Salt Lake Dirt

I had the chance to sit down with professional skateboarder and actor Isiah Hilt to discuss his starring role in director Catherine Hardwicke's new film, Street Smart , following its premiere at the Bentonville Film Festival . Isiah plays Drex, a character that heavily draws from his own life story of growing up on his own around Venice Beach. He stepped into the role naturally, relying on his...

In the latest episode of Salt Lake Dirt , Kyler welcomes back author Michael McKinley alongside his co-author and writing partner, Nancy Merritt Bell , to celebrate their novel The Glamour of Evil winning the prestigious Indie Gold Grand Prize. This thrilling Vatican espionage novel follows Maddie Lynch, a New York TV producer who unexpectedly gets drafted into a high-stakes world of global raw in...

We are back with another episode of Salt Lake Dirt , featuring recurring guest artist and author Dmitry Samarov . In this conversation, we focus on independent publishing and the process of bringing public domain literature back to print. Dmitry shares the details of his recent artistic endeavors, including his illustrations for the new edition of Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio and his up...

Filmmaker Ryan Dougall Talks Late-Night Comedy Pilot In our latest episode, I sat down with filmmaker Ryan Dougall to discuss his 44-minute comedy pilot, It's Getting Late with Owen Reed , screening at Dances With Films on June 27th. Described as " The Office meets The Larry Sanders Show " for the streaming era, this independent workplace comedy follows a dysfunctional crew behind a low-budget tal...

In our latest episode, I welcomed back author William Loving to talk about his new novel, Fells Point , which hit shelves on June 9th. Returning to his hometown of Baltimore, William has crafted a brilliant story about Danny Doyle, a middle-aged Orioles fan living on borrowed time who sets out on a localized bucket list to truly soak in his city. His journey leads him straight into a strange, unna...

I recently chatted with author Darek Isaacs about his new novel, The Legendary Adventures of Doc Copper and the Mad Dash of Fire Face , published by Skyhorse Publishing. Drawing from his childhood summers spent living in Ohio, Isaacs infuses the story with high-octane dirt bike racing and dangerous adrenaline. He even shared the real-life inspiration behind the book’s wild horse scenes—his own tee...

On the latest episode of Salt Lake Dirt , I sat down with playwright and author Richard Ploetz to talk about his beautiful new novel, South , recently released by Arcade Publishing. The book chronicles 30 years in the relationship of two main characters, Bert and Trudy, tracking their journey through the shifting chapters of their lives. Threaded together by edited versions of Richard’s own real-l...

On today's episode Kyler sits down with Kate Luckinbill , the granddaughter of television royalty Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, and the daughter of Lucie Arnaz. As a partner at Desilu, Too , Kate works directly with her mother to protect, license, and strategically manage the incredible legacy left behind by her iconic grandparents. Kate shares hilarious behind-the-scenes stories from her child...

I had the immense honor of speaking with a guest I have admired for well over a decade: author, retired broadcaster, and advocate Jeff Bell . Discovering Jeff’s groundbreaking books—his memoir Rewind, Replay, Repeat and his invaluable guide When in Doubt, Make Belief —profoundly shaped my own perspective on navigating life after my own OCD diagnosis. During our conversation, Jeff openly shared his...

In today's episode Kyler sits down with Los Angeles singer-songwriter Bella Beau to explore the deeply visual qualities of her music. The literary podcast found a natural connection in her cinematic single "Mask of Flowers," which she notes is heavily inspired by her vivid dreams, the gothic styling of Tim Burton, and the dark themes of The Picture of Dorian Gray . The conversation h...

Kyler sits down with author Victoria Hetherington to discuss her timely new book, The Friend Machine: On the Trail of AI Companionship . Shifting from science fiction to real-world journalism, Hetherington explores the stories of people forming deep bonds with artificial minds to combat an "epidemic of loneliness". She emphasizes that artificial intimacy lacks the vital, real-world frict...

I sat down with filmmaker and producer Sophie Power following her trip to the Cannes Film Festival . We discussed her 11-minute experimental documentary short, Whatever A Son Will Always Sing . Bypassing the heavy-handed exposition of traditional documentaries, the film uses professional actors and a dreamscape visual approach to blend fiction with real-life interviews. Sophie spoke with 50 differ...

