Confessing Animals

Vanessa Aricco is a multimedia poet and co-host of Confessing Animals, an interview-style podcast discussing creativity with writers and artists. Her work includes two poetry albums, The Midnight Rush , and Human Animal . She is a Charlotte Street Foundation Studio Resident in Kansas City, MO. Her work can be found at vanessaaricco.com and @pettinellawinters on Instagram. Join our Patreon to get V...

Surprise! Enjoy this bonus episode as we prepare for Season 3. Dropping September 7, 2021 Discussion includes: Spoiler Alert and CW Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain Suicide, depression & creativity COVID-lockdown  Parenting Internet culture  Capitalism  AND Lots of F-BOMBS! Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities an...

Nicole Boggs is a Nashville-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and front-woman for Rock/Americana band, Nicole Boggs & The Reel. Sometimes she writes things that aren't songs. She is newly sober and finding her way back to herself through exercise, stories & the power of feminism. https://nicoleboggsandthereel.com FB: https://www.facebook.com/thereelnicoleboggs IG: @there...

Join us on Patreon to view the extended video interview. Of creativity Eric says, “ Where do I go from here? Well, as I continue to get older, I feel like the pursuit of meaning and truth becomes more urgent. I’m increasingly coming to peace with the idea that I will never get to the inner-core, but that the journey can be beautiful all the same. I continue to pursue truth and meaning through spir...

View John’s Painting that coincides with his Reading the path between fields    fields the path between Join us on Patreon to view the extended video interview. John Raux is a run on sentence with no drivers license cultivating a mess of plans, personal multi-media art practices, philosophical mumbo-jumbo, public installations, quality time deep dives outside, collaborative experiences, contemplat...

Former librarian and theater kid, current mother and writer  Anna Francesca won poetry contests at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and Johnson County Public Library. When she lived in Las Vegas, NV, she featured multiple times at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and co-hosted weekly open mic nights at Rejavanate. In the metropolitan Kansas City area, Anna Francesca judged a preliminary round of Lou...

Amanda Roth (she/her) is a poet, photographer, and former social worker. Her writing centers around motherhood, mental health, and the wild outdoors. After more than twenty years in the Pacific Northwest, she now lives outside Austin, TX with her husband and two sons.  IG @amandarothpoetry   Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexiti...

Jenn Stark is feeling feelings, keeping her eyes open, growing things, making things, always learning, and doing her best. Born in England to a British mom and Turkish dad, she’s lived in or near Toronto, Canada for most of her life. Mother to a four year old daughter and married for 14 years, Jenn’s been a professional photographer for the past 10 years. She’s traveled quite a bit (pre-baby and p...

Nursing Your Creativity: Haley DaCunha a.k.a. Haley Mike Haley is a registered nurse who is dedicated to finding human connection despite the harsh realities of the critical care setting. As a songwriter and guitarist, Haley strives to integrate the realities of the human condition in its most vulnerable form with the artistry that music offers. YouTube: Haley Mike https://www.youtube.com/channel/...

Content warning: We discuss alcoholism, AA & the journey to sobriety  Amber Baudler is a Gemini. Boss. Student. Educator. Networker. Poet. Mentee. Mentor. Visual Designer. Video editor. Camera operator. Director and Storyteller. She co-owns Stellar Image Studios with her sister, the only 100% women-owned video production company in KC. Founder of SHOW (SIS HANDS ON WORKSHOP) where the mission...

We are back with Season 2! “Modern oracles have modern ways,” says visual storyteller, multidisciplinary artist, writer, illustrator, and designer Sandy Lynn. In this episode we discuss the daily non-negotiables , oracles, sirens & lost girls, knowledge in nature, and mythology as a portal to build bridges with other people.  https://sandylynnstudio.com https://www.facebook.com/SandyLynnStudio...

That's a wrap on Season 1! Thanks to everyone involved for making this happen and thank you to all the listeners. We are taking few weeks off and will be back with Season 2 April 27. In the meantime, catch up on all the episodes and let us know what you think. Subscribe wherever you listen to your podcast, leave us a review and if you want all the extras, including full interviews and more re...

Elizabeth G. Howard aka Zed is a poet, journalist, and SEO specialist in Kansas City. She started blogging in 2004 while living in London, writing on the three topics that matter to her most: Culture, Angst, and Love. She is the creator of Demand Poetry, an on-demand poetry experience between her and her Olivetti Lettera typewriter.  “You have more in you than you think.” - Zed  IG & Twitter @...

Mark Schlake spent most of his career creating and designing software for country clubs. He is now in his third act, spending his days painting and writing with us at the WWKC. Mark and his wife Janet have a very special red bag, and if you join us on Patreon you will get to see said bag and its contents. Plus an extra reading by Mark and our full conversation.  https://www.artfilling.com/   Seaso...

In this episode we talk about identity, balance, and the access points to storytelling with David Wayne Reed. David (he/him/his) is an actor, writer, director, and producer from Kansas City, Missouri. His debut film, Eternal Harvest premiered in 2018 and has played multiple film festivals. Reed hosts and produces the popular ‘show and tell’ storytelling series, Shelf Life, and he is currently work...

*Content Warning* We discuss abortion & miscarriage In this episode Beth Maggard talks with us about her pregnancy journey & identity. Beth is curious. She has worked her entire adult life in nonprofit organizations, from public information to the arts, she loves to write, think about communicating, and most of all, to read. “An informed public is an endangered species.” – Beth Maggard  In...

Mr. Smith is a writer, performer, musician, and educator currently based in Kansas City, MO.  We discuss the intersection of theater and social wellness, the new hero’s journey, searching for symbolism in fairy tales, second acts, and the love of reading. Mr. Michael Presents on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX_FBTBsmDsPbaUrfkEekDA  MBird music https://www.youtube.com/user/MBIRDmusic Me...

Writer. Mom. Wife. Teacher. Reader. Crafter. Creator. Human: flawed & miraculous.  “Beyond the love of my family and my love of life in general, there are words. Words fill me up and bring all my loves to life.” - Libby  https://kochelizabeth.wixsite.com/author Twitter: LibbyKoch1 IG: libbykochwrites FB: Libby Lindgren Koch Mentions:  Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried Diana Gabaldon, Outlan...

Joshua Draves-Kellerman is a bassoonist, personal chef, and poet living in Kansas City, Missouri. He wants people to feel comfortable in the spaces they’re in and wants to be the one to create that space.  www.facebook.com/josh.draveskellerman/ Mentions Taneycomo Festival Orchestra, Branson MO https://www.taneycomofestivalorchestra.org/ Shelf Life, Curated by David Wayne Reed www.shelflife.club ....

&&& Poet. Musician. Speaker. Educator. Friend. &&&  Melissa Ferrer-Civil, formerly known as Missy T. Ferrari, belongs to no one place in particular. She lives in Kansas City but her home is in the Spirit. She is a renegade with hippie tendencies. Her spoken word poems and songs are mostly meditations and responses to the world around her and her own internal journey. Throug...

Lexi Dickens is an artist, photographer, storyteller, and a memory keeper. She is always looking for the best in you. She says her job is “loving the world.” Her camera aids in that endeavor, as she tends to fall in love a little bit with every face she photographs.  http://brightonroadphotography.com/ IG @justmelex IG @brightonroadphotography Mentions: Mary Oliver, “My Work Is Loving the World” S...

Translating the story of sustainability with Abigail Dahlberg. Master translator and lover of nature, Abigail discusses the importance of claiming your own space and finding your own voice. IG @greener_words https://greenerwords.com Mentions: Underland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexi...

Ayah is a storyteller from the Midwest. Her first published indie novel is titled Paint. She is now pursuing an MFA in Screenwriting at USC. Ayah writes about lonely women faced with comically metaphysical problems. We discuss the balance of institution & rebellion, and the fight for the privilege to be yourself. https://shethewriter.com youtube.com/shethewriter IG @shethewriter medium.com/@sh...

Episode 1 features a conversation with Ash Parsons, a memoir writer of prose, essays, and letters exploring love, body, faith, birth, loss, mystery, motherhood, and the creative life. All things Ash Parson can be found on her website www.ashleyparsons.com and on Instagram @fromashparsons  Mentions: Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make c...

Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco want you to know exactly WTF is WWKC before you meet our guests!  The Writing Workshop Kansas City, hosted by Poet Jen Harris https://www.poetjenharris.com/workshops Check out the videocast and teasers over on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/confessinganimals Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and c...