Across the Margin: The Podcast

This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with Adam Szetela, who earned his Ph.D. in English in the Department of Literatures at Cornell University. Before that, he was a visiting fellow in the Department of History at Harvard University. He writes for The Washington Post, The Guardian, Newsweek, and other publications. His latest release — That Book is Dangerous: How Moral Panic, Social Media, and the Culture Wars Are Remaking Publishing — is the focus of this episode. In That Book Is Dangerous!, Adam investigates how well-intentioned and often successful efforts to diversify American literature have also produced serious problems for literary freedom. Although progressives are correct to be focused on right-wing attempts at legislative censorship, Adam reasons for attention to the ways that left-wing censorship controls speech within the publishing industry itself. The author draws on interviews with presidents and vice presidents at the Big Five publishers, literary agents at the most prestigious agencies, award-winning authors, editors, marketers, sensitivity readers, and other industry professionals to examine the new publishing landscape. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Across The Margin: The Podcast presents an interview with Sean Enfield, an essayist, poet, bassist, and educator from Dallas, TX. Currently, he resides in Milwaukee, WI where he is a PhD candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He received his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of Permafrost Magazine. Now, he serves as an Assistant Nonfiction Editor at Terrain.org. His essays have been nominated for three Pushcarts and he was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered as a finalist for their Three Minute Fiction contest. His debut essay collection, Holy American Burnout!, — the focus of this episode — was the runner-up for the Ann Petry Award, a finalist for The Megaphone Prize, a finalist for River Teeth’s Literary Nonfiction Book Prize, and is available now. Threading his experiences both as a Texan student and later as a first-year teacher of predominantly Muslim students at a Texas middle school, Holy American Burnout! weaves personal essay and cultural critique into the historic fabric of Black and biracial identity. In it, Enfield intersects examinations of which voices are granted legitimacy by virtue of school curriculum, the complex relationship between basketball and education for Black and brown students, his students’ burgeoning political consciousness during the 2016 presidential campaign, and cultural figures ranging from Kendrick Lamar to Hamlet. These classroom narratives abounding in Holy American Burnout! weave around Enfield’s own formative experiences contending with a conflicted biracial family lineage, reenacting the Middle Passage as the only Black student in his 7th grade history class, and moshing in both Christian and secular hardcore pits. As Enfield wrestles with the physical, mental, and emotional burdens that American society places on educators, students, and all relatively conscious minorities in this country, he reaches for an education that better navigates our burnt-out empire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Across The Margin: The Podcast presents an interview with journalist, author, and an acknowledged expert in American right-wing extremism, David Neiwert. Neiwert has appeared on Anderson Cooper 360, CNN Newsroom, and The Rachel Maddow Show and is the Pacific Northwest correspondent for the Southern Poverty Law Center. His work has appeared at Mother Jones, The Washington Post, MSNBC.com, and many other publications. His previous books include Of Orcas and Men: What Killer Whales Can Teach Us, And Hell Followed With Her: Crossing the Dark Side of the American Border (NationBooks: Winner of the International Latino Book Award for General Nonfiction), and Alt-America: The Rise of The Radical Right in The Age of Trump. He has won a National Press Club award for Distinguished Online Journalism and his latest book — The Age of Insurrection: The Radical Right’s Assault On American Democracy — is the focus of this episode. From a smattering of ominous right-wing compounds in the Pacific Northwest in the 1970s, to the shocking January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, America has seen the culmination of a long-building war on Democracy being waged by a fundamentally violent and antidemocratic far-right movement that unironically calls itself the “Patriot” movement. So how did we get here? In his book, The Age of Insurrection, award-winning journalist Neiwert — who been following the rise of extremist groups since the late 1970s, when he was a young reporter in Idaho — explores how the movement was built over decades, how it was set aflame by Donald Trump and his cohorts, and how it will continue to attack American Democracy for the foreseeable future. In this episode host Michael