The Whimsy Farm Podcast

Send us Fan MailWelcome everyone, to Episode Twenty-Five of the podcast.  The month of May is Utah Phillips month here on the pod, since he was born on the 15th and left us on the 23rd of May. On this episode, I’m honored to speak with author and labor historian Patrick Murfin, an old and dear friend of Utah Phillips. Patrick wrote the final chapter of the book The IWW: Its First Seventy Years. He once worked as a labor writer for the Chicago Seed and was an integral part of the Chicago industrial labor movement in the 1970s, as was Utah Phillips. Fifty years later, Murfin still writes prolifically for his blog called Heretic, Rebel, a Thing to Flout:https://patrickmurfin.blogspot.comSupport the show

Send us Fan MailComing up May 1:  The month of May is Utah Phillips month here on the pod, since he was born on the 15th and left us on the 23rd of May. On this episode, I’m honored to speak with author and labor historian Patrick Murfin, an old and dear friend of Utah Phillips. Patrick wrote the final chapter of the book The IWW: Its First Seventy Years. He once worked as a labor writer for the Chicago Seed and was an integral part of the Chicago industrial labor movement in the 1970s, as was Utah Phillips. Fifty years later, Murfin still writes prolifically for his blog called Heretic, Rebel, a Thing to Flout:https://patrickmurfin.blogspot.comSupport the show

Send us Fan MailCelebrating National Poetry Month and Earth Day: Poetry Sustains with Maryam BarrieShow Notes for Poetry Sustains 4/15/26  Maryam and I read and discuss the following poems: “A Short Story of Falling” by Alice Oswald“Ichthysaur Speaks: Notes from the Benthos” by Kyle E Miller/An excerpt from his novel The Idiot’s Garden “Trying Hard Not to Become a Nature Poet” by W. Joe Hoppe“Exhausting Weather” by Maryam Barrie “Between” by J.C. (Chris) Olander “A Litany for Survival” by Audre Lorde “A Shadow Under the Boughs” by Maryam BarrieFrom “The Cure of Troy” by Seamus HeaneyFor comprehensive show notes, see my YouTube channel: Carolyn Crane and Whimsy Farm Support the show

Send us Fan MailCelebrating National Poetry Month and Earth Day: Poetry Sustains with Maryam BarrieShow Notes for Poetry Sustains 4/15/26  Maryam and I read and discuss the following poems: “A Short Story of Falling” by Alice Oswald“Ichthysaur Speaks: Notes from the Benthos” by Kyle E Miller/An excerpt from his novel The Idiot’s Garden “Trying Hard Not to Become a Nature Poet” by W. Joe Hoppe“Exhausting Weather” by Maryam Barrie “Between” by J.C. (Chris) Olander “A Litany for Survival” by Audre Lorde “A Shadow Under the Boughs” by Maryam BarrieFrom “The Cure of Troy” by Seamus HeaneyFor comprehensive show notes, see my YouTube channel: Carolyn Crane and Whimsy Farm     Support the show

Send us Fan MailI speak with author Nell Bernstein about her latest book, In Our Future We Are Free,  "an astonishing story of resistance and change" about the "dismantling of the youth prison" system. Bernstein is the Directing Advocate at the Youth Law Center in Sacramento, California. The details below are taken from the back page of her new book. "Nell Bernstein is the author of All Alone in the World, a Newsweek Book of the Week, and Burning Down the House, winner of the American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award. She is a former Soros Justice Media Fellow, a MacDowell Fellow, and a winner of the White House Champton of Change award. Her articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Glamour, Salon, Mtoher Jones, and other publications."Support the show

Send us Fan MailOn April 1,  I speak with author Nell Bernstein about her latest book, In Our Future We Are Free,  "an astonishing story of resistance and change" about the "dismantling of the youth prison" system. Bernstein is the Directing Advocate at the Youth Law Center in Sacramento, California. The details below are taken from the back page of her new book. "Nell Bernstein is the author of All Alone in the World, a Newsweek Book of the Week, and Burning Down the House, winner of the American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award. She is a former Soros Justice Media Fellow, a MacDowell Fellow, and a winner of the White House Champton of Change award. Her articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Glamour, Salon, Mtoher Jones, and other publications."Support the show

