PODCAST · society
The Pie Boy Podcast
by Sparky Swain
The Pie Boy Podcast explores the grace and trauma of growing up and living in Oregon through the lens of Sparky Swain. He is a graduate of Portland State University with a BA in English and a MS in Education. Sparky is a story teller, writer, poet, teacher, coach, athlete and Dad who currently lives in Portland, Oregon. Intro Music: "Beat it Blues" by Sparky & The Outlaw. Check out more sounds by Sparky and company here: https://soundcloud.com/k-c-james-swain
Episodes
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#180 - Move into the Light
Reflections and connections about trying to live a lighter life.
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#179 - This is For My People
Reflections and connections about a new poem I wrote for my people. Feelings of gratitude and nostalgia connected to my blood family, found family, and everyone in between.
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#178 - Revolution Forever
Reflections and connections about a new poem I wrote inspired by Cory Booker's marathon speech on the senate floor where he repeatedly asked the question, "When is enough, enough?" in response to the MAGA white house and supporters and their full on assault on the American people and…
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#177 - Down & Out in the Dept. of Education
Reflections & connections about my trip to the Everybody Reads 2025 event and navigating the gutting of the Dept. of Education and how that effects my job, students and community.
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#177 - Down & Out in the Dept. of Education
Reflections on my trip to the Everybody Reads 2025 Author speaking event and navigating the gutting of the Dept. Of Education and how that affects my community, students and job.
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#176- K.C. & The Portland Pickles
Reflections & connections about my trip to West Coast Baseball League Championship on August 16th 2024, where the Portland Pickles defeated the Wenatchee Apple Sox with a walk-off run in the bottom of the 9th inning. I showed the spirit of a lifetime by racing Dillion the mascot as the infamous...
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#175 -Back on the Full Court Press
Reflections and connections about the current state of America, being a teacher in this mess, the impact of our new political climate and other thoughts rambling around my mind.
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#174 - Ghost Writers
Reflections and connections about a poem inspired by the graffiti writers, taggers and street artists their stories and mysterious lives making art around the city of Portland.
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#173 - Tree Meditation
Reflections and connections about a new poem connected to meditation, my favorite tree, the power of nature and creating positive little ripples in the universe.
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#171 - Caitlin is Punk Rock
Reflections and connections about how Caitlin Clark is Punk Rock, going against the grain and doing it her way. A poem for the haters and the supporters. She is Punk Rock just like The Bags, The Ramones, Bikini Kill, Black Flag and The Linda Linda’s. Prove me wrong!
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#172 - Trash
Reflections and connections about trying to not take things personal as a teacher even when students and the world go above and beyond to make life challenging. Teachers are people too. Never forget it.
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#170 - Revolution Summer 2024
Reflections and connections about a new poem and zine inspired by the revolution summer of 1984 in Washington DC where the punk scene was recreating itself and imagining a new more progressive and inclusive future, pushing back against social issues and Reagan era politics. This poem and zine is…
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#169 - Down & Out at the K-Hole part 2
Part two of my reflections and connections about my time working at the Kennedy School Courtyard Restaurant , a Mcmemamins establishment and tourist attraction, where I experienced the trauma and grace of the service industry in Portland Oregon.
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#168 - Down & Out at the Kennedy School
Reflections and connections about my time working at the Kennedy School Courtyard Restaurant , a Mcmemamins establishment and tourist attraction, where I experienced the trauma and grace of the service industry in Portland Oregon.
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#167 - Birthday Blues
Reflections and connections about birthdays as a kid versus as an adult, thoughts from my drive to work and teacher appreciation.
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#166 - Gas Station Adventures
Reflections and connections about a random interaction with strangers that filled me with joy and reminded me of the power of random acts of kindness. Opportunities to give and receive them.
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#165 - Tom
Reflections and connections about a time a drunk person wanted to fight me at a New Year’s Eve party because they thought I was someone else.
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#164 -Mistaken Identities
Reflections and connections about a time I witnessed a Hall of Fame NFL player mistaken for a celebrity judge and tv personality from a famous contest show.
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#163 - Rocky Raccoon & Friends
Reflections and connections about a gang of raccoons that run my neighborhood, made friends with my cat and why I’m not mad about it.
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#162- Couch
Reflections and connections about a well loved couch, passing it on to people that love it as much as we did and a poem that tells the tale of finding joy in the little things.
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#161 - Jack Kerouac
Reflections and connections about my adventure to visit the famous writers grave, what his work meant, the place his writing has in my heart and how he inspired me to be a writer.
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#160 - Jim Morrison & The Doors
Reflections and connections about the impact Jim Morrison and the Doors have had on my life, visiting Jim’s grave in Paris France and sharing their tunes with friends.
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#159 - Greyhound Bus Rides
Reflections and connections about the funny, creepy and wacky experiences and people that come along with Greyhound bus trips.
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#158 - Kiss
Reflections and connections about the band Kiss, friends and family who love the music you do and imagining what lost loved ones would think about it.
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#157 - On A Rim
A short story about friendship, being young, dumb and tough about it. A tribute to a best friend, wild man and life of the party. RIP Legend.
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#156 - Rooster Blues
Reflections and connections about the impact of gun violence, forgiveness and redemption.
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#155 - Pain! (A poem)
Reflections and connections about the spectrum of pain we as humans go through, from the simple pain in the ass to major trauma. Writing, poetry and music are the best medicine for those times.
