ASLE EcoCast Podcast
asleecocast
EcoCast: Environmental Conversations On Creative Art, Scholarship, and Teaching. The official podcast of the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE). Each episode features interviews with guests sharing their scholarship, creative work, or teaching.
Arrhythmic Time Keeping: Seasonality in the Anthropocene
In this month's episode, we spoke with Sarah Dimick about her new book Unseasonable: Climate Change in Global Literatures. It connects literature and the environment through an idea of seasonality and rhythm. Climate change can be understood as a time of unseasonableness, of environmental events and cycles being outside normal rhythms of time. Living today is defined by this arrhythmia, and Sarah charts new territory in studying literature for its reflections of this cyclicality, what she calls
Feb 28, • 36:59
What 'Might' The World Be, What Might It Become? Carolyn Fornoff's Subjunctive Aesthetics
Today's episode begins a slight turn toward ecoaesthetics in the next few episodes, and we begin with Carolyn Fornoff's new book Subjunctive Aesthetics: Mexican Cultural Production in the Era of Climate Change (2024). Carolyn spoke to us about subjunctivity, a grammatical mood characterized by hypotheticals, and how its imaginative style has sprouted up in recent Mexican film, activism, and texts not to depict climate change in an "evidentiary" sense (a typical narrative style of eco-literature
Jan 29, • 45:23
Fighting Extinction in the Field: A Conversation with Two North Carolina Extinction Biologists
In the final episode of our extinction series, we chatted with two extinction biologists, Hope Sutton and Sara Schweitzer, who work for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. Sara is the assistant chief and wildlife diversity program director and Hope is the eastern wildlife diversity supervisor. We discussed their challenges in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Asheville and their triumphs in the successful rehabilitation of some of the more than 100 endangered animals under their
Dec 30, 2024 • 46:36
Frameworks of Extinction and Negation in Cinema: A conversation with Jean-Thomas Tremblay and Steven Swarbrick
In this second episode of our ongoing extinction series, we sit down with Jean-Thomas Tremblay and Steven Swarbrick to discuss their thought-provoking co-written manuscript, Negative Life: The Cinema of Extinction. Our conversation with them touches not only on the concrete topics of extinction and cinema, but also explores the theoretical potential of negations and contradictions as frameworks for understanding the relationship (or not) between humans and the more-than-human world. For more
Nov 29, 2024 • 49:47
Should Humans Go Extinct? Asking the Big Question with Todd May
In this first episode of our extinction series, we met with Todd May to discuss his new book Should We Go Extinct? A Philosophical Dilemma for Our Times. This massive question is accessibly analyzed yet Todd also brings in issues underdiscussed in extinction discourse: Who is the inexact "we" behind the question, how do different humans contribute to ecological crisis and therefore human and nonhuman extinction, and what is the role of art in deciding whether humanity's existence should continue
Oct 27, 2024 • 48:17
Finding the "Symphony Inside You" - Nadia Colburn's I Say The Sky Poetry Collection
In this episode, we met with Nadia Colburn to discuss her new poetry collection I Say the Sky! Deeply engaged with the ecological collapse happening around us while also reinvesting in our own existence, her poems range from the simplicity in appreciating the beauty of an onion to reassessing childhood trauma. We also talk through her multi-hyphenate pursuits and the continual search for the "symphony inside you". For more on Nadia: Website: nadiacolburn.com Email: nadia@nadiacolburn.com ASL
Aug 26, 2024 • 40:42
Polar Newspapers and Textual Production in Extreme Environments: Polar Series Finale!
In our final episode of our polar environmental humanities series, we have Penn State English professor Hester Blum on to discuss her environmental humanities research on polar ecomedia! Dr. Blum discusses the ephemeral texts and productions aboard Arctic and Antarctic voyages including newspapers. Newspapers on polar voyages? Yes, you heard that right. These texts have contemporary and global lessons to teach in that their production took place while in extreme environments. For more on Heste
Jul 28, 2024 • 50:43
(Mis)Conceptions of Antarctica with Dr. Leane!