Send us Fan MailI speak with author Jim Robbins about his latest book "The Wonder of Birds" and other recent and upcoming writing projects. The material below is quoted from the back page of "The Wonder of Birds.""Jim Robbins was born and raised in Niagara Falls, New York, but has lived in Montana since 1977. He has written for The New York Times for more than thirty-five years, on a wide range of topics but with a special focus on science and environmental issues. He has also written for Audubon, Conde Nast Traveler, Smithsonian, Vanity Fair, The Sunday Times, Conservation, and numerous other magazines. He has covered environmental stories across the United States and in far-flung places around the world, including Mongolia, Mexico, Chile, Peru, The Yanomami Territory of Brazil, Norway, and Sweden. "["The Wonder of Birds"] is his sixth book. His first, "Last Refuge: The Environmental Showdown in the American West" (1993), was about reconciling the way we as a species live with our knowledge of ecosystems. He is also the author of "A Symphony in the Brain" (2000) and co-author of "The Open Focus Brain" (2007), about the critical and overlooked role that attention plays in our lives, as well as "Dissolving Pain" (2010), about the role of attention in pain. His interest in the nexus between the human central nervous system and the natural world grew out of of these three books. "His fifth book, "The Man Who Planted Trees" (2012) is about the crisis in the world's forests caused by climate change and resource development."  You can find Jim on X or Twitter @JimRobbins19, on Facebook at Facebook.com/writerjimrobbins and at jimrobbinswriter.wordpress.com.Support the show

Send us Fan MailComing March 15, I speak with author Jim Robbins about his latest book "The Wonder of Birds" and other recent and upcoming writing projects. The material below is quoted from the back page of "The Wonder of Birds.""Jim Robbins was born and raised in Niagara Falls, New York, but has lived in Montana since 1977. He has written for The New York Times for more than thirty-five years, on a wide range of topics but with a special focus on science and environmental issues. He has also written for Audubon, Conde Nast Traveler, Smithsonian, Vanity Fair, The Sunday Times, Conservation, and numerous other magazines. He has covered environmental stories across the United States and in far-flung places around the world, including Mongolia, Mexico, Chile, Peru, The Yanomami Territory of Brazil, Norway, and Sweden. "["The Wonder of Birds"] is his sixth book. His first, "Last Refuge: The Environmental Showdown in the American West" (1993), was about reconciling the way we as a species live with our knowledge of ecosystems. He is also the author of "A Symphony in the Brain" (2000) and co-author of "The Open Focus Brain" (2007), about the critical and overlooked role that attention plays in our lives, as well as "Dissolving Pain" (2010), about the role of attention in pain. His interest in the nexus between the human central nervous system and the natural world grew out of of these three books. "His fifth book, "The Man Who Planted Trees" (2012) is about the crisis in the world's forests caused by climate change and resource development."  You can find Jim on X or Twitter @JimRobbins19, on Facebook at Facebook.com/writerjimrobbins and at jimrobbinswriter.wordpress.com.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn this episode we celebrate love: big beautiful love. This time of year, we’re programmed to focus on couple love. Cupid and his arrow, etc., among other cliches. But there is a much more expansive love available to us, Neptunian rather than Venusian. It’s terraphilia, as author Susan Tweit calls it. Love of the earth and all its inhabitants. Love for those with us and those who have departed.  First, we’ll hear from writer Rowena Yeseta. Then we’ll welcome Maryam Barrie for another segment of Poetry Sustains. Support the show

Send us Fan MailI  speak with author Carol Menaker and discuss her memoir "The Worst Thing We’ve Ever Done, One Juror’s Reckoning with Racial Injustice." Her book explores the trial and unjust incarceration of Freddy Muhammed Burton, imprisoned for over fifty years now in Pennsylvania for crimes he did not commit. Update: On January 8, Menaker reported that "Muhammed was transferred to Chester, PA from Somerset, PA, an event that has been underway for more than two years. He told Eleanor (Jonathan Gettleman’s mother) that he was so happy. That he felt like he’d gone from hell to heaven and that the people are very nice. Turns out the Chester facility is designated for all the “old heads” so many of the inmates there are known to him because they’ve all been moved around the system for years.  Apparently he knows half the men who are there."Carol Menaker’s website: www.carolmenaker.com Abolitionist Law Center Website: https://abolitionistlawcenter.org/Correspond with Mohammed Burton:  Smart Communication TADOCSCI - Somerset,       Fred Burton AF3896PO Box 33028, St. Petersburg FL 33733United StatesSupport the show

