Podcasts about Choctaw

What makes a character so compelling that readers will forgive almost anything about the plot? How do you move beyond vague flaws and generic descriptions to create people who feel pulled from real life? In this solo episode, I share 15 actionable tips for writing deep characters, curated from past interviews on the podcast. In the intro, thoughts from London Book Fair [Instagram reel @jfpennauthor; Publishing Perspectives; Audible; Spotify]; Insights from a 7-figure author business [BookBub]. This show is supported by my Patrons. Join my Community and get articles, discounts, and extra audio and video tutorials on writing craft, author business, and AI tools, at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn This episode has been created from previous episodes of The Creative Penn Podcast, curated by Joanna Penn, as well as chapters from How to Write a Novel: From Idea to Book. Links to the individual episodes are included in the transcript below. In this episode: Master the ‘Believe, Care, Invest' trifecta, how to hook readers on the very first page Define the Dramatic Question: Who is your character when the chips are down? Absolute specificity. Why “she's controlling” isn't good enough Understand the Heroine's Journey, strength through connection, not solo action Use ‘Metaphor Families' to anchor dialogue and give every character a distinctive voice Find the Diagnostic Detail, the moments that prove a character is real Writing pain onto the page without writing memoir Write diverse characters as real people, not stereotypes or plot devices Give your protagonist a morally neutral ‘hero' status. Compelling beats likeable. Build vibrant side characters for series longevity and spin-off potential Use voice as a rhythmic tool Link character and plot until they're inseparable Why discovery writers can write out of order and still build deep character Find the sensory details that make characters live and breathe More help with how to write fiction here, or in my book, How to Write a Novel. Writing Characters: 15 Tips for Writing Deep Character in Your Fiction In today's episode, I'm sharing fifteen tips for writing deep characters, synthesised from some of the most insightful interviews on The Creative Penn Podcast over the past few years, combined with what I've learned across more than forty books of my own. I'll be referencing episodes with Matt Bird, Will Storr, Gail Carriger, Barbara Nickless, and Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer. I'll also draw on my own book, How to Write a Novel, which covers these fundamentals in detail. Whether you're writing your first novel or your fiftieth, whether you're a plotter or a discovery writer like me, these tips will help you create characters that readers believe in, care about, and invest in—and keep coming back for more. Let's get into it. 1. Master the ‘Believe, Care, Invest' Trifecta When I spoke with Matt Bird on episode 624, he laid out the three things you need to achieve on the very first page of your book or in the first ten minutes of a film. He calls it “Believe, Care, and Invest.” First, the reader must believe the character is a real person, somehow proving they are not a cardboard imitation of a human being, not just a generic type walking through a generic plot. Second, the reader must care about the character's circumstances. And third, the reader must invest in the character's ability to solve the story's central problem. Matt used The Hunger Games as his primary example, and it's brilliant. On the very first page, we believe Katniss's voice. Suzanne Collins writes in first person with a staccato rhythm—lots of periods, short declarative sentences—that immediately grounds us in a survivalist mentality. We care because Katniss is starving. She's protecting her little sister. And we invest because she is out there bow hunting, which Matt pointed out is one of the most badass things a character can do. She even kills a lynx two pages in and sells the pelt. We invest in her resourcefulness and grit before the plot has even begun. Matt was very clear that this has nothing to do with the character being “likable.” He said his subtitle, Writing a Hero Anyone Will Love, doesn't mean the character has to be a good person. He described “hero” as both gender-neutral and morally neutral. A hero can be totally evil or totally good. What matters is that we believe, care, and invest. He demonstrated this beautifully by breaking down the first ten minutes of WeCrashed, where the characters of Adam and Rebekah Neumann are absolutely not likable, but we are completely hooked. Adam steals his neighbour's Chinese food through a carefully orchestrated con involving an imaginary beer. It's not admirable behaviour, but the tradecraft involved, as Matt put it—using a term from spy movies—makes us invest in him. We see a character trying to solve the big problem of his life, which is that he's poor and wants to be rich, and we want to see if he can pull it off. Actionable step: Go to the first page of your current work in progress. Does it achieve all three? Does the reader believe this is a real person with a distinctive voice? Do they care about the character's circumstances? And do they invest in the character's ability to handle what's coming? If even one of those three is missing, that's your revision priority. 2. Define the Dramatic Question: Who Are They Really? Will Storr, author of The Science of Storytelling, came on episode 490 and gave one of the most powerful frameworks I've ever heard for character-driven fiction. He explained that the human brain evolved language primarily to swap social information—in other words, to gossip. We are wired to monitor other people, to ask the question: who is this person when the chips are down? That's what Will calls the Dramatic Question, and it's what he believes lies at the heart of all compelling storytelling. It's not a question about plot. It's a question about the character's soul. And every scene in your novel should force the character to answer it. His example of Lawrence of Arabia is unforgettable. The Dramatic Question for the entire film is: who are you, Lawrence? Are you ordinary or are you extraordinary? At the beginning, Lawrence is a cocky, rebellious young soldier who believes his rebelliousness makes him superior. Every iconic scene in that three-hour film tests that belief. Sometimes Lawrence acts as though he truly is extraordinary—leading the Arabs into battle, being hailed as a god—and sometimes the world strips him bare and he sees himself as ordinary. Because it's a tragedy, he never overcomes his flaw. He doubles down on his belief that he's extraordinary until he becomes monstrous, culminating in that iconic scene where he lifts a bloody dagger and sees his own reflection with horror. Will also used Jaws to demonstrate how this works in a pure action thriller. Brody's dramatic question is simple: are you going to be old Brody who is terrified of the water, or new Brody who can overcome that fear? Every scene where the shark appears is really asking that question. And the last moment of the film isn't the shark blowing up. It's Brody swimming back through the water, saying he used to be scared of the water and he can't imagine why. Actionable step: Write down the Dramatic Question for your protagonist in a single sentence. Is it “Are you ordinary or extraordinary?” or “Are you brave enough to love again?” or “Will you sacrifice your principles for survival?” If you can't answer this with specificity, your character might still be a sketch rather than a person. 3. Get rid of Vague Flaws, and use Absolute Specificity This was one of Will Storr's most important points. He said that vague thinking about characters is really the enemy. When he teaches workshops and asks writers to describe their character's flaw, most of them say something like “they're very controlling.” And Will's response is: that's not good enough. Everyone is controlling. How are they controlling? What's the specific mechanism? He gave the example of a profile he read of Theresa May during the UK's Brexit chaos. Someone who knew her said that Theresa May's problem was that she always thinks she's the only adult in every room she goes into. Will said that stopped him in his tracks because it's so precise. If you define a character with that level of specificity, you can take them and put them in any genre, any situation—a spaceship, a Victorian drawing room, a school playground—and you will know exactly how they're going to behave. The same applies to Arthur Miller's Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, as Will described it: a man who believes absolutely in capitalistic success and the idea that when you die, you're going to be weighed on a scale, just as God weighs you for sin, but now you're weighed for success. That's not a vague flaw. That's a worldview you can drop into any story and watch it combust. Will made another counterintuitive point that I found really valuable: writers often think that piling on multiple traits will create a complex character, but the opposite is true. Starting with one highly specific flaw and running it through the demands of a relentless plot is what generates complexity. You end up with a far more nuanced, original character than if you'd started with a laundry list of vague attributes. Actionable step: Take your protagonist's flaw and pressure-test it. Is it specific enough that you could place this character in any situation and predict their behaviour? If you're stuck at “she's stubborn” or “he's insecure,” keep pushing. What kind of stubborn? What kind of insecure? Find the diagnostic sentence—the Theresa May level of precision. 4. Understand the Heroine's Journey: Strength Through Connection Gail Carriger came on episode 550 to discuss her nonfiction book, The Heroine's Journey, and it completely reframed how I think about some of my own fiction. Gail explained that the core difference between the Hero's Journey and the Heroine's Journey comes down to how strength and victory are defined. The Hero's Journey is about strength through solo action. The hero must be continually isolated to get stronger. He goes out of civilisation, faces strife alone, and achieves victory through physical prowess and self-actualisation. The Heroine's Journey is the opposite. The heroine achieves her goals by activating a network. She's a delegator, a general. She identifies where she can't do something alone, finds the people who can help, and portions out the work for mutual gain. Gail put it simply: the heroine is very good at asking for help, which our culture tends to devalue but which is actually a powerful form of strength. Crucially, Gail stressed that gender is irrelevant to which journey you're writing. Her go-to examples are striking: the recent Wonder Woman film is practically a beat-for-beat hero's journey—Gilgamesh on screen, as Gail described it. Meanwhile, Harry Potter, both the first book and the series as a whole, is a classic heroine's journey. Harry's power comes from his network—Dumbledore's Army, the Order of the Phoenix, his friendships with Ron and Hermione. He doesn't defeat Voldemort alone. He defeats Voldemort because of love and connection. This distinction has real practical consequences for writers. If you're writing a hero's journey and you hit writer's block, Gail said, the solution is usually to isolate your hero further and pile on more strife. But if you're writing a heroine's journey, the solution is probably to throw a new character into the scene—someone who has advice to offer or a skill the heroine lacks. The actual solutions to writer's block are different depending on which narrative you're writing. As I reflected on my own work, I realised that my ARKANE thriller protagonist, Morgan Sierra, follows a hero's journey—she's a solo operative, a lone wolf like Jack Reacher or James Bond. But my Mapwalker fantasy series follows a heroine's journey, with Sienna and her group of friends working together. I hadn't consciously chosen those paths; the stories led me there. But understanding the framework helps me write more intentionally now. Actionable step: Identify which journey your protagonist is on. Does your character gain strength by being alone (hero) or by building connections (heroine)? This will inform every plot decision you make, from how they face obstacles to how your story ends. 5. Use ‘Metaphor Families' to Anchor Dialogue and Voice One of the most practical techniques Matt Bird shared on episode 624 is the idea of assigning each character a “metaphor family”—a specific well of language that they draw from. This gives each character a distinctive voice that goes beyond accent or dialect. Matt explained how in The Wire, one of the most beloved TV shows of all time, every character has a different metaphor family. What struck him was that Omar, this iconic character, never utters a single curse word in the entire series. His metaphor family is pirate. He talks about parlays, uses language that feels like it belongs in Pirates of the Caribbean, and it creates this incredible ironic counterpoint against his urban setting. It tells us immediately that this is a character who sees himself in a tradition of people that doesn't match his immediate surroundings. Matt also referenced the UK version of The Office, where Gareth works at a paper company but aspires to the military. So all of his language is drawn from a military metaphor family. He doesn't talk about filing and photocopying; he talks about tactics and discipline and being on the front line. This tells us that the character has a life and dreams beyond the immediate scene—and it's the gap between aspiration and reality that makes him both funny and believable. He pointed out that a metaphor family sometimes comes from a character's background, but it's often more interesting when it comes from their aspirations. What does your character want to be? What world do they fantasise about inhabiting? That's where their language should come from. In Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a spiritual hermit, but his metaphor family is military. He uses the language of generals and commanders, and that ironic counterpoint is part of what makes him feel so rich. Actionable step: Assign each of your main characters a metaphor family. It could be based on their job, their background, or—more interestingly—their secret aspirations. Then go through your dialogue and make sure each character is consistently drawing from that well of language. If two characters sound the same when you strip away the dialogue tags, this is the fix. 6. Find the Diagnostic Detail: The Diagonal Toast Avoid clichéd character tags—the random scar, the eye patch, the mysterious limp—unless they serve a deep narrative purpose. Matt Bird on episode 624 was very funny about this: he pointed out that Nick Fury, Odin, and eventually Thor all have eye patches in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Eye patches are done, he said. You cannot do eye patches anymore. Instead, look for what I'm calling the “diagonal toast” detail, after a scene Matt described from Captain Marvel. In the film, Captain Marvel is trying to determine whether Nick Fury is who he says he is. She asks him to prove he isn't a shapeshifting alien. Fury shares biographical details—his history, his mother—but then she pushes further and says, name one more thing you couldn't possibly have made up about yourself. And Fury says: if toast is cut diagonally, I can't eat it. Matt said that detail is gold for a writer because it feels pulled from a real life. You can pull it from your own life and gift it to your characters, and the reader can tell it's not manufactured. He gave another example from The Sopranos: Tony Soprano's mother won't answer the phone after dark. The show's creator, David Chase, confirmed on the DVD commentary that this came from his own mother, who genuinely would not answer the phone after dark and couldn't explain why. Matt's practical advice was to keep a journal. Write down the strange, specific things that people do or say. Mine your own life for those hyper-specific details. You just need one per book. In my own writing, I've used this approach. In my ARKANE thrillers, my character Morgan Sierra has always been Angelina Jolie in my mind—specifically Jolie in Lara Croft or Mr and Mrs Smith. And Blake Daniel in my crime thriller series was based on Jesse Williams from Grey's Anatomy. I paste pictures of actors into my Scrivener projects. It helps with visuals, but also with the sense of the character, their energy and physicality. But visual details only take you so far. It's the behavioural quirks—the diagonal toast moments—that make a character feel genuinely alive. That said, physical character tags can work brilliantly when they serve the story. As I discuss in How to Write a Novel, Robert Galbraith's Cormoran Strike is an amputee, and his pain and the physical challenges of his prosthesis are a key part of every story—it's not a cosmetic detail, it's woven into the action and the character's psychology. My character Blake Daniel always wears gloves to cover the scars on his hands, which provides an angle into his wounded past as well as a visual cue for the reader. And of course, Harry Potter's lightning-shaped scar isn't just a mark—it's a direct connection to his nemesis and the mythology of the entire series. The rule of thumb is: if the tag tells us something about the character's interior life or connects to the plot, it's earning its place. If it's just there to make the character visually distinctive, it's probably a crutch. Game of Thrones takes character tags further with the family houses, each with their own mottos and sigils. The Starks say “Winter is coming” and their sigil is a dire wolf. Those aren't just labels—they're worldview made visible. Actionable step: Start a “diagonal toast” notebook. Every time you notice something strange and specific about someone's behaviour—something that feels too real to be made up—write it down. Then gift it to a character who needs more texture. 7. Displace Your Own Trauma into the Work Barbara Nickless shared something deeply personal on episode 732 that fundamentally changed how I think about putting pain onto the page. While starting At First Light, the first book in her Dr. Evan Wilding series, she lost her son to epilepsy—something called SUDEP, Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy. One day he was there, and the next day he was gone. Barbara said that writing helped her cope with the trauma, that doing a deep dive into Old English literature and the Viking Age for the book's research became a lifeline. But here's what's important: she didn't give Dr. Evan Wilding her exact trauma. Evan Wilding is four feet five inches, and Barbara described how he has to walk through a world that won't adjust to him. That's its own form of learning to cope when circumstances are beyond your control. She displaced her genuine grief into the character's different but parallel struggle. When I asked her about the difference between writing for therapy and writing for an audience, she drew on her experience teaching creative writing to veterans through a collaboration between the US Department of Defense and the National Endowment for the Arts. She said she's found that she can pour her heartache into her characters and process it through them, even when writing professionally, and that the genuine emotion is what touches readers. We've all been through our own losses and griefs, so seeing how a character copes can be deeply meaningful. I've always found that putting my own pain onto the page is the most direct way to connect with a reader's soul. My character Morgan Sierra's musings on religion and the supernatural are often my own. Her restlessness, her fascination with the darker edges of faith—those come from me. But her Krav Maga fighting skills and her ability to kill the bad guys are definitely her own. That gap between what's mine and what's hers is where the fiction lives. Barbara also said something on that episode that I wrote down and stuck on my wall. She said the act of producing itself is a balm to the soul. I've been thinking about that ever since. On my own wall, I have “Measure your life by what you create.” Different words, same truth. Actionable step: If you're carrying something heavy—grief, anger, fear, regret—consider how you might displace it into a character's different but emotionally parallel struggle. Don't copy your exact situation; transform it. The emotion will be genuine, and the reader will feel it. 8. Write Diverse Characters as Real People When I spoke with Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer on episode 673—Sarah is Choctaw and a historical fiction author honoured by the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian—she offered a perspective that every fiction writer needs to hear. The key message was to move away from stereotypes. Don't write your American Indian character as the “Wise Guide” who exists solely to dispense mystic wisdom to the white protagonist. Don't limit diverse characters to historical settings, as though they only exist in the past. Place them in normal, contemporary roles. Your spaceship captain, your forensic scientist, your small-town baker—any of them can be American Indian, or Nigerian, or Japanese, and their heritage should be a lived-in part of their identity, not the sole reason they exist in the story. I write international thrillers and dark fantasy, and my fiction is populated with characters from all over the world. I have a multi-cultural family and I've lived in many places and travelled widely, so I've met, worked with, and had relationships with people from different cultures. I find story ideas through travel, and if I set my books in a certain place, then the story is naturally populated with the people who live there. As I discuss in my book, How to Write a Novel, the world is a diverse place, so your fiction needs to be populated with all kinds of people. If I only populated my fiction with characters like me, they would be boring novels. There are many dimensions of difference—race, nationality, sex, age, body