Live Wire with Luke Burbank

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello discuss doing away with minor annoyances in the “Not Too Distant Future;” U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon describes how partisan politics have gotten personal; poet Anis Mojgani laments his love-hate relationship with the possum; Sharon Ross, aka Afrovivalist, tells us how she prepares for eminent disaster; comedian Joe Zimmerman explains why hi...

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello reveal their personal “Balancing Acts;” author Pam Houston reconciles her great love of the natural world and the challenges of living within it, as outlined in her latest book "Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country;" comedian Naomi Ekperigin talks couples therapy for comedians; entrepreneur and social activist Nadya Okamoto explains why she...

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello get down to some “Real Talk;” writer Mitchell S. Jackson discusses how – in his latest book “Survival Math” – he uses men of history to frame his own painful relationships with women of his past; author and psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb explains the importance of delivering a “compassionate truth bomb” to loved ones in need; comedian Mohanad Elshiek...

This podcast short features the original interview with award-winning writer Elena Passarello who, after this appearance, became Live Wire's announcer. Elena is the author of two books of nonfiction, "Let Me Clear My Throat" (2012) and "Animals Strike Curious Poses" (2017). She is also the first female winner of the annual "Stanley and Stella Shouting Contest" held in New Orleans. Listen to this p...

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello discuss not-so-classic “Ice Breakers;” endurance athlete and adventurer Colin O’Brady recounts his world record-breaking trek across Antarctica; author Dani Shapiro explains how a mail-in DNA test revealed a deep-seeded family secret; comedian Chris Garcia pokes fun at his life choices by channeling his hard-working Cuban father; and Casey Neill &am...

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello unpack the concept of “Going Rogue;” blogger Geraldine DeRuiter of The Everywhereist explains why she hangs onto things that spark rage; comedian Matteo Lane debates the job description of pharmacists; Seattle chef Makini Howell describes why she's an advocate of inclusive vegan cuisine; and Valley Maker performs “Beautiful Birds Flying” from their...

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello discuss what it means to be “Buggin’ Out” in their forties; music writer and New York Times bestselling author Hanif Abdurraqib explains how music is a vehicle for writing about life on the periphery; grief expert and podcaster Nora McInerny comments on the intersection of grief and desire; comedian Nore Davis riffs on the secret lives of school tea...

This special Live Wire episode brings together some "All-Star" guests by way of the Portland Book Festival; celebrated author Luis Alberto Urrea dissects the dynamics of his Mexican family, which inspired his latest book "The House of Broken Angels;" master poet Eileen Myles takes on the presidency in a reading of their epic poem "Acceptance Speech;" and internet sensation Moshow The Cat Rapper gi...

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello dispute the importance of their dream lives; satirist Caitlin Kunkel shares her favorite jokes from her new book, "New Erotica for Feminists: Satirical Fantasies of Love, Lust, and Equal Pay;" comedian Ian Karmel takes down the masculinity of men's grooming products; radio host Al Letson revisits an uncomfortable conversation with a far-right vlogge...

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello unpack the ominous implications of “The Morning After;” author and journalist Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall describes his gonzo attempts to find the cure for the hangover; comedy duo Frangela riff on why they’re not giving up their healthcare; sex and relationship columnist Dan Savage advises on monogamy, gender pronouns, and online social etiquette; and...

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello discuss the significance of “Hand-Me-Downs”… namely, Luke’s childhood stirrup jeans; author and humorist John Hodgman recounts how inheriting his mother’s vacation home led him into the wilderness of homeownership; writer RJ Young explains how he got immersed in the world of race, guns, and self-protection after being gifted a pistol from his father...

In this second installment from the Portland Book Festival, host Luke Burbank and Elena Passarello explore the process of “character building” for actors; celebrated author Lauren Groff makes the case for why art is not a competition; writer Tommy Orange discusses how urban Native identity became the theme of his debut novel There There; comedian Caitlin Weierhauser admits to telling all her secre...

In this special Portland Book Festival episode, host Luke Burbank and Elena Passarello discuss "hitting the road" and the risks of hitchhiking; Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson recounts her solo cross-country road trip; writer Nicole Chung discusses her journey of discovering the difficult truth behind her own adoption; Peter Sagal, host of Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!, takes a marathon-length inspired qui...