In the latest episode of Salt Lake Dirt , Kyler sits down with the team behind Working Girls Press to discuss their new anthology, I Hate My Job . Joining the conversation are press co-founders Molly Simmons and Emily Marie Passos Duffy, along with the book’s editor, Adrie Rose. Born from a shared desire to publish uncensored, nuanced perspectives on the sex work industry, the independent press de...

On the latest episode of Salt Lake Dirt , I sat down with author Perrin Pring to talk about her novel, Cash and Gravity , which releases on May 26th from Diversion Books . The story is set in a near future where six mega-corporations have essentially supplanted global governments. It follows Chevy Cole, a military grunt who unexpectedly ends up on the run with a stolen mobile fusion device that ev...

What happens when a mid-level drug dealer gets killed, instantly wakes up inside the body of a newborn baby with his adult consciousness completely intact, and decides to spend his childhood plotting revenge? That is the bizarre, hilarious, and strangely heartwarming premise behind Imagine My Surprise! , the latest novel by K.S. Haddock . Originally conceived all the way back in 2008 as a piece of...

On today’s episode of Salt Lake Dirt , I am thrilled to welcome author, coach, and actor Jamie Rose to discuss her new book, Facing Madame X: The Tools for Women . Mixing memoir with practical tools, Jamie explores how to address everyday emotional pressures, cultivate life force, and step into forward momentum. We discuss the profound beauty of learning to embrace uncertainty and some of the prac...

On this episode of Salt Lake Dirt, I had a great time chatting with Lauren C. Johnson about her novel, The West Façade . The story is set in 1348 Paris and follows the statues of Notre Dame. In the novel, they actually get one night of life every new moon, but they aren't supposed to interact with the human world at all. Things get complicated when the main character, Sainte Geneviève, tastes...

In this latest episode of Salt Lake Dirt, I was so happy to welcome filmmaker Michelle Bossy back to the show. Michelle is someone who stays incredibly busy—she’s actually directed 20+ short films and two features at this point—so it’s always a treat to catch up with her and see what she’s been working on. This time around, we took a deep dive into two of her latest short films, "We Regret to...

On this episode of Salt Lake Dirt, I had the pleasure of talking with writer Jennifer Ostopovich . Based in Calgary, Canada, Jennifer shares her fascinating path from being an obsessive childhood reader to becoming a "pandemic writer". Despite being what she calls a "lousy student" who struggled with the sensory overload of traditional classrooms, she was reading adult novels b...

⁠ SLD MIXTAPE Special: ⁠ ⁠ Pain and Yearning with Leah Lawson ⁠ Musician ⁠Leah Lawson⁠ joined me for this episode of the Salt Lake Dirt Mixtape to talk about the themes of Pain and Yearning . We got into how music works as a "balm" or medicine for the human condition, helping people process complex emotions. We talked about the vulnerability of songwriting and how music that starts out as somethin...

We are trying out a new format for some of our radio episodes on KPCR . I’ll be inviting former guests back to the studio to act as guest DJs, curated around a specific theme for every episode. For those who want to listen on the go, these radio specials will now be available as a Spotify playlist. Episode 1: Heartbreak with Liv Rylan My first guest for this series is the incredible musician Liv R...

Ross Barkan ’s latest novel, Colossus , introduces us to Teddy Starr, a charismatic pastor and real estate mogul in small-town Michigan who embodies the quintessential American success story. Yet, beneath the polished veneer of his multimillion-dollar empire and "All-American" family life lies a calculated web of deception and a past he is actively outrunning. During our conversation, Ro...

I recently sat down with author Victoria Hood to talk about her latest collection, Destroy Me, Desecrate My Bones . Victoria has a way of capturing the strange, often uncomfortable tensions of everyday life, and it was interesting to hear her talk about her "unapologetically weird" style and why she finds herself drawn to the "vibe" of a story—the mood and the setting—just as m...

I had a great time talking with poet Dylan Krieger about her latest collection, No One Is Daddy . Dylan has such a sharp, singular voice, and we spent a lot of time talking about how she uses humor and linguistic play to navigate some pretty heavy themes like religious and patriarchal trauma. It was interesting to hear her perspective on the "Southern Gothic" identity and how growing up in a certa...

I recently had the chance to chat with author David Fishkind to talk about his new book, Don't Step Into My Office . I picked this book up about a month ago and it immediately grabbed me—it is exactly the kind of writing I dig, and I have a feeling a lot of you will feel the same way. David describes the book as a "maximalist" mix of neo-noir, murder mystery, and family dramedy. It f...