The Song of Rowland: American Culture at Full Volume

Suzi Ehtesham-Zadeh is an Iranian-American writer, educator, and editor who lives in Woodstock, Georgia. Her work has appeared in The Georgia Review, Fiction International, Glassworks Magazine, Quiddity International Literary Journal, Hektoen International Journal, Narrative Northeast, Mobius Journal for Social Change, and elsewhere.  Zan, a collection of her stories, was awarded the 2022 Dzanc Short Story Collection Prize and was released on June 11, 2024.  Support the show

The recent, unexpected death of Catherine O'Hara provided an important reminder of how important it is to appreciate those who provide a shining light while they're still around. O'Hara's career was a perfect example of how people can become an important part of American culture slowly, over time, with a solid catalogue of strong performances. Support the show

Ever since the tragic death of Rob Reiner, I’ve been thinking a lot about how we can often take for granted someone who is such a steady presence in American culture. He never seemed like someone who was desperate for attention or praise, despite producing a solid body of work. So I wanted to talk about my ten favorite Rob Reiner projects.Support the show

When Lynn Stegner met her future husband Page, she had no idea that his father was one of the most famous writers in America, even though she was an aspiring writer. But the first time she met Wallace Stegner in person, they quickly discovered that they had both lived in the same orphanage when they were children, about 45 years apart. They became very close, and as Lynn's career developed, Wallace Stegner became her most valuable mentor. She has since published four novels, a collection of short stories, a tryptic, which is three short novellas, and an anthology that she and I edited together called WEST OF 98: Living and Writing the American West. I had a wonderful time talking to her about her latest novel, The Half-Life of Guilt.Support the show

Growing up in Montana during the '60s and '70s, I was a huge fan of Western films, although my attitude toward that genre changed a lot through the years. As I became more aware of how these films tended to show racist, sexist attitudes, I came to value the films that gave a more realistic and nuanced view of this part of the country, and my list shows that change in my viewpoint.Support the show

Alan Grostephan is the author of The Banana Wars, winner of the 2025 Georgia Author of the Year Award, and Bogotá, a novel chosen by the Wall Street Journal as one of the best ten books of fiction in 2013 and longlisted for the Pen/Robert W. Bingham Prize. He is also the editor and translator of Stories of Life and Death, a collection of writing by emerging Colombian writers. He holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from UC Irvine and is a professor at Agnes Scott College. He lived for years in Colombia where he travels extensively and is currently writing about work, dispossession, and land restitution in Latin America. He resides in Decatur, Georgia and is married to the visual artist María Korol. Please listen to my interview with Alan here:Support the show

Allen Morris Jones has published three novels, LAST YEAR’S RIVER, A BLOOM OF BONES, and SWEENEY ROCKS; he published a book of essays about hunting called A QUIET PLACE OF VIOLENCE, as well as three children’s books: MONTANA FOR KIDS, YELLOWSTONE FOR KIDS, and HUNTING FOR KIDS. But he has recently become known for his beautiful poetry, winning the High Plains Book Award for his debut collection, MUMBLECUSSER, and recently being named the Poet Laureate of Montana.Allen has also had a distinguished career as an editor, for the BIG SKY JOURNAL (twice), and for his own publishing imprint, Bangtail Press, which just happened to publish two of my books. He’s also an accomplished graphic designer, creating several wonderful book covers as well as the logo for this very podcast.Support the show

Larry Watson is the author of ten novels, including Montana 1948, White Crosses, American Boy, and Let Him Go, which won the High Plains Book Award for fiction, and was made into a film starring Kevin Costner and Diane Lane. Watson taught at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point for many years, and eventually became a visiting professor at Marquette University. Watson, a native of North Dakota, has won numerous awards, and still lives in Wisconsin with his high school sweetheart, Susan, who he has been married to for 58 years.Support the show

Dzanc Books conducts a literary contest every year, and they publish the winner in several categories--fiction, poetry and short stories. In 2019, the winner of the Dzanc Award for fiction was a debut novel by John Englehardt called Bloomland, which is the story of a school shooting that takes place in Arkansas. The book is told from three separate points of view, including the shooter, and it's a masterwork of fine writing. I had the pleasure of talking to John about his debut novel, and the choices he made in how to structure this unique, powerful novel. Support the show

The big production by Pete Hegseth and our president got me thinking about a question that someone asked me at one of my recent readings for my new book, BE A MAN: Raised in the Shadow of Cowboys. And I'm pretty sure my answer to that question is much different than Pete Hegseth or Donald Trump's answer would be.Support the show

