Jess Whetsel is a poet, writer, editor, and public speaker based in Toledo, Ohio on Erie, Kickapoo, Seneca, and Odawa land. Her poetry has appeared in many literary journals, including Tulip Tree Review, Discretionary Love, and Sage Cigarettes. Her first collection of poetry, A SOFTER KIND OF AUDACITY, debuts on December 1, 2023. You can learn more about Whetsel and her work on her website, www.jesswhetsel.com, or by following her Instagram, @jesswhetselwrites.A Softer Kind of Audacity BOOK RELEASE: Friday Dec. 1 www.jesswhetsel.comhttps://substack.com/@jesswhetselIG @jesswhetselwritesBOOK DESCRIPTION A Softer Kind of Audacity is an unflinching self-examination. Author Jess Whetsel’s poetry debut is “a book is for the little girl with wild curls and a poem in her heart; the teenager who scribbled lyrics in her notebook like her life depended on it; the twenty-something who swallowed her voice and didn’t think she’d ever write again; and the woman who finally came home to her poetry, her voice, herself.” Exploring themes of queerness, mental health, and generational trauma, Whetsel opens the door wide and invites everyone in.From identity falling in ineffable teenage love to mid-life polyamory, Whetsel does not turn away from the truth.Support the show
Kate Mapother is the author of two poetry collections, Tell Me You Hear the Riot and carved. She has been published in the lit mag kerning / a space for words, and the book Signs & Symbols of Our Ancestors. She lives in Tucson, in a little adobe at the bottom of a canyon with her dog Riggins.BooksC A R V E D Tell Me You Hear the Riot IG/Threads: https://www.instagram.com/brightenuff/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KateMapother SubStack: https://katemapother.substack.comEpisode Mentions: Tricia Hersey The Nap Ministry and Rest is Resistance. Support the show
In 1988, an explosion killed six Kansas City firefighters. Closure Is Not Justice is a public art project drawing attention to the 1988 explosion, and the public campaign that generated false testimony among residents in the Marlborough neighborhood, turning neighbor against neighbor, all for the sake of closure.Closure Is Not Justice Exhibition Opening - Friday, September 1 Vulpes Bastille gallery in the Crossroads, KC. Andrew Johnson is an author, essayist, and artist living in Kansas City, Missouri. His work has appeared in The Sun, Image, Commonweal, Crazyhorse, and elsewhere, and he is the author of two books: The Thread and On Earth As It Is. He is the recipient of a Charlotte Street Foundation residency, a Rocket Grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation, an ArtsKC Inspiration grant, a Vermont Studio Center residency, and a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship.Closure Is Not Justice https://www.closureisnotjustice.com/Andrew’s Substack https://thethread.substack.com/p/closure-is-not-justice?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=emailAndrew’s website https://www.andrewmichaeljohnson.com/FB: andrewjohnsonkc / IG: andrew.johnson.kcSeasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and challenges of adult life. Confessing Animals podcast co-hosts Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco, both working writers, unveil the secrets and struggles of creative living in a rapid fire capitalist society. One guest at a time, Jen + Vanessa ask, How Does Your Life Translate to Art?Intro and music by Ashley Raines https://www.ashleyrainesmusic.com/Support the show
On endings and new beginnings On disappearing On completely changing your personality, or learning to speak at a lower volume without the word fuck7 of Cups from Rachel True's True Heart Intuitive Tarot deckHigh Vibe, Choice, options, dream states, luxury, intuition, reflection, meditationhttps://truehearttarot.com/Ram Dass Here and Now Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ram-dass-here-and-now/id518366323https://open.spotify.com/show/3Dz4DL2ZMvnNQUnDSXqSdm?si=f07d2ea84ab142dcIntro and all music on previous episodes by Ashley Raines https://www.ashleyrainesmusic.com/Find Jen Harris at the Writing Workshop KC, online and in personhttps://www.writingworkshopkc.com/Vanessa's hanging on Substack at Death Bore Beautyhttps://deathborebeauty.substack.com/Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and challenges of adult life. Co-hosts Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco, both working writers, unveil the secrets and struggles of creative living in a rapid fire Capitalist society. One guest at a time, Jen + Vanessa ask, How Does Your Life Translate to Art?P.S. I, Vanessa, hate the word "creatives" and I didn't mean to use it so much. Art, artists, writers, people, "creatives" barf, it's a marketing term that doesn't apply to the kind of work we are exploring here. <3Support the show
