Wild Roof Podcast

In the June episode, Colleen Sabaka joins host Aaron Lelito to talk about creating Opt West Magazine, moving from Minnesota to Los Angeles, and how law school got her back into poetry. Colleen shares her deliberate approach to reviewing submissions and gives us a preview of a new project with poet Brad Vogler called This Revisiting. See more about Opt West here and connect on Instagram.

In the May episode, Gabriela Blandy joins host Aaron Lelito to talk about her current writing projects, the Wild Muse Nature Writing Prize, and the challenges of writing about profound experiences in nature. Gabriela has experience as a life coach, breathwork facilitator, yoga teacher, and shamanic practitioner, and she explains how all these areas connect in her creative life, leading to the development of Wild Muse.   Gabriela closes the episode with a writing prompt centering around the age old question of "what do you want?" See more about Gabriela and the Wild Muse Nature Writing Prize here and connect with Gabriela on Substack. You can also follow Wild Muse on Instagram.

In the April episode, Editor of Wildscape Literary Journal joins host Aaron Lelito to talk about her start as a writer, the development of Wildscape, and the adrenaline rush of storm chasing. Ophelia closes the episode with a reading of her poem, "Yes/No." See more about Wildscape here and more about Ophelia on Instagram.

In the March episode, Jacob Riyeff joins host Aaron Lelito to talk about his poetry collection, Be Radiant, which is available now from Fernwood Press. We chat about Jacob's writing background, from beat poet beginnings of reading Ginsberg and Kerouac to the fascination with the natural world (i.e. knowing the difference among marshes, bogs, and swamps). Along the way, Jacob shares his love of Old English poetry, and how it matters to us as English speakers in 2025. He tells us why is collection is subtitled "A Sonata Pome," and closes the episode with a reading of two pieces, "On the Year's First Compost" and "Shallow Ocean, ca. 460-420 million years ago." See more about Be Radiant here and more about Jacob at his website.

In the February episode, Amy Dupcak joins host Aaron Lelito to talk about her role as Editor in Chief of Cagibi Literary Journal. We chat about Amy's writing background, from the moody poetry of adolescence to the publication of her short story collection dust, as well as some practical advice for submitting your work. Along the way, we discover our mutual appreciation for the novels of Vladimir Nabokov, including the book-nerd intricacies of Pale Fire. See more about Cagibi here and more about Amy at her website.

In the January episode, September Herrin joins host Aaron Lelito to talk about her role as Editor in Chief of Weird Lit Mag. We chat about September's time in a Seattle goth punk band, the connections of music & writing, as well as the origin story of the new online publication Weird Lit Mag. And cryptids too! We cover September's fascination with Sasquatch and other mysterious beings. If you like offbeat lit mags, absurdist fiction, and a healthy dose of DIY ethos, you'll want to listen up! See more about Weird Lit Mag here and more about September at her website.

In the November episode, editor and writing professor Wendy E. Wallace joins host Aaron Lelito to talk about Peatsmoke Journal. We chat about the origin story of Peatsmoke, what sets it apart from other online lit mags, what they look for during the review process, along with some general submission advice. Wendy grew up in Buffalo, NY, so it was great to talk a bit about the WNY region — the friendly people, beautiful summers, and over-the-top Halloween decorations! If you like good writing, visually appealing lit mags, and a wee dram of peaty Laphroaig, you'll want to listen up! See more about Wendy at her website.

In the March episode, authors Dawn Leas and John Tessitore join host Aaron Lelito to read some poems and talk about how they were made. If you like getting a behind-the-scenes view of the creative process, listen up! We also chat about the question, “What keeps you going as a writer?” and how we choose to include personal life in our writing. Lastly, we offer a few practical writing suggestions (because, after all, we're here to help!). See more about Dawn at her website. John's poetry collections are available here.

In the January episode, writer and previous WRJ contributor Kelly Gray joins host Aaron Lelito to chat about her new poetry chapbook called The Mating Calls of a Specter, out now from Tusculum Review. Kelly writes about what she knows or is trying to know: parenting, systemic violence, dead things, monsters, prophetic animals, relationships to self and others, and rural life. In our conversation, we cover some of Kelly's early writing experiences and how they impacted her, the writing process for her new chapbook, and the question of how to respond to creative blocks. Kelly finishes with a reading of her poem "Parade Day." See more about Kelly's work at her website.

In the November episode, poet, film writer, and adventurer Amber Herzog Lyman joins hosts Aaron Lelito and Nicole Bethune Winters to chat about her creative process and her connection to nature, as well as her new poetry/music album called Listen Deep. Amber also shares a poem from the album called “Our Mother.” If you like poetry, music, and cetaceans (a classic trio), I recommend that you listen in, listen up, and listen deep! See more about Amber's work at her website and on Instagram @wildwondernature.

