Podcasts about creative arts

In this episode of The Sober Edge, Adriana Marchione joins me to explore how art in all its forms can be a powerful tool for healing and recovery. Adriana shares her journey from movement and dance into formal training in Expressive Arts Therapy, and how creativity helps us reconnect with ourselves, regulate our nervous systems, and discover unexpected insights. We talk about the accessibility of creativity—even for those who don't see themselves as “artists”—and how it can open a pathway to deeper healing in an alcohol-free life. Full Show Notes Here

Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande y Sabrina Carpenter brillan en los MTV VMA's 2025. Rauw Alejandro se une a La Casita de Bad Bunny en Puerto Rico. Duki da el salto a Netflix con su documental. Barack Obama y Kendrick Lamar triunfan en los Creative Arts de Emmy. Valencia rinde homenaje a Nino Bravo.

Gender is always in motion, but is masculinity in crisis? In this episode, host David Karsten speaks with Dr Ben Rich and Todd Morley about modern masculinity, the challenges men face today, the rise of extremism and the solutions that could benefit us all.What does it mean to be a man in 2025 – and is masculinity in crisis? [00:09]Why men are falling behind: education, mental health and identity in a time of “polycrisis” [02:04]Generational divides and changing views on struggle [07:43]How social media is shaping masculinity [11:19]Extremism explained – what it really means and how it connects to masculinity [14:49]Is the internet an accelerant for radicalisation? [23:01]What men – and society – can do to create better futures [26:59]Redefining the “modern man” – why ambiguity matters [30:50]Inside the Curtin Extremism Research Network (CERN) [34:59]Learn moreHasan Piker: a "himbo gateway drug" to the left?Most young Aussie men are turning to masculinity influencers, and it's impacting their mental healthWhat is gender? With Judith Butler The draw of the ‘manosphere': understanding Andrew Tate's appeal to lost menThe Future Of the Manosphere podcastWestern Australia Intervention Support Program (WAISP)Connect with our guestsDoctor Ben RichDr Ben Rich is a senior lecturer in the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry, and co-director of the Curtin Extremism Research Network (CERN), where his research focuses on the factors behind politically extreme views in areas such as gender, race, and public health.Todd MorleyTodd Morley is a PhD researcher in the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry. His current research focuses on the radicalisation patterns of lone actor terrorists, and he also works as a preventing/countering violent extremism practitioner and consultant outside of Curtin.Join Curtin UniversityThis podcast is brought to you by Curtin University. Curtin is a global university known for its commitment to making positive change happen through high-impact research, strong industry partnerships and practical teaching.Work with usStudy a research degreeStart postgraduate educationGot any questions, or suggestions for future topics?Email thefutureof@curtin.edu.auSocial mediaXFacebookInstagramYouTubeLinkedInTranscriptRead the transcript.Behind the scenesHost: David KarstenContent creator and recordist: Zoe TaylorEditor: Caitlin CrowleyProducer: Emilia JolakoskaExecutive Producers: Anita Shore and Natasha WeeksFirst Nations AcknowledgementCurtin University acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the First Peoples of this place we call Australia, and the First Nations peoples connected with our global campuses. We are committed to working in partnership with Custodians and Owners to strengthen and embed First Nations' voices and perspectives in our decision-making, now and into the future.Curtin University supports academic freedom of speech. The views expressed in The Future Of podcast may not reflect those of Curtin University.

The Malay world boasts a wealth of diverse cultures. The arrival of Islam in the Malay world during the 12th to 13th centuries permanently transformed the aesthetic landscape, and even European colonisation could not stem this change. In this episode of the Nordic Asia Podcast, Prof. Julie Yu-Wen Chen from the University of Helsinki talks to Dr. Dzul Afiq bin Zakaria and Dr. Wahyuni Masyidah Binti Md Isa from the Faculty of Creative Arts, University of Malaya about the localisation of Islamic arts in Malaysia. They illuminate the core of Islamic arts, which view art as a reflection of their faith. In Islam, there is no fundamental distinction between spiritual and secular art, enabling the qualities of Islamic architecture and arts to rise above mere aesthetics and utility. Dr. Dzul Afiq bin Zakaria, a distinguished scholar and artist, possesses artwork that can be shared with our audience to elucidate the relationship between culture, philosophy, and the arts within the Malay world. Dr. Wahyuni Masyidah Binti Md Isa's research employs Motion Capture technology to chart and conserve Islamic art. For example, Senaman Melayu Tua is a therapeutic exercise rooted in Malay culture. This exercise harmoniously integrates with both Malay culture and Islam, yielding comprehensive positive effects on the spiritual aspect by fostering inner peace, patience, and self-awareness. Her research utilises technology to visualize the micro-lines embedded within Senaman Melayu Tua. Julie Yu-Wen Chen is Professor of Chinese Studies and Asian studies coordinator at the Department of Cultures at the University of Helsinki (Finland). Chen is one of the Editors of the highly-ranked Journal of Chinese Political Science. Formerly, she was Editor-in-Chief of Asian Ethnicity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

The Malay world boasts a wealth of diverse cultures. The arrival of Islam in the Malay world during the 12th to 13th centuries permanently transformed the aesthetic landscape, and even European colonisation could not stem this change. In this episode of the Nordic Asia Podcast, Prof. Julie Yu-Wen Chen from the University of Helsinki talks to Dr. Dzul Afiq bin Zakaria and Dr. Wahyuni Masyidah Binti Md Isa from the Faculty of Creative Arts, University of Malaya about the localisation of Islamic arts in Malaysia. They illuminate the core of Islamic arts, which view art as a reflection of their faith. In Islam, there is no fundamental distinction between spiritual and secular art, enabling the qualities of Islamic architecture and arts to rise above mere aesthetics and utility. Dr. Dzul Afiq bin Zakaria, a distinguished scholar and artist, possesses artwork that can be shared with our audience to elucidate the relationship between culture, philosophy, and the arts within the Malay world. Dr. Wahyuni Masyidah Binti Md Isa's research employs Motion Capture technology to chart and conserve Islamic art. For example, Senaman Melayu Tua is a therapeutic exercise rooted in Malay culture. This exercise harmoniously integrates with both Malay culture and Islam, yielding comprehensive positive effects on the spiritual aspect by fostering inner peace, patience, and self-awareness. Her research utilises technology to visualize the micro-lines embedded within Senaman Melayu Tua. Julie Yu-Wen Chen is Professor of Chinese Studies and Asian studies coordinator at the Department of Cultures at the University of Helsinki (Finland). Chen is one of the Editors of the highly-ranked Journal of Chinese Political Science. Formerly, she was Editor-in-Chief of Asian Ethnicity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/islamic-studies

The Malay world boasts a wealth of diverse cultures. The arrival of Islam in the Malay world during the 12th to 13th centuries permanently transformed the aesthetic landscape, and even European colonisation could not stem this change. In this episode of the Nordic Asia Podcast, Prof. Julie Yu-Wen Chen from the University of Helsinki talks to Dr. Dzul Afiq bin Zakaria and Dr. Wahyuni Masyidah Binti Md Isa from the Faculty of Creative Arts, University of Malaya about the localisation of Islamic arts in Malaysia. They illuminate the core of Islamic arts, which view art as a reflection of their faith. In Islam, there is no fundamental distinction between spiritual and secular art, enabling the qualities of Islamic architecture and arts to rise above mere aesthetics and utility. Dr. Dzul Afiq bin Zakaria, a distinguished scholar and artist, possesses artwork that can be shared with our audience to elucidate the relationship between culture, philosophy, and the arts within the Malay world. Dr. Wahyuni Masyidah Binti Md Isa's research employs Motion Capture technology to chart and conserve Islamic art. For example, Senaman Melayu Tua is a therapeutic exercise rooted in Malay culture. This exercise harmoniously integrates with both Malay culture and Islam, yielding comprehensive positive effects on the spiritual aspect by fostering inner peace, patience, and self-awareness. Her research utilises technology to visualize the micro-lines embedded within Senaman Melayu Tua. Julie Yu-Wen Chen is Professor of Chinese Studies and Asian studies coordinator at the Department of Cultures at the University of Helsinki (Finland). Chen is one of the Editors of the highly-ranked Journal of Chinese Political Science. Formerly, she was Editor-in-Chief of Asian Ethnicity. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/southeast-asian-studies

The Malay world boasts a wealth of diverse cultures. The arrival of Islam in the Malay world during the 12th to 13th centuries permanently transformed the aesthetic landscape, and even European colonisation could not stem this change. In this episode of the Nordic Asia Podcast, Prof. Julie Yu-Wen Chen from the University of Helsinki talks to Dr. Dzul Afiq bin Zakaria and Dr. Wahyuni Masyidah Binti Md Isa from the Faculty of Creative Arts, University of Malaya about the localisation of Islamic arts in Malaysia. They illuminate the core of Islamic arts, which view art as a reflection of their faith. In Islam, there is no fundamental distinction between spiritual and secular art, enabling the qualities of Islamic architecture and arts to rise above mere aesthetics and utility. Dr. Dzul Afiq bin Zakaria, a distinguished scholar and artist, possesses artwork that can be shared with our audience to elucidate the relationship between culture, philosophy, and the arts within the Malay world. Dr. Wahyuni Masyidah Binti Md Isa's research employs Motion Capture technology to chart and conserve Islamic art. For example, Senaman Melayu Tua is a therapeutic exercise rooted in Malay culture. This exercise harmoniously integrates with both Malay culture and Islam, yielding comprehensive positive effects on the spiritual aspect by fostering inner peace, patience, and self-awareness. Her research utilises technology to visualize the micro-lines embedded within Senaman Melayu Tua. Julie Yu-Wen Chen is Professor of Chinese Studies and Asian studies coordinator at the Department of Cultures at the University of Helsinki (Finland). Chen is one of the Editors of the highly-ranked Journal of Chinese Political Science. Formerly, she was Editor-in-Chief of Asian Ethnicity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/art

The Malay world boasts a wealth of diverse cultures. The arrival of Islam in the Malay world during the 12th to 13th centuries permanently transformed the aesthetic landscape, and even European colonisation could not stem this change. In this episode of the Nordic Asia Podcast, Prof. Julie Yu-Wen Chen from the University of Helsinki talks to Dr. Dzul Afiq bin Zakaria and Dr. Wahyuni Masyidah Binti Md Isa from the Faculty of Creative Arts, University of Malaya about the localisation of Islamic arts in Malaysia. They illuminate the core of Islamic arts, which view art as a reflection of their faith. In Islam, there is no fundamental distinction between spiritual and secular art, enabling the qualities of Islamic architecture and arts to rise above mere aesthetics and utility. Dr. Dzul Afiq bin Zakaria, a distinguished scholar and artist, possesses artwork that can be shared with our audience to elucidate the relationship between culture, philosophy, and the arts within the Malay world. Dr. Wahyuni Masyidah Binti Md Isa's research employs Motion Capture technology to chart and conserve Islamic art. For example, Senaman Melayu Tua is a therapeutic exercise rooted in Malay culture. This exercise harmoniously integrates with both Malay culture and Islam, yielding comprehensive positive effects on the spiritual aspect by fostering inner peace, patience, and self-awareness. Her research utilises technology to visualize the micro-lines embedded within Senaman Melayu Tua. Julie Yu-Wen Chen is Professor of Chinese Studies and Asian studies coordinator at the Department of Cultures at the University of Helsinki (Finland). Chen is one of the Editors of the highly-ranked Journal of Chinese Political Science. Formerly, she was Editor-in-Chief of Asian Ethnicity.

