Hyacinth Podcast

What are the limits of our narrative? How can stories lead us into blank spaces and the unknown? I interview Giller Prize winner Johanna Skibsrud and celebrated east coast writers Carol Bruneau and Nicola Davison about the transformative potential of story and the challenges of writing what is unsaid and unknown.   Johanna Skibsrud is a Giller Prize-winning writer and professor at the University of Arizona. Her latest novel, Island, explores imperial and colonial histories via the modern existence of "black sites." The story follows two women over a single day on a small island that is about to burst into revolution.   Carol Bruneau is an acclaimed Nova Scotia writer and the author of eight books. While writing her latest novel, A Circle on the Surface, Carol mentored debut novelist, Nicola Davison through the writing of her first book, In the Wake under the Writer's Federation of Nova Scotia's Alistair MacLeod Writing Mentorship program. Both books would go on to win awards at the 2019 Atlantic Book Awards.   Be sure to listen to Part 1 of this Episode where I speak with best-selling writer and scholar Jesse Thistle, community organizer Masuma Khan, and fashion writer Musemo Handahu.   Get more details for each episode at www.carmelmikol.com/hyacinth-podcast and follow @hyacinthpodcast on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

What if telling your story could endanger your life ... but also possibly save it? I interview best-selling author and scholar Jesse Thistle, community organizer Masuma Khan, and fashion writer Musemo Handahu about the powers and dangers of storytelling.   Jesse Thistle went from living on the street and suffering with addictions to being an award-winning scholar and Assistant Professor at York University. He shares his remarkable story in his new memoir, From the Ashes, which has been on best-sellers lists for months.   Masuma Khan is a committed community organizer who made international headlines while she was a student at Dalhousie University. She has had to reclaim her story in the face of hate speech, death threats, and skewed media coverage.   Musemo Handahu, better known as @misslionhuner online, is a fashion writer and influencer breaking new ground in fashion and marketing. Her unique style and authentic storytelling has helped her reach audiences across digital spaces.

Get links more details at www.hyacinthpodcast.com and follow @hyacinthpodcast on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

Bonus episode: Hear my extended interview with writer and psychotherapist Dr. Kathlyn Conway. Her book Beyond Words: Illness and the Limits of Expression explores storytelling about illness and trauma beyond the triumph narrative. As a cancer-survivor herself, she has come face to face with "the limits of the self and its expression in language."

We first met Dr. Conway in Episode 2 - Trauma & Falconry. This is our full conversation. If you enjoy this interview, be sure to subscribe and check out my regular, curated episodes.

Pick up Dr. Conway's book at www.unmpress.com

Stay in touch via our email list at www.hyacinthpodcast.com or @hyacinpodcast on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

Can encounters with the wild heal us? Can trauma yield discoveries that are beautiful and expansive? I talk to a psychotherapist and two licensed falconers about the surprising connections between traumatic experiences and the art of falconry. It turns out that training birds might be a little-known secret to healing. And (spoiler alert), to test out the theory, I learn to fly a hawk myself.

Guests: Rodney Stotts - Falconer, Rodney's Raptors

Dr. Kathlyn Conway - Psychotherapist and writer, Beyond Words: Illness and the Limits of Expression

Jamie Stride - Falconer, Island Falconry Services

I also discuss the work of Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk and his seminal book The Body Keeps the Score and Helen MacDonald's bestselling memoir H is for Hawk.

www.carmelmikol.com/hyacinth-podcast

Topics: falconry, trauma, dissociation, therapy, birds of prey, hawks, falcons, falconer, healing, PTSD

Trees: Why do they have such broad and enduring significance in our collective imaginations? Why do we like them so much? I talk to an urban planner, a public historian, an instrument maker, and... my mom to find out. Plus, we hear about a single maple tree that birthed an entire ensemble of hand-made instruments. Conversations with: Adam Fine - Urban planner Dr. Martha Norkunas - Professor of public history, Middle Tennessee State University Otis Tomas - Instrument maker and composer Donna Mikol - My mom “When inquiring minds have perceived them, trees have become metaphors for the structure of human knowledge and for [hu]mankind’s place in the world.” - Matthew Bevis, Keble College, Oxford University Visit hyacinthpodcast.com for full list of citations and links for the research behind this episode. Transcripts & extended interviews coming soon. Written, produced, and hosted by Carmel Mikol Original music composed by Carmel Mikol (featuring "The Fiddle Tree" by Otis Tomas)

www.carmelmikol.com/hyacinth-podcast

@hyacinthpodcast on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

Why do trees have such such enduring significance in our collective culture? What do they really mean to us? And why do we like them so much?

Hear some of my favourite moments from the first episode which launches in full on September 9th. I speak with public historian Dr. Martha Norkunas, urban planner Adam Fine, instrument maker Otis Tomas, and... my mom.  

Don't forget to subscribe so you can hear the first episode in full on September 9th.

Stay in touch! www.carmelmikol.com/hyacinth-podcast