Magnus Toren, host

A Big Sur Podcast

Society EN ↓ 127 episodes

A Big Sur Podcast An ongoing conversation with people from near and far about Big Sur's past, present, and future. A Big Sur Podcast interprets “community” to mean ALL people from around the world who are curious about, and who care about, the preservation and restoration of the wild and rural character of Big Sur. Stories are told by visitors and residents, plumbers and linesmen, musicians and authors, dancers and jugglers and others. Sometimes we drift (way) off-topic into the arts, sciences, personal stories, gossip, politics, philosophy, ornithology, Henry Miller, and our zeitgeist in gene...

Author

Magnus Toren, host

Episodes

# 79 Quiet Days in Clichy - Jours Tranquilles a Clichy - A beautiful new French edition. With Charles Ficat and Michael Paduano in Paris. 20.11.2023 1:04:36

Send us Fan Mail Charles Ficat of Editions Bartillat in Paris and Michael Paduano, PhD student at Université de Lorraine , in a conversation with Magnus about the brand new French edition of Quiet Days in Clichy! w/ Special guest Al Rose! We mention: Michael Paduano's first appearance. Michael Paduano's second appearance! Brassaî Walter Benjamin Pier Paolo Pasolini Gertrude Stein Bob...

# 78 The Burden of Joy. A conversation with author Lexi Kent-Monning. "We were stranded on opposite sides of the crashed Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge!" 17.11.2023 1:47:32

Send us Fan Mail The Burden of Joy by 'our own' Lexi Kent-Monning. A wonderful conversation about writing, life, relationships and The Burden of Joy! We are sitting by the creek back in the Redwood canyon. Please join us! >>>>>>>> Lexi's main site online LA Review of Books Please email us with your thoughts! >>>>>>>> “Never before has...

# 77 Paul Kephart: Ecologist and naturalist with a deep history, love and knowledge of the Big Sur coast. 08.11.2023 1:16:14

Send us Fan Mail As Principal Ecologist and Designer at RANA, Paul is sought after as a pioneer and innovator of living architectural systems, a thought-leader in ecological design, and a dedicated horticulturalist. He has consulted on many groundbreaking and iconic projects, including large-scale living roofs and living walls, site master plans, and cumulative restoration of many thousands of acr...

# 76 My friend Dan Weiss reports from the war in Israel. Please listen. 30.10.2023 1:12:20

Send us Fan Mail On October 7 Dan woke up to a regular Sabbath in his hometown, Bet Shemesh. It turned out to be something very different than a 'regular' Sabbath! My good friend Dan Weiss talks about the current war in Israel. Dan and I met in Big Sur 30 (or so) years ago. We have stayed in touch ever since. I am proud of my friendship with him. Dan is married with four children and the...

# 75 Nocturnalia: Nature in the Western Night w/ José Gabriel Martínez-Fonseca and Charles Hood 04.10.2023 1:08:29

Send us Fan Mail A conversation between Magnus and authors and photographers Charles Wood and José Gabriel Martínez-Fonseca about their book "Nocturnalia: Nature in the Western Night." Some good links for more: Charles Hood: Wild Sonoma A Salad Only the Devil Would Eat José Gabriel Martínez-Fonseca: Sea Turtles to Sidewinders Photography by José Heyday Books Support the show ____________...

# 74 California Against the Sea: Visions for Our Vanishing Coastline. Magnus is talking with author Rosanna Xia. 16.09.2023 1:14:35

Send us Fan Mail Heyday presents California Against the Sea Rosanna Xia’s California Against the Sea with Steve Lopez Rosanna's LA Times page Support the show _________________________________________________ This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County! Let us know what you think! SEND US AN EMAIL ! 😊 magnus@henrym...

# 73 State Senator John Laird: Once you left Carmel Highlands and went south you were in the Wild West! 14.09.2023 47:38

Send us Fan Mail State Senator John Laird in a conversation with Magnus. >>>>>>> John Laird's website Invite to the River Inn on September 22 Support the show _________________________________________________ This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County! Let us know what you think! SEND US AN EM...

# 72 Feathered Canyons: Big Sur circa 1964! Author Jeanette Hanby at Nepenthe with Bill Hargis, Eric Barker, Gold mining, watching lions! A typical Big Sur story! 06.09.2023 1:14:32

Send us Fan Mail Jeannette Hanby grew up in a paved-over Southern California “wanting to know how to stop humans from ruining the planet.” After a high school teacher exposed her to philosophy, Jeannette majored in physiological psychology at UC Berkeley before working with abandoned and abused children in Los Angeles County. Emotionally exhausted, she found refuge in Big Sur. (Sound familiar!) He...

# 71 A conversation at a small café in rural North Carolina 31.08.2023 28:32

Send us Fan Mail A conversation at a café in a small town in rural North Carolina. Episode photo is of Mio, a new family member! >>>>>>>> Zachary Beare Support the show _________________________________________________ This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County! Let us know what you think! SEND...

# 70 Big Sur Women with Rachel Anne Goodman 17.08.2023 56:22

Send us Fan Mail Speaking with Rachel Anne Goodman about her late Mother Judith Goodman. We touch on Judith's background, her work in Big Sur, friendships and passion for the landscape and culture of Big Sur. We also speak of our plan to publish parts of the book "Big Sur Women" in audio format. Please stay tuned! Links below will get you to more on some of what we speak of. Special...

# 69 The Manhattan Project, Porter, Jackson, Miller & Oppenheimer 07.08.2023 30:11

Send us Fan Mail On the anniversary (or close to) the dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima this episode takes a look at the small book "These 50 Years Gone" by Bern Porter a close friend of Henry Miller's. Published by Roger Jackson the book includes quotes by Miller. Special thanks to Roger Jackson for giving us permission to quote and read from his publication "These...

# 68 Kate Daniels, candidate for the 5th district Supervisor seat. The future of Big Sur is in the balance😊! 12.07.2023 1:24:56

Send us Fan Mail Kate is in full swing campaigning for the 5th District Supervisor seat. We talk about the job of public service, some of Kate's ambitions, I get a civic lesson, it is a good conversation. Visit Kate's website HERE. Here are links to some of the folks we mention in this episode: Shelley Alden Brooks Karin Strasser Kaufmann Mary Adams Leon Panetta Jimmy Panetta John Lair...

# 67 The Darkness Manifesto by Johan Eklöf 04.07.2023 1:16:10

Send us Fan Mail A conversation with Johan Eklöf, author of The Darkness Manifesto. When I first came to Big Sur I used to drive my motorcycle between Bixby Canyon and Ventana Inn. I drove several days, and some nights, each week. When going north from Ventana at night the part of the ride from River Inn to Bixby was in almost total darkness (especially during new moon), only the lighthouse swung...

# 65 A conversation with Weston Call's Mother on the occasion of his Birthday and the five year anniversary of his passing.. 13.06.2023 1:05:14

Send us Fan Mail Weston Call passed away August 12, 2018. His birthday is June 28. Many in Big Sur knew him. If you didn't know him here's a chance for you to get a glimpse into who he was. This is a conversation with Weston's Mom, Galen. We talk of many things. I am grateful, and I believe you will be too, for the openness and willingness with which Galen is talking about how she h...

# 64 From Easter Island to Big Sur: Please welcome Sonia Haoa Cardinali! 05.06.2023 1:29:53

Send us Fan Mail A middle aged couple walks in to the Henry Miller Library sometime in 2019. They come down the path under the redwoods like so many others have done before them. This time however I wonder: Who is the woman accompanying them! She looks like she’s from the island. Turns out the woman is Sonia Haoa Cardinale from Easter Island/Rapa Nui. We had a wonderful afternoon! We are now conne...

# 63 The Questions That Matter Most with Jane Smiley. Also featuring Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, Shakespeare and Alice Munro! 30.05.2023 1:16:54

Send us Fan Mail # 63 The Questions That Matter Most with Jane Smiley . We talk about writing, spelling and grammar and learning how to read. We mention Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope , Shakespeare, Alice Munro and how to kill! WELCOME TO Jane Smiley at the Henry Miller Library, July 29. We will focus on her latest book: :"The Questions That Matter Most" LIST OF JANE SMIL...

