“The Crucible of Friendship:" a conversation between old friends, the novelist / biographer / essayist Judith Freeman the writer / artist Teresa Jordan

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According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a friend is “one joined to another in mutual benevolence and intimacy. Not ordinarily applied to lovers or relatives…a boon companion.” It first appears in “Beowolf” in 1018 A.D. as “freondum.” Though the opposite of “fiend,” both words root in the same Germanic word soup for “love” and “hate,” so therefore inextricably intertwined.

Here, two old friends, Teresa Jordan and Judith Freeman, both remarkable and accomplished writers and artists, born and bred in the American West, examine their own enduring relationship through the lens of Judith’s latest novel, the incisive, insightful, at times ruthless “MacArthur Park.” The novel’s core finds two older women, both accomplished writers and artists, born and bred in the American West, attempting to re-kindle their lifelong friendship after intimate convolutions blew them apart. Spoiler alert: marrying the same man may become a problem. No, not Teresa and Judith; her characters Verna and Jolene as they road trip across the West towards some notion of their shared childhood. What destroys friendships? Can good intentions alone heal those implosive moments of toxic intimacy almost inevitable in friendships? Who here has not lost a friend?

Coming Soon: Mountain Meadows Massacre

“Steer the Wind:” Audrey Tang is Saving the World with Direct Digital Democracy

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For anyone concerned about the current global state of Democracy, which should be everyone, Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s Digital Minister, may be our greatest hope:

“I’m not here to make citizens transparent to government, I’m here to make government transparent to citizens.”

She has flipped Big Brother, proving that this very same unprecedented internet connectivity can be harnessed to cultivate and manifest the very best of us as well — connecting instead of isolating, confirming truths instead of spreading lies, distributing power instead of consolidating it.

Helper, Utah and the Mysteries of Community: Part 3 "The Ineffable Authentic"

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You’ll hear every one of the people I talk to in this episode, Gary DeVincent, Jaron Anderson, and Shallee Johanssen, mention in their own words that Helper lacks pretense, that it feels authentic, and it’s that feeling of authenticity that is drawing them to Helper.

But what happens when authenticity is ultimately obtained? When it becomes the commodity? Take a listen to find out if Helper can hang on to whatever it is that makes it so special, as the town continues to be revitalized.

We ask these questions and more as a way to continue exploring the mysteries of what brings together and then maintains that elusive sense of community. Sure, we're talking specifically about Helper, interesting enough in itself. But we're also examining Helper in light of these broader questions. At the end of this podcast, Logan and Ben will consider what these interviewees have said to see if Helper offers itself as a microcosm to understand the slippery nature of community.

Genders: The Story of Us All - Kathryn Bond Stockton

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In her new book Gender(s), a new volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Kathryn Bond Stockton, Inagural Dean of the University of Utah’s “School for Cultural and Social Tranformation,” explores the fascinating, fraught, intimate, morphing matter of gender. Stockton argues for gender's strangeness, no matter how normal the concept seems; gender is queer for everyone, she claims, even when it's played quite straight. And she explains how race and money dramatically shape everybody's gender, even in sometimes surprising ways. Playful but serious, erudite and witty, Stockton marshals an impressive array of exhibits to consider, including dolls and their new gendering, the thrust of Jane Austen and Lil Nas X, gender identities according to women's colleges, gay and transgender ballroom scenes, and much more.

Helper, Utah and the Mysteries of Community:Part 2 “Art as Caring”

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In this episode, you will hear how Dave Dornan’s artwork is inseparable from Helper’s story. He’s not interested in finding the beauty in things that are decidedly valuable but in finding “the beauty in something that could become valuable.” Through painting an old useless carburetor he breathes new life into it. Through picking and painting a rose from Chris Diamanti’s incredible rose garden, he turns the retired miner’s caring into an icon through his own form of caring: art. And this is the story of Helper, Utah; caring begets caring.

Helper, Utah and the Mysteries of Community: Part 1 “Utah’s Melting Pot”

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Helper, Utah was founded as a “helper engine” town in 1881. Here trains would pick up an extra engine to help them up the steep, relentless grade of Price Canyon and over Soldier Summit. At the beginning of the 20th century, Helper was a booming railroading and coal mining community. It was also the most diverse place in Utah, with 27 different languages spoken in the town. Coal later diminished in value, and eventually started to run out, and the community has been forced to find a new way. From flower-planting to the inception of an annual arts festival, to the revitalization of Main Street’s historic buildings, Helper is finding ways to hold onto its story, while simultaneously moving forward with an entirely new economy, one based on the arts and tourism.

