The Free Bin

Deb, Harrison and (briefly) Denyse close out National Poetry Month with a few classic readings. Denyse shares some of this month's book spine poetry, created by patrons! Deb whips out her Perkins in front of everybody. Harrison lets loose with the circus juice. Deb gets deep about the little man who wasn't there. In this episode: "Antigonish: by William Hughes Mearns "Caverns Measureless to Man" b...

Harrison shares a brief announcement.

The gang explores the world of self-sufficiency, and books thereabout. Deb breaks down the basics of off-grid living, and introduces our upcoming (as of this recording) foraging classes! Harrison introduces a gimmicky energy drink to Weird Soda Time and tests its purpoted pre-workout benefits. Denyse eats a dandelion and whatever lives in it. Bear Grylls plays it safe, and an ancient Florida Man p...

Content warning: This episode includes a brief discussion of suicide. Deb, Denyse and Harrison discuss a few of April's many monthlong observances. Topics include poetry, jazz, volunteering, Harrison being weird about saying names, what killed George Michael, and the eldritch wizardry of Dennis the Book-Mender. Skiddly-bop!   In this episode: Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) self-assessment "The Guit...

Harrison reads " Woods Medicine ," from Dallas Lore Sharp's " The Spring of the Year " (1909).

Denyse and Harrison introduce a week of Spring Break activities! They also discuss Tom Hanks, Mr. Rogers, Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers, ideal llama conditions, the cultural role of the Waffle House, and the challenges of enjoying Spring Break as a teacher. Don't look down on the lazy river! In this episode: "The Dutch House" by Ann Patchett 

Harrison has a chat with Lori Tobias and Chan Christiansen. Lori is a longtime Oregon coast reporter, while her husband Chan is a recently-retired traveling lineman. They share their personal and professional stories of the coast and beyond, and reflect on their shared life of adventure. Topics include a hidden spring, the weight of tragedy in a tight-knit community, the ramifications of increasin...

Deb shares some facts for Women's History Month, and initiates a game of "Stump Harrison." Harrison shares some books for the occasion. Topics include the women's suffrage movement, John Glenn's assertion that women can't fight wars or fly planes, a book about the many women who had already sucessfully done both at the same time, Zach de la Rocha aging against the machine, and more. In this episod...

We celebrate the approach of springtime with a discussion of gardening books--from guerrilla gardening guides to Beverley Nichols' improbably entertaining plant-based stories. Also, we talk worms, mushrooms, and galloping crocodiles.

Harrison reads a translation of Hans Christian Andersen's 1861 story "The Snow Man," as it appears in "The Pink Fairy Book" by Andrew Lang (1897). Disney's "Frozen" is based on "The Snow Queen" (another Andersen tale), but this interesting little dialogue between a snow man and a dog might be the inspiration for the character of Olaf. Stay warm, friends!

Deb, Denyse and Harrison share a few interesting things they learned this week. Denyse leads a Peeps-flavored Pepsi tasting and shares a story about Ronald McNair's childhood run-in with a bad librarian, and later discusses the grooming habits of warthogs. Deb discusses life lessons from Aikido and the history of protest. Harrison shares a virtual recreation of an ancient city, and reveals his irr...

Deb, Denyse and Harrison discuss author photos, and engage in some gentle roasting of authors they love. Husband-and-wife Egyptologists commit to their bit. Tomie dePaola ages gracefully. David Baldacci has a deal for you. In this episode: Ayobami Adebayo Caitlin Aliferenka & Martin Ganda David Baldacci Tom Clancy Catherine Coulter Clive Cussler The Darnells Tomie dePaola Lamya H Victoria Jamieson...

Deb and Harrison talk science fiction, fantasy and sci-fi fantasy, from antiquity to our many possible futures. Harrison dreams of being a grimy early-'90s cyberpunk hacker antihero. Dune fan Deb ventures deep into the deserts of Arrakis and finds affordable dune buggy rentals. Be sure to check out Coos Bay Public Library's awesome podcast " Swords and Starships " if you like stories with swords a...