Clement speaks to Pilani Bubu — storyteller, singer-songwriter, TV presenter, and creative entrepreneur — about the return of Johannesburg’s beloved Folklore Festival, taking place from 11 to 13 September at the National School of the Arts. Now in its fourth year, the festival blends music, storytelling, food, craft markets, and family-friendly activities under the theme "Kinfolk", celebrating heritage and connection. With iconic performers like the Mahotella Queens sharing the stage with emerging talent, the event is a powerful tribute to African tradition, memory, and creativity. 702 Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa is broadcast on 702, a Johannesburg based talk radio station. Bongani makes sense of the news, interviews the key newsmakers of the day, and holds those in power to account on your behalf. The team bring you all you need to know to start your day Thank you for listening to a podcast from 702 Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 06:00 and 09:00 (SA Time) to Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa broadcast on 702: https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/36edSLV or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/zEcM35T Subscribe to the 702 Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/v5mfetc Follow us on social media: 702 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702 702 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702 702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/ 702 on X: https://x.com/Radio702 702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio702 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fashion is one of the world's most polluting industries

With a rifle in one hand, and a sketch pad in the other, retired Marine veteran Joe Winslow's combat service in the Battle of Fallujah inspired a return to his love of art. He drew sketches and collected artifacts before returning home to begin working on art reflecting the dedication of Marines, sailors, soldiers and others in action. Winslow discusses his time in the military, drawing inspiration from combat zones, transition issues for servicemembers and more. Other topics include alternative therapies for mental health, the origins of battle cries and the upcoming anniversary of Star Trek. Special Guest: Joe Winslow.

“When I heard that statistic, I realized I was easily part of the 99% who never write their book. I decided to become the 1% and just do it.” – Dr. Albert Bramante Today's featured author is a psychology professor, certified hypnotist, NLP practitioner, mindset mentor, and veteran talent agent, Dr. Albert Bramante. Dr. Albert and I had a fun on a bun chat about his first book, “Rise Above the Script: Confronting Self Doubt and Mastering Self Sabotage for Performing Artists”, the power of visualization, and more!!Key Things You'll Learn:Dr. Albert's lifelong fascination with the mind and how it led him to become a talent agentWhat inspired him to conquer procrastination and publish his first bookHow he transitioned from academic writing to publishing his first bookWhat setback helped him create more successHow he uses visualization and accountability to overcome self-doubtDr. Albert's Site: https://albertbramante.com/Dr. Albert's Book: https://a.co/d/csMb8A8The opening track is titled, “North Wind and the Sun” by Trevin P. To listen to and download the full track, click the following link. https://compilationsforhumanity.bandcamp.com/track/north-wind-and-the-sunPlease support today's podcast to keep this content coming! CashApp: $DomBrightmonDonate on PayPal: @DBrightmonBuy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dombrightmonGet Going North T-Shirts, Stickers, and More: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/dom-brightmonThe Going North Advancement Compass: https://a.co/d/bA9awotYou May Also Like…Ep. 960 – The Power of the Actor with Ivana Chubbuck (@ivanachubbuck): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-960-the-power-of-the-actor-with-ivana-chubbuck-ivanachubbuck/Ep. 647 – “Making It Happen In Showbiz & In Life” with Sabine Kvenberg, DTM (@SabineKvenberg): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-647-making-it-happen-in-showbiz-in-life-with-sabine-kvenberg-dtm-sabinekvenberg/ Ep. 609 - "The Film Director's Bag Of Tricks" With Mark W. Travis (@MarkWTravis): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/the-film-directors-bag-of-tricks-with-mark-w-travis-markwtravis/Ep. 397 – “Make Your Own Break” with Jennifer Lieberman (@iamjenlieberman): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-397-make-your-own-break/Ep. 777 – Attract & Manifest Good Luck with Victoria Marie Gallagher (@LOAHypnotist): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-777-attract-manifest-good-luck-with-victoria-marie-gallagher-loahypnotist/Ep. 584 – “The Imposter Lies Within” with Sheryl Anjanette (@sherylanjanette): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-584-the-imposter-lies-within-with-sheryl-anjanette-sherylanjanette/Ep. 877 – Full of Heart with J.R. Martinez (@iamjrmartinez): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-877-full-of-heart-with-jr-martinez-iamjrmartinez/Ep. 810 – You Are Worthy with Katherine Norland (@katnorland): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-810-you-are-worthy-with-katherine-norland-katnorland/Ep. 433 – Ticking Clock: Behind the Scenes at 60 Minutes with Ira Rosen: https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-433-ticking-clock-behind-the-scenes-at-60-minutes-with-ira-rosen/Ep. 944 – From Comedy Central to Crafting Thrillers in "What She's Hiding" with Art Bell (@ArtBellwriter): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-944-from-comedy-central-to-crafting-thrillers-in-what-shes-hiding-with-art-bell-artbellwr/Ep. 965 – From Hollywood Writing Rooms to Writing Her Own Rules with Amy Suto (@Sutoscience): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-965-from-hollywood-writing-rooms-to-writing-her-own-rules-with-amy-suto-sutoscience/261 – “How Thoughts Become Things” with Douglas Vermeeren (@DougVermeeren): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/261-how-thoughts-become-things-with-douglas-vermeeren-dougvermeeren/#Holiday Bonus Ep. – Emerge Triumphant with Eliana Gilad (@VoicesofEden): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/holiday-bonus-ep-emerge-triumphant-with-eliana-gilad-voicesofeden/

Every June, there is a significant cultural event in Malaysia, which is called the Gawai Dayak Festival, highly celebrated to mark the end of the harvest season and give thanks to the Iban agricultural God, Raja Simpulang Gana. In this episode of the Nordic Asia Podcast, Prof. Julie Yu-Wen Chen from the University of Helsinki talks to Dr. Gregory anak Kiyai, an expert of indigenous ethnic heritage from the Faculty of Creative Arts, University of Malaya, about the Iban indigenous people in Malaysia and the meaning of Gawai Dayak for them. In the photograph of this episode, listeners can see an image taken by Dr Gregory anak Kiyai during fieldwork with the Iban community in 2019. There is a group of Lemambang, revered ritual specialists and custodians of Iban customary law, seen here gathered in a longhouse setting. Typically, elderly Iban men, or Lemambang, are deeply knowledgeable in traditional Iban customs and serve as important cultural figures. They are often consulted for their wisdom and lead significant ceremonies and rituals in the longhouse, especially during Gawai Dayak. On the Nordic Asia Podcast website, Dr Gregory anak Kiyai provides an image of the Lemambang, dressed in traditional Iban ceremonial attire known as baju burung (Iban woven jacket), woven using kebat or sungkit techniques. These garments bear sacred motifs inherited from their ancestors. Their headdresses, called lelanjang, are adorned with feathers from the burung ruai (Argusianus Argus), symbolising reverence to the Iban war God, Aki Senggalang Burung. Julie Yu-Wen Chen is Professor of Chinese Studies and Asian studies coordinator at the Department of Cultures at the University of Helsinki (Finland). Chen is one of the Editors of the highly-ranked Journal of Chinese Political Science. Formerly, she was Editor-in-Chief of Asian Ethnicity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Every June, there is a significant cultural event in Malaysia, which is called the Gawai Dayak Festival, highly celebrated to mark the end of the harvest season and give thanks to the Iban agricultural God, Raja Simpulang Gana. In this episode of the Nordic Asia Podcast, Prof. Julie Yu-Wen Chen from the University of Helsinki talks to Dr. Gregory anak Kiyai, an expert of indigenous ethnic heritage from the Faculty of Creative Arts, University of Malaya, about the Iban indigenous people in Malaysia and the meaning of Gawai Dayak for them. In the photograph of this episode, listeners can see an image taken by Dr Gregory anak Kiyai during fieldwork with the Iban community in 2019. There is a group of Lemambang, revered ritual specialists and custodians of Iban customary law, seen here gathered in a longhouse setting. Typically, elderly Iban men, or Lemambang, are deeply knowledgeable in traditional Iban customs and serve as important cultural figures. They are often consulted for their wisdom and lead significant ceremonies and rituals in the longhouse, especially during Gawai Dayak. On the Nordic Asia Podcast website, Dr Gregory anak Kiyai provides an image of the Lemambang, dressed in traditional Iban ceremonial attire known as baju burung (Iban woven jacket), woven using kebat or sungkit techniques. These garments bear sacred motifs inherited from their ancestors. Their headdresses, called lelanjang, are adorned with feathers from the burung ruai (Argusianus Argus), symbolising reverence to the Iban war God, Aki Senggalang Burung. Julie Yu-Wen Chen is Professor of Chinese Studies and Asian studies coordinator at the Department of Cultures at the University of Helsinki (Finland). Chen is one of the Editors of the highly-ranked Journal of Chinese Political Science. Formerly, she was Editor-in-Chief of Asian Ethnicity. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/southeast-asian-studies

Every June, there is a significant cultural event in Malaysia, which is called the Gawai Dayak Festival, highly celebrated to mark the end of the harvest season and give thanks to the Iban agricultural God, Raja Simpulang Gana. In this episode of the Nordic Asia Podcast, Prof. Julie Yu-Wen Chen from the University of Helsinki talks to Dr. Gregory anak Kiyai, an expert of indigenous ethnic heritage from the Faculty of Creative Arts, University of Malaya, about the Iban indigenous people in Malaysia and the meaning of Gawai Dayak for them. In the photograph of this episode, listeners can see an image taken by Dr Gregory anak Kiyai during fieldwork with the Iban community in 2019. There is a group of Lemambang, revered ritual specialists and custodians of Iban customary law, seen here gathered in a longhouse setting. Typically, elderly Iban men, or Lemambang, are deeply knowledgeable in traditional Iban customs and serve as important cultural figures. They are often consulted for their wisdom and lead significant ceremonies and rituals in the longhouse, especially during Gawai Dayak. On the Nordic Asia Podcast website, Dr Gregory anak Kiyai provides an image of the Lemambang, dressed in traditional Iban ceremonial attire known as baju burung (Iban woven jacket), woven using kebat or sungkit techniques. These garments bear sacred motifs inherited from their ancestors. Their headdresses, called lelanjang, are adorned with feathers from the burung ruai (Argusianus Argus), symbolising reverence to the Iban war God, Aki Senggalang Burung. Julie Yu-Wen Chen is Professor of Chinese Studies and Asian studies coordinator at the Department of Cultures at the University of Helsinki (Finland). Chen is one of the Editors of the highly-ranked Journal of Chinese Political Science. Formerly, she was Editor-in-Chief of Asian Ethnicity.

