Podcasts

Hot or not, late summer means the return of Naked Ladies, along the road, in forgotten gardens and waving from the brown hills, says Susan Swartz.

Susan Swartz discovered there's something called an "elder blogger." But she's not copping to it.

What does a blogger look like? Susan Swartz found that sometimes she wears a Muslim headscarf and writes brave poetry that could get her into trouble.

If vacations are for rejuvenation, sometimes nature and an old cabin are enough says Susan Swartz.

Do you trust big money, big oil, big politics? How about ordinary people, asks Susan Swartz.

A Novel Idea host Rosemary Manchester and Carol Sklenicka converse about Raymond Carver. Carol Sklenicka is the author of his biography - Raymond Carver: A Writer’s Life.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jack London State Park, A Novel Idea brings you an encore presentation with host Rosemary Manchester and Jonah Raskin in conversation about Jack London.

Anchee Min is widely celebrated for her historical novels, to which she brings her personal experiences in China during the turbulent days of the Cultural Revolution. At age 17 Min was sent to a labor camp near East China Sea, where she endured mental and physical hardships and suffered a severe spinal cord injury. In 1984 she came to America, and within six months, taught herself English by watching television. She began to write and publish, eager to correct historical accounts which she knew were incorrect.

While Twain is best known for his novels of life on the Mississippi River, these are only a small part of his lifetime of work. A Novel Idea presents some of Twain's earlier work, in California.

Rosemary Manchester interviews Lisa See, and gives listeners an opportunity to hear her discuss her work. Lisa See, a particular favorite of California audiences and author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love, has recently published a new novel, Shanghai Girls.

Linda Seabright interviews Joe Henry, musician, singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer.

ALEXANDER STRING QUARTET - #2 (Program #10)

SRJC Chamber Concerts, October, 2008
- BEETHOVEN - Quartet in F Major Op. 18, No. 1

Russian River Chamber Music, April, 2009
- LOU HARRISON - Quartet Set
- BRAHMS - Quartet No. 2 in A Minor Op. 51/2
- BRAHMS (Encore) Liebeslieder Waltz, Op. 52, No. 6 (arr. String Quartet)

From their Recording:
- BEETHOVEN - Quartet No. 59, No. 2, Finale
Alexander String Quartet, Foghorn Classics CD, 2009
www.asq4.com

ALEXANDER STRING QUARTET
From the Santa Rosa Junior College Chamber Concert Series, October, 2008

BEETHOVEN - String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131
WAYNE PETERSON - "Jazz Play"

AXEL STRAUSS & FRIENDS
From the Oakmont Concert Series, December, 2008
SCHUBERT - Quintet in C Major for Strings, D. 956 ("Cello Quintet")

TRIO CON BRIO COPENHAGEN (Program #8)
SRJC Chamber Concerts, February, 2009

- MENDELSSOHN - Songs without Words, Opus 109 (for Cello & Piano)
- BEETHOVEN - "Archduke" Trio
- DVORAK - Trio in F MInor Opus 65
- HAYDN (encore) - Trio in G Major "Gypsy Rondo"

From the OnStage Archives: HAYDN - Trio in C Major (excerpt)
Gryphon Piano Trio, Russian River Chamber Music, 2002

www.trioconbrio.dk

IVES STRING QUARTET (Program #7)
Russian River Chamber Music, February, 2009

- QUINCY PORTER - Early Works
- JOSEPH GREGORIO - "The Fullness of Peace"
- DVORAK - "American" Quartet
- PORTER - (Encore) - Quartet No. 3, 4th mvt.

From their Recording: PORTER - Quartet No. 4 (excerpt)
Ives String Quartet, Naxos CD
www.ivesquartet.org
Eugene Brancoveanu

AFIARA STRING QUARTET (Program #6)
Redwood Arts Council, January, 2009

- MOZART - Quartet No. 16 in E-Flat, K. 428
- BARTOK - Quartet No. 3 in C-sharp
- BEETHOVEN - Op. 130 with Grosse Fuge finale

www.afiara.com

From a newly-released Koch Recording: BEETHOVEN - Quartet Op. 130 - the "Rondo" Finale (the "alternate!")

ORION STRING QUARTET (former guest artists of the Redwood Arts Council)
*Sorry -- no podcast of this program is available.

Mouthful puts the spotlight on Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville with winemaker Corey Beck.

The Mouthful spotlight shines on the year's first apple, our beloved Gravenstein, which will be celebrated through August.

Originally aired in July of 2005, Mouthful talks about the book and the documentary The Secrets of Salsa; and chats with chef Augustin Gaytan.

