Keep The Channel Open

Yanyi is a writer and critic. Yanyi’s debut book The Year of Blue Water is part poetry, part essay, part journal, and entirely itself, a document of self-discovery and human connection. In our conversation, we talked about his book, about its form and his process in creating it, and about creating community. Then in the second segment, we discussed Hannah Arendt’s seminal book The Origins of Totalitarianism. (Conversation recorded July 11, 2019.) Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Show Notes: Yanyi Yanyi - The Year of Blue Water: Yale University Press | IndieBound Yanyi - Events Maggie Nelson - Bluets Maggie Nelson - The Argonauts Hannah Arendt - The Origins of Totalitarianism Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen Are You the One? Transcript

Ashly Stohl is a photographer based in Los Angeles and New York. In the artist statement for her latest series, The Days & Years, Ashly writes, “In photography, they say that all portraits are really self portraits. So what are portraits of your kids? They are portraits of a parent.” In our conversation, we talked about artistic collaboration, personal photography, and the perception of motherhood in art and society. Then in the second segment we talked about the differences between New York and LA. (Conversation recorded July 9, 2019.) Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Show Notes: Ashly Stohl Peanut Press Ashly Stohl - Charth Vader Ashly Stohl - The Days & Years (web gallery) Ashly Stohl - The Days & Years (book) @ashleyleostohl (Instagram) @thedaysandyearsproject (Instagram) Six Shooters Aline Smithson

Sarah Gailey's two recent novellas, River of Teeth and Taste of Marrow, were a huge amount of fun for me as a fan of both Westerns and speculative fiction. Our conversation covered both of those books, their serialized novelette The Fisher of Bones, as well as their Hugo-nominated column at Tor.com about the women of Harry Potter. In the second segment, Sarah talked to me about Lucius Beebe and Charles Clegg. (Episode originally released on November 8, 2017. Conversation recorded September 22, 2017.) Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Show Notes: Sarah Gailey @gaileyfrey Sarah Gailey - Magic for Liars: IndieBound | B&N Sarah Gailey - Upright Women Wanted Sarah Gailey - When We Were Magic Magic for Liars tour event - Writers With Drinks Sarah Gailey - River of Teeth Sarah Gailey - Taste of Marrow Sarah Gailey - The

Michelle Brittan Rosado is a poet based in Long Beach, CA. In her book Why Can’t It Be Tenderness, Michelle writes about California, Malaysia, and the space between, about divorce, and life transition, and new love. In our conversation we talked about her book, about her creative process and how she thinks about poetic form, and about mixed-race identity. Then in the second section we talked about the history of the pantoum, and our experiences with English-language versions of Asian poetic forms. (Conversation recorded May 30, 2019.) Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Show Notes: Michelle Brittan Rosado Michelle Brittan Rosado - Why Can’t It Be Tenderness: University of Wisconsin Press | IndieBound Michelle Brittan Rosado - “Poem to My Unborn Son the Morning after the Election” The Southeast Review - “In Search of Evanescence:

Chaya Bhuvaneswar is a physician and writer. I read Chaya’s short story collection White Dancing Elephants this spring and really enjoyed it, both because of the way it centered South Asian and women’s stories, and for the complex, complicated relationships at the heart of each story. In our conversation, Chaya and I talked about White Dancing Elephants; about Seamus Heaney, punishment, and complicity; and about whose stories get called “dark.” Then for the second segment, we talked about some of Chaya’s favorite poets, and why poetry is important to her. (Conversation recorded May 25, 2019.) Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Show Notes: Chaya Bhuvaneswar Chaya Bhuvaneswar - White Dancing Elephants: Dzanc Books | IndieBound ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition - Meet the Authors: Chaya Bhuvaneswar Seamus Heaney - “Punishment

Julia Dixon Evans is a writer based in San Diego, CA. I read Julia’s novel How to Set Yourself on Fire recently and was quite taken with her use of voice and the strong characterization of the story’s narrator, Sheila. In our conversation, Julia and I talked about her book, about experimenting with form as a writer, and about the question of likability. Then for the second segment we talked about trail running, and pushing yourself both physically and creatively. (Conversation recorded April 22, 2019.) Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Show Notes: Julia Dixon Evans Julia Dixon Evans - How to Set Yourself on Fire: Dzanc Books | IndieBound | B&N Last Exit Last Exit (Twitter) Last Exit (Facebook) Jennifer Egan - A Visit From the Goon Squad Franny Choi Fatimah Asghar Joyce Carol Oates - “To Invigorate Literary Mind, Start Movi

Jennifer Greenburg is a photographer based in Chicago, IL. In her series Revising History, Jennifer alters vintage found photographs by inserting herself into the image, creating something new that comments on the ways that the style and glamor of the post-war era glosses over the very real discrimination and gender inequality of the time. We talked about Revising History, the ways that photographs lie, and the need for visual literacy in our society. Then in the second segment, Jennifer chose vintage clothing as her topic. (Conversation recorded March 21, 2019.) Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Show Notes: Jennifer Greenburg Jennifer Greenburg - Revising History jdc Fine Art jdc Fine Art - Cultural Grooming | New Work by Jennifer Greenburg Head On Photo Festival - Revising History Wired - “Woman Perfectly Adds Herself to Oth

