Past Forward

Jonathan Alexander is a writer in Southern California. When not writing, he is Chancellor's Professor of English at the University of California, Irvine.

Creep: A Life, a Theory, an Apology
Punctum Books. 2017

A World Without Books was created to help writers connect with readers during the pandemic. This Micro-Podcast provides authors a platform to share stories about writing, discuss current projects, and consider life without books. Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you podcast.

Without Books®, a division of Heritage Future, is an author-centric book initiative. Our resources support authors. We also provide access to millions of books.

Today we connect with Jake Bernard. This episode was recorded live on December 10 at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, CA.

Jake Bernard is a Los Angeles musician. His beach-pop sound has been described as “intoxicating” by Huffington Post penman James Gadsden, as it meshes the more colorful sides of Jason Mraz and John Mayer. This, combined with the incredible impact living in Philadelphia had on him, led to his release of “City of Love” – a critically acclaimed anthem for, and love letter to, the community. On November 12, Jake debuted “this,” a moving first-dance ballad about two people who experience everything and grow old together – dedicated to his cousin Emma and her husband Daniel who were married the night before.

Producer: Heritage Future
Guest: Jake Bernard
Audio: Brew Sessions Live
Creative + Cultural Podcast music composed and performed by Dan Reckard

The Sounds, The Stories is an eclectic music series featuring live performances and entertaining discussions with emerging and established artists. This program is filmed and edited into a short documentary compilation with the audio from each episode recorded and archived as a free educational podcast. Produced in collaboration with our partners at Brew Sessions Live.

Today Chef Daniella Malfitano connects with Chef Noah von Blöm. This episode was recorded live on December 10 at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, CA.

Chef Noah von Blöm is best known for ARC, an American Roast House focused on presenting home made foods using only locally sourced, fresh ingredients and artisan-crafted products that deliver original flavors into every dish and cocktail. After opening ARC in 2013, he gained national attention as one of the “most important restaurants to open in America this decade,” according to renowned food journalist, Brad A. Johnson. Blom’s open kitchen demystifies the culinary process and serves to empowering the community with visible transparency and the use of quality, whole ingredients and tried techniques are presented in dishes that do not focus on one particular type of cuisine, but instead on simple, fresh and global flavors.

Chef Daniella Malfitano is an integrative nutrition health coach, author of nine cookbooks, host of the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, and creator of the new YouTube channel My Choice Kitchen. With over fifteen years experience in restaurants and culinary media, Chef Daniella is passionate about spreading joy by teaching kids and adults how to make healthy choices in the kitchen.

Producer: Heritage Future
Host: Chef Daniella Malfitano
Guest: Chef Noah von Blöm
Audio: Brew Sessions Live
Creative + Cultural Podcast music composed and performed by Dan Reckard

For The Love Of Food is a culinary focused conversation with local restauranteurs from Orange County hosted by Chef Daniella Malfitano, Author, Integrative Nutrition Coach and creator of the YouTube series My Choice Kitchen. This program is an in-depth conversation about history, inspiration, and community, and how these elements relate to cooking and serving hungry people in this busy industry.

Today we connect with Mary Adams Urashima. This episode was recorded live on December 10 at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, CA.

Mary Adams Urashima is a historian and author of Historic Wintersburg in Huntington Beach. She chairs the grassroots preservation effort to save the Furuta Gold Fish Farm and Wintersburg Japanese Mission property in Huntington Beach, known as Historic Wintersburg. Mary identified and named the historic property, which was designated one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2014 and one of America’s National Treasures in 2015. Historic Wintersburg marks more than a century of Japanese American history and represents pioneer arrival and settlement in the American West, Orange County’s agricultural history, pioneer achievement, and the struggle for civil liberties. Mary is a former journalist and freelance writer, with thirty years in media, governmental and public affairs.

Jonelle Strickland teaches research writing and first-year composition in the School of Criminal Justice at California State University Long Beach and in the English department at Santiago Canyon College, respectively. She is proud to be a Dreamer Ally and an advocate for all of her students.