Every June, there is a significant cultural event in Malaysia, which is called the Gawai Dayak Festival, highly celebrated to mark the end of the harvest season and give thanks to the Iban agricultural God, Raja Simpulang Gana. In this episode of the Nordic Asia Podcast, Prof. Julie Yu-Wen Chen from the University of Helsinki talks to Dr. Gregory anak Kiyai, an expert of indigenous ethnic heritage from the Faculty of Creative Arts, University of Malaya, about the Iban indigenous people in Malaysia and the meaning of Gawai Dayak for them. In the photograph of this episode, listeners can see an image taken by Dr Gregory anak Kiyai during fieldwork with the Iban community in 2019. There is a group of Lemambang, revered ritual specialists and custodians of Iban customary law, seen here gathered in a longhouse setting. Typically, elderly Iban men, or Lemambang, are deeply knowledgeable in traditional Iban customs and serve as important cultural figures. They are often consulted for their wisdom and lead significant ceremonies and rituals in the longhouse, especially during Gawai Dayak. On the Nordic Asia Podcast website, Dr Gregory anak Kiyai provides an image of the Lemambang, dressed in traditional Iban ceremonial attire known as baju burung (Iban woven jacket), woven using kebat or sungkit techniques. These garments bear sacred motifs inherited from their ancestors. Their headdresses, called lelanjang, are adorned with feathers from the burung ruai (Argusianus Argus), symbolising reverence to the Iban war God, Aki Senggalang Burung. Julie Yu-Wen Chen is Professor of Chinese Studies and Asian studies coordinator at the Department of Cultures at the University of Helsinki (Finland). Chen is one of the Editors of the highly-ranked Journal of Chinese Political Science. Formerly, she was Editor-in-Chief of Asian Ethnicity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

We shine a spotlight on one of Columbus's newest community treasures: The Fran Ryan Center. Opened in January 2025 as part of the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, this vibrant, creative arts and wellness hub sits just east of downtown and serves residents of all ages. We're joined by Kyle Farnbaugh, the center's manager, who takes us inside the mission, innovative programs, and community partnerships that make the Fran Ryan Center unique.From state-of-the-art studios and intergenerational classes to its new role as the home of the beloved Golden Hobby Shop, the Fran Ryan Center is redefining what a community space can be. In our conversation, we'll hear about Kyle's fascinating journey into senior services, the center's inclusive approach to arts and wellness, and how it's creating opportunities for both new and established artists in Columbus. Plus, you'll get an inside look at volunteer opportunities, special events, and the shop where over 300 consigners display handcrafted art.Whether you're an artist, a supporter of community programs, or simply curious about new ways to get involved in Columbus, this episode is packed with inspiration and practical information. If you like this episode, please let us know. We appreciate the feed back, and your support of offset costs of producing the podcast!Here are 3 key takeaways from the episode:Inclusive, Intergenerational ProgrammingThe Fran Ryan Center stands out by intentionally welcoming both older and younger adults. We offer programs ranging from beginner to advanced, and are building more opportunities for families, friends, and neighbors of all ages to connect and create together.Affordable Access & Community SupportAccessibility is a core value. The center's programs are supported by Columbus city operational dollars, meaning fees remain low and flexible. We even offer reduced fees for older adults and ensure materials are provided to make arts participation possible for everyone.Golden Hobby Shop: A Senior Arts MarketplaceNow in a permanent home at the Fran Ryan Center, the Golden Hobby Shop features over 335 senior artisans and relies on volunteer power to fuel its success. Consignors enjoy a supportive, well-run environment to display and sell their handmade works, enriching both their lives and the community.Moments00:00 Senior Services Career Journey05:45 "Voice Program Earns Top Honors"08:06 Unique Offerings of Fran Rhine Center10:35 "Fran Ryan Center Arts Studios"13:50 Intergenerational Family Programming Model19:15 Optimizing Class Costs and Lab Fees20:01 "Lab Fee Range & Registration Info"24:09 Volunteer Opportunities Available27:43 Community Engagement at Fran Ryan Center32:24 Senior-Only Consignment Program Process34:34 Consignment Profit Split Model36:34 "Columbus Souvenirs & Community Support"40:14 "New Artist Residency Program Launched"44:19 "Words of Wisdom & Community Tribute"45:57 Progress Through InitiativeWe would love to hear from you.Give us your feedback, or suggest a topic, by leaving us a voice message.Email us at hello@lookingforwardourway.com.Find us on Bluesky and

"Music has always been more than just a hobby." You know you're a creative person. You know you're meant to do more than a repetitive 9 to 5 job in this life. You're pretty sure you have something special inside of you that needs to come out. The problem? You have a lot of passions, and you're not sure how they align.Rob Case understands your journey. He also has some answers for you.As a shopowner, a pilot, an accomplished luthier, an open mic host, a teacher, and a performing singer-songwriter, Rob has existed in a multitude of professional spaces and has juggled seemingly disparate careers--but his passions align when he is building community and sharing his passions with others. In this episode, he talks to Emmeline about the way music's role in his life has shifted over the years, but how his conscious decision to prioritize music has led to beautiful rewards.To learn more about Rob, or to follow his musical journey, visit his official website or find his music on Spotify. To check out Rob Case's Open Mic, get connected through their official Facebook page. To learn more about Rob's shop, visit its official website. Lastly, see Wilco stop by Poor David's Pub here!For behind-the-scenes information and more about Journey of an Artist, visit the Journey of Series official webpage, or follow Emmeline on social media at @EmmelineMusic.

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Rebe Huntman, author of the book My Mother in Havana. Rebe's memoir traces her search to connect with her mother—thirty years after her death—among the gods and saints of Cuba. A former professional Latin and Afro-Cuban dancer and choreographer, for over a decade Rebe directed Chicago's award-winning Danza Viva Center for World Dance, Art & Music and its resident dance company, One World Dance Theater. She collaborates with native artists in Cuba and South America, and has been featured in LATINA Magazine, Chicago Magazine, and the Chicago Tribune, and on Fox and ABC.   Rebe's essays, stories, and poems appear or are forthcoming in such places as The Southern Review, The Missouri Review, Parabola, Ninth Letter, The Cincinnati Review, and the PINCH, and have earned her an Ohio Individual Excellence Award as well as fellowships from the Macondo Writers' Conference, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Ragdale Foundation, PLAYA Residency, Hambidge Center, and Brush Creek Foundation. She holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from The Ohio State University and lives in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and Delaware, Ohio. Find her at www. rebehuntman.com and on Instagram @rebehuntman.   In my book review, I stated My Mother in Havana is a profound look at a woman who lost her mother at a young age and continues to grieve for years. It isn't until she goes to Havana that she finally finds peace.   I fully expected to learn that Rebe's mother was Cuban - but she's not. However, Rebe's research about mothers and symbols of motherhood led to her Cuba where the Virgin Mary and the Cuban goddess of love, Ochún, are often intertwined. She wanted to understand this connection - and by doing so, she found healing.   Rebe started life as a dancer and choreographer, and she shines a beautiful light on Cuban dances and rituals along with their gods and saints. I was mesmerized by her ability to throw off her Western upbringing and fully immerse herself in the culture as she tried to discover what makes a mother, what defines the divine feminine, and what she remembered of her own mother.   I loved learning about the Afro-Cuban culture, their spiritual views, and the broader concept of motherhood. I think anyone who is a mother - or has a mother - will enjoy this book.   Subscribe to Online for Authors to learn about more great books! https://www.youtube.com/@onlineforauthors?sub_confirmation=1   Join the Novels N Latte Book Club community to discuss this and other books with like-minded readers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3576519880426290   You can follow Author Rebe Huntman Website: https://www.rebehuntman.com/ IG: @rebehuntman FB: @rebehuntmanauthor   Purchase My Mother in Havana on Amazon: Paperback: https://amzn.to/3Hnowtn Ebook: https://amzn.to/4mLUPCj   Teri M Brown, Author and Podcast Host: https://www.terimbrown.com FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor IG: @terimbrown_author X: @terimbrown1   Want to be a guest on Online for Authors? Send Teri M Brown a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/member/onlineforauthors   #rebehuntman #mymotherinhavana #memoir #terimbrownauthor #authorpodcast #onlineforauthors #characterdriven #researchjunkie #awardwinningauthor #podcasthost #podcast #readerpodcast #bookpodcast #writerpodcast #author #books #goodreads #bookclub #fiction #writer #bookreview *As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Trombone Corner Podcast is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass and The Brass Ark.  Join hosts Noah and John as they interview Amanda Stewart, of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. About Amanda: Amanda Stewart is currently the Associate Principal Trombonist of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, a position she began in the Fall of 2014. Born in Oakland, Maryland, she began playing the trombone at the age of six. Her studies started with Harold Hudnall and continued with Dr. H. Keith Jackson, current Dean of the College of Creative Arts of West Virginia University. She received her bachelor of music degree from The Juilliard School, studying with Joseph Alessi. As an orchestral musician, Ms. Stewart has played with numerous orchestras. She was Principal trombonist of the San Antonio Symphony for eight seasons, Assistant Principal trombonist of the Lyric Opera of San Antonio for four seasons, and Associate Principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic for two seasons. Ms. Stewart has also been a regular substitute and extra player with the Boston Symphony and has toured with them internationally. She has also performed with the Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, National, North Carolina, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Toronto Symphonies. Ms. Stewart has also spent several summers performing in the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra. In other performing capacities, Ms. Stewart is a current member of the trombone ensemble, STL Trombones. She has also performed as a member of the Burning River Brass and the San Antonio Brass. During her tenure as a member, Ms. Stewart performed twice as a soloist with the San Antonio Symphony. She has also appeared as a guest artist at the International Trombone Festival and the International Women's Brass Conference. As an educator, Ms. Stewart currently teaches at Washington University in St. Louis, and has taught privately at several other universities, namely Our Lady of the Lake University, St. Mary's University, Rutgers University, Trinity University, and McKendree University. For part of the 2025 Spring Semester, she served as an adjunct Assistant Professor of Music at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music. Also, Ms. Stewart has also given masterclasses at many national universities and conservatories, including the New England Conservatory, Rice University, and The Juilliard School. Ms. Stewart is an Edwards artist, performing on Edwards trombones and Griego Mouthpieces.

Send us a textInlet Dance Theatre is a modern dance company in Cleveland, founded in 2001 by our guest, Bill Wade, a renowned dancer and choreographer who uses the power of dance to further people and explore human, societal, and environmental issues through movement. Located within the Pivot Center for Art, Dance and Expression on West 25th Street in Cleveland, Inlet's Dance Studio is called The Estuary, reflecting the company's nature-based and sustainability themes. Inlet's mission aligns with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, which promote health and well-being, quality education, equality, and sustainable cities. Deeply rooted in Cleveland, Inlet is helping nurture and grow the next generation of artists by offering free dance classes in public schools and other community programs. Bill explains that talent is everywhere, but access to developing that talent is not. He started Inlet to expose urban youth to the power of the arts and provide opportunities, mentorship, and creative expression to individuals who might otherwise lack access. The connection between dance and sustainability may seem unexpected, but the arts are universally relatable and offer a unique opportunity to promote environmental awareness. "Don't put on stage what is. Put on stage what could be," Wade says, capturing how art contributes to sustainability by envisioning possibilities rather than dwelling on problems. In a world facing climate change and social inequities, Inlet Dance Theater reminds us that sustainability isn't just technical solutions – it requires creative spaces where we can collectively imagine and embody more hopeful futures.Enjoy this episode of Eco Speaks CLE as Bill describes his work, his creative process, some of the pieces in his repertoire, his love of Cleveland and its youth, and upcoming appearances for his company. Guest: Bill Wade, Founder and Executive/Artistic Director of Inlet Dance Theatre Resources:About Inlet Dance Theatre and Upcoming PerformancesEducation and Community Programs Cain Park Annual Performance and Calendar of EventsAim2Flourish and The Lavender ProjectFollow us: https://www.facebook.com/ecospeaksclehttps://www.instagram.com/ecospeakscleContact us:hello@ecospeakscle.com

