LITerally Podcast

Kathryn Wilder, Desert Chrome: Water, A Woman, And Wild Horses In The West

High Plains Book Award WINNER, Craig Lancaster on BEING a WRITER // LITerally Podcast Craig Lancaster, winner of the 2022 High Plains Book Award in Fiction, joined us on the podcast from Montana. Craig has so many insights when it comes to BEING a writer, to believing in it as a career. It was really refreshing to chat with him about how 'writer' can be our profession, and how life weaves and changes and that it's all a good thing. I met Craig in Billings this fall, and we became instant friends. - Kase   Craig Lancaster: https://www.craig-lancaster.com/   Host Kase Johnstun: http://kasejohnstun.com/ LITerally Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/literally_podcast/   LITerally Podcast Archive: https://www.thebanyancollective.com/literally

For this month's Bourbon, Beer & Books reading, we break down Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five. We're joined by Sean Davis dialing in from Oregon. Kase Johnstun, Dorie Guerra, Marc Garcia, and myself, R. Brandon Long are all in the Banyan1 Studio. Watch this episode on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/eJpNzyz9iSY

The Chemical Marriage series is a seven novel septet, beginning with The Crow's Head from author Adrian Stumpp // LITerally Podcast Ep. 59 We talked with Adrian Stumpp about his book The Chemical Marriage. He told us his inspiration for this book was dull; it was anything but dull. It was awesome. You'll have to listen to understand. - Kase AUTHOR // Adrian Stumpp: https://adrianstumpp.com/ Like what you hear, buy Kase a beer: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/banyanmedia Follow LITerally:Instagram // https://www.instagram.com/literally_podcast/ Facebook // https://www.facebook.com/LITerallyPodcast Kase: http://kasejohnstun.com/ Bookings: johnstunkase@gmail.com

LITerally Podcast Ep. 58 - Taylor Garcia, "Functional Families"  We talked about a lot more than writing in this episode with author Taylor Garcia. We jumped into everything writers think about when writing that readers probably never know! Writing isn't just putting words on paper. It's a life. We delve into all of this. Taylor Garcia: https://btaylorgarcia.com/ Functional Families on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Functional-Families-Taylor-Garc%C3%ADa/dp/1950730875 "Taylor García is the author of the novel, Slip Soul (Touchpoint Press, 2021), and the short story collection, Functional Families (Unsolicited Press, 2021). In addition to his books, García has published several short stories and essays in numerous journals, and is a weekly columnist at the Good Men Project. In a past life, García was a features and sports reporter at The Santa Fe New Mexican, and a political news correspondent at the Talk Radio News Service in Washington, D. C.He holds an MFA in Writing  from Pacific University Oregon. García is a multi-generational Neomexicano originally from Santa Fé, New Mexico now living in Southern California with his family." Like what you hear, buy Kase a beer: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/banyanmedia Kase: http://kasejohnstun.com/ Bookings: johnstunkase@gmail.com

LITerally Podcast Ep. 57 - The River Between Hearts from author Heather Mateus Sappenfield Heather Mateus Sappenfield joins us on LITerally to talk about the challenge behind switching genres, voice changes, and viewing the world through the eyes of a child. It's a good one! Heather Mateus Sappenfield: https://heathermateussappenfield.com/ Kase: http://kasejohnstun.com/

Marvel Comics author Ben Percy joined us to chat about comic writing versus novels and the pressure of developing story lines for iconic characters like Wolverine, and Ghost Rider. Oh, and he even hits us with a lil' specialty rum choice on this episode of Bourbon, Beer and Books! Ben Percy: https://benjaminpercy.com/ Bourbon, Beer and Books Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bourbonbeerandbooks

Digging in and tearing apart the Christmas classic, Home Alone. Join us as we discuss Fuller and friends.

