Enjoy our October “Book Lunch”, as we welcome special guest author and public intellectual Azar Nafisi back to our show to discuss her new book Read Dangerously!

More on this episode from Mitch’s notebook

“While I do love to speak freely and spontaneously on a book that has become close to my heart or seems central to our collective lives in a moment or "snapshot" (as I would formulate it), there is simply nothing as powerful and valuable as being able to communicate with the author of the book in question in the moment.

This was nowhere more forcefully brought home than being able to have a conversation with Azar Nafisi on her book “Reading Dangerously”.

Not only is her book possibly one of the most important in our current moment it is also concerns our universal humanity as she expressed so eloquently during our conversation.

This is Azar Nafisi's second visit to our show and I always feel blessed when she is on our show as in a very real sense she represents the spirit of our podcast.

As you will hear she certainly knows her literature but many subjects came up into course of our show - issues of literature, philosophy as well as politics. I certainly hope you will celebrate her book with us as it one we will surely enjoy reading long into the future as much as we will now.”

Listeners, in case you missed it, here is our recent wonderful livestream art talk, "Funky Friday at 5" featuring your host, Mitch Hampton.

Inside the Episode with Mitch Hampton

“As I will never tire of expressing, one of the many goals of this podcast is to feature guests who have had different lives and careers than your host.

Although I have always been intensely interested in men's fashion and menswear and our guest Frank La Mendola started out as, among other things, a fashion illustrator, his particular journey involved becoming both a designer of accessories for women, notably handbags as well as the world of food culture and catering in his capacities as a baker and chef.

These are worlds that are most interesting to me and with which I have had little involvement.

I loved hearing his stories on this episode, in particular the relatable way in which he talks about his many careers.

He is both a tireless, hard worker, and yet never loses humility and a positive outlook, qualities which we were fortunate to feature on this episode.

As he said on this episode, he has had many lifetimes in this one and I certainly enjoyed hearing about some of those on this episode.”

Frank's Bio

A native to New Jersey, and an avid designer, gardener, and cook; thanks to a lifelong passion for art, nature, and food!

After studying fashion and design, Frank spent over three decades designing handbags in New York City, where I resided for several years, while traveling the globe for business.

A few years ago, after moving back to New Jersey, Frank decided to follow his other passions which are gardening, cooking and baking, and then began teaching Culinary Arts at a private all girls’ high school in Northern New Jersey.

Sharing behind the scenes and how to instruction for everything that takes place in the kitchen and garden, allows me to create content for Celebrate 365, which is the perfect mix and use of my professional background as an artist, designer and teacher.

Whether I'm growing vegetables or trying out new recipes, sharing these experiences with family, friends and followers, is incredibly satisfying... and why I started blogging.

Links to Frank’s many beautiful works:

Thank you to everyone who joined us last night, to all the musicians and our tech team!

In case you missed it, here was our concert and we hope you enjoy the music.

Your podcast host, Mitch Hampton is also professional concert pianist and composer, having scored many films with a prolific music career, so we share this as some bonus content!

#jazz #music #concert #livemusic Mitch Hampton

Hello listeners!

In case you missed it, here is our wonderful talk with the spectacular #EddieAbreau!

We cannot thank him enough for joining us on our recent "Funky Friday at 5", to speak about his activism for autistic and neurodivergence.

It was extra special for us as our host, Mitch Hampton was recently made aware of his own neurodivergence and they both explore in this talk, how creativity has inspired them forward in their journeys.

It was a truly joyful talk and Eddie is an absolute inspiration to us all. We hope he will be back again soon!

More about this very special event from your neurodivergent host, Mitch Hampton, here:

“I believe I first became aware of Eddie Abreu on the recommendation of one of our guests Stephanie Persephone.

I am most glad she put in touch with one another.

I was first of all impressed with his style of dress which makes him already a soul brother of sorts.

