Episode 127 - Flies & Magpies: Playwright Spotlight with Laura Thoma
Episode One Hundred Twenty Seven Show Notes
KEY: CW = Chris Wolak and EF = Emily Fine
Emily read a poem by Nila Northsun titled “99 Things To Do Before You Die” from her When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry edited by Joy Harjo.
– Currently Reading –
When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry edited by Joy Harjo
The Finest Hours The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Most Daring Sea Rescue – Casey Sherman and Michael J. Tougias (CW)(audio)
Bird in Hand – Christina Baker Kline (EF)(audio)
Blessing the Boats New and Selected Poems 1988-2000 – Lucille Clifton (CW)
Chris read “poem to my uterus”
Bean by Bean: A Cookbook – Crescent Dragonwagon (EF)
– Just Read –
We had two books we DNF’d:
So Others May Live: Coast Guard’s Rescue Swimmers: Saving Lives, Defying Death – Martha Laguardia-Kotite and Tom Ridge (CW)(audio)
Klara and the Sun – Kazuo Ishiguro (EF)
These Women – Ivy Pochoda (CW)(audio)
Beautiful & Full of Monsters – Courtney LeBlanc (EF)
Emily Read the poem “Forest Fires”
Green – Melissa Fite Johnson (EF) release date 5/1/2021
Emily Read the poem “The Immediacy” and “Visitation”
Around America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles – Mara Rockliff (CW)(audio)
Somebody’s Daughter – Ashley C. Ford (EF)
– Biblio Adventures –
We had a joint jaunt to Old Saybrook, CT to visit author Ann Petry’s, childhood home and the Acton Public Library. You can watch a video of the biblio adventure here.
Emily went to Savoy Bookshop and Café in Westerly, RI. Two books were purchased: The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones and The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal about Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power by Deirdre Mask. Watch the video of our chat with bookstore owner Annie Philbrick here.
Chris participated in a Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon. If you are interested in becoming an editor, check out the Wikipedia information page here.
– Upcoming Jaunts –
Chris is attending a lecture on April 15 with Laura Millar titled Just, Temperate, and Brave: The Importance Evidence – and Evidence Keepers – In Chaotic Times via IUPUI. You can register for the event here. Dr. Millar’s book is A Matter of Facts: The Value of Evidence in an Information Age.
Emily is moderating an event via the Newburyport Literary Festival. The festival will take April 23-25, 2021.
Emily’s event is on April 24 at 9am EST with Deirdre Mask author of The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal about Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power. Register for the event here.
– Upcoming Reads –
The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal about Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power – Deirdre Mask (EF)
A Poetry Handbook – Mary Oliver (EF)
Fast Funny Women – edited by Gina Barreca (EF)
The Age of Light – Whitney Scharer (CW)(EF)
Leaving Coy’s Hill – Katherine A. Sherbrooke (CW)
– Playwright Spotlight with Laura Thoma –
Laura’s new play, Magpie, was just published from Next Stage Press.
Learn more about Laura and her many projects here.
Check out Episode 66 to hear Laura’s radio play: Yours In Words.
Honor Roll! is an advocacy and action group of women playwrights over forty.
– 17th Readalong discussion –
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
The discussion will drop on June 8th via Episode 131, please get questions/comments to us by June 2nd. The Goodreads discussion thread can be found HERE.
The Zoom discussion will take place on Sunday, May 30th at 7:00 p.m. (EST). If you would like to join in please send an email to save a spot.
You can find the beautifully bound anniversary edition of the book here. Note: this is in celebration of Milkweed Editions 40th anniversary, not the anniversary of the book which was originally published in 2013.
With Jenny / Reading Envy Podcast – we will be reading When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry – edited by Joy Harjo, Jennifer Elise Foerster, and Leanne Howe
More details about the readalong can be found on the Reading Envy Goodreads discussion thread.
Extra Credit: A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver
– Also Mentioned –
Also by Christina Baker Kline: Orphan Train and Exiles
U.S. Coast Guard Academy
Riot in Your Throat press
Playwright Lauren Gunderson
Steel Magnolias
Jane Austen
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