In the September episode, authors Marybeth Holleman and Eric Williamson join host Aaron Lelito to read some poems and talk about how they were made. If you like getting a behind the scenes view of the creative process, listen up! We also chat about the “nuts-and-bolts” of putting together a poetry collection, as well as a pretty hefty reading recommendations list. See more about Marybeth's book Tender Gravity at her website. Eric's chapbook This Is Our Secret is available to order here.

In the August episode, WRJ contributors Morgan Stephens and Eben Bein join hosts Aaron Lelito and Chris Vogt for a writer-centric conversation. Here, both guests offer a poem from their collections. Eben reads "What I Meant to Ask" (published in WRJ's Issue 13), and Morgan reads "Better this way" (published in Issue 21). We get some wonderful behind-the-scenes insights about these poems as well. It's always fascinating to peel back the layers and see some of the experiences that inspired the poems we love. Eben and Morgan certainly don't disappoint in that area! See more about Morgan at her website. Eben's chapbook is available to order here!

In the July episode, WRJ contributors Morgan Stephens and Eben Bein join hosts Aaron Lelito and Chris Vogt for a writer-centric conversation. We chat about the questions "How can you describe your creation process?" and "How do you gain useful insight into your writing?" Both Morgan and Eben have chapbooks in various stages in the publication process, so they are able to offer some great experiential commentary. If you are thinking about putting together a chapbook or are already in progress with a collection of your writing, listen up! And if you're not, you're still welcome to come along for the ride. See more about Morgan at her website. Eben's chapbook is available to pre-order here!

In the May episode, author, teacher, and ecologist Anne Marie Wells joins hosts Aaron Lelito and Chris Vogt for the second part of our conversation. We chat about the question What is the role of letting go in the creative process? Also, Anne Marie shares a poem called "Grief is the Ghost," which is from her new poetry collection Survived By. It is available now!

In the April (aka National Poetry Month) episode, author, teacher, and ecologist Anne Marie Wells joins hosts Aaron Lelito and Chris Vogt. We chat about overcoming second-guessing yourself as a writer (as well as some other writer-centric pitfalls), and Anne Marie takes us behind the scenes of her poem "Prairie Fire," which was published in the November 2021 issue of WRJ. Anne Marie also has a new poetry collection that is coming out on April 30th. It's titled Survived By and is available for pre-order here. We hope you enjoy our conversation as much as we did having it. Part two of our conversation will be coming out next month!

For the March episode, we have another group of previous WRJ contributors to read some of their work. 12 contributors join us for this reading. Enjoy! J.D Goodman (0:41) Kris Whorton (3:38) Shannon Vare Christine (7:14) Liam Day (9:42) Emma McNamara (11:44) Melody Wilson (16:29) Veronica Barker-Barzel (19:44) Victoria Dym (23:34) David A. Goodrum (27:38) Justine Payton (30:40) John Tessitore (38:22) Bracha K. Sharp (40:53)

For the February episode, we invited another group of previous contributors to read some of their work, and unsurprisingly, the writers included here present the kind of thoughtful, engaging, and heartfelt work that you've come to expect from Wild Roof Journal. 18 WRJ contributors join us for this reading. Enjoy! Sara Dovre Wudali (0:55) Sarah Croscutt (4:40) Cleo Griffith (8:54) Ellen June Wright (10:27) Bruce Parker (14:03) Trapper Markelz (18:38) Linda Briskin (21:28) Ian Schoultz (26:42) Beth Dulin (28:48) Nicole Farmer (31:30) Walter Weinschenk (35:57) Samira Shakib-Bregeth (39:05) Naomi Bess Leimsider (47:14) Eben Bein (50:26) Heidi Zeigler (52:54) Lisa Delan (55:42) Amy Marques (59:50) Alex Stanley (1:05:54)

In the January episode, WRJ collaborators Ann Keeling and Rachel Lauren Myers join hosts Aaron Lelito and Chris Vogt for an informal chat. Here, we continue the conversation from last month's episode and consider ways to approach deeply personal writing ... and the uncertainty of publishing it for everyone to see (yikes)! We also troubleshoot Chris' writing project about a night in a strip club attic as an example of arriving at the "moral of the story" while staying true to the details of a lived experience. Of course, we also give a shout out to a few excellent pieces from WRJ's previous issue. Our podcast is like the college lit class you wish you had. :) Thanks for listening!