In our second episode of our polar environmental humanities series, we jump from the landscape paintings of the circumpolar north to the southern continent of Antarctica and speak with Dr. Elizabeth Leane at the University of Tasmania! As a Professor of Antarctic Studies, we discuss her work on perceptions of Antarctica historically and also sensorially. From pandemic misconceptions of cleanliness and silence on the continent to science fiction and Antarctic tourism, Leane walks us through the c
Jun 27, 2024 • 41:44
Landscape Paintings of the Circumpolar North: Polar Environmental Humanities Series Episode 1
This is the first episode in our polar environmental humanities series with Dr. Isabelle Gapp from the University of Aberdeen! We met to discuss her new book, "A Circumpolar Landscape", and the fascinating comparisons between Scandinavian and Canadian landscape painting beyond national borders. We discuss the way the paintings can often exhibit masculine performativity in their erasures and how the painters are nostalgically reminiscing about a landscape changing in front of their eyes from colo
May 27, 2024 • 54:07
Making Photography Material: Siobhan Angus and The Elemental History of Photography
Our conversation with Professor Angus discusses her brand-new book Camera Geologica: An Elemental History of Photography. As the title suggests, Angus connects photography with the materials that make it possible: bitumen, silver, platinum, iron, uranium, and rare earth elements. Each has been used at various points in photography's history to physically produce an image, and Siobhan tells us how photography doesn't exist without the mine and extraction. If, in Rob Nixon's words, capitalism "ext
Mar 26, 2024 • 44:13
Agrotopias: Abby Goode and the Imagined Elsewheres of American Sustainability Rhetoric
Our conversation with Professor Goode explores her recent book Agrotopias: An American Literary History of Sustainability. Two recent phrases form the impetus of her book: "We Can't Solve the Climate Crisis Unless Black Lives Matter" and "Climate Change Is also a Racial Justice Problem". Goode traces these back to the enigmatic Thomas Jefferson to illuminate and enmesh the supposedly protoecological American past with its racist and eugenic histories by analyzing agrotopias. She defines agrotopi
Feb 26, 2024 • 41:27
Farewelcome
This episode is a goodbye and a hello. Brandon Galm, the creator of EcoCast in 2020 and co-host since its inception, is now stepping away from the podcast to make more time for his new roles at Cloud County Community College in North Central Kansas. We say hello to Alex Tischer, a recent graduate from Wright State in English who is now applying to English Ph.D. programs. Brandon and Alex are on either side of the Ph.D. process, and this episode discusses the co-host transition, Brandon's next en
Feb 1, 2024 • 44:50
This Episode is a Whale Oiled Machine: A Conversation with Jamie L. Jones and the History of Whaling
Many apologies for the whale pun in the title, but Brandon can never resist. This month he and Lindsay chat with Jamie L. Jones, author of Rendered Obsolete: Energy Culture and the Afterlife of US Whaling. Jamie is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. We discuss the fascinating history of whaling in the United States, ranging from the environmentally destructive to the culturally traditional. Moby Dick may or may not be discussed;
Jan 15, 2024 • 39:50
Special Episode: ASLE/AESS Conference Conversations
This month’s episode was recorded live throughout the ASLE/AESS Conference in July 2023 in Portland. Brandon had the opportunity to set up a table at the conference and the five wonderful people who you’re getting to listen to on this episode stopped by and shared their work with him (and now you!) Guest List: Rajendra Ponde, Man, Nature, and Wildlife Depicted in the Jungle Literature of Jim Corbett and Kenneth Anderson Lori DiPrete Brown, Montañas and 3 or 4 Rios: Antología Bilingüe, ebook avai
Dec 22, 2023 • 36:38
“The Paradox of Place”: Appalachian Ecocriticism with Laura Wright and Jessica Cory
In this episode, Lindsay and Brandon are joined by Laura Wright and Jessica Cory to discuss their recent edited collection Appalachian Ecocriticism and the Paradox of Place. The episode kicks off with some gleeful sharing of a love for cryptids, but then gets into the heart of what it means to be from Appalachia, the common misconceptions of the area, and the important role those perceptions play in understanding the environmental issues facing the region. For more on Laura and Jessica: Appalach