type, ability, religion, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, class, culture, education level—and even then, don't assume that similar types of people think the same way. Some authors worry they will make mistakes. We live in a time of outrage, and some authors have been criticised for writing outside their own experience. So is it too dangerous to try? Of course not. The media amplifies outliers, and most authors include diverse characters in every book without causing offence because they work hard to get it right. It's about awareness, research, and intent. Actionable step: Audit the cast of your current work in progress. Have you written a mono-cultural perspective for all of them? If so, consider who could bring a different background, perspective, or set of cultural specifics to the story. Not as a token addition, but as a real person with a real life. 9. Respect Tribal and Cultural Specificity Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer on episode 673 was emphatic about one thing: never treat diverse groups as monolithic. If you're writing a Native American character, you must research the specific nation. Choctaw is not Navajo, just as British is not French. Sarah described the distinct cultural markers of the Choctaw people—the diamond pattern you'll see on traditional shirts and dresses, which represents the diamondback rattlesnake. They have distinct dances and songs. She said that if she saw someone in traditional dress at a distance, she would know whether they were Choctaw based on what they were wearing. She encouraged writers who want to write specifically about a nation to get to know those people. Go to events, go to a powwow, learn about the individual culture. She noted that a big misconception is that American Indians exist only in the past—she stressed that they are still here, still living their cultures, and fiction should reflect that present reality. I took a similar approach when writing Destroyer of Worlds, which is set mostly in India. I read books about Hindu myth, watched documentaries about the sadhus, and had one of my Indian readers from Mumbai check my cultural references. For Risen Gods, set in New Zealand with a young Maori protagonist, I studied books about Maori mythology and fiction by Maori authors, and had a male Maori reader check for cultural issues. Research is simply an act of empathy. The practical takeaway is this: if you're going to include a character from a specific cultural background, do the work. Use specific cultural details rather than generic signifiers. Sarah talked about how even she fell into stereotypes when she was first writing, until her mother pointed them out. If someone from within a culture can fall into those traps, the rest of us certainly can. Do the research, try your best, ask for help, and apologise if you need to. Actionable step: If you're writing a character from a specific culture, identify three to five sensory or behavioural details that are particular to that culture—not the generic version, but the real, researched, lived-in version. Consider hiring a sensitivity reader from that community to check your work. 10. Give Your Protagonist a Morally Neutral ‘Hero' Status Matt Bird was clear about this on episode 624: the word “hero” simply means the protagonist, the person we follow through the story. It's a functional role, not a moral label. We don't have to like them. We don't even have to root for their goals in a moral sense. We just have to find them compelling enough to invest our attention in their problem-solving. Think of Succession, where every member of the Roy family is varying degrees of awful, and yet the show was utterly compelling. Or WeCrashed, where Adam Neumann is a narcissistic con artist, but we can't look away because he's trying to solve the enormous problem of building an empire from nothing, and the tradecraft he employs is fascinating. As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, readers must want to spend time with your characters. They don't have to be lovable or even likable—that will depend on your genre and story choices—but they have to be captivating enough that we want to spend time with them. A character who is trying to solve a massive problem will naturally draw investment from the audience, even if we wouldn't want to have tea with them. Will Storr extended this idea by pointing out that the audience will actually root for a character to solve their problem even if the audience doesn't actually want the character's goal to be achieved in the real world. We don't really want more billionaires, but we invested in Adam Neumann's rise because that was the problem the story posed, and our brains are wired to invest in problem-solving. This connects to something deeper: what does your character want, and why? As I explore in How to Write a Novel, desire operates on multiple levels. Take a character like Phil, who joins the military during wartime. On the surface, she wants to serve her country. But she also wants to escape her dead-end town and learn new skills. Deeper still, her father and grandfather served, and by joining up, she hopes to finally earn their respect. And perhaps deepest of all, her father died on a mission under mysterious circumstances, and she wants to find out what happened from the inside. That layering of motivation is what turns a flat character into a three-dimensional one. The audience doesn't need to be told all of this explicitly. It can emerge through action, dialogue, and the choices the character makes under pressure. But you, the writer, need to know it. You need to know what your character really wants deep down, because that desire—more than any external plot device—is what drives the story forward. And your antagonist needs the same depth. They also want something, often diametrically opposed to your protagonist, and they need a reason that makes sense to them. In my ARKANE thriller Tree of Life, my antagonist is the heiress of a Brazilian mining empire who wants to restore the Earth to its original state to atone for the destruction caused by her father's company. She's part of a radical ecological group who believe the only way to restore Nature is to end all human life. It's extreme, but in an era of climate change, it's a motivation readers can understand—even if they disagree with the solution. Actionable step: If you're struggling to make a morally grey character work, make sure their problem is big enough and their methods are specific and interesting enough that we invest in the how, even if we're ambivalent about the what. 11. Build Vibrant Side Characters Gail Carriger made a point on episode 550 that was equal parts craft advice and business strategy. In a Heroine's Journey model, side characters aren't just fodder to be killed off to motivate the hero. They form a network. And because you don't have to kill them—unlike in a hero's journey, where allies are often betrayed or removed so the hero can be further isolated—you can pick up those side characters and give them their own books. Gail said this creates a really voracious reader base. You write one series with vivid side characters, and then readers fall in love with those side characters and want their stories. So you write spin-offs. The romance genre does this brilliantly—think of the Bridgerton books, where each sibling gets their own novel. The side character in one book becomes the protagonist in the next. Barbara Nickless experienced this firsthand with her Dr. Evan Wilding series. She has River Wilding, Evan's adventurous brother, and Diana, the axe-throwing research assistant, and her editor has already expressed interest in a spin-off series with those characters. Barbara described creating characters she wants to spend time with, or characters who give her nightmares but also intrigue her. That's the dual test: are they interesting enough for you to write, and interesting enough for readers to demand more? As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, characters that span series can deepen the reader's relationship with them as you expand their backstory into new plots. Readers will remember the character more than the plot or the book title, and look forward to the next instalment because they want more time with those people. British crime author Angela Marsons described it as readers feeling like returning to her characters is like putting on a pair of old slippers. Actionable step: Look at your supporting cast. Is there a side character who is vivid enough to carry their own story? If not, what could you add—a specific hobby, a distinct voice, a compelling backstory—that would make readers want more of them? 12. Use Voice as a Rhythmic Tool Voice is one of the most important elements of novel writing, and Matt Bird helped me think about it in a technical, mechanical way that I found really useful. He pointed out that the ratio of periods to commas defines a character's internal reality. A staccato rhythm—lots of periods, short sentences—suggests a character who is certain, grounded, or perhaps survivalist and traumatised. Katniss in The Hunger Games has a period-heavy voice. She's in survival mode. She doesn't have time for complexity or qualification. A flowing, comma-heavy style suggests someone more academic, more nuanced, or possibly more scattered and manipulative. The character who qualifies everything, who adds sub-clauses and digressions, is a different kind of person from the character who speaks in declarations. This is something you can actually measure. Pull up a passage of your character's dialogue or internal monologue and count the periods versus the commas. If the rhythm doesn't match who the character is supposed to be, you've found a mismatch you can fix. Sentence length is the heartbeat of your character's persona. And voice extends beyond rhythm to the words themselves. As I discussed in the metaphor families tip, each character should draw from a distinctive well of language. But voice also encompasses their relationship to silence. Some characters talk around the thing they mean; others say it straight. Some are self-deprecating; others are blunt to the point of rudeness. All of these choices are character choices, not just style choices. I find it useful to read my dialogue aloud—and not just to check for naturalness, but to hear whether each character sounds distinct. If you could swap dialogue lines between two characters and nobody would notice, you have a voice problem. One practical test: cover the dialogue tags and see if you can tell who's speaking from the words alone. Actionable step: Choose a key passage from your protagonist's point of view and read it aloud. Does the rhythm match the character? A soldier under fire should not sound like a philosophy professor at a wine tasting. Adjust the ratio of periods to commas until the voice feels right. 13. Link Character and Plot Until They're Inseparable Will Storr made the case on episode 490 that the number one problem he sees in the writing he encounters—in workshops, in submissions, even in published books—is that the characters and the plots are unconnected. There's a story happening, and there are people in it, but the story isn't a product of who those people are. He said a story should be like life. In our lives, the plots are intimately connected to who we are as characters. The goals we pursue, the obstacles we face, the same problems that keep recurring—these are products of our personalities, our flaws, our specific ways of being in the world. His framework is that your plot should be designed specifically to plot against your character. You've got a character with a particular flaw; the plot exists to test that flaw over and over until the character either transforms or doubles down and explodes. Jaws is the perfect example. Brody is afraid of water. A shark shows up in the coastal town he's responsible for protecting. The entire plot is engineered to force him to confront the one thing he cannot face. Will pointed out that the whole plot of Jaws is structured around Brody's flaw. It begins with the shark arriving, the midpoint is when Brody finally gets the courage to go into the water, and the very final scene isn't the shark blowing up—it's Brody swimming back through the water. Even a film that's ninety-eight percent action is, at its core, structured around a character with a character flaw. This is the standard I aspire to in my own work, even in my action-heavy thrillers. The external plot should be a mirror of the internal struggle. When those two are aligned, the story becomes irresistible. Will also made an important point about series fiction, which is where most commercial authors live. I asked him how this works when your character can't be transformed at the end of every book because there has to be a next book. His answer was elegant: you don't cure them. Episodic TV characters like Fleabag or David Brent or Basil Fawlty never truly change—and the fact that they don't change is actually the source of the comedy. But every episode throws a new story event at them that tests and exposes their flaw. You just keep throwing story events at them again and again. That's a soap opera, a sitcom, and a book series. As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, character flaws are aspects of personality that affect the person so much that facing and overcoming them becomes central to the plot. In Jaws, the protagonist Brody is afraid of the water, but he has to overcome that flaw to destroy the killer shark and save the town. But remember, your characters should feel like real people, so never define them purely by their flaws. The character addicted to painkillers might also be a brilliant and successful female lawyer who gets up at four in the morning to work out at the gym, likes eighties music, and volunteers at the local dog shelter at weekends. Character wounds are different from flaws. They're formed from life experience and are part of your character's backstory—traumatic events that happened before the events of your novel but shape the character's reactions in the present. In my ARKANE thrillers, Morgan Sierra's husband Elian died in her arms during a military operation. This happened before the series begins, but her memories of it recur when she faces a firefight, and she struggles to find happiness again for fear of losing someone she loves once more. And then there's the perennial advice: show, don't tell. Most writers have heard this so many times that it's easy to nod and then promptly write scenes that tell rather than show. Basically, you need to reveal your character through action and dialogue, rather than explanation. In my thriller Day of the Vikings, Morgan Sierra fights a Neo-Viking in the halls of the British Museum and brings him down with Krav Maga. That fight scene isn't just about showing action. It opens up questions about her backstory, demonstrates character, and moves the plot forward. Telling would be something like: “Morgan was an expert in Krav Maga.” Showing is the reader discovering it through the scene itself. Actionable step: Look at the main plot events of your novel. For each major turning point, ask: does this scene specifically test my protagonist's flaw? If not, can you redesign the scene so that it does? The tighter the connection between character and plot, the more powerful the story. 14. The ‘Maestra' Approach: Write Out of Order If you're a discovery writer like me, you may feel like the deep character work I've been describing sounds more suited to plotters. But Barbara Nickless gave me a beautiful metaphor on episode 732 that reframes it entirely. Barbara described her evolving writing process as being like a maestra standing in front of an orchestra. Sometimes you bring in the horns—a certain theme—and sometimes you bring in the strings—a certain character—and sometimes you turn to the soloist. It's a more organic and jumping-around process than linear writing, and Barbara said she's only recently given herself permission to work this way. When I told her that I use Scrivener to write in scenes out of order and then drag and drop them into a structure later, she was genuinely intrigued. And this is how I've always worked. I'll see the story in my mind like a movie trailer—flashes of the big emotional scenes, the pivotal confrontations, the moments of revelation—and I write those first. I don't know how they hang together until quite late in the process. Then I'll move scenes around, print the whole thing out, and figure out the connective tissue. The point is that discovery writers can absolutely build deep characters. Sometimes writing the big emotional scenes first is how you discover who the character is before you fill in the rest. You don't need a twenty-page character worksheet or a 200-page outline like Jeffery Deaver. You need to be willing to follow the character into the unknown and trust that the structure will emerge. As Barbara said, she writes to know what she's thinking. That's the discovery writer's credo. And I would add: I write to know who my characters are. Actionable step: If you're stuck on your current chapter, skip it. Write the scene that's burning in your imagination, even if it's from the middle or the end. That scene might be the key to unlocking who your character really is. 15. Use Research to Help with Empathy Research shouldn't just be about factual accuracy—it's a tool for finding the sensory details that create empathy. Barbara Nickless described research as almost an excuse to explore things that fascinate her, and I feel exactly the same way. I would go so far as to say that writing is an excuse for me to explore the things that interest me. Barbara and I both travel for our stories. For her Dr. Evan Wilding books, she did deep research into Old English literature and the Viking Age. For my thriller End of Days, I transcribed hours of video from Appalachian snake-handling churches on YouTube to understand the worldview of the worshippers, because my antagonist was brought up in that tradition. I couldn't just make that up. I had to hear their language, feel their conviction, understand why they would hold venomous serpents as an act of faith. Barbara also mentioned getting to Israel and the West Bank for research, and I've been to both places too. Finding that one specific sensory detail—the smell of a particular location, the specific way an expert handles a tool, the sound of a particular kind of music—makes the character's life feel lived-in. It's the difference between a character who is described as living in a place and a character who inhabits it. As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, don't write what you know. Write what you want to learn about. I love research. It's part of why I'm an author in the first place. I take any excuse to dive into a world different from my own. Research using books, films, podcasts, and travel, and focus particularly on sources produced by people from the worldview you want to understand. Actionable step: For your next piece of character research, go beyond reading. Watch a documentary, visit a location, talk to someone who lives the experience. Find one sensory detail—a smell, a sound, a texture—that you couldn't have invented. That detail will make your character feel real. Bonus: Measure Your Life by What You Create In an age of AI and a tsunami of content, your ultimate brand protection is the quality of your human creation. Barbara Nickless said that the act of producing itself is a balm to the soul, and I believe that with every fibre of my being. Don't be afraid to take that step back, like I did with my deadlifting. Take the time to master these deeper craft skills. It might feel like you're slowing down or going backwards by not chasing the latest marketing trend, but it's the only way to step forward into a sustainable, high-quality career. Your characters are your signature. No AI can replicate the specificity of your lived experience, the emotional truth of your displaced trauma, or the sensory details you've gathered from a life of curiosity and travel. Those are yours. Pour them into your characters, and they will resonate for years to come. Actionable Takeaway: Identify the Dramatic Question for your current protagonist. Can you state it in a single sentence with the kind of specificity Will Storr described? Is it as clear as “Are you ordinary or extraordinary?” or “Are you the only adult in the room?” If you can't answer it with that kind of precision, your character might still be a sketch. Give them a diagonal toast moment today. Find the one hyper-specific detail that proves they are not an imitation of life. And then ask yourself: does your plot test your character's flaw in every major scene? If you can align those two things—a precisely defined character and a plot that exists to test them—you will have a story that readers cannot put down. References and Deep Dives The episodes I've referenced today are all available with full transcripts at TheCreativePenn.com: Episode 732 — Facing Fears, and Writing Unique Characters with Barbara Nickless Episode 673 — Writing Choctaw Characters and Diversity in Fiction with Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer Episode 624 — Writing Characters with Matt Bird Episode 550 — The Heroine's Journey with Gail Carriger Episode 490 — How Character Flaws Shape Story with Will Storr Books mentioned: The Secrets of Character: Writing a Hero Anyone Will Love by Matt Bird The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr The Heroine's Journey by Gail Carriger How to Write a Novel: From Idea to Book by Joanna Penn You can find all my books for authors at CreativePennBooks.com and my fiction and memoir at JFPennBooks.com Happy writing! How was this episode created? This episode was initiated created by NotebookLM based on YouTube videos of the episodes linked above from YouTube/TheCreativePenn, plus my text chapters on character from How to Write a Novel. NotebookLM created a blog post from the material and then I expanded it and fact checked it with Claude.ai 4.6 Opus, and then I used my voice clone at ElevenLabs to narrate it. The post Writing Characters: 15 Actionable Tips For Writing Deep Character first appeared on The Creative Penn.

