Five Things

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Episode 32: Writer Tasha Golden On Secret Diaries And Changing Paths Aug 02, 2017

Show notes

This week's guest is a writer who first came to my attention when she performed at The Moth StorySLAM in Louisville (producing that monthly event is my other job). Tasha Golden seemed a bit nervous as she told a story of living next door to a couple who were obviously going through some domestic violence, and she didn't know what to do. She ended up winning the competition that night, and I wanted to know more about her. As it turns out, she had spent plenty of time onstage at previous times in her life, but usually as a singer, touring with the band Ellery. A few years ago, an episode of severe depression led her to get off the road, get an MFA in poetry, and pursue a public health degree, studying the effects of the arts and health. She also teaches writing workshops for young women who are incarcerated, and Ellery has just put out a new EP, their first release since 2010. Our conversation about the objects that are precious to her was funny and touching, and ultimately, it was about resiliency.

Episode 31: Five Things: Writer Silas House On Tea, 'The Waltons,' And Social Justice Jul 27, 2017

Show notes

This week's guest is Kentucky author Silas House, who made his name as a novelist (Clay's Quilt, Eli the Good) and is also known for his essays and other writings on food, music and politics. He teaches writing at Berea College, so I made the drive to that lovely town and interviewed him at his dining room table. We had a great conversation about growing up in the small town of Lily, Kentucky, how he feels a little bit guilty living only 45 minutes away from there, and some of the people and experiences that have most influenced his writing life.

Episode 30: 'Diaper Fairy' Emily McCay On Resilience And Glitter Wings Jul 19, 2017

Show notes

Emily McCay is known around Louisville as the Diaper Fairy, a fanciful name for the cloth diaper delivery service she runs. She also owns the Diaper Fairy Cottage, a shop that has become a community center. She's a recent survivor of acute myeloid leukemia, and she says her "five things" are very different now from what they might have been before her illness.

Episode 29: Teacher Diane Downs On Music, Confidence, And Mowing The Lawn Jul 12, 2017

Show notes

Our guest this week on Five Things is Diane Downs, a musician and a teacher who leads one of the most unusual performing ensembles you’ll ever hear. Picture it: 40 or so middle and elementary schoolers, with marimbas, cymbals, xylophones, timpani, keyboards, a drum kit or two -- that's the Louisville Leopard Percussionists. It sounds like utter madness, and sometimes it is. But it’s also a team-building, self-esteem-raising activity that kids love.

Episode 28: Renee Murphy on Scrapbooks, TV News, and Natural Hair Jul 05, 2017

Show notes

This week's guest is a familiar face and voice to Louisville-area TV viewers, as she anchors the evening news on WHAS, the local ABC affiliate. I’ve known about her for years, but when she really came to my attention was when she did an on-air opinion piece about hair. I know, it sounds silly, but it was terrific. We talked more about the hair issue in this conversation, along with how she got to where she is, and what she loves about her job.

Episode 27: Writer Shannon Stocker on Risk and Pain Jun 01, 2017

Show notes

Our guest is writer Shannon Stocker, who chose a risky experimental treatment in another country in a last-ditch effort to cure a painful disorder. It’s known as “complex regional pain syndrome,” or CRPS, and it’s tough to diagnose and treat. Stocker says she and her husband Greg had to work together to figure out how to help her, which ultimately led them to try a medically-induced coma in a Mexican hospital. She talked with me about how chronic pain can affect a person's mental health, why she loves her cheap wedding ring, and the woman in Mexico who predicted her daughter's birth.

Episode 26: Shakespeare Director Matt Wallace on Putting On a Show May 25, 2017

Show notes

Matt Wallace is the producing artistic director at Kentucky Shakespeare, which puts on the summer Shakespeare festival in Central Park along with outreach and education throughout the state. He also works with Shakespeare Behind Bars, where he directs an annual Shakespeare production with inmates at the Luther Luckett Correctional Complex in Oldham County. Plus, ask anyone about Matt Wallace, and they'll always mention how nice he is. (It's true, he really is.)

Episode 25: Dennis Ledford and His Vintage Life May 18, 2017

Show notes

Our guest is Louisville musician Dennis Ledford. He’s been part of the Louisville music scene since the 1960s, and if you graduated from high school in Louisville in the 90s, he probably played your senior prom as part of Nervous Melvin and the Mistakes. He's got stories on stories to tell, and what really struck me about our conversation was that all of his objects were really about people.

Episode 24: Pastor Joe Phelps on Connection, Loss, and Springsteen May 11, 2017

Show notes

My guest this week on Five Things is Joe Phelps, the pastor at Highland Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. His church is known for being a progressive place, and we talked about the forces that have led him to the viewpoints he has now. He's experienced great loss along with great success, and he sees it all as a continuum.

Episode 23: A Life in the Circus with Anne Miller May 04, 2017

Show notes

Our guest is Anne Miller, who has a Ph.D in neuropsychology and is also the co-owner of Suspend Louisville, a studio that teaches circus arts like aerial silks, acrobatics, and juggling. You might be surprised to learn how much those two different paths have in common.

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