Sep 10, 2023 • 52:18
Saving the Day, Saving the Oceans: A Conversation with Ryan Poll about Aquaman
EcoCast heads back to the ocean again as its theme, this month to discuss Ryan Poll’s recent book Aquaman and the War Against Oceans. He and Brandon examine the character’s evolution, the comics’ role in an oceanic imaginary, and how Aquaman comics can help bring attention to the issues facing the environment. ASLE is also looking for new showrunners! If you’re interested in taking over as a co-host, editor, and/or producer, please send an email to ASLE.EcoCast@gmail.com with a short bio and exp
Jul 2, 2023 • 40:37
What is Your Center?: Re-thinking Maps and Oceans with Christina Gerhardt
This month Lindsay and Brandon are joined by Christina Gerhardt, Associate Professor and Founder of the Environmental Humanities initiative at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and the Editor-in-Chief of ISLE. We discuss Christina’s recently released book (it comes out the same day as this episode!) Sea Change: Atlas of Islands in a Rising Ocean, which challenges us to re-consider the idea of mapping in a world increasingly affected by global warming. For more on Christina: Sea Change: https://
May 23, 2023 • 44:33
What Stage are We In?: A Conversation on Ecological Grief with Joshua Trey Barnett
This month Lindsay and Brandon are joined by Joshua Trey Barnett, assistant professor of Communication Arts and Sciences at the Pennsylvania State University, to discuss his recent book Mourning in the Anthropocene. We talk about extinction, what it means to grieve nature, and even get a little personal with the idea of naming and loss of pets. Joshua’s Info: Twitter: @joshuatbarnett Email: barnett@psu.edu Mourning in the Anthropocene: Ecological Grief and Earthly Coexistence: https://msupress.
Apr 9, 2023 • 40:46
A Home on Their Back: A Conversation with Thom Van Dooren on Snails and Extinction
This month’s episode is no slog. It’s no slug, either. This month is all about the wonderful world of snails! Lindsay and Brandon are joined by Thom Van Dooren, Deputy Director at the Sydney Environment Institute and an Associate Professor in the School of Humanities at the University of Sydney, Australia. Thom joins EcoCast to discuss his most recent book, A World in a Shell: Snail Stories for a Time of Extinction. Thom’s Info: https://www.thomvandooren.org/ A World in a Shell: https://mitpre
Mar 1, 2023 • 36:40
Peace with Nature: Exploring the Korean DMZ with Eleana Kim
Eleana Kim, professor of anthropology and Asian American studies at UC Irvine, joins Lindsay and Brandon to discuss her work that examines the unique liminal space of the Korean DMZ, and the natural, militaristic, and hybrid ecosystems within it. Eleana argues that this particular space helps us better understand the impacts of war on the natural world, but that it also helps us better connect with the natural world and each other when we explore that space. To contact Eleana: https://facult
Jan 3, 2023 • 43:17
Reading the Blue: Melody Jue and Oceans as Media
This month we dive deep (pun intended) into the work of Melody Jue, Associate Professor of English at UC Santa Barbara. Melody joins us to discuss her most recent book Wild Blue Media, and we get below the surface (pun intended) of how important oceans are, the human fascination with them, and how they serve as a space for orientation. The episode is a real splash (no pun intended)! For more on Melody: http://www.melodyjue.info/ Wild Blue Media: https://www.dukeupress.edu/wild-blue-media ASLE
Nov 17, 2022 • 40:21
Why Did the Podcast Cross the Road?: Eco-comedy with Robin L. Murray and Joseph K. Heumann
The laughs are aplenty in this episode, which highlights the recent book by Robin L. Murray and Joseph K. Heumann: Film, Environment, Comedy: Eco-comedies on the Big Screen. Both Robin and Joseph are Professor Emeritus at Eastern Illinois University, in English and in Communications, respectively. In between the ha-has, we discuss what makes a comedy an eco-comedy, why laughter is important, and how comedy and activism might connect. For more on Robin and Joseph: Film, Environment, Comedy: Eco-
Oct 10, 2022 • 50:56
Oh, Snap: The Anti-Creep Climate Initiative’s Webzine Fighting Ecofascism
