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We interview musicians. They bring some of their own music, and records from their collections to play for us. Then we put it on the internet. Primary Format : Interviews Language : en Also Listed as: City : Athens State/Province : GA User Tags: athens college georgia indie interview mp3 music podcast User Votes: RSS Feed Website People found this Podcast Searching for: View this Podcast on a Google Map. Podcast iTunes Link Text Only listing of Mad About Town Podcasts Methings.com listings of Mad About Town Podcasts If you like this podcast, you might also like:

Drinking Vinegar: Ancient Tradition, Alcohol Alternative If you're heading to a party or out to dinner with friends, you can usually plan on finding a craft beer or wine or a fancy cocktail. But if you're not drinking alcohol your options are a little less interesting. Soda and tea are fine, but they can get old. Patricia Eddy writes the Seattle blog, Cook Local. She knows how people can feel left out of the party when they don't drink alcohol. She recommends checking out drinking vinegar, something called a "shrub." It's a drink with a ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Ahamefule Oluo: 'What My Name Really Means' In life, you can do what you want to do or do what you think you should do. Ever since Ahamefule Oluo was a kid growing up in Seattle, he wanted to write and perform music — and for years, he also thought that music was what he should do. But in his early 20s, Aham went through a painful divorce, his father died and Aham was struck with a life–threatening illness. Ahamefule Oluo tells KUOW's Jeremy Richards how his return to music, his complicated relationship with his father, a ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Sounds Familiar: 'Glow Worm' When you think of the tune "Glow Worm," the sounds of a big band, vocal harmonies and clever, flirtatious lyrics might come immediately to mind. It's a tune that epitomizes the Swing Era in music. Amanda Wilde is the host of "The Swing Years and Beyond" on KUOW, so she knows this tune very well. But Amanda recently discovered that "Glow Worm" didn't originate in the Swing Era. It has its roots in a German operetta that's more than 100 years old. KUOW's Dave Bec ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Warren Etheredge: Movies To Get You To Read More Movies and television are fantastic diversions. But books give you an entire world to explore — a refuge to escape into for as much as you'd like. Warren Etheredge is the founder of the entertainment website, The Warren Report, and he really wants to read more. So to inspire us, he's recommending three movies. Warren talks with KUOW's Jeannie Yandel about the films "The Edge," "Fahrenheit 451" and "The Hurricane." Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Lee Callahan: How I Sort Of Learned The Ten Essentials When radio DJ Lee Callahan first moved here in 1985, she was young, in great shape and she liked spending time outside. So when her friend Claire suggested they hike up Mount Si one sunny Saturday afternoon, Lee loved the idea. The hike up was fantastic. The hike down was terrifying. Lee tells her story of getting lost on Mount Si, and how that taught her to never go hiking without the "ten essentials." Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Social Media Offers A 'Meta-Musical' Experience In the past, your relationship with famous musicians was probably pretty one–sided. You bought their album, you read about them in Rolling Stone, and the closest you got to a meaningful exchange was yelling "woo!" from the back of Key Arena. Today, you can actually interact with rock stars. Musicians are reaching out online through blogs, Facebook and Twitter. Seattle–based musician and composer Michael Owcharuk used to be skeptical about social media hype. But now, h ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Starcia Ague: Fighting For An Education As A Kid In Prison Starcia Ague ended up in prison at the age of 15 with six felonies. Starcia talked with KUOW's Jamala Henderson about how she turned her life around by fighting for the chance to take college courses while still in jail. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Poet Victoria Sloan Jordan: 'Members Of The Animal Kingdom Apologize' Growing up on the very edge of a Kansas suburb, Victoria Sloan Jordan felt a kinship with the animals she found in the still–wild places near her home. She tries on their point of view in this poem, "Members of the Animal Kingdom Apologize." Victoria is currently working on a series of poems based on her travels to Midway Atoll to witness the effects of plastic pollution on the resident albatross colony. She lives in Seattle with her husband, artist Chris Jordan, stepson Eme ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Travel Writer Crai Bower: On The Train And Off The Fast Track Sometimes we get so focused on the destination in our travels that we forget to enjoy the journey. Seattle travel writer Crai Bower says that taking the train to Portland, Vancouver or up into British Columbia on Canada's Rocky Mountaineer line gives us a chance to relax and enjoy the trip. Crai speaks with KUOW's Dave Beck. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Music Of Gustav Mahler: No Holds Barred Gustav Mahler was born 150 years ago. He died 100 years ago, in 1911. This is a big Mahler year, with all sorts of commemorations of the composer's life and music. Gerard Schwarz, who recently stepped down as music director of the Seattle Symphony, chose a Mahler symphony for his farewell performance. People are so strongly drawn to Mahler because the composer expresses every one of his emotions in larger–than–life music. Seattle Weekly music critic and composer Gavin Borchert s ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Films That Helped Create Fashion Freedom When it comes to clothes, we're pretty lucky because we can basically wear whatever we want. And Ali Basye believes that we have young people to thank for that freedom. Ali teaches fashion history at the Art Institute of Seattle and writes for the blog On This Day In Fashion. And she recommends watching two films that show us how young people helped usher in today's era of fashion freedom — the 1955 film "Rebel Without A Cause" and the 1983 film "Valley Girl." Ali ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website When Your Dream Job Makes People Fat Jess Thomson is a Seattle–based food writer and recipe developer. Her workdays are filled with cooking, and she does most of it at her home kitchen. That means her kitchen is overflowing with cooking supplies, including 22 different kinds of whole grain flour. The flour is part of her plan to shift the way her readers make baked goods. After years of creating indulgent recipes that she says make people fat, she's trying to incorporate a healthier approach to baking. Emmer flour, gra ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Facing Fear: Accident On Highway 522 What would you do if you came across a bad car accident? Would you stop to help? Gudrun Ongman faced her worst fear when she encountered a burning car on State Route 522 in Woodinville. She shares how staring into the flames gave a new perspective on life. KUOW's Sarah Waller brings us the story. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Ron Davies: The Missing Link In Pacific Northwest Music History It may be hard to believe but the glam rocker David Bowie, folksinger Joan Baez and the pop band Three Dog Night all share something in common: They all recorded music by a Pacific Northwest songwriter who is not as well known as he should be. If you know Ron Davies at all it's probably from his song "It Ain't Easy." It was recorded by David Bowie in 1972 on the Ziggy Stardust album. Eric Apoe is a Seattle singer–songwriter who knew Ron Davies for more than thirty years. E ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Poet Katharine Whitcomb And 'A Poem Without A Boar' In "A Poem Without A Boar," Katharine Whitcomb admits to the complicated allure of the dangerous — and reveals how those dangers are so often entirely beyond our control. Whitcomb is the author of "Saints of South Dakota and Other Poems," winner of the 2000 Bluestem Award, "Hosannas" (Parallel Press, 1999) and, most recently, "Lamp of Letters" (Floating Bridge Press, 2009). She lives in Ellensburg, Washington and teaches writing at Central Was ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Tim Haywood: 'A Plate Tectonic Shift' Imagine you're in high school with your longtime best friend. And then one day, without warning, she stops talking to you. More than that, every time she sees you she tries to avoid you. A lot of people have had that experience — in high school. But as adults, we don't really expect to be treated that way. Tim Haywood is a graphic designer and blogger here in Seattle, and he certainly didn't expect it when someone in his own house suddenly started shutting him out. He tells KUOW's Jea ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Glenn Fleishman: The Moral Struggles Of 'Doctor Who' If you're lucky you'll never have to decide whether to destroy your entire species in order to save the rest of the universe. But that's the kind of decision "The Doctor" has to wrestle with in the 2005 reboot of the show "Doctor Who." Tech journalist Glenn Fleishman loves the way the show tackles moral ambiguity and, ultimately, that's what keeps him watching the show — even though watching the show sometimes means he has to wander in murky moral territory himself ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Poem: Rebecca Hoogs Reimagines The Dandelion A weed is just a flower out of place, as the saying goes. Poet Rebecca Hoogs reimagines the dandelion as a girl impatient for summer's party to begin in her poem "Lion's Teeth." Rebecca is the author of the poetry chapbook "Grenade," and her poems have been featured in literary journals including Poetry and Poetry Northwest. She is the director of education and the poetry series curator for Seattle Arts and Lectures, and a frequent teacher in the University of Washingt ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Hari Kondabolu On Comedy And Human Rights There's an old idea that you can be idealistic or you can be successful, but you can't be both. But Hari Kondabolu doesn't buy into that idea. He's a comedian who sticks to his ideals, and he's still been pretty successful. You may have seen him recently on his own Comedy Central special. Hari started doing broader stand–up comedy when he was 17, but after September 11 he became more political and socially conscious. He spent two years working for human rights in Seattle, and he found ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Painter Gabrielle Bakker: Classicism, Cubism And The Pursuit Of Excellence Gabrielle Bakker is a Seattle artist whose work carries on the tradition of the old master painters. She admires the artwork of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and the Renaissance. She paints with painstaking attention to detail, maintaining the high standards of the classical masters. Her quest for excellence makes her fiercely self–critical. In her early career, Gabrielle's classically inspired paintings sold for thousands of dollars and found their way into the art collections of cel ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Dance Critic Alice Kaderlan: PNB's New 'Giselle' Giselle is a peasant girl who falls in love and is betrayed by her suitor. She is so broken hearted that she goes mad and dies. She becomes a kind of disembodied ghost. She lures men to their deaths by dancing with them; they dance to death. And that's what happens in the ballet "Giselle" which is 170–years–old and is presented by ballet companies all around the world. Pacific Northwest Ballet is doing a new production of "Giselle." They've spent a year resea ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Poem: Christopher Howell And 'Home Is The Sailor' Poet Christopher Howell served as a journalist for the Navy during the Vietnam War. Today, we'll hear about the singular experience of returning home after his tour of duty ended as he reads his poem "Home Is The Sailor," from "Dreamless and Possible: Poems New and Selected." (University of Washington Press, 2010). Howell is the author of eight collections. He's won the Washington State Book Award twice and received two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Ar ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Poem: Frances McCue's 'Console, Preacher, Console' Art is one of the things humans make in response to the incomprehensible–whether it's the experience of the divine, of love, of loss, or a myriad of other ways life can knock the illusion of control out of us. Frances McCue is a writer. So when the incomprehensible happened to her, when her husband died suddenly while they were living with their daughter in Morocco, one of Frances's responses was to write poems. Today we'll hear one of those, "Console, Preacher, Console," fr ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website 'Good Fish:' Good For Tackling The Fear Of The Unknown Not all fears are created equal. At the top of the scale is the life threatening, tiger–in–pursuit kind of fear. But, further down is the smaller fear that comes from trying something you've never done before. Becky Selengut is a Seattle–based chef and cookbook author. She is used to dealing with that kind of fear. She often encounters it around seafood. Becky tells KUOW's Megan Sukys about her frightening encounters with clams, Dungeness crabs and an unblinking camera. