appear in Baltimore Review, Under the Sun, Midway Journal, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and served as an Assistant Editor at Brevity. Her first book, Places We Left Behind: a memoir-in-miniature, is followed by Landed: A yogi's memoir in pieces & poses, both with Vine Leaves Press. Places was a Finalist in the Foreword Reviews Book Awards, among others. Both books are available at Vine Leaves Press, Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, and other online retailers.

Instagram @jenlangwrites | Facebook: @israelwriterstudio

LANDED: A YOGI'S MEMOIR IN PIECES AND POSES, now available from Vine Leaves Press! https://vineleavespress.myshopify.com/products/landed-a-yogi-s-memoir-in-pieces-poses-by-jennifer-lang

ABOUT LANDED: In experimental chapterettes, American-born Jennifer traces her nonlinear journey—both on and off the yoga mat—reckoning with her adopted country (Israel), midlife hormones (merciless), cross-cultural marriage (to a Frenchman) and their imminent empty nest (a mixed blessing), eventually realizing the words her yoga teachers had been offering for the past twenty-three years: root down into the ground and stay true to yourself. Finally, she understands that home is about who you are, not where you live. Landed: A yogi’s memoir in pieces & poses spans seven years (and then some), each punctuated with chakra wisdom from nationally-acclaimed Rodney Yee, her first teacher.

Thanks for this catching up, Jennifer! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro.

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

Much love,

artscalling.com/links

158. Charles K. Carter | The God of Loneliness: a new poetry collection, vulnerability, and taking your time

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 12:00:00 -0000

*Content Warning: Strong language of a sexual nature a few times. Just a heads up.

Weekly shoutout: The Originals Bureau Season 3, now available: Outstanding original scripts!

Hi there,

Today I am delighted to be arts calling poet and educator Charles K. Carter! ckcpoetry.com

ABOUT OUR GUEST: Charles K. Carter (they/he) is a queer poet and educator from Iowa who currently lives in Oregon. They share their home with their artist husband and their spoiled pets. He enjoys film, yoga, and live music. Melissa Etheridge is their ultimate obsession. Carter has an MFA in writing from Lindenwood University. He is a volunteer video curator for Button Poetry. Their poems have been featured in a variety of literary journals and anthologies. Carter is the author of several chapbooks including Salem Revisited from WordTech Editions. His debut full-length collection, Read My Lips, was released in 2022 by David Robert Books. To coincide with the release of their most recent chapbook, Artificial Sweetness (Finishing Line Press), Carter created the video podcast series #SundaySweetChats, which can be found on YouTube. Kelsay Books released his second full-length, If the World Were a Quilt, in late 2023. Forthcoming books include The God of Loneliness (Rebel Satori Press, 2024) and Follow This Blood to Find a Dead Thing (Fernwood Press, 2025).

THE GOD OF LONELINESS, available from Rebel Satori Press!

Also available at Bookshop.org!

ABOUT: In The God of Loneliness, Charles K. Carter shares their most vulnerable work yet. While using a variety of poetic forms, Carter tackles the tough intersection of isolation, disconnection, and sexuality.

“The God of Loneliness is a plaintive exploration of loving and being loved when compassion for oneself isn’t a given. Carter’s poems—particularly the ‘…in Dreamland’ ones—embody an undisguised vulnerability that is deeply sympathetic but not overwrought or maudlin. Their heartstrings are not meant to be tugged per se but are offered to the reader to help us feel what we must. This is a delicate achievement that you know Carter hurt—and perhaps hurt mightily—to pull off, and it makes The God of Loneliness a deftly earnest and an unquestionably worthy read.” —Daniel W.K. Lee, author of Anatomy of Want

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Charles! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro.

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

Much love,

artscalling.com/links

157. Welcome to the Big Dipper: A new musical | A conversation with the creative team

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 16:00:07 -0000

Hi there,

Today, I am delighted to share this conversation with the exceptional creative team behind Welcome to the Big Dipper, a new musical!

The York Theatre Company Presents WELCOME TO THE BIG DIPPER Music and Lyrics by Jimmy Roberts Book by Catherine Filloux and John Daggett Additional Lyrics by John Daggett

Inspired by the Play “All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go” by Catherine Filloux

DIRECTED BY DEMONE SERAPHIN

Welcome to the Big Dipper premieres at The York Theatre Company November 21 to December 29:

NOVEMBER TICKETS https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/34375

DECEMBER TICKETS https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/34375/1733029200000

ABOUT THE MUSICAL: What defines home, family, and identity? Joan Wilkes confronts these questions when she must sell The Big Dipper Inn, near Niagara Falls in upstate New York, known for its music and African American heritage. She's all set to sign the contract when a blizzard lands a group of Amish folks and a busload of men in dresses on her doorstep. For three days and nights, they wait out the storm. Cultures clash, romance crackles, and Joan struggles for answers, as a houseful of strangers becomes an unexpected community. https://www.welcometothebigdipper.com/

Thanks for this wonderful conversation! Break a leg!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro. Click here for more info: artscalling.com/links

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

Much love,

156. Georgia Jeffries | The Younger Girl: Writing historical fiction, and true crime close to home

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 06:01:05 -0000

Weekly shoutout: New music at Washingtones Records!

Hi there,

Today I am delighted to be arts calling award-winning writer Georgia Jeffries! georgiajeffries.com

ABOUT OUR GUEST: Georgia Jeffries is a writer of Emmy Award winning drama and critically acclaimed noir fiction. Honored with multiple Writers Guild Awards, Golden Globes and the Humanitas Prize, her work in film has been praised by the Los Angeles Times as “standing ovation television.” The Los Angeles Review of Books described her short stories in the national anthologies, Odd Partners and The Last Resort, as “firecracker tales” and “domestic tragedy brilliantly segueing into comic farce.” She has also written biographical profiles for HuffPost and UC Press, including “The Last Gun of Tibercio Vasquez,” which can be viewed on the KCET-TV website, Artbound. Born in the Illinois heartland, she worked as a journalist for American Film before writing and producing ground-breaking female-driven dramas, Cagney & Lacey, China Beach and Sisters. Her screenwriting career has been distinguished by extensive field research, from patrolling the mean streets of Rampart with the LAPD to crashing a Vegas bounty hunters’ convention to reporting from a Walter Reed Army Hospital surgical bay, each investigation the basis for one of her many docudramas and series pilots for CBS, ABC, NBC, HBO and Showtime. A cum laude UCLA graduate, Jeffries is a professor at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts where she created the first undergraduate screenwriting thesis program at an American university.

THE YOUNGER GIRL, available from Mission Point Press on October 22nd!

ABOUT THE YOUNGER GIRL: Based on a true crime, The Younger Girl, (Mission Point Press, October 22, 2024) a debut novel by trailblazing, award-winning writer Georgia Jeffries, combines fiction and supernatural suspense to unravel a thrilling tale of family betrayal and redemption. On March 2, 1933, Chicago tabloids trumpeted the death of 20-year-old "town belle" Aldine Younger: "HEIRESS SLAIN, MARRIED MAN HELD." The son of the mayor of Pontiac, a rich farming community south of Chicago, was convicted of manslaughter. But the dead girl's baby brother, Owen, grew up in a broken family and suspected his beloved sister’s killing was orchestrated by their wealthy uncle. In 1996 Owen is an old man desperate to make peace with the tragedy of Aldine’s death. His daughter, Joanna, takes her still grieving father back home to claim his share of his sister's lost inheritance. Together, they are caught in a dark labyrinth of family betrayal crossing three generations. Owen is found raving during a violent thunderstorm and now believes his daughter is his sister, Aldine, returning to him. Joanna races against time to save her father and unearths damning secrets that threaten her own life. The guilty will be exposed at the psychic bridge linking past, present and future. But at what cost? And who will survive the revelations?

“True-crime stories are difficult, and far more so, when the true crime is in your own family. Georgia Jeffries’s triumphant novel tells the story of her aunt Aldine Younger’s killing in 1933—a violent death that has cast a long and complex shadow over the family, the community, and far beyond. Viewing these events through the lens of fiction, Jeffries deploys clear-eyed research and lucid, evocative prose to craft a novel that will haunt long after the book is closed.”

—Howard Rodman, novelist/screenwriter Professor, USC School of Cinematic Arts Vice President, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Georgia! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro at the coalition.

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

Much love,

155. Sarah Congress | Playwriting, screenwriting, and crafting humor

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 16:00:49 -0000

Weekly shoutout: Greater Ghost, a new poetry collection by Christian J. Collier, now available from Four Way Books (AC22)

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling playwright Sarah Congress! (sarahcongress.com)

About our Guest: Sarah Congress is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter. Her play "Melting" was just selected to be produced this October at Siena College for their Climate Justice plays series. She co-wrote the screenplay "I Can't Hear You," which won BEST COMEDY in the 2024 Jersey Shore Film Festival and 2nd place in the APin3 Film Challenge in Asbury Park. Her comedy Overdose won 2nd place for Best Short in the 2023 Downtown Urban Arts Festival at Playwrights Horizons. She teaches playwriting and screenwriting and works part-time for the Dean's Office at Columbia University, School of the Arts. Learn more about Sarah here: https://sarahcongress.com/

Check out Sarah's upcoming playwriting classes!

-Saturday, September 21st: "Let's Write a Ten-Minute Play" with the wonderful Hudson Valley Writers Center (virtual): https://writerscenter.org/calendar/play/

-Wednesday, September 25th: "Intuitive Writing Workshop" at Freedom Rocks down the J. Shore (in person): https://freedomrocks.as.me/Intuative-Writing

-Tuesday Evenings October 8th-22nd: "Humor Writing" with the fabulous Project Write Now (virtual): https://projectwritenow.org/writers-institute/product/humor-writing/

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Sarah! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com).

HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

Much love,

154. Nathalie Miranda | Songwriting, resilience, and music for the underdogs

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 07:30:02 -0000

Weekly shoutout: Do Not Wish for Any Other Life: A Musical Sequence from the poetry of Richard Jeffrey Newman (AC128)

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling singer/songwriter Nathalie Miranda! (https://linktr.ee/nathaliemirandamusic)

About our Guest: With an arsenal of genre-bending singles under her belt, London-based powerhouse popstar Nathalie Miranda performs straight from the heart. Blending soul, blues and classic rock into high-energy retro pop, Nathalie rocks out with unbridled passion, showcases a stellar octave range, and leaves it all on the stage. Influenced by artists such as Freddie Mercury, Prince, Madonna, Tina Turner, Christina Aguilera and Whitney Houston, as well as music from her Greek-Cypriot roots, Nathalie’s powerful belts and playful lyrics make her distinctive sound even more electrifying. Nathalie’s star continues to rise in 2024. With her smash hits ‘Catch-22’ and ‘Soul on Fire’ hitting 250,000 Spotify streams each, with more than 200,000 YouTube views combined, her unique artistry and shimmering vocals prove she’s the UK’s answer to the US powerhouse divas. She was featured in Wonderland Magazine, Rolling Stone India, previously performed on BBC’s ‘Later... with Jools Holland’ as a backing vocalist, and has headlined iconic London venues like The Troubadour. Born in London to Greek-Cypriot parents, Nathalie speaks fluent Greek and is fiercely proud of her roots - something she loves to incorporate into her music. Authentically homegrown, with a superstar polish, her dramatic 2022 single ‘Χίλια Σημάδια (1000 Scars)’ follows a classic Greek folk rhythm called Zeibekiko and was produced by Greek smash hit producer Harry K. Beyond her spotlight as a solo pop artist, Nathalie has written lyrics and melodies across dance and house music since 2017. Working with international producers who crave her 90s diva vocals, Nathalie has built her reputation as a multi-hyphenate artist free from creative boundaries. She credits her childhood classical piano studies for laying the foundations for her songwriting career - and a hotel karaoke night for unlocking her vocal abilities while on holiday with her family. Nathalie’s dazzling sound is ever-evolving, full of passion, heart, and Greek-Cypriot spirit. Follow Nathalie Miranda for updates and new music: https://linktr.ee/nathaliemirandamusic

Nathalie's latest single, U GOT SOUL, is now available! Listen here: https://ditto.fm/u-got-soul

Instagram: @nathaliemirandamusic | Threads: @nathaliemirandamusic | YouTube: @nathaliemirandamusic

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Nathalie! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com).

Much love,

153. C.J. Spataro | More Strange Than True, short fiction, and adaptations

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 17:56:27 -0000

Weekly shoutout: Check out our friends at My Bad Poetry Podcast! Here's their latest episode.

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling author C.J. Spataro! (https://www.cjspataro.com)

About our Guest: C.J. Spataro is an award-winning short fiction writer whose work has appeared in many literary magazines and anthologies including Taboos & Transgressions, Iron Horse Literary Review, december, Sequestrum, and Exacting Clam. She directs the MFA in Creative Writing and the MA in Publishing programs at Rosemont College and was a founding partner of Philadelphia Stories. Her debut novel, MORE STRANGE THAN TRUE (Sagging Meniscus Press) was recently named to Reactor’s Can’t Miss Indie Speculative Books for Spring.

MORE STRANGE THAN TRUE, a new novel, is now available from Sagging Meniscus Press! https://www.saggingmeniscus.com/catalog/more_strange_than_true/

Instagram: @cjspataro | Twitter: @cjspataro

ABOUT MORE STRANGE THAN TRUE: After an epically shitty day, Jewell Jamieson unknowingly eats a magic-spiked meal and happens also to make a certain wish—and that’s why she awakes the next morning to discover her beloved dog Oberon has been transformed into a beautiful naked man in her bed. Conflict ensues when Titania, the impulsive Queen of the Faeries, decides she wants Oberon for herself. Is Oberon simply a man who used to be a dog, or is he somehow something more? When Jewell discovers the answer, she will be faced with a devastating choice. Will she choose to save the man she’s grown to love by giving him up, or will she honor his wishes and watch him die?

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, C.J.! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com).

Much love,

152. Ciara Lawless | Paint My Soul, the songwriting process, and flowers

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 07:30:32 -0000

Weekly shoutout: FORGET I TOLD YOU THIS, an award-winning novel by Hilary Zaid, now available!

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling singer/songwriter Ciara Lawless! https://linktr.ee/ciaralawless

About our Guest: From arranging flowers to arranging music, Irish singer and florist Ciara Lawless, goes from working in her flower shop by day to arranging music by night where she writes and records her own music. The Celtic songbird made her mark on the music industry with her debut single, ‘Half The Man’, in May of 2023. Since then, Ciara has been sharpening her stage skills performing at various festivals including The Mná Festival at Dun na Sí, Co. Westmeath, The Lovestock Festival in Tuamgraney, Co Clare and The Healing Spirit Festival in Co. Cavan. Ciara's music journey began at a young age when she started taking classes in acting and singing. She later developed an interest in classical and opera, training at the Academy of Music in Tullamore, where she also competed in national and international competitions. While some singers cut their chops while climbing the music ladder, Ciara earned her singing stripes as a funeral singer, something that she is very proud and honoured to do. With her debut album out now, Ciara Lawless is poised to become one of the most exciting new artists of 2024 and beyond. Her music deals with deep and meaningful themes while remaining uplifting, leaving a positive impact on the listener.

PAINT MY SOUL, Ciara's debut album, is now available! https://linktr.ee/ciaralawless

Instagram: @ciaralawlesshq | Twitter: @CiaraLawlessHQ

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Ciara! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com).