Naomi Brickell is the project director for Supported Decision Making New York. With a distinguished career focused on empowering people with developmental disabilities, she leads initiatives to present Supported Decision Making (SDM) as a recognized alternative to guardianship in New York. Naomi is known for her work in disability policy advocacy, supporting families through the complexities of disability services, and promoting inclusion within educational settings and communities. She holds a degree from the University of Scranton and a master's in special education and secondary transition from the University of Kansas.Nicole Hastings is a self-advocate and leader within the intellectual and developmental disabilities realm. Drawing from her lived experiences, she plays an active role in advocating for self-determination rights. As coordinator of self advocacy and community engagement at the Westchester Institute for Human Development, Nicole leverages her position to empower others. She is both an adaptive sports enthusiast and entrepreneur, running Creative Arts by Nicole, which inspires individuals with disabilities to explore their artistic talents and pursue entrepreneurship.Episode Summary:In this engaging episode of DSP Talk, host Asheley Blaise explores the transformative impact of Supported Decision Making (SDM) in enhancing autonomy and independence for individuals with developmental disabilities. Joined by Naomi Brickell and Nicole Hastings, two prominent advocates, the discussion delves into the nuances of SDM, contrasting it with traditional guardianship models and highlighting its potential to promote self-empowerment in the disability community.Naomi Brickell explains the fundamental differences between guardianship and Supported Decision Making, underscoring how SDM prioritizes personal choice, autonomy, and the use of trusted support networks to guide decision-making. The episode challenges the misconception that guardianship is the only or safest option, revealing SDM's role in fostering better decision-making and learning from mistakes. Nicole Hastings shares her personal journey with SDM, illustrating the importance of choosing supporters who respect individual autonomy and emphasizing the dignity of risk and the right to make independent choices, even if they lead to mistakes. As listeners engage with these dynamic stories, they'll gain a deeper appreciation for the principles of self-determination and inclusion driving this movement.Key Takeaways:Supported Decision Making (SDM) is presented as a powerful alternative to guardianship, enabling individuals with disabilities to make their own informed choices with the support of chosen allies.Nicole Hastings discusses how her SDM journey is rooted in selecting trusted supporters to aid in complex areas like healthcare and finance, without relinquishing autonomy.Naomi Brickell emphasizes that guardianship often doesn't provide the safety families assume, contrasting it with SDM's emphasis on intentional decision-making support.The conversation stresses the necessity for SDM to become a normalized approach in society, reducing the systemic barriers and stigmas faced by individuals with disabilities.Resources:· Supported Decision Making New York· 17a Guardianship· Senate Bill S7107B Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award-winning author Anna Monardo shares how her Italian-American heritage, family history, and exploration of memory, place, love, and belonging shape her writing. We talk about identity, gender, and the power of reimagining one's life through story. From Italy to Pittsburgh to Omaha, fiction and memoir, Monardo traces the emotional geography of the immigrant heart.Anna Monardo was born in Pittsburgh, spent many years in New York City, and now lives in Omaha, Nebraska, where she teaches in the Writer's Workshop of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She is the award-winning author of the novels—The Courtyard of Dreams and Falling In Love with Natassia—and the creative nonfiction memoir – After Italy – exploring her family's immigration from southern Italy. Monardo is the recipient of residency fellowships from the Djerassi Foundation, Yaddo, and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts among others and her stories, essays, and poems have been published and anthologized in The Sun, Poets and Writers, Salon.com, Huffington Post, and many other magazines and journals.

Ryan Phelan is a partner and patent attorney at Marshall Gerstein. He discusses his journey from a background in computer science and fintech to becoming a prominent IP attorney serving clients in the MedTech industry and beyond. He shares insights on the importance of protecting intellectual property, especially for startups, and the burgeoning role of AI in medical technology. This succinct yet fascinating conversation highlights the critical intersection of law, technology, and medical innovation. Guest links: https://www.marshallip.com | https://www.patentnext.com/  Charity supported: Sleep in Heavenly Peace Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com.  PRODUCTION CREDITS Host: Lindsey Dinneen Editing: Marketing Wise Producer: Velentium   EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 058 - Ryan Phelan [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and I am so looking forward to my conversation today with Ryan Phelan. Ryan is a partner and patent attorney at the Chicago based intellectual property law firm, Marshall Gerstein, where he counsels medtech companies on protecting their valuable IP. Ryan ultimately believes that AI is an important technology to embrace, but cautions medical device and related companies to approach it pragmatically, developing a policy to govern and protect intangible assets and innovation. All right. Well, thank you so much for being here, Ryan. I'm so excited to speak with you today. [00:01:29] Ryan Phelan: Yeah. Thank you for having me. Thank you, Lindsey. [00:01:31] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course. Well, I'd love if you'd start off by sharing a little bit about your background and what led you to medtech. [00:01:39] Ryan Phelan: Sure, absolutely. So I'm an attorney by trade. And I started off in probably a different place than most people in MedTech, but I have a computer science degree and I worked in industry first for Accenture, doing a lot of programming and consulting in the FinTech world. So, high frequency trading and programming some pretty complicated data algorithms in order to trade stocks and bonds and securities, and things like this. That let me see aspects of intellectual property that people were doing with respect to the code I was writing. So I got curious with IP and law, and that led me to law school, Northwestern Law, in pursuing a joint JD, MBA program, which I finished in 2010. And I went into IP law with a passion for technology, pretty much in the computing space. And then in the last decade or so, IP practitioners, not unlike doctors, like to practice in specific areas and one of the ones that I focused on is software medical devices. And so that, that kind of led me into the realm of medtech. [00:02:48] Lindsey Dinneen: Very nice. Okay. So you have had such an interesting career trajectory and I'm wondering, back in the day, say you're a six year old Ryan, could six year old Ryan have predicted that you would be a lawyer and particularly intellectual property? [00:03:04] Ryan Phelan: Absolutely not. I mean, first of all nobody in my family, at least immediate family, was a lawyer. And so going to law school was not on the radar. I grew up in Louisiana in a small town, basically farm life, so certainly technology and stuff like that wasn't available in the city. But I did have a passion for things that were tech. I was certainly a kid that loved to take things apart and put them back together and build all kinds of Legos and stuff like that. So that basic kind of STEM acumen or desire was always there from the beginning. And so, as I, I grew up and got exposed to more things, certainly in college, it became kind of a passion. And so, I ended up doing that. We did have some medical issues in my family, including cardiac and cancer and stuff like that. So, those types of things always hit home with me and you're getting to a chance to kind of lean into medtech, at least on the software side, with medtech devices that include or incorporate medical technology became very interesting to me personally. [00:04:07] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, of course. And so going back just a smidgen when you decided to go into law and you know, you've come from this background that was the software engineering and you've got this fintech background and you have all of these amazing skill sets already, what led you specifically to say, "Okay, I want to focus on intellectual property, and so this is going to be my, my sweet spot." [00:04:33] Ryan Phelan: Yeah. So when you go to law school, you get exposed to a lot of different classes. In fact, in your first year law school, you're required to take a bunch of baseline courses like criminal law and all these things. And so you quickly figure out what you like and what you don't like. And so for me, a computer science degree is always kind of the beating heart of what I loved. And so I wanted to, I tended to like, classes that were up that alley, so to speak. And the IP course that I took was definitely there because it was all about technology, inventions, people making things, and how those inventions played out in court. So I found my greatest joy in law school to be in those classes. So I spoke up the most in class and did the best. There's common saying that "you should do things that you love because you never have to work a day in your life" kind of thing. So I always try to think about that, and certainly fun today because I practice in IP and picked that direction. [00:05:27] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, absolutely. So, in addition to all of the other credentials you have, you are also a published author and you are a speaker. And I would love if you would share maybe a little bit more about how you got into being a thought leader as well in your industry and how that path has taken you. [00:05:51] Ryan Phelan: Yeah, for sure. It's the same kind of thing. I've always liked to write as well. And I feel that when I write about something, I really get to understand it. And so in my field, there's a lot of stuff happening all the time. Like a court will come out with a new case, an IP and medtech or AI or something like this, and I really like to dig into it to figure out how can I use this court decision as a tool for clients, or how does this change things up? What will clients ask me questions going forward, or how can this be an interesting topic to either write about or to speak about? And so, I try to learn when I'm reading, and then I write it, and that teaches me, and I think and hope that others get a benefit from that too when I publish, so. [00:06:34] Lindsey Dinneen: Yes, of course. Of course. And you are also, if I'm not mistaken, an adjunct professor. So, first of all, do you sleep? And second of all, tell me more about this as well, please. [00:06:47] Ryan Phelan: Yeah, so I'm an adjunct professor at Northwestern Law. I teach a course on patenting software inventions. I do sleep because it's only once a year for a power week. You know, I think it's like three days out of the year. There's the long classes, they're like a few hours each, but we pack in several 30 minute core sessions into a day. So one day, maybe we'll go for three hours or two hours. And, you know, we will get the benefit of several weeks of coursework by doing all of that at once in those three days. And so, I teach on that. We teach fundamentals of patenting softwares and inventions, which includes medtech software devices. For example, the FDA classifies software, medical inventions in, in, in certain ways, like their software as a medical device where you have the software only such as, you have database with medical data and you're either formatting it or storing it or processing in some unique way, or you have software in a medical device where you actually have a physical device. It's a cardiac device where the software is running or at least partially running that device. And so we talk about ways to, to patent those inventions primarily with US law. So. [00:07:59] Lindsey Dinneen: Very nice. So specifically thinking about your medtech clients, because I know you probably have clients in many industries, but specifically in medtech, what are some of the common mistakes you see medtech companies making? Especially say, you know, an earlier startup or something like that, when maybe they haven't thought through an aspect that really should be thought through a little bit earlier in the process. What are some common things that you see that people should be aware of? [00:08:27] Ryan Phelan: Yeah, I mean, easily one of them is not filing a patent application early. And if they are a startup company and they have their biggest selling product, or what they think will be their biggest selling product, and they don't file a patent application on it, that could be bad because you have one year to get to the patent office with that, at least in the U. S. to file something once it's been publicly disclosed. And if you miss that deadline, then effectively you're allowing your competitors to copy it. And if you're a startup company, the last thing you want is for your product to become extremely successful and then a big Fortune 500 company gets wind of it, figures out you don't have a patent, and then just starts making it themselves and it takes away your market share. So that would be, you know, I think that's every inventor of startups like worst nightmare, right? So, getting that patent on file before the deadline is pretty important. [00:09:22] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, of course. Now, I noticed you had recently written an article on LinkedIn about when to file this patent. And I know part of maybe some concerns that might arise are, "Well, we don't necessarily want this to be in public awareness yet." So how do you walk that line between "This is our IP, we're really trying to keep it very tight," versus, "But I also need this protection, this legal protection." So how do you navigate things like that? [00:09:54] Ryan Phelan: Yeah, so the point at which you need to make your invention publicly available or to disclose it because you need to, you know, maybe you're going to pitch competition and you need to show your invention on like a PowerPoint deck in front of hundreds of people. Then that's probably a good point to start thinking about filing a patent application if you're still developing it, and it's like in your basement, so to speak, and nobody's seen it. It's still secret then. You don't need to necessarily file a patent application at that point. Although, there's a funny thing in patent law where, if you have an idea, sometimes there's somebody else thinking about it too, and the first one to get the patent office, wins, and so, you certainly don't want to wait around too long and find out years later that you filed your patent application the day after somebody else. This actually happened with Thomas Edison and the light bulb and he had lots of fights about the other person that was claiming the same thing that lost, and we don't remember his name today because of that. So anyway, so that's one thing to keep in mind when you're starting out. [00:10:54] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Well, and speaking of those kinds of stories, are there any that particularly stand out to you as you've worked with all of these incredible clients who have seriously life changing products they're creating. Are there any that really stand out to you in your memory as affirming, "Oh my goodness, this is why I'm here. This is why I'm doing what I'm doing." [00:11:17] Ryan Phelan: Yeah, for sure. One that stands out is one in the opioid or the narcotics market. In my family, we have an individual who is unfortunately affected by this. And so, I had a client that reached out to me to create a VR program that helps to eliminate or to reduce cravings in this field. And that one was really impactful because using technology and non pharmaceutical way in order to reduce cravings for people that are struggling with addiction of some type, I felt to be very important. So I thoroughly enjoyed working with that inventor and helping to, to create that patent application for that invention. [00:11:59] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, of course. Yeah. Thank you for sharing about that. I think sometimes those really personal connection kinds of stories are the ones that really stick in your mind because it, it helps to have this moment of realization, like you know that what you do matters, of course, but then having that extra layer of confirmation that "Yes, this is helping somebody who could literally be a family member or a close friend or relative" is really impactful. [00:12:25] Ryan Phelan: Exactly. [00:12:26] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. So considering all of the industries that you currently serve, and of course, you have this incredibly varied background, which can only be wonderful to draw on from this rich history and experience of yours. What are some interesting crossovers you see between industries that can be useful in terms of, maybe one industry approaches something in a way that you've seen could actually really benefit folks in medtech or vice versa. Are you seeing trends like that? [00:12:59] Ryan Phelan: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, one of the biggest ones that I can think of now is artificial intelligence coming into play with medtech. I mean, certainly, medtech kind of runs the gamut of, you know, like, like we mentioned before software only to physical devices that incorporate software. And so AI is interesting because you can load it and AI model onto one of these physical devices, or you can have an AI model that's medtech based sitting on a server somewhere that can help doctors look or find particular cause or whatnot like that, based on symptoms that a patient may walk into, or maybe there's a device, like a needle, that allows that has an AI model on it that helps with injection or something like this. And so, these AI tools are becoming smarter. And I think that they help in the field of medtech and they require a different level of expertise with these inventions to not only create them because they're complex, but also to bring them to market because they require specific FDA regulations. Even the FDA right now is trying to figure out AI. They have approved several AI devices, but it usually comes down to, you know, is your AI device going to change in the near future because you're going to update the model? And if so, does that change it enough to require like a new submission? So the fact that AI moves so rapidly doesn't really mix well with the FDA's process of approving the device and having it set in stone at that approval state. [00:14:30] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. So where do you anticipate that this will take medical devices? Do you think it'll become so naturally ingrained in many of them that it's just sort of part of our reality, or do you think we'll still have those --what do we want to call them-- not AI functionality devices? [00:14:48] Ryan Phelan: Yeah, I think both will exist. You know, certainly a spectrum of these devices, right? Certainly there's surgical tools that exist now that have hundreds of years, or a hundred years, just in different, maybe better forms. So, those will stay, stick around. The AI assisted ones, I'm sure will find their niche, and live alongside the the existing tools. [00:15:10] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, absolutely. If you could narrow it down, what would be maybe your top piece of advice for a MedTech startup founder from your perspective, in your role? [00:15:23] Ryan Phelan: Yeah, I guess the number one would be again to, you know, make sure you're not giving away your crown jewels. Have your patent filed before you step out. If you're trying to raise money, just be careful that you're not sharing information publicly. You have to share with a potential investor, consider an NDA or if they won't sign an NDA, you can file a provisional patent application with the patent office. That shows that you have something on file before you talk to others. And as long as you describe the invention sufficiently in the four corners of your provisional application, then that's often the best way to protect yourself going out. So I think, as an IP attorney, that, that would be the number one advice that I would give a startup company in the medtech space. [00:16:10] Lindsey Dinneen: That's incredible. Thank you for that. That's really appreciated advice. So, it's so interesting because when I was looking at your LinkedIn profile, of course you have all of this incredible experience, and one thing actually really stood out to me, and that was that at least at some point you have been a and --I'm sure you've done this throughout your career multiple times-- but a pro bono lawyer for Lawyers for the Creative Arts. And I was curious about that and how you got involved, and can you share a little bit about that journey? [00:16:40] Ryan Phelan: Yeah. So LCA or Lawyers for the Creative Arts is an organization here in Chicago that deals with artists of limited means. You know, usually they have some type of basic issue that they want handled and it mainly deals with IP. Typically, I work on a different capacity for these because I see them as like kind of fun learning opportunities. I usually work in the copyright space and the clients that I work with need help either filing a copyright for maybe a piece of art that they've created, or maybe have a question about how their IP is being used or sold in some way, and they need to figure out if their IP has been infringed. And so, we'll work with them in a pro bono capacity to help write a letter to a company or to file a copyright registration and things like that. [00:17:28] Lindsey Dinneen: Well, as a, as my side thing as also an artist, I just want to say thank you because it is so great that you're doing things like that for the artist community. It is not always easy. So, oh, that's great, appreciate it. Yeah. So as you look towards your own future, what are you excited about say in the next year or two? [00:17:50] Ryan Phelan: Very excited to see how, I guess, AI is playing out with medtech. You're seeing regulations and guidelines coming out that The United States Patent and Trademark Office and also the Copyright Office about how these laws will impact artists. I've sat on a panel with the Copyright Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office as they're thinking through these decisions and putting out these guidelines. There is questions about, is the new administration going to change things up with respect to guidance and guidelines that have come out. So, you know, artists are looking at AI is like a tool, like a paintbrush. And the law is kind of looking at it, obviously from the legal perspective and it doesn't seem like those two things are aligned yet. There's common in, in history that the law typically lags the technology by, you know, a decade or two or more. And so that's certainly the case with AI. For example, there is a famous -- I wouldn't call it a case-- but a denial of a copyright registration at the copyright office for a gentleman that had created an AI piece of artwork, won the Colorado state fair, I think in 2022, and tried to file a copyright registration, but was denied. And he told the copyright office, basically he had entered in 500 plus prompts in order to generate, or at least partially generate, this work of art, but was still denied . Not because of his effort, just because of the way the law is written under current copyright statutes. And so, things like that seem to be, at least from a policy perspective, incorrect. And so it'd be great to see exciting how this plays out. Will Congress care enough to change it or how will artists be impacted under these types of laws and policy considerations going forward? [00:19:35] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, absolutely. So pivoting the conversation a little bit just for fun, imagine that you were to be offered a million dollars masterclass on anything you want. It can be within your industry or part of your amazing background, or it could be about something entirely different. What would you choose to teach? [00:19:55] Ryan Phelan: Yeah. Wow. You know, I guess I would teach what I'm currently teaching. Cause I, I do enjoy the class I teach now. I'm at Northwestern, my alma mater, which I love. It's down the street from the office, get to go in same place where I went to school and teach the law and things that I do every day, which is patenting software inventions, including the medtech space. If I could get a million dollars to teach what I do now, that would be wonderful, in this hypothetical, so. [00:20:22] Lindsey Dinneen: Right. I love it. Excellent. And how do you wish to be remembered after you leave this world? [00:20:30] Ryan Phelan: Wow. I hope people remember me as someone who was fun loving and enjoyed tech and hopefully brought some information to the world that helped them in some way. [00:20:42] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, of course. And final question, what is one thing that makes you smile every time you see or think about it? [00:20:51] Ryan Phelan: Oh, wow. I guess there's a lot of stuff. I also like to do some type of sports. Currently, the ski season is ending, so I certainly enjoy skiing, so when I see or think about that's one of those things, and now coming is the golf season, so I transitioned into that. We're looking forward to some good weather here, finally, in Chicago. It was 80 degrees last week, and it snowed yesterday, so things are changing from golf to ski season, but one of those is always fun, so. [00:21:17] Lindsey Dinneen: That's awesome. That's fantastic. Yeah. If folks who are listening are in a position, would there be a way for them to get in contact with you and then how early should they do that actually? [00:21:31] Ryan Phelan: Yeah. There's multiple stages. They can get in touch with me anytime they want. You can always find me at our firm's website, Marshall Gerstein. Or if you want to, you can go to patentnext.com, just patent and the word next. com. That's my blog that I write on typically, and it has my contact information there, including my email address. [00:21:51] Lindsey Dinneen: Perfect. Well, thank you so much. Well, Ryan, it has been a joy to speak with you today. I really appreciate you sharing a little bit about your career and your insights, your advice, especially appreciate that for MedTech founders who might, you know, not quite know where to start with this whole legal element that they really need to consider. So I really appreciate you sharing kind of when and how to do that. And we're excited to be making a donation on your behalf, as a thank you for your time today, to Sleep in Heavenly Peace, which provides beds for children who don't have any in the United States. So thank you for choosing that charity to support. And thank you again so much for being here. This has been a wonderful conversation, and I just wish you the most continued success as you work to change lives for a better world. [00:22:41] Ryan Phelan: Thank you, Lindsey. My pleasure. Happy to be here too. Thank you for having me. [00:22:44] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course. And for our listeners, thank you so much for tuning in. If you're feeling as inspired as I am, I'd love it if you'd share this episode with a colleague or two, and we'll catch you next time. [00:22:56] Ben Trombold: The Leading Difference is brought to you by Velentium. Velentium is a full-service CDMO with 100% in-house capability to design, develop, and manufacture medical devices from class two wearables to class three active implantable medical devices. Velentium specializes in active implantables, leads, programmers, and accessories across a wide range of indications, such as neuromodulation, deep brain stimulation, cardiac management, and diabetes management. Velentium's core competencies include electrical, firmware, and mechanical design, mobile apps, embedded cybersecurity, human factors and usability, automated test systems, systems engineering, and contract manufacturing. Velentium works with clients worldwide, from startups seeking funding to established Fortune 100 companies. Visit velentium.com to explore your next step in medical device development.