Send us Fan MailI  speak with author Carol Menaker and discuss her memoir "The Worst Thing We’ve Ever Done, One Juror’s Reckoning with Racial Injustice." Her book explores the trial and unjust incarceration of Freddy Muhammed Burton, imprisoned for over fifty years now in Pennsylvania for crimes he did not commit. Carol Menaker’s website: www.carolmenaker.com Abolitionist Law Center Website: https://abolitionistlawcenter.org/Correspond with Mohammed Burton:  Smart Communication TADOCSCI - Somerset,       Fred Burton AF3896PO Box 33028, St. Petersburg FL 33733United StatesSupport the show

Send us Fan MailI speak with Keith Runyan, activist, speaker, and new father. With a background as an educator, Keith began his Quaker activist career with a 12-day hunger strike to increase awareness of the importance of climate action to the Friends Community and the general public. In 2024, along with his partner and child, he began a traveling ministry inspiring action on the planetary crisis.  Keith is the General Secretary at Quaker Earthcare Witness, where he’s leading the QuakerEarth Campaign to unite global earthcare action. Keith and I discuss the mission of Quaker Earthcare Witness, his recent journey to the CoP30 in Brazil, and how to navigate the climate crisis with hope and courage. Support the show

Send us Fan MailI speak with Keith Runyan, activist, speaker, and new father. With a background as an educator, Keith began his Quaker activist career with a 12-day hunger strike to increase awareness of the importance of climate action to the Friends Community and the general public. In 2024, along with his partner and child, he began a traveling ministry inspiring action on the planetary crisis.  Keith is the General Secretary at Quaker Earthcare Witness, where he’s leading the QuakerEarth Campaign to unite global earthcare action. Keith and I discuss the mission of Quaker Earthcare Witness, his recent journey to the CoP30 in Brazil, and how to navigate the climate crisis with hope and courage. Support the show

Send us Fan MailWelcome everyone, to Season Two of the podcast, and Episode Eighteen.  Late last fall, in anticipation of being out of the studio for my shoulder replacement, I spoke at length with Laura Pritchett, author and educator and, as we soon found out, kindred spirit.  Enjoy our free-flowing conversation about honoring the wild with us, personal authenticity, and journeying inward during these winter months.  Laura is the author of seven novels, most recently Playing with (wild)Fire and Three Keys. She’s also written two works of nonfiction. She directs the Nature Writing MFA program at Western Colorado University.  You can find her online at www.laurapritchett.com.Support the show

Send us Fan MailWelcome everyone, to Season Two of the podcast, and Episode Eighteen.  Late last fall, in anticipation of being out of the studio for my shoulder replacement, I spoke at length with Laura Pritchett, author and educator and, as we soon found out, kindred spirit.  Enjoy our free-flowing conversation about honoring the wild with us, personal authenticity, and journeying inward during these winter months.  Laura is the author of seven novels, most recently Playing with (wild)Fire and Three Keys. She’s also written two works of nonfiction. She directs the Nature Writing MFA program at Western Colorado University.  You can find her online at www.laurapritchett.com.Support the show

Send us Fan MailDecember 21 marks the Capricorn Solstice--the Winter Solstice for the Northern Hemisphere. Poet Maryam Barrie joins me on this extended edition of Poetry Sustains to share Brigit Pegeen Kelly's "Song".  Song tells the story of a young girl, her beloved pet goat, and the cruelty that darkness brings. What happens when darkness meets light? When foolishness meets wisdom? When the heart and the brain work in power together? Join us as we explore "Song" and the light within us at the darkest time of the year. Here's link to the poem: https://poets.org/poem/songSupport the show

Send us Fan MailMy guest on Episode Seventeen is author Susan J. Tweit. Her most recent memoir is "Bless The Birds: Living with Love in a Time of Dying." In this book, Tweit chronicles the journey she and her husband Richard Cabe take shortly before his death. Cabe and Tweit collaborated on the term and definition of "terraphilia", a concept that guides Tweit's work today. You can find Susan at susanjtweit.substack.comSupport the show