Listen to find out what is contributing to the apparent ease and speed with which Helper's economic shift is taking place. Is it Helper's union history? The diversity? Could the name Helper play some role here? Does economic revitalization just take a few individuals who care? How important is Helper's story? Are new residents and old-timers alike on board with these changes? Is it the creation of opportunity, gentrification, or both? What does the future hold for Helper, Utah?

Variant: A Celebration at Modern West Fine Art

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The American West somehow still maintains its foothold in the global subconscious, its raw and alluring brew of archetypes, wide-open dreamscapes of canyons and mountains, cowboys and Indians, grizzly bears and buffalo. As such, quote/unquote “Western Art” continues to make coin by milking these fantasies.

But of course, that West is long gone, if it ever really existed. What remains? What really happened here? Where are we going? What is happening to the land, the indigenous peoples, the scant and ever-diminishing waters? Who and where are the voices that will lead us forward?

The Thirteen Moons of Henry Real Bird

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Henry was born in 1948 and raised on the Crow Indian Reservation; he spoke only Crow until entering first grade. Those cultural rhythms and traditions remain the primary influence on his poetry. He earned his Master’s in Education and has taught everything from kindergarten, 4H and Head Start to serving as president of Little Big Horn College. He rode bucking broncs in rodeos until he busted his hip, which somehow led him to poetry. He has written six anthologies, four poetry collections, and twelve children’s books, which he also illustrated. He served as Montana’s Poet Laureate from 2009 to 2011, was named the 2011-2012 Academy of Western Artists Cowboy Poet of the Year, and his poetry collection “Horse Tracks” was named 2011 Poetry Book of the Year by the High Plains Book Awards.

Henry lives on his ranch along Yellow Leggins Creek in the Wolf Teeth Mountains: "Now I'm raising bucking horses, writing, and dreaming."

The Power of Music: Mark Johnson and Playing for Change

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It’s impossible. A horn section in Burkina Faso backs a string quartet in Lyon, France, together with guitarists in Nepal and Madrid while a choir in Manila supports the singer in Haiti and an African kora soloist, and we aren’t halfway through the video. Everyone plays outside, in city streets, courtyards, in front of temples, in marketplaces, train yards, beaches, jungles and deserts, visuals that immediately impart a compelling sense of that place. Each player brings nuances from their own musical culture, resulting in a fresh and distinct feel. One could write a book just about these rhythmic confluences. As a Playing For Change Foundation school teacher observed, “it’s where all cultural diversities collide into one beautiful harmony.”

Informed by years of recording studio experience and powered by his love and utter faith in music, Mark Johnson pursued his vision of traveling songs around the world to bring people together. Along with co-founder Whitney Kroenke Silverstein, they’ve grown a single such video, “Stand By Me,” into an international movement. It’s a new art form, a sound engineer’s vision. And in this moment that finds us isolated by Covid and wounded by the toxins coursing through our social media, they prove that such technology can also unite through the intimacy and immediacy of music.

A Conversation about Practice with Kim Stafford and Teresa Jordan

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Join Teresa Jordan and Kim Stafford in an ongoing conversation about practice. They talk about the benefits of cultivating a daily practice, not just for the purpose of becoming a better artist or writer, but also because it can improve one’s life. As Kim puts it, you may not write something good every day, but if you write every day “it will be a better day.”

"The Madness of Disassociation" - Craig Childs

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In this episode, Craig joins us from the front porch of his home in western Colorado, with snow flakes swirling around him and ravens croaking in the junipers. He talks about how stories are not the place but show the shape of a place. He shares several examples of how stories tend to repeat in the same places over and over again simply because of the geology, or other mysterious (but possibly simple) factors science hasn’t yet caught up to. We decided to save ghost stories for another time.

Today we face many obstacles that keep us from connecting deeply to place. We touch on social media, the internet, and other things that can remove us further and further from the land. This removal results in dissociation, Craig says. “We won’t remain dissociated as a species and survive,” he continues, “because then you don’t care about anything.”

We discuss the conundrum of being descendants of white colonizers, while at the same time being rooted to the places where fate has deposited us. Craig believes that we have a responsibility to give back to these places and their people who have given so much to us. Much of his work is an effort to do this. “I’ll be dead and gone before I ever really figure out what needs to be fed back to this place,” he says. “But at least I can get close, at least I can do my best.”