It’s a full house this month! Lindsay and Brandon are joined by the six-member superhero team that makes up the Anti-Creep Climate Initiative to discuss their webzine, “Against the Ecofascist Creep” The Initiative is made up of the following: April Anson, Assistant Professor of Public Humanities at San Diego State University, core faculty for the Institute for Ethics and Public Policy, and affiliate faculty in American Indian Studies. Cassie Galentine, doctoral candidate in English at the Unive
Sep 8, 2022 • 50:44
Empires in Ruin: A Conversation with Rina Garcia Chua and Jeffrey Santa Ana
This month Lindsay and Brandon are joined by Rina Garcia Chua and Jeffrey Santa Ana to discuss their recent edited collection Empire and Environment: Ecological Ruin in the Transpacific. Rina is an incoming Jack and Doris Shadbolt Fellow in the Humanities at Simon Fraser University and she completed her PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of British Columbia Okanagan. Jeffrey is an associate professor of English and affiliated faculty in Asian and Asian American Studies and Wome
Aug 10, 2022 • 1:03:22
Two Years Strong and Growing
Another episode and another year older! That’s right, this episode marks TWO years of ASLE EcoCast! Thank you so much to everyone who’s joined us on this ride and to our incredible guests for sharing their awesome work with us. This month is a special episode just to celebrate: we have excerpts from a wonderful short story by Cynthia Zhang, “what the water gave.” After Cynthia introduces us to the story and her work, Lindsay does an excellent reading of the story (with a little character voicew
Jul 7, 2022 • 48:57
Farewelcome
This month’s episode is something a little different and something a little bittersweet. Brandon says, “See you soon,” to Jemma, and welcomes Lindsay S.R. Jolivette to the podcast. Lindsay will be taking over for Jemma on EcoCast, and while we’re very sad to see Jemma go (she’ll still be around when she can!), we’re also very happy to have Lindsay on board. We spend some time talking about Lindsay’s background (she also introduces us to her new segment on folklore), hearing about Jemma’s plans,
Jun 1, 2022 • 48:58
ASLE Spotlight Series 6: Entangled Geographies
This special episode features the audio recording from ASLE's Spotlight Series second 2022 episode, Entangled Geographies, recorded on April 22, 2022. Co-hosts: Matt Henry and Jennifer Ladino Panelists: Elizabeth Carolyn Miller, Lynne Heasley, Amanda M. Smith, and Katarzyna Beilin For more information on ASLE, including registering for the next ASLE Spotlight on May 20, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. US Eastern time, visit: https://www.asle.org/stay-informed/asle-news/ CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
May 16, 2022 • 57:32
The Aesthetics of Asceticism: Thoreau, Religion, and Social Justice with Alda Bathrop-Lewis
After a brief hiatus, we’re happy to be back with a new episode! This month’s guest is Alda Bathrop-Lewis, research fellow at Australian Catholic University's Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry, and author of 2021 book Thoreau's Religion: Walden Woods, Social Justice, and the Politics of Asceticism. We discuss what links aesthetics to asceticism, and challenge the popular image of Thoreau as a solo hero in the woods, instead recognizing his deep sense of community and inheritance. Due t
May 1, 2022 • 37:04
ASLE Spotlight Series 5: Public Engagement and Performance
This special episode features the audio recording from ASLE's Spotlight Series first 2022 episode, Public Engagement and Performance, recorded on March 18, 2022. Co-hosts: Joshua Calhoun and Brandon Galm Panelists: Janisse Ray, Odile Cisneros, Petra Kuppers, and Spencer Robbins For more information on ASLE, including a look at upcoming virtual events, visit: https://www.asle.org/stay-informed/asle-news/ CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Apr 11, 2022 • 56:17
Weaving the World: Poetry and Conversation with Heather Swan
It’s been a while since we’ve had some poetry on EcoCast, so… enjoy some poetry on EcoCast! We’re joined by Heather Swan, poet and lecturer at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Heather shares some poems from her collection A Kinship with Ash, and we discuss her non-fiction books, Where Honeybees Thrive and the forthcoming Where the Grass Still Sings. We talk about the wonder and grief inspired by witnessing the natural world and the harms done to it by humans, and think about the power of writing
Feb 2, 2022 • 41:00
ASLE Spotlight Series 4: Identity and Place