Anne Millbrooke is a retired history professor at Montana State University in Bozeman. Earlier this year, after becoming fed up with the government budget cuts, especially to the forest service, Anne walked into a Forest Service office and volunteered to be a fire watch. At first, she was given a couple of more mundane tasks, but the Forest Service eventually gave her a chance to man one of their fire watch towers, in the Little Belt Mountains. The best part of Anne's story is that she had tried to volunteer for the same job when she was in college, but was turned down because she was a woman. So at 73 years old, she finally got her chance, and her description of the experience is fascinating. Support the show

Novelist Afabwaje Kurian was born in Nigeria, raised in Maryland, and worked in the health care community for many years before she was accepted into the Iowa Writers Workshop, widely considered the best writing program in the country. While there, Afabwaje began work on the novel that would eventually become Before the Mango Ripens, which was published last year through Dzanc Books. Before the Mango Ripens was a finalist for the Aspen Words Literary Prize, along with novels by Tommy Orange and Percival Everett, so Afabwaje was in great company. Support the show

For about two years, I've been writing film and television reviews for my substack page, and I decided to start doing an audio version of these reviews, although I'm going to try and figure out how to turn this into video eventually. For this week, I review the new Spinal Tap film, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues. I also review Sirens, a series starring Julianne Moore, which I ended up liking way more than I expected. I also review Righteous Gemstones, a brilliant satire about the world of evangelical megachurches, starring John Goodman and Danny McBride, who created it. I talk about another series called Too Much, created and directed by Lena Dunham of Girls fame. And lastly, I review The Paper, a new series that is a knock-off of The Office, created by the same production team. Hop you enjoy!! You can check out my other reviews on my substack page here: https://russellrowland.substack.com/publish/posts/publishedSupport the show

I met Alex Lawson at a conference in my home town of Billings in early 2024, and he’s a dynamic speaker, but more importantly a strong advocate for one of the American institutions and Trump and the Republican party have nailed a target on, which is Social Security. Lawson is the Executive Director of Social Security Works, a non-profit that has been fighting to protect not only social security, but Medicaid and Medicare as well as other government programs, for about ten years now. And he is a great inspiration for anyone who is wondering how they can possibly have an impact on today’s world. Support the show

Bruce Robinson has led an extraordinary life. As the younger brother of the lead singer for one of the most successful bands in the history of Montana, the Mission Mountain Wood Band, Bruce stepped in to perform in his brother’s place when the band reunited several years after some of the band members, including Bruce’s brother Terry, died in a plane crash in 1987. Bruce also served as the coordinator for the extras on the film Heaven’s Gate, which was shot near Bruce’s home town of Kalispell, Montana. And he also owned several branches of Budget Tapes and Records, one of the largest record chains during that period. Support the show

In 2018, Damon Falke, a poet, novelist, and playwright who grew up in America but has lived in Norway for about 13 years, came across a painting on Facebook that drew his attention. He started to notice more pieces by the same painter, a woman named Tabby Ivy, who lived in Montana, and realized there was something about her work that resonated with him, so they started a virtual conversation that would eventually grow into a mutual admiration and finally an decision to collaborate on a book called Between Artists: Life in Paintings and Prose. Unlike many books that pair paintings and writing, this collaboration is unique in that Damon's writings are not necessarily inspired by or direct references to Tabby's paintings. Instead, it is a collaboration of complimentary writings that explore the creative process, as well as the basic struggle to survive in today's world. Damon's writings and Tabby's paintings feed off each other to provide hope and beauty but to also acknowledge the darkness of everyday life. You can find Tabby's artwork at tabbyivy.com, and you can order Damon's books at damonfalke.com, and of course you can also order their book, Between Artists, at either of these websites. Support the show

Wally Kurth, who I have known since middle school, is the only actor who is currently appearing as a regular on two different soap operas, Days of our Lives, where he plays Justin Kiriakis, and General Hospital, where he has played two different characters. He’s been nominated for a daytime Emmy five times, so he’s trying to chase down Susan Lucci’s record. Wally also produced and narrated one of the most beloved documentaries ever made in Montana, Class C, which was about girl’s high school basketball in Montana, and which just celebrated its 20th Anniversary. Support the show

 Walter Lamar was teaching shop at Browning High School when two FBI agents showed up to ask why he hadn’t completed the application he picked up from them a few months earlier. This visit changed the trajectory of Walter’s life in a big way as, over the next twenty years, he worked on such cases at the Green River Killer, The Zodiac Killer, and most importantly, the events in Waco and the Oklahoma City Bombing.  But surprisingly, that was not the moment he treasures most during his long and distinguished career. After retiring from the FBI, Lamar worked for the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and he currently serves on the board emeritus for Native Forward and the National Native American Hall of Fame. He is also an avid photographer. Support the show

