Something Rather Than Nothing

Chloe Niclas is an illustrator from Baltimore, MD. She is fascinated by the unexplainable and bizarre aspects of the world, often executing the otherworldly and impossible to feel within reach of existence. Her work has been recognized by American Illustration and the Art Director’s Club, and has appeared in The New York Times, Harper's Magazine, Politico Europe, and others.

https://www.chloeniclas.com/

Follow on Instagram @chloe.niclas

Susan Tomorrow is a film programmer from Austin Texas, specializing in cult, horror, and Golden Age Hollywood cinema. 

“As Co-Owner/Programmer of the Clinton Street Theater I am thrilled to be helping to bring back that William Castle MAGIC.”

Clinton Street Theater

Lauren Redniss is an artist, author, and the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant." Her books include Radioactive, a finalist for the National Book Award, Thunder & Lightning, winner of the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award, and Oak Flat: A Fight for Sacred Land in the American West, called "astonishing" and "virtuosic" by the New York Times. She has been a Guggenheim fellow, a fellow at the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center for Scholars & Writers, the New America Foundation, and Artist-in-Residence at the American Museum of Natural History. She teaches at the Parsons School of Design in New York City

https://www.laurenredniss.com

Michael Conley writes murder ballads, jukebox romances, and love songs in between.

Conley was in from Nashville and the SRTN hosted  a magical set + interview from Warbling Creek Studios in Eugene, OR.  This is something special. 

Follow Michael on Instagram @isleepinmyjeans

Nothing Risked EP out now on all streaming platforms.

Melissa Oliveri has been an artist her entire life. As an only child, she would spend hours entertaining herself by writing and illustrating stories, playing music, drawing, writing plays, making puppets and other crafts. This has translated into adulthood in the form of one person wearing many creative hats.

As a musician, Melissa goes by the stage name Cannelle. She composes original songs in a variety of styles, often compared to Tori Amos, Regina Spektor, or Kate Bush. She also writes original music for her Podcast, The Skylark Bell. She likes to take a creative approach to songwriting, often including her audience in the task. An example of this are her "Post-It Project" songs, for which she requests people assign her a set number of words that she will build the song around. The topics she covers are also varied and can range from a dedication to a lost loved one, to a song about a salt shaker or a silly song about her disdain for the long winters she has known her whole life.

After years of sitting on a series of unpublished books, a friend suggested Melissa turn one of her stories into a podcast. Being unfamiliar with podcasting, Melissa was hesitant, but the thought of composing original music for the podcast, including sound effects, and finally getting the story out to the world eventually won her over, and The Skylark Bell podcast was born. The podcast has not only proven to be a great success, it has inspired Melissa to imagine expanding The Skylark show beyond all dreams!

https://melissaoliveri.com/about

Follow on Instagram @cannelle.music

Link Tree with all the things: https://linktr.ee/theskylarkbell

We highly recommend you listen to the Skylark Bell Podcast

Sascha Stronach (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka Ki Puketeraki) is an author based in Pōneke, Aotearoa. 

His debut novel The Dawnhounds is a mind-bending fungal murder mystery described as 'Discworld Elysium'. If you encounter Sascha Stronach in the woods, shout and wave your arms to seem to bigger – this will intimidate the author.

Publisher:  https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Sascha-Stronach/184950774

Twitter: https://twitter.com/understatesmen?lang=en

Website: https://www.theunderstatesmen.com/

Justin C.M. Brown is a visual artist, musician, writer, cook, and student in the Sociology Department at UCLA.

He was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina and currently calls Los Angeles home.

Most recently, he donated 3 pieces of his art to his alma mater, Santa Monica College, where they are on display in the library.

He is also currently in Part XII of his year-long artistic effort "Inspired By True Events".

His work can be found at JCMBmade.com, EmperorSteve.com, and ZodiacWaning.com, as well as on Instagram, Facebook, and Tiktok at “@jcmbmade”.

Zainab Imran is a poet, tutor, zine-maker and English Literature student of British Pakistani heritage based in Manchester, England. She writes on a multitude of racial and queer issues, with a particular focus on ethnic diaspora and the hidden stories of women in the colonial struggle. They currently run the poetry collective, 'Poets for Partition'. In 2022, she was awarded the Royal Society of Literature and Sky Arts Award for Poetry as an emerging writer of colour, through which she is now being mentored by Jay Bernard and is also currently working towards her first poetry pamphlet.

This episode is a typical Iliad, poetry, Manchester, Industrial Revolution, Marx, History, What is Art?, Kirchner type of episode.

Zainab Imran website: https://zainabthepoet.co.uk/

Follow on Instagram @dark.academia.zainab and on Twitter @darkacademiazen

Corinne Halbert is a psychedelic horror artist with an extensive book collection. Her work is heavily influenced by an avid obsession with 1970s cult films and vintage comics. She's the creator of Acid Nun.

Unedited production note from host Ken Volante “Whoa. What a ride. Zines, horror movies, found footage, dealing with tough things, Steven Seagal, old magazines, Electric Wizard, ACID NUN and more."

Acid Nun is available here, or inquire at your local bookstore.

Check out her website: https://corinnehalbert.com/

Follow on instagram @corinnehalbert

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Daniel Kern means so much to me and my learning. We met at Marquette University and he is responsible for my deeper interest in quantum physics, cosmology, Jesus Christ, and deeply humane ways of looking at philosophical questions.

Dan and I chat and catch up on Episode 180 of Something (rather than nothing ) Podcast.

We talk about his excellent book ‘A Reasonable Christian Faith.’ I told Dan about the surreal aspect of hearing his ‘voice’ in his book and feeling like he was chatting with me as l read it. Isn’t that grand?

This podcast is in the top 5% of podcasts in the world. It is free and open. It is populist. It celebrates all creativity. It is liberationist and is arts-organizing in practice.