The Iron John Podcast

In this talk from the 2025 Fall Minnesota Men's Conference—Men Who Stand Atop the Old Mound of Miracles, author, psychotherapist, and soul activist, Francis Weller speaks on emptiness and on the great sense of what is missing when the desires of the soul are not addressed. Francis is the author of the bestselling essay collection, The Wild Edge of Sorrow, and of the recently released book, In the Absence of the Ordinary.If this podcast speaks to you, please consider joining us at one of our events for men. Go to www.minnesotamensconference.com for more information

The 1988 Minnesota Men's Conference was especially potent for me, Timothy Young. I was one of the organizers and our headliners that year were Robert Bly, James Hillman, Robert Moore, and Etheridge Knight. Bly's main presentations were on the deeper meanings of William Blake's poetry.  Etheridge's poems shook our hearts, and I was able to invite Roy McBride and Thomas Smith to read on our evening of poetry,

Welcome to the Iron John Podcast! In this episode, writer, activist, and publisher of InRoads Magazine, Anthony Signorelli interviews tracker, writer, and permaculturist Joel Glanzberg on permaculture, men’s wrk, the environment, and the role of human beings in the web of being.  Joel will be one of the presenters at the 2025 Fall Minnesota Men’s Conference—Men Who Stand Atop the Old Mound of Miracles, October 7 through 12, 2025.  To get more information about the fall conference or future Minnesota Men’s Conference events, go to www.minnesotamensconference.com. 

Hello, And welcome to the Iron John Podcast! In this episode, Minnesota Men's Conference Board member, Tyler Schueffner Interviews author, ritualist, and psychotherapist, Francis Weller on grief, healing, responsibility, and the alchemy of becoming a fully-cooked human being in connection with the web of being of which we are a part. Francis will be one of the presenters and facilitators at the 2025 Minnesota Men'’s Conference—Men Who Stand Atop the Old Mound of Miracles, October 7-12, 2025.  To learn about upcoming Minnesota Men's Conference events, go to: https://minnesotamensconference.com/

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Dennis Merritt, a Jungian analyst and author of the four-book series on Jungian Ecopsychology: The Dairy Farmer's Guide to the Universe. Dennis will be one of the presenters at the upcoming 2025 Minnesota Men's Conference—Men Who Stand Atop the Old Mound of Miracles, (October 7-12, 2025)For more information about the Minnesota Men's Conference, go to www.minnesotamensconference.com

In 1996 Paul Bendix attended his first Minnesota Men's Conference.  He continued to attend the annual conference for nineteen years and has continued support the conference and its mission. This episode has a number of the memories he carries for his time with the men.  

Mythologist and storyteller, Ben Dennis speaks with the author, poet, and translator Robert Bringhurst, about why oral and written traditions should work together and not displace one another.  Both men will participate in the 2025 Minnesota Men's Conference.If this podcast speaks to you, please consider joining us at one of our events for men. Go to www.minnesotamensconference.com for more information.

In this episode, Walton Stanley of the Minnesota Men’s Conference and Asher Packman of the mythopoetic community Fifth Direction discuss stories and the role that story and myth have played and continue to play, in men’s soul work.If this podcast speaks to you, please consider joining us at one of our events for men. Go to www.minnesotamensconference.com for more information.

In preparation of the 2025 Minnesota Men's Conference, October 7-12, 2025, Timothy Young spoke with poets, Jonathan Stensland and Jesse Dermody, about the importance and value of poetry at the conferences and how poetry is our "companionable animal", personally and communally at the conference and in our daily lives.  This conversation wanders through many landscapes of language and the sources of poetry.

Since 1984 the Minnesota Men’s Conference has seen its presence and Robert Bly’s influence on men wax and wane a few times in the public eye. That is not necessarily a bad thing. New generations of men are finding Bly’s work and our conference’s continuing evolution to be trustworthy, helpful, and soulfully moving for their personal and communal lives. This podcast provides examples given in 2012 by longtime participants and teachers, whose interior lives have become richer, and whose souls have deepened. To learn more about the work or to register for an event, go to www.minnesotamensconference.com

In this episode, we hear from Robert Bringhurst, poet, author, and lifelong student of Native American languages and literature, as he presents two versions of a Haida story involving a young man transforming into an eagle and becoming head of a village. Robert calls these translations of transcripts of tellings in the Haida language: “A little piece of news from a world that isn’t there anymore.” And now, here is Robert Bringhurst in a recording from the 2024 Fall Minnesota Men’s Conference. Thanks to Joshua Schmidt for audio engineering the recording. If this podcast speaks to you, please consider joining us at one of our events for men. Go to www.minnesotamensconference.com for more information.   

