|
Artists & Storytellers --
Christina Baldwin
Creating Community through Stories
Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives though the Power and Practice of Story
Story, the heart of language. Story moves us to love and hate and can motivate us to change the whole course of our life. Story can lift us beyond the borders of our individuality to imagine realities of other people, times and places, to empathize with other beings, and to extend our supposing far into the universe. Storytelling, both oral and written is the foundation of being human. In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Christina Baldwin, author of "Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives though the Power and Practice of Story." This is being done in Ukiah, California, with the idea of capturing "what is the story of Ukiah," as a part of "what is the story of Mendocino County, California," to be used in the development of the Ukiah Area Plan that is now under consideration by the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors.
Christina Baldwin recommends "Turning To One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Our Hope for the Future," by Margaret J. Wheatley.
Originally Broadcast: April 17, 2006
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Jed Barahal
Cellist Extraordinaire
In this edition of Radio Curious, we take a look at the cello, the kind of musical instrument it is and the sounds it makes. My guest is Jed Barahal, a concert cellist extraordinaire, who lives in Porto, Portugal and performed with pianist Christina Margotto, his wife, and Amari Barash, an oboist, in Ukiah, California in August 2004.
Jed Barahal recommends "The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Future of Industrial Societies," by Richard Heinberg.
Originally Broadcast: September 7, 2004
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Roger Brandt
The Oregon Caves
The Oregon Caves, located about 70 miles northeast of Crescent City, California in the Oregon Caves National Monument, are a place full of interest, mystery, and history. The caves were located in 1874 when Elijah Davidson chased his dog into the what appeared to be a hole in the earth. The Oregon Caves are very unique possibly due to the fact that it is one of the few cave systems located on tectonically active ground, known as a subduction zone. Their uniqueness may also be due to the fact an old growth Douglas Fir forest grows directly above the caves, or the fact that they were created from what used to be a tropical reef that was pushed about 12 miles below the surface of the earth and then brought back up to its current location, and is still rising. I visited the Oregon Caves in 2006 and knew at once it would be a unique experience. I spoke with Roger Brandt, the manager of visitor services and education of the Oregon Caves in the summer of 2006 about the caves. We began when I asked him about the Oregon Caves and what they represent.
Roger Brandt recommends “Golden Days and Pioneer Ways” by Ruth Phefferle.
Originally Broadcast: February 21, 2007
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Zana Briski
Ross Kauffman
Brothels of Calcutta, India
Born Into Brothels
"Born into Brothels" received the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2005. A tribute to the resiliency of childhood and the restorative power of art, "Born into Brothels" is a portrait of several unforgettable children who live in the red light district of Calcutta, where their mothers work as prostitutes. The most stigmatized people in Calcutta's red light district however are not the prostitutes, but their children. In the face of abject poverty, abuse, and despair, these kids have little possibility of escaping their mother's fate or for creating another type of life. In "Born into Brothels," directors Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman chronicle the amazing transformation of the children they come to know in the red light district. Briski, a professional photographer, gives them lessons and cameras, igniting latent sparks of artistic genius that reside in these children who live in the most sordid and seemingly hopeless world. The photographs taken by the children are not merely examples of remarkable observation and talent; they reflect something much larger, morally encouraging, and even politically volatile: art as an immensely liberating and empowering force. Devoid of sentimentality, "Born into Brothels" defies the typical tear-stained tourist snapshot of the global underbelly. Briski spends years with these kids and becomes part of their lives. Their photographs are prisms into their souls, rather than anthropological curiosities or primitive imagery, and a true testimony of the power of the indelible creative spirit. You can learn about this film and Kids with Cameras at http://www.kids-with-cameras.org. I spoke with Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman on February 2005. Beginning the conversation first with Zana Briski, I asked her to explain what drew her to India before the concept of Kids with Cameras was even a dream.
www.kids-with-cameras.org
Zana Briski recommends "Secret Life of Bees," by Sue Monk Kidd.
Originally Broadcast: March 15, 2007
Click here to begin listening.
------------------------------------------------------
Don Davis
A Story Teller at Work
Don Davis, a story-teller from Okracoke, North Carolina and joins us in this archive edition first broadcast in July 1993, when Radio Curious was called Government, Politics and Ideas. In our conversation, we discuss the role of story-telling in our modern technological society, the art and dance of story-telling in person and on tape, and story-telling workshops.
Originally Broadcast: July 19, 1993
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Tovah Feldshuh
Golda's Balcony, The Story of Golda Meir
Golda's Balcony
William Gibson’s new play “Golda’s Balcony” is the story of Golda Meir, her life, her love, her work and it’s a significant part of the story of Israel. This one-woman play is currently being performed by Tovah Feldshuh at the ACT Theatre in San Francisco, California until August 13. Tovah Feldshuh plays the roles of Golda Meir and those of 38 other people who influenced Golda Meir’s life and her work and she holds the record for the longest running one-woman play on Broadway. The opening performance of Golda’s Balcony in San Francisco created a palpable feeling of appreciation in the theater that evening and I highly recommend seeing it. When Tovah Feldshuh and I spoke the next day about her work and Golda Meir, we began when I asked her how the audience affects what she is able to on stage. For more information look at www.tovahfeldshuh.com and www.goldasbalcony.com.
