Salt Lake Dirt

Gloria J. Browne-Marshall is a constitutional law professor at John Jay College (CUNY), an Emmy Award-winning writer, and a former civil rights attorney. In her book A Protest History of the United States , she explores more than four centuries of American dissent, weaving together legal analysis, memoir, and interviews. The book examines the country's deep dual personality—the ongoing frictio...

Today on Salt Lake Dirt , Kyler welcomes back playwright and novelist Matthew Gasda to discuss his new book, Stranger Beauty (Arcade). Blending speculative elements with intimate reflection—a style dubbed by one reader as "science autofiction"—the novel shifts between 2038 and hidden personal documents from 2023. During the interview, Gasda breaks down the multi-layered structure of the...

On the latest episode of Salt Lake Dirt , Kyler reconnects with author Elizabeth Ellen. Following up on their previous discussion about her novel American Thighs (available here ), the two discuss her play Exit, Carefully —tracing its roots back to a chaotic family Christmas Eve and its path from a college short story to publication. Elizabeth also candidly reflects on navigating literary cancella...

This week on Salt Lake Dirt , Kyler sits down with author Dr. Stacey Patton to discuss her new book, Strung Up: How White America Learned to Lynch Black Children . Grounded in deep archival research and developmental psychology, Dr. Patton’s work reframes racial terror by centering the deliberate targeting of Black youth and examining how generations of white children were socialized into cruelty...

This week on Salt Lake Dirt , we are replaying a fan-favorite episode from last year’s KPCR mixtape specials featuring actress and performer Lauren Ashley . Bringing her signature passion for Old Hollywood and vintage culture, Lauren sits down with Kyler for a cozy, autumn-inspired music showcase. Known for her appearances in Hollywood Graveyard short films and her deep appreciation for classic ci...

It was great having Keith Koeneman on Salt Lake Dirt to talk about his new novel, Paternity . Having previously written a biography on former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Keith made the leap to fiction with a story that follows two couples in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood over two decades. He shared how he structured the book like a Netflix series with 19 interlocking chapters, drawing he...

Having Jerry Stahl back on Salt Lake Dirt to talk about Gonzo Neurotic: The Best (And Not-So-Best) of Jerry Stahl was incredible. He’s one of my all-time favorite writers, and reading through this huge mix of his previously uncollected work and forgotten journalism was an absolute blast. We talked about everything from the backstory of his cult film Cafe Flesh to the surreal reality of doing press...

This week on Salt Lake Dirt, Kyler sits down with author Susanne Antonetta to discuss her book, The Devil’s Castle: Nazi Eugenics, Euthanasia, and How Psychiatry’s Troubled History Reverberates Today . The conversation explores how Nazi-era euthanasia programs influenced modern psychiatric practices, including the rise of short, 15-minute appointments and heavy reliance on pharmaceuticals. Antonet...

Mallory Smart returns to Salt Lake Dirt to chat with Kyler about her new book, Book of David . They get into the origin of the character, Dave, and how processing personal loss found its way onto the page, giving the project its emotional weight without losing its edge. Smart also opens up about the nuts and bolts of independent publishing, from running a small press to dealing with the chaos of t...

Alex Osman returns to the show this week to discuss his novel, Xanadu, Pennsylvania , out now from Filthy Loot. Alex breaks down the book's evolution—stitching together decade-old drafts with new material to explore small-town secrets, human observation, and a strange town-wide obsession with Olivia Newton-John. We also talk about writing from an introverted perspective, honing in on sensory d...

This week on Salt Lake Dirt , Kyler welcomes back Arthur Dark , creator of the YouTube channel Hollywood Graveyard , to discuss his new book, Hollywood Graveyard: The Guide to Famous Graves in LA and How to Find Them . Over the past decade, Arthur has documented famous resting places across Los Angeles, and his new physical companion guide compiles over 700 grave sites across 24 major Southern Cal...

Jonathan Ames returns to the podcast to discuss his latest novel, A Past Without Pictures , which hits shelves on September 8th. He has long been one of my favorite writers, and in this episode, we chat about the book's path from Los Angeles down to the Gulf Coast of Alabama. We discuss how protagonist Maria Cole reflects the sharp, feral edge of the LA coyotes Ames sometimes sees on his walks, as...

In the latest episode of Salt Lake Dirt, Kyler sits down with philosophy professor Roger S. Gottlieb to discuss his latest book, Nature Spirituality and Environmental Crisis: Embracing a Sacred, Wounded Earth . The conversation explores how modern ecological destruction alters our spiritual relationship with the natural world. Gottlieb shares how we can navigate this crisis by allowing deep grief...

