Salt Lake Dirt

I sat down with filmmaker and producer Sophie Power following her trip to the Cannes Film Festival. We discussed her 11-minute experimental documentary short, Whatever A Son Will Always Sing. Bypassing the heavy-handed exposition of traditional documentaries, the film uses professional actors and a dreamscape visual approach to blend fiction with real-life interviews. Sophie spoke with 50 different women about the exact, pivotal moment they were forced to grow up, ultimately weaving together four universal narratives that explore everything from the discomfort of being under a microscope to the sudden awareness of danger that shatters childhood bliss. Her goal was to dismantle the shame that often shrouds these collective female experiences, offering a platform where they can be spoken loudly and frankly.

Sophie's background spans from a lifelong obsession with human stories and visual art to working on high-profile archival projects. Before directing her own work, she lent her production and research talents to major documentary teams—including assisting Motto Pictures on a Sundance film about the iconic singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez, and serving as a production coordinator for the Stephen Hawking documentary Hawking: Can You Hear Me? Check out the full conversation, and stay updated on her upcoming festival circuit by following her on Instagram at @sophiefrpower.

Thanks for listening.

Kyler

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Episode Links:

• SophiePower.info
• Instagram: @sophiefrpower
• More interview at SaltLakeDirt.com

In the latest episode of Salt Lake Dirt, Kyler sits down with the team behind Working Girls Press to discuss their new anthology, I Hate My Job. Joining the conversation are press co-founders Molly Simmons and Emily Marie Passos Duffy, along with the book’s editor, Adrie Rose. Born from a shared desire to publish uncensored, nuanced perspectives on the sex work industry, the independent press deliberately challenges mainstream publishing's obsession with tidy "redemption arcs". Instead, I Hate My Job offers a raw, highly collaborative look at labor under late-stage capitalism, pulling together pieces primarily written by current sex workers, many of whom are simultaneously navigating the worlds of higher education and academia.

A central focus of the episode is the concept of "class drag," a term exploring how sex workers perform specific socioeconomic identities to navigate the modern economy.

Listeners looking to grab a copy of I Hate My Job or check out their debut anthology, The Holy Hour, can find them directly at workinggirlspress.com. You can follow Adrie Rose’s work on IG at @AdrieRising, and listen to her romance media podcast, Pages and Prejudice.

Thanks for listening!

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Episode Links:

• Working Girls Press
• Purchase I Hate My Job
• Listen to more interviews at SALT LAKE DIRT.com

On the latest episode of Salt Lake Dirt, I sat down with author Perrin Pring to talk about her novel, Cash and Gravity, which releases on May 26th from Diversion Books. The story is set in a near future where six mega-corporations have essentially supplanted global governments. It follows Chevy Cole, a military grunt who unexpectedly ends up on the run with a stolen mobile fusion device that everyone is trying to track down. Perrin shared how the initial spark for the book came from a conversation with her husband during a long, remote drive through Nevada after days spent off the grid on the Green River. We also talked about how her career as a park ranger helps her bring a gritty, hands-on realism to the physical struggles her characters face.

What I found especially interesting was hearing about her rewriting process and her willingness to take tough feedback. Influenced by her time in a low-residency MFA program and advice from author Todd Goldberg, Perrin actually swapped the genders of her main characters late in the process to find the right dynamic. We discussed the lore of her "Aces"—the elite, space-based super-soldiers who are treated like celebrity athletes in this corporate world—and how they contrast with characters who just want to stay off the grid. Perrin also pulled back the curtain on the business side of writing, from balancing a full-time job with creative deadlines to the grind of maintaining a social media platform. It was a great conversation about craft and the realities of the industry.

Check out the episode, and you can find Perrin's weekly vignettes and reviews on Instagram and Substack.

Thanks for listening!

Kyler

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Episode Links:

• Perrin's Substack
• IG: @perrinpringauthor
• Visit SALT LAKE DIRT for more interviews

What happens when a mid-level drug dealer gets killed, instantly wakes up inside the body of a newborn baby with his adult consciousness completely intact, and decides to spend his childhood plotting revenge? That is the bizarre, hilarious, and strangely heartwarming premise behind Imagine My Surprise!, the latest novel by K.S. Haddock. Originally conceived all the way back in 2008 as a piece of auto-fiction—where he used his own name and those of his real-life friends—the manuscript sat on a shelf for nearly a decade after he hit a wall with the ending. It wasn't until a push from his current editor that Haddock stripped out the self-insert elements, locked down the structural arc, and finally brought the novel to the finish line.