“Indian Makes An Attempt to Kill.” That was the newspaper headline about my great-great uncle, Cicero - a story I've shared many times. But on one retelling, something unexpected happened. The story didn't just revisit the past - it opened the door to an entirely new world of family connections I never knew existed. In Part 2, we weave together Cicero's story with my own and how, somehow, his history guided me straight to my cousin, Cheryl Stone Pitchford, and a whole new branch of our family tree. Recorded 2 years ago, in this series, Cheryl and I are on an Okie roadtrip and on a mission to visit her ancestor, Mushulatubbee's old stomping grounds, while tracing our own family roots across Choctaw Country along the way. What you'll hear in this series is a heartfelt blend of history, humor and remembrance - a hodgepodge of adventures in the very best way. Next up, we'll head to Shady Point to visit the breathtaking Ranch at Latham, owned by Choctaw, Jonathan Watson to see the land where Chief Mushulatubee lived. In this episode, I proudly sport my lovely earrings, perfectly crafted by Jennifer Ikelman (Registered Tribal Artist of the Choctaw Nation) of Acorn and Oak Crafts. https://www.etsy.com/shop/AcornAndOakCrafts?ref=shop_sugg This series is one I hope you'll watch on YouTube to see the photos and visuals along the way. Yakoke! #cherystonepitchford #theranchatlatham #choctawnationofoklahoma #nativechoctalkpodcast #nativechoctalk #rachaelellenyoungman #rachaelyoungman #Choctaw #chahta #nativeamerican #AmericanIndian #nativepodcast

March 6th, 2026 Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X Listen to past episodes on The Ticket’s Website And follow The Ticket Top 10 on Apple, Spotify or Amazon MusicSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send a text*The most bananas case I've covered* In 1999, the tiny town of Butler, Alabama, made national headlines when three intellectually disabled defendants were accused of killing a baby that never existed. What started out as a lie told by Victoria Banks to get a lower bail quickly spiraled, landing her estranged husband, Medell Banks, Jr., and her sister, Diane Tucker, in handcuffs alongside her. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badactspodPodMoth: https://podmoth.network/Ad: Getting Down & Wordy Podcast — https://linktr.ee/gettingdownandwordy Episode Source List:https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/al-court-of-criminal-appeals/1402042.html https://law.justia.com/cases/alabama/court-of-appeals-criminal/2002/cr-01-0310-0.html https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/stories/an-imaginary-homicidehttps://exonerationregistry.org/cases/10246 http://www.justicedenied.org/choctawthree.htm https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-jul-07-adna-justice7-story.html https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/news/2002/08/09/sentence-overturned-in-baby-death-case/27825701007/ 