This special episode features the audio recording from ASLE's Spotlight Series's fourth episode, Identity and Place, recorded on June 11, 2021. Co-hosts: Laura Barbas-Rhoden and Gisela Heffes Panelists: Scott Edward Anderson, Victoria Saramago, Charles Maurice Pigott, Lucien Darjeun Meadows. For more information on ASLE, including a look at upcoming virtual events, visit: https://www.asle.org/stay-informed/asle-news/ CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Jan 15, 2022 • 57:49
On the Shoulders of Giants: Important Voices of Environmental Humanities--Joni Adamson
We are very thrilled to share this month’s episode with everyone. Our guest hopefully needs no introduction for many of you: we’re joined by Joni Adamson, Professor of English and Environmental Humanities, and Director of the Environmental Humanities Initiative, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University. Joni’s work in ecocriticism and the environmental humanities stretches back to the field’s early days. We discuss her history, some of her recent work, as we
Jan 3, 2022 • 40:16
It’s the End of World as We Know It (and the Hero Survives): Robert Geal and the Psychoanalysis of Disaster Cinema
In what wraps up our short run of film-centered episodes, we’re joined by Robert Geal, lecturer at University of Wolverhampton, UK to discuss his recent book Ecological Film Theory and Psychoanalysis: Surviving the Environmental Apocalypse. We discuss the role that disaster cinema has on our psychological relationship to the environment, environmental disaster, and society’s (in)action towards climate change. Robert’s Book: https://www.routledge.com/Ecological-Film-Theory-and-Psychoanalysis-Surv
Dec 1, 2021 • 46:29
Nature Creeps Back: Creature Features and the Environment with Christy Tidwell & Bridgitte Barclay
What’s scarier than climate change? Not much, but this month’s guests--Bridgitte Barclay, Associate Professor at Aurora University, and Christy Tidwell, Associate Professor at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology--join us to talk about the sub-genre of horror films known as creature features, and how these films can change how we think about environmental concerns. For more on Christy and Bridgitte: Christy: https://christymtidwell.wordpress.com/ Twitter: @christymtidwell Bridgitt
Oct 31, 2021 • 42:57
Mapping Stories: Lowell Wyse and Ecospatiality
This month we’re joined by Lowell Wyse, author of the recent book Ecospatiality: A Place-Based Approach to American Literature. This episode is all about exploring spatiality in literature, specifically how authors map their work and how readers experience those spaces when navigating through the texts. William Cronon’s “The Trouble with Wilderness”: https://www.williamcronon.net/writing/Trouble_with_Wilderness_Main.html For more on Lowell: Twitter: @lowelldw Ecospatiality: https://www.uipress
Oct 1, 2021 • 38:51
Plants as Objects of Desire: A Conversation with Jared Margulies and Gina Stamm
In this month’s episode, we sit down with Jared Margulies and Gina Stamm to talk about their collaborative research into the wild and wonderful world of rare plant traders and collectors, and its intersection with psychoanalytic literary analysis and environmental humanities. Both Jared and Gina work at the University of Alabama: Jared is an Assistant Professor of Political Ecology, and Gina is an Assistant Professor of French. Gina’s most recent publication can be found here: https://muse.jhu.e
Sep 4, 2021 • 44:06
“Is This the Real Life? Is This Just Fantasy?”: Speculative Fiction in the Anthropocene with Marc DiPaolo
This month, we’re happy to share our conversation with Marc DiPaolo, Associate Professor of English at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, to discuss his most recent non-fiction book Fire and Snow: Climate Fiction from the Inklings to Game of Thrones. In this episode, we talk about the role that fantasy plays in environmental discourse--both within fantasy literature and in the surrounding fandom. For more on Marc, including links to purchase his books: https://drdipaolo.wixsite.com/marc If
Aug 1, 2021 • 38:51
ASLE EcoCast Quick Fictions 2021
It’s our birthday! In this episode, we reflect on the first year of EcoCast, and then hear 25 environmentally-themed Quick Fictions. You can find bios of all the contributors below, in alphabetical order by first name. If you have an idea for an episode, please submit your proposal here: https://forms.gle/Y1S1eP9yXxcNkgWHA Twitter: @ASLE_EcoCast Jemma: @Geowrites Brandon: @BeGalm If you’re enjoying the show, please consider subscribing, sharing, and writing reviews on your favorite podcast pla