Shields and David Neiwert get to the bottom of exactly how dangerous the radical right is at this juncture of American history. They break down the components of Trump’s Army while pondering how extremism has gone mainstream in a variety of ways. They talk about Steve Bannon’s role in spreading authoritarianism internationally, how the police have been infiltrated by the radical right, how organized the alt-right attacks are on democratic institutions at every level including local, state, and federal targets, and so much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with Seattle-based multi-instrumentalist singer, songwriter, and soul innovator Brittany Davis. Originally from Kansas City, Brittany began playing piano and organ at a young age. After relocating to Seattle about a decade ago, their exceptional songwriting caught the attention of Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam, leading to a deal with his label, Loosegroove Records, and the birth of two outstanding albums. Blind since birth, Brittany describes themself as a “vessel of sound,” experiencing music in spirit and colors. To Brittany, everything is an instrument — every sound, object, and moment holds musical potential. Their work spans genres, blending elements of soul, R&B, rock, and hip-hop. Her latest album, a stunner entitled Black Thunder, is the focus of this episode. Black Thunder is a profound, fully improvised, fully realized collection that recalls artists like Nina Simone and Roberta Flack in its immersive, incantatory spirit. Produced by Josh Evans, it features Davis on keys and vocals, Evan Flory-Barnes on bass, and D’Vonne Lewis on drums. The trio — who barely knew each other prior to recording together — improvised Black Thunder in a surge of interactive creativity across two days in the studio. The short window in which to work did away with overthinking and brought each musician’s A-game. Steeped in Black and Afrocentric cultural influences, this is Davis’s most poignant and cathartic work to date. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with acclaimed singer-songwriter Mason Jennings. Mason is a Minnesota-based artist who is well known for his simple yet catchy melodies, intimate lyrics, intensely literary and historical themes, and deep tenor’s voice. With the release of his latest album Magnifier (Loosegroove Records) — the focus of this episode — Mason has gifted the world with 20 excellent and deeply affecting albums. Recorded solo at his lake house in Minnesota with just vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, kick drum, and snare, Magnifier finds Mason at his most minimal and honest. The eight songs that comprise the album meditate on love, change, grief, and hope, crafted with the kind of quiet intensity and lyrical precision that has become his hallmark. Magnifier was co-produced by Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard, also his band mate in the genre-bending band Painted Shield. With Magnifier, Jennings circles back to his acoustic roots, crafting what may be his most personal and affecting album yet.Follow Mason Jennings on Instagram.Follow Mason Jennings on Youtube.Listen to and/ or buy Magnifier on vinyl here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with Stephen Chung, an award-winning cinematographer with well over twenty years of experience in moving images. Stephen's career began as a stills photographer, working in the commercial, fashion, and music industries in Canada and Europe for over a decade. In the 90s, his photography evolved into cinematography, and his earliest credits were music videos for artists such as Feist, Broken Social Scene, Do Make Say Think, Buck 65 and Blue Rodeo. Stephen has worked with Viceland, HBO, Discovery, Nat Geo, History Channel, 20th Century Fox, and The CBC. His most recent documentary  — It’s All Gonna Break — is the focus of this episode. Imagine being a fly on the wall at the birth of a musical movement that would change indie rock forever. In early 2000s in Toronto, a group of young creative musicians collectively known as, Broken Social Scene, got together and soon became a worldwide phenomenon. It’s All Gonna Break is an electrifying and intimate documentary about the indie rock band that redefined the sound of a generation. Filmmaker and longtime friend Stephen Chung was there from the beginning, capturing the chaos, creativity, and camaraderie that fueled their rise and caught on camera the making of the iconic album You Forgot It In People. With never-before-seen archival footage and new interviews with Kevin Drew, Leslie Feist, Brendan Canning, Emily Haines, Amy Millan, and more, the film traces the band’s evolution from raw basement jams to global stages. A love letter to independent music, It’s All Gonna Break is a vibrant time capsule of a pre-digital era and a moving reflection on friendship, art, and the freedom to create on your own terms. Attend a screening of It’s All Gonna Break! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with the directors of Songs of Black Folk, Haley Watson & Justin Emeka. Songs of Black Folk is a documentary that explores the Pacific Northwest’s largest annual gathering of Black musical talent. At its heart is Ramón Bryant Braxton, who — alongside his uncle, Rev. Dr. Leslie Braxton — brings to life a powerful Juneteenth celebration that honors their family’s legacy. The film captures a vibrant, often-overlooked community and commemorates a pivotal chapter in American history. Songs of Black Folk reminds audiences of the vital role music plays in healing, uniting, and uplifting. By sharing this story, Haley and Justin aim to honor history, inspire pride, and ignite a deeper understanding of the enduring impact of Black artistry.Haley Watson (director and producer) is known for films exploring human experience. Her storytelling prowess was exemplified when she pitched the original story for the Oscar-winner The Queen of Basketball. In June 2024 she debuted the short documentary she directed, Motorcycle Mary, at Tribeca Film Festival. The film was acquired by ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Justin Emeka (director) is an award-winning filmmaker from the Pacific Northwest with over 25 years of experience as a theater director. He is especially known for blending classical works with Black cultural expression. In 2022, he received a prestigious TV/Film Directing Fellowship from the Drama League of New York, expanding his creative vision into screen storytelling. His first two original short films, BIOLOGICAL and Six Winters Gone Still, have screened at festivals around the world, earning acclaim for their poetic visual language and emotional depth. He is a tenured professor of Theater and Africana Studies at Oberlin College, where he teaches directing, acting, and Capoeira. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with Alec Karakatsanis. Alec is the Founder and Executive Director of Civil Rights Corps and as one of the country’s leading experts in constitutional civil rights he has pioneered cases to challenge the size, power, profit, and everyday brutality of the punishment bureaucracy across the United States. He has also worked with directly impacted communities across the U.S. to design innovative new legal, advocacy, and narrative strategies for challenging widespread illegal and harmful practices of prosecutors, police, probation officers, judges, and private companies who work with them to profit from the punishment bureaucracy. His recently-released book, Copoganda, is the focus of this episode. In this groundbreaking expose that is Copoganda, essential for understanding the rising authoritarian mindset, readers are introduced to the concept of “Copaganda.” Alec defines Copaganda as a special kind of propaganda employed by police, prosecutors, and news media that stokes fear of police-recorded crime and distorts society’s responses to it. Every day, mass media manipulates our perception of what keeps us safe and contributes to a culture fearful of poor people, strangers, immigrants, unhoused people, and people of color. The result is more and more authoritarian state repression, more inequality, and huge profits for the massive public and private punishment bureaucracy. Copaganda documents how modern news coverage fuels insecurity against these groups and shifts our focus away from the policies that would help us improve people’s lives — things like affordable housing, adequate healthcare, early childhood education, and climate-friendly city planning. These false narratives in turn fuel surveillance, punishment, inequality, injustice, and mass incarceration.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with Mark Lo. Mark has worked on films and TV across many genres for over twenty years, first as a music agent and supervisor, collaborating with composers and artists to bring music to films, and then as an Executive Music Producer. As an Executive Music Producer, he worked on films including Todd Hayne’s Carol (Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara), Paul Haggis’s Third Person (Liam Neeson, Mila Kunis, and James Franco), and The Railway Man (Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman and Stellan Skarsgard), amongst others. Mark set up the production company Asylum Giant as a creative hub to develop and produce a slate of Film and TV projects, tell stories that celebrate our humanity and create projects that deepen our relationship with the non-human world. He recently produced and directed the feature music documentary Count Me In — the focus of this episode. Count Me In takes viewers behind the kit with some of the world’s most iconic drummers, featuring insightful interviews and narration from Taylor Hawkins, Stewart Copeland, Chad Smith, Emily Dolan Davies, Roger Taylor, Nick Mason, Cindy Blackman Santana, and more. In their own words, they share the passion that took them from banging on pots and pans as kids to performing on some of the world’s biggest stages. Along the way, these legendary drummers discuss the dedication that fuels their craft and pay tribute to the musical icons who influenced and inspired them, including Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts, Keith Moon, John Bonham, Ginger Baker and others. Count Me In is available on streaming services everywhere including Apple TV, Amazon, and Fandango at Home. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with Mattea Kramer, a writer who comprehensively explores weighty ideas about drugs, power and powerlessness, and the voice in your head. She's been published in The Guardian, The Nation, Mother Jones, Guernica, and The Washington Post, and she has appeared on MSNBC and on radio stations across the country. Her first novel, The Untended — the focus of this episode — will be published in May 2025. In The Untended, Casch Abbey is a waitress, single mom, and recreational boxer who falls in love twice: first with a veteran who secretly grows pot on a rich man’s land in Vermont’s Green Mountains, and then with a painkiller that eases her long-buried pain. After her foot is crushed under the wheel of a station wagon, Casch loses her waitressing gig and goes broke — and the meds for her foot are her only source of relief. But when the drug is recalled due to outcries of widespread addiction, Casch’s dependence imperils her already tenuous life, as cravings lead her into her small town’s simmering netherworld. Intimate and exhilarating, The Untended will upend your every assumption about who is a hero and who is worthy of love. In this episode host Michael Shields and Mattea Kramer explore the consequential themes present throughout The Unintended having to do with addiction, corporate greed, PTSD, generational trauma, and so much more.Order The Untended now! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with Erin Osmon, an award-winning, Los Angeles-based music journalist, critic, and author. She's written long-form album notes for archival releases on Blondie, Hüsker Dü, Townes Van Zandt, Sparklehorse, and many others. A veteran of Chicago newsrooms, her work appears in Rolling Stone, LA Times, New York Times, Washington Post, and other publications of record. She is part-time faculty at USC's Annenberg School of journalism. Her new book, about heartland rock in the 1980s, will be published by W.W. Norton in 2026. Her first book, Jason Molina: Riding with the Ghost — the focus of this episode — was published in 2017 and named a Best Music Book of the year by Pitchfork. Her book about John Prine’s landmark debut album was published by Bloomsbury’s 33 1/3 series. In Jason Molina: Riding with the Ghost, Erin presents a detailed, human account of the Rust Belt–born musician Jason Molina — a visionary, prolific, and at times cantankerous singer-songwriter with an autodidactic style that captivated his devoted fans. It details Molina’s personal trials and triumphs and reveals for the first time the true story of his last months and works. Offering unfettered access to the mind and artistry of Molina through exclusive interviews with family, friends, and collaborators, the book also explores the Midwest music underground and the development of Bloomington, Indiana–based label Secretly Canadian. As the first authorized and detailed account of this prolific songwriter and self-mythologizer, Riding with the Ghost provides readers with unparalleled insight into Molina’s tormented life and the fascinating Midwest musical underground that birthed him. In this episode host Michael Shields and Erin Osmon discuss how Molina’s deep ties and affinity to the state that birthed him (Ohio) shaped his life and influenced his career. They explore Molina’s surprising and varied musical influences, the comparison to singer-songwriter Will Oldham which shadowed Molina throughout his career, the birth of the timeless classic album that is Magnolia Electric Co., and so much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with Brooklyn-based musician and Garcia Peoples bassist/vocalist Andy Cush. Cush, under the moniker Domestic Drafts, has recently released his debut album entitled Only The Singer (Glamour Gowns Records) — the focus of this episode. Many years in the making, Only the Singer is an ambitious and dramatically engaging debut that spotlights the distinctive songwriting sensibility that Cush has leant to Garcia Peoples (as bassist, co-composer, and vocalist). It bursts with inspired ideas, with lyrics and arrangements ranging from the intimate to the windswept and cinematic. Its songs sketch richly personal, romantic narratives with a brainy sense of humor, demonstrating Cush's singular prowess as a storyteller, while the musical treatments take cues from country music, '90s indie-rock, outré folk, smooth '70s pop, progressive jazz, bossa nova, and more. In this episode hosts Michael Shields and Andy Cush discuss the bevy of talented musicians who helped Andy bring the