# 62 Pico Iyer | The Half Known Life | New Camaldoli Hermitage, Big Sur, Jerusalem, Greece, Leonard Cohen, Thomas Merton, Dalai Lama, Cyprian, Japan, Tahiti... 11.05.2023 1:41:25

Send us Fan Mail We have a wonderful conversation roaming from Jerusalem to Vanuatu, from Atheism to Greek Orthodoxy and from Thomas Merton to Sam Harris! Oh...and from Dalai Lama to Henry Miller! The Half Known Life Best place to visit Pico Iyer online is his website HERE! Pici Iyer on Wiki : HERE New Camaldoli Hermitage HERE THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! Support the show _____________________________...

# 61 A new book by Henry Miller! The Book of Conversations with David Edgar. 04.05.2023 54:16

Send us Fan Mail Magnus speak with Michael Paduano about the soon to be published book The Book of Conversations with David Edgar and also about the literary archival detective work that eventually resulted in its publication…it is an exciting story! Some of you remember Michael from Episode 31 of a Big Sur Podcast - I recommend listening to that episode as well of course. The Paris Review w/ exce...

# 60 Big Sur Ronna Rio Riding Water Buffaloes, Giraffes & Teaching Art! 23.04.2023 1:42:27

Send us Fan Mail Ronna Rio Emmons is well known and loved in the Big Sur community perhaps especially because of her many years being our art teacher. Ronna, and her husband Michael and I, have fun talking and we cover a few good stories. Below are links and comments about some of what we speak of. (Michael, as you will realize, will have to have his own podcast episode!!...so please stay tuned!...

# 59 Israeli journalist and writer Yossi Klein Halevi. 18.04.2023 1:26:42

Send us Fan Mail I met Yossi Klein Halevi when I was in Jerusalem in early 2020. We have stayed in touch ever since that fateful day. His voice is important in Israel as you will hear. I hope you take the time to listen to this podcast and then to read all of Yossi's books, and listen to his talks on YouTube, other podcast etc.. By doing so you will get to know a wonderful man. LINKS: Yossi K...

# 58 Darryl Purpose: Writing Songs, Playing Blackjack, Telling Stories and the Great March! 11.04.2023 1:38:19

Send us Fan Mail Action packed podcast episode with Darryl Purpose! And he is soon coming to the Library: Tickets HERE for the April 29th evening with Darryl Purpose at the Library Some folks we mention during our chat: Ellis Paul Paul Simon The Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament Mozart Support the show _________________________________________________ This podcast is a production of...

# 57 Joshua Yaffa of the New Yorker magazine speaks with Magnus about journalism in wartime Ukraine and Russia. 24.03.2023 1:34:43

Send us Fan Mail Joshua's article about the recent arrest of Evan Gershkovich. >>>>>>>>>>> A podcast co- hosted with the Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies , based at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. The Monterey Initiative is supported by Carnegie Corporation of New York. Joshua Yaffa visited the Middlebury Institute by invit...

# 56 Stranded, Finding Nature In Uncertain Times by Maddalena Bearzi 16.03.2023 1:07:29

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to a conversation with author and marine conservation biologist Maddalena Bearzi on the occasion of her most recent book being published by Heyday Books on April 18, 2023. Books by Ms Bearzi: Stranded: Finding Nature in Uncertain Times Beautiful Minds: The Parallel Lives of Great Apes and Dolphins Dolphin Confidential: Confessions of a Field Biologist To find more about Ma...

# 55 The Revolt of The Public. A conversation with author and former CIA analyst Martin Gurri. 05.03.2023 2:00:06

Send us Fan Mail A wonderful recorded conversation at the Henry Miller Library with Martin Gurri , a geopolitical analyst and student of new media and information effects. Martin Gurri spent many years working in the corner of the CIA dedicated to the analysis of open media. From that privileged perch, he watched the global information landscape undergo a transformation so radical as to seem...

# 54 Betty Withrow. From as high up, and deep, in Big Sur as one can get! 28.02.2023 1:27:37

Send us Fan Mail Betty's Amazon Page Please email us with comments, suggestions etc. Thanks! Some of the places and people mentioned: Elaine (Bird) and Twig Westmere Naqarubi Point 16 Neil Rose Fleet Montgomery Jaime Morton Glen Harlan Whiz Bang Loggers Pacific Valley Mike and Marla Sarah Harlan Jolon Support the show _________________________________________________ This podcast is a pr...