Producer: Heritage Future
Host: Jonelle Strickland
Guest: Mary Adams Urashima
Audio: Brew Sessions Live
Creative + Cultural Podcast music composed and performed by Dan Reckard

Chapters is a five-part Creative + Cultural Podcast series dedicated to stories surrounding the exclusion, forced removal, and internment of Japanese-Americans. The program also parallels a narrative thread through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

This project was made possible with support from Chapman University, The California Civil Liberties Public Education Program, a state-funded grant project of the California State Library and from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit chapman.edu, library.ca.gov and calhum.org.

Today Chef Daniella Malfitano connects with Chef Craig Brady. This episode was recorded live on November 20 at the Musco Center for the Arts in Orange, CA.

Chef Craig Brady is Executive Chef at Haven Craft Kitchen + Bar in Old Towne Orange. He received his formal training in New York City’s French Culinary Institute. His first paid position out of culinary school was at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach and its flagship restaurant, The Loft. He went on to the Patina Group’s highly acclaimed French bistro, Leatherby’s, and noted Scott’s Seafood at South Coast Plaza. Chef Brady’s reputation led him to Boston to Verace Pizza Napoletana, or VPN, certified enoteca called Posto. This restaurant was praised as among the Best of Boston, and It was here as Chef de Cuisine that Chef Brady developed a love affair with Italian cuisine and philosophy that is still visible in his food to this day.

Chef Daniella Malfitano is an integrative nutrition health coach, author of nine cookbooks, host of the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, and creator of the new YouTube channel My Choice Kitchen. With over fifteen years experience in restaurants and culinary media, Chef Daniella is passionate about spreading joy by teaching kids and adults how to make healthy choices in the kitchen.

Producer: Heritage Future
Host: Chef Daniella Malfitano
Guest: Chef Craig Brady
Audio: Brew Sessions Live
Creative + Cultural Podcast music composed and performed by Dan Reckard

For The Love Of Food is a culinary focused conversation with local restauranteurs from Orange County hosted by Chef Daniella Malfitano, Author, Integrative Nutrition Coach and creator of the YouTube series My Choice Kitchen. This program is an in-depth conversation about history, inspiration, and community, and how these elements relate to cooking and serving hungry people in this busy industry.

Today we connect with Sam Mihara. This episode was recorded live on November 20 at the Musco Center for the Arts in Orange, CA.

Sam Mihara is a second-generation Japanese American (Nisei) born and raised in San Francisco. When World War II broke out, the United States government forced Sam, age 9, and his family to move to the Heart Mountain, Wyoming camp. After the war ended, the family returned home to San Francisco. Sam attended UC Berkeley undergraduate and UCLA graduate schools, where he earned engineering degrees. He became a rocket scientist and joined the Boeing Company where he became an executive on space programs. Following retirement, Sam changed careers and is now a regular visiting lecturer at the University of California and is a national speaker on the topic of mass imprisonment in the U.S.

Jonelle Strickland teaches research writing and first-year composition in the School of Criminal Justice at California State University Long Beach and in the English department at Santiago Canyon College, respectively. She is proud to be a Dreamer Ally and an advocate for all of her students.

Producer: Heritage Future
Host: Jonelle Strickland
Guest: Sam Mihara
Audio: Brew Sessions Live
Creative + Cultural Podcast music composed and performed by Dan Reckard

Chapters is a five-part Creative + Cultural Podcast series dedicated to stories surrounding the exclusion, forced removal, and internment of Japanese-Americans. The program also parallels a narrative thread through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

This project was made possible with support from Chapman University, The California Civil Liberties Public Education Program, a state-funded grant project of the California State Library and from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit chapman.edu, library.ca.gov and calhum.org.

Today we connect with Hermano. This episode was recorded live on November 7 at The Frida Cinema in Santa Ana, CA.

Hermano. is a musical project consisting of Eduardo Ramirez, Daniel Lopez, Charlie Flores, and Noe Ramirez. The group pushes the standard rock musical boundaries a bit further to include elements of blues, jazz and rock n roll. The focus in the last few months has been on recording their upcoming EP and adding flavor and soul to their sets. hermano. is true to their as all members are related.