Tovah Feldshuh recommends "Blink," by Malcolm Gladwell.
Originally Broadcast: August 2, 2005
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Nestle J. Frobish
Fair Play For Frogs, Part 1
Frogs play an important role in ecology of the world and are their occasional demise is sometimes noted as an impending ecological disaster. In 1961, a newly elected member of the California State Assembly, Jerome R. Waldie, introduced a bill that read in full, “frogs may be taken using slingshot.” Little did he know that this bill would plague him through out his political career in the California Legislature, in the United States Congress, and as a candidate for governor of California. Our guest is Nestle J. Frobish, the Chair-Creature of the World Wide Fair Play for Frogs Committee, an organization founded in Berkeley, California soon after what became to be known as the “frog murder bill.” “Fair Play for Frogs, The Waldie – Frobish Papers,” the collected correspondence between Nestle J. Frobish and former Congressman Jerome R. Waldie was published as political spoof in 1977. Around that time some misinformed people, including Congressman Waldie accused me of being Nestle J. Frobish, something I am not now, nor ever have been. I spoke with Nestle J. Frobish by phone while he was lurking near a pond at Frog Central in northern Vermont on May 21, 2007, so this rather preposterous story could be told. Jerome Waldie is also a guest and his interview may be found on this web-site.
Nestle J. Frobish recommends "State of Denial" by Bob Woodward.
Originally Broadcast: May 21, 2007
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
You've Got to be Kidding …
Radio Curious is a program of interviews with those we wonder about. I’ve often wondered about Woodstock of 1969. I’ve often wondered how it got going and what its ramifications were. Why does the recollection make some people puke? So, I thought I’d ask Wavy Gravy, a man with insight on the subject far beyond most other people. We discussed Woodstock and other stories in July of 2000.
Wavy Gravy recommends "The Laughing Sutra," Mark Salzman & "Angela's Ashes," by Frank McCourt.
Originally Broadcast: July 25, 2000
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Fresh Air
If you like interview programs perhaps you have listened to Fresh Air, produced in Philadelphia and broadcast regularly on this and other public radio stations, and hosted by a woman named Terry Gross, our guest on this edition of Radio Curious. I wanted to know who she is, and what she does to prepare for and create Fresh Air. I spoke with her by phone from her home, near Philadelphia, and asked her how she does it, how does she put together so many interesting programs so frequently.
Terry Gross recommends "Self-Consciousness: Memoirs," by John Updike & "U and I," by Nicholson Baker.
Originally Broadcast: March 7, 1994
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
The Spontaneous Spoken Word
Are poets philosophers? Doesn’t the creative moment reveal a personal truth to share? Must a poem be recited the same way every time? The spontaneous spoken word is a form of poetry that sometimes leaves the listener wondering if what is said really is spontaneous. Steve Hellman is a poet who lives and speaks in Mendocino County and, in this program, shared some spontaneous spoken words.
Steve Hellman recommends "Crazy Wisdom," by Scoop Nesber.
Originally Broadcast: January 15, 2005
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
M. Wayne Knight
Rural American Artist in Cambodia
Wayne Knight, an artist based in Mendocino County, California with over 40 years of experience, traveled very little before he found himself in Phnom Phen, Cambodia in 1995 and 1996. He spent just under a year there, looking, seeing, and painting scenes that previously were beyond his imagination. Wayne Knight also worked with the Cambodian Defenders’ Project in developing computer access to their legal resources in Cambodia. His experience verified his security and, in many ways, enhanced his continuing growth as an artist. Other programs you may enjoy are with Daniel Ellsberg discussing the Pentagon Papers and Vietman, and with Linda Kremer, Esq., a Marin County, California, public defender who took a leave of absence to direct the Cambodian Defenders Project. They both may be found on this website.
Wayne Knight recommends “Living My Life,” by Emma Goldman.
Originally Broadcast: April 2, 1997
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Eunice Lipton
Seduced by France
French Seduction: An American’s Encounter with France, Her Father, and the Holocaust.
In a passionate blend of autobiography and cultural history, love, sex and art collide with hatred, withering French xenophobia and death, author Eunice Lipton, our guest in this edition of Radio Curious, describes her book “French Seduction: An American’s Encounter with France, Her Father, and the Holocaust.” Lipton, who lives in Paris and New York received her Ph.D. in art history at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts. I spoke with her from her home in New York City the last week of March 2007 and asked her to tell us about her friends who she calls art since she describes paintings as her favorite companions.
Eunice Lipton recommends “The Good Soldier: A Tale of Passion,” by Ford Madox Ford..
Originally Broadcast: March 28, 2007
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
George Mann & Julius Margolin
Union Folk Songs
Julius Margolin and George Mann, two men separated in age by almost 46 years, are what might be called traveling troubadours. They carry the message of working people in song and spirit, bringing a wealth of union history wherever they go.