Send us Fan MailMy guest on Episode Seventeen is author Susan J. Tweit. Her most recent memoir is "Bless The Birds: Living with Love in a Time of Dying." In this book, Tweit chronicles the journey she and her husband Richard Cabe take shortly before his death. Cabe and Tweit collaborated on the term and definition of "terraphilia", a concept that guides Tweit's work today. You can find Susan at susanjtweit.substack.comSupport the show

Send us Fan MailI speak with Chuck Collins, author of Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power are Ruining Our Lives and Our Planet. Collins is a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies, where he co-edits Inequality.org. He is the author of several books including Born on Third Base, The Wealth Hoarders, and, with Bill Gates, Sr., Wealth and Our Commonwealth. He also wrote a novel of speculative fiction entitled Altar to an Erupting Sun. Chuck Collins lives in Vermont. Support the show

Send us Fan MailI speak with Chuck Collins, author of Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power are Ruining Our Lives and Our Planet. Collins is a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies, where he co-edits Inequality.org. He is the author of several books including Born on Third Base, The Wealth Hoarders, and, with Bill Gates, Sr., Wealth and Our Commonwealth. He also wrote a novel of speculative fiction entitled Altar to an Erupting Sun. Chuck Collins lives in Vermont. Support the show

Send us Fan MailMark Dyken and his brother Bear Dyken have been visiting the Navajo Reservation in Arizona for decades now, offering boots-on-the-ground support for families that refused forced relocation in the 1990s. Founders and members of the band Clan Dyken, they tour northern California and southern Oregon each fall to raise funds and awareness of the Dineh people and The Beauty Way.For more information about Clan Dyken's activism on the Navajo Reservation: https://www.clandyken.com/category/beauty-way/Shelly Muniz's book "When The Creator Moves Me: A Story about Music, and Creative Activism" is available from your favorite independent book seller.Support the show

Send us Fan MailMark Dyken and his brother Bear Dyken have been visiting the Navajo Reservation in Arizona for decades now, offering boots-on-the-ground support for families that refused forced relocation in the 1990s. Founders and members of the band Clan Dyken, they tour northern California and southern Oregon each fall to raise funds and awareness of the Dineh people and The Beauty Way.For more information about Clan Dyken's activism on the Navajo Reservation: https://www.clandyken.com/category/beauty-way/Shelly Muniz's book "When The Creator Moves Me: A Story about Music, and Creative Activism" is available from your favorite independent book seller.Support the show