In the December episode, WRJ collaborators Ann Keeling and Rachel Lauren Myers join hosts Aaron Lelito and Chris Vogt. We chat about three of our favorite poems from Issue 17: Bracha K. Sharp's "Waiting for the Gift," Julia Wendell's "August Outro," and Ian Schoultz's "grandfather passes in the hall." Each of these selections pack quite an emotional punch and display a remarkable nuance of craft along the way. They are wonderful representations of the work we love to share in each issue of Wild Roof Journal! We hope you enjoy our conversation as much as we did having it. The selections we cover in this episode are accessible at wildroofjournal.com/podcast.

Here's something new for the November episode! We invited a group of previous contributors to read some of their work, and unsurprisingly, the writers who took us up on the offer share the kind of thoughtful, engaging, and heartfelt work that you've come to expect from Wild Roof Journal. 12 previous WRJ contributors join us for this reading. Enjoy! The selections presented are accessible at wildroofjournal.com/podcast.

In the September episode, WRJ collaborator Rachel Lauren Myers joins hosts Aaron Lelito and Chris Vogt. We talk about why Walt Whitman's "A Noiseless Patient Spider" is an old favorite. We also cover an excellent listener question: "What are you values and how do they show up in your work?" And we take a few tangents to chat about John Steinbeck, Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia, Sylvia Plath's diary, and more. Thanks for listening!

In the August episode, WRJ collaborator Rachel Lauren Myers joins hosts Aaron Lelito and Chris Vogt. We talk about the dynamic poem "I Read a Lot" by Evalyn Lee (from Issue 15) as well as one of Rachel's favorites, "Monument" by Keith Kopka. In between these poems, we take a detour to consider the question "What keeps you going on a difficult writing day?" (...And yes, listening to podcasts is one of our strategies, so press play and settle in for our chat!) We hope you enjoy our conversation as much as we did having it. Both of the selections we cover are accessible at wildroofjournal.com/podcast.

In the July episode, Kathleen Caprario-Ulrich and Emma McNamara join Aaron and Chris to consider the question of "How do you revise?" If you've ever struggled with cutting, chopping, trimming, and changing your writing in order to take that next step toward completion, then listen up! We cover a few techniques that we have found helpful to our ongoing writing practices.

In the June episode, Issue 14 contributors Kathleen Caprario-Ulrich and Emma McNamara join hosts Aaron Lelito and Chris Vogt. Kathleen and Emma share a bit about their creations before we move on to chat about two favorites from Wild Roof Journal's May issue: Melissa Mulvihill's prose poem "A Mouthful of Storm" and Dawn Erickson's short story "Fortson." We found so much to connect with between these two selections, so settle in and enjoy the conversation! Each of the selections we cover are accessible at wildroofjournal.com/podcast.

In the May episode, Ash Good and Eben Bein join Aaron Lelito to consider the question of "How does your writing process begin?" If you've ever felt stuck, stalled, or sluggish as you try getting a new piece of writing off the ground, listen up! We cover a few techniques that we have found helpful to our ongoing writing practices.

For the April episode, Ash Good and Eben Bein, who both contributed poems to WRJ's Issue 13, join editor Aaron Lelito. (Roundtable cohost Chris Vogt has a limited presence in this one due to internet connection problems!) We cover three evocative poems from Wild Roof Journal's March issue. We even have some "behind the scenes" insights from each of the featured writers! Each of the selections we cover are accessible at wildroofjournal.com/podcast.

In the March episode, Rachel Arturi Pruzan and Marybeth Holleman join Aaron Lelito and Chris Vogt to consider the question of "What is a book/artwork you have grown with over time?" Several previous WRJ contributors offer their responses as well. Guess what? We come up with quite the eclectic mix--get your reading lists out for this one! Each of the selections we cover are accessible at wildroofjournal.com/podcast.

In the February episode, editor Aaron Lelito and roundtable co-host Chris Vogt are joined in conversation by Rachel Arturi Pruzan and Marybeth Holleman, who both have been published in Wild Roof Journal (be sure to check out their work here and here). We cover four excellent selections from Wild Roof Journal's January issue (Issue 12). How did these pieces speak to us? Listen and find out! Each of them is available to view at wildroofjournal.com/podcast.

Join us for the "after party" segment of our most recent roundtable discussion. We kept the fun going for a bit of extra art & lit talk. We hope you enjoy the looser side of of podcast recording process... In this "AP" discussion, Anna Genevieve Winham and Vian Borchert join co-hosts Aaron Lelito and Chris Vogt to address the question of "What is your favorite break-up poem?" Each of the pieces we cover are available to view at wildroofjournal.com/podcast.

In the December episode, editor Aaron Lelito and roundtable sidekick Chris Vogt are joined in conversation by Anna Genevieve Winham and Vian Borchert, who both have been published in Wild Roof Journal (be sure to check out their work here and here). We cover three stand-out selections from Wild Roof Journal's November issue (Issue 11). Each of these pieces is available to view at wildroofjournal.com/podcast. What made these pieces such a good fit for WRJ? Listen to hear our thoughts (as well as some "behind-the-scenes" insights from the creators!).