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#154 Freestyle Earl. (a poem)
Reflections and connection about using art to express yourself and work through challenging moments in life and work.
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#153 - Ice Storm Blues
Reflections and connections about surviving the storm, driving in serve weather and cabin fever debacles.
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#152 - Mornings With Lumpy
Reflections and connections about the importance of people that show you new music and the magic of early morning hangouts.
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#151 - Oral History of Gaming
Reflections and connections about the video game consoles, games and experiences that defined my childhood.
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#150 - A Swain Family Christmas Tale
Reflections and connections about Swain family Christmas celebrations, football traditions, superstitions and the true meaning of the holidays.
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#149 - Mr. C for the Win!
Reflections and connections about a coach and substitute teacher that tested me, made me laugh and was the bane to my existence as a teenager.
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#148 - Get Down in Boston
Reflections and connections about mistaken identity and the power of saying yes in a world of no’s.
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#147 - Uncle Scooter & Friends
Reflections and connections about surprise guests for holiday gatherings and the lesson of seeing people as they are.
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#146 - Park Friends
Reflections and connections about making friends at the park and the gift of human connection. There is always a story.
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#145 - Musical Time Machines & Bouts of Nostalgia
Reflections and connections about the time travel qualities of music, the sound of certain social movements and being right where you need to be.
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#144 - Big Pants, Voodoo and Photo Booths
Reflections and connections about the good, the bad and the ugly of being a Photo Booth Attendant.
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#143 - Photo Booth Lessons
Reflections and connections about meeting a local sports legend and being disappointed. Sometimes meeting your heroes is not what you expect.
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#142 - Roof Moss & Gold on the Ceiling
Reflections and connections about pranks gone wrong and right. If you are going to be dumb, you better be tough. Don’t do drugs kids and don’t dose your friends.
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#141 - Siskiyous Pass & The Night Before
Reflections and connections through the thoughts rolling around in my head about life, writing, storytelling and music. I remembered a story this week about a fight at a party the night before a road trip home for Thanksgiving break.
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#140- Siskiyous Blues
Reflections and connections through the thoughts rolling around in my head about life, writing, storytelling and music. The featured poem, “Siskiyous Blues,” is a nostalgic poem that reflects on the ups and downs of a college football dream and football life I once lived.
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#139 -Buffalo Street
Reflections and connections through the thoughts rolling around in my head about life, writing, storytelling and music. The featured poem, “Buffalo Street”, is one part a directional poem about how to get to my home and another part a meditation on the darkness that lingers just outside that…
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#138 - Down the Mountain Blues
Reflections and connections through the thoughts rolling around in my head about life, writing, storytelling and music. The featured poem, “Down the Mountain Blues,” is a meditation on enjoying the sense of balance a favorite park provides, observing the little bits of life around and trying to…
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#137 - Jude Came Today
Reflections and connections through the thoughts rolling around in my head about life, writing, storytelling and music. The featured poem, “Jude Came Today,” is a reflection on the the day my son was born and all the energy that came with it.
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#136 - Bedtime Story
Reflections and connections through the thoughts rolling around in my head about life, writing, storytelling and music. The featured poem, “Bedtime Story,” is about my time working at an import car repair and restoration shop in Southeast Portland when I was finishing my undergraduate degree in...
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#135 - From a different moon
Reflections and connections through the thoughts rolling around in my head about life, writing, storytelling and music. The featured poem, “From a different moon,” is about the magic of where the words to my poetry come from and what that means to my art and soul.
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#134 - House
Reflections and connections through the thoughts rolling around in my head about life, writing, storytelling and music. The featured poem, “House,” is about a house I saw get demolished in my neighborhood when I first moved in. This was my imagination filling in the missing parts to the story of...
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#133 -Kitchen Window
Reflections and connections through the thoughts rolling around in my head about life, writing, storytelling and music. The featured poem, “Kitchen Window,” is all about being present with the space your in, gratitude for the beauty in nature and using moments of awe to release ourselves from...
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#132 - Vampire Bat
Reflections and connections through the thoughts rolling around in my head about life, writing, storytelling and music. The featured poem, “Vampire Bat,” is vision of myself as a vampire bat as well as a reminder of the things that make us love and fear the lore of vampires.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Pie Boy Podcast explores the grace and trauma of growing up and living in Oregon through the lens of Sparky Swain. He is a graduate of Portland State University with a BA in English and a MS in Education. Sparky is a story teller, writer, poet, teacher, coach, athlete and Dad who currently lives in Portland, Oregon.
Intro Music: "Beat it Blues" by Sparky & The Outlaw.
Check out more sounds by Sparky and company here: https://soundcloud.com/k-c-james-swain
HOSTED BY
Sparky Swain
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Pie Boy Podcast have?
The Pie Boy Podcast currently has 175 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Pie Boy Podcast about?
The Pie Boy Podcast explores the grace and trauma of growing up and living in Oregon through the lens of Sparky Swain. He is a graduate of Portland State University with a BA in English and a MS in Education. Sparky is a story teller, writer, poet, teacher, coach, athlete and Dad who currently...
How often does The Pie Boy Podcast release new episodes?
The Pie Boy Podcast publishes regularly with 175 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Pie Boy Podcast?
You can listen to The Pie Boy Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Pie Boy Podcast?
The Pie Boy Podcast is created and hosted by Sparky Swain.
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