Send us Fan MailChristabeth Ingold can be found online at www.soulfullynourishing.com.Her resume: B.S. in Art Therapy, Lesley University, 2006Certified Buddho-Ennersense Advanced Reiki Practitioner, Christine Radice of Boston Reiki, 2010Certified Holistic Health Coach, Institute of Integrative Nutrition, 2011Certified Life Coach, Coby Kozlowski of Souluna Life Coach Certification, 2012(formally) Licensed Chakradance Facilitator, Chakradance, 2014Certified Hawaiian Shamanic Bodywork Practitioner (Lomilomi), Wayne Kealohi Powell, Harry Uhane Jim & Sila Jim, Bethany Boulger, 2015-on goingLicensed Massage Therapy & Polarity Therapy Program, Spa Tech Institute, 2018Certified Akashic Records Reader, Liz Varney, 2018Narrative Astrology Training, Grace Harrington Murdoch of Flowers and Stars, 2021From Race-ing Consciousness To Raising Consciousness (Psychoeducational Process Group on Race & Racism), Professor Tarell Kyles, 2021 (with on going self inquiry, discussion, learning, and unlearning of myself as a white woman, my own privilege, and intersections)Energy Medicine Training, Catheryn Schoenfarber of Spirit Wellness Institute, 2023Touch For End Of Life Care Training, Catheryn Schoenfarber of Spirit Wellness Institute, 2024Village Deathcare Citizen Training, Anne-Marie Keppel of Stardust Meadow, will be complete November 2024!I would also like to honor my teacher, Asha D. Ramakrishna. She has brought ceremony and practicing being in right relationship more deeply into my life.Maryam Barrie is a regular contributor to The Whimsy Farm Podcast. She is a retired professor of poetry, a prolific poet, and an expert on poetry. She sits on the selection committee for The Midwest Review.Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn the fast-spinning news cycle that is the overwhelming reality of media today, there are dizzying distractions. From sex scandals to failing escalators, we often lose focus of what might be happening that is less sexy, less sensational, yet much more important. With that in mind, today we spend an hour with independent investigative journalist Antonia Juhasz, a regular contributing politics reporter to Rolling Stone, where she writes feature articles focused on energy, climate, and environmental justice. She has also written for the New York Times, Atlantic, National Geographic, Guardian, Wired, and many other outlets. She is the author of three books: Black Tide: the devastating impact of the Gulf Oil Spill, The Tyranny of Oil, and The Bush Agenda. She has also contributed to nine additional books, including most recently Rebecca Solnit and Thelma Young Lutunatabua’s Not Too Late:Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility (2023). Introducing Juhasz in his 2020 interview with her in The New Yorker, Bill McKibbon wrote that “she was a 2020-2021 Bertha investigative-journalism fellow, working with an international cohort of journalists on fossil fuels, the climate crisis, and corporate power.” Her most recent article (September 29) in Rolling Stone is titled “Inside the Fight Against Trump’s Alaskan Pipe Dream”, and that’s the focus of our discussion.You can find Antonia at antoniajuhasz.net.  You can also support her work there with your tax-deductible contributions. Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn the fast-spinning news cycle that is the overwhelming reality of media today, there are dizzying distractions. From sex scandals to failing escalators, we often lose focus of what might be happening that is less sexy, less sensational, yet much more important. With that in mind, today we spend an hour with independent investigative journalist Antonia Juhasz, a regular contributing politics reporter to Rolling Stone, where she writes feature articles focused on energy, climate, and environmental justice. She has also written for the New York Times, Atlantic, National Geographic, Guardian, Wired, and many other outlets. She is the author of three books: Black Tide: the devastating impact of the Gulf Oil Spill, The Tyranny of Oil, and The Bush Agenda. She has also contributed to nine additional books, including most recently Rebecca Solnit and Thelma Young Lutunatabua’s Not Too Late:Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility (2023). Introducing Juhasz in his 2020 interview with her in The New Yorker, Bill McKibbon wrote that “she was a 2020-2021 Bertha investigative-journalism fellow, working with an international cohort of journalists on fossil fuels, the climate crisis, and corporate power.” Her most recent article (September 29) in Rolling Stone is titled “Inside the Fight Against Trump’s Alaskan Pipe Dream”, and that’s the focus of our discussion. You can find Antonia at antoniajuhasz.net. You can also support her work there with your tax-deductible contributions.  Support the show

Send us Fan MailEpisode Twelve consists of highlights from the first six months of The Whimsy Farm Podcast.  Episode One: Seth Donnelly joins me to talk about Taxpayers Against Genocide and their work to hold our elected officials accountable for their support of genocidal acts such as funding arms for the conflict in Palestine. Seth Donnelly is the author of The Lie of Global Prosperity: How Neoliberals Distort Data to Mask Poverty and Exploitation. He teaches high school in northern California. Then I talk with story teller and end-of-life doula Dr. Kim Bateman about how grief manifests in today's political climate. We also discuss ways to bridge the chasm many of us feel when communicating with people who don't share our political beliefs--or our news sources. Kim Bateman is the author of the Indie award winning book Crossing the Owl's Bridge: A Guide for Grieving People Who Still Love. She is the Executive Dean of Sierra College's Tahoe-Truckee campus, where she teaches a popular course on death and dying.  Episode Two: Sociologist and author Betsy Leondar-Wright joins me from her home near Boston late last winter about her new book, Is it Racist? Is it Sexist? Why Red and Blue White People Disagree, and How to Decide in the Gray Areas. Episode Three: Community organizer and radio personality Mike Thornton joins me to talk politics. From liberals to leftists to the Long Memory, we discuss how the Dems have lost touch and how to create lasting change. We also celebrate the 90th anniversary of the birth of Utah Phillips, who is the inspiration behind The Whimsy Farm Podcast. Episode Four: We begin celebrating Pride Month. I speak with Kathryn Bond Stockton. Kathryn is a distinguished Professor of English at the University of Utah. She is the author of Gender(s), Making Out, an (anti Memoir) and The Queer Child, or Growing Sideways in the Twentieth Century. We’ll talk with Kathryn about why she says gender is queer, by which she means strange. Why is gender strange even when it’s played straight, and how do race and money factor into the equation? How can we better understand the nuances of gender? Episode Five: We continue our celebration of Pride with a hyperlocal focus on the town of Milan in Southeast Michigan. I have four guests: Ash Eichner-Pendell from the organization ARC, an educational nonprofit that seeks to advocate, represent, and connect the community around LGBTQ+ issues. We’ll speak with Milan mayoral candidate Laura Russeau, who organizes Milan’s annual Pride Parade. We’ll learn about Ozone House in Ypsilanti, Michigan when we visit with Brie Nikora, its Pridezone Coordinator. And finally we’ll debut a new periodic segment of the podcast, Poetry Sustains with Maryam Barrie.  Episode Six: I talk about gun violence and gun safety legislation hwith two women, Gwendolyn LaCroix of Michigan and Amanda Wilcox of Colorado. Gwen and Amanda are mothers who suffered the most horrible loss. Each of them lost a child to gun violence. What’s incredible is that through this loss they became change agents, working as activists to help save the lives of other children. They share their stories with me, as well as what they are doing today to reduce gun violence. Episode Seven: I talk about the life and death importance of thinking with philosopher Elizabeth Minnich. She recently released the expanded edition of her 2017 book The Evil of Banality. Minnich received her doctorate at The New School, where she was Hannah Arendt’s teaching assistant. For twenty-five years she was a professor at the Union Institute. She also wrote Transforming Knowledge, and with community organizer Si Kahn wrote The Fox in tSupport the show

