Five Things

Latest Episodes:

Episode 51: Author Frank Bill on Martial Arts, Inspiration, and Raccoons Jan 24, 2018

Show notes

My guest this week is an author based in Corydon, Indiana, not far from Louisville. Frank Bill has just released his third book, a novel titled The Savage. It’s a post-apocalyptic tale of survival, set in and around Corydon after the economy has totally collapsed, and civil society along with it. In a word: it's intense.

Episode 50: Writer Hannah Drake on Family, Taking Chances, and Picking Cotton Jan 17, 2018

Show notes

Hannah Drake is a poet, a spoken-word artist, and a cultural producer with Ideas xLab, which works at the intersection of health and art. She’s someone who thinks deeply, feels deeply, and communicates brilliantly. All of Hannah’s items were fascinating, but one in particular resonated with me in a way I didn’t expect.

Episode 49: Inmate Actor James Prichard on Shakespeare, Friendship and Regret Jan 10, 2018

Show notes

This week, my guest is someone who spends some of his time in creative work, but it’s not something he ever imagined he’d do. James Prichard is a member of Shakespeare Behind Bars, a theatre troupe based at the Luther Luckett Correctional Complex in LaGrange, Kentucky. That also means -- he’s incarcerated there.

Episode 48: "Ask Me Another" Host Ophira Eisenberg on Parenting, Orchids, and Snow Globes Dec 13, 2017

Show notes

This week's guest on Five Things is Ophira Eisenberg, stand-up comedian, writer, and host of the NPR comedy game show Ask Me Another. She's also got a new comedy special just out, called "Inside Joke," which she taped when she was about 38 weeks pregnant with her first child. She was 43 years old and never thought she'd be a mother -- and she is very honest about some of those concerns that first-time moms have, but rarely share in public. We had a great conversation about some of the things that she values, including a collection she never meant to have, some jewelry sent to her from faraway relatives, and the pickiest plant there is.

Episode 47: Writer Kayla Rae Whitaker on Imposter Syndrome, Pencils, and Peanuts Dec 07, 2017

Show notes

Kayla Rae Whitaker is the author of "The Animators," a novel published earlier this year by Random House. She's a Kentucky native who recently moved to Louisville after several years in New York City. Among other things, we talked about what it's like to come back "home" and how she finally learned to accept her (gorgeous) curly hair. Kayla's essay for Lenny on imposter syndrome: http://www.lennyletter.com/life/a1000/my-imposter-year-kayla-rae-whitaker/ Kayla's essay for BuzzFeed on getting sober: https://www.buzzfeed.com/kaylaraewhitaker/dating-after-drinking?utm_term=.woKL7ZoZG#.whrbKakay

Episode 46: Kentucky Poet Laureate Frederick Smock on Fossils, Travel, and Paying Attention Nov 29, 2017

Show notes

This week's show was recorded live at the Writers' Block Festival in Louisville, Kentucky, in October 2017. Kentucky's Poet Laureate, Frederick Smock, was my guest -- we talked about how children are natural poets, how his father taught him to be a professional "noticer," and what writers can learn from rejection.

Holiday Rebroadcast: Pastor Joe Phelps on Loss, Family, and Bruce Springsteen Nov 23, 2017

Show notes

This week, we're sharing a rebroadcast of one of our most popular episodes: a conversation with Joe Phelps, pastor at Highland Baptist Church in Louisville. He's recently announced his retirement after 20 years of service. After nearly 50 episodes of Five Things, I can honestly say that this is one of the conversations that has most stuck with me.

Episode 45: Fred Johnson on Shakespeare, Running, and PTSD Nov 15, 2017

Show notes

My guest this week has been in situations that I can only imagine -- four deployments with the US Army will put you in harm’s way on a regular basis. Fred Johnson is a retired Army colonel who now describes himself as a “professional volunteer,” as he’s trying to find his path after nearly 30 years in the military. He’s written a book about his experience, called Five Wars: A Soldier's Journey to Peace -- he says the fifth war was after he came home and tried to reintegrate into civilian life. I first met Fred when he came to tell a story at The Moth StorySLAM, which I produce here in Louisville. I was struck by his openness and clarity, and his very public search for healing. He told stories about cultural differences in Afghanistan, about the mistake he feels he made in Iraq, and about the moment when he knew he needed help.

Episode 44: Writer Amy Bammel Wilding on Goddesses and Community Nov 08, 2017

Show notes

This week's guest on Five Things is writer and community leader Amy Bammel Wilding. She's the creator and lead facilitator at Red Tent Louisville, which she describes as a gathering place "dedicated to witnessing and inspiring the reawakening of the Sacred Feminine." A collection of guided meditations that Wilding wrote for gatherings at the Red Tent has just been released as a book, "Wild & Wise: Sacred Feminine Meditations for Women's Circles and Personal Awakenings."

Episode 43: Writer Victor LaValle on Comic Books, Metallica, and Malcolm X Nov 01, 2017

Show notes

The first Victor LaValle book I ever read was his 2012 novel, "The Devil In Silver." It's a masterful blend of horror and social commentary -- horror's not typically my thing but I loved it. LaValle has won all kinds of awards and accolades, and his latest book, "The Changeling," not only received glowing reviews, but it's in development for a television series. His recent comic book, "Victor LaValle's DESTROYER," is a continuation of the Frankenstein story with a Black Lives Matter twist. When I was in New York over the summer, I reached out to see if Victor would be up for doing an episode of Five Things, and he graciously welcomed me to the apartment he shares with his wife and two kids. We sat at the kitchen table on a sunny morning and talked.

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