album to life while exploring how many of the songs on Only The Singer have lived with Andy for some time, and others are freshly crafted, yet they uniquely co-exist harmoniously. They dig into the specifics of a few of the songs on the album, expounding how the title track was inspired by an interview with Leonard Cohen and how others are inspired by relatable life struggles and hardships, and so much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with musician and bandleader Andy Frasco. Frasco, celebrated for his good time spirit, is a tireless and consummate showman who plays some 250 concert dates a year with his band, Andy Frasco & The U.N., and has been doing so since he was 19. His band's sound has been described as "blues-rock fueled by reckless abandonment and a disregard for the rules, with witty lyrics to back it all up.” This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast is dedicated to Frasco’s latest album, entitled Growing Pains. Produced by Frasco himself for the first time, Growing Pains acts as a tribute to his 15-year journey in music, and the group’s landmark 10th studio album showcases his growth as songwriter and frontman. Growing Pains features assists from brilliant musicians such as Billy Strings, Eric Krasno, and G. Love, and it’s a refreshingly introspective album full of self-flection and weighty, relatable themes, while still being a hell of a good time. In this episode hosts Michael Shields and Andy Frasco discuss the themes present in Growing Pains and what it meant to him to produce the album personally. They dig into Frasco’s growth as a musician and songwriter, why he decided to record songs for Growing Pains in Nashville, his excellent World Saving Podcast, and so much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with Lee Klinger, Ph.D., an Independent Scientist and Consultant in Big Sur, CA currently working with the Department of Natural Resources of the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, and with the Mutsun Costanoan leaders at Indian Canyon Nation. Since 2005 he has served as the director of Sudden Oak Life, a movement aimed at applying fire mimicry practices to address the problems of forest decline and severe wildfires in California. He has more than forty years of experience in forestry, plant and soil ecology, atmospheric chemistry, earth system science, and nature photography, and has held scholarly appointments at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the University of Colorado, the University of Oxford, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Geological Society of London. His book — Forged By Fire : The Cultural Tending of Trees and Forests in Big Sur and Beyond — is the focus of this episode. Big Sur is home to many remarkable trees, including ancient groves of oddly shaped oaks and peculiar groupings and strange fire scars in old-growth redwoods, all dating from a time when the Esselen People were the sole human occupants of the region. Upon close inspection, these oddities are found to be the result of cultural burning and other tending practices by the Esselen. Now, however, too many of these living artifacts are dying and perishing in flames from the stresses imposed by our modern culture. By bringing together both Western science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge systems, the solutions to these problems become self-evident — either reintroduce cultural fire to the land or, if that is not possible, mimic its effects using materials and practices that emulate fire. In this episode hosts Michael Shields and Lee Kliger discuss the importance of using fire as a tool in landscape and forest management, the craft of fire mimicry, the benefits of marrying Western Science with Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), and so much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Across The Margin : The Podcast features an interview with Antonio A. Casilli, professor of sociology at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris and a member of the Interdisciplinary Institute on Innovation of the French National Center for Scientific Research. In addition to co-leading the research team DiPLab (Digital Platform Labor), he is the co-founder of the INDL (International Network on Digital Labor). His latest book — Waiting for Robots: The Hired Hands of Automation — is the focus of this episode. In his bracing and powerful book, Casilli uses up-to-the-minute research to show how today’s technologies, including AI, continue to exploit human labor. Waiting for Robots urges us to move beyond the simplistic notion that machines are intelligent and autonomous. This eye-opening book makes clear that most “automation” requires human labor — and likely always will — shedding new light on today’s consequences and tomorrow’s threats of failing to recognize and compensate the “click workers” of today.Grab a copy of Waiting For Robots here! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.