The Free Bin

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...

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...