Experimental Practice

Alissa Hattman talks to Siloh about her post-apocalyptic novel Sift, writing during crises and into blockages, fragmented literary form, and creative community. On the process of writing Sift during peak pandemic, Alissa says, “I had felt that whatever I could create in this time had to just be made out of the soil that we were in, in that moment.” And while it’s never not a good time to talk about making art during a catastrophe, this conversation (which was recorded at the end of September 2023) feels especially well-timed. Alissa Hattman is author of the novel Sift and the zine POST. Her writing has appeared in Carve, The Rumpus, The Gravity of the Thing, Propeller, Big Other, Surely Magazine, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA in Fiction from Pacific University and an MA in English Literature from Portland State University. Alissa has worked as a fiction editor, book reviewer, zine librarian, writing group facilitator, and teacher. She writes short essays for her monthly newsletter, MURMUR, which also features a small press spotlight with a book give-away and other literary updates. Originally from North Dakota, she now lives and teaches in the Pacific Northwest. More at www.alissahattman.com.Show notes and transcript available here. If you liked this episode, check out Siloh’s Substack for more reflections on the creative process (and podcast updates!). You can find Siloh on Instagram @silohrad. Outro music by Siloh. Audio mastered by Ethan Camp.Mentioned in this episodeSift by Alissa HattmanThe 3rd Thing PressRiot grrrlThe Evergreen State CollegeGathering Moss by Robin Wall KimmererAnne Carson's lecture on corners“No Place for Self Pity, No Room For Fear in the Nation” by Toni Morrison (essay)Milan Kundera Alison BaileyParable of the Sower by Octavia ButlerRenunciations by Donika KellyDefacing the Monument by Susan BrianteFred MotenAnne de MarckenBrowsers Books in Olympia

Host Siloh Radovsky sits down with Selah Saterstrom to discuss literary form and divination, their intersections with uncertainty, and the powerful cross-pollination of different parts of ourselves. Selah Saterstrom is the author of five books–Rancher,  Ideal Suggestions: Essays in Divinatory Poetics, Slab, The Meat and Spirit Plan, and The Pink Institution. She teaches and lectures across the United States, is on faculty in the University of Denver’s English and Literary Arts program, and runs Four Queens, a platform celebrating Divination and Divinatory Poetics. You can stay up to date with her classes and offerings here.Show notes and transcript available here. If you liked this episode, check out Siloh’s Substack about experimental creative practice and daily life. You can find Siloh on Instagram @silohrad. Thank you to Ethan Camp for help with audio editing and mastering.Mentioned in this episodeSlab and Rancher by Selah SaterstromFour Queens platformAnne Waldman and the Summer Writing Program at Naropa UniversityUniversity of Denver’s Literary Arts programDr. Mark Ledbetter at  Millsaps CollegeDr. David Jasper at the School of Divinity at the University of Glasgow  Rebecca Brown at Goddard College Bob Glück and his essay “Long Note on New Narrative”Biting the Error: Writers Explore Narrative a book by Gail Scott, Camille Roy, and Robert GlückStephen D. Moore AutotheoryMaria GorettiCD WrightEleni Sikelianos Laird HuntJulie CarrTarot cards: Nine of Pentacles (“The Bird Lady”); Death, Five of Pentacles, and the World (divination)

Miranda Mellis and host Siloh Radovsky discuss literary form and the relationship between Miranda’s writing practice, politics, and Buddhism. They also explore the tricky work of staying connected to one’s values in and through writing, and creative practice as a refuge.Learn more about Experimental Practice and host Siloh Radovsky here. Show notes, including a transcript of Siloh’s conversation with Miranda, are also available on Siloh’s website, or linked here.Siloh is on Instagram @silohrad.Audio edited and mastered by Ethan Camp.Mentioned in this episodeThe Revolutionary by Miranda MellisCrocosmia by Miranda Mellis (forthcoming from Nightboat Books)The Poetics of Space by Gaston BachelardÉdouard GlissantCynicism and Magic by Chögyam Trungpa RinpochePema ChödrönNaropa University (including some of its founders Anne Waldman and Allen Ginsburg)L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poetryNew Narrative (I love Robert Glück’s “Long Note on New Narrative”)