Take On Life

Take On Life

By F. K. ClementiArts
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Take On Life episodes

  • Episode 7: Home Is an Accent

    He doesn't want to be classified, he doesn't like words, expressions, or thinking. So, what do I do? I give you only a name: Pier Marton - and his own "undescription": Unlearning Specialist at the School of No Media.

    A fascinating character from another world, through many other languages, and a ton of stories to narrate. 

    Among these, the tragic history behind l'affiche rouge. As you listen to Pier talk, you may also want to listen to the song sung by Léo Ferré "L'affiche Rouge" here: https://youtu.be/SFt2v4OSTbU?si=uEsZd1T6CwnmjYgi 

    I'd love to hear from you. Send a text, get in touch!



    41 min
  • Episode 6: You Choose Who You Want Me to Be

    Garane Garane, a Somali-born Italian author who lives in the American South, tells us about what it means to be a nomad in a world that cherishes only permanence, unmovable possessions, and a monolithic sense of self. 

    This is only part of what I hope will be a longer and more in-depth conversation with Garane.


    Music by:

    Mike Franklyn

    Sillaba

    Heath Cantu

    Sahara Skylight

    J.S.Bach/Laura Metcalf

    Sight of Wonders

    Megan Wofford

    Ebo Krdum


    I'd love to hear from you. Send a text, get in touch!



    25 min
  • Episode 5: East, West, and the All the Borscht In-between

    My first Slavic guest, Olga Ivashkevich, from Minsk, contributes her interesting and hyper-aware take on "whiteness" (and its tempting yet vicious shiftiness) in the Western world, our role here as "good troublemakers," and women's status in America compared to what she saw in the Soviet countries growing up.

    I'd love to hear from you. Send a text, get in touch!



    1 hr 2 min
  • Episode 4: In Poetry We Trust

    Michal Rubin joins me to talk about her identity, her fraught relationship with her homeland (Israel), and to read some of her poems. Brace yourselves! This is a painful one.


    Music by

    Yinon Muallem: Dark Side of the Oud

    Mike Franklyn: Movin' with It

    Valeria's Klezmer Chariot: A Terkisher in the Majestic Harbour; Der Bleter Vals

    Roy Edwin Williams: Tenor Guitar Blues

    Rune Dale: Scented Nectar

    Ali Sabah: Khanabat

    Luella Gren: The Heart Knows

    Vendla: Verano

    Medite: The Secret Life of Pigeons


    I'd love to hear from you. Send a text, get in touch!



    1 hr 5 min
  • Episode 3: Arroz con Cosas, Y'all!

    In this episode, I chat with Carolina Castillo, from Málaga, Spain. A Brooklyn-based talented artist, and mother of two amazing daughters, Carola reflects on how she is seen by her kids and by others in this new country. . . and learns, through gentle Karma, what her own mother must have gone through as an immigrant to Spain and, like herself, a mother with a strong foreign accent.


    EPISODE #3 MUSIC: 

    The Secret Life of Pigeons – Medite

    Animal – Suffer City

    Barcelona – Rune Dale

    Augusto Caliente – Los Principes del Flamenco

    Movin’ with It – Mike Franklyn

    Verano – Vendla

    I'd love to hear from you. Send a text, get in touch!



    35 min
  • Episode 2: Grim? No, Schopenhauer.

    In this episode, I read a short excerpt from my memoir and follow it up with a conversation with Andrea Malaguti, an old friend, a fellow expat, a grumpy genius.



    Music in this episode:

    Movin' With It - Mike Franklyn

    Both Shoes Gone Walkin' - Moss Harman

    Moonlight Mystery - Alexandra Woodward

    Ain't misbehavin’ - by Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby Jr., played by Andrea Malaguti

    A Walk in Marais - The Fly Guy Five

    Verano - Vandla

    The Secret Life of Pigeons - Medite

    I'd love to hear from you. Send a text, get in touch!



    50 min

About Take On Life

From the publisher's feed

A podcast companion to South of My Dreams: Finding My American Home - A memoir by F. K. Clementi, TAKE ON LIFE is that special space where imagination meets expatriation.

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