In this episode of Flavors Unknown, Emmanuel Laroche sits down with David Skinner, James Beard–recognized chef and founder of Ishtia, to explore the deep intersection of heritage, excellence, and emotional memory. David's story does not begin in a boardroom. It begins in his grandmother's kitchen—standing beside a pastry chef, breathing in the scent of cakes and cookies fresh from the oven. Those early sensory memories shaped not just his palate, but his philosophy: food is not performance. It is connection. At Ishtia, Skinner reinterprets Choctaw culinary traditions through a modern fine-dining lens. Corn, beans, squash—the foundational ingredients of Indigenous foodways—become vessels for storytelling. But this is not nostalgia. It is restoration. It is education. It is evolution without erasure. What you’ll learn from Chef David Skinner The emotional power of flavor and scent Why Native American cuisine deserves broader recognition The challenge of preserving authenticity while innovating His departure from food into finance—and what pulled him back The responsibility of telling Indigenous stories in contemporary spaces The science of smell and sensory immersion in dining The tension between creative freedom and operational reality What is the cost of excellence? Can fine dining become a vehicle for cultural restoration? How do you modernize tradition without diluting it? And what does it mean to return to your roots after building success elsewhere? Chapters 01:17 Exploring Early Memories of Flavors03:41 Cultural Heritage and Food Traditions06:49 The Concept Behind David’s Restaurant11:28 Creating Emotional Connections Through Food13:53 Interpreting Traditional Ingredients in Fine Dining19:02 The Coral Snake Soup Experience20:46 Storytelling Through Food23:26 A Culinary Journey Begins27:39 Transitioning to Finance and Back34:11 The Birth of Eculent38:59 Creating a Dynamic Dining Environment42:45 The Science of Smell in Dining44:04 Innovative Culinary Techniques46:13 Creating the Edible Forest48:39 Emotional Connections Through Food51:45 Global Culinary Experiences54:16 The Influence of Choctaw Cuisine56:32 Challenges in Sourcing Unique Ingredients01:00:59 Reflections on Culinary Freedom and Impact   Beyond the Mic: My Stories in Print A Taste of Madagascar: Culinary Riches of the Red Island invites readers to join me on his unforgettable journey across the island of Madagascar, where a vibrant culture and stunning ecosystem intertwine to create an extraordinary culinary experience. Explore the unique ingredients and traditions that define Madagascar and discover their profound impact on the global culinary landscape. Alongside the captivating stories, the book presents a collection of exciting recipes that showcase the incredible flavors and ingredients of Madagascar. Publication date: Tuesday, January 27, 2026 Pre-order the book here! “Conversations Behind the Kitchen Door” is my debut book, published in Fall 2022. It features insights from chefs and culinary leaders interviewed on the Flavors Unknown podcast, offering a behind-the-scenes look at creativity, culture, and the future of the hospitality industry. Get the book here! Links to most downloaded episodes (click on any picture to listen to the episode) Chef Sheldon Simeon Chef Andy Doubrava Chef Nina Compton Chef Jacques Pepin Social media Isthia Instagram Facebook Links mentioned in this episode Ishtia Restaurant SUBSCRIBE TO THE ‘FLAVORS UNKNOWN' NEWSLETTER

In this episode, we are joined by author, educator, and Choctaw storyteller Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer! Sarah is the author of 19 books, including several self-published historical fiction novels and a non-fiction title. Sarah also teaches courses aimed at writers looking to learn how to write Native American characters, improve their dictation skills, and more. More information can be found on her website. We had a great conversation with Sarah about her journey to becoming an author, her indie publishing career, her experience dictating novels and what drew her to dictating in the first place, and much, much more! Visit Sarah's website, check out Sarah's writing courses and browse Sarah's books on Kobo.

Kasey Jernigan (Choctaw) interviewed and observed Choctaw women over a period of years about food and their relationships to it. She documents what she learned in those observations in her new book, “Commod Bods: Embodied Heritage, Foodways and Indigeneity”. The book uses federal food and nutrition assistance as the jumping off point for an exploration of individual perceptions of food and colonial influences on Native health outcomes. A quaint eatery in Arizona's Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community is attracting attention over and above the dozens of other frybread stands that dot reservation roadsides across the country. The Stand was just named one of USA Today's 2026 Restaurants of the Year. It's built by the same person who makes the frybread dough and serves the soup in a decidedly rustic setting. Author, poet, educator and legal scholar Marique B. Moss (Photo: courtesy M. Moss) Marique B. Moss explores her Black and Indigenous identity in her poetic memoir, “Sweetgrass and Soul Food”. She is among the Native people offering support to Minneapolis residents in the wake of the expanded immigration efforts from her space, Mashkiki Studios. GUESTS Dr. Kasey Jernigan (Choctaw), assistant professor of American studies and anthropology at the University of Virginia and the author of “Commod Bods: Embodied Heritage, Foodways, and Indigeneity” Michael Washington (Pima and Maricopa), co-owner of The Stand Marique Moss (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara and Dakota), owner of Mishkiki Studios, author, and cultural educator

Kasey Jernigan (Choctaw) interviewed and observed Choctaw women over a period of years about food and their relationships to it. She documents what she learned in those observations in her new book, “Commod Bods: Embodied Heritage, Foodways and Indigeneity”. The book uses federal food and nutrition assistance as the jumping off point for an exploration of individual perceptions of food and colonial influences on Native health outcomes. A quaint eatery in Arizona's Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community is attracting attention over and above the dozens of other frybread stands that dot reservation roadsides across the country. The Stand was just named one of USA Today's 2026 Restaurants of the Year. It's built by the same person who makes the frybread dough and serves the soup in a decidedly rustic setting. Author, poet, educator and legal scholar Marique B. Moss (Photo: courtesy M. Moss) Marique B. Moss explores her Black and Indigenous identity in her poetic memoir, “Sweetgrass and Soul Food”. She is among the Native people offering support to Minneapolis residents in the wake of the expanded immigration efforts from her space, Mashkiki Studios. GUESTS Dr. Kasey Jernigan (Choctaw), assistant professor of American studies and anthropology at the University of Virginia and the author of “Commod Bods: Embodied Heritage, Foodways, and Indigeneity” Michael Washington (Pima and Maricopa), co-owner of The Stand Marique Moss (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara and Dakota), owner of Mishkiki Studios, author, and cultural educator

Choctaw homicide detective Perry Antelope works on a missing persons case alongside the Choctaw Lighthorsemen tribal police in Devon Mihesuah's (Choctaw) new mystery novel, “Blood Relay“. The story of the disappearance of a young athlete is set against the backdrop of the competitive bareback horse relay racing. The fictional fast-paced thriller also takes on the real-life issue of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives and the evolving jurisdictional complexities between federal, state, and tribal law enforcement in Oklahoma. Mihesuah, a historian and the Cora Lee Beers Price Teaching Professor at the University of Kansas, continues her tradition of creating strong leading women. She's the author of the detective Monique Blue Hawk series (“Document of Expectations”, “Dance of the Returned“ and “The Hatak Witches“) and the 2024 collection of horror stories, “The Bone Picker“. She authored several non-fiction titles including “Recovering Our Ancestors’ Gardens: Indigenous Recipes and Guide to Diet and Fitness”. We add Mihesuah's Blood Relay to our Native Bookshelf.

Choctaw homicide detective Perry Antelope works on a missing persons case alongside the Choctaw Lighthorsemen tribal police in Devon Mihesuah's (Choctaw) new mystery novel, “Blood Relay“. The story of the disappearance of a young athlete is set against the backdrop of the competitive bareback horse relay racing. The fictional fast-paced thriller also takes on the real-life issue of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives and the evolving jurisdictional complexities between federal, state, and tribal law enforcement in Oklahoma. Mihesuah, a historian and the Cora Lee Beers Price Teaching Professor at the University of Kansas, continues her tradition of creating strong leading women. She's the author of the detective Monique Blue Hawk series (“Document of Expectations”, “Dance of the Returned“ and “The Hatak Witches“) and the 2024 collection of horror stories, “The Bone Picker“. She authored several non-fiction titles including “Recovering Our Ancestors’ Gardens: Indigenous Recipes and Guide to Diet and Fitness”. We add Mihesuah's Blood Relay to our Native Bookshelf.

From world-class culinary takeovers to the biggest retail news in decades, Oklahoma's food and shopping scenes are leveling up! In this episode of the Only in OK Show, we're recapping our incredible dining experience with Chef Scott Conant and giving you the inside scoop on the next big event at Seven Ponies. Plus, the rumors are true—IKEA is finally coming to the 918! Part 1: Culinary Stars at Choctaw Casino & Resort – Pocola We take you inside the Celebrity Chef Takeover at Seven Ponies. We recap the sophisticated flavors of Chef Scott Conant's menu, from the Macaroni di Semolina to that legendary Chocolate Budino. Don't miss the next big event: On Friday, March 27th, Food Network star Damaris Phillips brings her "Southern Sweetheart" style to Pocola. We break down the mouth-watering menu, including Beaten Biscuit Panzanella, Pork Confit with Smoky Grits, and Derby Pie Pots de Crème. Pro Tip: Tickets for the Damaris Phillips takeover are on sale now! Get tickets here . Part 2: Stop the Car—IKEA is Coming to Tulsa! Put down the Allen wrench and cancel your road trip to Frisco! We discuss the official announcement that IKEA is opening its first Oklahoma location in Tulsa Hills. The Details: We dive into the "City Store" format coming to the former Belk location (7309 S Olympia Ave). The Perks: Yes, the Swedish meatballs and cinnamon rolls are included! The Impact: What this means for Oklahoma's economy and why shoppers from three states will be flocking to Tulsa in Fall 2026. #OnlyInOK #OklahomaFoodie #ChoctawPocola #DamarisPhillips #ScottConant #IKEATulsa #TulsaHills #ExploreOklahoma #OKCEvents #TulsaShopping #SouthernCooking #SevenPonies

As immigration enforcement actions continue across the country, Indigenous people are increasingly concerned they are being targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). And some have been detained. For the Mountain West News Bureau, Daniel Spaulding has more. On the morning of December 5, ShyLynn Allen received a panicked phone call from Jose Joaquin Sanchez Alvarado, the father of her children. Alvarado was driving from his home in Meridian, Idaho to pick up their 10-year-old son to take him to school. Suddenly, he was surrounded by police. “He called me from inside the car and he’s like, ‘I think,’ he’s like, ‘I think they’re taking me.’ And he was just like, ‘I’m pretty sure.’ He’s like, ‘I’m pretty sure they’re detaining me.” Allen is a member of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribe in Idaho and Nevada. Alvarado, who is undocumented and not a tribal member, came to the United States from Mexico when he was just 11-years-old. “He doesn't have a criminal record. I don't even know why they're really targeting him. You know, he's a good person. He's not. He's never been in trouble like he always works like that's all he does is work.” Alvarado is now being held in an ICE detention facility near Las Vegas, Nev. Allen says the emotional toll has fallen heavily on their children. “Now they don't even want to go outside or do anything.” As ICE ramps up operations across the country, that fear is widespread in Native communities. Despite being U.S. citizens and members of sovereign tribal nations, Indigenous people are increasingly being questioned – and in some cases detained – by immigration agents. In January, Peter Yazzie, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was detained by ICE in Phoenix before being released later that day. “We are the first peoples of the country, and our citizenship should never be questioned or challenged by anyone.” That is Crystalyne Curley, the Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council. In January, the council passed legislation calling on ICE to formally recognize Navajo Nation identification documents. Many tribes across the country are urging their citizens to carry tribal IDs at all times. In January, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) hosted a know your rights webinar. Over a thousand people attended. Beth Wright (Laguna Pueblo) is a senior staff attorney at NARF. “Yeah, we’re getting a lot of outreach from folks all over the country. I think there’s a lot of concern about what to do if tribal citizens are stopped by ICE and what their rights are in different encounters with ICE. I think one of the important messages to convey is that tribal citizens are citizens of the U.S.” But many Native parents are worried that tribal IDs won't be enough. Eva Flores is a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe in Arizona. She lives in Caldwell, Idaho. “You know, I fear for my kids to go out, even just to school or activities, not knowing if, you know, they're coming home or if they're going to be picked up.” In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said its agents are trained to determine a person's immigration status and whether they are subject to removal. As tribal leaders call on federal authorities to respect tribal sovereignty, parents like ShyLynn Allen are focused on protecting their children. “We don't need ICE on our street. They're only terrorizing brown people. And it's not doing any good. They're violating constitutional rights, they're killing people.” Defending adult division world hoop champ Josiah Enriquez wins his third title in a row at the Heard Museum on February 15, 2026. (Courtesy Heard Museum / Gila River Broadcasting Corporation) The annual Indigenous hoop dancing championships was held over the weekend, returning to the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Ariz. As KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, the reigning titleholder made history by defending his crown once more. A two point difference – 214 points – a three-time champion, Josiah Enriquez…” The three-peat adult division champ, who is Navajo and from the pueblos of Isleta and Pojoaque in New Mexico, made history Sunday night. His victory marks a very rare feat no one else has achieved, except the sport's most decorated dancer three decades ago. Arizona's Derrick Suwaima Davis (Hopi and Choctaw) won three of his record-setting seven world titles in a row between 1996 and 1998. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Tuesday, February 17, 2026 – Will limiting commercial trawler bycatch save salmon in Alaska?