We talked a lot about the inherent comedy of the book's premise, particularly the scenes where the main character, Keenan, treats his daycare like a halfway house and slips out for middle-of-the-night tactical walks while he is still less than two feet tall. To make his revenge plot work before he's even old enough to get a driver's license, Keenan has to recruit an ally: an eccentric man named Stoli who hangs out behind a neighborhood 7-Eleven. It’s an odd-couple dynamic born out of Haddock's own college years working shifts at a 7-Eleven.

Beyond the page, Haddock utilized his background as a digital artist and art director to completely design the book's striking cover and interior layout himself. He also shared the fascinating process behind creating the audiobook, which he recorded over seven months out of a DIY tent setup in his garage alongside close friends and actors. We also touched on his personal background growing up in a musical family with Alabama roots, his early success getting published at twenty-five, and his current advocacy project, "Real Men Read," which aims to get more young men interested in reading for pleasure. Imagine My Surprise! is out now on Heresy Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, and is an incredibly satisfying read that pulls off a wild concept with absolute confidence.

Thanks for listening!

Kyler

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Show Notes & Links:

• Official Website: Find everything about his projects and order shirts supporting literacy at kshaddock.com.
• Support Indie Books: K.S. Haddock is a big proponent of privately run independent bookshops. If you can, head down to your local brick-and-mortar store to pick up or request a physical copy! You can also order from independent stores on Bookshop.org.
• Audiobook: Check out the stylized narration by Chris Zegri and Lang Zerner on Audible.
• YouTube Channel for Imagine My Surprise!

On today’s episode of Salt Lake Dirt, I am thrilled to welcome author, coach, and actor Jamie Rose to discuss her new book, Facing Madame X: The Tools for Women. Mixing memoir with practical tools, Jamie explores how to address everyday emotional pressures, cultivate life force, and step into forward momentum.

We discuss the profound beauty of learning to embrace uncertainty and some of the practical exercises she uses to guide people forward. We talk about her original journal exercise called "Musing," which helps individuals figure out their next creative steps through action rather than overthinking. Jamie also opens up about her journey navigating a shifting relationship with her late mother, the realities of modern validation culture, and what it looks like to find compassion by understanding our family members' "Shadow Selves".

You can pick up Facing Madame X: The Tools for Women wherever you find books, and follow Jamie on Instagram @jamierosehere. To explore her monthly coaching groups, seminars, and more of her work, be sure to visit Jamie Rose Coaching. Thanks for listening!

Kyler

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Episode Links:

• PURCHASE Facing Madame X
• JamieRoseCoaching.com
• IG: @jamierosehere
• Salt Lake Dirt

On this episode of Salt Lake Dirt, I had a great time chatting with Lauren C. Johnson about her novel, The West Façade.

The story is set in 1348 Paris and follows the statues of Notre Dame. In the novel, they actually get one night of life every new moon, but they aren't supposed to interact with the human world at all. Things get complicated when the main character, Sainte Geneviève, tastes a piece of fruit left by a mourner. That one moment of human sensation basically changes everything for her, and she has to decide if she wants to stay a silent observer or actually try to live a human life.

It was interesting hearing about where the idea started. Lauren was visiting Paris as a student over twenty years ago and found herself really drawn to how intense and "unforgiving" the statues looked. That feeling stuck with her for two decades before it finally turned into this book.

We also got into some random, fun territory, like vintage My LIttle Pony toys, rescue doves, and how Bubo the mechanical owl from Clash of the Titans was a huge influence on her.

Great chat, great book! Thanks for listening.

Kyler

In this latest episode of Salt Lake Dirt, I was so happy to welcome filmmaker Michelle Bossy back to the show. Michelle is someone who stays incredibly busy—she’s actually directed 20+ short films and two features at this point—so it’s always a treat to catch up with her and see what she’s been working on. This time around, we took a deep dive into two of her latest short films, "We Regret to Inform You" and "Exception(al)," both of which have been making some serious noise on the festival circuit.

We started things off talking about "We Regret to Inform You," which was written by and stars Michelle’s long-time friend, Zina Wilde. It’s a 13-minute film that manages to be both funny and deeply moving, using a bit of magical realism to explore the universal pain of a bad breakup. Xena’s script likens heartbreak to a terminal heart condition, where a bumbling health insurance operator, played wonderfully by Kai Lennox, calls to tell her it’s her last day of life. It’s a beautiful, textured piece of storytelling that really packs an emotional punch in a short amount of time.

