What the Folk

We are joined this week by SLC-based musician Talia Keys and her partner Melahn Atkinson. Besides offering a whole host of amazing livestream events in these strange times, Talia and Melahn have also been working with the houseless community in Salt Lake City. This interview covers a lot of ground: showing up for ALL your neighbors, being an out-and-proud radical in Utah, running Rock Camp SLC dur...

We’re kicking off the first week in February with an extra What the Folk Wednesday drop! We sat with the newest poet laureate of San Francisco, Tongo Eisen-Martin, to talk about poetry as a tool for radicalization, the gentrification of American cities, how the current political moment we’re in is a rerun and how to reclaim our consciousness from the inherent violence of the colonial project. Afte...

Comedian Ron Placone joins us for this joint! We talk about Ron’s journey into stand-up comedy, digital rights issues, pushing back against the current of corporate media, and, of course, cats cats cats. Lightening the collective mood while taking on the heavy stuff is the vibe here. Afterwards, Emily and Sarah talk about the first feels around the Biden administration, Democrats Democrating and b...

**Content Warning: discussion of sexual assault and cult violence** In the last days of 2020, we got up early, brewed some coffee, and sat down (er, Zoomed) with Maya Azucena, singer-songwriter and cultural ambassador, who has been riding out the pandemic in Turkey. Maya’s inspiring, infectious -- and highly danceable -- music has taken her on a worldwide outreach journey, and we hope you enjoy co...

We deep dive with Dr. Serena Chopra, a multitalented and multifaceted teacher and artist. Join us for a fascinating and thought-provoking conversation about the different approaches to time, what we mean when we describe something as “queer,” turning our personal trauma into collective defense, and the role of mysticism in creating what comes next. It’s not just about examining the structures we l...

Happy episode 15 of What the Folk! In this episode we are joined by historian, writer and educator, Dr. Matthew Heidtmann. We talk about the importance of teaching history, making academia accessible to a wider audience, and all those great myths of imperialism and exceptionalism that we swim in as Americans. History may not repeat, but it definitely rhymes. Then afterwards, Emily and Sarah talk a...

The lovely and hilarious Baruch Porras-Hernadez is in the house with big sparkly Aquarius energy. We talk about his journey from actor to performance poet and comedian, healing familial toxic masculinity, and how to joyfully make a living as an artist. We also get some pointers on Zoom theater as we hear about how he staged his solo show, “Love in the Time of Piñatas,” in his bedroom. And there’s...

On this episode we are joined by Dr. Tracy Ferrell from CU Boulder. We discuss the challenges and opportunities around labor organizing in academia, the campus experience under Covid, and her research around immigration and medical marijuana patients. We also talk about the power of stories to inspire empathy and break down borders. After the interview, Emily envisions a self-sustaining system and...

Happy (?) day after election day! We recorded this episode in October, so we made some bad predictions with our guest, musician Melody Walker, mostly involving aliens. We also talk about Front Country’s fantastic new album, Impossible World, which is out now for your ears’ enjoyment. But that’s just for starters in this lively and insightful discussion, which includes performative class and inclus...

***AUDIO NOTE: There was an issue with Sarah’s track, sorry for the fuzz!*** CONTENT WARNING: DISCUSSION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT We’re joined by Alex Scott, a 7th generation Oklahoman, a former public school teacher, an active community organizer, and candidate for Oklahoma State Senate. In 2018, she became the youngest member to ever serve on the Norman, OK City Council, ousting a well-funded incumbent...

Happy Episode 10 of What the Folk! We’re joined by the fabulous and multi-talented Lola Darling for a conversation about how art can heal and how to live your life as an act of resistance. We also get a preview of her new musical oracle project! From Lola’s struggle to claim her own identity to Covid on the reservations, from Kerrville Folk Festival to Mardi Gras, this episode is an emotionally ho...

On this episode, we are taking a trip with Clayton Ickes, president of Psychedelic Club. We talk about our tendency to see psychedelics as a “savior,” what a legit psychedelic renaissance would look like, and wrestle with thorny issues of colonization and privilege vis-à-vis movements around drug liberation. Oh, and there’s some light discussion of Japanese death cults. Afterwards, Emily and Sarah...

On this special bonus episode we are discussing the extradition hearing of Julian Assange with our friends Lee Camp and returning What the Folk champion Eleanor Goldfield. This episode is entirely focused on the case, so should be a good primer for anyone who is wondering, “Why, with all the things going on in the world, should I also give a shit about this?” Make sure to check out Lee and Eleanor...

Join us for an enlightening discussion with Brittany DeBarros, Organizing Director of About Face: Veterans Against the War. We talk about her journey from soldier to activist, how to address oppressive patterns in movement building, what happens when we win, and how to hold multiple truths at once. We also touch on the joys of task forces and the musical “Hamilton.” Stick around if you want to hea...

Settle in for this deep dive with songwriter, musician, yoga teacher, activist, writer and all-around conscious renaissance woman Lauren Flynn. This interview covers a lot of territory -- how to live your activism, how to deal with narcissists, and how to turn trauma into passive aggressive country songs, to name just a few highlights. It’s all about working on the internal to affect the external....

We are joined by journalist, performance artist, activist and general doer of amazing shit Eleanor Goldfield! Settle in for this great conversation about mutual aid, her new (and excellent) documentary Hard Road of Hope, and how we keep up our creativity and hope in these troubling times. After the interview, stay tuned for Emily and Sarah’s thoughts on imagining a better world, especially if you...

Episode Four: Dancing on the Ruins with Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson We sit down with the awesome Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, Co-Executive Director of the legendary Highlander Center, for an inspiring and motivating talk about movement building, solidarity economics, liberation practices and real deal education. This interview had us practicing our dance moves to shimmy on the ruins of the old world,...

Emily sits down with Krystal Twobulls (Oglala Lakota and Northern Cheyenne), veteran and executive director of Voices of the Sacred, in Lame Deer, Montana. Voices of the Sacred’s mission is to develop the next generation of healthy organizers from Native Youth and Native Veterans. We talk about what healthy organizing means, global solidarity across liberation movements, and Krystal’s journey from...

We are joined by Dr. Carol Conzelman for a mind-expanding conversation about the history of the drug war in the United States, her work studying coca and democracy in Bolivia, how to encourage critical thinking about drugs, and our human need to explore inner space. Then Emily and Sarah have a chat that starts with studying the habits of the common American wook and ends with a discussion of the a...

Ep. 2 will be out soon! In the meantime, as a follow up to Ep. 1, Emily sits down with her fellow Vets for Peace/About Face Vets after their direct action at the Trump rally in Tulsa on June 20th to reflect on what service now means to them during the current (and hopefully-finally-jfc-it-better-be victorious) iteration of the long fight for racial justice. Included in this conversation are Stephe...

Our first episode! We are joined by Garett Reppenhagen, executive director of Veterans for Peace. You can learn more and get involved here: https://www.veteransforpeace.org/ We recorded this interview a couple days after the murder of George Floyd. Stay tuned after the interview to hear Emily and Sarah talk about shadow work, jumping timelines, and how no one is behind the wheel of the America bus...

The pod is almost ready for launch! We’ll be live June 15th! In the meantime, here’s a tiny taste.