Jul 1, 2021 • 1:08:17
ASLE Spotlight Series 3: A Sense of Urgency
This special episode features the audio recording from ASLE's Spotlight Series's third episode "A Sense of Urgency," held on May 14, 2021. Co-hosts: April Anson and Rahul Mukherjee Panelists: Hsuan L. Hsu, Vicent Ialenti, Müge Gedik (representing the Liberal Arts Collective at the Pennsylvania State University), and Gretchen E. Henderson For more information on ASLE's Spotlight Series, including registering for upcoming virtual events, visit: https://www.asle.org/stay-informed/asle-news/spotligh
Jun 8, 2021 • 1:00:48
Ice In Your Veins: Antarctica in the Anthropocene with Marissa Grunes
In this episode, we have a wonderful conversation with Marissa Grunes about the literal and literary awe and fascination humans have had for Antarctica. Marissa is an Environmental Fellow at Harvard University Center for the Environment, where she is at work on a narrative nonfiction book, Incognita: A Portrait of Antarctica. She studied Comparative Literature in German and Spanish at Yale, and earned her PhD in English Lit from Harvard, where she studied nineteenth century American literature a
Jun 2, 2021 • 57:19
ASLE Spotlight Series 2: Water Works
This special episode features the audio recording from ASLE's Spotlight Series's second episode "Water Works," held on April 16, 2021. Co-hosts: Bethany Wiggin and Melody Jue (remote) Panelists: Steve Mentz, Craig Santos Perez, Brain Russel Roberts, and Tori Bush. For more information on ASLE's Spotlight Series, including registering for upcoming virtual events, visit: https://www.asle.org/stay-informed/asle-news/spotlight-series-2021/ CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
May 10, 2021 • 1:04:04
Playing with Fire: Environmental Teaching with Dungeons and Dragons
Join us this month as adventure unfolds, When dragons and dangers to climate are told. How teaching can help us to bring changes soon, Before it’s too late and the future is doomed. Our guests are Heather Duncan and Eleanor Gold, who explain how Tabletop Role-Playing Games (TTRPGs), including Dungeons and Dragons, can be used in classroom settings. These games can help students imagine and play through positive environmental futures in a space that highlights creativity, adaptation, and critical
May 1, 2021 • 54:44
ASLE Spotlight Series 1: Human/Non-Human Relations
This special episode features the audio recording from ASLE's Spotlight Series's first episode "Human/Non-Human Relations," held on March 19, 2021. Co-hosts: Laura Barbas-Rhoden and Heather Swan Panelists: Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Patricia Vieira, Sarah Giragosian, and Callum Angus. For more information on ASLE's Spotlight Series, including registering for upcoming virtual events, visit: https://www.asle.org/stay-informed/asle-news/spotlight-series-2021/ CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Apr 12, 2021 • 1:00:29
The Ego and the Eco: Alex Menrisky and the Identity Politics of Ecology
You can submit an Eco Quick Fiction here by May 15 2021: https://forms.gle/nG7WwTSzJHP86tZw7 (or find the link pinned on our twitter). In this month’s episode, Jemma and Brandon sit down with Alex Menrisky, lecturer in English and Communication at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, to discuss his recent book Wild Abandon: American Literature and the Identity Politics of Ecology. What follows is a fascinating conversation on the historical ties of environmentalism to psychoanalysis and c
Apr 2, 2021 • 50:50
Plastic, Plastic Everywhere: Poetry and Conversation with Craig Santos Perez
This episode, Jemma and Brandon are joined by Craig Santos Perez, poet and English professor at the University of Hawai’i, Mānoa. They discuss Craig’s newest book, Habitat Threshold, and the ways his poetry addresses ecological concerns and their impacts on Pacific Island people and communities. Habitat Threshold: https://www.omnidawn.com/product/habitat-threshold-craig-santos-perez/ For more on Craig and his work: Website: http://craigsantosperez.com/ Twitter: @craigsperez If you have an idea
Mar 1, 2021 • 40:59
Climate Changes Teaching: A Conversation with Sarah Jaquette Ray and Stephen Siperstein