Much love,

151. Kate Brandes | Stone Creek, environmental science, and a sense of place

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 17:45:22 -0000

Weekly shoutout: The Ugly Radio is wrapping up season 4, listen asap! https://linktr.ee/theuglyradio

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling author Kate Brandes! https://katebrandes.com

About our Guest: Kate Brandes lives in the small river town of Riegelsville, Pennsylvania, with her husband and two sons. She writes about and paints rural places and small-town dynamics with underlying environmental themes. Kate has worked as a geologist and environmental scientist for more than twenty years. She currently teaches geology, creative writing and a course on Landscape, Culture and Story of Place at Moravian University, where she also co-directs the Moravian Writers’ Conference. Kate’s first novel, The Promise of Pierson Orchard, was published in 2017.

STONE CREEK, a new novel, now available from Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing!

BOOKSHOP https://bookshop.org/p/books/stone-creek-kate-brandes/21590727?ean=9781954332522

BARNES & NOBLE https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stone-creek-kate-brandes/1145904467?ean=9781954332522

AMAZON https://www.amazon.com/Stone-Creek-Kate-Brandes/dp/1954332521

About STONE CREEK: Seventeen years ago, Tilly Stone (age 13) is left to fend for herself in rural Pennsylvania when her infamous eco-terrorist father disappears under mysterious circumstances. Ever since she’s tried to forget the dams they blew up together and forge a new life until her father’s return threatens to upend her small-town world and her friendship with the dogged FBI agent still pursuing him. Ultimately, as the past and present fuse and blow up with more than one kind of casualty, Tilly must choose between the father she loves and her home.

Instagram: @kate_brandes | Facebook: @kate.a.brandes

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Kate! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com).

Much love,

150. Andrew Shanks | The Ugly Radio, fringe theater, and indie art as community

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 06:20:02 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be once again arts calling indie creative Andrew Shanks!

About our Guest: Andrew Shanks is a part-time dinosaur, part-time theater punk living and working in Seattle, WA. He is the creator and producer of The Ugly Radio, a late night lo-fi sci-fi theater anthology podcast, which has featured over +100 artists and performers over the past four seasons. His plays has been performed in New York, Portland, Los Angeles, North Carolina and various dive bars around the PNW when you get enough drinks in him. See you in the Void.

Listen to THE UGLY RADIO here:: https://linktr.ee/theuglyradio

Instagram: @theuglyrsdio

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Andrew! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com).

Much love,

149. Audrey Cefaly | The Last Wide Open, language as conflict, and a play with music

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 15:16:03 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: coalitionworks issue 8, our latest publication is here!

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be once again arts calling playwright Audrey Cefaly! audreycefaly.com

About our Guest: Cefaly is an alumna of the Playwrights' Arena cohort at Arena Stage, a recipient of the Walter E. Dakin Fellowship from the Sewanee Writers Conference, and a Dramatist Guild Foundation Traveling Master. She is published by Concord Theatricals, Smith & Kraus, and Applause Books. Cefaly's plays have been produced by Cincinnati Playhouse, Florida Studio, Florida Rep, City Theatre, Penobscot Theatre, Gulfshore Playhouse, Merrimack Rep, Signature Theatre, Barter Theatre, Vermont Stage, Oregon Contemporary Theatre, 16th Street Theater, Capital Stage, About Face, Kitchen Dog Theatre, Circle Theatre, Theatre Three, Aurora Theatre, Quotidian Theatre Company and University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her play Alabaster received an 11-city Rolling World Premiere, the largest in National New Play Network history.

Instagram: @alcefaly

Twitter: @alcefaly

Her play, The Last Wide Open, is currently running at American Blues Theater through August 18th!

Subscribe to her insightful playwriting newsletter, HOW TO PLAYWRIGHT!

https://audreycefaly.substack.com/

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Audrey! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com).

Much love,

148. SHAME | A Conversation with the Film Team

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 11:00:19 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: Chicano Frankenstein, a new novel from Daniel A. Olivas (AC54)!

*Content Warning: The short film discussed in this episode centers on sexual assault and suicide.

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling the cast and crew of SHAME, an awareness-driven short film!

FB https://www.facebook.com/ShameTheShortFilm | IG https://www.instagram.com/shametheshortfilm

About SHAME, a short film: After a woman is assaulted by a mutual friend, she struggles to communicate with her best friend about what happened, leading to tragic consequences. Sexual assault and suicide are not common topics spoken in households. When we try to, we often get asked the wrong questions like: "What were you thinking going out looking like that? We told you not to go out late. Why did you do that? There's nothing wrong with you. Why are you complaining? Life's hard – so what?" We are making a short film that will bring to light the shame we feel and show the sudden and abrupt nature of suicide when trauma is not dealt with.

If you are interested in having a seminar/discussion at your campus, reach out to shametheshortfilm@gmail.com

About our guests:

Ashna Sharan (Writer/Producer) is an actor-screenwriter based in Los Angeles, CA. Her credits include appearing on HBOMax's hit show, Our Flag Means Death, and on BET's show, Twenties to name a few. Her love for storytelling started when she learned how to dance on stage. During the pandemic, she also produced and wrote her own anthology quarantine web series that won several awards in film festivals and lockdown competitions all over the world. https://www.ashnasharan.com | IG @ashkash009/

Kelly Lynn Warren (Director) is an established director-writer-producer with two award winning short films, 'Manipura' and 'The Dissection of Jack and Jill', as well as a youtube web-series 'Caren with a C-Unmuted'. Originally from Belton, Missouri, Warren has a BFA in Theater / Broadcast & Film from UCM. She has also successfully co-produced two other award winning shorts and has had the pleasure to act in several films and television shows, including HBO’s “Carnivale." https://linktr.ee/kellylynnwarren1313 | IG @kellylynnwarren1313/

Sophia Cofino (Actor) has been a professional working actor in theater, musicals, commercials, voiceover and film for over 25 years. She is most passionate about immersive and devised theatre for social change projects. She regularly can be seen performing with Neo Ensemble Theatre and is an avid participant in the Hollywood Fringe Festival as both an actor, producer, and director. https://linktr.ee/sophiacofino | IG @sophiacofino

Ashna, Sophia, and Kelly: Thanks for this wonderful conversation! All the best!

Resources: https://rainn.org/about-national-sexual-assault-telephone-hotline https://www.nsvrc.org/survivors https://www.nami.org/your-journey/identity-and-cultural-dimensions/lgbtq/trauma-and-internalized-shame/

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com).

Much love,

147. Amanda ReCupido | Writing, producing your own work, and humor through it all

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 15:30:00 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: New Poetry Collection from Daniel Damiano (AC5), published by Bottlecap Press!

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling writer/producer Amanda ReCupido! (linktr.ee/amandarecupido)

About our guest:

Amanda ReCupido is an author, book reviewer, playwright, storyteller and podcaster whose work has appeared in various humor and literary publications, as well as been recognized in several screenwriting competitions. Follow her online @amandarecupido.

All links here: linktr.ee/amandarecupido

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Amanda! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com).

Much love,

146. Heather Bartel | Exit the Body, mud, and the essay as an offering

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 16:57:17 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: Fragile: An Anthology featuring David Scott Hay (AC114)!

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling author Heather Bartel! (heatherelizabethbartel.com)

About our guest:

Heather Bartel is the author of the essay collection Exit the Body (Split/Lip Press, 2024). Her writing has appeared recently in FENCE, Birdcoat Quarterly, Leavings, Grimoire, and Heavy Feather Review. She is founder and co-editor of the literary journal and community The Champagne Room.

Heather lives, writes, and dances in Columbia, Missouri

https://www.heatherelizabethbartel.com/

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Heather! All the best!

EXIT THE BODY, now available from Split/Lip Press!

https://www.splitlippress.com/exit-the-body

In Exit the Body, Heather Bartel makes an offering-as-essay-collection, if a collection of essays can include a tarot reading, a one-act starring dead and dreamed women, conversations with Sylvia Plath through a mirror, and letters to a living ghost.

Like journeying through the hallways of a haunted house, Bartel moves through a narrative landscape that shape-shifts, engaging in conversation with the women who haunt her to ask the question at the core of Exit the Body: what to do with an obsession with the mirror when the person in the mirror is either the only person you can trust or the one who is trying to kill you.

A dance with illusion and choice, Exit the Body is a meditation on the mind and its place within the body: what escapes, what ruptures, what is created, what echoes, and where we find ourselves on the other side.

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com).

Much love,

145. Shaine Greenwood | Transfiguration, existentialism, and sci-fi explorations

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 09:00:47 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: Listen to the latest episode of MyBadPoetry Podcast!

*Just a heads up: this episode includes strong language at times.

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling author and game designer Shaine Greenwood! (shainegreenwood.com)

About our guest:

Shaine Greenwood is a Washington State-based author and game designer. His heart is buried in writing outlandish science fiction, gripping dystopian tales, and the occasional slice of literary fiction. He loves satire and social commentary (who doesn’t?) but believes that the foundational elements of a story shouldn’t be sacrificed to convey a deeper message—any story worth its merit must be entertaining at face value while reaching for complexity. When Shaine isn’t taking in the beautiful Washington landscape on a hike or backpacking trip with his lifelong partner, he can be found designing or playing board games with friends and family or tending to his mushroom cultivation hobby—mostly shiitake, lion’s mane, and portobello. Mycelium are one of the most fascinating and diverse living things on Earth, aside from humans. Aside from this collection of short stories, Shaine has written a collection of existentialist poems titled Fires Under the Great Neural Sky. You can find more information about his works, including his art, on his websites:

•Writing and art: shainegreenwood.com •Board games: https://otherworld.games

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Shaine! All the best!

TRANSFIGURATION, now available here: https://books2read.com/u/bp1nnl

An alien from Area 51, a manufactured human, a human infused with the power of the sun, death on the terrifying and beautiful edge of space. These fourteen stories take us to the precipice of change, from the physical, mental, and spiritual to the larger and more nebulous moral and societal changes that transfigure us in myriad ways. The winds of change often arrive unexpectedly and with an unpredictable gusto. Throughout our lives, our bodies, minds, and souls evolve in a variety of ways. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not. Regardless, one certainty about change remains: We can’t control how or when it arrives on our doorstep.

This collection contains stories of people coming to terms with their mortality and the transition to death. Some meet their fates calmly and are pleasantly surprised, as is the case in Zero Percent—where misfortune falls Khana Lewis, leaving her drifting alone in space—and Ride or Die—where an alien rights activist husband and wife embark on a mission to rescue extraterrestrials from Area 51. Others gasp at their last breaths with fear or regret, like in Progeny—where a scientist throws her accomplished career away to illegally manufacture an evolution of humanity.

There are also stories of societal flux and the aftermath of such in Holographic Forefathers—where scientists work to make AI versions of the founding fathers to save the nation—and Patriot—which depicts a hyper-capitalistic globe from the perspectives of those loyal to the almighty dollar and those fighting to overcome it. Others, like Walt Whitman and The Sun and the Shepard, explore the warping of the body and mind into something new and how these changes affect the ever-shifting nature of relationships.

How will these characters be redefined under the weight of change? How will they become transfigured? How might you, if in their shoes?

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com).

Much love,

144. Merrill Joan Gerber | Revelation at the Food Bank, crafting essays, and ruminations on the writing life

Thu, 30 May 2024 18:15:55 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: Jim Clayton's latest album, LOOK OUT!

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling author Merrill J. Gerber!

About our guest: Merrill Joan Gerber has written thirty books, including The Kingdom of Brooklyn, winner of the Ribalow Award from Hadassah Magazine, and King of the World, winner of the Pushcart Editors’ Book Award. Her fiction has been published in the New Yorker, the Sewanee Review, the Atlantic, Mademoiselle, and Redbook, and her essays in the American Scholar, Salmagundi, and Commentary. She has won an O. Henry Award, a Best American Essays award, and a Wallace Stegner fiction fellowship to Stanford University. She retired in 2020 after teaching writing at the California Institute of Technology for thirty-two years. Her literary archive is now at the Yale Beinecke Rare Book Library.

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Merrill! All the best!

REVELATION AT THE FOOD BANK, now available from Sagging Meniscus Press!

https://www.saggingmeniscus.com/catalog/revelation_at_the_food_bank/

ABOUT REVELATION AT THE FOOD BANK: These powerful essays share critical moments of a writer’s life: scenes from sixty years of passionate married love; suicides faced and suicide contemplated; trauma at the DMV; a night lost searching for a harpsichord in the mountains of Florence, Italy; the tale of a beloved cousin whose plane is shot down by Japanese Zeros; and a precious friendship between two women writers derailed by the poisons of religion and politics. In the titular essay (included in Best American Essays 2023) a food bank, assuaging the pandemic’s terrors with gifts of food and prayers, becomes a portal for intimate confidences entrusted to us by a voice of unspoiled authenticity and perennial vigor.

NOTICES:

“Often hilarious, deeply moving and warmly engaging, Merrill Joan Gerber’s collection of memoirist essays is delightful reading. ‘I have a lot to say from my own mouth’—so Gerber confides in her readers with admirable candor and enviable chutzpah. There is much here that is unnervingly intimate—close-ups of a very long marriage, painful memories of a brother-in-law who was abusive to his family before taking his own life, the disappointments as well as the rewards of an intense friendship with a famous woman writer embittered by religion and politics—all of it narrated in Merrill Joan Gerber’s distinctive voice.” —Joyce Carol Oates, author of Zero-Sum

“Written from her deepest truths, these intimate essays can be heartbreaking, maybe because we see ourselves in each of them. But they are told with such humor, such delicacy, that we close the book sighing, Yes, this is life! And this is why Merrill Joan Gerber has been one of my favorites for decades.” —Judy Blume, author of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

“Uncommonly candid, honest, emotionally precise; irresistibly scrappy, edgy, visceral. Sentence by sentence, one of the best collections of personal essays I’ve read in years.” —Robert Atwan, Series Editor, The Best American Essays

" ‘Revelation at the Food Bank’, the essay that anchors Merrill Joan Gerber’s collection, gives voice to the widespread rage of the covid and post-covid era. If Gerber’s anger is universal, her expression of it is wholly her own—brutally honest, transgressive and at times hilarious. The subsequent ten pieces, including a contentious exchange with Cynthia Ozick on the subject of Jewish identity, present in kaleidoscopic form the complexity of her art.” —Joan Givner, author of Playing Sarah Bernhardt

“Merrill Gerber’s new collection of essays adds up to a rich record of twentieth-century literary life, largely epistolary, in a period when epistles were epistles, not faxes, emails, texts or DMs. Closer to the present, she addresses the way we live now with a fine blend of pathos and wit, an exact intuition for the telling and well-timed detail, and all the freshness she must have had when she first picked up her stylus long ago.” —Madison Smartt Bell, author of The Witch of Matongé

“Merrill Joan Gerber is one of those fortunate writers on whom nothing is lost. Every encounter, every venture into the world leaves deep traces, which she recreates for her readers in exquisitely wry and wise language. Revelation at the Food Bank is rooted in intimacies, and yet touches on universal experience.”

—Lynne Sharon Schwartz, author of Truthtelling: Stories, Fables, Glimpses “There are books that can be put together only after the author has turned eighty. Revelation At The Food Bank is one of them. Merrill Gerber’s language—hot, bright, bitter—as applied to marriage and the writing life is the work of one who has nothing to lose. Thus, her memoir is exciting, brutally honest, above all memorable.”

—Vivian Gornick, author of Taking a Long Look: Essays on Culture, Literature, and Feminism in Our Time “Novelist Gerber (Beauty and the Breast) brings together intimate personal essays in this stirring compendium. The hilarious title essay weaves an account of how Gerber found unexpected community at a church’s food pantry (’They give me gifts, they welcome me…. I’m a Jewish girl, but I’ve never known the rewards of religion. Is it too late?’) with reflections on the small annoyances that accumulated over her 62-year marriage (’Why does he put so much cream cheese on his bagel?’)…. Gerber is a witty and astute observer with a keen eye for detail…. Elevated by Gerber’s wry voice and crystalline prose, this impresses.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com).

