The Whimsy Farm Podcast

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Today we honor the thinning of the veil. My friend Christabeth Ingold returns to the show as we celebrate Samhain, Halloween, All Saints Day, and Day of the Dead, time-honored transitions from a smattering of different cultures and belief systems. Christabeth is an astrologer, Akashic record reader and death doula based in Massachusettes. You can find her online at soulfullynourishing.com.

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I welcome Joanna Whaley, Democratic candidate for the open seat of State Representative of District Two in Michigan. In a district that leans democratic, Whaley is expected to beat Republican opponent Ronald Kokinda. If elected, Whaley will be the first transgender woman to serve in the Michigan State Legislature. For more information on her campaign, visit joannawaley.com. T This is the second of two episodes of Midterm Election Coverage. For Part One of my Midterm Election Coverage, see Episode Thirty-Five and my discussion about movements and elections with Norman Solomon.

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Today I speak with Norman Solomon. Norman is the national director of RootsAction and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine. He has written about politics for The Hill, The Nation, The Guardian, Common Dreams, Salon, and more.  His most recent book, The Blue Road to Trump Hell: How Corporate Democrats Paved the Way for Autocracy, will be the focus of our discussion today. 

To learn more about Norman Solomon: normansolomon.com

You can order a PDF of his new book for free at: BlueRoad.info

The Blue Road to Trump Hell is licensed under Creative Commons. Norman and Matt encourage you to share widely. 

For more information about cartoonist Matt Wuerker: politico.com/staff/matt-wuerker

To learn more about Roots Action: rootsaction.org

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Maryam Barrie and I celebrate the Libra Equinox, AKA the Autumnal or Fall Equinox. 

“September 2nd” by Wendell Berry 

“Equinox” by Elizabeth Alexander 

“Autumn Begins in Martin’s Ferry, Ohio” by James Wright

 “When Autumn Came” by Faiz Ahmed Faiz

 “Song of My House Being Battered by the Autumn Winds” by Tu Fu trans. Marilyn Chin 

“These Crisp Fall Evenings” by Carolyn M Crane 

“Fall Leaves in an Episode of Depression” by Maryam Barrie 

“Corona” by Paul Celan trans. Pierre Joris 

“Autumn Day” by Rainier Maria Rilke trans. Edward Snow

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I speak with Josh Weil about his new novel What Came West. He is a Fulbright fellow whose prizes include the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the California Book Award, and a Pushcart Prize. He’s also the author of The Great Glass Sea, The New Valley, and The Age of Perpetual Light. He makes his home where I made mine for most of my life, the west slope of the Sierra Nevada and the Yuba River Watershed.

You can find him online at joshweil.com. 

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Maryam Barrie guides us as we take a deep dive into the life and work of Federico Garcia Lorca. Maryam is a poetry expert and poet who lives and works in SE Michigan. Here's the link to Maryam's presentation: 

https://padlet.com/mbarrie1/federico-del-sagrado-corazon-de-jesus-garcia-lorca-1898-1936-jhej1oujrehf22vl

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I speak with Anna Marie Stenberg from the organization Taxpayer Alliance Against Genocide, or TAAG. TAAG, along with the organization Democracy for the Arab World Now, or DAWN, is launching a nationwide grassroots campaign to demand that Trump, Rubio, and other senior U.S. officials be investigated and prosecuted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for their participation in genocide and other crimes against the Palestinian people. Links: Taxpayer Alliance Against Genocide,  Taxpayers Against Genocide,  Democracy for the Arab World Now, Guardian Article,  Rubio's Editorial in the Wall Street Journal

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On July 15, 2026, Susan J. Tweit interviewed me about terraphilia, my rewilding efforts on the farm and my progress with my biography of Utah Phillips. This interview is part of her Earthbound series to promote her new book, Earthbound, coming out this fall. On October 15, Susan will be my guest on the pod to discuss the book.

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I speak with author Russell James Ray, author of Canyons of the Mind. Ray is credited with the first canyoneering descents of Barrancas Sinforosa and Batopilas in northern Mexico. His book is an eccentric collection of reflections and journal entries about those descents as well as many other of his life pursuits. 

  If you’d like to hear more about Ray’s canyoneering, check out the podcast The Canyons Are Calling—he’s their guest on the  November 11, 2023 episode.

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We learn more about fighting fascism as we protect our children from falling victim to it. Our first guest is Craig A Johnson, author of How to Talk to Your Son about Fascism.

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