With the start of a new semester for most of us, it felt like the perfect time to release a great conversation on climate change pedagogy (this episode’s Root Word!) with Sarah Jaquette Ray and Stephen Siperstein. Sarah is professor and head of the Environmental Studies BA program at Humboldt State University, and Stephen lives at the Environmental Immersion Program at Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut where he teaches courses in environmental humanities and interdisciplinary environmental res
Feb 1, 2021 • 54:49
Living to Tell a Tale: Stories of Risk and Adventure with Kristin J. Jacobson
ASLE EcoCast kicks off the new year with an episode talking with Kristin J. Jacobson, Professor of American Literature at Stockton University to discuss her recent book The American Adrenaline Narrative. Jemma gets the adventure rolling with the Root Words on, well, adventure, and what follows is a thrilling conversation on the connections between these narratives, environmental consciousness, and toxic masculinity. You can follow Kristin on Twitter: @drkj The American Adrenaline Narrative is a
Jan 1, 2021 • 43:09
Thinking with Trees: Poetry and Conversation with Jason-Allen Paisant
In this month’s episode, Jemma and Brandon talk with Jason-Allen Paisant, poet and Director of the Institute for Colonial and Post-Colonial Studies at the University of Leeds, and use the connection between writing and trees to discuss his poetry that engages with environmental concerns, time, and black identity. His first full length book of poems, Thinking with Trees, will be released June 2021. Find Jason on Twitter: @jallenpaisant If you have an idea for an episode, please submit your propo
Dec 2, 2020 • 52:10
Forest Rhythms: The Hip Hop Environmentalism of Thomas Rashad Easley
In this month’s episode, Jemma and Brandon sit down with Thomas Rashad Easley, Hip Hop artist and Assistant Dean of Community and Inclusion at the Yale School of the Environment. He uses what he calls “Hip Hop Forestry” as a means to creatively address issues of environmental justice and inclusion—both within and outside of academia. For more about Thomas: Website: rashadeasley.com Twitter/Instagram: @RashadEas If you have an idea for an episode, please submit your proposal here: https://forms.
Nov 1, 2020 • 43:23
Ashes to Ashes: Poetry and Conversations with Cheryl J. Fish
This month Jemma and Brandon sit down (virtually, of course) with scholar, fiction writer, and poet Cheryl J. Fish to discuss her most recent book of poetry, Crater & Tower. This collection explores questions of trauma, memory, and environmental justice by considering the 1980 Mt. St. Helen’s eruption in conjunction with September 11, 2001. Cheryl’s Website: https://www.cheryljfish.com Twitter: @CherylJoyFish Crater & Tower is available through various booksellers online. If you have an idea
Oct 1, 2020 • 48:38
Changing the Anthropo-scene: Una Chaudhuri and Eco-Theatre
This month Jemma and Brandon have a wonderful conversation with Una Chaudhuri, Collegiate Professor and Professor of English, Drama, and Environmental Studies at New York University, and the Director of NYU’s XE: Experimental Humanities & Social Engagement. They discuss Una’s work in the early development of eco-theatre as a field of study, the ways that theatre is uniquely suited to engage with environmental concerns, and her ongoing Dear Climate project. If you have an idea for an episode, ple
Sep 1, 2020 • 45:32
Justice Matters: Bénédicte Boisseron, Animal Studies, and Racial Justice
In this episode, Jemma and Brandon have a conversation with Bénédicte Boisseron, Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies at University of Michigan, and author of Afro-Dog: Blackness and the Animal Question. Building off the Root Word “matter,” they discuss Bénédicte’s scholarship—situated at the intersection of animal studies and racial justice—and the implications for our present moment. Afro-Dog available here: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/afro-dog/9780231186650 If you have an idea f
Aug 1, 2020 • 39:09
Forming Roots, Sowing Seeds: An Introduction to the Podcast
In the pilot episode, co-hosts Jemma and Brandon introduce themselves, the podcast, and have a discussion about what's happening in the world during Summer 2020 and how this podcast hopes to serve as a medium for all voices to be heard and shared. If you have an idea for an episode, please submit your proposal here: https://forms.gle/Y1S1eP9yXxcNkgWHA Find us on Twitter: @ASLE_EcoCast. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Jul 9, 2020 • 1:07:36