Interview with Teresa Dovalpage, Author: Death Under the Perseids - A Havana Myster // LITerally Podcast Ep. 56 Teresa Dovalpage, friend and author, joined us again. If she'd join us, we'd have her every week. Luckily enough, she just keeps publishing, giving us an excuse to have her on! Teresa Dovalpage: https://teredovalpage.com/ Like what you hear, buy Kase a beer: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/banyanmedia Follow LITerally: Instagram // https://www.instagram.com/literally_podcast/ Facebook // https://www.facebook.com/LITerallyPodcast Facebook // https://www.facebook.com/KaseDJohnstun Website // https://www.thebanyancollective.com/literally Kase: http://kasejohnstun.com/ Bookings: johnstunkase@gmail.com

Essayist and poet Rob Carney on the podcast to talk about his new essay collection and his new poetry collection. We had fun in the Banyan one! Rob Carney via https://stormbirdpress.com/our-authors/rob-carney/ Rob Carney grew up in the Pacific Northwest but has lived the last 23 years in Salt Lake City, Utah. He's the author of seven books of poems, most recently Facts and Figures (Hoot ‘n' Waddle 2020), and The Book of Sharks (Black Lawrence Press 2018), which was a finalist for the 2019 Washington State Book Award. In 2014 he received the Robinson Jeffers/Tor House Foundation Award for Poetry. His work has appeared in Cave Wall, The American Journal of Poetry, and many others, as well as the Norton anthology Flash Fiction Forward (2006). He's a Professor of English at Utah Valley University and writes a regular feature called “Old Roads, New Stories” for Terrain.org. Like what you hear, buy Kase a beer: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/banyanmedia Bookings: johnstunkase@gmail.com

It was really, really awesome to talk to Larry Feign about his new novel that took years to research and to write. It's an absolutely beautiful book, inside and out. I learned more than I ever expected. That's amazing historical fiction.

Amanda Kabak, author of the newly released novel titled UPENDED, joined us to talk about the book. It was great to talk about the evolution of this book, the characters, and their motivations. Great for anyone interested in novel building!

LITerally Podcast EP. 52 - David Gessner: Quiet Desperation, Savage Delight: Sheltering with Thoreau in the Age of Crises David Gessner joined us to talk all things Henry David Thoreau, thoroughly, while talking about the craft of writing nonfiction and writing a book during the pandemic. Such a great conversation!

This month we discuss NNedi Okorafor's Remote Control, described on her website as, "science fiction of the Africanfuturist strain that knows aliens exist, quietly shows how technology is influenced by culture, features a powerful yet deeply-pained female protagonist, and wonders about the role of corporations in rural Africa."  So grab a bourbon and sip along with us. This selection was loved by the hosts. Tune in to find out why.  Cheers!

"If you like plots & boobies, not the book for you." - Sean Davis Kase's pick, Rendezvous with Rama, is a science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke. Set in the 2130s, astronauts explore a cylindrical alien starship. How does this 1973 classic hold up?

Full of welcoming metaphors and more depth than anticipated, JAWS, the book, surprised us in a few ways. As Leigh noted, "Even when it's problematic...it's still trying to do stuff."  Other notes, Kase finally imbibed, we endured symphony practice, and a tree fell on Seans internet (true story). Otherwise, smooth livestream and podcast. Enjoy!

Sometimes, it's just best to sit back, listen, and learn. Going into my interview with Paisley Rekdal, that was my plan, and I'm happy I stuck (mostly) to it because there's no reason to mess up a good hour of great, researched insight with my fumbling. So fortunate to have Utah's Poet Laureate and author of APPROPRIATE (and many, many other books of poetry and nonfiction) on LITerally. - Kase

Bourbon, Beer & Books - The Sun Also Rises, gender fluidity, impotence, bull fighting, and whiskey Where does that type of trophy-hunting/prove-your-masculinity fit in today's literary scene? We take a candid look at The Sun Also Rises. LITerally Host Kase Johnstun is joined by Sean Davis and Tia Brown to discuss The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway and his place in history. 5 word review What we’re drinking? Masculinity and Gender Fluidity Iceberg Theory

From across the globe and from 12 hours in the future, Bradford Philan joined us on the LITerally Podcast. Let's just say that I enjoyed the 'heck' out his book When the Color Started. Grab it.

LITerally podcast host Kase Johnstun along with co-hosts Leigh Camacho Rourks, Sean Davis, and Tia Brown discuss the phenomenon that was Twilight.

Today we spoke with Valerie Miner, author of numerous fiction, nonfiction, and poetry collections. Once, a decade ago, Miner was kind but instructive with my fledging writing and writing career, and I feel privileged to talk with her about her writing today. Watch and Subscribe on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jKI8FjXNT2s

Kase Johnstun of the LITerally podcast joined me, Brandon Long of Van Sessions in TanVan to help add some literary flair to this Van Sessions episode featuring local Ogden band, The Snarlin' Yarns. Check out this mash up and enjoy!