Much love,

143. MJ Gomez | A burning planet, faith, and becoming a poet

Fri, 24 May 2024 03:00:00 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: Listen to SPACEWALKERS FFEEATCOPO this instant!

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling poet MJ Gomez!

About our guest: MJ Gomez is the author of Love Letters from a Burning Planet (Variant Literature, 2023). His poems are featured in Surging Tide, the Dawn Review, Anti-Heroin Chic, the Selkie, and others. You can find him on Twitter @bluejayverses

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, MJ! All the best!

LOVE LETTERS FROM A BURNING PLANET, now available from Variant Lit!

https://variantlit.com/product/love-letters/

PRAISE FOR LOVE LETTERS FROM A BURNING PLANET:

In his scintillating debut, MJ Gomez weighs love against grief, grief against god, and asks: which governs what? Replete with sensuous pauses and lush imagery, Love Letters _unravels pointedly and fearlessly, the way you would at 2 a.m. on a Wednesday, wine-drunk and unable to shake the rumor of a world you once built for someone. —Letitia Jiju, poet and editor for _Psaltery & Lyre

From its initial holy invocation of the poet’s name through the course of its burning and urgent trajectory, Love Letters from a Burning Planet sees MJ Gomez detail the intricate inner workings of a “palace of flame” in what can only be described as a triumphant debut. Poignant and deliberate at every turn, Gomez circles the body in an act of poetic ceremony, executed with heart-rending care. At its core, Love Letters reminds us: “[the] truth is we are all immortal except for our bodies.” —NAT RAUM, author of the abyss is staring back

MJ Gomez’s love letters from a burning planet crackles with language that sings and singes. “What should become of Man?” Gomez asks, and through self-portraits and studies, love letters and invocations, deftly answers: “a man is a song.” This is a radiant collection of poems that orbits devotion in all its pleasures and pains. Here are poems that bend light to make music. Here is a voice unafraid to speak in a world aflame. —Sarah Ghazal Ali, author of Theophanies

Electric, grand, and merciful. With blunt precision, Love Letters from a Burning Planet by MJ Gomez interrogates our human devotions to each other, and to the world. His debut reckons with the expanse of passion, of intimacy, and of love: “Magic doesn’t need to be real. / This body is enough, I swear.” Every poem brings new landscapes of memory to contend with these facts, overflowing with the worldly case of our own dissatisfactions and hopeless desires. Every poem traverses faith: religious, interpersonal, and individual. Gomez writes a universe beautiful and so, so human. “I send to you a flame / like a bullet / repenting.” —Daniel Liu, author of COMRADE

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com).

Much love,

142. Effy Redman | Saving Face, writing a memoir, and claiming identity

Thu, 16 May 2024 09:45:11 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: Friend of the show Alvaro Saar Rios on The Scene Podcast, give it a listen!

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling author Effy Redman! (www.effyredman.com)

About our guest: Effy Redman's writing investigates the intersection of disability and identity. She has work published in The New York Times, Vice, Ravishly, Chronogram, Berkeley Poetry Review, and Iron Horse Literary Review, among other places. She holds an MFA in Memoir from CUNY: Hunter College, where she received an Honorable Mention for the Helen Gray Cone Fellowship, and a BA in Literature/Drama from Bennington College, where she was an Ellen Knowles Harcourt Scholar and a Bennington Scholar. effyredman.com.

Twitter: @effyredman Facebook: Effy Redman Instagram: @effyredman38

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Effy! All the best!

SAVING FACE, now available from Vine Leaves Press!

https://www.vineleavespress.com/saving-face-by-effy-redman.html

ABOUT SAVING FACE: What's in a smile? Or the absent smile? Saving Face is Effy Redman's thought-provoking answer. Born with a rare condition of facial paralysis called Moebius Syndrome, Redman's grit and eye for beauty help her survive childhood bullying and adolescent doldrums. Her physical transformation at age thirteen via plastic surgery eviscerates her concept of image, just in time for her and her family to immigrate from hardscrabble Manchester, England to America's disorientingly scenic upstate New York. Not until diagnosis in young adulthood with bipolar disorder does Redman come out of the closet as a lesbian, finally claiming her most inherent identity. Saving Face is a searing personal tribute to anybody who has ever felt like an outsider. This memoir honors the grace of a face that stands out in a crowd, defying societal beauty norms. Disability meets transcendence, suffering becomes hope, and the individual expands into community. The inability to smile, in Redman’s book, lights a window onto the human capacity for redemption.

★★★★★ “This author goes where no other might dare.” Catherine Filloux, award-winning playwright

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com).

Much love,

141. Paul Cody | Walk the Dark, writing novels, and hope in the darkness

Fri, 10 May 2024 10:00:19 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: Cruznotes is back! One email a month to bring you everything happening across the cruzfolio network, join Jaime's newsletter here: cruzfolio.com/cruznotes.

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling author Paul Cody! (paulcodywriter.com)

About our guest: Paul Cody was born in Newton, Massachusetts, graduated from Newton North High School and from the University of Massachusetts at Boston, magna cum laude, With Distinction in English, and Senior Honors in Creative Writing. He worked at the Perkins School for the Blind for three years, and earned an M.F.A. from Cornell University, where he was twice co-winner of the Arthur Lynn Prize in Fiction. He has received grants from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Saltonstall Foundation, and was awarded a Stegner Fellowship by Stanford University (declined). He has worked as a housepainter, teacher, editor and journalist, was associate editor and staff writer at Cornell Magazine, where he twice won CASE awards for articles; and has taught at Cornell, Ithaca College, Hobart and William Smith Colleges and the Colgate Writing Seminars, and in Auburn Prison. His published novels include The Stolen Child (Baskerville, 1995), Eyes Like Mine (Baskerville, 1996), So Far Gone (Picador USA, 1998), Shooting the Heart (Viking, 2004), Love Is Both Wave and Particle (Roaring Brook, 2017), Sphyxia (Fomite, 2020) as well as a memoir, The Last Next Time (Irving Place Editions, 2013). His work has appeared in various periodicals, including Harper’s, Epoch, The Quarterly, Story, the Boston Globe Magazine, and Cornell Magazine, and he has appeared on Voice of America as a Critic’s Choice. He lives with his wife in Ithaca, New York.

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Paul! All the best!

WALK THE DARK available May 27th from Regal House Publishing!

https://regal-house-publishing.mybigcommerce.com/walk-the-dark

ABOUT WALK THE DARK: Oliver Curtin grows up in a nocturnal world with a mother who is a sex worker and drug addict, and whose love is real yet increasingly unreliable. His narration alternates between that troubled childhood and the present of the novel, where he is serving the last months of a thirty-years-to-life sentence in a maximum-security prison in upstate New York for a crime he committed at age seventeen. His hope for redemption is closely allied with his memories, seen with growing clarity and courage. If he can remember, then life in the larger world might be possible for him.

Praise for Walk the Dark

"Paul Cody’s Walk the Dark is creepily beautiful, full of stillness and darkness. Cody takes us into places we don’t know and shows us strange states of mind that feel absolutely true. It’s both soothing and terrifying being in Oliver’s mind, because he sees such beauty but also feels forever separated from it. For decades now I’ve seen Paul Cody’s work as the ultimate cross between horror and literary fiction, taking us deeper into the weird American night than anyone in either camp. Walk the Dark is a continuation of that same world we know from Cody’s The Stolen Child and So Far Gone, both of which are great, terrifying novels." - Stewart O’Nan, author of Last Night at the Lobster, Emily, Alone; and Wish You Were Here

"Walk the Dark is harrowing and vivid, taut as a wire. Paul Cody intertwines terror and hope; he knows how to hook his readers from the start -- and on every page. Keep the lights burning when you open this spell-binding book." - Julie Schumacher, author of Dear Committee Members

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com).

Much love,

140. David Winner | Master Lovers, writing a fictional memoir, and personal vs historical

Thu, 02 May 2024 08:00:57 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: Cruznotes is back! One email a month to bring you everything happening across the cruzfolio network, join Jaime's newsletter here: cruzfolio.com/cruznotes.

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling author David Winner! (david-winner.com)

About our guest: David Winner is the author of three novels, Enemy Combatant, Tyler’s Last and The Cannibal of Guadalajara, winner of the 2009 Gival Press Novel Award and nominated for the National Book Award. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, Fiction, The Iowa Review, The Millions, The Kenyon Review and other publications in the U.S. and the U.K. He is the fiction editor of The American (www.theamericanmag. com), a monthly magazine based in Rome, a senior editor at Statorec magazine and a regular contributor to The Brooklyn Rail. Most recently, he is the co-editor of Writing the Virus: Work from Statorec magazine. Learn more at david-winner.com

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, David! All the best!

MASTER LOVERS is now available from Outpost 19!

https://bookshop.org/p/books/master-lovers-david-winner/20232214?ean=9781944853884

ABOUT MASTER LOVERS: While clearing out his great aunt's midtown apartment after her death, author David Winner discovered artifacts of her storied existence: notes from opera stars, love letters and artifacts from the Middle East of the 1930’s. His Aunt Dorle Soria had been a co-founder of Angel Records and a prominent figure in the mid-century classical music world. But the more he learned about her world, the more complicated her story became, a twisted puzzle full of love and fascism, a record of a young woman grappling with her attraction to lovers with hair-raising political ties. A powerful work of family discovery, rooted in a bygone Midtown Manhattan and involving artists and politicians from around the world.

BOOKLIFE STARRED REVIEW! "An engrossing story about the life and times of a singular woman who lived life to the fullest... A fascinating 'fictional memoir' memoir of a trailblazing great aunt and her mysteries."

KIRKUS RAVES! "A fascinating blend of the personal and the historical, and a provocative comment on the ways in which both resist interpretive finality."

Full reviews and advance praise from Ann Beattie, Clifford Thompson and Sean O'Driscoll.

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com).

Much love,

139. Lee Upton | Tabitha, Get Up: a comic novel, biographers, and playing with forms

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 17:30:23 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: Cruznotes is back! One email a month to bring you everything happening across the cruzfolio network, join Jaime's secret newsletter here: cruzfolio.com/cruznotes.

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling author Lee Upton! (www.leeupton.com)

About our guest: Lee Upton’s comic novel Tabitha, Get Up is forthcoming in May 2024. Another novel, a literary mystery, will be out in May 2025. Her books include her seventh collection of poetry, The Day Every Day Is (Saturnalia Books 2023), two short story collections, a novella, four books of literary criticism, and an essay collection. Her poetry has appeared in The New Yorker, Poetry, and Southern Review, as well as three editions of Best American Poetry. She is the recipient of the Pushcart Prize, the National Poetry Series Award, Poetry Society of America awards, the Miami University Novella Prize, the Open Book Award, the Saturnalia Book Prize, and other honors. www.leeupton.com

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Lee! All the best!

TABITHA, GET UP is forthcoming May 22nd, 2024 from Sagging Meniscus Press, is now available for pre-order: https://bookshop.org/p/books/tabitha-get-up-lee-upton/21257767

ABOUT TABITHA, GET UP: Tabitha is a lonely fifty-year-old biographer who, in order to restore her self-respect and pay her rent, attempts to write two biographies simultaneously: one about an actor so famous his face is on the side of buses, and the other about a popular writer of children’s books recently outed as an author of erotic fiction. Is Tabitha ready to deal with interviewing an actor so handsome and charismatic she thinks he should be bottled and sprayed on belligerent people as a form of crowd control? Can she form a genuine friendship with a cult novelist who pressures her to compromise her values? While facing these and other challenges, Tabitha is bedeviled by memories of her long-ago divorce and the terrible wedding when, accidentally bumped on a balcony, she shot off into the shrubbery. Is it true, she wonders, that there’s probably a dead body beneath the floating rot of any marriage? When surrounded by pretentious beautiful people does it help to imagine their intestines are full of worms? Are champagne bubbles the devil’s air pockets? Is it ever too late to change your life—from the bottom up?

NOTICES: “For starters, Lee Upton’s novel Tabitha, Get Up is funny—really, really funny. On top of that, narrator Tabitha’s clumsy, desperate, charming search for human connection—not to mention a paying gig—is also a serious look at whether it’s possible to bluff and hustle a life together. You’re going to love this book.” —David Ebenbach, author of The Guy We Didn’t Invite to the Orgy

“Tabitha, Get Up is another remarkable book by the irrepressible Lee Upton, a novel that might remind you of the work of some of our finest living comic novelists—Elizabeth McCracken, Jincy Willett, Elizabeth McKenzie—but in the end is a book only Upton herself could have written. Its protagonist, Tabitha, is a glorious piece of work: a biographer with a feverish mind and a long list of antagonists and an indomitable spirit and an unforgettable voice and major money problems. I wouldn’t want anyone to live her life, but I very much want everyone to read her book. It’s Lee Upton’s best, funniest, and most ingenious work of fiction yet. Which is to say, it’s the best, funniest, most ingenious work of fiction you’ll read this year, and most other years, too.” —Brock Clarke, author of Who Are You, Calvin Bledsoe? and I, Grape

“There is no form of the novel. The novel has no form. The novel takes no form. The novel takes forms. It is a voracious form, the novel. Tabitha, Get Up, Lee Upton’s comely new novel, presents as a series of exquisite “Notes,” and thus a “Notebook,” a book of Notes, to self, to random others, to you who finds them. A compendium of memorandums makes up the meat of the matter, a tender texture to the text, marginalia that has been turned outside in, has migrated edgily into the heart of the heart. Formally the form is perfectly organic to this novel new novel, parts being greater than the sum of the whole, this map more detailed than the thing it represents, this round-up of resuscitation, reconstitution, and reply. Riding herd, Upton wrangles a novel that writes itself and rights itself. —Michael Martone, author of Plain Air: Sketches from Winesburg, Indiana

“Tabitha lives! In Tabitha, Get Up, Lee Upton has created an ebullient, witty, slightly nutty, and totally lovable character whose distinctive voice will stay with you long after you’ve closed the book. Smart, funny, crazy in the best sense, and a total joy!” —Iris Smyles, author of Droll Tales

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com).

138. C.M. Crockford | Birdsongs, farewell to punk, and responding with resilience

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 10:00:25 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: cruzfolio.com/now!

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling writer and editor C.M. Crockford! (www.cmcrockford.net)

About our guest: C.M. Crockford is the author of the full-length collection Birdsongs (Alien Buddha Press, 2024) as well as two chapbooks, Mark The Place (Thirty West Publishing, 2020) and Adore (Iron Lung Press, 2018). His essays, poetry, and fiction have been featured in The Cleveland Review of Books, Abducted Cow Magazine, CineSPEAK Journal, Vastarien, Serotonin Poetry, and Vast Chasm Magazine among many others. He also co-hosted The Barn: A Podcast About The Shield alongside Mason Maguire. Otherwise, Crockford reads crime fiction, collects punk badges and stim toys, and lives in Philadelphia with his cat Wally.

Socials:

https://www.instagram.com/cm_crockford/

https://twitter.com/cm_crockford

BIRDSONGS, now available from Alien Buddha Press: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CV5X9RCB/

ABOUT BIRDSONGS: "Birdsongs: Poems 2020-2023" by C.M. Crockford is a mesmerizing collection that transcends the boundaries of language to immerse readers in a kaleidoscope of emotions. Crockford's evocative verses paint vibrant landscapes where desire, resilience, and nostalgia take flight like free-spirited birds. From the raw intensity of "Animal" to the reflective echoes of "Winter's Visit," this book invites you on a poetic journey through the intricate melodies of life. With each poem, Crockford unveils a world where nature, love, and societal reflections blend seamlessly, creating a symphony of words that resonate long after the final verse. "Birdsongs" is an enchanting testament to the power of poetry, capturing the essence of existence with a grace that is both timeless and profoundly relevant.