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website A Jewish American's Friendship With A Young Palestinian: Tragedy And Peace Sometimes a global event feels so immediate that you remember exactly where you were when it happened. But you might not recall where you were on October 2, 2000. That was just a few days after the Second Intifada in Israel. Jen Marlowe remembers exactly where she was: Standing in her kitchen in Seattle, staring at a cup of coffee, and trying to decide what to do next. She had to decide whether or not to return to Israel as a peace activist, even as the violence was erupting. As a Jewish Am ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Sounds Familiar: R.E.M.'s 'Stand' It's easy to dismiss some of the pop songs from our youth as silly bubblegum tunes that have no artistic merit. But songwriters today are still borrowing those ideas from the late 60s. KUOW's Amanda Wilde has been thinking about that when it comes to this tune that Sounds Familiar. Amanda speaks with KUOW's Dave Beck. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Art Review: Gabrielle Bakker's Reinvention You might be one person at work and another person at home or online. When you recognize how mercurial your personality can be, you can also see how easy it is to reinvent yourself. Seattle–based painter Gabrielle Bakker has reinvented herself and her style over the past decade, spending several years in seclusion and recently reemerging with her first exhibit in over 10 years. Local critic Gary Faigin says this new exhibit is exciting because it represents a new chapter in Gabrielle ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Christopher Howell And The 'Burning Bush' Whether they make us cringe or preen, we've all got childhood stories. For poet Christopher Howell, recalling these stories is like "listening to the footsteps of your past." Today he reads a poem, "Burning Bush," that recalls one of his own indelible stories. The poem is part of his most recent collection, "Dreamless and Possible: Poems New and Selected." (University of Washington Press, 2010). Howell is the author of eight previous collections. He's won the ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Mark Baumgarten: Songs That Make You Look At Your Hands There's an old carnival trick where a guy looks at your hands and guesses your occupation. If you have rough hands, he might guess you're a farmer. If your hands are soft and supple, he might figure you work in front of a computer all day. Mark Baumgarten does work in front of a computer all day. He's editor–at–large at City Arts Magazine, and he's been listening to Northwest bands who sing about people with rough hands — workers in the fields and the mines. He suggests th ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website iPad Apps: Opening Up A World Of Creativity Kamal Siegel is the founder and owner of the Digital Double Animation Studios in Redmond. He also founded the Redmond Digital Arts Festival in collaboration with the Redmond Arts Commission and City of Redmond. Kamal tells KUOW's Jamala Henderson about three apps he loves to use on his iPad, because they changed how he views creativity and the world around him. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer:' A Source Of Comfort When something bad happens, you can find the resources to deal with it — and they can come from unexpected places. Melanie McFarland is the television editor at the Seattle–based website IMDb.com, and she learned two weeks ago that her best friend, journalist Dorothy Parvaz, went missing in Syria. She and her friends and Dorothy's family have mounted an effort to find Dorothy and get her back. And in moments when Melanie is alone and wants to escape her thoughts, she watches the ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Dance Critic Alice Kaderlan: One Take On Tango Dancing the tango requires a skilled and committed dance partner and plenty of practice time. Dance critic Alice Kaderlan talks about how tango lessons in Seattle, and a trip to Buenos Aires, taught her when it's time to dance and when it's best to sit and watch from the audience. Alice speaks with KUOW's Dave Beck. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Jess Thomson: Matzo Balls For Mom One of the great things about becoming an adult is that you get to do things your own way. When we're kids, our parents dictate how things are done, and some of us may not think our parents did things exactly right. But blazing our path can shed light on why our parents did what they did. That's what happened to Seattle–based cookbook author and recipe developer Jess Thomson when she tried to improve on her mother's matzo ball recipe. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Anna Starikov: Closet Oasis Anna Starikov is a yoga teacher in Kirkland. She spends a lot of time thinking about other peoples needs. At the yoga studio, she leaves her own needs at the door so she can be there for her students. At home, she sets aside her needs again to be fully present for her two young kids. There's not a lot of room left for Anna to take time for herself. She tells KUOW's Sarah Waller how a difficult yoga practice led her to discover a place she can go for a moment of self–care, even in the ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Crai Bower: Discovering The Wild West In Northern Idaho Northern Idaho has a rather sketchy reputation as a place that was once inhabited by members of the Aryan Nations. But Seattle travel writer Crai Bower says it's worth the seven hour drive over to places like Sand Point, Coeur D'Alene, and a historic mining town called Wallace that was almost wiped off the map. Crai Bower speaks with KUOW's Dave Beck. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Les Purce: Take Your Glove To The Game For many people, baseball is a game of hope, possibility and optimism. Les Purce from Olympia, Washington, takes a baseball mitt to every game that he goes to. His family teases him about it, but Les believes that this is going to be the game where he catches that foul ball or home run. That sense of optimism goes all the way back to his childhood in Pocatello, Idaho, in the 1950s where he hung out at a ball park called Halliwell Stadium. Les Purce speaks with KUOW's Dave Beck. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Gavin Borchert: Finding New Possibilities In Unfamiliar Worlds When you start poking around in worlds that you're not that familiar with, all sorts of interesting possibilities present themselves. That's the case in this new recording by the Chiara String Quartet. They take original compositions by Jefferson Friedman and hand them over to an electronic music duo called Matmos. Seattle composer and Seattle Weekly Music Critic Gavin Borchert has been listening to this new disc. We'll hear the quartets by Friedman and some of the remixes that Matmos creat ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Sandra Kroupa: Hands-On Book Art These days it's easy to burn all of your books to a CD if you have them in digital form. Soon you may not even need physical books at all. But Sandra Kroupa may change your mind. She is the curator of rare books and book art at the University of Washington. She says that book art offers a hands–on experience that you can only get in person. Sandra Kroupa talks with KUOW's Jeremy Richards. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Kristen Spexarth: Reflections On Surviving Grief Kristen Spexarth is a mother, gardener and poet. She talked with KUOW's Jamala Henderson about her journey through grief after she lost her son to suicide, and how she now strives to help others who've suffered trauma. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Roxanne Murphy: You Have A Tribe Roxanne Murphy grew up knowing she was part Nooksack — she even went up to visit the reservation as a kid with her adopted parents. But her connection to the tribe wasn't very deep. Then, she decided to run for Tacoma City Council, and that's when everything started changing. Roxanne tells KUOW's Jeannie Yandel how a starting a political campaign and losing nearly everything led her to really understand what it means to be part of the tribe. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Greg Atkinson: Doing It Perfectly Vs. Loving It When Seattle chef and writer Greg Atkinson first moved into his home on Bainbridge Island, he wanted to maintain his quarter–acre garden perfectly. But as the years passed, the dandelions, nettles and leeks proved to be more committed to taking over than he was to getting rid of them. Greg tells KUOW's Megan Sukys what happened when he stopped fighting them so hard. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Gary Faigin: Norman Rockwell, 'Like It Or Not' If you heard that an artist painted the murder of three civil rights workers in the style of Norman Rockwell, that might sound subversive. It turns out this isn't just in the style of Rockwell, this is Norman Rockwell's own piece, "Murder in Mississippi." Beyond the early magazine covers of milkmen and rosy cheeked kids, Rockwell took on tough topics in his later years. Local critic and artist Gary Faigin says that the Rockwell exhibit at Tacoma Art Museum proves that Norman Rockw ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Paul Constant: The 'Mild Pioneering Spirit' Of Shorter Reads Let's say you have a large stack of books to get through. You could master speed reading techniques like suppressing sub–vocalization and scanning with a pen, you could build a servant robot to read and summarize the material for you, or you could just read shorter works that give you just as much satisfaction without the investment of a longer book. The Stranger newspaper's Paul Constant recommends a few selections from Amazon Kindle's Singles program — each just a couple of bu ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Jack Burke: Not Your Usual Pan American Service Stories about the Vietnam War usually involve fighter jets or daring rescues by helicopter, and they don't involve a Boeing 707 passenger jetliner. This story does. Jack Burke is an 89 year old pilot who lives in Burien, Washington. You recognize Jack's house by a '74 sky blue Cadillac Seville parked there with a Pan Am license plate holder on the back. Back in 1968 Jack was a pilot for Pan Am. He was scheduled to fly a Boeing 707 out of Singapore when he got a message from the Pan Am stati ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Warren Etheredge: Movies About Fidelity When a relationship gets really difficult or really boring, it can seem like the only solution is to leave. But, of