Visual artist and educator Christopher Batten returns to reflect on evolution, resilience, and what it means to keep pushing—on canvas and in the classroom.Now in his 10th year living in Baltimore and his third year teaching at Morgan State, Christopher shares how his practice continues to evolve. We talk about the role of failure, what teaching over 1,000 students has taught him, and how martial arts, memory, and perseverance shape his work. This conversation was recorded shortly before his residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and after being featured in Luminosity in Detroit.Teaching as an artistic tool and the unexpected lessons it bringsWhy HBCU teaching fulfills a lifelong dream and sense of purposeHow rejection fueled four years of growth—and what changed when a “yes” finally cameThe importance of celebrating milestones and making space for creative restorationShifting definitions of success and the value of impact over popularity

Host: Braydon Gear Guest: Lindsey Snyder Aie date: Jun 24, 2025

Erica Stern joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about self-interrogation and taking risks to tell the story we need to, exploring the liminality of a lived experience through the speculative, hybrid memoir and leaning into history and research to illuminate and deepen understanding, the unexpected complications she experienced in childbirth, the historical misogyny in U.S. medical system, the male takeover of birth, how trauma can stunt empathy, trusting the work will go where it needs to go, giving our projects time and space to grow, when publishers and editors are not quite sure what to make of your book, exercising control over the uncontrollable, the long road to publishing, capturing the timelessness of an experience, and her new book Frontier: A Memoir and a Ghost Story.    Also in this episode:  -discovering material through writing -meditations on the history of childbirth -when an editor encourages you to make your book even more like itself   Books mentioned in this episode:   -The Suicide Index by Joan Wickersham -An Encyclopedia of Bending Time by Kristen Keane -My Autobiography of Carson McCullers by Jenn Shaplans -A Life's Work: On Becoming a Mother by Rachel Cusk   Erica Stern's work has been published in The Iowa Review, Mississippi Review, Denver Quarterly, and elsewhere. She has been awarded fellowships and residencies from the Vermont Studio Center, the Martha's Vineyard Institute for Creative Writing, and the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. Erica received her undergraduate degree in English from Yale and her MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A native of New Orleans, she now lives with her family in Evanston, Illinois.   Connect with Erica: Website: erica-stern.com Instagram: @ericasternwriter Substack: @ericastern Bluesky: @ericarstern.bsky.social Get the book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/frontier-a-memoir-and-a-ghost-story/876292ffe52fe93f?ean=9798985008937&next=t&next=t https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/frontier-erica-stern/1146916883?ean=9798985008937 https://www.barrelhousemag.com/books/frontier-erica-stern   – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories.  She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book. More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social   Background photo credit: Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash Headshot photo credit: Sarah Anne Photography Theme music: Isaac Joel, Dead Moll's Fingers