In Birdsongs, C.M. Crockford gives us poems that take flight—but expect turbulence. This collection soars through sweaty basements, punk bars, and the harsh realities of contemporary life. With accessible language and animalistic passion, readers will find that these poems “hum hungry energy” and trill with biting candor.

—Adam Gianforcaro, author of Every Living Day (Thirty West Publishing House, 2023)

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, C.M.! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com). If you like the show: leave a review, or share it with someone who's starting their creative journey! Your support truly makes a difference! Go make a dent.

Much love,

137. Court Ludwick | These Strange Bodies, Broken Antler Mag, and hybrid forms

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 11:15:37 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: My Bad Poetry Podcast!

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling Court Ludwick! (www.courtlud.com).

About our guest: Court Ludwick is the author of These Strange Bodies (ELJ Editions, 2024) and the founding editor-in-chief of Broken Antler Magazine. Her writing has been nominated for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize, and can be found in Denver Quarterly, Stonecoast Review, Necessary Fiction, Oxford Magazine, Full House Literary, West Trade Review, and elsewhere. Court’s art has shown at the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, and she has visual work forthcoming in Zaum Magazine, Bleating Thing Magazine, and body fluids. She is the recipient of a 2024 Sioux Falls Arts Council Artist Grant, and she has taught workshops on hybrid writing and experimental form, most recently for The Dakota Writing Project and Vermillion Literacy Project. Court has an MA from Texas Tech University and is a current PhD student at the University of South Dakota, where she teaches literature and composition. Find Court on socials @courtludwick. Find more of Court’s writing and art on www.courtlud.com.

Socials: https://www.instagram.com/courtludwick

https://twitter.com/courtludwick

https://www.brokenantlermag.com

THESE STRANGE BODIES, A memoir-in-fragments, is forthcoming from ELJ Editions in September 2024: https://elj-editions.com/these-strange-bodies

About THESE STRANGE BODIES: Court Ludwick’s These Strange Bodies is an intimate account of two tumultuous years and a clarifying dissection of how the female body exists in public and social spaces that are rooted in gendered and sexual violence. Composed of essays, prose poems, and the occasional experiment, this memoir-in-fragments navigates sexual assault, a mother’s arrest, a panic disorder diagnosis, a breakup, a stream of new lovers, a flirtation with stimulant drugs, and the ups and downs of trying to let it all go. As the collection grapples with memory’s fragmentary nature, past and present collide on the page. And as Ludwick charts the difficulty of filling in the gaps, threads blending cultural critique, human anatomy, poetry, and personal narrative expose the strange acts historically forced on bodies, the estrangement one can experience from their body, and the strangeness that is felt when trying to find a way through all this chaos, through all this strange.

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Court! All the best!

Much love,

136. Maria C. Palmer and Ruthie Robbins | On the Rocks: Co-authoring, patience, and collaboration

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 11:30:28 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: Maria C. Palmer Arts Calling Episode 109!

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling co-authors Maria C. Palmer & Ruthie Robbins!

About our guests:

Maria Costanzo Palmer is an author and grant writer. Growing up as the oldest child of an award-winning restaurateur, Maria unexpectedly became a daughter of the incarcerated. This experience ignited an interest in working for Get on the Bus, a nonprofit dedicated to uniting children with their incarcerated parents. A former host on L.A. Talk Radio, Maria was recently featured on Food and Beverage Magazine Live and has made a number of media appearances. You can find Maria on FB and IG @joecostanzoprimadonna and on Twitter @mariacpalmer. For more information, visit www.mariacpalmer.com.

Ruthie Robbins is an award-winning educator who worked for the Montour School District in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA, and for Johns Hopkins University Talent Development Secondary. Ruthie grew up in "The Rocks" but now teaches English Language Arts and music in Buffalo, New York. Best known as co-creator of a popular interdisciplinary unit for Pittsburgh's Kennywood Park, Ruthie is currently working on other books and is preparing to launch The Writing Factory Online, a comprehensive writing program for middle schools.

On the Rocks, now available: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C678ZVSV

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mariacpalmer

Maria and Ruthie: Thanks for this wonderful conversation! All the best!

Much love,

135. Heather G. Marshall | When the Ocean Flies: Fiction vs memoir, mindfulness, and writing beyond trauma

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 07:30:55 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: Arcade Bookshop Podcast!

What did you think of the episode? Send Jaime a message!

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling author and coach Heather G. Marshall! (heathergmarshall.com)

About our Guest: Heather G. Marshall is an adoptee, author, speaker, teacher, coach, and traveler. Her short fiction has been published in a variety of journals, including Black Middens: New Writing Scotland, and Quarried, an anthology of the best of three decades of Pine Mountain Sand and Gravel. Her first novel, The Thorn Tree, released in 2014 (MP Publishing). Her TED talk, “Letting Go of Expectations,” centers around her adoption and reunion. Originally from Scotland, Heather is currently based in Massachusetts. heathergmarshall.com

WHEN THE OCEAN FLIES, now available from Vine Leaves Press! https://bookshop.org/p/books/when-the-ocean-flies-heather-g-marshall/20885419

About WHEN THE OCEAN FLIES: An email from a stranger tells Alison Earley that her natural father, whom she has known for only six years, has died suddenly. What begins as a short trip back to Scotland for a funeral soon becomes a journey that puts adoption, sexuality, and identity on a collision course as Alison finds herself caught between the life and family she has so carefully constructed on one continent and the family from which she was taken on another. Shunned by her father's family, reunited with her natural mother, and reconnected with a long-lost love, Alison finds herself trying to shepherd her youngest child towards college while questioning everything she thought she knew about herself. When her natural mother uncovers a series of letters written to Alison from the grandmother she never knew, resurrecting the stories of generations of women-stories long buried by patriarchal rule-Alison realizes that she must find the courage to face and reveal the secrets of her own past. At what cost, though? And who and what will be left in the aftermath? When the Ocean Flies explores the pain of separation and abuse, and the power of love to heal even over huge gaps in time and geographical distance.

Letting Go of Expectations, Heather's Ted Talk, now available here: https://heathergmarshall.com/books-and-writing/letting-go-of-expectations/

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Heather! All the best!

What did you think of the episode? Send Jaime a message!

134. Sam Chue | Naegle Fowleri, Washingtones Records, and a music community

Thu, 22 Feb 2024 07:30:09 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: Arcade Bookshop Podcast!

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling singer/songwriter Sam Chue! washingtonesrecords.com

About our Guest: Sam Chue, local outsider singer-songwriter plays a mix of his newest songs and a few tunes from the past. He has been playing original music in Bellingham and out of his car throughout the i-90 corridor since 2007 and he brings a refreshing spin to the folk genre.

Naegle Fowleri (IG @naeglefowleri) is the bassist and sometimes singer of the virtual band, howling brave. Listen to the episode to learn more about this mystery.

Washingtones Records is a Bellingham, Washington-based independent record label that goes the extra mile to empower artists that deserve a bigger audience. Sam Chue and Tim Mechling started Washingtones out of necessity. After a few releases of their own, they discovered a serious and surprising lack of music reviews, features, representation and media for independent artists. We’re dedicated to bringing physical and digital media to the northwest of the northwest. Independent music deserves your undivided attention. We always fight for the underdog.

Instagram: @washingtonesrecords | Facebook: @washingtonesrecords | YouTube: @WashingtonesRecords | TikTok @washingtonesrecords

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Sam! All the best!

What did you think of the episode? Send Jaime a message!

133. Tyler C. Gore | My Life of Crime: Essay as memoir, exploding appendixes, and other entertainments

Thu, 25 Jan 2024 08:00:24 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: 2024 Jaime Updates!

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling author Tyler C. Gore! https://tylergore.com

About our Guest: Tyler C. Gore is the author of My Life of Crime: Essays and Other Entertainments, shortlisted for the Eric Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize. My Life of Crime was also a First Horizon Award Finalist, and appeared in the Independent Book Review’s list of “Impressive Indie Books of 2022.” Tyler has been cited five times as a Notable Essayist by The Best American Essays annual anthology and is the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship for Creative Writing. For many years, he served as art director of Literal Latte, and currently serves on the editorial boards of Exacting Clam and StatORec. His essays, stories, and reviews have appeared in many of the fine, high-quality journals preferred by discerning readers like you. He lives, as he dreams, in Brooklyn.

Twitter: @TylerCGore | Insta: @tylermustwashhands

MY LIFE OF CRIME: ESSAYS AND OTHER ENTERTAINMENTS, now available from Sagging Meniscus Press! https://www.saggingmeniscus.com/catalog/my_life_of_crime/

About MY LIFE OF CRIME: An awkward visit to a nude beach. A bike-pedaling angel careening through rush-hour traffic. The mystery of a sandwich found in a bathroom stall. A lyric, rainy-day ramble through the East Village. With the personal essays (and three other entertainments) in this debut collection, Tyler C. Gore reveals the artistic secrets of his life of crime: a charming wit, compassionate observation, perfection of style, and, over all, a winsomely colorful light tinged with just enough despair. Whether stewing over a subway encounter with a deranged businessman, confessing his sordid past as a prankster, or recounting his family’s history of hoarding, Gore is by turns melancholy, profound and hilarious. The collection culminates with the novella-length essay “Appendix,” a twisted, sprawling account of routine surgery that grapples with evolution, mortality, strangely attractive doctors, simulated universes, and an anorexic cat. My Life of Crime conjures up from the flotsam of an individual life something uncannily majestic: an insomniac contemplation of life in our eternal, twenty-four-hour New York City, infused throughout with its grit, humanity, unexpected romance, and the poignant intimacy of all the lives joined together within it.

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Tyler! All the best!

Like the podcast? Thoughts/concerns? Jaime would love to hear from you, send him a message!

132. Hilary Zaid | Forget I Told You This, writing a techno-thriller, and handmade magic

Sun, 31 Dec 2023 11:00:10 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: Nighthawks Podcast!

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling author Hilary Zaid! hilaryzaid.com

About our Guest: Hilary Zaid has been a Tennessee Williams Scholar at the Sewanee Writers' Conference, a James D. Houston Fellow at the Community of Writers and two-time attendee of Tin House Writers' Workshop. Her work has appeared in Mother Jones, Ecotone, Day One, The Southwest Review, and The Utne Reader and elsewhere. Long-listed for the 2018 Northern California Independent Booksellers' Award for Fiction, her novel Paper is White is a 2018 Foreword Indies silver medalist and the winner of the 2018 Independent Publishers' Book Awards (IPPY) in LGBT+ Fiction. Her novel Forget I Told You This (Zero Street Fiction), is the inaugural winner of the Barbara DiBernard Award. Hilary holds an AB in English from Harvard and a Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Berkeley.

Hilary has mentored aspiring writers through AWP's Writer-to-Writer Mentor program, the Golden Crown Literary Society and as a volunteer mentor and mentor-coordinator of the College Essay Mentors in the Oakland Unified School District, an equity program offering high school seniors from under-served communities.

Twitter: @hilaryzaid | Insta: @hilary_zaid/

FORGET I TOLD YOU THIS, now available from Zero Street Fiction! https://www.hilaryzaid.com/forget-i-told-you-this.html

About Forget I Told You This: Amy Black, a queer single mother and an aspiring artist in love with calligraphy, dreams of a coveted artist’s residency at the world’s largest social media company, Q. One ink-black October night, when the power is out in the hills of Oakland, California, a stranger asks Amy to transcribe a love letter for him. When the stranger suddenly disappears, Amy’s search for the letter’s recipient leads her straight to Q and the most beautiful illuminated manuscript she has ever seen, the Codex Argentus, hidden away in Q’s Library of Books That Don’t Exist—and to a group of data privacy vigilantes who want her to burn Q to the ground. Amy’s curiosity becomes her salvation, as she’s drawn closer and closer to the secret societies and crackpot philosophers that haunt the city’s abandoned warehouses and defunct train depots. All of it leads to an opportunity of a lifetime: an artist’s residency deep in the holographic halls of Q headquarters. It’s a dream come true—so long as she follows Q’s rules.

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Hilary! All the best!

Like the podcast? Thoughts/concerns? Jaime would love to hear from you, send him a message!

131. Kate Brandt | Hope for the Worst, 1980s NYC, and a spiritual journey

Sat, 30 Dec 2023 09:30:34 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: Nighthawks Podcast!

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling writer and educator Kate Brandt! https://katebrandt.net

About our Guest: Kate Brandt is a graduate of the MFA Writing program at Sarah Lawrence College. Her work has appeared in literary anthologies, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, Literary Mama, Ginosko, and Redivider, among other publications. Hope for the Worst, her first novel, is informed by her experiences with Tibetan Buddhism, magic, self-delusion, desire, despair, and healing, as well as her travels through Europe, Africa, and Asia. Kate is also a teacher and teacher trainer in adult literacy in New York City. In this role, she is privileged to work with a community of smart, dedicated educators in service to adult students who, despite difficult circumstances, continue to pursue an education in the hope of improving their lives.

Twitter: @kbrandtwriter | Insta: @kbrandtwriter

HOPE FOR THE WORST, now available from Vine Leaves Press! https://www.vineleavespress.com/hope-for-the-worst-by-kate-brandt.html

About Hope for the Worst: At twenty-seven, Ellie Adkins doesn’t have all that much going for her–a dead-end job at a New York City nonprofit; a boyfriend who has left her; distant and divorced parents. But it is the suffering caused by Calvin, her Buddhist teacher, that she can’t get past. A year ago, Calvin seduced her, and his Buddhist teachings became her world. Now, he has dropped her, and Ellie struggles to reconcile his teachings—the idea that nothing has inherent reality; that the way to salvation is through abandonment of the self–with the intense pain in her heart. Ellie’s devotion to Calvin will lead her to undertake an expedition to Tibet on his behalf; there, injured and in danger on a solo trek, she will have to choose between devotion and her own life.

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Kate! All the best!

Like the podcast? Thoughts/concerns? Jaime would love to hear from you, send him a message!

130. Wendy Bashant | The Same Bright Moon, teaching in China, and writing a memoir

Tue, 26 Dec 2023 09:00:08 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: Nighthawks Podcast!

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling writer and educator Wendy Bashant!

About our Guest: Wendy Bashant taught and served as a dean and professor of English for thirty years at schools as diverse as UC-San Diego, Coe College, New College of Florida, Eastman School of Music, and California Western School of Law. Her writing includes scholarly articles, book chapters, poetry, and travel articles. She was a finalist for both the Peter Taylor Prize for Literature and the Gival Press Novel Award. Her memoir, The Same Bright Moon, was a 2023 New York Book Festival winner.

A graduate of Middlebury College (BA) and the University of Rochester (Ph.D.), she currently lives in San Diego with her husband and two cats. She teaches adult literacy through the public library system and volunteers at the San Diego Zoo. She also plays the harp and tries to practice her Mandarin with as much regularity and discipline as she can muster.

Insta: @wbashant1 Twitter: @BashantWendy

THE SAME BRIGHT MOON, now available! https://www.amazon.com/Same-Bright-Moon-Teaching-Generation/dp/B0CDNM82VZ

About THE SAME BRIGHT MOON: In 2019, Wendy Bashant, a burned-out college dean, quits her job to teach two hundred students in the ancient, walled city of Xi’an, China. The year turns extraordinary when tensions between China and the U.S. escalate: first tit-for-tat tariffs; then a worldwide pandemic; finally lockdowns, closed consulates, and expelled journalists. All the while, accusations are lobbed back and forth like flaming arrows launched over the Pacific. Against this background of aggression, Wendy tries to teach a class in American culture. Instead, her students describe the realities of growing up in an emerging global power. Through their experiences and compelling perspectives, the students debate various issues, such as environmentalism, gender, healthcare and political conflict. The Same Bright Moon is a collaborative memoir highlighting the stories of these students through their assignments, discussions and poetry at the height of Covid-19. Their vibrant voices will challenge, inspire, and bring hope for the future.

