We recorded this episode of the podcast last Friday as Issue Eight was uploading to the printer – and at rural Maine internet speeds, there was plenty of time for a conversation! As we’ve spent the last several weeks getting this issue dialed in and ready to publish, we’ve grown even more excited about the content – our authors have crafted some beautiful and inspiring articles.

From spending a few lively days with the Roy Underhill, to the story of a high-school English teacher reproducing Henry David Thoreau’s desk with 11th graders, to witnessing the mechanical genius and thoughtful choices of boatbuilder Harry Bryan, we’ll discuss some of this issue’s articles and the stories behind them. As we all await the arrival of this next edition with anticipation, we think you’ll enjoy learning more about what’s in store.

18 – Issue Eight!

Arts

Literature

Performing Arts

Design

Food

Fashion & Beauty

Visual Arts

In this new episode, the guys talk with woodworker and author Andy Glenn, whose new book Backwoods Chairmakers: In Search of the Appalachian Chairmaker was published by Lost Art Press. If you’re interested in handmade and vernacular furniture, this new title should be on the top of your list. Glenn covers, not only the nuts-and-bolts discussions about building these chairs, but also an intimate glimpse into the lives of these makers still actively selling chairs today.

69 – “Backwoods Chairmakers with Andy Glenn”

Not everything in life needs to be “set it and forget it.” There are all sorts of things that we would do well to tend to – to care for – to pay attention to. In this episode, Joshua and Mike discuss the value of maintaining the stuff of our lives. Rather than consider it a burden that ought to be overcome, the guys argue that there is something inherently valuable in the practice of tending. Whether it’s seasonally adjusting shifting doors, maintaining old wooden windows, or repairing your own vehicles, the act of maintenance is an act of participation, rather than consumption. This podcast conversation is a call to challenge yourself to undertake things you’ve never done before, because in so doing, you may find that the more you faithfully pay attention to, the more you will grow – not to mention, the more you might learn to appreciate and enjoy the mundane details of life.

68 – “In Defense of Maintenance”

John Ruskin once said, “Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together.” In this episode, Joshua and Mike discuss the brand-new “Mechanical Arts Program” that they’ve launched in partnership with Greystone Theological Institute. Inspired by 12th-century theologian Hugh of Saint Victor, their aim is to help thoughtful learners reintegrate the work of the head with the work of the hands. The guys take this episode to discuss the first class held in their Maine woodshop this October.

67 – Reviving the Mechanical Arts

This episode was recorded on the road back in September, and in it Joshua, Mike, and Eden explain the various ways they’ve sourced lumber in rural Maine. As a from-the-hip recording, this conversation traverses quite a varied terrain – from the house project status to purchasing lumber in unconventional ways to the damage solar farms have done to the state of Maine. Buckle up – this one’s taking you places you never thought you’d go.

66 – Road Trip for Lumber

In this episode, Joshua and Mike reflect on their time at Handworks, quite possibly the single most significant hand-tool woodworking event in the world. Part travelogue, part update, part rumination, this episode traverses a range of topics. If you weren’t there, you really missed out.

18 – Issue Eight!

Download our free app to listen on your phone