James Grady has led a bit of a charmed life, selling his first novel, Six Days of the Condor, when he was only twenty-three, and having that book made into a film, directed by Sidney Pollack and starring Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway. One of the things that is most appealing about Mr. Grady is that, fifty years later, he is still amazed at how a kid from a small town in Montana found himself in that situation. And it has led to a remarkable career. But five years ago, on a trip to his home town of Shelby, Grady had something of a spiritual experience that led to a strong inspiration to write about his childhood in Montana, and the result of that is a trilogy of novels, The Smoke in Our Eyes, Something’s Happening Here, and Tramps Like Us, the last two of which will be released in one volume called American Sky in July of 2025.Support the show

Peter Riegert is known for his roles in some of the most iconic American films, such as Animal House, Crossing Delancey, The Mask, and Traffic. But my personal favorite is Local Hero, where Peter plays a young Texas oil executive who gets sent to Scotland to try and convince a small town to sell everything in order for the company to build a big industrial complex. Riegert gives a remarkable performance as he slowly falls in love with the region and the people in this tiny Scottish village. Local Hero is a film I watch again and again, and it never disappoints. Peter lives in New York with his wife, novelist Cornelia Read Riegert, and still appears frequently in films and television, most recently in an episode of the smash hit Succession. Support the show

Laurie Sargent and Billy Conway were independent rock artists who met in Boston and moved to Montana in 2009. Billy was the drummer for two successful bands, Treat Her Right and Morphine, and he had a presence that helped make everyone around him feel as if they mattered, and had something to offer. So when Billy passed away in 2021, Laurie wanted to create something that honored his memory but also provided other artists to benefit from Billy's generous spirit. So she created the Billy Conway Artists Fund, which provides funding but also mentorship and support for Native artists. The first recipient of this fund. a Hip Hop artist named Foreshadow, has just completed his first album, Perfect Timing, which has just been released. You can order Foreshadow's album here: https://www.foreshadow406.com/And you can find out information about how to apply for the Billy Conway Artist's Fund here: https://www.billyconwayartistfund.org/To order tickets to the launch party in Livingston on March 30th, go here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bcaf-presents-foreshadow-record-release-celebration-tickets-1251391769469?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurlSupport the show

 George Singleton is a Southern author who has written eight collections of short stories two novels, a collection of essays, and an instructional book on writing fiction.  Singleton graduated from Furman University with a degree in philosophy. He also holds an MFA degree from the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. In 2009, Singleton was a Guggenheim fellow, and in 2013, Singleton accepted the John C. Cobb Endowed Chair in the Humanities at Wofford College, where he taught until 2020. Singleton was inducted into the Fellowship of Southern Writers in April 2015.Support the show

On February 9, 2020, Steven Bognar stood on the stage with his longtime filmmaking and life partner Julia Reichert, accepting the Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary for their film, American Factory. Julia had already been going through cancer treatment for two years when that magical night arrived, and less than two years later, she was gone. Since then, Steve has been trying to gather himself, in part by working on a film about Julia, Julia’s Stepping Stones, which has just been released on Netflix.Steven Bognar is an Ohio-based documentary filmmaker whose films include AMERICAN FACTORY 美国工厂, the first film produced by Higher Ground, the production company started by Barrack and Michelle Obama. Steve also directed A LION IN THE HOUSE; THE LAST TRUCK: CLOSING OF A GM PLANT and 9TO5 – THE STORY OF A MOVEMENT, all co-directed with his late partner Julia Reichert.  Bognar’s solo films include PERSONAL BELONGINGS, PICTURE DAY, FOUNDRY NIGHT SHIFT and LAST REEL.  Bognar has guest lectured at Harvard, Yale & Stanford Universities, and has taught filmmaking for over 25 years.  He is a two-time Peabody Award nominee, a two-time Primetime Emmy winner, an Academy Award winner and a member of the Motion Picture Academy.Support the show

One fall day in 2018, Ellen Jovin set up a folding table on a Manhattan sidewalk with a homemade sign that said “Grammar Table.” Right away, passersby began excitedly asking questions, telling stories, and filing complaints. What happened next is the stuff of grammar legend. Ellen and her filmmaker husband, Brandt Johnson, took the table on the road, visiting all 50 states as Brandt shot the grammar action. Out of this journey was born both a book and a docu-comedy. But this story transcends grammar. It’s the story of an epic quest to bring us closer together in a divided time.For information about how to order Ellen's book, or to find viewings for the film, or to schedule a viewing yourself, visit https://www.rebelwithaclause.com/Support the show