Send us Fan MailWe learn more about fighting fascism as we protect our children from falling victim to it. Our first guest is Craig A Johnson, author of How to Talk to Your Son about Fascism. Then we spend some time with poet Maryam Barrie on our recurring segment, Poetry Sustains. Support the show

Send us Fan MailWe learn more about fighting fascism as we protect our children from falling victim to it. Our first guest is Craig A Johnson, author of How to Talk to Your Son about Fascism. Then we spend some time with poet Maryam Barrie on our recurring segment, Poetry Sustains. Support the show

Send us Fan MailI speak with three writers and activists from Massachusetts. Carolyn Cushing, the former poet-laureate of Easthampton, Rachel Teferet, young adult fiction writer, and Carolyn Zaikowksi, current poet-laureate of East Hampton. These three friends and neighbors continue to work passionately on behalf of the Palestinian people amidst the genocide that continues. Carolyn, Rachel, and Carolyn share their motivations, strategies, and the vital importance of community in the context of activism. THE WHIMSY FARM PODCAST September 1, 2025 SHOW NOTES FROM CAROLYN CUSHING, RACHEL TEFERET, AND CAROLYN ZAIKOWSKILinks to SpeakersCarolyn ZaikowskiSubstack: http://carolynzzz.substack.comWebsite: http://www.carolynzaikowski.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/carolynzaikowski/ Carolyn CushingWebsite: https://soulpathsanctuary.com/ Substack: https://soulpathsanctuary.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolyn_cushing/ Rachel TeferetInstagram + activism: http://instagram.com/rachelteferet/Creative writing blog: http://lettersandfeathers.wordpress.com Calls to actionFundraising/Mutual Aid:Donate to Sameer Project: https://opencollective.com/the-sameer-projectMECA’s (Middle Eastern Children’s Alliance) emergency campaign for Gaza: https://secure.everyaction.com/b00t33wD-EOVJ1cNTyHixg2PCRF’s (Palestine Children's Relief Fund) emergency campaign for Gaza: ​​https://pcrf1.app.neoncrm.com/forms/gaza-recovery?_gl=1*rf6ycr*_gcl_au*MTA0NjgyNTgzMC4xNzU1NTI2MjA2*_ga*MTkwMDA4NTkyOS4xNzU1NTI2MjA2*_ga_1DBT989QE4*czE3NTU1MjYyMDYkbzEkZzAkdDE3NTU1MjYyMDYkajYwJGwwJGgwThe Sumud School through Friends of the Sumud School on Insta and FB https://www.instagram.com/friendsofsumudschool/?hl=enRachel also mentioned one of their fave mutual aid projects on the podcast: Jamal Abu Al-Ata, General Director of the" FOOD NOT BOMBS" project in Gaza, who does incredible work. Learn more about him at https://www.instagram.com/jamal_fromgaza/ and please contribute to his Go Fund Me: https://www.gofundme.com/f/jamalfromgaza For more extensive show notes, visit Carolyn Crane and Whimsy Farm on YouTube and see Episode Ten. Support the show