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Wendy! All the best!

Like the podcast? Thoughts/concerns? Jaime would love to hear from you, send him a message!

129. Kamal X | Black Astronaut, photography, and capturing American turmoil

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 08:55:11 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: Hey Playwright!

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling photographer Kamal X!! (www.iamkamalx.com)

About Kamal, in his own words: I am Kamal X, a professional photographer who has been documenting my travels throughout the world since 2015. Photography found me at a time in my life when I felt confused and voiceless. I wasn’t sure of where I was internally and what direction I wanted my life to go. I welcomed my challenges and I found myself drawn to creating images that evoke emotions rooted in the many universal elements of the human experience. My goal is to tell stories from all walks of life and give a raw voice to the world we live in, through compassion and honesty.

BLACK ASTRONAUT, now available for purchase here: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Astronaut-Kamal-X/dp/1908211938/

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/iamkamalx

About BLACK ASTRONAUT: THE STARS BELONG TO THE PEOPLE Join award-winning photographer Kamal X on his epic search for beauty through a divided America. Black Astronaut is an extraordinary collection of powerful images that tell the stories of the everyday people behind the sensationalized headlines, a nuanced representation of the new Black America. Living, loving and fighting for a better world in difficult times. Open your heart to this electrifying collection of images, as Kamal X uses his camera to explore America after George Floyd, Covid-19, and Trump by finding beauty, humanity, and hope in the rage of a people under fire. Black Astronaut serves as a raw opportunity to re-evaluate one’s own intersection with the ongoing shifts in society that bring renewed threats to communities against a background framed by the unequal impact of economic volatility. This book is about looking at the recent past to try to find a direction for the near future.

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Kamal! All the best!

Comments and suggestions welcome: Send Jaime a message!

128. Richard Jeffrey Newman | The Return! And T'shuvah: a new poetry collection

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 08:00:45 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: Switchyard Podcast !

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling poet Richard Jeffrey Newman for a second appearance on the podcast!! (richardjnewman.com)

About: Richard Jeffrey Newman is the author of Words for What Those Men Have Done (Guernica Editions 2017) and The Silence of Men (CavanKerry Press 2006), as well as the translation, The Teller of Tales: Stories from Ferdowsi’s Shahameh (Junction Press 2011). He curates the First Tuesdays reading series and is Professor of English at Nassau Community College.

His latest poetry collection, T'shuvah, is now available from Fernwood Press! https://www.fernwoodpress.com/2023/09/07/tshuvah/

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/richardjnewman Microblog: https://richnewman.micro.blog/

Thanks for returning a second time, Richard, such a pleasure to catch up! All the best!

Comments and suggestions welcome: Send Jaime a message!

127. John Yamrus | 24 Poems, honest writing, and a poet's life

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:45:52 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: The First Draft Club: A podcast from Mary Adkins!

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling poet John Yamrus!

About:

In a career spanning more than 50 years as a working writer, John Yamrus has published 35 books (29 volumes of poetry, 2 novels, 3 volumes of non-fiction and a children’s book). He has also had nearly 3,000 poems published in magazines and anthologies around the world. A number of his books and poems are taught in college and university courses. He is widely considered to be a master of minimalism and the neo-noir in modern poetry. His latest books are TWENTY FOUR POEMS and SELECTED POEMS: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT. A volume of his SELECTED POEMS was recently published in Albania and TWENTY FOUR POEMS is due out in translation later this year.

24 Poems, now available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRCC2LTW

Thanks for this delightful conversation, John! All the best!

Comments and suggestions welcome: Send Jaime a message!

126. BV Wolfgang | The Spacewalkers FFEEATCOPO, existentialism, and hopeful songs

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 09:30:19 -0000

Weekly Shoutout: Liars and Leeches - A Supernatural Horror Audio Drama!

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling musician and existential creative BV Wolfgang of The Spacewalkers FFEEATCOPO!

About: Welcome to The Spacewalkers Foundation for Extraterrestrial Exploration and the Circumvention of Planned Obsolescence. Founded by BV Wolfgang and an ever-growing staff of dreamers, inventors, scientists, and artists, the Foundation aims to infinitely extend consciousness through art, philosophy, technology, and an impressive amount of Hologram Dogs™

Listen to the latest tracks here: linktr.ee/thespacewalkers

Read the Spacewalkers Substack! https://spacewalkers.substack.com

Follow on Instagram: @thespacewalkers

Thanks for this delightful conversation, BV! All the best!

Comments and suggestions welcome: Send Jaime a message!

125. Anne Leigh Parrish | A Summer Morning, interconnected works, and creative sustainability

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 06:45:36 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling novelist and poet Anne Leigh Parrish!

About our guest:

Anne Leigh is the author of twelve books with her latest poetry collection, If The Sky Won’t Have Me, published in April 2023 by Unsolicited Press. Her next novel, A Summer Morning, arrives in October 2023, also from Unsolicited Press. She lives in Olympia, Washington.

A SUMMER MORNING, now available for from Unsolicited Press! https://www.anneleighparrish.com/a-summer-morning/

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Anne! All the best!

https://www.blurb.com/b/11639745-the-crystal-crypt-film-art-book

124. Arts Calling Q&A with Jaime Alejandro and Shahab Zargari

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 08:00:01 -0000

Hi there,

We're trying something different today: Today I'm thrilled to bring you an Arts Calling Q&A! Friend of the show Shahab Zargari stops by to help me process the first 100 episodes of the podcast and some lessons along the way. Hope you enjoy!!

About our Guest: Shahab Zargari is an award-winning Iranian-American filmmaker and administrative faculty member of the UNLV College of Fine Arts. After years of creating original short-form streaming content, Shahab made his directorial debut with the Philip K. Dick adaptation, THE CRYSTAL CRYPT (2013), an official selection at the San Diego Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival. He continued to hone his craft, creating original films, music videos, and a multitude of commissioned works. Shahab’s short films MY NAME IS ART (2018) and OH, THE GUILT (2021) garnered a dozen awards from a variety of prestigious festivals, including official selection to Amazon’s inaugural All Voices Film Festival, a digital festival celebrating underrepresented communities. Currently, the Docu-Dance short ‘The UNLV Shoah Project‘ is making rounds in the film festival circuit. You can view all of his creative output on his Vimeo and Youtube accounts.

THE CRYSTAL CRYPT 10 year anniversary art book is now available here!

Thanks for making this happen, Shahab! All the best!

Mentioned in the episode: https://www.instagram.com/inspiredtowrite

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com). Like the show? Tell your creative friends, leave a review, or send me an email here. Your support truly makes a difference! Go make a dent. Much love,

Comments and suggestions welcome: Send Jaime a message!

123. Jim Clayton | Round II: Look Out, a new album!

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 07:30:39 -0000

Weekly shoutout: My Bad Poetry Podcast!

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling musician Jim Clayton! (jimclaytonjazz.com)

About our guest: DownBeat Magazine called Jim Clayton’s music “warm, happy, and soulful.” He calls it a blend of bebop and New Orleans, the city he considers a second home. His repertoire is a mix of jazz standards, reimagined pop classics, and his own memorable writing. Jim’s last two albums, Lenny Jumps In (2016) and Songs My Daughter Knows (2014) landed on the jazz radio charts in both Canada and the USA. He won three national awards with recording act The Clayton/Scott Group, and his music has been heard internationally on radio, in film, and on television (including Dateline NBC, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and MTV). Jim spent a decade as a music director with acclaimed theatre company The Second City, entertaining audiences around the globe, from ex-pats in Asia to our troops in Bosnia. He began streaming nightly performances at the start of the pandemic; after over 750 online shows, Jim garnered 30,000 new online followers.

LOOK OUT, A NEW ALBUM OUT OCTOBER 3RD: https://jimclaytonjazz.com

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Jim! All the best!

Comments and suggestions welcome: Send Jaime a message!

122. Anna Dickson James | Boys Buy Me Drinks to Watch Me Fall Down: A new collection!

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 06:00:52 -0000

Weekly shoutout: A Word? Hosted by Kellie Scott-Reed, from Roi Fain éa nt Press!

*Some episodes of arts calling may feature strong language or discuss difficult subjects.

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling writer and educator Anna Dickson James! (whiskeytit.com/authors/anna-dickson-james)

About our guest: Anna Dickson James earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Queens University of Charlotte, NC and teaches English at Garrett College in Deep Creek, Maryland. Her work has appeared in Anthology of Appalachian Writers, she was a two-time finalist for the West Virginia Fiction Prize, and has won numerous awards from WV Writers, Inc. Writing these stories helped her understand a time in her life when she gave up much of her personal power, and the compilation of this collection was an avenue for helping her to reclaim it.

Twitter: @annabanana57

BOYS BUY ME DRINKS TO MAKE ME FALL DOWN, now available from Whiskey Tit! https://whiskeytit.com/product/boys-buy-me-drinks-to-watch-me-fall-down/

Boys Buy Me Drinks to Watch Me Fall Down is the quietly opened vein that every literate woman is hiding with a strategically positioned clutch or behind sleeves not quite right for the weather. These are not your everyday stories of resilience — while the heart may be laid bare, the women here don’t have time to hit the fainting couch with their trauma. No. The women here are too sharp for that. And too busy. They’re busy carrying worlds on their shoulders; they’re busy with sex (and equally busy when the sex is great and when it’s not); they’re busy being messy and complicated and generally busy with the business of existence, with making sure you don’t see that vein. As for author Anna Dickson James? She’s busy exploring the many delicate and thoroughly original ways to let you see it anyway.

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Anna! All the best!

121. Elizabeth M. Castillo | Not Quite an Ocean, multilingual poetry, and different things

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 07:30:07 -0000

Weekly shoutout: switchyardtulsa.com

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling poet Elizabeth M. Castillo! (elizabethmcastillo.net)

About our guest: Elizabeth M Castillo is a multilingual poet, writer, teacher and a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee. She lives in Paris with her family and two cats, where she writes a variety of different things, in a variety of different languages, and under a variety of pen names. Elizabeth is committed to promoting the indie arts, especially from women creators, and has a particular soft spot for women of colour who are also neurodivergent, much like herself. She’s found writing and creativity to be central to her own well-being and mental health, and is always keen to accompany other artists on their journey to developing their own authentic creative practice. In her writing Elizabeth explores the different countries and cultures she grew up with, as well as themes of race & ethnicity, motherhood, womanhood, language, love, loss and grief, and a touch of magical realism. Her writing has been featured in publications and anthologies in the UK, US, Australia, Mexico and the Middle East. Her bilingual, debut collection “Cajoncito: Poems on Love, Loss, y Otras Locuras” is for sale on Amazon, and her debut chapbook "Not Quite an Ocean" is on available now from Nine Pens Press. You can connect with her on Twitter @EMCWritesPoetry and IG as EMCWritesPoetry, or on her website.

NOT QUITE AN OCEAN, now available from Nine Pens Press! https://www.amazon.com/dp/1739151747

'Not Quite an Ocean' by Elizabeth M. Castillo is a paean to the feminine, to motherhood and to the natural world. At once these poems are both unabashed in their celebration of womanhood, and are searing in their unflinching confrontation with darker undercurrents that threaten to break and destroy. The poems in 'Not Quite an Ocean' are beacons, are rallying calls, and are ultimately a roars of strength, pride and hope that cannot be silenced or subdued: To be woman is to be everything All things bound together and, if you can manage it that little bit more.

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Elizabeth! All the best!

120. Catherine Shields | The Shape of Normal: Parenting, disabilities, and self-discovery

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 09:00:08 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling wonderful writer Catherine (Cathy) Shields! (www.cathyshieldswriter.com)

About our guest: Catherine (Cathy) Shields writes about parenting, disabilities, and self-discovery. She is a retired educator with an M.S. Ed in Exceptional Education. Her experience includes networking and dealing with children and families of persons with disabilities. Cathy and her husband reside in Miami, Florida, where they raised three grown daughters. They kayak, ride bikes, hike in the Everglades, and visit the two grandchildren who live nearby.

THE SHAPE OF NORMAL, coming from VINE LEAVES PRESS November 2023! https://www.vineleavespress.com/the-shape-of-normal-by-catherine-shields.html

The Shape of Normal: A Memoir of Motherhood, Disability and Embracing a Different Kind of Perfect opens with a scene in my twenty-eight-year-old daughter’s empty bedroom. Jessica, my grown-up child, graduated from Sesame Street to YouTube, collecting teen magazines, playing her music at ear-splitting volumes, and singing the lyrics to all the top-ten songs. I reminisce about the years spent struggling with unresolved feelings, my ableism, and my fear of how the world perceived Jessica. She is the hero of this story. “My daughter was never broken. I was. And I was never on a hero’s journey to save her I was the one who needed saving.”

Thanks for this remarkable conversation, Cathy! All the best!

119. Terena Elizabeth Bell | Tell Me What You See: an experimental novel, 3rd person personal, and starting with rocks

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 09:00:44 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling the phenomenal fiction writer Terena Elizabeth Bell! (terenabell.com)

About our guest: Terena Elizabeth Bell is a fiction writer. Her debut short story collection, Tell Me What You See (Whiskey Tit), publishes Holiday 2022. Short fiction, poetry, and journalism work have published in more than 100 publications internationally, including The Atlantic, Playboy, MysteryTribune, Santa Monica Review, _and _Saturday Evening Post. Short fiction has won grants from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. She is a 2021 NYFA City Artists Corps winner, a 2018 Arlene Eisenberg Award winner, a 2018 Azbee Award of Excellence winner, and Centre College’s 2014 Distinguished Young Alumna of the Year. Lead editor of the Writing Through the Classics series of books on fiction craft, she has taught creative writing independently and through the New York Society Library, Woodlawn Children’s Home, and Bowling Green State University. Originally from Sinking Fork, Kentucky, she lives in New York City. Follow Terena on Twitter! @terenabell

TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE, now available from Whiskey Tit! https://whiskeytit.com/product/tell-me-what-you-see/

Tell Me What You See is a collection of ten experimental short stories about coronavirus quarantines, climate change, the January 6th invasion on the US Capitol, and other events from 2020-2021. Written in both word and image, pieces from the collection have been called “inventive and topical and fresh, emotional, chaotic, and important” by The McNeese Review and “timely, relevant, and interesting” by The Missouri Review. Title story “Tell Me What You See” is a 2021 New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) City Artist Corps winner.

Thanks for this remarkable conversation, Terena! All the best!

118. Jennifer Lang | Places We Left Behind: an experimental memoir, yoga, and a multicultural life

Fri, 25 Aug 2023 09:00:35 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling the brilliant author, yogi, and writing teacher Jennifer Lang! (israelwriterstudio.com/about)

About our guest: Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jennifer Lang lives in Tel Aviv, where she runs Israel Writers Studio. Her essays have appeared in Baltimore Review, Crab Orchard Review, Under the Sun, Ascent, and elsewhere. A Pushcart Prize, Best of Net, and Best American Essays nominee, she holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and serves as Assistant Editor for Brevity. Often findable on her yoga mat with her legs up her living room wall: practicing since 1995, teaching since 2003. Places We Left Behind _was a finalist in _Chestnut Review’s chapbook prose competition.