Science nerds Denyse and Harrison exchange fun and informative science titles, with feedback from literature nerd Deb. Also, Deb and Harrison misidentify a hippopotamus. In this episode: "All in a Drop" by Lori Alexander "Caterpillar and Bean" by Martin Jenkins "A Dinosaur Named" Ruth by Julia Lyon "The Disappearing Spoon" by Sam Kean "Find Out About Animal Babies" by Martin Jenkins "The Geek Dad...

Content warning: This episode contains references to violence, crime scene science and intimate anatomy (not at the same time, fortunately). Harrison shows Deb some weird, wild, unique and unusual titles from our collection. Some are good. Some are bad. Some are... something else. In this Episode: "The Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo," a semi-autobiographical novel by Oscar Zeta Acosta "Death Inv...

Deb and Harrison explore the weird and messy symbiotic relationship between libraries and the world of publishing. Expect takes of varying temperature on such topics as digital rights management (DRM), bestseller lists, academic journal subscriptions, and the many devious ways in which public libraries continue to victimize the downtrodden, shivering and unshod CEOs of various multinational publis...

Deb and Harrison discuss some books they read in 2022, and some they are looking forward to in 2023. Deb challenges the Crown while Harrison shaves Sasquatch.    Discussed in this episode: The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff  Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? by Harold Schecter and Eric Powell The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver by Jill Heinerth How...

Deb listens to some of Harrison's favorite strange and/or historically significant sounds. In this episode: Ötzi Nesyamun Phonautograph Frank Lambert's Talking Clock Alessandro Moreschi Radu Marian Upsweep UVB-76 University of Twente's WebSDR

Harrison shares a short Christmas story from 1908 about Santa Claus battling an army of goblins. In this episode: The Goblins' Christmas by Elizabeth Anderson "Goblin Mode"

Author Lee Lynch joins Denyse and Harrison to discuss her career in lesbian fiction, from the time of Stonewall to her most recent work. Discussed in this episode: Lee Lynch

Deb, Denyse and Harrison discuss junior fiction and young-adult reading, with a focus on the books that made them who they are today (oops!). Deb reveals the shadowy syndicate behind Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Denyse shares her deep identification with Fern from Charlotte's Web, and later Harrison absolutely fails to befriend a spider. Also, Deb and Harrison share an exciting announcement abou...

Deb and Harrison share a couple of their favorite stories for you to enjoy while you slightly overcook the turkey and realize you forgot to get butter when you were at the store. Hey, it's OK! In this episode: "The Mezzotint," from Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M.R. James "The Will-o-the-Wisp is in the Town, Says the Moor Woman," from Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen

November is National Novel Writing Month, and this week Deb is joined by the "Jew Girls" (the Newport-based writing team of Jess Bondy, Sara Heimlich and Carla Perry) to discuss their new globe-trotting adventure novel! Topics include the collaborative writing process, reconnecting with heritage, the meaning of Purim, and (of course) a very special talking animal sidekick. Discussed this week: The...

November is National Model Railroad Month! Harrison is joined by Lisa Watson, Alan Holzapfel and Ray Cauduro of the Yaquina Pacific Railroad Historical Society (YPRHS) to discuss big happenings at the Library and the YPRHS museum, and to chat about all things trains (from Z-scale to full-scale). Discussed in this episode: Holiday Express (Oregon Rail Heritage Center) National Model Railroad Associ...

Library staff and friends perform some dramatic scenes from Shakespeare. Rehearsals? Never! Theater experience? No! Familiarity with the source material? Sometimes. Soundboard full of goofy sound effects? Check! Errata: We can't find a Region 1 DVD of Al Pacino's Richard III performance, nor can we find a copy of his documentary about it. We've linked to the Wikipedia entry on it below. In this ep...