On today's show, I talk to Shayna Dunkelman, Michael Anthony Carter and Angelica Negron who together make up the experimental pop group Peptalk. Individually, Shayna grew up in Japan, and also plays in the bands Xiu Xiu, Glasser and Balun, a band that Angelica is also a member of. Angelica is also a composerand has been commissioned by many different festivals to create works. As well as playing music, Michael also builds audio and video pieces and equipment for everyone from Tyondai Braxton to Dan Deacon to the LA Philharmonic. Also, Peptalk just released their first album Islet, and it's wonderful!This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to musician Annabelle Cazes AKA Glockabelle. Annabelle grew up in Westchester, NY and studied for many years in Paris with an aim to become a concert pianist. After having a taste of that lifestyle however, she turned her attentions to indie rock, making her own music with a small Casio VL-1 keyboard and a glockenspiel. Annabelle has toured with The Fiery Furnaces (why not check out my previous episode with Eleanor Friedberger?), sings on the latest The Go! Team album, and her own Wolf BBQ EP is absolutely wonderful.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to actor Adam Pally. Adam got his start in comedy at UCB performing on the theater's reknowned improv team Death by Roo Roo, and in the trio Hot Sauce with Brooklyn 99 writer (and former Beginnings guest) Gil Ozeri and Parks and Rec's Ben Schwartz. After moving to LA, Adam was cast on the amazing comedy Happy Endings, which ran for three seasons, and after that played Dr. Peter Prentice on The Mindy Project. Currently, he is filming a lead role in the upcoming comedy Search Party with T.J. Miller and Thomas Middleditch.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to comedian and writer Yassir Lester. Originally from Marietta, GA, Yassir is based in Los Angeles. An accomplished stand-up, Yassir is also a TV writer and has written for Adult Swim shows like Black Dynamite and Mr. Pickles. He's a judge on the MTV show Snack-Off as well, and currently he's a writer on the forthcoming season of the HBO series Girls. Also in the second half, I talk about depression and microaggressions with the wonderful Heben Nigatu, a senior editor at BuzzFeed and co-host of the podcast Another Round.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to author Jack Womack. Originally from Lexington, Kentucky, Jack moved to New York in 1977, and his first novel Ambient was published a decade later. Ambient was the first in his "Dryco" series which includes Terraplane, Heathern and Elvissey, which he won the Philip K Dick Award for. He's also written a number of other great books like Random Acts of Senseless Violence and Let's Put the Future Behind Us. Jack may or may not fall under the rubric of "cyberpunk", depending on who you ask, but he has been called William Gibson's favorite author.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to comedy writer and the man behind many of your favorite things Joe Randazzo. Joe got his start at The Onion, and while there worked his way up to editor of the paper. After they moved their headquarters to Chicago, he became the creative director of Thing X which then became adultswim.com, and presided over a creative renaissance for the site. Currently, Joe is the head writer for the Comedy Central gameshow @Midnight and very soon his book Funny on Purpose: The Definitive Guide to an Unpredictable Career in Comedy will be released!This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to writer, producer and feminist Marcelle Karp. Born in New York, Marcelle met Debbie Stoller and Laurie Henzel in 1993 while working at Nickelodeon, and the three started a zine called Bust. Bust grew and became one of the flagship publications of third-wave feminism. After leaving the magazine to raise her daughter Ruby, Marcelle has continued to be an icon of feminism and as one of her projects, currently produces the HelloGiggles Presents show at UCB with her daughter.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to actor Susan Heyward. Susan grew up mostly in Atlanta and Philly as the daughter of two preachers and came to acting at a young age. Since entering the professional world, she's performed on and off Broadway, had roles in comedies like 30 Rock and Michael and Michael Have Issues, dramas like The Following, and most recently played Deena Pilgrim in the Powers Playstation show, which was just picked up for a second season.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to writer Alex Dinelaris Jr. As a New York native, Alex was captivated by film and theater at a young age. While he initially studied to be a theater director, he was encouraged to write, and eventually his play Folding the Monster got some attention. Since then, he's written a number of well-received plays, including Still Life and Red Dog Howls, has co-written two films Biutiful and the Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning Birdman, and is currently showrunning the Starz show The One Percent with Ed Harris and Hilary Swank.This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's show I talk to comedian Kevin Avery. Originally from San Francisco, Kevin currently lives in New York where he is a writer on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Previously, he was the head writer on Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell and wrote on Best Week Ever before that. Kevin's also a wonderful stand-up and podcaster - his first album is called Hardcore, and with Kamau, he hosts the Wolfpop podcast Denzel Washington is The Greatest Actor of All Time Period. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.