Think of this interview with Michael Kasdan, sports and special projects editor at The Good Men Project, like a time capsule from pre-election, pre-vaccine interview. We jump into politics and sports and why athletes should stop being told to “stay in their lane.”

Authors M. Ellen Dash and Ali Meeks talked with the LITerally Podcast about their new book Conquer Your Fear of the Triathlon Swim. As a swimmer and triathlete, I had a great time reading the step-by-step guide to overcoming anxiety in the water. This is a great book (and podcast, of course) for anyone hoping to turn their fear of open-water swimming into confidence in the water.

Adrienne Christian shared poetry from her new book with us on the LITerally Podcast. We laughed a lot that afternoon. She is welcome back anytime to talk about the writing, life, and the crazy world we live. But her new book of poetry! I insist!

Sian Griffiths, writer and sometimes co-host of the LITerally Podcast, joined us in the time of Covid, only a few miles from her house, via Zoom to talk about her new novel, Scrapple. As with everything in this day and age, we cannot avoid talking about life, the world, and our place in the world in it as writers! Thanks, Sian!

It's been a long time coming, but has time really passed over the last few months? Has it really? Here is our fun Literary Death Match Podcast from last year's event. Hosted by Adrian Todd Zuniga, five other writers joined us that day, including Laura Stott, Jan Bottiglieri, Jake Alvey, David Lindes, and Kara Van De Graff. It was a serious riot. And Literary Death Match will be returning this year virtually in the fall, so keep an eye out for that announcement!

Sharon Harrigan joined us for the second time for her debut novel Half. It was our first time recording since we last saw each other before shutting it down for Covid. This was a great way for LITerally to jump back in!

Sunni Brown Wilkinson’s poetry has been published or is forthcoming in Crab Orchard Review, Adirondack Review, Sugar House Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, and other journals and anthologies. Sunni is the author of The Marriage of the Moon and the Field (Black Lawrence Press 2019), and her poem “Rodeo” won New Ohio Review’s inaugural NORward Poetry Prize. She teaches at Weber State University and lives in northern Utah with her husband and three young sons. I loved sitting down with Sunni Brown Wilkinson to talk about writing, but to also talk about life. It was so enjoyable. I love her poetry. Please take a listen!

LITerally Podcast Ep. 41 - Laura Stott Poet and friend Laura Stott joined us in the Banyan Studio to read and talk about poems from her new book The Blue Nudes. It’s a great conversation about inspiration and verse and parenting and teaching!

Heather Sappenfield joined us via radio network. She bounced off satellites to join us. Well, she didn't, but I love that we got to talk to her from long distance. Remember when we had to pay to talk long distance. Heather and I don't; we're not old enough for that. We chatted about writing, about the YA business, and about imagining worlds.

Nita Sweeney outran depression, literally, and she shares this journey in her memoir Depression Hates a Moving Target, an inspiring look at how running (for all) can change a life and how our furry friends run right alongside us.

Elizabeth Levinson, poet and friend and teacher, joined the LITerally Podcast in the first ever recording in the camper inside The Monarch Building in the heart of Ogden's Nine Rails Arts District. We talked poetry, life, and, yes, teaching. It was so lovely to hear her read and to find out that her new book of poetry will be out next year! Listen!

Leigh Camacho Rourks' two favorite drinks are a Whiskey Neat and Prosecco with Mango Nectar. Sound like a study in contrasts? Maybe. Her work and her new short story collection, Moon Trees and Other Orphans, is a controlled, beautiful, and powerful study in contrasts. We talk about the St. Lawrence Book Award collection on, you guessed it, the LITerally podcast where Rourks says, a great insight for writers who are pitching their work, "Every book is different to every reader (editor) every day."

In this episode, we flipped the actual stage. At the Utah Arts Festival on the Big Mouth literary stage, we talked to readers and writers to look at where they believe literature, its readers, and the industry sits today. Thanks to Mary Johnstun, Kari Lane, and Allison McLennon for joining us on stage.

Adrian Todd Zuniga (Yes, that famous guy who started Literary Death Match) talked to us on the LITerally Podcast, and we laughed a lot! We talked about his book Collision Theory that came out 2018 after its own 13-year journey to publication. It's a great book that deserved a home and found one with a publisher who believed in it. If you're in the thick of things, this podcast is for you. It's honest and uplifting, and very funny.