Instagram @jenlangwrites | Facebook: @israelwriterstudio

Places We Left Behind, now available from Vine Leaves Press! https://www.vineleavespress.com/places-we-left-behind-by-jennifer-lang.html

About Places We Left Behind: When American-born Jennifer falls in love with French-born Philippe during the First Intifada in Israel, she understands their relationship isn't perfect. Both 23, both Jewish, they lead very different lives: she's a secular tourist, he's an observant immigrant. Despite their opposing outlooks on two fundamental issues—country and religion—they are determined to make it work. For the next 20 years, they root and uproot their growing family, each longing for a singular place to call home. In Places We Left Behind, Jennifer puts her marriage under a microscope, examining commitment and compromise, faith and family while moving between prose and poetry, playing with language and form, daring the reader to read ~~between the lines~~.

Thanks for this delightful conversation, Jennifer! All the best!

117. Carlos Baker | Songs for Ivy: From music to novels, parenting, and finding resilience

Fri, 18 Aug 2023 09:00:11 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling the incredibly inspiring and multi-talented author and musician Carlos Baker! (ckbakerband.com)

About our guest: Having spent his entire life saturated both in music and writing, Carlos Baker's band C.K. Baker Bands has released their sophomore album, Find Your Way. Carlos’s gift as a songwriter comes alive as an alternative rock sound, a compelling combination of styles from classic rock, rhythm and blues, folk, and soul. By melding hook-filled melody within unexpected chord changes, his lyrics and vocal delivery showcase his ability and willingness to be completely honest in baring his emotional soul to the listener. Carlos is also the author of Songs for Ivy, a love story of hope and resilience. Inspired by his personal tragedies of childhood cancer and having his leg amputated above the knee at the age of 14, this fictional novel is a touching and enlightening perspective on the complexity of the human soul and experience.

About Songs for Ivy: On her 16th birthday, Ivy is shocked to receive a personal journal written by her late brother Jake who died when she was an infant. In it, she slowly learns of a young man’s ultimate acceptance of the life he is dealt—just a short time on earth and an opportunity to experience true unconditional love for his mother and those around him. Through it all, Ivy discovers Jake’s strength as he composes songs and poetry for his beloved sister so she can get to know him—a hero who faces his feelings and accepts his heartbreaking destiny with grace. Jake, indeed, lived a full life, opening his heart to the possibility of transcending death to be Born A New Man. Yet amid the tribulations and the suffering, the story offers tender accounts of the development of young love, true friendship, fears of abandonment, questions of faith and religion, anxiety, grief, guilt, self-blame, betrayal and hopelessness. In the end, Songs for Ivy is a touching and enlightening perspective on topics such as childhood and terminal cancer, alcoholism, drug addiction, work addiction, morbid obesity, family dysfunction, end-of-life issues, love and complex family relations all rolled together to reveal the complexity of the human soul.

Purchase Songs for Ivy today! https://www.amazon.com/Songs-Ivy-Carlos-K-Baker/dp/195252153X

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Carlos! All the best!

116. Bill Blume | West of Apocalypse: Sci-fi and beyond, family life, and indie publishing

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 08:30:01 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling the exceptional novelist Bill Blume! {https://www.billblume.net}

About our guest: Bill Blume's love for the written word started back in high school with an addiction to comic books that was later hijacked by novels such as Frankenstein and Dragonflight. The first book in his young adult, vampire hunter series, Gidion's Hunt, was published back in 2013. His short stories have appeared in many anthologies and were published in 2015 by Diversion Books in his collection The Deadlands and Other Stories. Just like the father figure in his "Gidion Keep" novels, Bill has worked as a 911 dispatcher for more than two decades. He also spent eight years working as a board member for James River Writers.

About West of Apocalypse: Ayleen Torr was destined for greatness among the Knights of the Way until thirteen traitors destroyed it all and murdered her parents. Having survived by a trick of the Fates, Ayleen hunts the darkest corners of the cosmos for the secret to killing her immortal enemies. The Thirteen know she’s coming for them and place an army in her path to stop her. Armed with a crystal sword bound to her soul, Ayleen will learn just how far she's willing to compromise herself for revenge and that even in a galaxy where all is lost, there's still plenty left to lose.

Purchase West of Apocalypse today! https://www.billblume.net/books/west-of-apocalypse

Follow Bill on Instagram @billblume!

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Bill! All the best!

115. Marisa Ewing | Sound, music composition, and crafting audio for media

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 08:01:18 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling audio creative extraordinaire and composer Marisa Ewing! (hemlockcreekprod.com)

About our guest: Marisa Ewing is a dialogue editor, sound designer, and mixing/mastering engineer based in Chicago, IL. She has edited audio for podcasts, film, and video games, and is the creator of the horror audio drama "Liars & Leeches." In 2020, Marisa founded Hemlock Creek Productions, a production company focused on editing needs for remote productions. Since then, Hemlock Creek has worked on dozens of projects, and is now branching out into creating original productions. Some of Marisa's past projects include the video game “The Last of Us Part 1,” as well as the fiction podcasts “Maxine Miles” and “Dark Dice.” She also worked previously as a composer, writing music ranging from modern orchestral pieces to 8-bit audio, frequently adding sound effects to her pieces.

Listen to Liars and Leeches, an original drama from Hemlock Creek Productions!!

Follow Marisa on Twitter!

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Marisa! All the best!

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro ( cruzfolio.com). If you like the show: leave a review, or share it with someone who's starting their creative journey! Your support truly makes a difference! Go make a dent: much love,

114. David Scott Hay | [NSFW], a new novel: Chicago theatre, indie film, and the creative pivot

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 09:00:41 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling playwright, screenwriter, and novelist David Scott Hay!

About our Guest: DSH is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter. As a novelist, he is a 2x Kirkus Prize nominee. He currently lives with his wife and son and dog and chickens and a dozen typewriters in a valley between the ocean, the mountains, and the desert. [NSFW] is his second novel. Davidscotthay.com for more whatnot.

https://linktr.ee/Ravenetc | Insta: @david.scott.hay.official

[NSFW] now available from Whiskey Tit! https://whiskeytit.com/product/nsfw/

About [NSFW]: Set in the world of social media moderators, @Sa>ag3 and @Jun1p3r must survive their first 90 days to qualify for health benefits and a life-changing mystery bonus. As they flag a nonstop torrent of the most heinous [NSFW] videos, their coping mechanisms expand to include office sex, drugs, and a jellyfish. But when copium is no longer an option, @Sa>ag3 & @Jun1p3r turn to a more bizarre form of therapy: intimacy. Meanwhile a stream of ominous warning videos keeps popping up… COMING SOON… hinting at an event that will alter the American landscape. The clock starts now.

Thanks for this amazing conversation, DSH! All the best!

https://www.nycplaywrights.org/2023/05/playwrighttv-writer-offering-1x1.html

113. Sarah Congress | Comedy playwriting, intuitive writing coaching, and what we can control

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 06:45:22 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling playwright and writing coach Sarah Congress!

About our Guest: Sarah Congress is a Playwright/TV writer. Most recently, her comedy Overdose received 2nd place for BEST SHORT in the 2023 Downtown Urban Arts Festival at Playwright's Horizon. Her play Dracula...in Denver! will be receiving its fifth production this September at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts for the In Death's Company Short Play Festival. In 2021-2022 Congress served as a PlayGround-LA Writers Pool member. She teaches 1x1 intuitive writing - learn more by visiting her instagram: @misscongresss

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Sarah! All the best!

112. Mary Adkins | The Book Incubator Writing Program: How to write your dream book!

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 07:00:00 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling author and writing coach Mary Adkins! (www.thebookincubator.com)

About our Guest: Mary Adkins is a writing coach and founder of The Book Incubator, a 12-month program to write, revise, and pitch your novel or memoir. She is author of the novels When You Read This (Indie Next Pick, “Best Book of 2019” by Good Housekeeping and Real Simple), Privilege (Today.com “Best Summer Read,” New York Post “Best Book of the Week”), and Palm Beach (recently named one of the New York Post’s “Best Books of 2021”). Her books have been published in 13 countries, and her essays and reporting have appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Slate, and more.

A graduate of Yale Law School and Duke University, she helps aspiring authors finish their books with joy and clarity. You can apply for The Book Incubator by going to apply.maryadkinswriter.com.

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Mary! All the best!

111. Jan Stinchcomb | Verushka: Villains, fairy tales, and family horror

Thu, 06 Jul 2023 07:30:07 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling Jan Stinchcomb! (janstinchcomb.com)

About our Guest: Jan Stinchcomb is the author of Verushka (JournalStone, 2023), The Kelping (Unnerving), The Blood Trail (Red Bird Chapbooks) and Find the Girl (Main Street Rag). Her stories have appeared in Bourbon Penn, SmokeLong Quarterly and Menacing Hedge, among other places. A Pushcart nominee, she is featured in Best Microfiction 2020 and The Best Small Fictions 2018 & 2021. She lives in Southern California with her family and is an associate fiction editor for Atticus Review. Find her at janstinchcomb.com or on Twitter @janstinchcomb.

Verushka, now available from JournalStone: https://journalstone.com/bookstore/verushka/

About the novel: Someone is stalking Devon Woodward. They've been there all along, since before she was born, going back to her grandmother's time. Waiting for her. Watching. And the people who should be able to help, her own parents, are making everything worse. Devon is right to be afraid. Verushka, both victim and villain, is a half-human witch from the other side of the world. She will do anything to get what she needs from the Woodward family, but she may have finally met her match in young Devon. Will family conflict sabotage Devon's efforts to escape and put her in even greater danger? In this multi-perspective novel that is part fairy tale and part horror story, a young girl fights to uncover the truth and save her own life.

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Jan! All the best!

110. Bronwyn Harris | Teaching stories, the class divide, and advocating for the marginalized

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 07:00:16 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling Bronwyn Harris! (bronwynharris.com)

About our Guest: Bronwyn Harris began her teaching career in East Oakland in January 2000, teaching first-graders who had already gone through one teacher and six substitutes during that school year. In the first five minutes of teaching, one student threw a book at her head and she realized she had no set curriculum with which to teach them. In addition, she was a “roving teacher,” meaning that she moved classrooms every three weeks.

Teaching at this school did not get easier as she transitioned into teaching third grade, but the students were incredible: creative, thoughtful, loving, angry, at-risk, misunderstood, valuable, and overlooked. After eight principals in less than eight years, Harris had to face the fact that she couldn’t keep working in such an environment and left the school district, but has stayed in touch with many of her students.

During her time teaching, Harris would tell many of her middle-class white friends about what was going on at her school, and found that many of them didn’t believe her, which is how the title of the book came to be. This also strengthened her resolve to write down the true stories so that people would know this side of life in the Bay Area.

Website: http://bronwynharris.com/ Twitter: @BronwynAnn

Literally Unbelievable: Stories from an East Oakland Classroom, now available here: https://www.amazon.com/Literally-Unbelievable-Stories-Oakland-Classroom/dp/1535582553

Letters From the Inside: Hope in the Journey Beyond Classroom and Cell, now available here: http://bronwynharris.com/letters-from-the-inside/buy/

Thanks for your work and for answering the call, Bronwyn! All the best!

109. Maria C. Palmer | On the Rocks, nonprofit work, and writing about family

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 09:00:47 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling Maria C. Palmer! (mariacpalmer.com)

About our Guest: Maria Costanzo Palmer is a writer and Page Turner Award Finalist for her co-authored book On the Rocks (Koehler Books 8/8/23). She is also a regular co-moderator for the Food Is Religion Club _on _Clubhouse. She was a former host on_ L.A. Talk Radio_. Maria was recently featured on Food and Beverage Magazine Live, a nationally syndicated podcast. Her writing has been published in OC87 Recovery Diaries, and she has made a number of media appearances. You can find Maria on FB and IG @joecostanzoprimadonna and on Twitter @mariacpalmer.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mariacpalmer

On the Rocks, now available for presale! https://shop.heinzhistorycenter.org/products/on-the-rocks-the-primadonna-story

Thanks for this amazing conversation, Maria! All the best!

Stumbling Through Space and Time: Living Life With Dyspraxia, now available!

108. Rosemary Richings | Freelance writing, living with Dyspraxia, and Stumbling through Space and Time

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 08:20:14 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling Rosemary Richings! (www.rosemaryrichings.com)

About our Guest: Rosemary Richings is a writer, editor, and public speaker specialising in disability and neurodiversity-related subject matter and the author of Stumbling Through Space and Time: Living Life With Dyspraxia. Rosemary's writing has been featured in Travel + Leisure, Broken Pencil Magazine, Happiful Magazine, and a long list of other print and digital publications. She has also done writing and editing work for organizations such as E-bay, Lexxic, Uptimize, Lokafy, and Yellowpages Canada. Past public speaking engagements include Reach PLC and Delinian's disability education program. Rosemary is on the board of trustees of Dyspraxic Me, a charity for dyspraxic young adults.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/rosemary_richings

Twitter: @rosiemay_r

Thanks for this wonderful conversation Rosemary! All the best!

107. Martha Engber | Bliss Road, writing a memoir, and a neurodiverse family story

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 08:45:54 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling Martha Engber! (www.marthaengber.com)

About our Guest:

Martha Engber is the author of WINTER LIGHT, the 2021 IPPY Gold Medal Winner in Young Adult Fiction. Her other books include THE WIND THIEF, a literary novel, and GROWING GREAT CHARACTERS FROM THE GROUND UP. Her memoir, BLISS ROAD, will be published by Vine Leaves Press June 6, 2023. A freelance editor and workshop facilitator, she's had a play produced in Hollywood and fiction, poetry and essays published in Watchword, the Berkeley Fiction Review, Iconoclast and other literary magazines. She received her Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri — Columbia before working as a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and other national publications. She lives in California with her husband, where she bikes, hikes and surfs when not writing, trying new recipes and reading. She appreciates a wide variety of books and has a penchant for poetry; memoirs of all styles; literary and historical novels; and enlightening nonfiction, and neurological research in particular.

Bliss Road now available to order from Vine Leaves Press! https://www.vineleavespress.com/bliss-road-by-martha-engber.html

Twitter: @marthaengber Insta: @marthaengber

Thanks for this wonderful conversation Martha! All the best!

106. Suzan Palumbo | Shapeshifters, representation, and changing the programming

Thu, 25 May 2023 08:00:03 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling Suzan Palumbo! (suzanpalumbo.wordpress.com)

About our Guest:

Suzan Palumbo is a Nebula finalist, active member of the HWA, Co Administrator of the Ignyte Awards and a member of the Hugo nominated FIYAHCON team. She is also a former Associate Editor of “Shimmer” magazine. Her debut dark fantasy/horror short story collection “Skin Thief: Stories” will be published by Neon Hemlock in Fall 2023. Her novella “Countess” will be published by ECW Press in spring 2024. Her writing has been published or is forth coming in Lightspeed Magazine, Fantasy, The Deadlands, The Dark Magazine, PseudoPod, Fireside Fiction Quarterly, PodCastle, Anathema: Spec Fic from the Margins and other venues. She is officially represented by Michael Curry of the Donald Maass Literary Agency and tweets at @sillysyntax. When she isn’t writing, she can be found sketching, listening to new wave or wandering her local misty forests.

Skin Thief, Suzan's collection: now available for PRE-ORDER from Neon Hemlock! https://www.neonhemlock.com/books/skin-thief-suzan-palumbo

Suzan on Twitter: @sillysyntax

Special thanks to Dave at Neon Hemlock for making this conversation possible!

Thanks for this wonderful conversation Suzan! All the best!

“Write what you love, and don't be afraid to transform.”

Her previous poetry collection, Little Human Things is now available here!

