Part travelog, part love letter to trees, in this episode I take you on a seven-day motorcycle trip and wax poetic about the glory of the ancients (and how we are alike).

Related links: 

Walk the Methuselah Loop with me and check out the Bristlecones. https://www.instagram.com/reels/DMyzZfDpEVK/

Photos from my motorcycle tour found here: https://www.jumpinthestream.com/are-we-not-trees/

This is an audio reading of the post "Are we not trees?" published online on August 1, 2025. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. 

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About Field of Streams
This podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.'

Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here

Make art. Write history down. Sing the times. It is your job.

Stay sane with Heather Cox Richardson.
Read her Substack: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
Watch YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson

This is an audio reading of the post "How+L" published online on January 30, 2026. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/howl/

Support the show

About Field of Streams
This podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.'

Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here

I'm a huge fan of what I call the "Art Safari" where you travel somewhere to go look at art and experience something creative. In today's episode, I talk about my first ever Art Safari in 2023 to go see some of artist, Mark Maggiori's paintings. He paints epic scenes of the American West. 

Related Links:

Listen to the episode about my 2024 Glasgow Art Safari here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2194216/episodes/14798893

Experience "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell here: https://open.spotify.com/track/1pjATX7sbd6Y4jMVqIvzHk?si=362fd77debde429f

Go check out Mark Maggiori's work here: https://markmaggiori.com

This is an audio reading of the post "The Mark Maggiori Art Safari: Look at clouds from both sides. Now!" published online on March 13, 2023. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/the-mark-maggiori-art-safari-look/

Support the show

About Field of Streams
This podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.'

Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here

On the healing powers of a gentle bicycle ride. One that is NOT for exercise purposes and simply for tootling about and enjoying the day.

This is an audio reading of the post “Bitching in a Forward Direction,” published online on May 30, 2025. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/continue-on/

Support the show

About Field of Streams
This podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.'

Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here

Inspired by the Japanese print style of Gyotaku ('fish print'), today I'm talking about how we all desire to leave an impression on others. What will yours look like?

This is an audio reading of the post "Catch of the Day", published online on December 16, 2024. Additional inspirations, including videos showing how to make a Gyotaku print, can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/gyotaku/

Support the show

About Field of Streams
This podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.'

Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here

I had a dream. Bob Dylan was in it. What does it all mean? Time for some armchair dream analysis. 

This is an audio reading of that post "Absolutely Sweet Dreams", published online on December 16, 2024. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/dreams/

Support the show

About Field of Streams
This podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.'

Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here

If all poetry had to be fact checked before it got published, there would be no joy. 

The David Sedaris interview with Mike Birbiglia where he talks about The New Yorker fact checking his writing can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJtgocLVa0A 

All poems referenced within this piece are listed in the footnotes here if you want to go read some great poems! https://www.jumpinthestream.com/you-cannot-fact-check-poetry/

This is an audio reading of that post “You cannot fact check poetry”, published online on June 13, 2025. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. 

Support the show

About Field of Streams
This podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.'

Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here

Slow down. Don't get mad. There are things you can control and things you can't and you can't escape time. Lemme explain what I mean.

This is an audio reading of the post "The time it takes is the time it takes" from April 9, 2025. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/time

Support the show

About Field of Streams
This podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.'

Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here

You are what you make. Listen in to ten minutes of me reframing what failure and success look like for me going forward, then launch into a spirited reading of my new mantra. If you want to skip straight to that, hit 11 mins and 18 seconds and GO! 

I mention a Greg Proops pep talk quote. Here is a picture of it on my corkboard: https://www.instagram.com/p/DP20nIcjqG2/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

The Patti Smith interview on WTF with Marc Maron is here. She tells the story about William Burroughs at around 1 hour 9 mins: https://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-1167-patti-smith

This is an audio reading of the post "I am not a brand. I am a body of work." from October 10, 2025. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/not-a-brand/

Support the show

About Field of Streams
This podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.'

Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here

Today I read a piece of my writing triggered by Justin Hawkins, frontman of The Darkness, describing a certain type of drummer as a "shed builder." I take that term and give it a positive spin in relation to creativity and what it takes to be an artist. One's heart must hammer on. One must keep building the shed and banging in the nails. Blessed are the shed builders! 

This is an audio reading of the post "If your heart beats like a hammer, find a nail" from February 20, 2023. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/if-your-heart-beats-like-a-hammer

Support the show

About Field of Streams
This podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.'

Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here