Past Forward

A live recording of our educational podcast The How, The Why with Stephen Most. Stephen Most writes plays, books, and documentary screenplays. He has writing credits on four Academy Award “best documentary” nominated films and five Emmy-winning films. His book, River of Renewal: Myth and History in the Klamath Basin (2006) was made into a film that won a “best documentary” award at the American Indian Film Festival. Stories Make the World is his fourth book. He resides in Berkeley, California.     The How, The Why is a half-hour podcast documenting the creative process and the creative purpose hosted by Jon-Barrett Ingels. This free weekly series is an educational resource provided to discuss the evolution of literary arts with industry innovators—authors, journalists, and publishers. Producer: Jon-Barrett Ingels and Kevin Staniec Manager: Sarah Becker Host: Jon-Barrett Ingels Guest: Stephen Most Audio: Brew Sessions Live

Today our podcast connects with Taisia Kitaiskaia, author of Literary Witches (Hachette/Seal) and Ask Baba Yaga (Andrews McMeel), and Pushcart-nominated poet who has been published in Fence, Crazyhorse, Pleiades, and Guernica.     The How, The Why is a half-hour podcast documenting the creative process and the creative purpose hosted by Jon-Barrett Ingels. This free weekly series is an educational resource provided to discuss the evolution of literary arts with industry innovators—authors, journalists, and publishers. Producer: Jon-Barrett Ingels and Kevin Staniec Manager: Sarah Becker Host: Jon-Barrett Ingels Guest: Taisia Kitaiskaia Photo: Fernando A. Flores

James Spaite has been performing internationally since the age of 18 having toured in Argentina, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Hungary, and the US. While majoring in Psychology in college and working full time, Spaite would tour during the summers and play local San Diego shows on the weekends.He is preparing for the recording and release of his second album, “Outside” projected to release this coming February/March.

JR Bishop is a composer, producer and arranger based out of Los Angeles. He believes in the power of music to bring people together and works to achieve that end with his music. His upcoming release “We Go Together” is a full-length album written and recorded entirely on his 1330-mile hike of the Pacific Crest Trail.

Sounds + Stories is an eclectic music series featuring live performances and entertaining discussions with emerging and established artists. Produced in collaboration with Brew Sessions Live. Special episodes are filmed and edited into a short documentary compilation with the audio from each episode recorded and archived for podcast.

Guest: James Spaite and JR Bishop
Produced by Past Forward in partnership with Brew Sessions Live.

A live recording of our educational podcast The How The Why with Martin J. Smith. Martin J. Smith is a veteran journalist and magazine editor has won more than fifty newspaper and magazine writing awards, and his crime novels have been nominated for three of the publishing industry’s most prestigious honors, including the Edgar Award, the Anthony Award, and the Barry Award. New York Times bestseller Michael Connelly calls Smith’s latest thriller, “Combustion,” a “page-turner with a kicker at the end — you can’t ask for anything better. Intricately plotted and full of character, this one is a great ride that burns with the intensity of a California wildfire.” Diversion Books released that novel on Sept. 27, 2016. In November, Globe Piquot published “Mr. Las Vegas Has a Bad Knee,” a collection of Smith’s essays about the people, places, and peculiarities of the American Southwest, where he lived and worked between 1985 and 2016. Writes book critic and 2015 Guggenheim Fellow David L. Ulin in the book’s foreword: “If Smith’s book is about anything, it’s about place, the way it gets inside us. And the Southwest … there’s something about the space, the unformed landscape, that both terrifies and inspires, allowing us to see our limits and our possibilities. Thus, if on the one hand, Smith is tracking a lost world, it’s a lost world that’s also brave and new. Sound like a contradiction? That’s the whole idea behind Smith’s work in this collection, which traces (as it must) the middle ground between opposing, but not irreconcilable, perspectives: ‘Permanence is illusion’; ‘The best stories develop over time.’ ” A former senior editor of the Los Angeles Times Magazine, Smith was editor-in-chief of Orange Coast magazine in Orange County, Calif., between 2007 and 2016, during which time the Western Publishing Association five times named Orange Coast the best city/metropolitan magazine in the western U.S., including four consecutive wins between 2013 and 2016. His 2012 nonfiction book, “The Wild Duck Chase,” about the Federal Duck Stamp Contest and the strange and wonderful world of competitive duck painting, inspired Brian Golden Davis’ documentary film “The Million Dollar Duck,” which won both the Jury and Audience awards at the 2016 Slamdance Film Festival. The film aired multiple times on Discovery Communications’ Animal Planet in September 2016.     The How, The Why is a half-hour podcast documenting the creative process and the creative purpose hosted by Jon-Barrett Ingels. This free weekly series is an educational resource provided to discuss the evolution of literary arts with industry innovators—authors, journalists, and publishers.