course, that's not the only solution. You can also stick it through and see what happens. There is no guarantee that you'll get a happy ending though. Warren Etheredge is the founder of the entertainment website "The Warren Report," and he wanted to find movies that showcase couples staying together through tough times. He was able to find three. Warren tells KUOW's ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Nicole Hardy And 'The Usual' For many artists, a day job is an economic necessity. For poet Nicole Hardy, working as a waitress at a popular West Seattle restaurant is a source of more than just rent money. Her 2009 collection, "This Blonde," (Main Street Rag) includes several poems that respond to people and events in her working life. Today we'll hear "The Usual," Nicole's poetic take on a regular customer, a woman who shows up at the restaurant two to three times a day. "The Usual" is a ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Elizabeth Kenny: Making Sense Of Madness Local performer Elizabeth Kenny is friendly, outgoing and quick to laugh at herself. About 10 years ago, she was even more ebullient, described by her mother as "ridiculously optimistic." Back then, she was in her early 30s, working as a bartender and generally happy. Then, one night she woke to something that sounded like radio static. She ignored it, but the sound kept up for weeks, until one night she also heard a voice: 'Elizabeth. Elizabeth!' She held out for a few more weeks ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Greg Atkinson: Muffuletta Condolences There are many traditions around the death of a loved one, including friends bringing food to the family. But it can be hard to keep up that tradition when people move far away from home. Greg Atkinson is a Seattle chef and writer. He recently received condolences in a new way; it came in the form of a recipe from an old friend. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Matthew Baldwin: Autism In TV And Movies One of the pleasures of watching movies and television is finding characters you recognize from your own life. Matthew Baldwin is a Seattle–based writer, and he spent a long time looking for a specific kind of character — someone with autism. That's because his son was diagnosed with autism in 2006 at the age of two, and back then Matthew only knew about one portrayal of autism in media: Rain Man. Matthew tells KUOW's Jeannie Yandel about two other characters he was happy to dis ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Dance Critic Alice Kaderlan: The Pursuit Of Excellence Often in life it's the things that happen outside of the spotlight that have the most impact. Alice Kaderlan is a Seattle dance critic who has been following the careers of three dancers about to retire from Pacific Northwest Ballet. Alice talks about how Ariana Lallone, Jeffrey Stanton and Olivier Wevers demonstrate what it means to pursuit excellence. Alice speaks with KUOW's Dave Beck. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website 'First Epistle Of Lucia To Her Old Boyfriends' It may be that one of the signs of middle age is wondering which of our long–lost friends and former lovers has died without our knowing it. Olympia–based poet and MacArthur genius award winner Lucia Perillo speculates about the fate of her exes in "First Epistle of Lucia to Her Old Boyfriends," from her collection, "Inseminating the Elephant." (Copper Canyon Press, 2009). She is the author of four previous poetry collections and a book of essays, "I've ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Crai Bower: The Far Away Feel Of British Columbia's Sunshine Coast These days, with time and money being very tight, it's hard to plan a vacation getaway. But we're fortunate in that we live close to a place that feels very far away. Crai Bower is a Seattle travel writer. He recommends heading off to British Columbia's Sunshine Coast. Crai speaks with KUOW's Dave Beck. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Looking for a New Career? Follow Your Nose! Jordan Pacitti used to be a dancer for Pacific Northwest Ballet. He'd been dancing professionally since he was 18 years old. But in 2004, when he was 23, something that every dancer dreads happened to Jordan; he broke his foot. The injury got Jordan thinking about life after dance. He drew on the discipline and inspiration of ballet to transition into a new career in fragrance and body products. Jordan Pacitti speaks with KUOW's Dave Beck. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website When You're Forced To Let Go Dominic Canterbury is a Seattle entrepreneur. He's the kind of guy who's comfortable taking big risks. And in 2008 he got an idea for a business, and he thought it had the potential to have a sweeping effect on the US economy. His idea was a bartering website called Dibspace where people could exchange items and services using an alternate currency called 'dibits.' In the spring of 2010 he pledged to completely live off dibits for an entire year to prove that it was worth trying. Dominic sp ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Dr. Marie-Sabine Thomas: Finding Healing in Your Roots Dr. Marie–Sabine Thomas is a Seattle–based naturopath who grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and her family is from Haiti. She talked with KUOW's Jamala Henderson about finding traditional healers to be her mentors, and learning to become a mentor herself. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Nicole Hardy Touches Stingrays In Nicole Hardy's poem "Stingrays," the unexpected outcome of a scuba diving lesson becomes a metaphor for a romantic relationship. The poem is part of her collection "This Blonde," published by Main Street Rag in 2009. Nicole is also the author of "Mud Flap Girl's XX Guide to Facial Profiling." She received an M.F.A. from the Bennington Writing Seminars, and her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She lives in Seattle, where she works as a waitress a ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Gary Faigin: Sculptures That Cut Through Our Defenses Sometimes it's hard to relate to someone else's suffering, but even an experience that seems far removed from your own can feel immediate and powerful through art. Local critic Gary Faigin finds that experience in the work of Humaira Abid, a Pakistani American artist who spends about six months of each year in the Seattle area. Her new exhibit, called "Red," is currently on display at Seattle's ArtXchange Gallery. Most of Humaira Abid's sculptures are based on her personal experie ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Heather Bentley: Music As A Sound Sauna Music today is so accessible and omnipresent that it's easy to let it just flow right past you. Local violist Heather Bentley says she sometimes listens to music this way, half listening while she makes lunch for her son or scrolls through Facebook. But she says the most rewarding experience from music comes when she is either in a concert hall or sitting at home with headphones, immersed in the composition and giving in to the moment. She recommends pieces by two contemporary composers tha ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Jen Koogler: Lessons From Auntie Mame When someone asks Scarecrow Video Marketing Coordinator Jen Koogler to recommend a good movie, she almost always recommends the 1958 film "Auntie Mame." In part, that's because of Mame herself. Jen has loved that character for as long as she can remember. And Mame has taught her some enduring life lessons too. Jen tells KUOW's Jeannie Yandel why she loves "Auntie Mame." Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Sounds Familiar: 'Brother Can You Spare a Dime?' There's a song written in the Great Depression that has a lot to say about the great recession we're going through. One of the challenges of a time like this is not just the financial hardships, but the loss of a sense of self–worth. KUOW's Amanda Wilde brings us the story behind another tune that Sounds Familiar: "Brother Can You Spare a Dime?" Amanda speaks with KUOW's Dave Beck. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Gavin Borchert: Lang Lang Reconsidered The story goes that the pianist Lang Lang first encountered Franz Liszt's music when he was two years old and heard a Liszt Hungarian rhapsody in the background of a "Tom and Jerry" cartoon. Lang Lang built his early reputation largely on the flashy piano showpieces of Liszt. But Seattle composer and music critic Gavin Borchert says Lang Lang isn't just the J.Lo of the piano anymore. 28–year–old Lang Lang's new recording of an early Beethoven sonata speaks to the piani ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Joey Pipia: The Crane And The Straitjacket Joey Pipia grew up with dreams of being a professional magician. But when he first moved to Port Townsend with his family, he wasn't performing enough to make a living. He found part–time work teaching movement classes to kids, and he and his wife focused on home–schooling their two daughters. Then, one day in the middle of class, Joey's hip seized up and he fell to the ground in pain. He was diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis. Joey didn't just have to deal with the pain, depr ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Exploring Dance Feet First We often speak about having our "feet firmly planted on the ground" or being on "solid footing" around some issue or idea. "Feet First" is a personal motto of Seattle dance critic Alice Kaderlan. It's also the name of her blog on dance. Alice was reminded of the importance of the feet when she recently attended a Seattle performance by the Brazilian dance troupe Grupo Corpo. Alice Kaderlan speaks with KUOW's Dave Beck. Alice recommends upcoming performances (l ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Turbulent Relationships, Musical Epiphanies The teacher–student relationship can be a complicated one. Seattle–based music journalist and electrical engineer Tim Janof encountered one such relationship through his cello teacher. For seven years Tim studied with the late German cellist and University of Washington Professor Emeritus Eva Heinitz. Eva's demanding lessons were scary and stressful for Tim. But they also gave him powerful tools of self–expression. Tim writes about the art of string playing as director of ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Hamzah Maqbul: 'The Islam I Know' "I am a 6 foot 4, close to 300 pound man with a large beard," says Hamzah Maqbul, "and when I travel, I travel in traditional clothes." He says it's immediately clear that he's Muslim, and he's accustomed to strangers staring at him. But once they strike up a conversation, they're often surprised. Born in California and raised in Blaine, Washington, Hamzah Maqbul applies his scholarship and dry wit to dispelling misconceptions about Islam. Often, he's frank and funny. He ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Wendy Hinman: A New Person In An Old Place When Wendy Hinman and her husband Garth returned to Seattle after sailing 34,000 miles over seven years, she hoped for grand reunions with friends and family. She expected to tell her loved ones stories about their adventures, and their challenges. But that didn't happen. Instead, Wendy found herself more isolated at home than she had in a 31–foot sailboat in the middle of the ocean. Wendy tells KUOW's Jeannie Yandel how she learned to be the person she became on the boat in the old f ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Pimone Triplett And 'Birth Event' With lush language and vividly evocative images, University of Washington Associate Professor Pimone Triplett expresses the complicated experience of giving birth in her poem "Birth Event." The poem is part of Triplett's third collection, "Rumor" (Triquarterly Books, 2009). Her previous volumes of poetry are "The Price of Light" and "Ruining the Picture." She is also the co–editor of an anthology of essays, "Poet's Work, Poet's Play." Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Mary Dispenza: The Gift Of Secrecy In 1992, Mary Dispenza came out of the closet. She was 56 at the time and headed the Pastoral Life Services program at the Archdiocese of Seattle. And she'd lived her life as a devoted, active Catholic. Coming out was liberating for Mary, but it had consequences for her life in the church. And being gay wasn't the only secret she'd held onto. Mary tells KUOW's Jeannie Yandel about what it really means to her to tell the truth, and why, even today, telling the truth is sometimes a struggle. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Ralina Joseph: Exploring Attitudes About Race Through Television Comedy Talking about race and stereotypes can be awkward. But there are things you can do in comedy that you can't do anywhere else. UW Assistant Professor Ralina Joseph thinks, writes and teaches about representations of race, gender and sexuality in mass media. She talked with Jamala Henderson about three television comedies she recommends watching to get a sense of our current attitudes about race, and how we deal with difference. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Strong Women In Terrifying Movies In general, horror movies are not kind to women characters. But that doesn't mean the whole genre is devoid of strong females. Some of us may never watch a horror movie, but Hannah Levin does watch them. Hannah's a columnist at City Arts Magazine, where she writes about film and music, and she's a DJ at KEXP. And she loves horror films. She talks with KUOW's Jeannie Yandel about three horror films with strong, interesting women characters — the 1984 film "Nightmare On Elm Street, ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Like A Whack To The Side Of The Head A swift blow to the head will accomplish two things: It will hurt for a while, and it probably make you pay attention to your surroundings (because, hey, what hit me in the head?). Fortunately, you can get the benefit of a fresh perspective without the pain. For that, local critic Gary Faigin recommends checking out the new exhibit at Seattle's Prographica Gallery called "Hearing the Backbeat: Realists and Abstraction." Gary shares how a red stripe across a field, a matrix of inte ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Remembering A Father Through Shared Labor Poet Allen Braden grew up working with his father on the family farm in White Swan, Washington. He recalls the connection afforded by that intense labor in his poem, "Detail of the Four Chambers to the Horse's Heart." Allen is the author of "A Wreath of Down and Drops of Blood" (University of Georgia Press, 2010). He has received fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts and Artist Trust. A fourth–generation Washingtonian, Allen lives and writes in Lake ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Greg Atkinson: When Bran Tastes Good When it comes to healthy eating, bran is a superstar. Unfortunately, it's not nearly so popular when it comes to taste. And yet, Seattle writer and chef Greg Atkinson wanted a bran muffin to take with him on his ferry commute. He ended up turning to the memory of a packaged molasses cookie to unlock the secrets of a bran muffin you'd actually look forward to eating. He shares his discovery with KUOW's Megan Sukys. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website From Courtship To Community: Reading About Love Sentimental poems, greeting cards and little candy hearts can make love seem sappy and hollow. But when we discover great literature about earned human experience, we can find unique and inspiring portraits of relationships and how they affect our lives. Local theater director Valerie Curtis Newton shares two poems and a letter, addressing everything from courtship to community, and she shares how these works offer authentic perspectives of real love. Valerie Curtis Newton speaks with KUOW' ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Tweeting The Manhunt In April of 2010 The Seattle Times won a Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of the Maurice Clemmons manhunt, following the search for the man suspected of killing four Lakewood police officers in November of 2009. In that news coverage the Times gained a lot of attention for posting updates in the unfolding story on Twitter. This caught the attention of local playwright Paul Mullin. He had helped create a play about the changing news industry after the Seattle P–I shifted to an online& ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Warren Etheredge: Movies About Journalism One story we can tell about journalists in the US is they're a group of men and women who have kept the government accountable and the US citizenry informed. Another perspective is journalists in the US are fallible, ambitious, imperfect people who don't always do the right thing. Warren Etheredge is the founder of the entertainment website The Warren Report, and he recommends watching three films that got him thinking about journalism a little differently. He tells KUOW's Jeannie Yandel ab ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Following Them Off The Cliff If you've ever seen American Idol you know how easy it is to be both confident and terrible at the same time. But for local musician Korby Sears, performing isn't just about talent. It's about finding your own unique expression and having fun with it. For years Korby's friends dragged him to dozens of karaoke nights, and all he saw was a missed opportunity. Korby shares how he was kicked out of a karaoke bar, found his own vision for entertainment, and created "Frances Farmer Organ ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Alice Kaderlan: Dance That Makes Memories You can see a show and enjoy it for the moment. But some performances stick with you for years. Alice Kaderlan is a local dance critic. She recommends seeing a couple dance troupes coming to Seattle in February. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Robert Wrigley Celebrates 'A Lock Of Her Hair' If you've ever been in a long distance relationship, or loved someone who's often on the road, you probably know what it's like to long for the specific shape and scent of the one you love. In this poem, "A Lock of Her Hair," Robert Wrigley turns a ritual of centuries past — the reserving of a lock of the loved one's hair — into a charm, an incantation to summon his beloved. Poet Robert Wrigley's latest collection is "Beautiful Country," published by Penguin ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Stretching Toward Perfection Every day we're bombarded with broken promises to be better. Countless books, billboards, pop–up ads and radio programs carry messages about how our lives could improve — forever stretching toward perfection. But rarely do we find encouragement to embrace imperfection. In the late 90s, Claire Dederer was a 31–year–old new mom living in North Seattle, and she felt overwhelmed by the culture of "perfect moms" — always cooking organic food, only using wo ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Tom Dyer: The Northwest Rocks Sometimes the best rock music you've never heard has been around a long time. Green Monkey Records owner Tom Dyer talked with KUOW's Jamala Henderson about why he loves the 1960s rock group, The Sonics, and why young people today should check it out. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Kelli Russell Agodon On Being Called Back Poet Kelli Russell Agodon offers an insightful, humorous take on a little ritual that helps her navigate the precariousness of life. The poem is "Being Called Back" and is part of her recent collection, "Letters from the Emily Dickinson Room" (White Pine Press, 2010). Kelli writes the popular blog Book of Kells and is the author of "Small Knots" (WordTech, 2004) and "Geography," which won the 2009 Floating Bridge Press Chapbook Award. She is the co&nd ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Tracy Dethlefs: More Web Videos Worth Watching The Internet has given all kinds of people opportunities to make their own videos. But not all of those videos conform to traditional definitions of "good quality entertainment." Seattle–based video editor Tracy Dethlefs is aware of those definitions. He also thinks there are plenty of web videos that transcend those traditional ideas. He tells KUOW's Jeannie Yandel about three web videos that may not be perfectly artistically pure, but are well worth watching anyway. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website After The Falls In many places the epic struggle of man vs. nature is settled — nature lost. But in the Pacific Northwest the debate over our responsibility to nature is still constant, and we can't just settle on the simple romanticism of pure landscapes or the bleak view that everything has given way to industry. Local photographer Peter de Lory offers a more subtle perspective. In his photography exhibit, "The Falls," de Lory captures views of waterfalls and the people around them, and a ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Robert Wrigley And 'Such Giants' Poet Robert Wrigley's latest collection, "Beautiful Country" (Penguin Poets, 2010), considers our current wars and the complicated legacy of the Vietnam War. Wrigley himself was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War. Today he reads "Such Giants," which begins with two boys blowing up toy soldiers. Wrigley teaches at the University of Idaho, and is the author of six previous collections of poetry, including "Earthly Meditations: New and Selected Poems" ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Rock Star To Caspar Babypants In 1996, Kirkland native Chris Ballew was making it big in music. His band, The Presidents of the United States of America, was touring the world. His new album was racking up Grammy nominations. Even Madonna was trying to sign PUSA to her record label. But, once in the limelight, Chris began to question whether he was on the right path. He tells KUOW's Sarah Waller how a song about a worm and a tune his mother used to sing helped him find a new voice. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Music For Your Epic Quest The soundtrack to your life could be a dirge, monotonous and dreary, or it could be a triumphant orchestra, setting you off on a heroic quest. Either way, the music you listen to can do more than set your mood — it can tell your story. Martin O'Donnell is an accomplished local composer. He grew up in love with music and got his Master's in composition. Chances are you've heard his work, but not in concert halls. In the 80s Martin created memorable commercial jingles like "Flintst ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Bruce Herbert: Getting McDonald's To The Table There are stories about the lone person standing up to the huge corporation and bringing it to its knees. But that's not the only way to create change in the system. Bruce Herbert is the founder of the Seattle–based investment firm Newground Social Investment. He works from the inside, leveraging the power that corporate shareholders have to advocate for socially responsible policies. Bruce spoke with KUOW's Megan Sukys about how he got McDonald's to the table to review the level of p ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Rich Lyons: Living After Faith When Rich Lyons first moved to Seattle, he didn't talk much about his past. People who know him now have a hard time believing that for over 20 years, Rich was a preacher at a conservative Pentecostal church in East Texas. But after Rich started to object to what he saw as hatred and intolerance, he began preaching acceptance, and the church officials pushed back. He lost his job and his marriage, spiraling into a suicidal depression. Rich explains how he came out of his depression, became ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Reading To Find Your Calling Therese Huston is the founding director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Seattle University and the author of "Teaching What You Don't Know." Until the end of 2010, she was a psychology professor, but she left her full–time position to be a writer. It was a hard decision to make. To help navigate that transition, Therese found books that offer pragmatic advice on finding your calling, and she recommends two of these books to anyone looking for more me ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Movies About Starting Over The idea of getting a do–over in life is really tempting. Imagine how much easier things would be if we could really wipe away our past hardships and start with a truly clean slate. Warren Etheredge has been tempted by that himself. He's the founder of the entertainment website The Warren Report. He recommends three movies that consider what it really means start over and whether it's even possible. Warren's film recommendations are "Lost In America," "Seconds," an ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Alice Kaderlan: Taking A Chance On Dance As contemporary culture has evolved, so have dancers and choreographers. Seattle dance critic Alice Kaderlan has been watching dance for more than 30 years, and she has noticed how new dance productions are incorporating stronger themes and more dramatic interpretations of everyday life. She talks with KUOW's Megan Sukys about two new upcoming performances that push the boundaries of the art form. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Crai Bower: Nearby Winter Wonderlands The reality of a snowy winter involves icy sidewalks, shoveling slush and months of frigid temperatures. But the perfect picture of winter means hot chocolate, ice skates and a glassy, frozen lake. Seattle–based travel writer Crai Bower has found nearby winter wonderlands that offer that picture–perfect winter experience. He tells KUOW's Megan Sukys about getaways to Grouse Mountain, Kamloops and Bend. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Ripples From A Salmon Legacy Salmon and stream ecology are typically fields reserved for scientists and fish biologists. That's what Peter Donaldson observed growing up. Peter's grandfather taught at the University of Washington, and his father was the first scientist appointed director of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department. Together they handed Peter an 80–year legacy of salmon science. Peter talks with KUOW's Sarah Waller about how he's swimming up a slightly different stream. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Alyse Black: Making The Jump There's a difference between finding a career and making a living. In 2007, Alyse Black had a great career, only 24 years old and already on the fast track to an executive position at a major health–care company. But one day, she was sitting in a meeting with the CEO on the top floor of the building, and she realized she was not happy. She started looking at the windows and looking for a latch. She started thinking about jumping to her death. That's when Alyse decided she had to lea ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Christa Bell's Woman Worship Way Christa Bell is a nationally recognized slam poet champion and an acclaimed spoken word artist. She grew up here in Seattle. Christa talked with KUOW's Jamala Henderson about her journey of transforming her work from focusing on criticizing patriarchal power to embracing a woman–centered way of living. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Art That Makes You Question Your Perceptions It's comforting to have routines. But if you never change your routines, you remain stagnant while the world changes around you. Seattle–based photographer Chris Engman's work questions not only our routines, but how we see the world. His photographs of gravel piles, Washington prairies and bundled logs appear normal at first, but when you look closely you realize that something is not quite right. Local artist and critic Gary Faigin recommends Chris Engman's exhibit, both for the pho ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Movies That Influenced Fashion Think back on any movie you've fallen in love with. As amazing as it might be, you know it's impossible to step into the world of that film and become your favorite character. But you can dress like your favorite character. Costumes give us a chance to connect with the characters and worlds we see on the big screen. Ali Basye edits the Seattle–based blog "On This Day In Fashion." She talks with KUOW's Jeannie Yandel about three movies with costumes that lived on beyond the m ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Matthew Baldwin: Good Games That You Don't Plug In It is possible to have fun with a game that you don't have to plug in. There's something called board games. They've been around for a while, but they have been largely overshadowed by video games. Matthew Baldwin is a local writer who loves board games. He talks with KUOW's Megan Sukys about three board games that have taken him from rural Bolivia to a high–tech career in Seattle. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website The Slaughterhouse Songs A few years ago local musician Geoff Larson moved to Brooklyn to pursue his career. While there he discovered The Bushwick Book Club, where musicians all read the same book, then write and perform songs based on the book. Geoff is now back in Seattle, and he's brought a local version of The Bushwick Book Club with him. Recently the club chose Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five." Geoff shares a few of the songs inspired by Vonnegut's visions of time travel, World War II, alien ab ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website John Ackermann: 'A Song A Day' Seattle Magazine recently named the band "Awesome" one of the top local bands of the decade. "Awesome" member John Ackermann says he's constantly inspired by his fellow musicians, who are so prolific that their creations often seem effortless. But for John creating new songs hasn't always been so easy. So on January 1, 2009, he made a resolution to write a song a day, no matter what, even when struck with illness, stress, broken glass and the overwhelming urge to quit. J ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website A Dream Walk With Carolyne Wright In "This dream the world is having about itself . . ." poet, translator and teacher Carolyne Wright imagines a walk through the decades of the 20th century, in the company of her sister. The story behind the poem reveals that the progression through the decades isn't the only dreamlike aspect of the poem. Carolyne's sister was severely brain damaged at birth, and subsequently institutionalized. Though the two girls grew up apart, Carolyne's poem testifies to the durability of fami ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Truckasauras 101 Seattle Times music blogger recommends two songs by local electronic band Truckasauras from their newest LP entitled "Quarters." Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Allen Ginsberg's Transcendent 'Supermarket' Local poet Martha Silano was raised Methodist, but when she was a young girl she started to question her faith. Today she's an agnostic, not content with any traditional religious doctrine, but she still finds inspiration and awe in poetry. She describes her first poetry reading at age 17, when she saw Allen Ginsberg perform his poem "Supermarket in California." Martha Silano tells KUOW's Jeremy Richards how the poem's wandering questions gave her a way to find beauty in uncertain ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Finding The Personal Connection To Mozart There's a long tradition in classical music recordings of liner notes that go into excruciating detail about the structure of the pieces, or how they modulate from this key to that key. And the biographical sketches of the artists tend to go on and on about this festival that they performed in and that orchestra that they played with. But a new CD breaks that tradition. Classical composer and music critic Gavin Borchert has been listening to a new CD that features violinist Lara St. John an ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Dance Critic Alice Kaderlan: Creating A Holiday Dance Tradition Lots of people have their favorite holiday performance traditions that they like to take in. But if you've been reading the newspaper or watching the television lately, you may think that "The Nutcracker" is the only option. Alice Kaderlan is a Seattle dance critic, and she says there are many reasons why "The Nutcracker" looms so large. Alice talks with KUOW's Dave Beck about "The Nutcracker," and some holiday dance performance alternatives. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Kelli Russell Agodon's 'Memo To A Busy World' Genuine spiritual connection — or even a feeling of calm — can be hard to come by in our fast–paced, multi–tasking world. Poet Kelli Russell Agodon illuminates the dilemma in "Memo to a Busy World," a poem from her newest collection, "Letters from the Emily Dickinson Room" (White Pine Press, 2010). Kelli is the author of "Small Knots" (WordTech, 2004) and "Geography," which won the 2009 Floating Bridge Press Chapbook Award. Sh ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Margaret Willson: 'Dance Lest We All Fall Down' Margaret Willson is an anthropologist based in Seattle. Back in the early 90s, while working on her post–doctorate research, she went to Amsterdam for a while. There she made friends with a few Brazilians she had met at a dance club, and they invited her to come visit them in Brazil. Soon Margaret found herself staying in a shantytown in Salvador da Bahia, and she was so enchanted by the people and culture that she stayed and studied in Brazil for five years. But she also witnessed te ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Teen Counselor Shane Wheat: The Value Of Constancy Shane Wheat is a counselor at Cocoon House in Everett. She works with homeless teenagers who are often addicted to drugs and alcohol. Shane's been doing this for about six years now. When she started out, her own situation wasn't that much different from that of the kids she now counsels. KUOW's Dave Beck talks with Shane Wheat about why it's important for her to be a constant presence in the lives of homeless youth. Heidi Lang produced this interview. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Matthew Baldwin: Animated Movies For Adults It's pretty easy to write off animated movies as a genre for kids. But there are plenty of complex, sophisticated stories that are told with animation. Matthew Baldwin is a Seattle–based writer, and he believes animation can be an exciting, unique medium for telling great stories. But he hasn't always thought so. He tells KUOW's Jeannie Yandel about the three animated movies that got him excited about the medium again; "Princess Mononoke," "A Scanner Darkly" and &q ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Gary Faigin's Review: Ethan Murrow's Impossible Quest There are realistic dreams, like starting a family or finding a steady career. Then there are insane dreams, like catching a meteorite in your bare hands. Former Seattleite Ethan Murrow imagines the grand scale gumption of such an endeavor in his new exhibit, "Will Be Snaring Meteorites," at Seattle's Winston Wachter Fine Art Gallery. Local artist and critic Gary Faigin recently saw the exhibit. He tells KUOW's Jeremy Richards that Murrow's story is an impossible, quixotic quest & ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Crossing The Border With Lawrence Matsuda "I carry my own fence," writes Lawrence Matsuda in his poem "War on Terror — Border Crossing." The image alludes to the ongoing effect of his family's internment at the Minidoka concentration camp during World War II. Matsuda was born in the camp, and the poems in his new collection "A Cold Wind from Idaho" (Black Lawrence Press) document the emotional damage the internment wreaked on him and his family, and by extension the more than 120,000 other Japane ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Michael Owcharuk: Cover Songs That Beat The Originals Some songs take a while to grow on you, some are so overplayed that you never want to hear them again, and some songs take on a new life when they're covered by a different artist. Local musician and composer Michael Owcharuk says that some cover songs are better than the originals. He talks with KUOW's Jeremy Richards and shares three of his favorite covers. Special thanks to Anna De Santis of Garmisch–Partenkirschen, Germany, for suggesting "Running Up That Hill" and than ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website As Her World Turned Jennifer Worick is a best–selling writer based here in Seattle. And she's made her career writing practical, nonfiction books. But a 30–year habit of watching the high drama soap "As The World Turns" gave Jen aspirations for her own future, and a model for how to live. It also helped her escape her own difficult home life. She talks with KUOW's Jeannie Yandel about what the soap meant to her, and how it helped her to finally risk talking to her family about what happen ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Crai Bower: A Winter Getaway On The Oregon Coast If you're thinking about a winter getaway, you might be considering Mexico, Hawaii or some other place tropical and warm. But Seattle travel writer Crai Bower, who was recently featured in the book, "Seattle 100: Portrait of a City," recommends a trip that is quintessentially Pacific Northwest. You can go down to the Oregon coast and do some storm watching. Crai speaks with KUOW's Dave Beck. Visit Crai Bower's website for more information about Oregon coast beach adventures and l ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Arpana Jinaga: Bridging Cultural Divides Two years after her death, the murder of Redmond computer programmer Arpana Jinaga may be finally solved. In an April, 2009 interview with KUOW's Dave Beck, Muhammad Ali, Arpana's boss, shares the circumstances of his unlikely friendship with her. That friendship overcame the cultural and religious divides that often separate Indians from Pakistanis. Sarah Waller produced this story. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Merf Ehman: I Hope I Never Forget Merf Ehman is a managing attorney with Columbia Legal Services in Seattle. She often helps people fight for their housing rights when they have nowhere else to turn. Merf is pretty good at what she does, but she didn't always imagine herself as a successful attorney. She tells KUOW's Jeremy Richards how far she's come when she thinks about where she was about 20 years ago — homeless, addicted to drugs and struggling with mental illness. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Teen Lit: The Best Literature Written Today Some readers still associate teen literature with hackneyed coming–of–age stories and Choose Your Own Adventure books. But librarian Jerene Battisti says that the best literature she's found lately is being written for teens. Battisti is the education and teen services coordinator for the King County Library System. She shares some of her favorite teen lit books dealing with complex issues of poverty, war and mortality. Jerene Battisti talks with KUOW's Jeremy Richards. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Movies About Forgiveness We've all heard the phrase "time heals all wounds." Unfortunately, when it comes to deep emotional wounds, that's not really true. Sometimes it takes a lot of work to heal those wounds. Warren Etheredge is the founder of the entertainment website, The Warren Report, and he's thought a lot about how much work that healing takes. He tells KUOW's Jeannie Yandel about three movies that look at the hard work of forgiveness. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Dance Critic Alice Kaderlan: Making Art Out Of The Everyday Classical ballet, in the early days, came out of opera. It was a diversion from the opera story in which beautiful movements of the human body were set to music. By the early 20th century choreographers were taking a different turn, tapping into deep human emotions and everyday movements in life. In the next few days in Seattle there are performances showcasing that choreography. Seattle dance critic Alice Kaderlan recommends two of them. One is a performance at Meany Hall by the Martha Gra ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website How Picasso Sculpted His Relationships When someone asks you about a friendship or a relationship, you can choose a couple of adjectives or tell a story. But you're only offering a selective representation of that relationship. In this sense, we all share something in common with Pablo Picasso. The artist often depicted his friends and lovers in his paintings and sculptures. Local artist and critic Gary Faigin recently saw The Seattle Art Museum's exhibit, "Masterworks from the Musee National Picasso, Paris." Gary talk ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website 'Paradise Now' At Highline Community College For poet Susan Rich, films can provide a potent teaching opportunity in her writing classes. Today she reads "Paradise Now at Highline Community College," in which she marvels at film's ability to open her students' minds to new questions and a multiplicity of possible answers. The poem is part of her most recent collection, "The Alchemist's Kitchen," published earlier this year by White Pine Press. Susan's previous collections are "The Cartographer's Tongue: Poems ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Sounds Familiar: Why Don't You Do Right? When you think of songs about female empowerment, the 1970s hit "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar" from Helen Reddy might come to mind. But another song with roots in the Great Depression features a strong woman making a demand with a single question. KUOW's Amanda Wilde has another song that Sounds Familiar. She speaks with KUOW's Dave Beck. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Kurt Hoelting: A Walk To La Conner The technologies for sensory immersion are evolving at a rapid pace with 3D HDTV, Bluray and surround sound so realistic that those nature shows make it feel like you're actually in the wild. But you know what's even more realistic? Actually being in the wild. Commercial fisherman and meditation teacher Kurt Hoelting spent an entire year walking, biking and kayaking within 100 kilometers of his Whidbey Island home. During that year he never got into a car. He wrote about his experience in t ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Ali Basye: Movies About Personal Style Carrie Bradshaw on "Sex and the City" made it seem like developing your personal style meant maxing out your credit card. Ali Basye doesn't think that's true, though. Ali's the editor of the Seattle–based blog On This Day In Fashion. She told KUOW's Jeannie Yandel about three movies that show fashion and personal style are creative endeavors that don't require tons of money — the 1975 documentary "Grey Gardens," the 1980 film "Times Square" and the ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Dance Critic Alice Kaderlan: Decide For Yourself When you make a plan to go see live performance, you're never exactly sure what you're going to get. Even if the performance comes with all sorts of rave reviews, awards and recommendations it might still fall flat for you. Alice Kaderlan is a Seattle–based dance critic. She says that a satisfying arts experience requires taking risks on the part of audience members as well as performers. Alice Kaderlan speaks with KUOW's Dave Beck. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Karen Finneyfrock And 'The Man On Television' Writer Karen Finneyfrock knows the disorientation of grief, "like seeing a seagull in the grocery store," firsthand. Her sister Beth died at age 36, while waiting for a heart transplant. Her poem "The Man on Television" offers a gesture of understanding toward a man newly bereft. The poem is part of her collection "Ceremony for the Choking Ghost" (Write Bloody Publishing, 2010). Karen is a spoken word artist, novelist and teacher. She is currently writer&ndash ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Warren Etheredge: Movies About Aging And Death From TV shows to magazines to the beauty industry, we get all kinds of messages that being young and staying young is better than aging. Warren Etheredge is the founder of the entertainment website The Warren Report, and he's thought a lot about aging. He's also thought a lot about the one thing that stops us from aging — death. He doesn't like that very much. But he's found three films that help him get his head around aging and death. Warren talks with KUOW's Jeannie Yandel about th ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Dr. Rachel Chapman On Poetry That Helps You Survive And Thrive Rachel Chapman is a professor of anthropology at the University of Washington, and her research involves studying the reproductive health of women in Africa and the US. She's black, and was adopted by a white family in the 1960s. And when she was young she found it hard to define herself because she was different. But later she discovered poetry, and that helped her find the courage to accept herself. Dr. Rachel Chapman recommends two poems that helped her survive and thrive: "A Litany ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Books Worth E-Reading Books have been evolving for hundreds of years. Some readers embrace e–readers like the Kindle or Nook as another step in this evolution, while others say you'll have to pry the paperbacks out of their cold, dead hands. Joe Janes is an associate professor in the University of Washington's Information School. He says there are some books he prefers reading in their paper form, but others are just easier to navigate electronically. Joe Janes shares three texts that are perfect for e&nda ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Robert Jeffrey: 'We Have To Do It For Ourselves' Reverend Robert Jeffrey based out of Seattle's Central District has spent the past two decades working with poor, inner–city communities to improve economic opportunities. About 10 years ago he had a packed schedule filled with lectures, banquets and conferences. But in 2001 all of that came to a halt when Robert got sick. Robert Jeffrey shares how his illness opened his eyes to a crisis affecting the whole community, and how the solution connects to the problems he was working on all ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Jim Page: Music From Ashtrays And iPods There's a long tradition of street–music making, or busking, in the City of Seattle. But these days it's easy to walk right past a street musician. After all we have iPods and MP3 players, and who needs buskers when we have all the music we want — when we want it? The reason that people can make music on the streets in Seattle is because 36 years ago a folksinger by the name of Jim Page helped pass a law that made busking possible. He's gone on to do world tours and recordings, ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Crai Bower: In Search Of The Rain Shadow We're experiencing one of the wettest Septembers on record. And with the fall weather setting in we're likely to get even more rain, fog and clouds. Seattle travel writer Crai Bower says there are ways to get out, enjoy fall in the Pacific Northwest and take advantage of something called the rain shadow. Crai Bower speaks with KUOW's Dave Beck. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website For Karen Finneyfrock, 'Her Body Becomes A Hospital' When spoken word artist, novelist and teacher Karen Finneyfrock lost her sister to heart failure she stopped writing poems — the emotions were too raw. Three years later she found her poetic voice again and wrote the poems in "Ceremony for the Choking Ghost" (Write Bloody Publishing, 2010). Today we'll hear Karen read "Her Body Becomes a Hospital," which considers the limits of what we can do to save those we love. Karen is writer–in–residence at Richa ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Sounds Familiar: Man In The Mirror Amanda Wilde is the host of the "Swing Years and Beyond" on KUOW. Every month she talks with KUOW's Dave Beck. When it comes to great music there are only so many building blocks you can use. And the way a singer, producer or songwriter puts those elements together makes all the difference. Amanda talks about how Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" uses those elements in a way that continues to sound familiar. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Historian David Wilma: A Long View On Law And Order David Wilma is a Seattle historian and a member of the review board of the Seattle Police Department's Office of Professional Accountability. He was appointed to that position by the Seattle City Council. In that role he reaches out to members of the public around issues of police conduct. He brings many years of law enforcement experience to that position. And his work is shaped by experiences he had as a young University of Washington campus police officer during the late 1960s. David Wil ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Sam Riley: Music To Thaw The 'Seattle Freeze' Musician Sam Riley is relatively new to Seattle, but unlike some transplants he doesn't buy into the "Seattle freeze," that reputation for polite, passive–aggressive locals. But when he lived in New York and tended bar in the Hamptons it was a different story. He met a lot of people he couldn't relate to, and the subsequent loneliness and isolation comes through in his earlier songs. Now Sam has settled in Seattle along with his band Cady Wire, and both his life and his musi ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Gary Faigin's Art Review: Sculptures Built To Decay Many museums keep their art in pristine settings, framed behind velvet ropes and flanked by security guards. Signs remind you not to touch anything so you don't damage the work. But Seattle–based artist John Grade deliberately exposes his sculptures to the elements and exhibits them again in a state of decay. Local artist and critic Gary Faigin explains how Grade draws inspiration from his travels around the world. Gary Faigin talks with KUOW's Jeremy Richards. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Reading Stage Plays: 'A More Muscular Ride' You can always turn to blogs or cable TV for debates on political upheaval, international relations or timeless controversies. But behind the rhetoric, there's a real human drama, and Robert Schenkkan says you can get a more dynamic portrayal of that drama through stage plays. Schenkkan, a Seattle–based playwright, won the Pulitzer Prize for his play, "The Kentucky Cycle." He recommends two stage plays worth reading, even if you never see them staged. Robert Schenkkan talks ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Michaela Murphy: 'More Will Be Revealed' Seattle–based writer Michaela Murphy is funny and good natured. You might not expect that from a woman who's suffered through a divorce, a mysterious flesh–eating illness, and her mother's freak accident at an airport. But a chance meeting with a man on a kick scooter led her in a new direction. Michaela Murphy talks with KUOW's Jeremy Richards about her journey from New York City to Seattle, a series of uncanny encounters and a watershed eggnog latte. Segment Music: "It's ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Dance Critic Alice Kaderlan: Dance Out Of The Box When a music lover attends opera, he or she might focus on how the singers and orchestra sound, what the conductor is doing or on the particular style of music. But the music lover might not have such a keen appreciation for the sets, the acting, costumes or lighting. Seattle Dance Critic Alice Kaderlan tends to focus on movement when she attends an arts performance. But over the years her love of dance has given her a deeper appreciation for all of the arts. She recommends several performa ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Tracing The Source Of Outsourced John Jeffcoat is a Seattle writer and filmmaker. He directed and co–wrote the 2006 film "Outsourced." And "Outsourced" inspired an NBC comedy series that debuts this fall. But six years ago Jeff had no idea where his career was headed. That changed when he started to think back on a 1993 study trip he took to Nepal during his junior year in college. His experiences in Nepal changed his outlook on life and the world, and they played an important role in the creation ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Father John Fergueson On Accepting His Darkside And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Father John Fergueson is an Episcopal priest at the Church of the Redeemer in Kenmore, Washington. In 1967 he was a Marine fighting in the Vietnam War. He was part of a counterintelligence unit whose mission was to take down the Viet Cong infrastructure. In order to do that, they took prisoners. Father John Fergueson talks about becoming a priest and accepting who he was as a soldier in order to manage his post–traumatic stress disorder. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Fatal Lucciauno: The Spirit Of Street Life Rahmeece Chevosier Howell grew up in Seattle's Central District. He often wears glasses, reads voraciously and jokes that some people have accused him of having a short–man complex. But in his music, he's brutally honest and larger than life. Many local hip–hop fans know him better as Fatal Lucciauno (his mother nicknamed him "Fatal" when he was only 6 years old). With lyrics that often reference violence, survival and corrupt authorities, you might miss his references ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Music That Breaks Boundaries And Routines Whether you're a classical music aficionado or a hip–hop head, you might not have any reason to explore other musical genres. But local musician Anomie Belle looks for music that blurs boundaries. She shares two songs that blend genres, and in doing so might break us out of our everyday routines. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Susan Rich And 'Mohamud At The Mosque' Susan Rich's poems often draw on things she witnessed as a Peace Corps volunteer and human rights activist in faraway countries. In September 2001, however, one of her students at Highline Community College had an experience in Tukwila, Washington, that led Susan to write today's poem, "Mohamud at the Mosque." The poem appears in her 2006 collection, "Cures Include Travel" from White Pine Press. Susan is the author of two other collections of poetry, "The Cartograph ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Sharing Musical Ideas Across Centuries Classical music is an art form deeply rooted in the past. So much so that in the early 20th century composers in the classical tradition wanted to reject that past. Seattle Weekly music critic and composer Gavin Borchert has been listening to a new recording called "De Profundis." It features violinist Gidon Kremer and his ensemble Kremerata Baltica. The recording reminds Gavin again that there are many good ideas from the past. They are ideas that many modern composers have forgo ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Ben Verellen: An Amplified Obligation When Ben Verellen graduated from the University of Washington a few years ago with a degree in electrical engineering, he knew what he wanted: To keep one foot in the world of his studies and the other foot in the world of underground rock, where he'd been playing since he was 15. So he decided to build solid, great–sounding amps that musicians like he could actually afford. And lots of people loved his idea enough to give him a little money to start Verellen Amplifiers. But just as h ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Myne Whitman: Books About Leaving Home If you've lived in the same place your whole life, it's tough to know what it's like to have your life split into two places. Myne Whitman knows exactly what that's like. She's a writer who lives in Bellevue, but she immigrated here from Nigeria. So she's thought a lot about what it means to make a life in a new place while missing the old place. Myne talked with KUOW's Jeannie Yandel about two books that explore what it's like to leave home for someplace new. Myne Whitman discussed the bo ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Adnan Mahmud's Drop Of Water Adnan Mahmud is a 32–year–old computer scientist. He's originally from Bangladesh is now a program manager for Microsoft in Redmond. He and his wife Nadia are co–founders of a relief organization called Jolkona. The couple isn't paid for their work. They run it out of their kitchen with a group of about 30 volunteers. Adnan volunteers for the foundation on top of the 10 hours a day he spends at Microsoft. The idea for Jolkona (a Bengali word meaning "drop of water&quo ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Travel Writer Crai Bower: A Portland Cycling Vacation When you drive around town you can see cyclists outfitted with the latest helmets, bikes and high–tech gear. That can be intimidating if you don't even own a bicycle. Seattle travel writer Crai Bower says that cycling is going to explode in popularity in the coming decade. You can get a taste of that emerging cycling culture if you take a cycling vacation to the city of Portland. Crai Bower spoke with KUOW's Dave Beck. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Tracy Dethlefs On Internet Videos Worth Watching Recent estimates indicate there are more than 140 million videos on YouTube. And of course, there's no way all of those videos are actually worth watching. But Tracy Dethlefs believes that for all of the home videos out there, there are also pieces that are truly artistic and worthwhile. Tracy is a video producer and editor in Seattle. And he told KUOW's Jeannie Yandel about three Internet videos that are beautifully made, and that exemplify what can be done with video on the web. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Juan Alonso's Personal Abstractions Seattle–based painter Juan Alonso creates stark abstract images. You might find the imagery itself compelling, but you can connect even more to the work if you understand Juan Alonso's personal history. Artist and critic Gary Faigin recommends Juan Alonso's new exhibit at Francine Seders Gallery. Gary Faigin talks with KUOW's Jeremy Richards. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Saving Dogs You'd Rather See Dead Steve Markwell lives with 87 dogs in Forks, Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula. None of them will ever be adopted out to families, because they've all been declared dangerous. But Steve doesn't necessarily think that's a bad thing. His goal is to make sure those dogs feel safe the rest of their lives with him. He runs the Olympic Animal Sanctuary. And saving dogs was something he started doing by accident. He tells KUOW's Jeannie Yandel his story. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Sharon Bryan's 'Bad Days' "What were we thinking when we named ourselves homo sapiens, 'the wise ones,'" writes Sharon Bryan in "Bad Days." "Maybe it was a little prayer that failed." With her characteristic blend of humor and pragmatism, Sharon confronts the reality of the damage humans do to each other and the planet in this poem from her latest collection, "Sharp Stars," published by BOA Editions. Based in Port Townsend, Sharon travels widely, working as a visiting professo ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Movies About Standing Up To Corrupt Corporations If your neighbor hurts you, you can probably confront that person and deal with it. But if a multinational company destroys the environment, you might feel a little powerless about that. Warren Etheredge is the founder of the entertainment website The Warren Report. He told KUOW's Jeannie Yandel about three movies he's seen about corporations and individuals. They give him hope that one person really can change things. Warren talked about "The Corporation," "McLibel," an ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Peter Donahue's Imaginary Parents Peter Donahue knows a lot about Pacific Northwest history. He lived in Seattle in the 1980s and went to school at the University of Washington. He wrote a collection of short stories set in Seattle. His first novel is historical fiction set in the Pacific Northwest. In his latest book he looks at history that he doesn't know a lot about, his own personal history. His latest novel is titled "Clara and Merritt." It's set in Seattle in the 1930s and 40s. The backdrop is World War II ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Exploring Leadership Through The Works Of Octavia Butler Some people dismiss the genre of science fiction as silly or trite. But the late Seattle author Octavia Butler explored major social problems in her work. Habiba Ibrahim is an associate professor at the University of Washington, and she teaches two of Butler's works in her literature class. She recommends reading these books because the stories present us with an interesting alternative model of leadership. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Kurt Timmermeister: Making A Living On Vashon In 2004, Kurt Timmermeister thought he knew how to make a living off his farm on Vashon Island. More than five years later, he's finally at a place where he can make a living off his farm. And he had to completely give up his initial idea of farming to do it. Kurt tells KUOW's Jeannie Yandel how he figured out that slowing down was the only way he'd make it on his farm. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Hannah Levin: Music In Movies Moviemakers put a lot of layers into their films. And even if you think you know a movie really well, there are still surprises you'd never find unless you go back and pay attention. Hannah Levin goes back and pays attention to movies she loves. She's a DJ at KEXP and a music writer at the Seattle Weekly, and she finds a new way into movies and characters she loves through music. Hannah talked with KUOW's Jeannie Yandel about two songs from two iconic movies that reveal new aspects of well& ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Seattle Dance Critic Alice Kaderlan Dancers look beautiful on stage and perform amazing physical feats. But up until recently, a dancer's career could be very short. Professional dance takes a toll on the body and dancers were often at a loss as to how to carry their lives forward. Alice Kaderlan is a Seattle–based dance critic and saw that story played out in the life of her aunt who was a professional ballerina. Alice speaks with KUOW's Dave Beck. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website 'Getting It Right' With Lorraine Healy Poet and photographer Lorraine Healy recounts the indelible magic of a first kiss in her poem, "Getting it Right." The poem is part of her collection "The Habit of Buenos Aires," winner of the Patricia Bibby First Book Award from Tebot Bach Press and published in 2010. She is also the author of two chapbooks, "The Farthest South" (New American Press) and "The Archipelago" (Finishing Line Press). Lorraine emigrated to the US from her native Argentina. ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Ana Maria Spagna: Tracking Down A Family Myth Ana Maria Spagna is a writer who lives in Stehekin, Washington. This small Cascade Mountain community along the shore of Lake Chelan is so isolated that Ana Maria has to communicate via satellite phone. She was "wasting time online" one day when she came across a reference to something her late father did in the 1950s. It turns out her father Joe Spagna was an important player in a little known chapter in the American Civil Rights movement. The story begins in Tallahassee, Florida ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Kate Lebo: An Appetite For Words You could go your whole life without thinking much about the food you eat. But some people see their meals as a daily reminder of their connection to something greater. Local poet Kate Lebo writes the blog Good Egg. She shares three reading experiences that shed new light on food, even if you're not a foodie. Kate Lebo talks with KUOW's Jeremy Richards. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Marc Chirico: The Spirit Of Flight If you drive past Tiger Mountain in Issaquah, you might notice a large hang glider anchored on a hill. Beneath that there's a building that says "Seattle Paragliding." Unlike hang gliding, in paragliding you sit in a harness attached to a large fabric wing resembling a parachute, step off a mountain and soar like a bird. For Marc Chirico, owner of Seattle Paragliding, this flight is about more than the rush — it's spiritual. Marc Chirico talks with KUOW's Jeremy Richards Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Megan Kelso: Delving Into The Details Some people turn to novels for the thrill, action or adventure. But Megan Kelso prefers stories that highlight the details of everyday lives. A local graphic novelist, Megan's latest book is called "Artichoke Tales." She tells KUOW's Jeremy Richards about three books that inspired her with their attention to detail and transport her to other worlds and other times. Segment Music: "Glocken" by Laura Gibson and Ethan Rose Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Corky Luster: Bee Ambassador When Corky Luster was a kid, he didn't get along with bees very well. Today, he runs the Ballard Bee Company, and he tends more than 60 beehives in backyards all around Seattle. Corky tells KUOW's Jeannie Yandel how stories about dying bee colonies made him want to help other people understand that bees are much more than stinging insects. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Andrew Matson On Remixing Local Hip-Hop Seattle's hip–hop scene has many layers. We have musicians that are creating quality music at the grassroots level. We've also got musicians who love that local music so much, they take those songs, put it in a blender and create their own versions of that local music. It's called remixing. Andrew Matson blogs about music for The Seattle Times, and he believes that local music producer, Roger Habon, AKA 10–4 Rog's remixes are a great introduction into the local hip–hop sce ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Gary Faigin: Finding The Cosmic In The Everyday Think about all of the doorknobs you encounter each day. You probably don't stop, kneel down, stare at the doorknob and think, "wow, look at that design and presence and transcendent inspiration!" But an artist like Isaac Layman does. His photography exhibit, "110%," is now on view at Seattle's Lawrimore Project, and it's all inspired by objects around Isaac's Green Lake home. Artist and critic Gary Faigin tells KUOW's Jeremy Richards how these photographs evoke the cosm ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website 'Approaching Ice' With Poet Elizabeth Bradfield Naturalist and poet Elizabeth Bradfield turned her fascination with the history and legacy of polar exploration into a collection of poems called "Approaching Ice" (Persea Books, 2010). In today's poem, "The Third Reich Claims Neu Schwabenland," she considers the hubris of a nation's attempt to claim Antarctica, and she finds parallels in her own life. Elizabeth Bradfield's first poetry collection, "Interpretive Work" (Arktoi Books/Red Hen Press, 2008), won the ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Bringing Reiki Healing To The Duwamish River If you visit Duwamish Waterway Park this summer, you might see a group of people singing, playing bells and holding their hands over the water. This is a Reiki Fellowship water blessing. Reiki is a healing practice that was started by a Buddhist monk in Japan in the 1920s. It has its share of skeptics, and local mental health counselor Eileen Dey wasn't so sure about the practice when she first discovered Reiki about 15 years ago. Still, Eileen says her Reiki work with clients, including ma ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Seattle's Hip-Hop Renaissance Outside of Seattle, the idea of a Pacific Northwest hip–hop scene might sound far–fetched. But Ben London doesn't think so. Ben is the executive director of the Recording Academy, Pacific Northwest Chapter. He talks with KUOW's Jeremy Richards and shares three tracks that he says are part of Seattle's hip–hop renaissance. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Movies Worth Re-Watching If you look at a painting or a sculpture more than once, or listen to a great piece of music more than once, you'll likely find something new each time you experience it. Great movies can do the same thing. Susan Scott is a manager and buyer for The Secret Garden bookstore in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood. And she loves re–watching favorite movies. She's found two movies in particular that give her something new each time watches them. Susan tells KUOW's Jeannie Yandel about the 1938 ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Opera's Parallel Universe The songs of Leonard Cohen are rarely performed on the same stage as the music of Richard Strauss. But on the new CD, "Dark Hope," opera singer Renee Fleming leaves behind her usual classical repertoire. Instead, she tackles pop songs from artists like Leonard Cohen, Arcade Fire and Death Cab for Cutie. Seattle Weekly classical music critic Gavin Borchert thinks she succeeds at crossing over because she tries on a whole new voice. Gavin spoke with KUOW's Dave Beck about the transf ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website What Washes Up Seattle's Alki Beach is one of the most popular destinations for local beachcombers. Especially at low tide, you're likely to find crabs, starfish, shells, and sea glass. KUOW's Jeremy Richards recently visited Alki with local author Skye Moody, but what they found wasn't natural. Skye Moody is the author of "Washed Up: The Curious Journeys of Flotsam & Jetsam." She reveals some of her most bizarre discoveries on local shores and what it means for the health of Puget Sound. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Dating Is Murder Seattle–based writer Diane Mapes has written columns and books on dating, but she finds some of the most realistic portraits of relationships in crime fiction. Diane tells KUOW's Jeremy Richards about two books by Tana French that deal with the complications of dating and how tracking down a murder can put things into perspective. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website A House Of Cards When Monica Murphy LeMoine got pregnant for the second time in 2007, she was excited to finally become a mother. But she was also scared — she'd had a miscarriage several months earlier. Monica's a Seattle–based writing instructor and the author of the book "Knocked Up, Knocked Down: Postcards From The Edge Of Parenthood." She tells KUOW's Jeannie Yandel how pregnancy finally made her understand that even the best–laid plans can collapse at any moment. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Bonnie Blanchard: Be Your Own Teacher You never know where the next great talent is going to come from. Bonnie Blanchard is a Seattle flutist, flute teacher and author of books on music education. She grew up in Anacortes, Washington. When she was a little girl Bonnie begged her parents for music lessons. They signed her up for piano lessons with the neighbor lady. But things did not get off to a good start.Bonnie Blanchard talks with KUOW's Dave Beck about how she helps her students become their own teacher. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website How To Talk About Suicide Around the world, more than one million people kill themselves each year. And the aftermath of suicide is terrible for family and friends. Warren Etheredge argues some of those deaths could be avoided if we talked more openly about why suicide happens and how it affects us all. He recommends three movies that can show us different ways to think about and talk about suicide. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website Collaboration And Innovation In Northwest Dance When you think of places where dance innovation happens, you may think first of New York, London, or Paris. But Seattle Dance Critic Alice Kaderlan says a lot of that experimentation is going on right here in Seattle. It's Seattle's geographical location that inspires dancers and other artists to think collaboratively and across disciplines and boundaries. Alice recently saw performances by KT Niehoff, Catherine Cabeen and the Degenerate Art Ensemble. Alice Kaderlan spoke with KUOW's Dave B ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website