In the October episode, editor Aaron Lelito and roundtable sidekick Chris Vogt are joined in conversation by Kelly Gray and Hayley Stoddard, who both have had poems published in Wild Roof Journal (be sure to check out their work here and here). We talk though four evocative pieces from Wild Roof Journal's September issue (Issue 10). Each of these poems are available to view at wildroofjournal.com/podcast. Does your interpretation line up with ours? Listen and find out!

In the August episode, editor Aaron Lelito leads a discussion that covers some of the excellent pieces from Wild Roof Journal's July issue (Issue 9). These works are available to view at wildroofjournal.com/podcast. Joining the discussion to share their insights are roundtable regular Chris Vogt, along with Nicole Bethune Winters and Eva Swiecki. Both Nicole and Eva have previously been published in WRJ, so be sure to check out their work here and here. What impressed us about these three poems? Listen to find out! We talk about how "Bees" manages to avoiding the clichés of youthful summertime romance, get the origin story of "Under Trees" as shared by the author, and enter into the surreal world of "Glass."

For the June episode, editor Aaron Lelito leads another roundtable discussion, covering some stand-out pieces from Wild Roof Journal's May issue (Issue 8). These works are available to view at wildroofjournal.com/podcast. Joining the discussion to share their insights are roundtable sidekick Chris Vogt, a professor of English at SUNY Erie Community College, along with Anna Schechter and Shannon Lise. Anna is a returning roundtable guest and is a member of the WRJ team; Shannon is a forthcoming WRJ contributor with a background in both English and clinical psychology. In this conversation, we take a deeper dive into three poems and one collage. What impressed us about these four pieces? Listen to find out! We analyze, interpret, evaluate, speculate... There's even a "behind the scenes" glimpse into the minds of two of the selected contributors.

For the May episode, editor Aaron Lelito leads another roundtable discussion, covering a few favorite pieces from Wild Roof Journal's March issue (Issue 7). These works available to view at wildroofjournal.com/podcast. Joining the discussion to share their insights are Chris Vogt, a professor of English at SUNY Erie Community College, along with Paul Smit and Adrienne Rozells. Paul is a fiction writer, who has had two short stories appear in WRJ, "Burnt Avocado Toast" in Issue 1 and "The Water Fall" in Issue 7. Adrienne is a returning roundtable guest and is a member of the WRJ team. In this conversation, we take a deeper dive into two visual pieces that align wonderfully with the themes that emerged in the March issue. In addition, the poem covered continues an engagement with the natural world, adding some interesting twists in a compact amount of space. Lastly, we cover a short story that brings together some contemporary issues with age old existential questions (...this one is a must read for anyone out there on the job search these days!).  

For the April episode, Aaron Lelito and Chris Vogt have a conversation with poet Paul Nelson, founder of the Seattle Poetics Lab. We talk about the origins of Poetry Postcard Fest, the benefits of spontaneous composition practices, and the importance of music to creativity. For more, see paulenelson.com and popo.cards.

For the March episode, editor Aaron Lelito leads another roundtable discussion, covering a few favorite pieces from Wild Roof Journal's January issue (they are available to view at wildroofjournal.com/podcast). Joining the discussion to share their insights are Chris Vogt, a professor of English at SUNY Erie Community College, along with Anna Schechter and Phoebe Phelps, two members of the WRJ team.

For the February episode, editor Aaron Lelito has a conversation with artist Ashley Pryor Geiger. We talk about the methods she uses to create digital collages such as "Threshold" (which appears in Issue 6), her interest in using archival photographs, as well as some recommendations on helpful art/photo programs to use. And of course, there are plenty of reading recommendations (...we don't want our reading lists to dry up, now do we?).

For the January episode, editor Aaron Lelito discusses a few favorite pieces from Wild Roof Journal's previous issues with Chris Vogt, a professor of English at SUNY Erie Community College, and Adrienne Rozells, a member of the WRJ team. In addition to diving into the selected works, we cover a few other tangential topics as well. The pieces discussed are available to view at wildroofjournal.com/podcast.

For the Dec. episode, editor Aaron Lelito has a conversation with writer Erica Avey. She has published articles on the topic of psychedelics in Medium, Psymposia, and DoubleBlind. Here, we talk about some of her creative influences and her new project SPECTRA Poets.

For the Issue 5 artist feature, editor Aaron Lelito has a conversation with photographer Caroline Russell. Topics include the appeal of darkrooms, chlorophyll prints, and the intersection of textual and visual arts.