In this episode I link up with my new buddy from a recent Doomer Optimism event in Margaretville NY, Travis Logan. Travis brought an essay to my attention, Techne-Zen and the Spiritual Quality of Global Capitalism, by Yale professor R. John Williams. We decided to call John up to see if he would discuss his work, and where he lands with trying to navigate technology, spirituality and religion. One of my (Ashley’s) favorite conversations yet!!

Discussing: https://rjohnwilliams.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/williams-techne-zen-and-capitalism.pdf&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1731775211585824&usg=AOvVaw1ZTYOktfC-mKHhdUCdnVma

Bios and links

R John Williams is Associate Professor of English and Film Studies at Yale (https://filmstudies.yale.edu/people/r-john-williams)

Travis Logan reviews books on Substack: https://postliberalbookreviews.substack.com/

*finger guns* pew pew!

Evan interviews Tacticool Girlfriend: competitive shooter, eyeshadow wearer, content creator, and outspoken defender of firearm rights for marginalized populations. We discuss pluralism, school shootings, meaningful deterrence, political coding of gun rights, and mutual aid.

www.youtube.com/@TacticoolGirlfriend

https://www.facebook.com/tacticoolgirlfriend

instagram.com/tacticoolgf

https://bsky.app/profile/tacticoolgf.bsky.social

twitter.com/tacticoolgf

Ashley met Michael Sellas as a couple recent Doomer Optimism events and they immediately hit it off. After discussing urban planning’s connection to DO, Michael suggested some writing by his friends Dr. Timothy Patitsas, who not only thinks a lot about cities, but worked with Jane Jacobs!

Michael Sellas, M.Div, is the founder of Michael Sellas Photography, and the Audio Producer for the No-Till Growers Podcast Network.

Photography: michaelsellasphotography.com

Music: Spotify

Timothy Patitsas is the author of The Ethics of Beauty and the assistant professor of Ethics at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Boston.

For his book: https://www.stnicholaspress.net/store/the-ethics-of-beauty

For his film work: https://www.beautyfirstfilms.com

This is an interview Sean Blanda of Sabbatical did with Ashley on her

Ashley speaks with Tessa Carman and her uncle Dwight about his journey to Guatemala from a small farming family in the Midwest. We discuss the push and pull of moving abroad, learning ecological farming, where to find home, and more.

In this election day special, Jason talks with Jon Council, candidate for County Commissioner 3 in Watauga County of Western NC (Jason’s home county) and Sarah Davis, his campaign manager, to talk about local issues in the region, including environmental protection, affordable housing for the working class, and mutual aid. In particular they talk about the impacts of Hurricane Helene in the region, how it changed the nature of their campaign into one of disaster relief organizing, and the challenges and opportunities moving forward.

They are both active members with Down Home NC (https://downhomenc.org/ ) and it’s local chapter Keep WNC (and Watauga) Home (https://keepwnchome.org/ )

A profile of Sarah Davis can be found here: https://medium.com/reclaiming-rural/calling-watauga-home-a8608d9d36d7

Jon’s campaign website can be found here: https://www.councilforwatauga.com/

About Jon:

Born and raised in North Carolina, I have grown to appreciate the diverse communities and nature that surround us, especially here in the High Country. My wife and I have lived on the Watauga River for the past six years after living and working in other communities around the area.  We have witnessed firsthand the areas where our local government has fallen short. Our county's working people deserve access to safe and affordable housing, environmental protections, clean water, a voice on our local boards, and much more. I have faced these same issues daily and am dedicated to making a difference for our county. I aim to become a public servant, not a politician.

To learn more about my involvement in our community and the issues I am running on, check out this interview with the national publication, Barn Raiser Media (https://barnraisingmedia.com/appalachia-carpenter-watauga-county-development-organizing-minimum-housing-standards/ )

In this episode, Casey Spinks, editor at Front Porch Republic, and Ashley discuss philosophy, theology, and the challenges in contemplative and active lives.

Casey Spinks is a contributing editor for Front Porch Republic. He lives with his family in Waco, Texas, where he teaches theology and philosophy at Baylor University.

https://www.frontporchrepublic.com/author/caseyspinks/

Small Town Mayor James Decker w/ Ashley and Nate

In this episode, Nate talks with Robert Hirschfeld, the director of water quality at the Illinois Prairie Rivers Network. They discuss the water quality crisis in the midwest, chemical pollution in the water and air, pesticide drift, and why despite the common sense that everyone wants “clean air and clean water” we continue to allow polluters to destroy what should be a healthy commons. They also talk about what can be done and how we can move beyond passive acceptance or theatrical protest.

In this conversation, Jason talks with Rust Belt Kid (@rustbeltkid1 ) about the decline and signs of a potential revival of American manufacturing and agriculture. He talks about his experience growing up in the Midwest, his day job in manufacturing, his aspirations to become a farmer and early successes on his recent 20 acres, and ideas he has about combining the two in new and innovative ways, while also drawing heavily from the knowledge of the old timers and from old photos about how things used to be done

Rust Belt Kid’s Twitter Profile: https://x.com/rustbeltkid1

Manufacturing and Agriculture. Terry Redlin American. Midwest's Greatest Archive Browser.

Company: gatorbar.com

Two prior DO episodes were mentioned in the episode, including:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5F29SVjpME

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npQ1m38V6Hc&t=97s