The Free Bin

Denyse and Harrison have a "gdreat" time discussing the "Crispy R." Sources: "The 'Crispy R' and Why R is the Weirdest Letter" by Dan Nosowitz (from Atlas Obscura) Linguist Tara McAllister demonstrates the bunched and retroflex R (from Atlas Obscura)  

Content warning: This episode contains descriptions of violence. In this Halloween episode, Harrison and Deb discuss the history and meaning of werewolves. In this episode: Coir Anmann "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann Wolf Blood (1925) The Wolf Man (1941)

Harrison reads "Yuki-Onna," from Lafcadio Hearn 's 1904 collection " Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things ." Mentioned in this episode: "The Book of Yokai" by Michael Dylan Foster, illustrated by Shinonome Kijin

Harrison reads "The Phantom Hag," from 1904's " 25 Ghost Stories ," collected and edited by W. Bob Holland.

Horror-fan Harrison and horror-averse Deb share some documentaries about scary (and not-so-scary) movies to kick off your film studies this October spooky season!  Discussed in this episode: "Best Worst Movie" (2009) dir. by Michael Paul Stephenson "Blood & Flesh:The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson" (2019) dir. by David Gregory "Godzilla" (1954) dir. by Ishirō Honda "Hollywood Dreams & Nig...

Harrison reads " The Signal-Man " by Charles Dickens.

Harrison shares a few Spanish-language recommendations as the Free Bin Squad prepares for a larger episode. In this episode: "Atlas de Imperios" by Miguel del Rey & Carlos Canales "Balas de Plata" by Elmer Mendoza "La Llorona" (2019) dir. by Jayro Bustamante

Harrison reads "An Autumn Encounter," from Kenneth Grahame 's 1894 collection " Pagan Papers ."

Denyse and Harrison talk briefly about the Yaquina Bay Bridge. Errata and clarifications: When Harrison says the channel under the bridge is 133 feet high, that's the vertical clearance above the waterline, not the depth of the channel. Books mentioned in and related to this episode: "Murder at Yaquina Head" by Ron Lovell "The Old Yaquina Bay Lighthouse: A Brief History" by James M. Howes "One Hun...

Deb and Harrison share some new and newly-arrived titles! In this episode: "Behold the Monster" by Jillian Lauren "Last Action Heroes" by Nick de Semlyen "Onlookers" by Ann Beattie "The Personal Librarian" by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray "Silver Nitrate" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia "Skinamarink" directed by Edward Kyle Ball "Up Beaver Creek" by Sue Fagalde Lick "Wolfsong" by TJ Klune...

Content warning: This episode deals with Khmer Rouge war crimes. We don't go into too much graphic detail, but it gets ugly. Be forewarned. Harrison tells Deb and Denyse the story of how an archival classification system helped bring war criminals to justice. Along the way, we explore library metadata, the complexities of the cold war, some (nearly) lost music*, and the  Walmart of communism . Dis...

Harrison shares his favorite story from Edmund Lester Pearson's 1912 collection, " The Believing Years ."

Local historian Ted Cox stops by to discuss Toledo's past, including its important historic connection to the dairy industry. H ere is a picture of an item similar to the ones discussed. Do you have local family history, documents, or other information that might help Ted in his ongoing research? Get in touch! You can reach him via the Toledo Public Library , the Yaquina Pacific Railroad Historica...

Deb, Denyse and Harrison share and discuss some of their favorite songs over a nice, chewy beverage. Denyse finds a spider and Harrison forgets how many people were in the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Songs: "Happy" by Pharrell Williams "Hotel California" by the Eagles "Encased in Amber" by Diplodocus "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton "Take Five" by Dave Brubeck "Individual Thought Patterns" by Death

Content warning: This episode contains discussion of violence, sexual assault and animal cruelty. "Problematic" is the word of the week! Joel Gaddis of  Movie Madness stops by to discuss the wide, weird world of exploitation cinema with Deb and Harrison. The broad "exploitation" umbrella encompasses everything from 1930s "educational" films to spaghetti westerns, martial arts films, truck-driving...

Content warning: this episode contains descriptions of war and violence against children. Local writer and renaissance man Ricky Dyson shares some of his poetry, short fiction and personal stories with Deb and Harrison. Discussions range from war, religion and miracles to dogs, watermelons and industrial dyes.

We're trying something new this week! Watch along with Deb and Harrison as they experience the 1953 science fiction trashterpiece "Cat-Women of the Moon." This is a must-watch film for those seeking the more obscure early work of actually-good film composer Elmer Bernstein (The Ten Commandments, Cape Fear, Ghostbusters, Animal House, etc.). Come for the cheesy space suits, stay for the big dangly...

Content warning: This episode contains frank discussion of near-fatal injuries. Deb and Harrison sit down with local author/actor/producer Marc Maislen to discuss his works, his passions, and the accident that changed his life. In this episode: "Shattered: Recovering From a Traumatic Injury" by Marc Maislen "The Tale of Jinny Coreen" by Marc Maislen, illustrated by Sarah Gayle  

Deb (flying solo due to Harrison getting sick this week) provides a brief history of the holiday, which commemorates the emancipation of the last enslaved people in the United States (two and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation). Happy Juneteenth!

To celebrate the start of Summer Reading and the approach of summer vacation, Harrison reads a chapter from Edmund L. Pearson's "The Believing Years." In this episode: " The Believing Years " by Edmund L. Pearson (Chapter 6, "Horace")

Deb has a chat with prolific local author and blogger Sue Fagalde Lick.   Discussed in this episode: Childless By Marriage (blog) "Love or Children: When You Can't Have Both" by Sue Fagalde Lick "Up Beaver Creek" by Sue Fagalde Lick "Seal Rock Sound" by Sue Fagalde Lick "Stories Grandma Never Told" by Sue Fagalde Lick Unleashed in Oregon (blog)  

Harrison joins Brittney and Joshua of Coos Bay Public Library's Swords & Starships podcast at the 2023 Oregon Library Association conference in Bend to break down the process of creating and maintaining a podcast.

Deb, Denyse and Harrison play a few rounds of "Guess the Definition" with a few choice words.

Deb and Harrison are joined by local poet, writer, arts advocate, and radio personality Catherine Rickbone. Catherine shares a few of her poems over a freewheeling conversation about writing, family, homemade hot pads, the nature of creativity, the beauty of the mundane, the lessons of the labyrinth, going out to eat on Mother's Day, and spiders. Discussed in this episode: "Labyrinth Dance" by Cat...

In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month , Harrison shares the story of the 442nd Infantry Regiment, and Daniel Inouye's famous assault on the Gothic Line. Deb brings a twitchy sports drink and some possibly lead-contaminated (but very tasty) chile mangos. In this episode: "Dial A for Aunties" by Jesse Q. Sutanto "Rising Sons" by Bill Yenne "Just Americans: How Japanese Americans Won a Wa...