Sean Prentiss, author of Finding Abbey and editor of multiple creative books, talked to us for what seemed to be no time at all. We wished we could have talked longer. We delve into creative nonfiction, into crafting narrative, in what it means to be 'true' in you memoir. For those looking for an episode that delves heavily into craft, this one is for you.

Interview with Tessa Fontaine, author of The Electric Woman: A Memoir in Death-Defying Acts, A New York Times Editors' Choice; A Southern Living Best Book of 2018; An Amazon Editors' Best Book of 2018; A Refinery29 Best Book of 2018; A New York Post Most Unforgettable Book of 2018  

Amanda Luzzader schooled us on what it means to build worlds and then tear them apart and start again -- in the book and as the writer at the desk. We talked Among These Bones, and I can't wait to read the next installment.

Roxanne Veletzos took us to Romania and back not only in her BESTSELLING Novel The Girl They Left Behind but also in our interview with her. She was such a great guest, teaching us more than we thought we could learn, and the book…the accolades from the media and from readers are so well deserved.

“Intimidating and Illuminating,” as quoted in the most recent article in SLUG Magazine, is the only way to describe our conversation with Author Espido Freire, along with Isabel Asensio, Professor of Spanish, and Electra Gamon Fielding, Associate Professor of Spanish. Her extensive, impressive, and accomplished bio is below the podcast. We were so fortunate to talk with the 2018-19 Hurst Artist/Scholar-in-Residence at Weber State University. Thank you, again, Isabel, for inviting us along.

We harvested just the smallest yield from the bounty of writing experience that came together to talk writing before our Utah Humanities Book Festival LITerally reading. In conjunction with The Utah Humanities Book Festival, this was a group podcast featuring many of our local and national guests. Our local readers for the evening: Kase Johnstun, Sian Griffiths, J.A. Carter Winward, Danielle Susi, Chadd VanZanten, Brad Roghar (Ogden Poet Laureate), Alison McLennon, Amanda Luzzader, and Michael McLane. Our Oregon writers who joined us: Sean Davis and Deborah Reed.

We got poetry. We got prose. We got a performance piece. And there is so much more in our podcast with J.A. Carter-Winward. If you're easily offended, this isn't your episode. But if you're not, you will be entertained. Thanks, JA, for joining me and Brandon for the podcast. We got LIT (eral).

Paul Rowley talks to us about his first chapbook, one that gives a picture of living always on the borders -- the borders between the expectations and realities of growing up as Native American, though this is just the catalyst for a much deeper discussion about the place of art in our time.

Teresita Dovalpage, writing about food and murder and what it's like to wrap them together in Cuba, made us laugh. Teresita opened up on the LITerally Podcast about being a writer, a native Cuban, and what it's like write a crime novel, which, to me, felt like a literary crime novel because of the beautiful prose!

Ryan Sharp, a poet and a hell of a good guy, read some old and new poetry for us at LITerally. It was great to talk with him and hear him talk about what all this means in this crazy world of ours, and where we belong in it and how our voices view it and interpret it and shape it. And a shout out to the OAC!

Misty Bell Stiers, debut author, enlightened us on so many things Wicca and life and love and family when she joined us to talk about her new memoir, ‘Witch Please’. I smile the whole podcast!

We flipped the mic this time. Emmy-Nominated producer and filmmaker Trevor Baierl interviewed me about my book Beyond the Grip of Craniosynostosis. It's the most honest (somewhat reluctantly) I've ever talked about the congenital birth defect. If you listen, I only ask that you listen until the very end, please. It all comes back around. You'll learn way too much about me and Trevor, for sure. I hope you enjoy.

On our inaugural 30 minutes with Sean, we talked about his forthcoming book about the history or Oregon Fire Fighting, what it means to be a writer in this political climate, the Mall of America, and side-by-side stationary bikes in a fifth wheel. Every month, join us here, and, mom, I say the "F" word a couple times in this one, so you may want to cover your ears a couple times.

It's possible to have a podcast that is funny, off-the-wall, and very poignant at the same time. This is what we found when Sian Griffiths and I interviewed Tabitha Blankenbiller about her book Eats of Eden. the podcast has been timed perfectly, specifically addressing what it means to attend AWP, which is coming up this week in Tampa, FL.

Irreverent, funny, off-the-cuff, and full of publishing knowledge, that is Johnny Worthen, your new League of Utah Writers President and our guest on the LITerally podcast. If you want to laugh, listen. If you want to know some truths about writing and publishing, listen. If you want sugar coating, this is not the episode for you.