The Bucket of Blah Blah

10/08/2022

A conversation with Neal Ferguson & Judith Ames Whitenack about what makes art (music, writing, film, etc.) good, the impacts of dementia & Alzheimer's, Gerwig's Little Women, Machado's "Caminante, No Hay Camino," & other subjects . Plus, music by Tynan Groves.

06/02/2021

TBOBB hasn’t had a new episode since April, but in the interim it’s been gradually accumulating downloads. Today it reached 1000. Thanks for all the listens, friends.

10/01/2021

17/12/2020

I’m deeply saddened to report on the passing of Richard Siegel, who was a guest on episode 3. Rich was a emeritus professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Reno, and a tireless champion of civil rights, having helped establish an ACLU affiliate in Nevada in the 1960s. He was also a good friend.

13/12/2020

I urge you all to listen to Dr. Cheryll Glotfelty (ep. 2), Dr. Amy Ghilieri (ep. 3), Dr. Erica Westhoff (ep. 10), Dr. Judith Ames Whitenack (ep. 12), & Dr. Alicia Barber (ep. 14) on TBOBB.

28/10/2020

This is a very cool event, featuring a number of TBOBB alumni: Michael Branch (eps. 1 & 13), Shaun Griffin (ep. 5), & Alicia Barber (ep. 14). https://www.unr.edu/nevada-today/news/2020/libraries-writers-hall-of-fame-2020

Free Zoom event Nov. 12, 7 p.m., to highlight, celebrate Nevada writers

20/10/2020

Back on episode 11, Justin Gifford read from his almost-completed manuscript about Eldridge Cleaver. The book in now out, so you can get the full story! https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Death-Life-Eldridge-Cleaver/dp/1613739117

Revolution or Death: The Life of Eldridge Cleaver

03/10/2020

More info on the new podcast.

Here’s the schedule for current & upcoming episodes. These are all fantastic guests. Hope you’ll give them a listen!

02/10/2020

Just had a great time watching Shaun Griffin (ep. 5) and other local poets read virtually via a Sundance Books & Music livestream. Give it a look. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExiH5rNPD6c

27/08/2020

The Monastery of Stars (2020) by Shaun T. Griffin (episode 005).

10/08/2020

From Alicia Barber (ep. 14): https://thisisreno.com/2020/08/city-council-should-not-eliminate-expert-review-of-proposed-unr-skyway-opinion/

Subjecting the proposed UNR skyway to the evaluation of a professional Design Review Committee would not make the City of Reno a bad university partner, but a better one

10/08/2020

New recording by The New Harvesters (ep. 8)

06/08/2020

Diversity: Strength and Struggle (2006) by Joseph Calabrese (episode 010) & Susan Tchudi (eds.)

27/07/2020

Since I dredged up some of his old work, it seems only fair that I share some of Nathaniel Benjamin’s wonderful new work.

27/07/2020

Sifting through piles of printed matter, I came across a 2015 issue of The Brushfire (U. Of Nevada, Reno’s literary magazine) & was delighted to see artwork therein by not one but two TBOBB alumni: Zac Haley (ep. 4) & Nathaniel Benjamin (ep. 8)

24/07/2020

In the wake of last week’s “virtual salon,” Jonathan Cummins (ep. 6) offers this brief history of Sun Valley, Nevada, courtesy of Nevada Humanities. https://www.nevadahumanities.org/blog/2020/7/16/a-brief-history-of-the-biggest-little-trailer-park-sun-valley-nevada

By Jonathan Cummins In 1938, the Federal Government adopted the Small Tract Act. As a Homestead Era policy, the Small Tract Act was intended to encourage settlement in the West. The one requirement to secure a 5-acre tract of free land was to live on it permanently. By the 1950s, hundreds of small

22/07/2020

Working on a graphic for my new podcast. Anyone want to take a wild guess as to what it’s about?

19/07/2020

With Jim Casella, who was featured on episode 10.

17/07/2020

How cool! Nevada Humanities is hosting a virtual salon tonight featuring historian, Jonathan Cummins, who was a guest back on episode 6: https://www.nevadahumanities.org/the-salon-popup-salons/2020/6/29/a-virtual-salon-valley-of-the-sun

Sun Valley, Nevada is a small community of nearly 20,000 tucked away in the arid desert hills just north of Reno, Nevada. Populated mainly by trailer homes at its core, with newer modern housing springing up around the peripheries, it was touted in 1938 by the Bureau of Land Management as a land of

16/07/2020

In April, I put the podcast on hold for what I hoped would be a short hiatus. Alas, our situation seems to be worsening, so the hold is indefinitely extended. I’m consequently looking at starting another social-distancing-friendly project. Watch this page for details as they develop.

30/05/2020

On episode 10, Erica Westhoff (along with Joe Calabrese), spoke eloquently about the crucial value of the Social Contract. I’ve been thinking a lot about that lately....

25/05/2020

Another great quarantine-time article from Mike Branch (eps. 1 & 13): https://www.nevadahumanities.org/blog/2020/5/15/distance-and-vision

By Michael P. Branch Tennessee Williams wrote that “…time is the longest distance between places.” That’s how it feels as we wrap up our second month of coronavirus quarantine and wonder what the future holds. Time seems to stretch out before us, becoming distorted and malleable as the days ...

23/05/2020

‪Join me in wishing Richard Schori, mathematician, rock climber, & TBOBB alum (ep. 4), a quick recovery from the back surgeries he’ll be undergoing this week. ‬

10/05/2020

Happy Mother’s Day to my mother-in-law, Phyllis Clark, who was on TBOBB eps. 1 & 13, and mother of my kids, Marthe Clark, who was on ep. 15. And also to my own mom, who maybe once listened to the show.

04/05/2020

Humor & Hope. Always crucial, & particularly vital in times like these. An article by Michael Branch (eps. 1 & 13): https://aboutplacejournal.org/issues/practices-of-hope/how-to-do-things-in-turbulent-times/michael-p-branch/

a literary journal published by the Black Earth Institute dedicated to re-forging the links between art and spirit, earth and society

03/05/2020

A beautiful new song from Tynan Groves (ep. 12): https://soundcloud.com/the-spirit-hall/you-go-where-have-to-go-2020-05-03-352-pm

My sister passed away from pancreatic cancer a year and half ago, I wrote this for her. I miss her so much.

02/05/2020

Hooray for our libraries! (And for Jamie Hemingway, ep. 13, who appears in this video.)

02/05/2020

A nice gesture in the face of a not-so-nice situation for graduating seniors. At least four TBOBB alumni are crammed in here somewhere.

01/05/2020

Your chance to help out So Sol (ep. 9) on Bandcamp.

01/05/2020

Check out this article about the value of history by Dr. Alicia Barber (ep. 14): https://www.nevadahumanities.org/blog/2020/4/29/history-opens-a-window

by Alicia Barber, PhD In times of both calm and chaos, history provides critical context for our lives. Most would agree that a knowledge of past events and decisions is essential to understanding our government, our institutions, our cultures and traditions.