Episode overview: Guidione Machava has a confession: he's tired of being called an "African designer." The Mozambican product designer, now based in France and fresh from stints at Shopify and Paris-based 23point5, reckons that geographic qualifiers automatically strip away a third of your professional value before you've even started. It's a provocative stance from someone who's built his career bridging African markets and global tech giants. Since launching- MozDevz - Mozambique's largest developer community - over a decade ago, Machava has been methodically executing what he calls his "Maria Sharapova strategy": a systematic approach to becoming world-class that he lifted from a Tim Ferriss podcast. The strategy worked. From building communities across six African countries to creating a business directory that attracted 300,000 SMEs, to founding Kabum Digital (Mozambique's leading tech publication), Machava has consistently punched above his weight class. His secret? "Piggybacking" on successful people and refusing to let his environment dictate his ambitions. Andile Masuku probes Machava on the realities of designing for African versus Western markets, why physical product development taught him to appreciate software's forgiving nature, and his mission to prove that world-class design talent can emerge from anywhere, provided you're strategic about how you position it. Key insights: - On strategic positioning: Despite building African communities and solving African problems, Machava deliberately brands himself as a "world-class designer" rather than a "world-class African designer." His reasoning? International clients and collaborators unconsciously devalue geography-qualified talent, even when they won't admit it. - On market realities: Designing for Western markets versus African markets isn't just about different user needs, it's about fundamentally different quality bars. "In Africa, designing a product that works well is a plus. In France, it's the bare minimum," he observes. - On the intersection economy: His time at 23.5—building design tools for made-to-order, sustainable fashion—taught him that the intersection of digital and physical economies is where the hardest, most rewarding innovation happens. Unlike software, physical products offer no "rollback to previous version" option. - On manufactured serendipity: Rather than waiting for opportunities, Machava systematically identified people in positions he wanted to occupy, then found ways to provide value to them. The approach landed him interviews with executives from IDEO, Google, and Facebook for his World Class Designer podcast. Notable moments: 1. How a Tim Ferriss interview with tennis champion Maria Sharapova became Machava's career template for achieving world-class performance in design 2. Why Shopify's hierarchy of priorities—solve merchants' problems first, make money second, never reverse that order—fundamentally changed how he approaches product design 3. The brutal economics lesson he learned at 23point5: physical product margins are tiny, error tolerance is minimal, and mistakes literally end up in landfills 4. His unconventional path from economics degree to postgraduate design studies, convincing Open Window Institute for Creative Arts & Technologies to let him skip three years of undergraduate work The contrarian take: Machava's most provocative insight centres on geographic positioning. Whilst celebrating African innovation has become fashionable, he argues that leading with continental identity in global markets is a strategic error. "If you say just 'world-class designer,' it's a completely different perspective," he notes, drawing from conversations with international colleagues who've confirmed his suspicions about unconscious bias.

If you’ve got a high school kid in public school in New Orleans and your kid is interested in pursuing anything in the arts – like music, dance, theater, film, even creative writing – you find out pretty quickly, the school doesn’t have a budget for that. To put on a play, publish a newspaper, learn dance, or most other musical and artistic pursuits, the funds required generally come from fundraisers, or parents’ pockets. Now, when you get to a public high school like NOCCA – the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts – where education and excellence in the arts is the very reason for its existence – it would be impossible to expect bake sales or parents to foot the bill for those expenses. So where does that money come from? It comes from an organization dedicated to raising the funds that help power NOCCA, called the NOCCA Foundation. Adonis Rose is a NOCCA graduate who has gone on to a successful career as a jazz musician. Adonis has won a Grammy, he’s played on every stage that matters - including Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center - he’s accompanied legends like Dianne Reeves and Wynton Marsalis, and since 2024 he’s been Executive Director of the NOCCA Foundation. One of the arts your high school kid might like to study is film. If they do, maybe they’ll graduate and go to film school. And then, if they want to be in the film business they’ll have to move to someplace else where they make movies. Because everybody here seems to agree that apart from a few brief and wonderful years when we were known as “Hollywood South,” there’s no way to have a career in the film business in New Orleans. Don’t tell that to Kenny Morrison. Kenny has been making a nationwide career for himself as a New Orleans-based film-maker since 2001. He principally makes high-end and big-budget commercials – many of which you have certainly seen - for the likes of banks, shoes, hospitals and insurance companies. Kenny is what’s known in the film business as a triple threat – director, cinematographer, and an entrepreneurial film technologist, pioneering cutting-edge visual effects through his virtual-production company, Lucy XR. It used to be generally accepted that there were real jobs – like lawyers, doctors and plumbers – and then there were b.s. jobs like actors, musicians, and film makers. We don’t think so much like that anymore. Maybe it changed because an actor, Ronald Reagan, became one of the most popular Republican presidents of the 20th Century. Jay Z had a successful career as a musician before creating a music business empire. Artists have made millions of dollars selling works of art in the crypto space as NFT’s. Online content creators clean up collaborating with fashion houses and sneaker manufacturers. The demarcation line between art and business has gotten blurred. Locally, Adonis Rose and Kenny Morrison continue to demonstrate that creativity and commerce can happily co-exist. And that’s a lesson we need to take to heart here in New Orleans, perhaps more than any city in the country. Out to Lunch was recorded live over lunch at Columns in Uptown New Orleans. Andrew Ward sits in hosting for Peter Ricchiuti. You can find photos from this show at itsneworleans.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, the hosts discuss various conspiracy theories surrounding George R.R. Martin's writing process, particularly in relation to the delays in finishing his series. They analyze the impact of the Game of Thrones show on fan expectations and reactions, especially regarding the controversial ending. The conversation shifts to the execution of storytelling in adaptations, the future of fantasy adaptations, and the role of AI in writing and creativity, raising ethical questions about the use of AI in the creative arts. In this conversation, the participants explore the evolution of ethics in the digital age, the importance of human connection, and the impact of AI on relationships. They discuss the challenges of modern dating, the expectations of social interactions, and the compartmentalization of friendships in a technology-driven world. The conversation also touches on the value of long-lasting friendships and concludes with updates on reading and writing, celebrating the community they have built together.Send us a messageSupport the showFilm Chewing Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2235582/followLens Chewing on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lenschewingSpeculative Speculations: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/speculative-speculationsSupport the podcast: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/7EQ7XWFUP6K9EJoin Riverside.fm: https://riverside.fm/?via=steve-l

"Let me write the songs of a nation, and I care not who writes its laws." People think they are primarily 'thinking things', but this quote by a musician from ancient Athens speaks to the fact that most of our decision-making and the direction of our efforts in the world are shaped more by our affections. Creative and expressive arts are hugely influential. We should pay as much attention to what feeds our minds as we do to what feeds our physical bodies, and of course, we realize increasingly realize how connected minds and bodies are. This short monologue is an effort to get scientists to think about creative expression for science communication for artists to think scientifically about what values they portray and encourage in works of art. The Art of Range Podcast is supported by the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission; Vence, a subsidiary of Merck Animal Health; and the Western Extension Risk Management Education Center. Visit the episode page at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-159-can-creative-arts-affect-public-perception-about-rangelands-brief-musing-tip for some related imagery and links to the project website.

Leslie Grandy is an author, speaker, and CEO advisor who guides companies, teams, and product leaders to expand their creative capacity to invent and innovate for customers, disrupt and grow their market opportunities, and maintain relevance in a fast-changing world. Organizations like Oracle, Starbucks, and Red Robin Gourmet Burgers turn to Leslie to ignite creativity across their workforce and empower everyone, regardless of role or level, to identify novel solutions and think expansively. Leslie's book, "Creative Velocity," debuts in early 2025.Leslie's career has taken her on a 25+ year journey, from a successful career in the film industry in Los Angeles as a member of the Directors Guild of America to iconic brands, such as Amazon, Best Buy, Discovery, T-Mobile, and Apple. She's built teams from the ground up and led multiple first-to-market products; she was on the front end of the earliest digital media subscription services from major content brands like Major League Baseball, NASCAR, CNN, and ABCNews and co-authored a patent currently held by Intel. Leslie has led internal innovation labs and is an IDEO-trained leader in Design Thinking. Leslie has educated product leaders and executives through The Product Guild, the University of Michigan College of Engineering's Center for Entrepreneurship, and as a guest lecturer at the University of Washington Foster School of Business.  She co-created and serves as the Lead Executive in Residence in the Product Management Leadership Accelerator, part of the Foster School's Executive Education program. She is a member of the Board of Advisors and Adjunct Faculty at Regis College's Marshall Sloane School of Business in Product Management and Service Design and West Virginia University's College of Creative Arts and Media.

Maureen Stanton joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about her writing beginnings in fiction and using the scenic and immersive to move readers, falling in love with creative nonfiction, revisiting and recreating a love story, discovering the question behind her book, facing the blank page, bad first drafts, writing an illness narrative, placing an essay in Modern Love, authenticity on the page, the long winding path to publishing, not thinking your book will ever get published, working on multiple projects while querying, how love evolves, and her new memoir The Murmur of Everything Moving.   Also in this episode: -the fog of grief -killing our darlings -submitting to writing contests   Books mentioned in this episode: -Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott -Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt -The Liar's Club by Mary Karr -This Boys Life by Tobias Wolff  -Argonauts by Maggie Nelson -Barbarian Days by William Finnegan   Maureen Stanton is the author of The Murmur of Everything Moving: A Memoir, winner of the Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence; Body Leaping Backward: Memoir of a Delinquent Girlhood, winner of the Maine Literary Award for memoir and a People Magazine "Best Books Pick"; and Killer Stuff and Tons of Money: An Insider's Look at the World of Flea Markets, Antiques, and Collecting, winner of the Massachusetts Book Award in nonfiction and a Parade Magazine "12 Great Summer Books" selection. Her nonfiction has been widely published, including in The New York Times, Fourth Genre, Creative Nonfiction, Longreads, New England Review, Florida Review, River Teeth, The Sun and many others. Her essays have received the Iowa Review prize, The Sewanee Review prize, Pushcart Prizes, the American Literary Review award, and the Thomas J. Hruska award from Passages North. She's been awarded fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Maine Arts Commission, the MacDowell Colony, and the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. She teaches creative writing at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and lives in Maine.    Connect with Maureen: Website: https://www.maureenstantonwriter.com LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/maureenstanton41 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maureenstanton41 Threads: https://www.threads.com/@maureenstanton41 LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/maureen-stanton-6693ab11  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maureen.p.stanton Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/maureenstanton.bsky.social   – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories.  She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book. More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social   Background photo credit: Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash Headshot photo credit: Sarah Anne Photography Theme music: Isaac Joel, Dead Moll's Fingers