Mark Pasternak of Devil's Gulch Ranch in Nicasio and Dan Goldfield of Dutton Goldfield Winery yuck it up as they chat about pinot noir in western Marin.

Mouthful makes radio history with a simultaneous live and identical tasting in Seattle and Santa Rosa, with Jon Rowley of the Oyster Wine Competition, eight dozen kumumotos from Taylor Shellfish and four of the winners of the 2010 competition.

What’s in a name? For grape-growers, it can be a big deal. There are only a handful of high-altitude vineyards above the fog line on Pine Mountain overlooking Cloverdale, but they think their terrain is unique enough to rate its own American Viticultural Area designation. You can see pictures and a map of the proposed Pine Mountain-Cloverdale Peak AVA, and hear more about its history, on the North Bay Report newsblog, at KRCB dot org.

What’s the antidote to gangs, unemployment and juvenile crime? In part, it’s the newly rechristened Conservation Corps North Bay. After 28 years of success, they changed their name - but not their mission - to serve at-risk youth in Sonoma County. Who is "they"? Bruce Robinson has the answer. Conservation Corps North Bay is holding a public open house at their new Sonoma County home, at 365 Blodgett Street in Cotati, this afternoon from 4:30 to 7:30. And we’ve got more information about the program on the North Bay Report newsblog, at KRCB dot org.

How about using the heat from the Earth’s core to power your home? Guess what? You already are. Solar, wind and water power are the big three natural and sustainable sources for electric power, but the north bay also benefits from a fourth - geothermal. Bruce Carlsen talks about geothermal energy in Sonoma County at an informal potluck gathering at the Glaser Center in Santa Rosa this evening, co-hosted by the Climate Protection Campaign. You can also learn about the geology that makes the geysers possible, and how it can withstand future seismic activity, on the North Bay Report newsblog, at KRCB dot org.

Experience is said to be the best teacher, a truism that applies to even to school teachers. For school teachers, as in many other professions, there’s no substitute for hands-on experience. But there are ways that experience can be shared, as new teachers in California are learning. There’s more information abut the North Coast Beginning Teacher Program on the North Bay Report

Chocolate is at least 3000 years old. But not exactly as we know it today. We have the ancient Mayans to thank for chocolate. By way of the conquistadors, that is. There’s more to hear about the ancient history of chocolate on the North Bay Report newsblog, at KRCB dot org. (Pictures too, but no tastes.)

Word Temple host Katherine Hastings pays tribute to East Bay poet and writer Leslie Scalapino, who died on May 28th of this year. Scalapino was recognized internationally as one of the most innovative writers in America. Her award-winning work challenged every boundary known to poetry, prose and more. Also, Iowa poet Keith Ratzlaff, author of Then, a Thousand Crows; Dubious Angels: Poems After Paul Klee and more is interviewed.

Word Temple host Katherine Hastings talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Philip Schultz. Schultz has been celebrated for his singular vision of the American immigrant experience and Jewish identity, his fierce and tender portrayal of family life and his rich evocation of city streets. The program also introduces the life and work of Elizabeth McFarland, late wife of U.S. Poet Laureate Daniel Hoffman.

On December 10, 1958, Langston Hughes - one of America's most important poets, writers and playwrights - gave a stunning talk at U.C. Berkeley. This month, Katherine Hastings introduces and plays that entire reading.

For April, Word Temple host Katherine Hastings presents an hour of poetry and music in celebration of National Poetry Month. You'll hear high school student Giovanny Espinosa, winner of the Sonoma County portion of the national recitation contest Poetry Out Loud, and Brooke McLaughlin, the runner-up. Joyce Jenkins of Poetry Flash pays a visit, as does Pierre Reverdy, through poems translated and read by Dan Bellm. Recordings of Theodore Roethke and other poets will be played, and Hastings will pay a short tribute to Lucille Clifton.

Visiting from Deal in Kent, Lord Gawain Douglas, great-nephew of Lord Alfred Douglas - a poet and Oscar Wilde's lover - talks with host Katherine Hastings and reads his work. Cecilia Woloch, author of five award-winning collections of poems reads from her latest volume, Carpathia. Jack Myers was the author of 18 books of and about poetry including his most recent, The Glowing River, New & Selected Poems.

CONFESSIONS OF A RAMBLER is an interview with Tom Paley, founding member of The New Lost City Ramblers, one of the first urban old-time Southern string bands (founded in 1958). Paley was a guest on The Fiddling Zone on October 13, 2008, while he was on tour on the West Coast. He talks about the early days of the Ramblers, his years in Sweden, and his current band in London, England. He also plays some great old time tunes on guitar, banjo and fiddle. Interview by Gus Garelick.

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