Then we went on to talk about "Exception(al)," which was written by and stars another massive talent, Molly Powers. This one was filmed right on the campus of Brooklyn College during the summer. Molly drew from her own personal experiences in film school to dramatize the feeling of being an outsider, often as the only woman or Asian American person in the room. It explores complex themes of representation and microaggressions in academia without ever feeling pitying. Michelle even shared a great behind-the-scenes story about having to scale a campus fence after the crew got locked in on the final day of shooting!

Beyond the films, Michelle also gave us a look at her extensive work in theater. She’s currently involved with a play about Bill Cosby written by Janine Nabers that’s heading to Los Angeles this fall, and she’s been touring the world with a production called "A Poem and a Mistake." If you want to keep up with what she’s doing, you can find her on Instagram at @michellebossydirects or check out her feature film "Nobody’s Home" on Apple.

On this episode of Salt Lake Dirt, I had the pleasure of talking with writer Jennifer Ostopovich. Based in Calgary, Canada, Jennifer shares her fascinating path from being an obsessive childhood reader to becoming a "pandemic writer". Despite being what she calls a "lousy student" who struggled with the sensory overload of traditional classrooms, she was reading adult novels by Stephen King and Clive Barker as early as second grade. Growing up in a rural trailer park without cable or a telephone, books became her primary window into the world, offering a connection to characters that television simply couldn't match.

Our conversation touches on Jennifer's transition from writing a spy thriller during the lockdowns to finding her voice in the literary community online. She discusses her affinity for transgressive literature and her commitment to writing about uncomfortable topics like poverty and abuse—subjects often overlooked in more academic circles. We also talk about her short story "Guts," which explores the raw emotional landscape of childhood, and her unique piece "Albatross," which uses a parrot to sketch out the complexities of heartache and hope.

Jennifer is also an editor for Hobart and runs an active book club on Twitter/X, where she continues to champion indie and transgressive authors. She is currently putting the finishing touches on a short story collection and has a novel ready for the right publisher. You can follow her work on Substack or connect with her on Twitter/X at @jrostopovich to join her upcoming book club discussions. Episode Links:

• Jennifer's website
• Substack
• X: @jrostopovich

For more interviews visit Salt Lake Dirt.

⁠SLD MIXTAPE Special:⁠

⁠Pain and Yearning with Leah Lawson⁠

Musician ⁠Leah Lawson⁠ joined me for this episode of the Salt Lake Dirt Mixtape to talk about the themes of Pain and Yearning. We got into how music works as a "balm" or medicine for the human condition, helping people process complex emotions.

We talked about the vulnerability of songwriting and how music that starts out as something personal often ends up being for everyone else. Leah mentioned she is a "lyrics-first" person when listening to a track, while I admitted I usually tune into the drums first. We also touched on finding new music, whether that's through word of mouth or falling down TikTok rabbit holes.

⁠Listen to the Full Playlist HERE⁠

• "In My Room" – Julia Wolfe
• "In Violet" - Searows
• "So What" – MUNA
• "Kill Her Freak Out" – Samia
• "Shutter Island" – Sasha Cee
• "Moon High" – Joshua Burnside
• "Nirvana" – Drew Danburry
• "Nobody" – Mitski

Where to find Leah:Leah is online pretty much everywhere you stream music—⁠Spotify, ⁠⁠Bandcamp⁠, Apple Music, and Tidal. She’s got a new record recorded that should be out late summer or early fall.

• ⁠LeahLawson.com⁠
• ⁠IG: @llawson⁠

We are trying out a new format for some of our radio episodes on KPCR. I’ll be inviting former guests back to the studio to act as guest DJs, curated around a specific theme for every episode. For those who want to listen on the go, these radio specials will now be available as a Spotify playlist.

Episode 1: Heartbreak with Liv Rylan

My first guest for this series is the incredible musician Liv Rylan. We decided to kick things off with a theme that is arguably the reason music was invented in the first place: Heartbreak.

The Mixtape:

• "It Can't Be You" – Ash
• "You Are What You Love" – Jenny Lewis
• "Tough Act to Follow" – Maisie Peters
• "No Hard Feelings" – The Avett Brothers
• "17" – Keaton Henson

Episode Links:

Heartbreak with Liv Rylan playlist

• LivRylan.com
• Listen to Liv on Spotify
• IG: @livrylan