Today our podcast connects with Akwaeke Emezi. Akwaeke Emezi is an Igbo and Tamil writer and video artist based in liminal spaces. Her debut autobiographical novel FRESHWATER (Grove Atlantic, February 2018) has been reviewed by the Wall Street Journal ('[a] witchy, electrifying story of danger and compulsion') and the LA Times ('a dazzling, devastating novel'). It also received starred reviews from Library Journal and Booklist, and has been recognized on 2018 best/most anticipated books lists by Esquire, ELLE, Cosmopolitan, Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, Bustle, OZY, Electric Lit, and Book Riot, among others. Emezi's first young adult novel, PET, will be published in 2019 by Make Me a World, Christopher Myers' imprint in partnership with Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers. Her short story 'Who Is Like God' won the 2017 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Africa. She was photographed by Annie Leibovitz and profiled in the February 2018 issue of Vogue Magazine (Modern Families With A Cause). Her video art series THE UNBLINDING recently premiered at Gavin Brown's enterprise in Harlem. Born in Umuahia and raised in Aba, Nigeria, Emezi holds two degrees, including an MPA from New York University. In 2017, she was awarded a Global Arts Fund grant for the video art in her project The Unblinding, and a Sozopol Fellowship for Creative Nonfiction. She received a 2015 Morland Writing Scholarship to write her second novel, and is a 2016 Kimbilio Fellow. Emezi's writing has been published by Granta Online, Vogue.com, and Commonwealth Writers, among others. Her memoir work was included in The Fader's 'Best Culture Writing of 2015' ('Who Will Claim You?') and her experimental short UDUDEAGU won the Audience Award for Best Short Experimental at the 2014 BlackStar Film Festival. She is currently making video art and working on her third novel.     The How The Why is a half-hour podcast documenting the creative process and the creative purpose hosted by Jon-Barrett Ingels. This free weekly series is an educational resource provided to discuss the evolution of literary arts with industry innovators. Interviews are structured as friendly conversations and conducted via telephone. Occasionally, episodes will be recorded live at special events and highlight multiple guests.   Producer: Jon-Barrett Ingels and Kevin Staniec Manager: Sarah Becker Host: Jon-Barrett Ingels Guest: Akwaeke Emezi

A live recording of our educational podcast The How, The Why with Peter McLaren. Peter McLaren is Distinguished Professor in Critical Studies, College of Educational Studies, Chapman University. He is Co-Director and International Ambassador for Global Ethics and Social Justice of the Paulo Freire Democratic Project, the Donna Ford Attallah College of Education, Chapman University. He is also Chair Professor, Northeast Normal University in Changchun, China, where he is Honorary Director of the Center for Critical Studies in Education. A Marxist humanist who works in the areas of Marxist humanism and liberation theology, he has lectured widely in Latin America, North America, Asia, and Europe. Professor McLaren is the author and editor of nearly 50 books and hundreds of professional publications on education and social justice. His writings have been translated into over 30 languages. He received his Ph.D. in education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Canada. Professor McLaren is Fellow of the Royal Society and Commerce, England, and Fellow of the American Educational Research Association. Professor McLaren is Honorary Director of Instituto McLaren de Pedagogia Critica y Educatcion Popular in Ensenada, Mexico and received the Outstanding Educator of America Award for 2013, from the Association of Educators of Latin America and the Caribbean. Professor McLaren’s book, Life in Schools: An Introduction to Critical Pedagogy in the Foundations of Education (Allyn & Bacon), has been named one of the 12 most significant writings by foreign authors in the field of educational theory, policy and practice by the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences. He is a recipient of the Liberty Medal by Soka Gakkai International-USA, a Buddhist organization with 12 million members worldwide, and The Central New York Peace Studies Consortium Lifetime Achievement Award in Peace Studies. In addition, the Higher Council of Community Government, the Council for Civil Affairs and the Education Commission of Cheran, Michoacan, presented McLaren with the Defence of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Award commemorating the second anniversary of the defence of the forests. His most recent book is Pedagogy of Insurrection.     The How The Why is a half-hour podcast documenting the creative process and the creative purpose hosted by Jon-Barrett Ingels. This free weekly series is an educational resource provided to discuss the evolution of literary arts with industry innovators. Interviews are structured as friendly conversations and conducted via telephone. Occasionally, episodes will be recorded live at special events and highlight multiple guests.   Producer: Jon-Barrett Ingels and Kevin Staniec Manager: Sarah Becker Host: Jon-Barrett Ingels Guest: Peter McLaren Audio: Brew Sessions Live

