Live Wire with Luke Burbank

Host Luke Burbank and Elena Passarello describe moments when they "paid their dues;" memoirist Thomas Page McBee shares what he learned about masculinity while training to become the first transgender man to box at Madison Square Garden; dope queen Phoebe Robinson reflects on managing debt and embracing "trash" culture; entrepreneur Lainey Morse reveals the origins of goat yoga; and Americana wunderkind Sammy Brue performs the song "Our Garden."

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello confess to how bad they are at “letting go;” poet Tommy Pico explains how writing as his alter ego "Teebs" allows him to be less self-censoring in his work; journalist Eli Saslow discusses Derek Black – the subject of his new book "Rising Out of Hatred" – and how the once-heir to the white nationalist movement made a stunning transformation; comedian Emily Heller spins gut-busting analogies to online dating; and indie rock duo The Helio Sequence perform “Lately” from their album “Keep Your Eyes Ahead.”

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello “face their fears” of the IRS and snakes; journalist Jose Antonio Vargas recounts coming out as an undocumented immigrant who faces deportation at any moment; comedian Marcella Arguello makes the case for staying single over 30; writer and former Live Wire host Courtenay Hameister describes how she spent a year facing her anxiety head-on by engaging in activities that pushed her boundaries; and folk duo Planes on Paper perform “Hermit Song.”

Host Luke Burbank gets a “fresh start” when he learns how to correctly pronounce announcer Elena Passarello’s name; writer Gary Shteyngart recounts how his Greyhound adventures across America inspired his new book “Lake Success;” comedian Hari Kondabolu shares his experience teaching stand-up to prison inmates; 14-year-old Maxine McCormick explains how she became the two-time world champion of fly casting; and Portland folk band Lenore perform their track, “Thick Skin, Tender Heart.”

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello “Face the Music” in this episode from a hotel room in the Live Music Capital of the World – Austin, Texas. Busker-turned-bona fide blues artist Charley Crockett subs in as Live Wire’s house band; poet Roger Reeves stops by and tells us why poetry is the harbinger of the future; and the women behind Austin’s famed La Barbeque – music and fashion photographer LeAnn Mueller and her partner Ali Clem – share the secrets to quintessential Texas BBQ.

In this studio segment, Luke speaks with mortician Caitlin Doughty, who is known for advocating death acceptance and the reform of the Western funeral industry. She is the creator of the web series "Ask a Mortician," founder of the organization The Order of the Good Death, and is the author of two bestselling books, "From Here to Eternity" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes." In this interview, Caitlin discusses death phobia, corpse interaction, and how many cultures outside of the United States tend to have a more positive relationship to grief.

Kevin Young, acclaimed poet and poetry editor of The New Yorker, speaks on his writing process, the inspiration he gleaned from Prince, and the cross-section between hip hop and poetry in describing the black experience. Young also reads from his collection "Blue Laws," including a poem about boxer Jack Johnson – the first black heavyweight champion.

A humorist, novelist, and television writer, Rich talks with Luke about his youthful appearance making him "seem like a pretty clever 14-year-old," which leads to the longest awkward pause in Live Wire history. As a bonus treat, humorous segments from Rich's books are performed by Faces For Radio Theater.

In this podcast short from the Live Wire archive, author and activist Barbara Ehrenreich ("Nickel and Dimed") speaks to Luke Burbank back in 2014 about her book “Living with a Wild God: A Nonbeliever's Search for the Truth About Everything," defining the mysterious "visions" she experienced as a lifelong atheist, and her unending quest for knowledge.

Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello relive their “great escapes;” writer Tessa Fontaine explains how learning to eat fire as a part of America's last traveling sideshow helped mend her broken heart; comedian and actor Moses Storm riffs on a childhood spent living in a bus with his missionary family; memoirist and visa lottery winner Abdi Nor Iftin recounts his journey from war-torn Somalia to rural Maine; and singer-songwriter Laura Veirs performs the T.S. Eliot-inspired “Margaret Sands” from her latest album “The Lookout.”