Producer: Heritage Future
Guest: Hermano
Audio: Brew Sessions Live
Creative + Cultural Podcast music composed and performed by Dan Reckard

The Sounds, The Stories is an eclectic music series featuring live performances and entertaining discussions with emerging and established artists. This program is filmed and edited into a short documentary compilation with the audio from each episode recorded and archived as a free educational podcast. Produced in collaboration with our partners at Brew Sessions Live.

Today Joel Robinson connects with Manny Escamilla. This episode was recorded live on November 7 at The Frida Cinema in Santa Ana, CA.

Manny Escamilla grew up at the McFadden Public Library and Jerome Recreation Center in central Santa Ana. He began working for the Santa Ana Public Library in 2004 as part of the White House Award-winning TeenSpace program. In 2015 he was recognized by Library Journal for his work with the Teen Community Historian program to collect, preserve, and share local history. Manny served as a City representative on the Santa Ana Arts & Cultural Master Plan and is running for City Council Ward 4 in the 2019 Special Election.

Joel Robinson is a professional naturalist and director of the 13-year-old environmental education charity Naturalist For You. Robinson is a barefoot, bearded educator seeking to empower his community by offering free natural and cultural history activities throughout Southern California, including foraging, birding, tracking, survival skills, storytelling, living history reenactment, habitat restoration consulting, backyard biological surveys and more.

Producer: Heritage Future
Host: Joel Robinson
Guest: Manny Escamilla
Audio: Brew Sessions Live
Creative + Cultural Podcast music composed and performed by Dan Reckard

Streets Of Orange County is an educational program sharing stories about local streets and places, identifying the plants and wildlife in our neighborhoods, and the trails through our parks and mountains. Journey with Joel Robinson and special guests on a series of engaging conversations about the natural and cultural history of Orange County.

Today Jonelle Strickland connects with Luis Gómez, Tony Ortuno, and Olivia Zoey Martinez. This episode was recorded live on November 7 at The Frida Cinema in Santa Ana, CA.

Luis Gómez moved to the United States at the age of 14 from Veracruz, Mexico and currently works at the LGBT Center OC as the Immigration Resources Specialist. He joined the Center’s team in 2015 after obtaining his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine. A beneficiary of the California Dream Act and DACA, Luis provides immigration resources to local LGBTQ individuals and fosters increased awareness and understanding about the intersectionalities of the immigrant and LGBTQ communities.

Jonelle Strickland teaches research writing and first-year composition in the School of Criminal Justice at California State University Long Beach and in the English department at Santiago Canyon College, respectively. She is proud to be a Dreamer Ally and an advocate for all of her students.

Producer: Heritage Future
Host: Jonelle Strickland
Guest: Luis Gómez, Tony Ortuno, and Olivia Zoey Martinez
Audio: Brew Sessions Live
Creative + Cultural Podcast music composed and performed by Dan Reckard

Chapters is a five-part Creative + Cultural Podcast series dedicated to stories surrounding the exclusion, forced removal, and internment of Japanese-Americans. The program also parallels a narrative thread through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

This project was made possible with support from Chapman University, The California Civil Liberties Public Education Program, a state-funded grant project of the California State Library and from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit chapman.edu, library.ca.gov and calhum.org.

Today we connect with Kira Lise. This episode was recorded live on October 24 at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton, CA.

Kira Lise is an up and coming indie pop singer/songwriter based out of Orange County, whose music is inspired by strands of folk, jazz, and psychedelic rock. Her songwriting showcases the variety of different genres she listens to and mashes them together to create her own unique sound.

Producer: Heritage Future
Guest: Kira Lise
Audio: Brew Sessions Live
Creative + Cultural Podcast music composed and performed by Dan Reckard

The Sounds, The Stories is an eclectic music series featuring live performances and entertaining discussions with emerging and established artists. This program is filmed and edited into a short documentary compilation with the audio from each episode recorded and archived as a free educational podcast. Produced in collaboration with our partners at Brew Sessions Live.