On February 5th of this year, Steve Himelfarb, a longtime fixture in New Orleans' food scene and a true Renaissance man, passed away at the age of 61 following a battle with cancer. Kind, passionate, and endlessly creative, Steve took on many different roles in his life. He was by turns an acclaimed sound engineer, door-to-door cake salesman, café owner, king cake pioneer, teacher, and all-around community treasure.He was also our dear friend and colleague. Steve joined Louisiana Eats as a producer in 2022, working on this show over the last several years with his wife, Becky Retz. His contributions behind the scenes have been vital to what we do here.Over the years, Steve actually appeared on Louisiana Eats several times. In 2021, we interviewed Steve and Becky about the legacy of their beloved Marigny mainstay, Cake Café, and their love letter to diners: The Cake Café Cookbook. In 2023, Steve discussed how his specialty king cakes became a fundraising tradition at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts.On this week's show, we remember our friend by bringing you extended versions of these two conversations. We also speak with sound engineer and producer Lu Rojas, who shares stories of Steve's esteemed music career.For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.   Today is Saturday, May 24, 2025  The business director for the WV Secretary of State's office discusses entrepreneurship opportunities in #YesWV…all aboard the Potomac Eagle for a scenic trip along the south branch of the Potomac River…and an associate professor at WVU is documenting the state's garment history…on today's daily304.   #1 – From WV SOS OFFICE – Join us for “Just Three Questions,” when West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner hosts Sarah Carey, the business division director for the Secretary of State's office. Secretary Warner and Director Carey discuss this year's West Virginia Entrepreneurship Conference at Shepherd University, the resources of the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem and the innovative ways to do business with the West Virginia One Stop Business Center. Watch now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=_lOMWaobDhMojejx&v=5rWzykwn2LU&feature=youtu.be   #2 – From WBOY-TV – The Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad allowed 12 News to experience all of the magic behind its three-hour trough trip, which takes riders through the mountains of West Virginia to see eagles up close. The route begins at the Romney train station and travels along an old, historic line that was originally built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The ride travels along the south branch of the Potomac River, an area you can only travel through by canoe, kayak or train. Due to the area being fairly isolated, it's an ideal spot for eagles to nest. Learn more and book your train ride at potomaceagle.com. Read more: https://www.wboy.com/wv-outdoors/how-you-can-spot-bald-eagles-on-the-potomac-eagle-scenic-railroad/   #3 – From WVU MAGAZINE – Katie Jones believes the garb of West Virginia's ghosts can tell us how those people lived and who they wanted to be. Jones is an associate professor at West Virginia University's College of Creative Arts and Media and is coordinator for the School of Art and Design's fashion design and merchandising program. She's one year into a five-year USDA-funded research project to bring garment and textile collections statewide out of dark closets and into public view. “We should be able to tell the story of how West Virginians have presented themselves to the world and how they've contributed to a fashion economy,” she said. Jones wants to document collections including anything people put on their bodies, from accessories and workwear to special-occasion garments like wedding dresses. She has started “as local as we can get,” digitizing WVU's own dress collection, which she estimates contains 3,000-5,000 pieces.  Read more: https://magazine.wvu.edu/stories/2025/02/08/this-old-thing   Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304. The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo.  That's all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.

On February 5th of this year, Steve Himelfarb, a longtime fixture in New Orleans' food scene and a true Renaissance man, passed away at the age of 61 following a battle with cancer. Kind, passionate, and endlessly creative, Steve took on many different roles in his life. He was by turns an acclaimed sound engineer, door-to-door cake salesman, café owner, king cake pioneer, teacher, and all-around community treasure.He was also our dear friend and colleague. Steve joined Louisiana Eats as a producer in 2022, working on this show over the last several years with his wife, Becky Retz. His contributions behind the scenes have been vital to what we do here.Over the years, Steve actually appeared on Louisiana Eats several times. In 2021, we interviewed Steve and Becky about the legacy of their beloved Marigny mainstay, Cake Café, and their love letter to diners: The Cake Café Cookbook. In 2023, Steve discussed how his specialty king cakes became a fundraising tradition at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts.On this week's show, we remember our friend by bringing you extended versions of these two conversations. We also speak with sound engineer and producer Lu Rojas, who shares stories of Steve's esteemed music career.For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

Niall Boylan chats with Jessica Harris, a music therapist with the Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists.

Yasmin Kawar, MTA, RCT, is a Jordanian-Canadian music therapist and counselling therapist. Yasmin specializes in working with clients in addiction recovery, as well as persons impacted by addiction, trauma & abuse, ADHD, anxiety/depression, and the criminal justice system. Yasmin works to meet clients where they are in their life journey to collaboratively explore challenges, develop personal insights & resources, and creatively mobilize chaos into positive empowered change. Yasmin serves as President for the executive board of the Atlantic Association for Music Therapy, and Secretary on the board of the Creative Arts in Counselling Chapter of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.This conversation was a celebration of cross-training, client-centred approach, and connection within the landscape of music therapy. Yasmin's Links:AAMT - https://www.atlanticassociationmt.com/Psychology Today - https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/yasmin-kawar-halifax-ns/976910-- Subscribe to the Able Voice Podcast, leave us a review and connect with us (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ablevoicepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @synergymusictherapy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) to share your experiences and takeaways. We release new episodes every other Sunday between the end of January and end of August.AVP Theme Music by: Christopher Mouchette. Follow him on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Soundcloud (Chris Mouchette)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Episode audio edited by: Justis Krar (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immvproductions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts here:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/able-voice-podcast/id1505215850⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

A new Craftwork conversation with Maggie Smith, bestselling author of Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life, available from Washington Square Press. Smith's other books includeYou Could Make This Place Beautiful, Good Bones, Goldenrod, Keep Moving, and My Thoughts Have Wings. A 2011 recipient of a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, Smith has also received a Pushcart Prize, and numerous grants and awards from the Academy of American Poets, the Sustainable Arts Foundation, the Ohio Arts Council, the Greater Columbus Arts Council, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She has been widely published, appearing in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, The Nation, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Best American Poetry, and more. You can follow her on social media @MaggieSmithPoet. *** ⁠Otherppl with Brad Listi⁠ is a weekly literary podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. Available where podcasts are available: ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, ⁠Spotify⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠, etc. Subscribe to ⁠Brad Listi's email newsletter⁠. ⁠Support the show on Patreon⁠ ⁠Merch⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠  ⁠TikTok⁠ ⁠Bluesky⁠ Email the show: letters [at] otherppl [dot] com The podcast is a ⁠proud affiliate partner of Bookshop⁠, working to support local, independent bookstores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frontier: A Memoir and a Ghost Story (Barrelhouse Inc., 2025) is a genre-bending expedition into childbirth. Seamlessly blending memoir, fiction, and research into the fraught history of birth—from midwives to Victorian-era sedation through the Natural Childbirth Movement and modern L&D suites—Frontier lays bare visceral truths that are too often glossed over, and offers an incisive look at the momentous and terrifying transformations of motherhood. As she prepared to give birth to her first child, Erica Stern envisioned the idyllic experience promised by prenatal classes and diaper commercials. But when unexpected complications arose during labor, she found herself at the threshold of life and death, a liminal space that connected her to generations of mothers before her. From the chaos of the delivery room, Frontier opens into a parallel narrative: a Wild West ghost story. There, a mother who didn't survive the ordeal of childbirth roams her old homestead, tethered to the family she left behind. In this otherworldly hybrid memoir, Stern careens between this haunted past and the present horror of the hospital as she waits for her own son to wake up in the NICU. Erica Stern's work has been published in The Iowa Review, Mississippi Review, Denver Quarterly, and elsewhere. She has received support for her writing from the Vermont Studio Center and the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. A New Orleans native, she lives with her family in Evanston, Illinois. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

Frontier: A Memoir and a Ghost Story (Barrelhouse Inc., 2025) is a genre-bending expedition into childbirth. Seamlessly blending memoir, fiction, and research into the fraught history of birth—from midwives to Victorian-era sedation through the Natural Childbirth Movement and modern L&D suites—Frontier lays bare visceral truths that are too often glossed over, and offers an incisive look at the momentous and terrifying transformations of motherhood. As she prepared to give birth to her first child, Erica Stern envisioned the idyllic experience promised by prenatal classes and diaper commercials. But when unexpected complications arose during labor, she found herself at the threshold of life and death, a liminal space that connected her to generations of mothers before her. From the chaos of the delivery room, Frontier opens into a parallel narrative: a Wild West ghost story. There, a mother who didn't survive the ordeal of childbirth roams her old homestead, tethered to the family she left behind. In this otherworldly hybrid memoir, Stern careens between this haunted past and the present horror of the hospital as she waits for her own son to wake up in the NICU. Erica Stern's work has been published in The Iowa Review, Mississippi Review, Denver Quarterly, and elsewhere. She has received support for her writing from the Vermont Studio Center and the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. A New Orleans native, she lives with her family in Evanston, Illinois. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Frontier: A Memoir and a Ghost Story (Barrelhouse Inc., 2025) is a genre-bending expedition into childbirth. Seamlessly blending memoir, fiction, and research into the fraught history of birth—from midwives to Victorian-era sedation through the Natural Childbirth Movement and modern L&D suites—Frontier lays bare visceral truths that are too often glossed over, and offers an incisive look at the momentous and terrifying transformations of motherhood. As she prepared to give birth to her first child, Erica Stern envisioned the idyllic experience promised by prenatal classes and diaper commercials. But when unexpected complications arose during labor, she found herself at the threshold of life and death, a liminal space that connected her to generations of mothers before her. From the chaos of the delivery room, Frontier opens into a parallel narrative: a Wild West ghost story. There, a mother who didn't survive the ordeal of childbirth roams her old homestead, tethered to the family she left behind. In this otherworldly hybrid memoir, Stern careens between this haunted past and the present horror of the hospital as she waits for her own son to wake up in the NICU. Erica Stern's work has been published in The Iowa Review, Mississippi Review, Denver Quarterly, and elsewhere. She has received support for her writing from the Vermont Studio Center and the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. A New Orleans native, she lives with her family in Evanston, Illinois. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

Dr. T and Truth Fairy welcome Greg Wrenn, a former Alabama state representative and long-time health policy advocate, who shares insights into how he became interested in the therapeutic use of psychedelics through personal research and professional exposure. Greg recently wrote a book called “Mothership” about coral reef research, ecological crisis, and his personal PTSD healing journey with ayahuasca. He discusses portions of the book and his experiences with Truth and Dr. T.  Greg explores the growing interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy, particularly its potential to help individuals who struggle with mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD. He addresses the shift from viewing psychedelics as taboo to recognizing their potential under controlled, clinical settings. His personal stories, alongside those shared by Truth, highlight the positive impact psychedelic therapy can have and how his passion for the issue has been fueled. Truth Fairy, Dr. T, and Greg share concerns about the challenges of implementing beneficial psychedelic healing sessions, and they celebrate Greg's integration of tribal and liberating dance into the ayahuasca ceremony. They talk about the importance of regulation, ethical safeguards, and integration of Indigenous practices, and caution against the risks of commercialization. The episode is both vulnerable and informative, painting a hopeful picture of potential healing even in the face of difficult times.“You know, I'm no psychedelic evangelist. I don't think everyone should drink ayahuasca or work with psychedelics. I know I should, I know I need to. And so this is really important for my mission, which is to, I guess, spread a message of love and spread a message of the possibility of planetary healing, because planetary healing happens, at least with humanity, one brain at a time.” - Greg Wrenn__About Greg Wrenn:A former Stegner Fellow and Jones Lecturer at Stanford University, GREG WRENN is the author of the ayahuasca eco-memoir Mothership: A Memoir of Wonder and Crisis, an evidence-based account of his turning to coral reefs and psychedelic plants to heal from childhood trauma, and Centaur (U of Wisconsin Press 2013), which National Book Award-winning poet Terrance Hayes awarded the Brittingham Prize. ​Greg's work has appeared or is forthcoming in HuffPost, The New Republic, Al Jazeera, The Rumpus, LitHub, Writer's Digest, Kenyon Review, New England Review, The Iowa Review, and elsewhere. He has received awards and fellowships from the James Merrill House, the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, the Vermont Studio Center, the Poetry Society of America, the Hermitage Artist Retreat, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and the Spiro Arts Center. On his Mothership book tour, he spoke to audiences around the world, including at Yale School of Medicine, the University of Utah School of Medicine, Vancouver Island University, and the University of Virginia School of Nursing. Greg has also been on numerous podcasts, including Levi Chambers's PRIDE, and was recently interviewed by Emmy Award-winning journalist Elizabeth Vargas on NewsNation​ and by Jane Garvey on Times Radio (UK). ​As an associate English professor at James Madison University, he teaches creative nonfiction, poetry, and environmental literature and directs the JMU Creative Writing Minor. He also teaches in the Memoir Certificate Program at Stanford Continuing Studies. He was educated at Harvard University and Washington University in St. Louis.Greg is currently at work on a follow-up book to Mothership and sending out Homesick, his second poetry collection. A student of ayahuasca since 2019, he is a trained yoga teacher and a PADI Advanced Open Water diver, having explored coral reefs around the world for over 25 years. He and his husband divide their time between the mountains of Virginia and Atlantic Beach, Florida.Website: GregWrenn.comBook: “Mothership: A Memoir of Wonder and Crisis” by Greg Wrenn__Contact Punk Therapy:Patreon: Patreon.com/PunkTherapyWebsite: PunkTherapy.comEmail: info@punktherapy.com Contact Truth Fairy: Email: Truth@PunkTherapy.com