Send us Fan MailComing up September 1 on the Whimsy Farm Podcast, I speak with three writers and activists from Massachusetts. Carolyn Cushing, the former poet-laureate of Easthampton, Rachel Teferet, young adult fiction writer, and Carolyn Zakowksi, current poet-laureate of East Hampton. These three friends and neighbors continue to work passionately on behalf of the Palestinian people amidst the genocide that continues. Carolyn, Rachel, and Carolyn share their motivations, strategies, and the vital importance of community in the context of activism. Support the show

Send us Fan MailToday I talk with Barb Barton, author of Manoomin: The Story of Wild Rice in Michigan. Barb is a woman of myriad talents, from singing and songwriting to filmmaking. She’s a scientist and a student of the cosmos. And she’s a passionate activist for social and environmental justice. She lives a couple hours from the farm in Lansing, Michigan’s capital. Support the show

Send us Fan MailToday I talk with Barb Barton, author of Manoomin: The Story of Wild Rice in Michigan. Barb is a woman of myriad talents, from singing and songwriting to filmmaking. She’s a scientist and a student of the cosmos. And she’s a passionate activist for social and environmental justice. She lives a couple hours from the farm in Lansing, Michigan’s capital. Support the show

Send us Fan MailI talk with best selling biographer Larry Tye. His latest effort is The Jazzmen, How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America. And—because jazz reminds me of poetry--our resident poet and poetry expert Maryam Barrie will join us after we hear from Larry Tye. She and I will share poems about jazz and the Black experience on Poetry Sustains. Support the show

Send us Fan MailComing August 1: I talk with Best Selling Biographer Larry Tye. His latest effort is The Jazzmen, How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie transformed America. And—because jazz reminds me of poetry--our resident poet and poetry expert Maryam Barrie will join us after we hear from Larry Tye. She and I will share poems about jazz and the Black experience on Poetry Sustains. Support the show

Send us Fan MailI talk about the life and death importance of thinking with philosopher Elizabeth Minnich. She recently released the expanded edition of her 2017 book The Evil of Banality. Minnich received her doctorate at The New School, where she was Hannah Arendt’s teaching assistant. For twenty-five years she was a professor at the Union Institute. She also wrote Transforming Knowledge, and with community organizer Si Kahn wrote The Fox in the Henhouse: How Privatization Threatens Democracy. Support the show

Send us Fan MailComing up July 15th on the Whimsy Farm Podcast, we talk about the life and death importance of thinking with philosopher Elizabeth Minnich. She recently released the expanded edition of her 2017 book The Evil of Banality. Minnich received her doctorate at The New School, where she was Hannah Arendt’s teaching assistant. For twenty-five years she was a professor at the Union Institute. She also wrote Transforming Knowledge, and with community organizer Si Kahn wrote The Fox in the Henhouse: How Privatization Threatens Democracy. Support the show

Send us Fan MailItalk about gun violence and gun safety legislation.with two women, Gwendolyn LaCroix of Michigan and Amanda Wilcox of Colorado. Gwen and Amanda are mothers who suffered the most horrible loss. Each of them lost a child to gun violence. What’s incredible is that through this loss they became change agents, working as activists to help save the lives of other children. They share their stories with me, as well as what they are doing today to reduce gun violence. Support the show

Send us Fan MailIn Episode 6 we talk about gun violence and gun safety legislation.with two women, Gwendolyn LaCroix of Michigan and Amanda Wilcox of Colorado. Gwen and Amanda are mothers who suffered the most horrible loss. Each of them lost a child to gun violence. What’s incredible is that through this loss they became change agents, working as activists to help save the lives of other children. They share their stories with me, as well as what they are doing today to reduce gun violence. Support the show

Send us Fan MailWe continue our celebration of  Pride with a hyperlocal focus on the town of Milan in Southeast Michigan. We have four guests: Ash Eichner-Pendell from the organization ARC, an educational nonprofit that seeks to advocate, represent, and connect the community around LGBTQ+ issues. We’ll speak with Milan mayoral candidate Laura Russeau, who organizes Milan’s annual Pride Parade. We’ll learn about Ozone House in Ypsilanti, Michigan when we visit with Brie Nikora, its Pridezone Coordinator. And finally we’ll debut a new periodic segment of the podcast, Poetry Sustains with Maryam Barrie. Support the show

Send us Fan MailWe continue our celebration of  Pride with a hyperlocal focus on the town of Milan in Southeast Michigan. We have four guests: Ash Eichner-Pendell from the organization ARC, an educational nonprofit that seeks to advocate, represent, and connect the community around LGBTQ+ issues. We’ll speak with Milan mayoral candidate Laura Russeau, who organizes Milan’s annual Pride Parade. We’ll learn about Ozone House in Ypsilanti Michigan when we visit with Brie Nikora, its Pridezone Coordinator. And finally we’ll debut a new periodic segment of the podcast, Poetry Sustains with Maryam Barrie. Support the show

Send us Fan MailCarolyn speaks with Kathryn Bond Stockton. Kathryn is a distinguished Professor of English at the University of Utah. She is the author of Gender(s), Making Out, an (anti Memoir) and The Queer Child, or Growing Sideways in the Twentieth Century. We’ll talk with Kathryn about why she says gender is queer, by which she means strange. Why is gender strange even when it’s played straight, and how do race and money factor into the equation? How can we better understand the nuances of gender?Support the show

Send us Fan MailOn June 1, Carolyn speaks  with Kathryn Bond Stockton. Kathryn is a distinguished Professor of English at the University of Utah. She is the author of Gender(s), Making Out, an (anti Memoir) and The Queer Child, or Growing Sideways in the Twentieth Century. We’ll talk with Kathryn about why she says gender is queer, by which she means strange. Why is gender strange even when it’s played straight, and how do race and money factor into the equation?  How can we better understand the nuances of gender?Support the show

Send us Fan MailCommunity organizer and radio personality Mike Thornton joins Carolyn to talk politics. From liberals to leftists to the Long Memory, we discuss how the Dems have lost touch and how to create lasting change. We also celebrate the 90th anniversary of the birth of Utah Phillips, who is the inspiration behind The Whimsy Farm Podcast.Support the show

Send us Fan MailCommunity organizer and radio personality Mike Thornton joins Carolyn to talk politics. What's the difference between a liberal and a leftist? Where has the Democratic party gone wrong? Tune in May 15 as we discuss these and other current issues.Support the show

Send us Fan MailMeet sociologist and author Betsy Leondar-Wright. She spoke to me from her home near Boston late last winter about her new book, Is it Racist? Is it Sexist? Why Red and Blue White People Disagree, and How to Decide in the Gray Areas.Support the show

Send us Fan MailI speak with sociologist and author Betsy Leondar-Wright. I’ve followed Betsy’s work for decades, especially her first two books The Color of Wealth and Class Matters. She spoke to me from her home near Boston late last winter about her new book, Is it Racist? Is it Sexist?Support the show

Send us Fan MailWe have two guests on Episode One.Seth Donnelly joins us to talk about Taxpayers Against Genocide and their work to hold our elected officials accountable for their support of genocidal acts such as funding arms for the conflict in Palestine. Seth Donnelly is the author of The Lie of Global Prosperity: How Neoliberals Distort Data to Mask Poverty and Exploitation. He teaches high school in northern California. Then we talk with story teller and end-of-life doula Dr. Kim Bateman about how grief manifests in today's political climate. We also discuss ways to bridge the chasm many of us feel when communicating with people who don't share our political beliefs--or our news sources. Kim Bateman is the author of the Indie award winning book Crossing the Owl's Bridge: A Guide for Grieving People Who Still Love. She is the Executive Dean of Sierra College's Tahoe-Truckee campus, where she teaches a popular course on death and dying. Thanks to Just Play Productions for underwriting this episode. Thanks to our supporters on Patreon as well. Please visit our website at whimsyfarm.net to join our Patreon family. Support the show

Send us Fan MailA glimpse of the April 15 Podcast featuring Seth Donnelly from Taxpayers Against Genocide. Seth and Carolyn will talk about the current movement to hold our elected officials accountable. We'll also hear from storyteller and end-of-life doula Kim Bateman about navigating our grief in today's troubled political climate. Support the show