105. Dr. Sarah Etlinger | Part II: The Weather Gods, paradoxes, and the commute

Thu, 18 May 2023 07:24:27 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am thrilled to be arts calling Dr. Sarah Etlinger for round two! (sarahetlinger.com)

About our Guest:

Sarah A. Etlinger holds a BA in English from Skidmore College, an MA in English from Syracuse University, and a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition (English) from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Scholarly interests include new media studies, first-year composition, feminist literature, the Beatles, and popular culture. Currently, she is Associate professor of Composition and Literature at Rock Valley College where she teaches courses in composition, film, and literature.

A Pushcart and Best of the Net nominee, she is the author of two books: Never One for Promises (Kelsay Books, 2018) and Little Human Things (Clare Songbirds, 2020). Other poems can be found in a variety of literary magazines, including The Amethyst Review, Neologism Poetry Journal, Mookychick, _ _The Penwood Review, The Magnolia Review, Brine (where she was September 2018’s featured Poet of the Month) and many others. Interests include cooking, baking, traveling, spending time with her family, and music.

Check out Dr. Sarah's latest collection, The Weather Gods, now available from Fernwood Press! https://www.fernwoodpress.com/2023/01/13/the-weather-gods/

Dr. Sarah on Twitter: https://twitter.com/drsaephd

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Dr. Sarah! All the best!

“We need beauty in our lives.”

104. Exodus Oktavia Brownlow | Essays, green forests, and finding your footing

Thu, 04 May 2023 07:13:29 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am overjoyed to be arts calling Exodus Oktavia Brownlow! (https://www.exodusoktaviabrownlow.com)

About our Guest: Exodus Oktavia Brownlow is a writer, editor and creator currently residing in the enchanting pine tree forest of Blackhawk, Ms. She is a budding beekeeper, a rising seamstress who has perfected the French Seam by hand, and the future author of two book collections—a debut fiction chapbook called "Look at All the Little Hurts of These Newly-Broken Lives and The Bittersweet, Sweet and Bitter Loves" set to publish with Ethel Zine and Press in the Spring of 2023. As well as a debut book collection of essays called "I'm Afraid That I Know Too Much About Myself Now, To Go Back to Who I Knew Before, And Oh Lord, Who Will I Be After I've Known All That I Can" set to publish with ELJ Editions in the summer of 2023. Exodus's favorite color is green.

Check out Exodus' debut collection at ELJ Editions!: https://elj-editions.com/im-afraid-that-i-know-too-much/

Follow Exodus:

On Twitter @CoCo4AfroPuffs

On Instagram: @coocoo4afropuffs

Thanks so much for taking the time to chat, Exodus! All the best!

“Take your time. There's no need to resent the creative process.”

103. Matthew McGuirk | Hybrid collections, staying positive, and being an educator/writer

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 09:30:04 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am psyched to be arts calling Matthew McGuirk! (http://linktr.ee/McGuirkMatthew)

About our Guest: Matt McGuirk teaches and lives with his wife and two daughters in Vermont. He was a BOTN 2021 nominee, is now a regular contributor at Fevers of the Mind and has poems and stories published in over 75 literary magazines with over 100 accepted pieces. His debut collection, "Daydreams, Obsessions, Realities" with Alien Buddha Press and most recent collection with Anxiety Press, "Oil Stains Like Rorschachs" are available on Amazon, linked at the end of the bio and also on his website.

Daydreams, Obsessions, Realities: https://www.amazon.com/Daydreams-Obsessions-Realities-hybrid-collection/dp/B09M5KY8HH

Oil Stains Like Rorschachs: https://www.amazon.com/Stains-Like-Rorschachs-Matthew-McGuirk/dp/B0BKMS59Y8

Follow him on Twitter: @McguirkMatthew Instagram: @mcguirk_matthew

Thanks so much for taking the time to chat, Matthew! All the best!

“Success is making a connection through writing.”

102. Chloe N. Clark | Patterns of Orbit, Cotton Xenomorph, and defying genre

Fri, 21 Apr 2023 07:30:14 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am ecstatic to be arts calling Chloe N. Clark! (https://www.chloenclark.com)

About our Guest: Chloe N. Clark has never met an Oreo she wouldn’t try. She writes poetry and fiction, and some essays about food, mostly, but also does critical scholarship in the history of horror, gender and science fiction, monstrosity and othering, and inclusive practices in pedagogy. She is the founding co-editor-in-chief of online literary journal, Cotton Xenomorph.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PintsNCupcakes

Patterns of Orbit, available now from Baobab Press! https://baobabpress.com/books/patterns-of-orbit-stories/

Patterns of Orbit, available at Barnes & Noble! https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/patterns-of-orbit-chloe-n-clark/1141739527

Collective Gravities, Chloe's previous collection, available here: https://www.wordwest.co/online-store/collective-gravities-p162059545

Thanks so much for taking the time to chat, Chloe! All the best!

“Write Long. Edit Short.”

https://www.broadwayondemand.com/rentals/f4e4b5d8-ede0-4035-b6e6-884c0fca3473

101. Catherine Filloux | Where Elephants Weep, and theatre for human rights and social justice

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 06:29:06 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am ecstatic to be arts calling playwright/librettist/activist Catherine Filloux! (www.catherinefilloux.com)

For the past three decades, award-winning artist, playwright, and librettist Catherine Filloux has been traveling to conflict areas creating art that addresses human rights and U.S. complicity. As a French and American artist, Catherine brings a unique perspective to her work, which has been called, “compelling drama…a call to action…about the place where horror and grief meet,” by The New York Times.

“Where Elephants Weep” the only Cambodian-U.S. rock opera will air on Broadway on Demand from April 14 to 23, 2023, in time for the Cambodian New Year:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinefillouxwriter/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CFillouxWriter/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CFillouxWriter

About Where Elephants Weep:

Sam, a refugee from the Khmer Rouge genocide, leaves America and returns to his homeland, Cambodia. Committed to finding his roots in his native culture, he unexpectedly falls in love with Bopha, a Cambodian pop-star, and the lovers’ lives are changed forever. The music fuses traditional Cambodian music with Western rock and rap. The opera is sung in English and Khmer, with surtitles in both languages.

(Music by Him Sophy; Libretto by Catherine Filloux) recently premiered in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for 7 sold-out performances and became a popular and critical hit. One of the live performances was shot for exclusive national broadcast by the largest Cambodian television station, CTN, and was aired on December 25, 2008 reaching nearly 2 million viewers nation-wide.

Thanks so much for taking the time to chat, Catherine! All the best!

“As an artist, I will rise up and make change”

Ep 100 | Playwriting: Alvaro Saar Rios and Mabelle Reynoso

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 19:00:06 -0000

Hi there,

Episode 100, woohoo!!! Today I am honored to be arts calling Alvaro Saar Rios and Mabelle Reynoso!

Alvaro Saar Rios is a Texican playwright living in Chicago. His plays have been performed in New York City, Mexico City, Hawaii, Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee and all over Texas. He has received playwriting commissions from various organizations, including Kennedy Center, Chicago Children’s Theatre, First Stage, Houston Grand Opera, Honolulu Theatre for Youth, Purple Rose Theatre Company, Houston Community College, Zoological Society of Milwaukee and Omaha’s Rose Theater. His award-winning play Luchadora! is published by Dramatic Publishing Inc. Other plays include On The Wings of a Mariposa, Unmuted, Bienvenidos a Milwaukee/Welcome to Milwaukee, and Carmela Full of Wishes. Alvaro holds an MFA in Writing for the Stage and Screen from Northwestern University. He is a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists and Playwright-InResidence at Milwaukee's First Stage. Alvaro is a proud veteran of the US Army and an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. https://www.alvarosaarrios.com Twitter & Instagram: @realCrazyMex

Mabelle Reynoso (she/her/ella) is a multidisciplinary storyteller who has devoted her artistic career to building connections in communities through storytelling. Mabelle is a two-time winner of the California Young Playwrights contest ("Santa Does a Mitzvah"; "Dreaming Pancho Villa"). Since 2004, Mabelle has been a teaching artist for the nonprofit arts education organization Playwrights Project. Her own art is largely informed by her work with underserved and marginalized populations, including Spanish-speaking immigrants, expectant teens, foster youth, and justice-involved youth and adults. Mabelle’s recent playwriting commissions include Olympia Family Theatre (The Secret Garden, 2022), TuYo Theatre (Mercado de Miedo, 2022), and San Diego Symphony (Noel Noel 2022). She is a recipient of the 2021 ReImagine: New Plays in TYA grant for her play, "¡Lotería: Game On!" sponsored by Write Now, The Kennedy Center, and the Children’s Theatre Fund of America. Her play “The Scariest Movie”, co-authored with her 11-year-old son, was published by Dramatic Publishing Inc. in the anthology “I Have a Story” (2021). Her play "The Sunset Tour" was the American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE) 2022 Playwrights for Change winner and will be published in the forthcoming Best Plays of 2023 by Smith & Krauss. In addition, Mabelle is a member of TuYo Theatre where she leads Pa' Letras, a workshop for emerging Latinx playwrights. She has been a guest lecturer at San Diego State University, University of San Diego, and Southwestern College, and has presented at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the National Latinx Writers Gathering, and the William Inge Theatre Festival. Mabelle also co-hosts the podcast Hey Playwright. She has a BFA from New York University, an MFA from the School of Visual Arts, and is currently pursuing her PhD in Education for Social Justice at the University of San Diego. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild, TYA/USA, and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Mabelle was proudly born in Tijuana, Mexico.

Stop what you're doing and go listen to Hey Playwright! Mabelle's incredible podcast with Tori Rice! https://heyplaywright.com/

"Theatre is for all of us."

"Theatre is going back to its roots, smaller, portable, effective."

Ep 99 Uzo Chijioke | From novels to scripts, Nigerian culture, and embracing structure

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 08:00:46 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am thrilled to be arts calling Uzo Chijioke! (https://writers.coverfly.com/profile/uzochijioke)

Uzo Chijioke is a Nigerian American author / screenwriter with a background in pharmacy. Having done what he was "supposed to do" as the first son to immigrant parents, he's lived a life centered around duty and structure, even spending over a decade in the US Army. As such, Uzo's stories typically center protagonists burdened by the weight of culture and their journeys of self-discovery.

Twitter: twitter.com/UzoTheCreator Instagram: instagram.com/uzothecreator

Check out A Tale of Renown, Uzo's latest graphic novel! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRPNLKHH

"Success leaves clues."

Ep 98 Audra Kerr Brown | Flash fiction, family, and emotional horror

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 09:45:55 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am thrilled to be arts calling Audra Kerr Brown! (audrakerrbrown.wordpress.com)

Audra Kerr Brown lives with her husband and two children at the end of a dirt road in Iowa. Her work has appeared in the Best Small Fictions (2018, 2021 editions) and Wigleaf’s Top 50 Very Short Fiction List. Former managing editor of New Flash Fiction Review, she is now the founding creator and archivist of the (sometimes) YouTube channel, The Flashtronauts! which “explores the ever-expanding universe of Flash Fiction.” Her flash chapbook, hush hush hush, is available at Harbor Editions.

hush hush hush now available! https://www.smallharborpublishing.com/chapbooks/hush-hush-hush

Audra on Twitter: https://twitter.com/audrakerrbrown

"Keep at it. Keep turning your wheels. That is success."

Ep 97 Tommy Dean | Flash perspectives, small towns, and powerful short works

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 09:00:08 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am thrilled to be arts calling Tommy Dean! (https://tommydeanwriter.com)

About our Guest: Tommy Dean is the author of two flash fiction chapbooks Special Like the People on TV (Redbird Chapbooks, 2014) and Covenants (ELJ Editions, 2021), and a full flash collection, Hollows (Alternating Current Press, 2022). He lives in Indiana, where he currently is the Editor at Fractured Lit and _Uncharted _Magazine. A recipient of the 2019 Lascaux Prize in Short Fiction, his writing can be found in Best Microfiction 2019, 2020, 2023, Best Small Fiction 2019 and 2022, Monkeybicycle, Moon City Press, and numerous other litmags. His interviews have been previously published in New Flash Fiction Review, The Rumpus, CRAFT Literary, and The Town Crier (The Puritan). He has taught writing workshops for the Gotham Writers Workshop, the Barrelhouse Conversations and Connections conference, and The Writers Workshop.

Hollows, now available from Alternating Current Press! https://altcurrent.square.site/product/hollows-flash-stories-by-tommy-dean/43?cp=

Flash Fiction Perspectives, Tommy's newsletter on Substack! https://tommydean.substack.com

Follow Tommy on Twitter! https://twitter.com/TommyDeanWriter Tommy on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/tommydeantommydean/

"No writing is wasted."

Ep 96 Laurie Marshall | Flash fiction, exploring forms, and the beauty of yearning

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 16:00:04 -0000

Hi there,

Today I'm so overjoyed to be arts calling Laurie Marshall! (www.SeeLaurieWrite.com)

About our Guest: Laurie Marshall is an award-winning writer and artist in Northwest Arkansas. Her debut flash fiction collection is coming in April 2023 from ELJ Editions. Her words and art have been published in print and digital literary journals and included in anthologies including Snow Crow from AdHoc Fiction, Mid/South Anthology _from Belle Point Press and _Best Small Fictions 2022. Current projects include a memoir and novella, both written in flash stories, a prose collaboration with her late grandmother’s poetry and preparing for a five-day bike ride from Pittsburgh to DC. One of these is way more intimidating than the others. www.SeeLaurieWrite.com

Proof of Life, now available for pre-order from ELJ Editions! https://elj-editions.com/proof-of-life

Laurie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seelauriewrite Laurie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurieMMarshall Check out Laurie's Collage Work at Collage & Coffee on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/collage_and_coffee

Shout out to Más Libritos Bookstore in Springdale, Arkansas: a Latina-owned pop up indie bookstore! https://www.instagram.com/maslibritosbookstore

Check out Shannon's interview on Otherppl with Brad Listi, great chat!

Ep 95 Shannon McLeod | Nature Trail Stories, being an educator, and the quiet moments

Thu, 02 Mar 2023 10:00:55 -0000

Hi there,

Today I'm so overjoyed to be arts calling Shannon McLeod! (shannon-mcleod.com)

About our Guest: Shannon McLeod is the author of the novella Whimsy (Long Day Press, 2021) and the essay chapbook Pathetic (University of Indianapolis Etchings Press). Her writing has appeared in Tin House Online, Wigleaf, Hobart, Joyland Magazine, Cosmonauts Avenue, and Prairie Schooner, among other publications. Her stories have been nominated for Best Small Fictions, Best of the Net, and featured in Wigleaf Top 50. She teaches high school English in Virginia.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OcqueocSAM

Nature Trail Stories, now available from Thirty West Publishing! https://www.thirtywestph.com/shop/naturetrailstories

Learn more about Shannon's previous works here: http://www.shannon-mcleod.com/books

Thank you so much for this chat, Shannon! All the best and happy writing!

'You can't fight the kind of writer that you are." - Shannon McLeod

Ep 94 Jen Soong | Exploring memoir, collage, and wonder

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 18:38:39 -0000

Hi there,

Today I'm so overjoyed to be arts calling Jen Soong! (jensoong.com)

About our Guest: The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Jen Soong grew up in New Jersey and now resides in Northern California. An alum of Tin House and VONA, her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Audacity, GAY MAG, Jellyfish Review, Witness and Waxwing. She earned her MFA in creative writing from UC Davis. Her memoir-in-progress is a reckoning of myth, migration and memory.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenmuze

Jen's writing at Seventh Wave: https://theseventhwave.co/jen-soong/

Thank you for taking the time to chat with me, Jen! All the best and happy writing!