Rebe Huntman joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about who are we as women and what holds us together as a culture, following questions to their conclusions and changing in the process, running away from grief,  magical thinking, reinventing ourselves, Afro-Cuban traditions and relationships to the dead, hungering for answers, permission to be more than one thing, losing mothers and finding them again through memoir, spiritual mothers and keeping the dead close, and her new memoir My Mother in Havana: A Memoir of Magic & Miracle. Also in this episode: -getting a do over -trusting the writing process -including the beautiful and the terrible Books mentioned in this episode: When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Poetry by Richard Blanco Poetry by Aracelis Girmay REBE HUNTMAN is the author of My Mother in Havana: A Memoir of Magic & Miracle (February 2025, Monkfish Books), a memoir that traces her search to connect with her mother—thirty years after her death—among the gods and saints of Cuba. A former professional Latin and Afro-Cuban dancer and choreographer, for over a decade Rebe directed Chicago's award-winning Danza Viva Center for World Dance, Art & Music and its resident dance company, One World Dance Theater. She collaborates with native artists in Cuba and South America, and has been featured in LATINA Magazine, Chicago Magazine, and the Chicago Tribune, and on Fox and ABC. Rebe's essays, stories, and poems appear or are forthcoming in such places as The Southern Review, The Missouri Review, Parabola, Ninth Letter, The Cincinnati Review, and the PINCH, and have earned her an Ohio Individual Excellence Award as well as fellowships from the Macondo Writers' Conference, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Ragdale Foundation, PLAYA Residency, Hambidge Center, and Brush Creek Foundation. She holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from The Ohio State University and lives in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and Delaware, Ohio. Both e's in her name are long. Find her at www. rebehuntman.com and on Instagram at @rebehuntman. Connect with Rebe: Website: www.rebehuntman.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebehuntman Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebehuntmanauthor Links to purchase the book at www.rebehuntman.com/mymotherinhavana   – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories.  She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book. More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social   Background photo credit: Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash Headshot photo credit: Sarah Anne Photography Theme music: Isaac Joel, Dead Moll's Fingers

What happens in your brain when you hear your favorite song? In our Music and Health podcast miniseries, we're exploring how music affects our minds, bodies, and communities. On this episode, host J. D. Talasek is joined by Sweta Adatia, a neurologist practicing in Dubai, and Fred Johnson, a community engagement specialist and artist in residence at both the National Academy of Sciences and the Straz Center for Performing Arts. They discuss their paths into combining music and science, how music impacts the brain, and how music can go beyond entertainment to create stronger, healthier communities. This series is produced in collaboration with Susan Magsamen and Leonardo journal.Resources:Listen to Fred Johnson's version of “Nature Boy,” and check out his website and his Instagram to listen to more of his music and mantras, and to see Johnson in an upcoming show. Visit Sweta Adatia's website to learn more about her work. Listen to previous miniseries episodes: The Creative Arts and Healing with Renée Fleming and Susan Magsamen.Dancing Together with David Leventhal and Constantina Theofanopoulou.

In this episode, we mark 100 years since the publication of F Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby and explore how its themes are still relevant today.Featuring Prof Philip McGowan, School of Arts, English and Languages at Queen's University Belfast; Prof Kirk Curnutt, executive director of the F Scott Fitzgerald Society and Professor and chair at the Department of English at Troy University in Alabama; and Dr Alexandra Peat from the School of English, Media and Creative Arts at the University of Galway.

192 To celebrate the release of Maggie Smith's new guidebook for writers called Dear Writer: Pep Talks and Practical Advice for a Creative Life, we're bringing back this beloved chat with Maggie about writing, self-trust, and life in the ellipsis! ---What do we do when the future we thought we'd have is wiped clean, and we're stuck in uncertainty? Bestselling author Maggie Smith joins us to talk about life in the in-between and how, even when we're at a loss, we can still trust ourselves. She also explores the writerly decisions she made in her most recent bestseller (and one of Nadine's favorite books of all time), You Could Make This Place Beautiful. She closes the conversation with incredible writing advice that will make you want to grab a pen and start writing. Covered in this episode:How to find beauty, even when our lives change in unexpected waysThe difference between a midlife crisis and midlife recoveryHow to turn up the volume of our inner voice and act on itThe wise women who've inspired Maggie & Nadine in life and in writingWhy writing hard things is actually enjoyable Why Maggie wrote her story in real-time rather than waitingWhat has and hasn't changed since the publication of You Could Make This Place Beautiful Maggie's favorite small pleasure–how she's treating herself well Want more Maggie? Grab a copy of You Could Make This Place Beautiful (now out in paperback), subscribe to her popular Substack For Dear Life, and preorder her forthcoming book, Dear Writer (April, 2025).Maggie Smith is the award-winning author of You Could Make This Place Beautiful, Good Bones, The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison, Lamp of the Body, and the national bestsellers Goldenrod and Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change. A 2011 recipient of a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, Smith has also received several Individual Excellence Awards from the Ohio Arts Council, two Academy of American Poets Prizes, a Pushcart Prize, and fellowships from the Sustainable Arts Foundation and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She has been widely published, appearing in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, The Nation, The Best American Poetry, and more. You can follow her on social media @MaggieSmithPoet.About Nadine:Nadine Kenney Johnstone is a holistic writing coach who helps women develop and publish their stories. She is the proud founder of WriteWELL, an online community that helps women reclaim their writing time, put pen to page, and get published. The authors in her community have published countless books and hundreds of essays in places like The New York Times, Vogue, The Sun, The Boston Globe, Longreads, and more. Her infertility memoir, Of This Much I'm Sure, was named book of the year by the...

Maggie Smith returns to Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about letting imposter syndrome go, fiercely guarding your interior life, getting back to the core place where creativity thrives, rewriting a book from scratch, how writing feels in the body, swerving out of your creative lane, battling the sophomore slump, what it feels like to be watched, when ego gets in the way, fears of paralyzing failure, playing the long game, the best advice she ever got, staying agile and awake in the creative process, and her new book Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life.   Ronit's first interview with Maggie Smith: https://ronitplank.com/2023/04/11/lets-talk-memoir-episode-38-ft-maggie-smith/   Also in this episode: -the inner critic -assembling a book freestyle -tenacity and grit     Books mentioned in this episode: Meander, Spiral, Explode by Jane Allison The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow by Steve Almond Greywolf Press series “The Art of…” books   Maggie Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of eight books of poetry and prose, including You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir (One Signal/Atria, 2023); My Thoughts Have Wings, illustrated by Leanne Hatch (Balzer+Bray/Harperkids, 2024); Goldenrod: Poems (One Signal/Atria, 2021); Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change (One Signal/Atria, 2020); and Good Bones (Tupelo Press, 2017). Smith's next book is Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life, forthcoming from One Signal/Atria in April 2025. Her poems and essays have appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, Poetry, The Nation, The Best American Poetry, The Paris Review, The Atlantic, AGNI, Ploughshares, Image, the Washington Post, Virginia Quarterly Review, American Poetry Review, The Southern Review, and many other journals and anthologies. In 2016 her poem "Good Bones" went viral internationally; since then it has been translated into nearly a dozen languages and featured on the CBS primetime drama Madam Secretary. Smith has received fellowships and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Academy of American Poets, the Ohio Arts Council, the Sustainable Arts Foundation, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.   – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories.  She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book. More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social   Background photo credit: Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash Headshot photo credit: Sarah Anne Photography Theme music: Isaac Joel, Dead Moll's Fingers

Allan Weitz had little idea of the grand photographic adventures in store when he signed on as host of the B&H Photography Podcast shortly before the show's debut in October 2015. As a self-described big mouth, and with more than 40 years as a working pro fueling his curiosity about all things photographic, Allan quickly honed his chops to become the voice of the show. Today's episode marks a crossroads, as Allan passes his hosting mic to the show's incoming host, Derek Fahsbender, producer and host of the B&H Event Space. During a lively chat, we celebrate Allan's long and successful career, both on assignment and at the helm of the podcast, with some never before told stories and audio clips from memorable interactions with guests. A few of the many topics we cover include, how a kid from Sheepshead Bay made a name for himself photographing classic yachts, the ways in which Allan's time behind a New Jersey deli counter enhanced his ability to engage with people on a human level—among other benefits to career reinvention—and how his shift into podcasting taught him to use his voice as an instrument. As Allan aptly summarized for attendees of the podcast team's 2018 presentation of Podcasting 101: “It's not always what you say, but how you say it.” Guest: Allan Weitz Episode Timeline  3:38: Allan's B&H Event Space segment from Podcasting 101. 8:35: The back story to Allan's one-word podcast intro “Greetings!” 10:44: Allan's chat with digital camera inventor Steve Sasson about their shared Brooklyn roots.  13:56: Allan's hosting skills as a court jester—or Tummler in Yiddish. 16:12: Gear talk, and a clip from Allan's chat with Bellamy Hunt of The Japan Camera Hunter. 21:19: Allan waxes poetic about his love for the Hasselblad Superwide, plus his early adoption of digital gear.  28:24: Branching out from commercial assignments to tech writing and other things. 38:18: Episode break 39:27: Memorable stories and life lessons from Allan's assignment career. 44:22: Allan's entrée to the world of yachting photography and portfolio tips. 50:44: Allan's career evolution in the rarified 1980s photography landscape. 57:31: The art of the interview and the value of collaboration among the podcast team.  59:53: Getting beyond difficult pictures during an interview with Bruce Gilden  1:03:50: Upcoming plans and Allan's Kodachrome book project. 1:10:31: Allan offers listeners his Tusen Takks for their trust in his time behind the mic.  Guest Bio: Allan Weitz started taking pictures when digital meant doing something with your fingers. A graduate of New York City's High School of Art and Design and the School of Visual Arts, Allan is the founding host of the B&H Photography Podcast, one of the highest-rated photography podcasts in Apple's Creative Arts category.  For more than 50 years, Allan's photographs have graced the covers and inside pages of dozens of publications, including New York magazine, Esquire, GQ, Yachting, and Nautical Quarterly. Many of these images have won him awards from the New York, Philadelphia, and New Jersey Art Directors Clubs, the Graphic Artists Guild, Art Direction Magazine, Print, and Graphis, among others.  More recently, Allan has had great success exhibiting—and winning awards for—his photos as fine art prints, as well as dabbling with artificial intelligence using the traditional photos from his vast image library as source material.  Stay Connected: Allan Weitz Website: https://www.allanweitz.com/ Allan Weitz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allanweitz/ Allan Weitz articles on the B&H Explora Blog: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/users/allan-weitz Podcasting 101 with the B&H Photography Podcast Team: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd2KDaNSjGI Steve Sasson Podcast Episode: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/invention-of-digital-camera Japan Camera Hunter Podcast Episode: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/podcast-the-japan-camera-hunter Graham Nash Podcast Episode: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/graham-nash-ace-photographer-digital-printing-pioneer-music-legend-the-bh Bruce Gilden Podcast Episode: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/closer-look-bruce-gilden End Credits: Founding Host: Allan Weitz Incoming Host: Derek Fahsbender Senior Creative Producer: Jill Waterman Senior Technical Producer: Mike Weinstein Executive Producer: Richard Stevens