Host Luke Burbank and Elena Passarello describe moments when they "paid their dues;" memoirist Thomas Page McBee shares what he learned about masculinity while training to become the first transgender man to box at Madison Square Garden; dope queen Phoebe Robinson reflects on managing debt and embracing "trash" culture; entrepreneur Lainey Morse reveals the origins of goat yoga; and Americana wund...

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello confess to how bad they are at “letting go;” poet Tommy Pico explains how writing as his alter ego "Teebs" allows him to be less self-censoring in his work; journalist Eli Saslow discusses Derek Black – the subject of his new book "Rising Out of Hatred" – and how the once-heir to the white nationalist movement made a stunning transformation; comedia...

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello “face their fears” of the IRS and snakes; journalist Jose Antonio Vargas recounts coming out as an undocumented immigrant who faces deportation at any moment; comedian Marcella Arguello makes the case for staying single over 30; writer and former Live Wire host Courtenay Hameister describes how she spent a year facing her anxiety head-on by engaging...

Host Luke Burbank gets a “fresh start” when he learns how to correctly pronounce announcer Elena Passarello’s name; writer Gary Shteyngart recounts how his Greyhound adventures across America inspired his new book “Lake Success;” comedian Hari Kondabolu shares his experience teaching stand-up to prison inmates; 14-year-old Maxine McCormick explains how she became the two-time world champion of fly...

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello “Face the Music” in this episode from a hotel room in the Live Music Capital of the World – Austin, Texas. Busker-turned-bona fide blues artist Charley Crockett subs in as Live Wire’s house band; poet Roger Reeves stops by and tells us why poetry is the harbinger of the future; and the women behind Austin’s famed La Barbeque – music and fashion phot...

In this studio segment, Luke speaks with mortician Caitlin Doughty, who is known for advocating death acceptance and the reform of the Western funeral industry. She is the creator of the web series "Ask a Mortician," founder of the organization The Order of the Good Death, and is the author of two bestselling books, "From Here to Eternity" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes." In this interview, Caitlin...

Kevin Young, acclaimed poet and poetry editor of The New Yorker, speaks on his writing process, the inspiration he gleaned from Prince, and the cross-section between hip hop and poetry in describing the black experience. Young also reads from his collection "Blue Laws," including a poem about boxer Jack Johnson – the first black heavyweight champion.

A humorist, novelist, and television writer, Rich talks with Luke about his youthful appearance making him "seem like a pretty clever 14-year-old," which leads to the longest awkward pause in Live Wire history. As a bonus treat, humorous segments from Rich's books are performed by Faces For Radio Theater.

In this podcast short from the Live Wire archive, author and activist Barbara Ehrenreich ("Nickel and Dimed") speaks to Luke Burbank back in 2014 about her book “Living with a Wild God: A Nonbeliever's Search for the Truth About Everything," defining the mysterious "visions" she experienced as a lifelong atheist, and her unending quest for knowledge.

Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello relive their “great escapes;” writer Tessa Fontaine explains how learning to eat fire as a part of America's last traveling sideshow helped mend her broken heart; comedian and actor Moses Storm riffs on a childhood spent living in a bus with his missionary family; memoirist and visa lottery winner Abdi Nor Iftin recounts his journey from war-torn Somalia...

Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello talk “do-overs” with real and hypothetical tattoos; author Anya Yurchyshyn discusses her new memoir “My Dead Parents,” in which she explores aspects of her parents she never knew; journalist and podcaster Mike Pesca dissects the most intriguing “what ifs” in sports history; science vlogger Lindsey Murphy reveals how she engages her young “Fab Lab" audien...

Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello reveal what takes them out of their comfort zones; comedian Paul F. Tompkins discusses the perils of improvising on his podcast “Spontaneanation” and shares the secrets behind writing his theme to the film, “Phantom Thread;” writer Ijeoma Oluo unpacks the themes of racial oppression in her new book, “So You Want to Talk About Race;” and hip hop artist Op...