The Poet (delayed)

Episode 47: Injustice

September 3rd, 2024  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 17 mins

authenticity, emotional wounds, healing, mental health, poetry, self discovery, vulnerability, wholeness

I was joined by my friend, Melissa Fairbourn Peterson. We talked about the wounds we all suffer from one another whether intentionally or not and that those who inflict those wounds cannot heal us - only we can heal our wounds.
We discussed the importance of apologies in the healing process. The dangers in demanding an apology. How recognizing our complicity in our wounds helps us heal, and so much more.

We read from Les Miserables and from The Gulag Archipelago.

Episode 46: Walk Unafraid by First Aid Kit

August 27th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 44 mins

authenticity, poetry, self discovery

I was joined by Lindsey McDermott this week and we listened to “Walk Unafraid” by First Aid Kit and discussed belonging to yourself and not abandoning yourself to fit in. We also talked about joy and sorrow and happiness and suffering and how they have presented in our lives and ways that we have engaged with them.

Episode 45: The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski

August 20th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 44 mins

authenticity, charles bukowski, poetry, self discovery, the laughing heart

I’m joined by my good friend Pat. We read and discussed The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski. We talked about what it means to us to be clubbed into dank submission. How does that come about? How do we overcome it? Why is it important to overcome it?

Episode 44: Sinking

August 13th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 8 secs

authenticity, creating, creativity, poetry, self discovery, song writing

Josh Baron joined me again and we discussed his song, Sinking, that he just published on Spotify. We discussed his process and the inspiration for the song. We also talked about creativity and the important role it plays in our personal lives and in the world.

Episode 43: Motherless Pieta

August 6th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 10 mins

authenticity, poetry, prodigal, self discovery

In this episode, I’m joined again by Josh Baron as we discuss my poem, Motherless Pieta, the Parable of the Prodigal Son, obedience, self abandonment and more.

Episode 42: In My Marrow

August 1st, 2024  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 58 secs

authenticity, maya angelou, poetry, self belonging, self discovery

In this episode, I read my poem, “In My Marrow,” and discussed the principle of belonging to ourselves and the importance of knowing who we are what are values are. In doing so, I drew upon the wisdom of Maya Angelou, Brene Brown, Solzhenitsyn, Nietzsche and Jung.

Episode 41: The Iliad by Babylit

July 30th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  58 mins 51 secs

authenticity, greek mythology, homer, iliad, poetry, self discovery, the iliad

In this episode, I was joined again by Jennifer Adams. We discussed her newest addition to her Babylit book series, The Iliad.

We also discussed other projects that she is working on and the power of literature.

Episode 40: The Torchlight of Rescuers…

July 16th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 32 mins

authenticity, poetry, self discovery

In this episode, I was joined by Zach Wheatley. He is a friend, the son of a friend and the nephew of a friend…all at the same time. He works as a Teen Center Coordinator in the newly established Teen Center Program at Viewmont High School which provides him an opportunity to support students who are lacking basic needs. Zach and I discussed his work at the Teen Center in light of a couple of my poems, “Dark Canopy” and “Moab.”

Episode 39: Just for today...

July 9th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  59 mins 50 secs

authenticity, poetry, self discovery

My brother, Wil Edgar is a Reiki Master, and joined me to talk about the five precepts of Reiki.

Episode 38: Shattered

July 2nd, 2024  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 34 mins

authenticity, poetry, self discovery

Lisa Cox joined me and read her poem, "Shattered." Then, through the lens of our personal experiences, we discussed what it means to shatter and how it can be the catalyst to positive transformations in our lives. We discussed why we shatter; What shattering can look like; What happens after we shatter; What we can do with the shattered pieces of us and other “shatter” related issues, including how a kaleidoscope factors into the process.

Episode 37: Don’t Worry Baby

June 25th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  48 mins 55 secs

authenticity, carl jung, love, persona, poetry, relationships, safety, self discovery, shadow, vulnerability

In this episode, I use the Beach Boy’s song, Don’t Worry Baby, to discuss my observations and experiences related to vulnerability, love and safety in relationships, all types of relationships, and how that the lack of those three things contribute to an unfulfilled life.

Episode 36: Courage is Found in Failure

June 18th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 23 mins

authenticity, poetry, self discovery

I sat down with Jackie Pack and we discussed courage including what it means and how we recognize it. We also discussed Brene Brown's statement:

"I don't think we can get to courage without the capacity to deal with uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure."

Episode 35: The Traveling Sisterhood

June 11th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  54 mins 27 secs

authenticity, empowerment, healing, poetry, self discovery, women supporting women

Angie is a mother, a photographer, an entrepreneur, a bringer-together of women for healing and a travel addict. She and I sat down and talked about the power of community in healing - especially a community of women for women. We talked about how she started the annual women’s retreats. And we talked about so, so much more. She’s a remarkable woman doing remarkable things amongst other remarkable women.

Episode 34: We have art lest we perish of the truth. ~ Nietzsche

June 4th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 12 mins

authenticity, poetry, self discovery

Episode 33: Nostalgia for Now, Part 2

May 28th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  43 mins 37 secs

authenticity, poetry, self discovery

Part 2 of my conversation with SAW. See how the cliffhanger turns out and stay for the conclusion of our conversation in which Stephen takes over host duties and starts questioning me.

Episode 32: Nostalgia for Now, Part 1

May 21st, 2024  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 32 mins

authenticity, poetry, self discovery

I met Stephen in high school in Collinsville, IL in 1988. I moved away after my junior year in 1991 and we have bumped into each other only a few times since, but before I moved away we had some grand times. In part 1, we talked about the grandest time we had together when we took a road trip to the east coast as two 17 year old boys (one with a horrible haircut) armed with fake IDs, a bag of audio cassettes, a rough idea of what we were going to do and…well, that was about it.