George Mann recommends "Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee," by Dee Brown. Julain Margolin recommends books authored by Michael Moore.
Originally Broadcast: May 6, 2003
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Bruce Patterson
Old Time Tales of Anderson Valley
Walking Tractor And Other Tales of Old Anderson Valley
Stories of the days that no longer exist in rural areas tell us how things were, how people worked lived and played, and bring to life conditions that most of us never knew existed. “Walking Tractor and Other Tales of Old Anderson Valley, “ is a collection of stories written by Bruce Patterson, who lives in Philo, a rather small community in rural Anderson Valley, Mendocino County, California. The introduction to “Walking Tractor,” quotes Ernest Hemmingway as saying “You can only write about what you know,” something that is verified in the stories of Bruce Patterson, who is know to his friends as Pat. I met with Pat in the studio of Radio Curious, in the last week of August, 2006 to learn about his life, his stories and the man he is.
www.4mules.com
Originally Broadcast: August 30, 2006
Click here to begin listening.
-------------------------------------------------------
Ed Rinehart
The Piano Player Tour: 2007 Report
Ed Reinhart is an old friend and a wonderful piano player. Almost five years ago Ed changed the direction of his life by setting out on an adventure to western Europe. He now lives in northern Italy in the summer months and in Virigina during the other times of the year. Ed has deep roots in Mendocino County and returns here often. I heard him play during his current visit to Ukiah and invited him to visit the studio of Radio Curious again and give us an update on his life and thought since we last spoke shortly before he left on his adventure.
Ed Rinehart recommends "A Fortune-Teller Told Me: Earthbound Travels in the Far East," by Tiziano Terzani.
Originally Broadcast: January 14, 2007
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Don't Shoot The Piano Player
Earl Dixon is a veteran traveler, a veteran piano player, and he’s actually a veteran, too. An interesting story. Earl Dixon, the man on this show, traveled around the world, and has a lot of familiar stories to tell to those of us here in Mendocino County.
Originally Broadcast: June 11, 2002
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Ken Rockwell
A View Through the Lens: Photography and the Internet
With the help of a camera, especially a digital camera, and the internet we may now see portions of what other people have seen and sent our way or perhaps have made public. Sometime soon I hope to present some visual images I think special in addition to the sound images you can hear here on the Radio Curious website. In preparation for creating those images I found my way to an intriguing photography website called www.kenrockwell.com. This website has many references about cameras, how to choose and use them, and it also tells the story of a man who freely shares his knowledge and skills about photography. After reading his website I invited Ken Rockwell to join us for a conversation about photography, cameras, websites and the use of the internet. Ken Rockwell and I visited by phone in early May, 2006, from his home near San Diego, California. For him, good photography narrows down to seeing better which he describes to be more of a feeling than an actual momentary vision.
www.kenrockwell.com
Ken Rockwell recommends "Ten-Thousand Miles of America," by Richard A. Suleski, Jr..
Originally Broadcast: May 9, 2006
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Pete Seeger
Thoughts from a Troubador: An Interview with Pete Seeger
This archive edition of Radio Curious was originally recorded and broadcast in January of 1992 when Radio Curious was called “Government, Politics and Ideas.” Our guest is Pete Seeger, a folk musician and a very special person in the lives of many people around the world. He brings songs of hope, peace, justice and equality wherever he goes. He was an inspiration to me when I first learned to play the 5-string banjo and when I took lessons from him, in what seems both long and ago and, just yesterday. We began our conversation when I asked him what he meant when he said “the world is in a state of uncertainty.”
Originally Broadcast: January 20, 1992
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Jerome Waldie
Fair Play For Frogs, Part 2
As a lawyer and a student of political science, I have come to appreciate the anomalies and humor of politics. One story that fits both of those categories well is the relationship between Nestle J. Frobish, the Chair-creature of World-Wide Fair Play for Frogs Committee and his former nemesis and the former Congressional Representative from the region just east of San Francisco, California, Jerome R. Waldie. Their dissension arose in 1961 when Waldie was a freshman member of the California State Assembly and chose to introduce what came to be known as the “Frog Murder Bill,” resulting in Frobish organizing what turned out to be a 45 year campaign to get Waldie to renounce, what Frobish called his “vestigial impurities” visited upon him as the “mad butcher of the swamp.” Waldie finally acceded in 2006 and in this interview recorded in mid June 2007 tells us why.
Jerome Waldie recommends "It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis.
Originally Broadcast: June 11, 2007
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Ron Whitehead & Sarah Elizabeth
Beat Poets of Kentucky
What is poetry and song? Perhaps we’ll find out in this program, with guests Ron Whitehead and Sarah Elizabeth from Campbellsville, Kentucky. They visited the studios of Radio Curious in May of 2004. You can learn more about Ron Whitehead and Sarah Elizabeth at their website, www.tappingmyownphone.com.
Ron Whitehead & Sarah Elizabeth recommend "Red Dust," by Mai Jong & "Devil's Dream," by Lee Smith.
Originally Broadcast: September 28, 2004
Click here to begin listening.
|