In this episode, Robert Bringhurst narrates, translates, and discusses a Navajo story that was transcribed in the Navajo language by Edward Sapir from a telling by story carrier Chala-tzo in 1929. Robert discusses oral cultures and the dangers oral literatures face when they encounter a literate, grasping, and somewhat deranged culture. The tale focuses on the travels of Changing Woman’s Son to the Six Mountains to bring into the world some of that which the people would need. This recording is from the 40th Anniversary Minnesota Men’s Conference that was held in October 2024.Thanks to Joshua Schmidt for audio engineering the recording. If this podcast speaks to you, please consider joining us at one of our events for men. Go to www.minnesotamensconference.com for more information.  

In this episode, Ben Dennis and Walton Stanley, carry the story of Unktehi’s Seventh Spot. An American story of the Dakota people. The story contrasts with European tales as it is a story of gaining great power and, in time, surrendering that power back to its source.This recording is from the 40th Anniversary Minnesota Men’s Conference that was held in October 2024. Thanks to Joshua Schmidt for audio engineering the recording. If this podcast speaks to you, please consider joining us at one of our events for men. Go to www.minnesotamensconference.com for more information.  

In this episode we hear a talk from the 40th Anniversary Minnesota Men's Conference which was held in October 2024. Poet, author, and lifelong student and translator of Native American literature, Robert Bringhurst shares two, very different creation stories. As Robert states, “You have to keep telling creation stories because if you don’t the world won’t keep being created and then we will be in real trouble.”Thanks to Joshua Schmidt for audio engineering the recording. If this podcast speaks to you, please consider joining us at one of our events for men. Go to www.minnesotamensconference.com for more information.  

At the recent 40th Anniversary Minnesota Men’s Conference, we revisited the story that started it all, the Grimm’s tale, Iron John. Walton Stanley and Ben Dennis carried the tale this time and, just as it was 40 years ago, the story continues to bring a message about the tempering of the male soul. Please enjoy Iron John.If you enjoy the podcast and would like more information on Minnesota Men's Conference events, go to www.minnesotamensconference.com

In this episode, we interview Robert Bringhurst, who will be one of the presenters are the upcoming 40th Anniversary Minnesota Men's Conference (October 1 through 6, 2024). Robert Bringhurst is a lifelong student of Native American languages and literatures. His major work in this field is a three-volume study of Haida oral literature: two volumes of translation of the works of the Haida mythtellers Ghandl and Skaay, and an introductory volume entitled A Story as Sharp as a Knife.If you enjoy the podcast and would like more information on Minnesota Men's Conference events, go to www.minnesotamensconference.com

This Episode is a recording from an Elder’s Circle session with our friends at Fifth Direction, a community of soul depth, based in Australia. The Fifth Direction web site can be found at: https://thefifthdirection.com/. The session is facilitated by Asher Packman. Timothy Young interviews poet and author Thomas R. Smith on his memories of editing the festschrift, Walking Swiftly: Writings & Images on the Occasion of Robert Bly's 65th Birthday.

In this episode, we interview Timothy Frantzich, Nicholas Pawlowski, and Doug von Koss on their experiences leading “Perfection-Free Singing Circles at Men’s Conferences. The singing at conferences involves men singing together and creating beauty without expectation, without judgement, and with an emphasis on expression over perfection. Such singing is based on the raw beauty of participation rather than on the need to sing with technical perfection.  To learn more about the Minnesota Men’s Conference and our events, go to www.minnesotamensconference.com

The Tale of Gwion Bach and Ceridwen is a Welsh tale that was carried into the 2024 Winter Minnesota Men's Conference. In this episode, Ben Dennis and Walton Stanley comment on and unpack the story. To learm more about the work of the Minnesota Men's Conference, go to: https://minnesotamensconference.com/

Poets Timothy Young and Jesse Dermody trade poems accompanied by Josh Schmidt on guitar.

Like birch leaves falling in Autumn, Timothy Young drops quotes from 39 years of men's soul work, and like the leaves, they land as they might. This was a presentation from the 2024 Winter Minnesota Men's Conference, Utter Darkness /  Shining Brow. 

In this episode, Timothy Young interviews poet, author, and long-time assistant to Robert Bly, Thomas R. Smith. They discuss the poetry anthology, The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, which was compiled by Robert Bly, James Hillman, and Michael Meade. 

n this episode, we welcome leaders of the Minnesota Men’s Conference as we discuss the relevance of Men’s Conferences and retreats today and talk about the work of tempering and deepening the male soul.   Panelists include: Ben Dennis, Timothy Young, Miguel Rivera, Peter Hutter, Jonathan Stensland, and Walton Stanley