Only later did I realize his contributions to activism for autistic and neurodivergence more generally as well as his work as a tutor.

He is also highly erudite.

Even though we have not yet met in person and both have deep connections to New York City, one of the features of our Internet Age is that people can meet in all sorts of ways.

I very look forward to learning much from him and our conversation for the Funky Friday.”

"I have been reading Wendy Steiner since the publication of her 1996 book The Scandal Of Pleasure.

Imagine my astonishment that I actually got to speak with her on this podcast after so many years.

If I had to describe Wendy Steiner's contribution in arts and letters I would discuss her first as one of the very best public intellectuals.In her case, one who writes books for a general readership on the subjects closest to my heart. For her art and beauty are essential and very real things in the world, never abstractions or options that come after necessities. 

The ways she weaves examples into her prose from both popular and non- commercial works and, above all, HOW she writes of them - with great erudition and wisdom - seems to me so rare in today's world.

And I look forward to her next book on beauty - even if I must wait a year.

Only recently did I discover that she is a part of the world of opera in writing librettos.I have been learning from her for decades and I hope you can feel my enthusiasm at being able to discuss my favorite subjects in the world with her in this dream come true episode."

Bio:

Wendy Steiner is the author or editor of fourteen books on aesthetics and cultural criticism, including The Scandal of Pleasure: Art in an Age of Fundamentalism (NY Times “100 Best Books of 1996”); Venus in Exile: The Rejection of Beauty in Twentieth-Century Art (2001); and The Real Real Thing: The Model in the Mirror of Art (2010). At the University of Pennsylvania, she was the Richard L. Fisher Professor of English and Founding Director of the Penn Humanities Forum (now the Wolf Center). A Guggenheim, ACLS, Bellagio, and NEH Fellow, Steiner received a NYSCA Individual Artist’s Grant for her photography-opera-hologram installation in the 2022 Venice Biennale, Upon Reflection: An Opera in Ten Images (composer, Frances White).

For the 2019 Biennale, Steiner co-designed Traces on the Farther Side (with Andrew Lucia), a “digital visualization” of an earlier composition by White. Steiner is the librettist of four operas with composer Paul Richards, two of which premiere in 2022: Mondo Novo, in the Vienna Summer Music Festival; and A Braided Light, commissioned by White Snake Projects in Boston.

Steiner lives in New York, where she is at work on a new book, “The Beauty of Choice: Aesthetics and the Agency of Women.”

Links to Wendy’s beautiful works:

Website: https://web.english.upenn.edu/~wsteiner/

Links to Wendy's Books:

https://www.amazon.com/Wendy-Steiner/e/B000APVXBA%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

A recent webinar about Wendy’s Venice Biennale project,

Upon Reflection: An Opera in Ten Images: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdrplK6Zkgk

In case you missed it, enjoy our recent Funky Friday at 5 art talk, featuring special guest, Quinn Lemley!  

More about the livestream here: 

 “There can be no doubt that the heat was on this past July 8th at 5 when we are joined by triple threat singer, dancer and actor Quinn Lemley, star of Rita Hayworth The Heat Is On!, Secrets of Broadway, From Burlesque to Broadway and much more.” 

More about Quinn’s beautiful work, here: https://quinnlemley.com https://www.facebook.com/officialquinnlemley/videos/400471748691191

Listeners!   

Today we celebrate with you SEASON 4 of our show!   

We are SO grateful to you all for being on the journey with us and we are so excited to share what we have planned for this season.  

In case you missed our celebratory livestream today featuring your podcast host, Mitch Hampton, here it is , full of surprises and a lively discussion about the arts, 1970s' ( Mitch is a 70's scholar) and Season 4 of our show.  

Please listen, subscribe, share and leave a comment!

https://anchor.fm/mitch-hampton https://www.patreon.com/journeyofanae... https://www.jouneyofanaesthetepodcast... http://www.audibletrial.com/Journeyof...