Today Kyler chats with Amanda Warren, co-founder of Bookish , about building a grassroots literary community in Salt Lake City. After returning to Utah from New York City, Amanda teamed up with her sister Whitney to launch Bookish , an initiative designed to host reading parties, cultivate connection, and promote local storytelling. She shares the story behind their popular community events, the u...

On Episode 429 of Salt Lake Dirt , Kyler sits down with author, scholar, and long-time educator Richard Major to discuss his latest project, The First Guidebook to International Universities . Drawing from decades of experience teaching around the globe—and raising a family across multiple continents alongside his diplomat wife—Richard shares his perspective on why pursuing an undergraduate degree...

I recently sat down with Witney Schneidman to discuss his memoir, This Africa Idea: A Memoir of Discovery, Diplomacy and Opportunity , which chronicles his five-decade career. Witney shared how a 1971 gap year in Uganda, where he witnessed Idi Amin’s coup d'état, inspired him to become a bridge of understanding between the U.S. and Africa. This turning point eventually led him to senior policy rol...

Today I sit down with author and long-time writing professor Mark Farrington about his debut novel, Loss of Life . The book follows 41-year-old Matthew Winton, who wakes up in a Virginia hospital after a mysterious car crash with all memories past the age of 13 completely wiped out. As a writing professor himself, Matthew turns to his own fictional short stories to piece together who he was, creat...

Cults of Personality and Heavy Lifting in Drew Buxton’s Daytona Teddy Riggs On the latest episode of Salt Lake Dirt , Kyler sits down with author Drew Buxton to discuss his debut novel, Daytona Teddy Riggs (Hub City Press). Set in mid-1990s Texas, the novel follows Teddy Riggs, a 24-year-old former high school football player striving to make a name for himself in the intense, niche world of stron...

Tonight Kyler speaks with filmmaker Amir Zargara following the opening night screening of his short film, VITAL , at the HollyShorts Film Festival. Shot in Istanbul and currently under consideration for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, the project examines the reality of the international organ trade. During their conversation, Amir explains how an outsider's perspective enco...

On today's episode Kyler sits down with author, decorated veteran, and former CEO Charles W.B. Wardell III (Chuck) to discuss his compelling memoir, Come Up Big: My Journey through Vietnam, Harvard, the White House, the Department of State, and as CEO in Corporate America . Chuck reflects on how navigating unrecognized dyslexia early in life shaped his perspective on adaptability, non-linear think...

Today I sit down with author Julie Brill to discuss her profound memoir, Hidden in Plain Sight . The book chronicles her father’s survival as a young Jewish boy in Belgrade during World War II, bringing to light a pivotal yet frequently overlooked chapter of the Holocaust in Serbia. During our conversation, Julie shared how her father’s vivid early memories—from the surprise April 1941 bombing of...

Kyler sits down with actor, comedian, writer, and director Jerry Minor ( Abbott Elementary , Mr. Show , Saturday Night Live , Curb Your Enthusiasm just to name a few). Jerry traces his comedic roots starting out in Detroit, navigating the early days of Second City across multiple locations, and developing a passion for scene-based long-form improv. He shares insights into the evolving landscape of...

Today Kyler sits down with writer-director Misha Calvert and actor Coco Jourdana to discuss their short film, FAULT , which has its West Coast premiere at the HollyShorts Film Festival . Inspired by Jourdana’s own life, the drama uses elite competitive tennis as a backdrop to examine sisterhood, personal trauma, and complex power dynamics. The conversation focuses on how individuals process trauma...

Kyler recently caught up with author Zoe Hansen to discuss her memoir, Going Down in Gotham , published by Far West Press . Kyler praises the book as one of his absolute favorite reads of the year, highlighting its pocket-sized paperback format—designed by the publisher to evoke classic, throw-in-your-back-pocket paperbacks—and its eye-catching cover art by Berlin-based artist Olya Dyer. The conve...

Exploring Global Lessons and Resilience with Peter Felix Today on Salt Lake Dirt , Kyler sits down with author Peter Felix to talk about his memoir, Around the World in 80 Years . Drawing from a life spanning multiple continents, Felix traces his journeys from early volunteer work in East Pakistan to witnessing the Vietnam War firsthand and living through key political shifts in Hong Kong. Driven...