A live recording of our educational podcast The How, The Why with Aaron James, author of Assholes: A Theory published by Penguin Random House. He holds a PhD from Harvard and is Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Irvine. He is the author of Fairness in Practice: A Social Contract for a Global Economy published by Oxford University Press, and was awarded the Burkhardt Fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies, spending the 2009-10 academic year at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. He’s an avid surfer (the experience of which has directly inspired this book)… and he’s not an asshole. Producer: Jon-Barrett Ingels and Kevin Staniec Manager: Sarah Becker Host: Jon-Barrett Ingels Guest: Aaron James Audio: Brew Sessions Live

Today our podcast connects with Lena Späth, author of Behind Closed Curtains: Interior Design in Iran. Lena was born in Munich, Germany, and enrolled in Middle Eastern Studies. She lived in Spain, Turkey and Iran and travelled a lot within the Middle East. You will find a tile from Iran, a carpet from Egypt and a lantern from Syria in her house. Before producing Behind Closed Curtains: Interior Design in Iran Lena worked for consulting, recruiting, and Internet companies and analyzed the presidential elections in Iran, Google’s advance into the television sector or the latest trends in bohemian interior design. Producer: Jon-Barrett Ingels and Kevin Staniec Manager: Sarah Becker Host: Jon-Barrett Ingels Guest: Lena Späth     The How, The Why is a half-hour podcast documenting the creative process and the creative purpose hosted by Jon-Barrett Ingels. This free weekly series is an educational resource provided to discuss the evolution of literary arts with industry innovators—authors, journalists, and publishers.

A live recording of our educational podcast The How, The Why with Jenna Rainey.   Jenna Rainey is the founder and lead designer, illustrator, calligrapher behind Mon Voir. She started her small but mighty illustration and design agency out of a love for art that began when she was very little. With a passion for the arts and a background in psychology, she strives to bring out the creativity in each student in a workshop and unique and elegant quality within every design and invitation.   Beyond being a stationery boss lady, she is a terrible whistler, an avid coffee drinker, musician and lover of details and history. Jenna’s work has been featured in countless publications and wedding blogs including Nixon, Martha Stewart Weddings, The Knot, The Lane, BuzzFeed and is now sharing her talent and stories in various keynotes throughout the country including Connecting Things, Brit+Co’s Re:Make Summit and more!   Jenna has a passion for teaching others to find their creative voice and is coming out with a book, releasing in October 2017 with Ten Speed Press, titled “Everyday Watercolor” to show each reader the love she has for watercolor!   Producer: Jon-Barrett Ingels and Kevin Staniec Manager: Sarah Becker Host: Jon-Barrett Ingels Guest: Jenna Rainey Audio: Brew Sessions Live         The How, The Why is a half-hour podcast documenting the creative process and the creative purpose hosted by Jon-Barrett Ingels. This free weekly series is an educational resource provided to discuss the evolution of literary arts with industry innovators—authors, journalists, and publishers.

Today our podcast connects with Yaron Lifschitz. Yaron is a graduate of the University of New South Wales, University of Queensland and National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) where he was the youngest director ever accepted into its prestigious graduate director’s course. Since graduating, Yaron has directed over 60 productions including large-scale events, opera, theatre, physical theatre and circus. His work has been seen in 39 countries, across six continents by over one million people. He was founding Artistic Director of the Australian Museum’s Theatre Unit, Head Tutor in Directing at Australian Theatre for Young People and has been a regular guest tutor in directing at NIDA since 1995. He is currently Artistic Director and CEO of Circa. With Circa, Yaron has created works such as by the light of stars that are no longer…, CIRCA, Wunderkammer, How Like an Angel, “S”, Beyond, Opus, Carnival of the Animals, Il Ritorno, Humans, and One Beautiful Thing. His recent works have been reviewed as being “stunning”, “exquisite” and “the standard to which all other circuses can aspire”.  Yaron lives in Brisbane with his son, Oscar.     The How, The Why is a half-hour podcast documenting the creative process and the creative purpose hosted by Jon-Barrett Ingels. This free weekly series is an educational resource provided to discuss the evolution of literary arts with industry innovators—authors, journalists, and publishers.