David Bowles is a writer based in south Texas. David’s latest book of poems, They Call Me Güero, is a middle-grade novel-in-verse about a light-skinned Mexican-American boy who is just entering the seventh grade. In the book, David portrays the life of a border kid with all its joys and challenges. In our conversation we talked about that book, as well as about David’s collection of the myths and legends of pre-Colombian Mexico, Feathered Serpent, Dark Heart of Sky. We discussed the importance of representation, especially for young people of color. Then for the second segment, David and I talked about finding our way to a softer masculinity, and seeking out pop culture that makes us cry. (Conversation recorded March 12, 2019.) Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Show Notes: David Bowles David Bowles - They Call Me Güero: Cinco

Lydia Kiesling is a writer based in San Francisco, CA. Lydia’s debut novel, The Golden State, is a lot of things: a road trip story, an intimate portrayal of young parenthood, a portrait of a far-Northern California community, and more. In our conversation, Lydia and I talked about The Golden State, her nonfiction writing, and the relationship between the two forms. We also discussed the ephemerality of parenting experiences, the power of nostalgia, and what rural California is like. Then in the second segment, Lydia chose as her topic the lives of Marshall and Phyllis Hodgson. (Conversation recorded February 12, 2019.) Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Stitcher | YouTube | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Show Notes: Lydia Kiesling Lydia Kiesling - The Golden State: Publisher | IndieBound | B&N Lydia Kiesling - Other Writing Lydia Kiesling - “Becoming a Woman Who Yells at Her Children

Mariela Sancari is an Argentinian-born photographer based in Mexico City. Mariela’s series Moisés—a typology of portraits of men the age her late father would have been if he were still alive—is, in a way, a searching as well as an exploration of grief. In our conversation, Mariela and I talked about the how collaboration shapes her projects, how she uses iteration to create something new from existing work, and what the photobook form is and isn’t good for. Then in the second segment we talked about the unconscious references that inform our photographic work. (Conversation recorded February 5, 2019.) Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Stitcher | YouTube | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Show Notes: Mariela Sancari Mariela Sancari - Moisés Mariela Sancari - Moisés (Book) Mariela Sancari - Moisés/Landscape Mariela Sancari - Moisés Is Not Dead Mariela Sancari and Adolfo Córdova - Mr. &

Matika Wilbur, of the Swinomish and Tulalip tribes, is a photographer based in the Pacific Northwest. For her current endeavor, Project 562, Matika has visited hundreds of tribes across the United States, making portraits and sharing contemporary Native stories to counteract the stereotypes and misinformation so prevalent in mainstream media and history textbooks. In our conversation, Matika and I talked about the origins of Project 562, her collaborative portrait-making process, and the difference between activism and storytelling. Then for the second segment, Matika talked about ways to indigenize our spaces, acknowledge our indigenous communities, and form a relationship with the land. (Conversation recorded January 29, 2019.) Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Stitcher | YouTube | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Show Notes:   Matika Wilbur Project 562 All My Relations David W. May Amer

Shivanee Ramlochan is a Trinidadian poet, arts reporter, and book blogger. I had the opportunity to read Shivanee’s book of poems Everyone Knows I Am a Haunting a few months ago and I found it a powerful experience. In our conversation, Shivanee and I talked about her book, making art out of our traumas, and navigating audience responses to our work. Then in the second segment, we talked about how few opportunities there can be for marginalized writers, and how this often creates an unnecessarily competitive environment. (Conversation recorded January 24, 2019.) Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Stitcher | YouTube | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Support the LikeWise Fiction Kickstarter Show Notes: Shivanee Ramlochan Shivanee Ramlochan - Everyone Knows I Am a Haunting: Peepal Tree Press | IndieBound | B&N Sonia Farmer Sonia Farmer - The Red Thread Cycle in NE9 National Art Gallery of

Victoria Mara Heilweil is a photographic artist, curator, and educator based in San Francisco, CA. I met Victoria at an opening here in San Diego a couple of years ago and immediately hit it off with her, as our work is very much on the same wavelength. In our conversation we talked about the importance of imperfection and the everyday in her work, placing her work in a feminist context, and her experience as an independent curator in San Francisco. Then for the second segment, we talked about the state of education in the United States, and the lack of respect given to teachers. (Converation recorded January 15, 2019.) Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Stitcher | YouTube | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Show Notes: Victoria Mara Heilweil San Diego Art Institute - Trinh Mai: That We Should Be Heirs Trinh Mai - That We Should Be Heirs LikeWise Fiction Kickstarter Victoria Mara Heilweil -