AVSNITT 41 - AVGRUNDSHÖJD OCH OÄNDLIGT DJUP RECAP OBEDIAH Obediah Beauchamp, en gång lekkamrat till Elisabeth när hon fortfarande befann sig på jordytan, växer upp i Choctaw efter att stammen adopterat honom. Hans biologiske far, Wilbur Beauchamp, gör några futila försök att hämta tillbaka pojken, men Obediah avböjer till faderns förtvivlan. De senaste månaderna är Obediah inbegripen i ett stort “top secret mission”, lett av Sheriff Ted Baker, toppstyrt av militära krafter och högt uppsatta inom socioeliten. Kodnamn: “Operation Lowjump”. Under stort hemlighetspådrag har de sprängt sig in i Tigerklippan och där påbörjat mobiliseringen av en bas för att därefter initiera expeditionens andra fas; nedstigningen i Catamagnum. Detta är en plats som Obediah hört talas om som barn genom otaliga sagor och legender ur Choctaw lore. Att nu befinna sig där sagorna egentligen slutar är… skrämmande. PETER GRAVES Mordbrännaren och våldsmakaren Peter Graves infångades just som han försökte bränna inne sin exhustru Lena Winthers, deras son Tom samt Lenas nye make John Carlton. Peter placeras i Lee Country i väntan på rättegång, men får till sin förvåning snart ett erbjudande om att slippa ut. Självaste Ted Baker, Fort Myers sheriff, samt fängelsevakten Spencer erbjuder Peter en chans att slippa fängelse, mot att han istället värvas till ett mycket hemligt, militärt projekt. Peter tränas tillsammans med 20-talet andra interner inför någon slags klättring, eller utforskande av en stor grotta, men bestämmer sig snart för att fly med en kumpan, Bill Sanderson. Flyktförsöket misslyckas för Peters del, som blir skjuten och hamnar på sjukstuga. Med ett häftigt ryck vaknar han nu, fastkedjad vid sängen. Det tidigare mycket högljudda och aktiva militärlägret är nu mörkt och tyst. Alldeles för tyst? HALL Hall har befunnit sig i Skuggvärlden, nedsänkt i en cistern full av nekrolin med sin ärkefiende sedan många, evighetslånga år. Tillsammans med sin hustrus mördare James Kinley har de spelat ut en mardrömslik loop som alltid slutar likadant, med att Kinley skjuter sig själv och de båda faller ner i det kalla, svarta ämnet. Men likt alla loopar i Skuggvärlden upplöses de lika fort som de uppstått och plötsligt är en ny loop inledd, vars syfte på ett eller annat sätt sitter ihop med skuggvandrarens skam, skuld eller skugga. Nu hasar sig Hall, fortfarande tyngd av det våta nekrolinet, runt på Bostons allt mer befolkade och våldsamma gator. Plötsligt ser han en gestalt som han blott alltför väl känner igen. Är det Carlton? Smaklig spis! /PodCon

S10, Ep 1, Pt 1: Weaving Stories, Weaving Bloodlines: With Choctaws, Cheryl Stone Pitchford & Jonathan Watson by Rachael Youngman

How do you design for all ages at the same time?What is “serious fun”? Does nature ever go out of style? How do you create content for both Native and non-Native audiences? What do education staff do when a gallery has no text panels? What are “Native sensibilities”? Why is Blue Deer blue?Shoshana Wasserman (Deputy Director) and Kimberly Rodriguez (New Media Specialist) from First Americans Museum, and Bill Smith (Principal, Storyline Studio) discuss “Serious Fun at the First Americans Museum” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio).Along the way: a 12-foot hawk, rotary phones, and Grandma Turtle's Choctaw collar.Talking Points:1. What is FAM?2. What is the "FAMily Discovery Center" project? 3. Native Sensibilities Taking Center Stage4. Native and Human Values: Community, Respect, Resilience, and Stewardship5. We are all connected.6. The project is still growing.How to Listen:Listen on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311  Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G  Listen at Making the Museum, the Website:https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast  Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor:https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bios:Shoshana Wasserman (Muscogee Creek/Thlopthlocco Tribal Town citizen) began with a vision to weave culture, education, and community into meaningful spaces. For over 20 years, she helped bring First Americans Museum to life. A founding team member and Deputy Director, she oversees operations, guest services, and the store supporting Native artists. As co-curator of the FAMily Discovery Center, she champions immersive storytelling, tribal collaboration, and joyful design—all anchored in her belief We Are All Connected.For 18 years, Kimberly Rodriguez (Muscogee/Oglala Sioux) has been part of the FAM journey—from name changes to documenting the site “from the ground to the mound.” A co-curator of two exhibitions and a proud member of the powerhouse Communications team, she blends professionalism with a Looney Tunes sense of humor. With deep pride in promoting the stories of 39 tribes in Oklahoma today, Kimberly brings heart, wit, and collaboration to everything she does—because like water, humor is life.Bill Smith, Principal of Storyline Studio, brings over 40 years of experience as one of the nation's leading exhibition designers. Formerly partner and design director at West Office Exhibition Design, he led award-winning projects for history, science, and cultural institutions. In 2003, he founded Storyline Studio to further his creative vision. His work has earned accolades from the Industrial Designers Society of America, AAM's CurCom, and the Society for Environmental Graphic Design.About Making the Museum:Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio.Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode:Shoshana Waserman: shoshanaw@famok.orgKimberly Rodriguez: communications@famok.org Bill Smith: bill@storylinestudio.com First Americans Museum:https://famok.org/ FAMily Discovery Center:https://familydiscoverycenter.org/ Storyline Studio:https://www.storylinestudio.com/ Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast:Contact Making the Museum:https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger  Email Jonathan Alger:alger@cgpartnersllc.com  C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/  Making the Museum, the Newsletter:Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.)Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management.Subscribe to the newsletter:https://www.makingthemuseum.com/ 

Pop, Country, Alt Folk, Jungle, Hip Hop, Throat Singing, 60s Soul, Latin, Country, Beats, Classical and Rock from artists of the Dakelh, Métis, Anishinabe, Ojibway, Cree, Navajo, Inuk, Tsilhqot'in, Abenaki, Choctaw, Lakota, Pueblo and Mohawk nations. Brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tunes From Turtle Island⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pantheon Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you like the music you hear, go out and buy/stream some of it. :) All these artists need your support. Tracks on this week's show are: KeAloha - Burn For You The Muddy River Band - Tennesse Will Mars Aspen - baby teeth Tchutchu - okimaskwewa D.R.G. & Timmy G - One More Day Kaeley Jade - Wisest Fool Tanya Tagaq - Foxtrot Rich n Beka - Road To The Sky Mimi O'Bonsawin - Steady Aaron Neville - I'm Waitin' At The Station Dakhóta Romero - Esta Noche Nancy Sanchez & Los Rock Angels - Calling Exes Okema & Joey Stylez - Buckle Up Chelsie Young - Soul Tired Yung Wanda - SWEET DUDE, THE ABYSS Gianfranco Cossu & Bo Shimmin - Ninna nanna Beatrice Deer - The Fog All songs on this podcast are owned by the artist(s) and are used for educational purposes only. All songs can be found for purchase or streaming wherever you get your great music. Please pick up these amazing tracks and support these artists. More info on the show ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Robert King, a former physician turned ceramic artist, shares his unromantic entry into pottery—inspired by an online video, he quickly acquired a wheel and kiln, firing imperfect pots while building skills rooted in his Choctaw basket-weaving heritage, where traditional pots were lost to displacement.Relocating to a stark, windy landscape, King forges a deep bond with the land, sourcing wild clays from arroyos and treating materials as living collaborators with their own strengths and limits, emphasizing patience, play, and minimal intervention to let the earth speak.Balancing ancestral traditions with contemporary life, he revives nearly lost Choctaw clay practices through authentic, modern vessels that challenge perceptions of beauty—pairing gnarly surfaces with elegant forms—while rejecting stereotypes to affirm indigenous presence today.

In this episode of the David Watson Podcast, I'm joined by Shannon Evans, creator of Tom Bigby Tales, a history podcast and YouTube channel exploring the people, places, cemeteries, and forgotten stories of Columbus, Mississippi and the surrounding area. We start with the Tom Bigby River, a Choctaw-named river with an unexpected meaning, and quickly move into the deeper theme of the conversation: how much extraordinary history sits right on your doorstep, hidden in plain sight, until someone starts digging. Shannon explains how Tom Bigby Tales began as a response to local frustration, public money, and accountability, and how that investigative work eventually evolved into history storytelling through cemetery walks, public records, archives, and local research. The result is a growing collection of stories about inventors, war heroes, designers, community figures, and local legends that often turn out to be more complicated (or more surprising) than the versions people repeat. We also talk about Mississippi's “tangible history” and how personal memory connects to major historical eras, including Prohibition, Civil War aftermath, local myths around stately homes, the Dixie Mafia, bootlegging networks, and the way communities create stories that sound great but don't always stand up to evidence. Along the way, Shannon shares examples of remarkable people connected to her hometown, including: • local links to the Dixie Mafia and the bootlegging era • aviation stories and military history, including Tuskegee Airmen • women connected to major inventions and public health advances • the hidden social history inside stately homes and preserved architecture • why cemeteries can be one of the most honest records of a community If you enjoy history, local mysteries, and real stories backed by research, you'll enjoy this episode. Find Shannon / Tom Bigby Tales YouTube: Tomigby Tales Website: tomigbytales.com Podcast: available on major podcast platforms Substack: Shannon Evans (local governance, grift, and graft) Chapters / timestamps 0:00 Intro 0:30 Tom Bigby River and the Choctaw meaning 2:29 Why Tom Bigby Tales started (public records, local frustration) 5:13 Cemetery walks, one-minute videos, and going viral 7:18 Incredible local lives hiding in plain sight 9:27 Stately homes, local myths, and what research really shows 19:15 The Dixie Mafia, bootlegging, and how it really worked 23:33 Tangible history in America vs ancient history in the UK 26:43 How the YouTube channel began and evolved 29:53 Unexpected and tragic stories from the cemetery archives 37:01 Family history, treaties, and Mississippi settlement 41:30 Post-Civil War changes, rebuilding, and new communities 43:19 Where to find Shannon 44:06 Time machine question 45:01 What to visit in Columbus, Mississippi 45:46 Closing

Host Joy Gilfilen brings you an extraordinary, “local-to-global” high-stakes conversation with a dynamic trio of leaders: Mel Hoover, James Addington, and William Gardiner. These three men offer a rare "Bird's Eye View" from the epicenters of social change, possessing direct, real-world lived experience with intentional change over time. Past cross-generational issues of habits of slavery, structural imprisonment, religious caste, and economic class are 2026 issues for tomorrow's children.In this episode, we explore the ripples of the Civil Rights movement specifically as it gained steam and shifted from the Atlantic Seaboard and the deep South toward the West. Our guests reveal the waves of change through time, how they've seen the "logic" of these bioregions travel, shaping the civic systems we inhabit in 2026.The "Practical Historian" FrameworkJames Addington challenges us to move beyond academic history and become ‘Practical Historians'. This means developing the comfort to look at the "complexity and ambiguity" of our past so we can understand exactly how we got here. As James notes, citing theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and academic Olufemi Taiwo, we must learn to “think and feel like ancestors” to ensure the options we deliver to future generations are rooted in shared humanity.Inside this Episode:The Invention of "Race" for Power: James Addington explains why "race" is an artificial fabrication—a system of classification created solely to determine social value, access, and participation.From Indentured to Enslaved: Mel Hoover breaks down the turning point in American law where white and black indentured servants began to organize together. To break that power, the wealthy elite created a new category: lifelong chattel slavery, intentionally stripping humanity from African-heritage people to protect property and wealth.The Global Blueprint: Discover the sobering truth that the American ‘Indian reservation' system and legal segregation served as the functional engineers for South African Apartheid and were even admired by the Nazi regime.The "Asterisk" of Whiteness: Bill Gardiner and James Addington discuss growing up in "American Apartheid" and the "asterisk" of whiteness—how many white families have forgotten their own immigrant histories of discrimination (Irish, Polish, Italian) and their own complex heritages (including Choctaw and enslaved ancestors).Bioregional Logic: We parse the differences between the political and religious structures of the East and South, and how those cultural "logics" of dominance were exported across the nation.Mel Hoover, James Addington, and Bill Gardiner demonstrate how becoming practical historians reveals and can promote productive community changes. We cannot remove the "foot on the neck" of the present until we understand the biased structure of the law that placed it there.Join us for this "Major League" conversation on rehumanizing the human race.

More than 2,000 in state and federal grant funding has been awarded to child advocacy organizations serving Mobile, Washington and Clarke counties. The funding is part of a .26 million package announced by Gov. Kay Ivey to support services for child abuse victims statewide The Family Counseling Center of Mobile Inc. will receive 5,479 for its programs in Mobile County and the Regional Child Advocacy Center will receive ,020 for a program serving Choctaw, Clarke and Washington counties.Article Link

The real story behind the importance of mules in our nations history. Jay is Ret Air Force and speaks to the Special Operations event that took place this past week in Venezuala.

Award-winning author George Saunders (Lincoln in the Bardo) unpacks his writing process and explains how creating confusion often leads to interesting literary worlds; and singer-songwriter Samantha Crain discusses the importance of making music in her Choctaw language, before performing "Joey" from her album A Small Death. 

The scariest clown to ever appear on screen drives a storyline involving a fictional tribe in Maine. “IT: Welcome to Derry” uses horror writer Stephen King's 1986 novel as a jumping off point. The hit HBO Max miniseries provides a new Native American theme to the plot with some veteran Native talent in front of and behind the camara. It is one of the notable projects from 2025, a list that also includes Sterlin Harjo's “The Lowdown”, the TIFF Best Canadian Feature winner, “Uiksaringitara,” and SXSW Documentary Feature Special Jury Award winner, “Remaining Native.” We'll recall some of the best film and TV projects from the year and see what's in store for 2026. GUESTS Johnnie Jae (Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw), founder of Red Pop! News  Jason Asenap (Comanche and Muscogee), writer, critic, and filmmaker Sunrise Tippeconnie (Commanche, Navajo and Cherokee), director of programming at deadCenter Film and co-host of the Reel Indigenous Podcast Kimberly Guerrero (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and Salish and Kootenai), actress, screenwriter, and professor at the University of California, Riverside Favorite films and television shows of the year Sunrise Tippeconnie: Tiger – (documentary short), director Loren Waters  Drowned Land – (documentary), director Colleen Thurston Legend of Fry-Roti: Rise of the Dough – (short film), director Sabrina Saleha Free Leonard Peltier – (documentary), directors Jesse Short Bull and David France Siren of the Wood – (short film), director Christopher Corsy Jason Asenap: Tiger – (short doc), director Lauren Waters Endless Cookie – (animated film), directors Seth Scriver and Peter Scriver Remaining Native – (documentary), director Paige Bethmann The Lowdown – (television show), creator Sterlin Harjo Johnnie Jae: Guardian of the Land – (documentary), director LaRonn Katchia Inkwo for When the Starving Return – (animated short), director Amanda Strong Pow! – (animated short), director Joey Clift Courage – (documentary short), director Eric Michael Hernandez Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband) – (feature film), director Zacharias KunukHere’s an extended interview with IT: Welcome to Derry star Kimberly Guerrero speaking on her role of Rose in the television series. She starts off describing her early career in Hollywood. https://nativeamericacalling-offload-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/123125-Kimberly-Guerrero-web-audio.wav

This is a special bonus episode of the KOSU Daily as we are currently on a break for the holidays.In this episode we look back at some of our favorite stories of 2025.You can support this local journalism with a gift at Donate.KOSU.org.The KOSU Daily will return with regular episodes on January 5th.

658. Part 2 of our conversation with Scott Tilton. Scott is the Co-Founder and Director of the Nous Foundation, a platform for exchange between Louisiana and the French-speaking world. He lived the past several years in Paris where he worked as a consultant at Ernst & Young France on projects for the European Union, the UN, and the French Government. While in Paris, Scott launched and spearheaded an initiative that saw Louisiana become the first U.S. state to join the International Organization of the Francophonie (La Francophonie). Now available: Liberty in Louisiana: A Comedy. The oldest play about Louisiana, author James Workman wrote it as a celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Now it is back in print for the first time in 221 years. Order your copy today! This week in the Louisiana Anthology. George Washington Cable. “Café des Exiles.” An antiquated story-and-a-half Creole cottage sitting right down on the banquette, as do the Choctaw squaws who sell bay and sassafras and life-everlasting, with a high, close board-fence shutting out of view the diminutive garden on the southern side. An ancient willow droops over the roof of round tiles, and partly hides the discolored stucco, which keeps dropping off into the garden as though the old café was stripping for the plunge into oblivion — disrobing for its execution. I see, well up in the angle of the broad side gable, shaded by its rude awning of clapboards, as the eyes of an old dame are shaded by her wrinkled hand, the window of Pauline. Oh for the image of the maiden, were it but for one moment, leaning out of the casement to hang her mocking-bird and looking down into the garden, — where, above the barrier of old boards, I see the top of the fig-tree, the pale green clump of bananas, the tall palmetto with its jagged crown, Pauline's own two orange-trees holding up their hands toward the window, heavy with the promises of autumn; the broad, crimson mass of the many-stemmed oleander, and the crisp boughs of the pomegranate loaded with freckled apples, and with here and there a lingering scarlet blossom. This week in Louisiana history. December 27, 1814. Jackson's men repell a British reconnaissance force near Rodriguez Canal. This week in New Orleans history. Jean Étienne de Boré (December 27, 1741 – February 1, 1820) was the first Mayor of New Orleans. His wife, Marie Marguerite d'Estrehan, came from one of the most prominent families of colonial Louisiana; her father, Jean Baptiste d'Estrehan, was the Royal Treasurer of French Louisiana. Etienne owned a plantation a few miles above the City of New Orleans. There he had originally cultivated indigo. But when this product lost its market as a result of competition from Guatemala, he turned his attention to the manufacture of sugar. On his estate he set up a sugar mill and there, in 1795, had, with the aid of two Cubans, Mendez and Lopez, succeeded in producing the first granulated sugar ever known in the colony, with the result that agriculture was completely revolutionized. He was appointed mayor by Governor William C. C. Claiborne in 1803; he resigned to look after his personal affairs the following year. He died at around 80 years old, and is buried in New Orleans' Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1. One of his daughters was the mother of Louisiana historian Charles Gayarré. This week in Louisiana. New Year's Eve in New Orleans French Quarter     There's no better time or place to welcome 2025 than New Orleans. Ring in the New Year with a spectacular free concert and fireworks display along the Mississippi River, while celebrations pulse through the French Quarter and downtown. Join us for beloved traditions like the Allstate Sugar Bowl parade and championship game on New Year's Day. With excellent hotel rates still available and endless ways to celebrate – from elegant dinners to live music venues to family-friendly events – now is the moment to plan your unforgettable New Year's Eve in the Crescent City. See below for even more ways to celebrate. Postcards from Louisiana. Tyler Thompson Band on Frenchmen Street.  Listen on Apple Podcasts. Listen on audible. Listen on Spotify. Listen on TuneIn. Listen on iHeartRadio. The Louisiana Anthology Home Page. Like us on Facebook. 

Some Oklahomans are looking at an increase in their health insurance premiums.A new partnership hopes to preserve the Choctaw language.Solar power enthusiasts remain optimistic despite a cut in federal incentives.You can find the KOSU Daily wherever you get your podcasts, you can also subscribe, rate us and leave a comment.You can keep up to date on all the latest news throughout the day at KOSU.org and make sure to follow us on Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram at KOSU Radio.This is The KOSU Daily, Oklahoma news, every weekday.

State by state, tribes are staking out a share in the burgeoning online sports betting business. Places like Colorado, California, Wisconsin, and Michigan all have ongoing legal and political disputes involving tribes' ability to expand casino enterprises into online sports books. We'll look at how the clash between states, private companies, and tribes are raising complex questions over sovereignty, regulation, and jurisdiction. GUESTS Jason Giles (Muscogee), executive director of the Indian Gaming Association James Siva (Morongo Band of Mission Indians), vice chairman for the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and chairman of California Nations Indian Gaming Association Gary Pitchlynn (Choctaw), professor of law at the University of Oklahoma

“Is a donkey just an undersized horse?” That's just one of the many absurd questions that pop up in this hilariously unpredictable episode of The Ben and Skin Show. Here's what you'll hear:The Choctaw encounter: A random guest walks up mid-show looking for free money and leaves us with the immortal quote: “That's good enough.”Ben's Ace Hardware obsession: “I'm the least handy person ever… so why do I love Ace Hardware?”Skin's dad joke of the day: “It's probably a card shark.” (Cue the crowd groan.)Ferris wheel fiasco: Skin goes full country after a wild headline: “I still want one there!”Pickle Fest madness: “You can stand and brine in line.” Yes, KT is way too proud of that pun.The funniest debate: “Is a donkey just an undersized horse? And is an olive a fruit?”

HR 1 - Cowboys Lions Preview, GBOD Champ. Wooly's Top 10, Choctaw's Thomas O'Sullivan full 2608 Thu, 04 Dec 2025 21:20:39 +0000 9rZR3aQmGsIIndhVsGxAIY66r4XWESwC sports GBag Nation sports HR 1 - Cowboys Lions Preview, GBOD Champ. Wooly's Top 10, Choctaw's Thomas O'Sullivan The G-Bag Nation - Weekdays 10am-3pm 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. Sports False https:/

Gotta love [hatred]; Single mother raised a surfer Caught the california coast And all the love of mother– Dontcha know it takes a whole village Don't you know You killed my whole village? I, mother, grew up there a sawdust Choctaw, I walked across mountains and Draw sandcastles on all antarctica? Dontcha know America the beautiful from day one wanted all us Sumwuns Homeless? I yearn for the coast, But all i got was motorcycles I'd die for the surf But all i got was homeless shelters, Project housing No, don't talk back, but on your conscious Are all the drugs you swallow Just to hold the thoughts back Of the sons and daughters slaughtered For your coastal homes on water From that old money in boston To the college that it funded But you're under the impression that you earned it. Never was a live lived any easier than these and he's and hers With blue eyes; Live on autopilot unless otherwise decided Undeserving of your turkey Put machines to work for war, with every word you wrote An order form to be ignored From old man tom On turkey day; You never would forget that he was red Till he regrets to get the President a gift Of sacrificial and indigenous proportions So much for portion and/or guun control The model girls are throwing up their supper Passing over butter on the cornbread Never apple cider, only water Meanwhile in africa, It not has rained a drop No more the currency prints pennies for your thoughts no store bought penne for these staten island italians either Lets just react to image over Islam; Can the taliban afford it? A four door? Guess not. Each day at 7 o clock They use a corvette as a gun And kets just hope this judge sits highly on her honor code Beyond nazi enforcement endorsements for internment camps And turn it down; You tried your very hardest But they want you in a dungeon Or the projects, Where its much worse Marcy houses But no more the rappers platinum come from Broken home; The trappers are all planted Have a plate or more of shit you can't afford Unless you're working late Adore commercial holidays for profit ignore the purpose of the slaughter Punish all the poor, but right after you rob them Take a snore and pour your water over corn atop the cob, And in another world just hope your boy comes home from war, Or door-to-door insurance sales You might as well just heads or tails To whether you will live or die to tell the tale Of black or white Over your pecan/pumpkin pie. I don't think i'm really supposed to celebrate “thanksgiving” this year. It seems even my ancestors were forcefully evicted and tortured simply just for existing. Why should i expect in this day and age it should be any different? I'm being targeted simply just for attempting to exist in the United State of America as an African American Indigenous. Perhaps, just as in the days of the great genocide–were I perfect and young with light skin I would be left alive, to marry and make good children. But instead I am seen as a thing, and left out easily in the street– Perhaps because they haven't use for me. It is easy to torture ugly things–from which some even draw enjoyment. And so it seems my time in the world is coming to an end, And if today i am thankful for anything at all, it is this. The end of a torturous and pitiful, wretched life. THE MISTRESS coils an emerald stone and tumbles it into her expanded palm— it momentarily transforms into an equally as emerald SNAKE before becoming once again a stone inside her palm. Enamoured, she looks it over with amusement, but still sighs with the dismissal of boredom. —oh look at that, I do have a snake. What do you know! She grumbles. Not much of snakes but they do, at the least, bring dreams to nightmares… Don't they! How posh. {Enter The Multiverse} L E G E N D S flower. Unreleased — TBA 2026 Prod. By -Ū. DBA Blū Tha Gürū Copyright © The Complex Collective 2025 The Festival Project, Inc. ™ All rights reserved. Chroma111. Copyright © The Complex Collective 2025. [The Festival Project, Inc. ™] All rights reserved. UNAUTHORIZED REPRODUCTION OR DISTRIBUTION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED BY LAW.

“What's the best band named after a state—and does Kansas really deserve the crown?” That's just one of the hilarious debates Ben Rogers, Jeff “Skin” Wade, Kevin “KT” Turner, and Krystina Ray tackle in this jam-packed episode of The Ben and Skin Show.The crew kicks things off with KT running through the hottest events in DFW—from Leonard Skynyrd at Choctaw to Fleetwood X rocking Rollertown Beer Works. Along the way, you'll hear the gang riff on everything from the meaning behind “That Smell” (weed or perfume?) to why Bill Murray's line in Kingpin still kills.

Access to land for hunting, fishing, and gathering are foundational provisions in so many treaties between tribes and the federal government, but individual hunters and anglers are frequently challenged when out exercising those treaty rights. The legal justifications were settled decades ago following landmark rulings such as the Boldt Decision in Washington State and, more recently, in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judgement in favor of tribal hunting access on ceded lands in Idaho. We'll review some of the history of hunting rights and how those continue to be scrutinized. GUESTS Dr. Cleve Davis (Shoshone-Bannock Tribes), a Ph.D in environmental science and the author of “So Long As Game May Be Found Thereon” Charlie Smith (Fond Du Lac band of Lake Superior Chippewa), advisor for Indigenous Business Consulting firm and a member of the Fond du Lac Band Ceded Territory conservation committee Derrick James (Choctaw), reporter for NonDoc.com

Episode Topic: PhotoFuturesHear artist Sarah Sense discuss her powerful photo weaving Hinushi 10, recently added to the permanent collection of the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art through the PhotoFutures initiative. Learn how her work, rooted in the Choctaw and Chitimacha traditions, interweaves historical maps and personal landscapes to document Indigenous futures and foster a continuity of culture and family.Featured Speakers:Tara Kenjockety, University of Notre DameSarah Sense, artistRead this episode's recap over on the University of Notre Dame's open online learning community platform, ThinkND: https://go.nd.edu/05c38d.This podcast is a part of the ThinkND Series titled Indigenous Voices.Thanks for listening! The ThinkND Podcast is brought to you by ThinkND, the University of Notre Dame's online learning community. We connect you with videos, podcasts, articles, courses, and other resources to inspire minds and spark conversations on topics that matter to you — everything from faith and politics, to science, technology, and your career. Learn more about ThinkND and register for upcoming live events at think.nd.edu. Join our LinkedIn community for updates, episode clips, and more.

The storm that ravaged villages along Alaska's west coast may have washed away thousands of artifacts that promised to provide valuable insights into early Yup'ik settlements. The storm destroyed nearly 60 feet of shoreline near the village of Quinhagak. Along with it was a site that was the source of early masks, tools and other items that make up the world's largest collection of Yup'ik artifacts housed at the local museum. Researchers, who were already racing to recover the items threatened by thawing permafrost, say as many as 10,000 artifacts could be lost. In another blow, thieves made off with more than a thousand artifacts from the Oakland Museum of California's off-site storage facility. Oakland police and the FBI are working to find the culprits and recover the items. The early assessment by authorities suggest the heist may have been more of a crime of opportunity than a targeted operation. GUESTS Cody Groat (Kanyen'kehaka'), assistant professor at the Department of History and the Indigenous Studies Program at the University of Western Ontario  Shannon O'Loughlin (Choctaw), chief executive and attorney at the Association on American Indian Affairs Lynn Marie Church (Yup'ik), CEO of Nalaquq, LLC  Rick Knecht, emeritus senior lecturer in archaeology at the University of Aberdeen

Veterans Day holds a special place in this episode, I visited with Choctaw Nation's Assistant Chief Jack Austin Jr., a man whose life has been shaped by service, family legacy, and an unwavering devotion to the Choctaw people. From his small-town Oklahoma upbringing in Talihina, where the soda fountain was a gathering place, and family values were taught in everyday moments, Jack shares what it was like to be raised by his father, the late Jack Austin Sr., and guided by a grandfather who led not through speeches, but through steady action. Jack opens his story wider, reflecting on why he serves his country, his Choctaw Nation, and his community. We trace the legacies passed down through generations, including his own Choctaw ancestor who fought in the Battle of New Orleans, long before citizenship was extended to Native people. Jack unpacks the significance of that battle, the irony woven through history, and how those ancestors still stand with us today. He also speaks candidly about his years in the U.S. Army: the brotherhood, the lifelong friends, the moments that shaped him, transitioning out of military life, and the continued mission he carries through his work with the Choctaw Veterans' Advocacy program. Jack reflects on the prayer that guides him as he serves the Choctaw people, the educational journey he and his wife traveled together on the way to their bachelor's and master's degrees, and the profound turning point in his life when his mother passed away. He honors her legacy of caring for those in need within the Tribe and shares the story of the woman who stepped in as a mother to lift him up during that difficult chapter. Packed with history, humor, heart, and hard-won wisdom, this episode shines a light on what it truly means to lead and to serve with a Choctaw heart. On this Veterans day, yakoke to all who have served, and to the families who stand beside them!

Veterans Day holds a special place in this episode, I visited with Choctaw Nation's Assistant Chief Jack Austin Jr., a man whose life has been shaped by service, family legacy, and an unwavering devotion to the Choctaw people. From his small-town Oklahoma upbringing in Talihina, where the soda fountain was a gathering place, and family values were taught in everyday moments, Jack shares what it was like to be raised by his father, the late Jack Austin Sr., and guided by a grandfather who led not through speeches, but through steady action. Jack opens his story wider, reflecting on why he serves his country, his Choctaw Nation, and his community. We trace the legacies passed down through generations, including his own Choctaw ancestor who fought in the Battle of New Orleans, long before citizenship was extended to Native people. Jack unpacks the significance of that battle, the irony woven through history, and how those ancestors still stand with us today. He also speaks candidly about his years in the U.S. Army: the brotherhood, the lifelong friends, the moments that shaped him, transitioning out of military life, and the continued mission he carries through his work with the Choctaw Veterans' Advocacy program. Jack reflects on the prayer that guides him as he serves the Choctaw people, the educational journey he and his wife traveled together on the way to their bachelor's and master's degrees, and the profound turning point in his life when his mother passed away. He honors her legacy of caring for those in need within the Tribe and shares the story of the woman who stepped in as a mother to lift him up during that difficult chapter. Packed with history, humor, heart, and hard-won wisdom, this episode shines a light on what it truly means to lead and to serve with a Choctaw heart. On this Veterans day, yakoke to all who have served, and to the families who stand beside them!

This special episode of the Native Language Protectors and Carriers series features Freddie Lewis, a dedicated Choctaw language instructor at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Farina King talks with Freddie about the challenges and joys of sustaining Indigenous languages such as Choctaw. Freddie shares personal stories about his family's experiences with boarding schools, the power of community-led language revitalization, and how teaching connects generations. The conversation highlights the rich legacy of the Choctaw Code Talkers, the significance of cultural memory, and exciting new projects bringing the Choctaw language to young learners and mass media.Freddie Lewis is recognized by the Choctaw Nation as a certified language teacher and has over 12 years of experience teaching multiple levels of Choctaw at the University of Oklahoma (OU). In addition to his university work, he leads community classes, collaborates with museums, and involves his students in projects that support language learning and cultural preservation.Listeners are especially encouraged to check out the powerful new short documentary (about 14 minutes long) Voices of Valor, which honors the Choctaw Code Talkers and shines a light on their enduring impact. The film will be screening at the Native Nations Center event room on the OU Norman campus on November 11, 2025, starting at 9 am Central Time.Resources:"Voices of Valor Film Debut," The Middle Ground"Native American Languages at OU"Choctaw Language Classes, Choctaw Nation of OklahomaChoctaw Cultural CenterFirst Americans MuseumClassroom VR Trunks: Choctaw Code Talkers 1918Marvel ECHO x Choctaw Nation"‘Sinners' Puts ‘Truth on Screen' for the Mississippi Band Of Choctaw Indians," AP June 6, 2025.Learn more about the efforts to protect and support the study of Native American languages (and all languages) at the University of Oklahoma through the following petitions:Oppose the Removal of Foreign Language Gen Ed requirements at the University of OklahomaKeep Indigenous Languages Alive at OUFor more information about the Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair, see the hyperlink.

Sonja Grace, a spirit traveler and healer, discusses her abilities and background. She describes her meditation-induced journeys to Atlantis and 250,000 BC, where she encountered extraterrestrial beings and ancient temples. Sonja, who is half Norwegian and has Choctaw and Cherokee heritage, has been practicing healing for 44 years. She emphasizes the importance of sobriety and inner work in spiritual practices. Sonja also touches on the concept of karma, explaining how past lives influence current health issues and behaviors. She highlights the need for hope and love in navigating the current transition into the fifth dimension.Sonja Grace, an Indigenous psychic healer, discusses the interconnectedness of humans with the Earth and the influence of extraterrestrials on technological advancements. She believes in the reincarnation of the Earth and its inhabitants across planets. Grace highlights the rapid technological changes over the past 150 years, suggesting ancient knowledge from Atlantis. She recounts her experiences with ancient artifacts and pyramids, emphasizing their sacred geometry and cosmic significance. Sonja predicts a future where AI will transform society, requiring adaptability and hope. She advises raising vibrations through meditation and grounding to navigate these changes effectively.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/next-level-soul-podcast-with-alex-ferrari--4858435/support.

Måndagen den 12 september 1994 i Choctaw, Oklahoma, kliver en man med bestämda steg in på Indian Meridians grundskola, presenterar sig som Clarence Hughes och kräver att få tala med skolans rektor. Han visas till rektor James Davis kontor, och när dörrarna har stängts bakom de båda männen spänner Clarence ögonen i rektorn, visar att han är beväpnad och förklarar att han är där för att hämta sin son, Michael.Manusförfattare: Tove Vahlne Källor:TampaBayHerald TribuneOklahomanGirl in the picture - Netflix dokumentärSerial Killers - Podcast “The Shapeshifting fugitive: Franklin Delano Floyd”

In recognition of Native American Heritage Month, this episode features an interview with Swain County Magistrate Gilbert Breedlove, whose remarkable journey of service and cultural preservation bridges the worlds of law, language, and faith.Magistrate Breedlove serves in the North Carolina Judicial Branch and is also a language editor and Bible translator working with the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, and Ojibwe languages. His dedication to preserving and promoting indigenous languages requires a lifelong commitment to service, both in his professional role and in his personal calling.Before becoming a magistrate, Breedlove served as a Staff Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, worked as a deputy sheriff, and ministered as a pastor. In this All Things Judicial episode, he discusses how his experiences in public service and ministry have informed his work helping to translate the Bible from English into Choctaw—a project years in the making.“We try to do this in a slow and steady manner instead of trying to rush to get it done,” Breedlove shared in the interview. “With the Choctaw Bible and songbook, it took us 25 years to get it done. And that's a lot of time.”Photos: Close up of Native American Bible with English translation, Examples of Magistrate Breedlove's language editing projects, Magistrate Gilbert Breedlove holding two projects on which he worked as a language editor

Jalen And Paige From Choctaw, "She asked him out and now she's ghosting him." Was it his need for a boost in confidence that might be making it hard to get another date"

Tribal officials are among those pushing back against President Donald Trump's plan to cut off some $500 million dollars in federal funds used for tribal housing, business development and infrastructure projects. The National Congress of American Indians calls the action by Trump related to the federal government shutdown “a critical threat to our communities' economic future.” Trump's intended elimination of the Treasury Department's Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund is the latest blow from the government shutdown that could have series consequences for Native Nations. GUESTS Larry Wright Jr. (Ponca), executive director of the National Congress of American Indians and former chairman of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska Sherry Rupert (Paiute and Washoe), CEO of the American Indigenous Tourism Association Kim Pate (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Mississippi Band of Choctaw), NDN Fund Managing Director Dave Tovey (Cayuse/Joseph Band Nez Perce), Executive Director of Nixyáawii Community Financial Services (NCFS)

Two Native American women from Oklahoma are carving distinct and inviting musical paths through the music world. Samantha Crain's seventh album, "Gumshoe", offers the latest installment in the veteran Choctaw singer-songwriter's musical evolution. The cover artwork—a photo of her own beadwork—is a clue to the roots she draws on for strength and inspiration. And Ken Pomeroy's debut album, "Cruel Joke", invokes a simmering depth of feeling that transcends her young age. She is a natural storyteller from the Cherokee Nation with a lot to say. Both of these creative artist are added to our Native Playlist.

In 1855, when women and children began disappearing from Choctaw settlements in Oklahoma, a band of thirty warriors led by Joshua LeFlore rode out to hunt down the kidnappers. What they discovered at that earthen mound deep in the wilderness wasn't human—and the battle that followed would be buried from official history for over a century.Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE for the ad-free version: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicateTake the WEIRD DARKNESS LISTENER SURVEY and help mold the future of the podcast: https://weirddarkness.com/surveyIN THIS EPISODE: Did you hear about the time Bigfoot and humans went to war against each other? It supposedly did happen in real life and I'll tell you the story! (The Leflore County Bigfoot War) *** The body of 25-year-old Jason Chase was found several weeks after he had gone missing – but the cause of his death was a mystery to everyone for almost twenty years. (The Eerie Death of Hiker Jason Chase) *** There are people in life that you just would rather not deal with. Wouldn't be great if you could just put them on ice and let some other future generation deal with that person? Well, aside from the morally unacceptable actions you'd have to take to make that happen, the technology for doing so might not be too far away. Some of the ulta-wealthy are making plans to be brought back to life later, or to live for a very long time, or… even to be immortal. (How The Super Rich Plan To Live Forever) *** Soon after moving into their quaint Massachusetts country home in 1981, Lui and Dale Passetto encountered a force of pure evil that almost destroyed them and their family. (The Passetto Family Possession) *** On August 29, 1890, a 16-year-old boy named Otto Lueth was hanged at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus. He had been tried and convicted of the murder of Maggie Thompson, age 9 – a murder for which he had shown no remorse. It is a sad and tragic story… but also one of utter horror. (Otto Leuth and the Girl in the Cellar)CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = Lead-In00:01:23.935 = Show Intro00:03:35.638 = The LeFlore County Bigfoot War00:15:33.454 = Eerie Death of Hiker Jason Chase00:25:56.458 = Passetto Family Possession00:31:41.771 = How The Super Rich Plan To Live Forever00:36:54.673 = Otto Leuth And The Girl In The Cellar01:01:41.460 = Show CloseSOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…“The Eerie Death of Hiker Jason Chase” from StrangeOutdoors.com: https://tinyurl.com/y4kpf4dn“The Leflore County Bigfoot War” by Michael Mayes for the Texas Cryptid Hunter website: https://tinyurl.com/y3lzcs3j“How The Super Rich Plan To Live Forever” by Michael Moran for The Daily Star: https://tinyurl.com/y6sphdwf“The Passetto Family Possession” by Jamie Bogert for TheLineUp.com: https://tinyurl.com/y3endz3u“Otto Leuth and the Girl in the Cellar” by Troy Taylor: https://tinyurl.com/y47sg32c=====(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.=====Originally aired: September 21, 2020EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/1855BigfootWarABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.#bigfoot #cryptids #nativeamericanhistory #truecrime #unsolved

Atlanta artist Bam Fatale joins Peach Jam for a stripped-down set and a candid talk about post-genre music, family heritage, and DIY visuals. You hear the story behind "Awaken," her tribute to a loved one, and how musical roots, Choctaw lineage, and activism shape her sound in Georgia's rock scene. We explore why authenticity matters on stage and in the studio at GPB.

In this interview, URComped CEO, Craig Shacklett, sits down with Robert Christensen, Director of Digital Gaming at Choctaw Casino, for an in-depth look at the evolving world of online gaming through the lens of tribal operations. From the launch of Choctaw's Social Casino to the nuances of Class II versus Class III gaming, Christensen breaks down complex regulatory frameworks, the rise of sweepstakes and prediction markets, and Choctaw's strategic approach to digital gaming within sovereign tribal lands. The conversation also explores how European markets have influenced U.S. iGaming development, the growing tension between traditional and gray market operators, and how data-driven personalization is reshaping online player experiences.   Topics Discussed: Robert Christensen's Role Definitions & Distinctions in Online Gaming What are Social Casinos, Sweepstakes Casinos, iGaming, Prediction Markets, etc. and how are they different? Legal and Regulatory Landscape What are Class 2 games What is IGRA and how does it work What are compacts? Choctaw's Strategic Focus Expanding mobile gaming access beyond reservation boundaries Tribal Sovereignty & Class II Gaming European Influence & Technology Partnerships The Future of Online Gaming in the U.S. Barriers for iGaming development Casino Marketing: Digital vs. Brick-and-Mortar Responsible Gaming & Industry Ethics Learn more: https://trio360.vip/inside-tribal-igaming-choctaws-digital-strategy/

While I'm at Dragon Con, here's an old Patreon episode about Tennessee water mysteries, including some spooky sightings of what were probably bears, and some mystery fish! Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I'm your host, Kate Shaw. As this episode goes live, I should be at Dragon Con, so I decided to go ahead and schedule an old Patreon episode to run instead of trying to get a new episode ready in time. It's about some water mysteries in my home state of Tennessee, although I actually just moved away from Tennessee to Georgia. Tennessee is in the southeastern United States, a long thin state divided into three geographical sections. East Tennessee borders the southern Appalachian Mountains, Middle Tennessee is on the Cumberland Plateau, and West Tennessee borders the Mississippi River. The only natural lake in the state is Reelfoot in northwestern Tennessee, a shallow, swampy body of water formed in the early 19th century. Before 1811, instead of a lake a small river flowed through the area, a tributary of the Mississippi. In earlier accounts, Reelfoot River is called Red Foot River. Most of the residents of the area at the time were Choctaw, although white settlers lived in the small town of New Madrid near the bank of the Mississippi. From December 1811 through February 1812, a series of earthquakes in the New Madrid Seismic Zone changed the land radically. There were three main quakes and innumerable smaller ones, ranging from an estimated 6.7 for the smallest quake to a possible 8.8 for the largest. In the initial quake and aftershocks on 16 December 1811, chimneys collapsed, trees fell, and fissures opened and closed, projecting water or sand high in the air. Boats on the Mississippi capsized as huge waves crashed from bank to bank. A woman named Eliza Bryan, who lived in New Madrid, wrote an account of the quakes: On the 16th of December, 1811, about 2 o'clock a.m., a violent shock of earthquake, accompanied by a very awful noise, resembling loud but distant thunder, but hoarse and vibrating, followed by complete saturation of the atmosphere with sulphurous vapor, causing total darkness. The screams of the inhabitants, the cries of the fowls and beasts of every species, the falling trees, and the roaring of the Mississippi, the current of which was retrograde for a few minutes, owing, as it is supposed, to an eruption in its bed, formed a scene truly horrible. From this time on until the 4th of February the earth was in continual agitation, visibly waving as a gentle sea. On that day there was another shock…and on the 7th, at about 4 o'clock a.m., a concussion took place so much more violent than those preceding it that it is denominated the ‘hard shock.' The Mississippi first seemed to recede from its banks, and its waters gathered up like a mountain… Then, rising 15 or 20 feet perpendicularly and expanding, as it were, at the same time, the banks overflowed with a retrograde current rapid as a torrent. A riverboat captain reported in another account that his boat was caught in a ferocious current on the Mississippi, crashing across waves he estimated as six feet high, or 1.8 m. He also reported whirlpools that he estimated were 30 feet deep, or 9 m. He saw all the trees on either bank fall at once. The December quake was so large it was felt across North America, from Canada to the Gulf Coast. Then, only five weeks later, it happened again, followed by the third major earthquake on 7 February. Only 15 miles, or 24 km, from the epicenter, the land dropped 20 feet, or 6 m, and created a basin that immediately filled with water. Reelfoot Lake was formed, Tennessee's only natural lake. Reelfoot is a state park these days, popular with boaters, fishers, hunters, and birdwatchers. The only cryptid sighting I could find took place in the Glass community near Obion, within ten miles, or 16 km, of the lake. A man who grew up in Glass reported in 2009 that a bipeda...

John's monologue focuses on hundreds of employees at the CDC staging a walk-out in protest of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The protest comes the morning after Kennedy fired the director of the CDC, reportedly over Covid vaccine policy changes Kennedy demanded. The firing in turn sparked four other high profile resignations from the massively important public health monitor. Then, he talks with democratic strategist Ameshia Cross about current news and Trump's evil doings. Then lastly, John welcomes back Simon Moya-Smith and Julie Francella for their indigenous segment We're Still Here. They discuss the mass shooting at the Catholic school in Minneapolis and the Choctaw vampire hunters from the movie "Sinners".See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Serving on a school board is not a glamorous position, but it's an important one that plays a big role in Native American students' success. Elected members of school boards make decisions ranging annual budgets to what's allowed in classroom lessons. They are also responsible for representing the community's values and interests. As such, individual board members are lightning rods for public criticism. We'll get a look at what school board members encounter on a daily basis and hear about a program designed to support Native school board participation. GUESTS Stacey Woolley (Choctaw), member on Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education Regina Yazzie (White Mountain Apache), member for the Theodore Roosevelt School Governing Board Michele Justice (Diné), owner of Personnel Security Consultants Dr. Chris Bonn, owner of Bonfire Leadership Solutions

Singer-songwriter Samantha Crain wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to make music again after a car accident left her without the ability to play instruments or physically write songs. Samantha talks with Marc about her recovery and how her physical improvement coincided with the evolution of her artistic confidence. Samantha also explains her family's storied history of powerlifting, the influence of Jason Molina, and why she feels it's important to write and perform songs in the Choctaw language. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.