Ep 93 Steven D. Schroeder | Wikipedia Apocalyptica, running a literary magazine, and the balancing act

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 13:00:16 -0000

Hi there,

Today I'm so excited to be arts calling Steven D. Schroeder!!

About our Guest: Steven D. Schroeder’s third book of poetry is Wikipedia Apocalyptica (swallow::tale press, 2022). His second book, The Royal Nonesuch (Spark Wheel Press), won the Devil’s Kitchen Reading Award from Southern Illinois University. He edits the literary magazine $ (Poetry Is Currency). His poetry is available from New England Review, Crazyhorse, Michigan Quarterly Review, Pleiades, The Cincinnati Review, Copper Nickel, The Journal, Diagram, The Rumpus, and Verse Daily, and has also been featured in city parks, public transportation, and business waiting rooms. Long a resident of Colorado, he now lives in St. Louis, where he works as a Creative Content Manager for a financial marketing agency.

Steven's Twitter: https://twitter.com/SchroederPoet

Wikipedia Apocalyptica, now available from swallow :: tale press! https://www.swallowtale.icu/bookstore/p/v2rwcsjaeygv11elgjcbfols4ww6fc

Stop by and read the latest $: An anti-capitalist and inclusive online literary magazine. Always open for poems! https://poetrycurrency.com/

Thank you so much for this wonderful conversation, Steven! All the best!!

Ep 92 Audrey Cefaly & Carolyn Messina | Find your dramaturg, two-hander plays, and ache stories

Tue, 14 Feb 2023 10:30:50 -0000

Hi there,

Today I'm thrilled to be arts calling Audrey Cefaly and Carolyn Messina!

About our Guests: Audrey Cefaly (https://www.audreycefaly.com) is an alumna of the Playwrights' Arena cohort at Arena Stage, a recipient of the Walter E. Dakin Fellowship from the Sewanee Writers Conference, and a Dramatist Guild Foundation Traveling Master. She is published by Concord Theatricals, Smith & Kraus, and Applause Books. Cefaly's plays have been produced by Cincinnati Playhouse, Florida Studio, Florida Rep, City Theatre, Penobscot Theatre, Gulfshore Playhouse, Merrimack Rep, Signature Theatre, Barter Theatre, Vermont Stage, Oregon Contemporary Theatre, 16th Street Theater, Capital Stage, About Face, Kitchen Dog Theatre, Circle Theatre, Theatre Three, Aurora Theatre, Quotidian Theatre Company and University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her play Alabaster received an 11-city Rolling World Premiere, the largest in National New Play Network history. Twitter: https://twitter.com/alcefaly

Carolyn Messina is an AEA actor and LMDA dramaturg. She has served as dramaturgical consultant for the National Showcase of New Plays (NNPN) (10-city rolling world premiere), the Southern Writers Festival (Alabama Shakes), Signature Theater's SigWorks, BMCC Showcase (NYC), and About Face Theatre. She has worked in various capacities of dramaturgical support for plays such as Safety Net (Daryl Fazio), Winter Break/Spring Break (Joe Calarco), and perhaps most notably Maytag Virgin, The Gulf, Alabaster, and Trouble, as longtime dramaturg for playwright Audrey Cefaly. For more information, please visit: https://www.carolyn-messina.com.

Thank you both so much for this incredible conversation! All the best!!

Ep 91 Patrick Lugo | Comics, Kung Fu, and an illustrator's life

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 15:30:05 -0000

Hi there,

Today I'm thrilled to be arts calling Patrick Lugo! (plugoarts.com)

About our Guest: Patrick Lugo is a freelance illustrator, comics artist and writer is also Senior Designer of KungFuMagazine.com & Kung Fu Tai Chi magazine. His self-published graphic novel A TIGER’s TALE was funded on kickstarter overnight. The 2021 anthology Speculative Fiction for Dreamers included a comic which Publisher’s Weekly called “A Knock Out.” He illustrated the chapter book LUCY VELOZ: HIGH-FLYING PRINCESS in 2020. Subscribe to his Newsletter for exclusive webcomics, behind-the-scene and other musings. Plus you can buy merchandise ranging from cellphone cases to shower curtains on PLUGOarts.RedBubble.com.

Be sure to stop by Patrick's livestreams over at the Comics Fu Show on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@thecomicsfushow

You can find Patrick on Twitter: @PLUGO or Instagram: @PLUGOarts

Thank you both so much for taking the time to chat, Patrick! All the best!!

Ep 90 Shahab Zargari and Mo Milan | New Oddities Album Discussion

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 10:30:04 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling Shahab Zargari (bio.site/shahab) and Mo Milan (linktr.ee/momilan) to discuss Shahab's album, AI, and the collaborative process!

New Oddities now available here: https://gcrecords.bandcamp.com/album/new-oddities

About the New Oddities Album: Shahab Zargari has been sampling and remixing music since the start of his band Kill the Scientist in 1989 when he was still pretty young. The album New Oddities, technically his debut solo album as all past releases were done with band names and monikers, builds upon his years of experience with digital and analog technology. Utilizing artificial intelligence-created music stems, this album looks to the future of the world and humanity and music production, but it also simultaneously looks to the past by utilizing human touches, poems from the 1800s, punk song lyrics from the 80s, 90s choirs newscast samples, and even sonification sounds from the Black Hole in the Perseus galaxy cluster (sounds are from billions of years ago)! The song styles vary from electronic to R&B to digital pop and punk rock, but the futuristic world-building makes it all fit together somehow. “The album uses artificial intelligence as a backing band or studio band. They came in. I tell them what I want, they “jam” and we go back and forth until the foundation of a song materializes,” says Shahab of New Oddities, “we use those on the spot jams as the bare-bones start of a song and then regular old humans put layers upon layers of vocals, samples, instrumentation on top to create a sci-fi trip through the cosmos. Think KLF’s Chill Out, but in outer space instead of the American Southwest.

About our Guests: Shahab Zargari is an award-winning filmmaker, music lover, author and entrepreneur. Mo Milan is a synthpop artist, composer, and producer from Las Vegas, NV/Dallas, TX.

Thank you both so much for taking the time to discuss New Oddities! All the best!!

Ep 89 John Becker | Playwriting, the human condition, and producing your own work

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 11:00:09 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling John Becker! (jouskaproductions.com)

About our Guest: John Becker has juggled life in film, theatre, and music with teaching the arts to children and adults.

He has won three Individual Artist's Awards from the Maryland State Arts Council. He was asked to write a play for the One-Minute Play Festival at Round House Theatre. His musical, Everything I Do, was read at the Kennedy Center, chosen for a workshop at Artist's Bloc, and performed at the Atlas in DC to excellent reviews. He was commissioned by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux in NY to co-write and co-direct the book trailer for Susan Coll's The Stager. His play Summit Meeting was performed at the Kennedy Center for a festival, where it was awarded 1st place by audience vote.

John has had plays performed four years in a row at the Source Theatre in DC and had a play performed Off-Broadway at the Emerging Artists Theatre in New York. He has also had plays performed at the Baltimore Playwrights Festival, the Writer's Center, Company 13, the Run of the Mill Theatre (for which they won a Greater Baltimore Theatre Award), the Human Rights Arts Festival for Amnesty International, and many others.

Enjoy some of John's recent projects on YouTube!

The Playwright Zone 1st episode. Two men, an Israeli and a Palestinian, are trapped in an elevator in America.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd5I1dSroOw&t=8s&ab_channel=JouskaProductions

2nd episode: A woman struggling with mental health issues has a blind date: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM70EUWZc3I&t=10s&ab_channel=JouskaProductions

The Panic Room I ask two controversial questions of one left wing person and one right wing, then let them react to each other's responses while still remaining civil. 1st episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln_tRItxzWM&t=249s&ab_channel=JouskaProductions

Eugene Cheese Gets It Wrong Actress Tia Shearer Bassett and her mischievous leopard gecko, Eugene Cheese, explore fun themes, while letting kids know that it's okay to be wrong sometimes. 1st episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mFFMcEKiTA&t=9s&ab_channel=JouskaProductions

2nd episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtNfypvuiFg&t=7s&ab_channel=JouskaProductions

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk playwriting, John! All the best and happy writing!

Ep 88 Anuradha Bhowmik | Brown Girl Chromatography: Family, healing, and coming of age

Fri, 03 Feb 2023 10:30:17 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am delighted to be arts calling Anuradha Bhowmik! (www.anuradhabhowmik.com)

About our Guest: Anuradha Bhowmik is a Bangladeshi-American poet and writer from South Jersey. She is the 2021 winner of the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize for her first collection Brown Girl Chromatography (Pitt Poetry Series, 2022). Bhowmik is a Kundiman Fellow and a 2018 AWP Intro Journals Project Winner in Poetry. She earned her MFA from Virginia Tech. Her poetry and prose have appeared in POETRY, The Sun, Quarterly West, Nashville Review, Indiana Review, The Offing, Bayou Magazine, Crab Orchard Review, Zone 3, The Normal School, Copper Nickel, Salt Hill, and elsewhere.

Brown Girl Chromatography, now available:

from University of Pittsburgh Press! https://upittpress.org/books/9780822966920/

from Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/Brown-Girl-Chromatography-Poems-Poetry/dp/0822966921

My sincere thanks to Anuradha for taking the time to have this powerful conversation.

Ep 87 Samantha Silva | Mary Wollstonecraft, Dickens, and the historical novel

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 12:30:59 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am so thrilled to be arts calling Samantha Silva! (samanthasilvawriter.com)

About our Guest: Samantha Silva is an author and screenwriter based in Idaho. Over her career, she’s sold film projects to Paramount, Universal, and New Line Cinema. Love and Fury: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft is her second novel. Her short fiction and essays have appeared in One Story and LitHub. A short film, The Big Burn, which she wrote and directed, premiered at the Sun Valley Film Festival in 2018. She is currently working on a commission from Seattle Repertory Theater to adapt her debut novel, Mr. Dickens and His Carol, for the stage, and was a 2020 Idaho Commission on the Arts Literary Fellow.

Silva graduated from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, where she studied in Bologna, Italy and Washington, D.C. She’s lived in London three times, briefly in Rome, is an avid Italophile, and a forever Dickens devotee.

Love & Fury, now available for pre-order, find your favorite book retailer here: https://www.samanthasilvawriter.com/

Mr. Dickens and His Carol, available now! https://www.samanthasilvawriter.com/mr-dickens-and-his-carol

Twitter: https://twitter.com/samanthaswriter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthasilvawriter/

Thank you so much for this amazing conversation, Samantha! All the best and happy writing!

Ep 86 Donna Spruijt-Metz | Poetry as a companion, the flute, and something true

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 10:30:41 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am so lucky to be arts calling Donna Spruijt-Metz! (donnasmetz.com)

About our guest, in her own words:

I am a poet, translator, and Professor of Psychology and Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. My first career was as a professional flutist.

My first full length, General Release from the Beginning of the World, was officially born on January 1. 2023! Order it here from Free Verse Editions! And thank you Camille Dungy and Orion Magazine for choosing my book as one of 14 recommended poetry books for the winter!
My chapbook, Slippery Surfaces, published by Finishing Line Press is available to order from FLP or on Amazon.
Flower Conroy and I were recently MacDowell Fellows, and have a collaborative chapbook, And Haunt the World, with Ghost City Press. Download it for free here!

Thanks so much for taking the time to share so many beautiful moments of your life and craft, Donna! All the best and happy writing!

Global News: https://globalnews.ca/video/8917787/jazz-artist-gains-recognition-internationally-during-covid-through-virtual-performances/

Ep. 85 Jim Clayton | Jazz, parenthood, and an online pandemic audience

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 11:00:00 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am overjoyed to be arts calling Jim Clayton!

About our Guest, Jim Clayton (https://jimclaytonjazz.com):

DownBeat Magazine called Jim Clayton’s music “warm and happy… tender and soulful.” He calls it a blend of bebop and New Orleans, the city he considers a second home. His repertoire is a mix of jazz standards, reimagined pop classics, and his own memorable writing.

Jim’s last two albums, Lenny Jumps In (2016) and Songs My Daughter Knows (2014) landed on the jazz radio charts in both Canada and the USA. He won three national awards with recording act The Clayton/Scott Group, and his music has been heard internationally on radio, in film, and on television (including Dateline NBC, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and MTV).

Jim spent a decade as a music director with acclaimed theatre company The Second City, entertaining audiences around the globe, from ex-pats in Asia to our troops in Bosnia. He began streaming nightly performances at the start of the pandemic; after over 500 online shows, Jim’s garnered 30,000 new online followers.

CBC Radio: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-82-here-and-now-toronto/clip/15885960-have-the-piano-bar

Toronto Star: https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2021/09/14/toronto-jazz-musician-jim-clayton-turned-a-personal-facebook-following-of-250-into-an-international-audience-of-more-than-30000-during-the-pandemic.html

Thanks so much for taking the time to share some incredible stories, Jim! All the best and thanks for the music!

https://blackspringpressgroup.com/products/a-crime-in-the-land-of-7-000-islands

Ep. 84 Zephaniah Sole | Writing a crime thriller, Spider-Man, and a legacy of learning

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 10:00:00 -0000

Trigger warning: The novel we discussed contains themes of crimes against minors.

Hi there,

Today I am honored to be arts calling Zephaniah Sole!

About our Guest: Zephaniah Sole is a Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing Author Fellow as well as an alum of VONA and Tin House. His fiction has appeared in Epiphany, Gargoyle Magazine, Collateral Journal and Vestal Review, among other publications. A graduate of New York University, he's been a filmmaker, a public school teacher, and is an FBI agent. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now lives in the Pacific Northwest.

About the Novel: A Crime In the Land of 7,000 Islands is a powerhouse crime thriller fused with folk tales and the influence of anime. This psychological literary fiction tells the tale of Ikigai Johnson, a Special Agent working out of the FBI's Portland, Oregon field office, who pledges to bring justice to children abused by a monstrous American in the Philippines. Amidst an expertly accurate police procedural, Ikigai recounts her tale to her eleven-year-old daughter through fantastical allegory. Her story exposes the damage that arises from exploitation, inequality, and generational trauma. Exploring the nuances of criminal justice, it enacts the battle between our courage and our submission to fear. It is an important call to act against evil.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZephaniahSole

Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me, Zephaniah! All the best!

Ep. 83 Laury Leite | The novel, writing in Spanish, and an international life

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 10:00:58 -0000

Hi there,

Today I am ecstatic to be arts calling Laury Leite!

Laury Leite is a writer. He has published articles, essays, interviews and chronicles in various literary magazines. His short stories have appeared in several anthologies. In 2017, he published En la soledad de un cielo muerto (Ediciones Carena; La Pereza Ediciones, his first novel, which was translated into English under the title Night Has Fallen Here (Lazy Publisher, 2019). The Italian version will be out in 2023 (Musicaos Editore). La gran demencia, his second novel, written with support from the Toronto Arts Council, came out in Spain in the fall of 2020 (Huso Editorial). In January 2019, he was a writer-in-residence at the Banff Center for Arts and Creativity. He is currently writing El tiempo, el lugar y nosotros, his third novel, with support from the Canada Council for the Arts and also from the Toronto Arts Council. He lives in Toronto, Canada. https://www.lauryleite.com/

Special thanks to Luciana at Laberinto Press for making this happen!!

Night has Fallen Here, now available! https://www.amazon.com/Night-Fallen-Here-Lazy-Press/dp/1727657314

Check out Beyond the Gallery, an anthology from Laberinto Press featuring Laury! https://laberintopress.com/beyond-the-gallery

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LauryLeite

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laury.leite/

Thank you for sharing your story with me, Laury, what a pleasure! All the best and happy writing!