I sit at the loom, my hands moving the strings and feet stomping the pedals, my mind is busy absorbing books and podcasts. There are SO many powerful stories being told, & fascinating and important information being shared in podcast form right now I want everyone to share in this bounty! So here they are, book, podcast and maybe sometimes musical recommendations.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of favorites. I will be adding to this list very frequently. Please do feel free to contact me with recommendations of your own if you'd like.
Guide Books
This may become its own section in the future, but for now I'll start with the mushrooms.
Mushrooms Demystified and All That the Rain Promises and More by David Aurora are THE books for your mushroom identification journey. All That the Rain Promises and More is the field guide that should always live in your pack during the rainy seasons, and MD is a voluminous compendium that goes hand in hand with the field guide. It is a world into deeper knowledge on the subject.
Radical Mycology by Peter McCoy
As long as i am writing about the world of fungi, i must also recommend Radical Mycology by Peter McCoy. Its brilliant, and if you are interested in learning more about the mycelial world, this book is absolutley a must read.
On Being episode with Adrienne Maree Brown
Yet another rich and beautiful episode from the On Being show. I am going to just use the description on the On Being website here - “What a time to be alive,” adrienne maree brown has written. “Right now we are in a fast river together — every day there are changes that seemed unimaginable until they occurred.” adrienne maree brown and others use many words and phrases to describe what she does, and who she is: A student of complexity. A student of change and of how groups change together. A “scholar of belonging.” A “scholar of magic.” She grew up loving science fiction, and thought we’d be driving flying cars by now; and yet, has found in speculative fiction the transformative force of vision and imagination that might in fact save us. Our younger listeners have asked to hear adrienne maree brown’s voice on On Being, and here she is, as we enter our own time of evolution. This conversation shines a light on an emerging ecosystem in our world over and against the drumbeat of what is fractured and breaking: working with the complex fullness of reality, and cultivating old and new ways of seeing, to move towards a transformative wholeness of living.
Author: adrienne maree brown
Deep by James Nestor
After enough people recommend a book, I know its time to just read it. This book is so good I listened to it twice in one week. Human biology and the water, freediving, the astounding and mysterious lives of sperm whales...this book is facinating.
House of Rain & Virga and Bone by Craig Childs
History, geology, life and the desert. These books are beautiful, deeply enriching and fascinating. I love the way he speaks of the desert and a love for this place in all its forms with all of its intricate layers.
From Craig Childs' website - "The word "vanish" cannot be used without a sense of irony. Vanishing is a magic trick, a slight of hand. Nothing ever truly disappears. There is always a ghost of movement, a twig broken on the ground, a path leading away. There was once a Neolithic civilization in the Southwest, a culture of celestial monuments and networks of roads. According to common belief, the people vanished around the 13th century A.D. The larger civilization vanished, but the culture did not. This book is the flash of motion you see from the corner of your eye, the dart of a vanished civilization. I am looking behind the magic trick and finding a story far more elaborate and driving than the "mysterious disappearance of the Anasazi."
Feasting Wild by Gina Rae La Cerva
Feasting Wild by Gina Rae La Cerva is a facinating exploration into the history and current state of eating wild foods, along side stories of human history, ecology, love, exploration and our stewardship of the land.
On Being - With Jane Goodall
Author: Jane Goodall
On Being is a podcast that I have been visiting from time to time for years. The poetry, philosophy and inner explorations that are shared are brilliant. I love being on the journey of exploring what it means to be human through this podcast. This interview with Jane Goodall is quite wonderful.
Another episode of On Being I reccomend is the unedited interview with Drew Lanham . In fact, i loved the interview so much that I promptly downloaded his book The Home Place and finished listening to it in two days. Also highly recommended.
Ologies - Dolorology
Alie Ward
Ologies is another podcast that I've been listening to for years, and once I discovered it, went back and listened to all of the back episodes. Its informative and entertaining! This particular eisode I found to be quite poignant and thought provoking. It is an interview with pain psychologist Dr. Rachel Zoffness. Check it out!
Craftsmanship Quarterly - The Human Cost of Recycled Cotton
Alden Wicker is an award-winning journalist and sustainable fashion expert.
This podcast is one I discovered through the Fibershed (https://fibershed.org) emails that I receive. Though I've only listened to a few episodes, I'm really enjoying it. This episode about the human cost of recycled cotton has a lot of extremely relevant information about our clothing systems. Please give it a listen.
This is Love - Among the Oak Trees
I highly recommend every episode of the podcast This is Love, however the episode Among the Oak trees was particularly powerful. It is a deeply moving story of compassion in the face of hate.
Haptic & Hue
This podcast if for the real textile nerd! I started listening to it, and promptly listened to all of the back episodes. The history, background and human experience woven into textiles are fascinating.
The Dirtbag Diaries - Endangered Spaces--Oak Flat
Donna M. Cameron
One of the main reasons (other than family) why I decided to live in the States is because of our wilderness and open space. Wilderness is precious and necessary.
This is another podcast that I really enjoy. This particular episode is a must listen for many reasons. It is unbelievable that in this day and age large corporations are still able to destroy irreplaceable wild spaces for the sake of temporarty profits for a very few.
On Being - A few Episodes
Here is a list of a few episodes of this brilliant podcast that have stuck with me. If you get the podcast version, there is the option to listen to the unedited interviews instead of the produced-radio versions. I frequently prefer to listen to the full interviews. I love listening to the conversations flow!
Parker J. Palmer
Author: Bessel van der Kolk M.D.
Two books by Robin Wall Kimmerer
In the last year I read (listened to) two brilliant, beautiful and inspiring books Braiding Sweetgrass and Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The audiobook versions are both read by the author, which I really loved. Please read these books!!!!!!!
0The Overstory by Richard powers
I just finished this book in the last week. Its wonderful. If you didn't ponder your love of trees before, you will after reading this.
April 15, 2019
Big Mikey Dread Reggae Radio
I am so excited that this podcast is back in the world! We first listened to it many years ago, and enjoyed the heck out of it for many years, until Big Mikey Dread took a break from creating his awesome show. But now he is back! If you love some sweet sweet reggae music, give this show a go!
You can find the show on your podcast app, facebook, podomatic or mixcloud. (Just look up Bigmikeydread reggae radio)