To celebrate the third anniversary of Keep the Channel Open, photographer Daniel Gonçalves turned the tables on me and took on the role of podcast host in order to spend some time talking about my own work. In our conversation, Daniel and I discussed my photographs and creative process, making an emotional connection through art, and why quiet masculinity is important to me. (Conversation recorded January 17, 2019.) Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Stitcher | YouTube | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Show Notes: Mike Sakasegawa Keep the Channel Open - Episode 1: Trinh Mai Keep the Channel Open - Episode 55: Daniel Gonçalves Medium Festival of Photography Kickstarter - LikeWise Fiction Ken Rosenthal Keep the Channel Open - Episode 19: Ken Rosenthal Mike Sakasegawa - It Forgets You Mike Sakasegawa - All Good Things Aline Smithson Mike Sakasegawa - Sheets: A Love Letter Kurt Simonson Mike S

Jerry Takigawa is a photographer, designer, and writer based in Carmel Valley, CA. In his photo series Balancing Cultures, Jerry explores his family’s history during the Japanese American Internment, creating striking and beautiful compositions that tell the story of a dark chapter in our nation’s past. In our conversation, I talked with Jerry about this body of work, about our shared identity as Japanese Americans, and about how he developed a visual vocabulary that has evolved throughout his artistic career. Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Stitcher | SoundCloud | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Show Notes: Jerry Takigawa Jerry Takigawa - Balancing Cultures Jerry Takigawa - False Food Jerry Takigawa - Kimono Series Alvarado Gallery Turchin Center for the Visual Arts - “Full Circle: 2018 CENTER Award Winners” Atlanta Photography Group #ChannelOpenPhoto Poston War Relocation Center 442nd

Rachel Lyon is a writer based in Brooklyn, NY. Rachel’s debut novel Self-Portrait With Boy caught my attention for its complex depiction of a young artist in 1990’s Brooklyn, and the story has stuck with me in the months since I first read it. In our conversation, Rachel and I talked about the similarities between her novel and one of her earlier short stories, about the necessity of art in the contemporary world, and about the way her novel and its characters engage with questions of class. Then in the second segment, we talked about alcoholism and the role drinking plays in our culture. Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Stitcher | SoundCloud | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Show Notes: Rachel Lyon Rachel Lyon - Self-Portrait With Boy: Simon & Schuster | B&N | IndieBound Rachel Lyon - Tripping Sunny Chaudhry Rachel Lyon - Writing/Thinking Prompts Catapult - 1-Day Novel Structuri

David Naimon is a writer and the host of the literature podcast Between the Covers, one of my absolute favorite podcasts. On his show, David brings a deep curiosity and impressive intellect to every conversation, making for some of the most engaging and in-depth interviews I’ve ever heard. In our conversation, David and I talked about the similarities and differences between our two shows, about the craft of interviewing, as well as about his own writing. Then in the second segment, David asked the question, is there a way for us as a society to change the way we tell stories that might enact change in our relationship to the natural world? Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Stitcher | SoundCloud | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Show Notes: David Naimon - Between the Covers Ursula K. Le Guin and David Naimon - Conversations on Writing 2018 Black Warrior Review Fall/Winter Edition - Volume

Brandon Thibodeaux is a photographer based in Dallas, TX. At the Medium Festival of Photography this year, Brandon presented his series In That Land of Perfect Day, in which he looks at faith, identity, and perseverance in a group of five African-American communities in the Mississippi Delta. In our conversation we talked about the project, the importance of empathy, and the responsibility of documentary photography. Then in the second segment, Brandon and I talked about the interaction between our personal work and our careers. Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Stitcher | SoundCloud | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Show Notes: KTCO Holiday Shop Brandon Thibodeaux Brandon Thibodeaux - In That Land of Perfect Day Medium Festival of Photography PDN - “Brandon Thibodeaux’s New Book Explores Family, Faith and Perseverance in the Mississippi Delta” Port Magazine - “A Town Called Alligator: B

The images from Claire A. Warden's series Mimesis are visually striking and delightfully inscrutable. Like most viewers, I was immediately grabbed by them when I first saw them, but it wasn't until I talked with Claire and read her artist's statement that I really understood what she was trying to say with these pictures. Having that experience, though, really deepened my appreciation for the work. This week, Claire and I talked about her unique process and the reason why it's so important that this series exist in the context of photography. In the second segment, we discussed race and being and immigrant, and how that affects the way one's identity forms. Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Stitcher | SoundCloud | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Show Notes: Claire A. Warden 2018 KTCO Holiday Shop Philadelphia Photo Arts Center - 2019 Contemporary Photography Competition and Exhibition #ChannelOpenP

Brandon Taylor is a writer and graduate student at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. One of my favorite contemporary writers, Brandon's short stories are marvelously crafted, understated and emotionally charged, while his personal essays and cultural critique are insightful and often lyrical—all of it is just a joy to read. In today's conversation, Brandon and I talked about his work and his process, how he often finds himself inventing around the margins of the stories he takes in, and how and why he always resists the reductive take. For the second segment, Brandon chose expectation as his topic, both the excitement and terror of one's own anticipation of the future, but also the expectations others can put on us. (Episode originally aired on April 26, 2017. Conversation recorded April 4, 2017.) Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS Support: Support our Patreon | Leave a review Share: Tweet this episode | Share to Facebook Connect: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr Show Notes: