We've missed you, What the Folk fam! On this episode, instead of having a guest, we decided to take the chance to catch up with each other on life, the universe, and everything. We discuss dealing with personal disappointment and tragedy, and keeping a healthy perspective in the face of the ongoing climate apocalypse. And of course, new music! This one features a fun and timely tune by Ned and Wendy the Band, which we are sure you will love as much as we do.

Ned and Wendy the Band:

nedandwendytheband.com

“Vulnerable” music video: https://youtu.be/rPkSSdZNV3E

On this episode of What the Folk, our guest is Michael McPhearson, the executive director of online news publication the South Seattle Emerald, the former executive director of Veterans for Peace, and a longtime activist for racial and social justice within and outside of the US. This interview covers empathy as a radical act, the challenges of fostering solidarity across differences, and the necessity of localized independent media. Afterwards, Joy and Sarah reflect on their own solidarity and communication challenges, as well as how freaking tired they are because who isn’t these days. Treat yo’self to a nap, dear listeners – after you listen to this episode.

Featured music on this episode is “I Don’t Know Much About Star Wars” by Joy Damiani

GET INVOLVED

Veterans for Peace

https://www.veteransforpeace.org/

South Seattle Emerald

https://southseattleemerald.com/category/news/

FOLLOW MICHAEL

Michael’s Medium

https://mtmcphearson.medium.com/

MTM Daily

https://mtmdaily.com/

Michael’s Twitter

https://twitter.com/MTMcPhearson

On this episode, our guest is Stephanie Atkinson, an Army veteran and war resister who now works with nonprofits Veterans for Peace and Courage to Resist to bring the truth about military recruitment to heavily-recruited high school students. Besides sharing her inspiring personal story, we discuss everything from military “feminism” to our favorite dystopian fashion (spoiler alert: Blade Runner ftw).

Featured music on this episode is “If You Ain’t Cheatin’ You Ain’t Tryin’” and “Just A Little Cog” by Joy Damiani

GET INVOLVED

Veterans for Peace

https://www.veteransforpeace.org/

Courage to Resist

https://couragetoresist.org/

Truth in Recruitment

https://truthinrecruitment.org/

READ STEPHANIE’S WRITING

https://wri-irg.org/en/story/2011/proud-deserter

LEARN MORE

Shoshana Jackson

https://www.msnbc.com/podcast/shoshana-johnson-was-america-s-first-black-female-prisoner-war-n1283841

Jessica Lynch

https://www.cnn.com/2015/07/20/us/jessica-lynch-where-is-she-now/index.html

Lynndie England

https://www.marieclaire.com/politics/news/a170/lynndie-england-1/

Book: Bananas, Beaches, and Bases by Cynthia Enloe

https://bookshop.org/p/books/bananas-beaches-and-bases-making-feminist-sense-of-international-politics-cynthia-enloe/6561808?ean=9780520279995

We've missed you, What the Folk fam! We took a hiatus to get our respective and collective shit together, and now here we are, back and weirder than ever. In this, our 42nd episode, we cover – well, Life, the Universe, and Everything. Since it led us to discuss relationships, political corruption, the patriarchy, and cats – just to name a few hot topics – Joy's theory is that the Ultimate Question is "how's your apocalypse going?"

Plus! Hear Sarah's original poem, "Bad Timing," and Joy's songs "Love Yourself!" and "Happy Ever After" – all inspired by the endlessly exciting and complicated theme of Love, during this Valentine's week.

Featured music:

"Love Yourself!" and "Happy Ever After" by Joy Damiani

https://joydamiani.bandcamp.com/track/love-yourself-feat-jules-indelicato

https://joydamiani.bandcamp.com/track/happy-ever-after

References:

https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/i-was-embarrassed-humiliated-reporter-says-of-east-palestine-arrest/

https://www.newsweek.com/ohio-train-derailment-could-become-full-blown-ecological-crisis-1781148

Hello, What the Folk fam, we’ve missed you! We’ve had a lot of reasons we’ve been away but one majorly exciting reason is that JOY WROTE A BOOK! What’s also exciting is that friend of the pod Samantha Hart is joining us again for this episode to help illuminate the 14-year writing journey behind If You Ain’t Cheatin’ You Ain’t Trying – as well as Sarah’s English major-y opinionating on art, political messaging, and, of course, M*A*S*H.

Featured music is “If You Ain’t Cheatin’ You Ain’t Trying” and “Yellow Ribbon” by Joy Damiani (released under Emily Yates)

SUPPORT JOY’S KICKSTARTER

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/joydamiani/if-you-aint-cheatin-you-aint-tryin-a-military-memoir/community

PREORDER JOY’S BOOK

Coming soon!

FOLLOW JOY

http://joydamiani.com/

Russian history scholar and political scientist Michael Iasilli joins us to discuss, what else, the war in Ukraine. Besides giving us a fascinating tour through Russian and Ukrainian history, Iasilli also has a lot to say about avoiding xenophobia against Russians during this time. Naturally, your hosts and Michael got along swimmingly because we all agree that we have much more in common with the regular people in other countries than we do with our respective governments. Afterward, Joy and Sarah riff on the idea of finding common ground, living in a world of multiple truths, and discuss the latest infuriating developments in the Assange extradition case.

Featured music is “Soul Creature,” “Staircase,” and “Scary Days” by Michael Anthonia

FOLLOW MICHAEL’S WORK

https://www.maiasilli.com/

MICHAEL’S MUSIC

Instagram: Michaelanthonia_music

Facebook: @realmichaelanthonia

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/14D2f50WgDvuTLVEVzOAhk?si=X1iwTHp_TTWUiIWgOkp9gg

FURTHER READING

In reference to the data on Russian citizens’ displeasure with Putin’s war: see “FBK” (a sociological survey in Russia:

https://navalny.com/p/6615/?fbclid=IwAR3h2PzC3w1X2or27-6WjXg_WgGNNwZg2OihGpfYm27otGwvaWskQFhmUik

On racism in Ukraine refugee policy

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/black-ukraine-refugees-racism-discrimination-russian-invasion/

HISTORY BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

The Affirmative Action Empire: Nations and Nationalism in the Soviet Union by Terry Martin

Red Nations: The Nationalities Experience in and after the USSR by Jeremy Smith

Russia in Flames by Laura Engelstein

Red Famine: Stalin’s War in Ukraine by Anne Applebaum

The fabulous Lauren Flynn returns to the pod! We talk about the inspiration for her awesome new band, Buried Blonde, trust and intuition in the creative process, why artists are essential workers and grappling with death at the Cheesecake Factory. Afterwards, Joy and Sarah discuss the lessons they have learned during the pandemic, Colonel Bruce Hampton, and how to have a non-monogamous relationship with yourself.

Featured music is “Like a Scar” and “Perfect Machine” by Buried Blonde, and “Good Riddance Fake Bitches” by Joy Damiani, courtesy of the artists.

FOLLOW BURIED BLONDE

https://www.buriedblonde.com/

We’re baaaack! Again! Thank you, dear listeners, for being understanding about our (sometimes variable) apocalypse release schedule. We are rewarding your patience with a fantastic episode featuring Nicole Foerster, an advocate for psilocybin mushrooms as a treatment for cluster headaches, a mental health professional, and a proponent for the full decriminalization of entheogenic plants and fungi. In this episode, we talk about their work as director of Decriminalize Nature Colorado which recently submitted a ballot proposal to decriminalize entheogens in the 2022 Colorado statewide election, why decriminalization offers a more intentional and just model for psychedelic access, and the emerging models for holistically supporting mental health. Afterward, Joy and Sarah wander through strange metaphors as they reflect on these strangely psychedelic times in the Society of the Spectacle.

GET INVOLVED

Decriminalize Nature Colorado

https://www.facebook.com/decrimnaturecolorado/

Insta: @decrimnaturecolorado

https://www.instagram.com/decrimnaturecolorado/?hl=en

Decriminalize Nature (national)

https://decriminalizenature.org/

FEATURED MUSIC

“All the Same” by FaceKiss

https://facekiss.bandcamp.com/

“Hey Moon” and “Peter Pan” by Ray Diess

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2k9ZPxMCH5vm2E7KHBwmfD

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/ray-diess/1553592537

RECOMMENDED READING AND RESOURCES

Your Healing is Killing Me

https://bookshop.org/books/your-healing-is-killing-me/9780991418398

Our Right to Drugs

https://bookshop.org/books/our-right-to-drugs-the-case-for-a-free-market/9780815603337

The Book of Woe: The DSM and the Unmaking of Psychiatry

https://bookshop.org/books/the-book-of-woe-the-dsm-and-the-unmaking-of-psychiatry-9798200063345/9798200063345

Psychiatric Survivors

https://www.psychiatricsurvivors.net/

Mad in America

https://www.madinamerica.com/

Students for Sensible Drug Policy

https://ssdp.org/

SPORE: Society for Psychedelic Outreach, Reform, and Education

https://www.thespore.org/

Unlimited Sciences

https://unlimitedsciences.org/

How do we enter into dialogue across differences, especially in a world where we are actively discouraged to do so by the powers that be? That question is not only at the heart of Corey Nathan’s work on his podcast Talkin’ Politics & Religion Without Killin’ Each Other, but also a principle we put into practice during this episode. Corey and your folking hosts come from different (at times, vastly different) perspectives but we navigate thorny subjects such as religion, democracy, and cancel culture without losing our shared goal of unfucking the world – or our senses of humor. This episode is praxis-y af, y’all! Afterwards, Joy and Sarah dive further into the ideas of dialogue, curiosity, and building shared spaces in our “this AND that” reality.

We would like to wish our What the Folk fam a safe and, hopefully, joyous New Year. Or at least a year where the silver linings stay in view. Onwards to 2022!

Featured music is “It’s All Right to Not Be Okay” and “Brains in Meat Suits” by Joy Damiani.

FOLLOW COREY’S PODCAST

Talkin’ Politics & Religion Without Killin’ Each Other

@TPandRPod on all the socials

https://www.podbean.com/site/podcatcher/index/blog/Yedrl1sr7igl

Happy holidays What the Folk Fam! Our gift to you – not sure you asked for it, but you shall receive – is a whole hour of Sarah and Joy’s stoney shenanigans! Joy has a new single and accompanying video, “It’s All Right to Not Be Okay,” dropping on December 21st. We dive into the therapeutic and combat-sport inspirations for the song and vid, as well as the challenges of trying to get your work noticed as an independent solo artist in the algorithm wilderness. This mini-interview is sandwiched with talk of Assange, abortion rights, creating utopia, and Sarah’s rather embarrassing amount of basic Matrix references. Wishing a safe and cozy holiday season to all, whatever you may or may not be celebrating.

FOLLOW JOY AND GET THE PRE-SAVE LINK FOR THE NEW SINGLE

https://joydamiani.com/

IG: @joydamianimusic

FB: facebook.com/trynottobeadick

Featured music by Joy Damiani:

“Please Don’t F With Me (This Xmas)”:

https://joydamiani.bandcamp.com/track/please-dont-f-with-me-this-xmas

“(No Such Thing As) Bad Words”:

https://joydamiani.bandcamp.com/track/no-such-thing-as-bad-words