Today I’m delighted to talk to poet and artist, Bianca Stone. Stone is the author of a number of poetry collections including She is also a poetry comic artist who uses illustration to illuminate her own poetry and the poetry of others. Stone is
Poems are just arrangements of sounds, marks on a page. But the right one can change history, outlast civilizations, and turn a respectable men into wandering vagabonds. In this episode: poetry, why we need it, and how a 13th century love affair changed it forever. Ten Life-changing Poems (For People Who Don’t Read Poetry)
What makes a successful life? Whether we think about it or not, every day, we live out our answer to that question. Our choices become a story about what we value. Together, they make us who we are. In today’s episode, one poet’s iconoclastic answer to that question, and what you and I might learn …
What can we possibly do to defend democracy when such powerful people are acting with such impunity? In this episode … three things you could do today, an honest look at whether they’ll make a difference, and some thoughts on dedication from someone who’s been there before. Check out these leaders mobilizing people across the …
It is Resilient. Doubt Norman Rockwell: My Naive Fairy Tale of Democracy There is an old Norman Rockwell painting of a young man standing to speak in a crowded New England meeting house. He stands tall with a confident expression, his face upturned. Given the context he is probably addressing a selectboard, but with his …
Democracy is Fucking Awesome. 1989: When Democracy Felt Inevitable I was eleven years old when demonstrators occupied Tiananmen Square. That week, my parents made an exception to the no-TV-during-dinner rule to watch the news. And we huddled around the little screen without even clearing the dishes. More than thirty years later, I vividly remember the …
Why The Autocrats Are Wrong: Democracy is F***ing Awesome Read More »
There is an old bumper sticker that goes, “If you’re not angry, then you’re not paying attention.” Now, this might seem a little surprising coming from the gratitude guy, but I wholeheartedly endorse that idea. The world has plenty of crooks. Fat cats make fortunes on the backs of the vulnerable. Profit-mongers trash the environment …
Intro Friends, I have to level with you. This episode almost didn’t happen. Partly, this is because I was miserably sick for two weeks straight. Partly, it’s because I habitually overcommit. But also, it’s because I’m having a kind of crisis of faith–one that’s got me doubting whether it’s worth writing this podcast … or …
Episode #20: The Hurricane–Is it Worth Making Art in an Information Storm? Read More »
When I was a boy, I lived, as James Joyce famously said, “a short distance from my body.” I had a body, of course, I just didn’t live in it much. Mostly, I lived in my mind, and (through books) in the minds of other people. I lived in Middle Earth and Narnia. I lived …