In light of the impending overturn of Roe v Wade, Vanessa & Jen attended the Planned Parenthood Rally: BANS OFF OUR BODIES on May 14, 2022 at Mill Creek Park in Kansas City, MO. – But before we did, we interviewed Justice GatsonJustice Gatson is the Director at Reale Justice Network. An Intimate Partner Violence Advocate and Motivational Speaker. She works with Black Mama’s Bail Out with National Bailout.org to specifically address the needs of incarcerated black mothers. IG @reale_justice_networkhttps://realejusticenetwork.org/SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collectivehttps://sistersong.nationbuilder.com/donateDONATE NOW!https://abortionfunds.org/VOTE NO IN KANSAS AUGUST 2https://kansansforfreedom.com/Emily Wales CEO Planned Parenthood Great PlainsOther organizations @ Bans off Our Bodies KC rally Sunrise Movement Our Revolution KCPoor People’s CampaignBarrier Babes KCGreen Party KCSupreme Court Cases mentioned in Intro:Dobbs v, Jackson Women’s HealthRoe v. WadePlanned Parenthood v. Casey Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)Lawrence v. Texas (2003)Loving v. Virginia is the 1967Dred Scott v. Sandford case of 1857Fuck These Bishes:Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of the Susan B. Anthony List, an American political organization that seeks to advance anti-abortion women in politicsRep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, Missouri District 097 Republican Correction:Sarah Huckabee Sanders was Trump Press Secretary (duh, Vanessa misspoke per the usual)REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE NOW! SHOW UP, DO THE WORK! Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and challenges of adult life. Confessing Animals podcast co-hosts Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco, both working writers, unveil the secrets and struggles of creative living in a rapid fire capitalist society. One guest at a time, Jen + Vanessa ask, How Does Your Life Translate to Art?Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.comFollow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcastListen, Love & Support Us!Support the show
Live @ Charlotte Street Foundation w/Vanessa Aricco Reading 1: On the Cusp of Air & Water [Full length poetry manuscript, forthcoming]Read 2: Self Saints of Becoming [WIP]Vanessa Aricco is a multimedia poet exploring conflict and duality, the precarious nature of life and the anxiety that arises from it. She is the co-host of Confessing Animals podcast. Her work includes two poetry albums, The Midnight Rush and Human Animal, Tin Can Poetics and co-lyricist on the album Gutter Mansions with Ashley Raines & The New West Revue. She is a Charlotte Street Foundation 2019-22 Studio Resident in Kansas City, MO.Website: vanessaaricco.comCharlotte Street Foundation Open Studioshttps://charlottestreet.org/Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.comFollow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcastListen, Love & Support Us!Support the show
Ashley Parsons (she/her) is a queer woman who tells true stories about love, mystery, and embodiment through writing, photography, mentoring, and speaking. She is an alumni of the 2019 Thread at Yale program through the Yale Journalism Initiative and the winner of The Moth / Snap Judgment Competition. Her award-winning work as a storyteller has been captured in photographs, films, and multimedia via We Are the Parsons, Huffington Post, American Photo Magazine, and Real Simple Weddings among countless others. In 2013 she was named one of the Best Wedding Photographers in the world. Since the turn of the century, she has taught at workshops, creative retreats, and been a vital part of creative collaborations across the globe.Instagram @fromashparsonshttps://www.ashleyparsons.com/Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.comFollow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcastListen, Love & Support Us!Support the show
Listen to Rev. Dr. Peter Tremain's full episode: Dirt, Water & Grace https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirt-water-grace-rev-dr-peter-tremain/id1544861884?i=1000554058943https://confessinganimalspodcast.buzzsprout.com/1518877/10250310Listen, Love, Support Us! J+VSupport the show
Waleska Barroeta/Waleska FontShe/Her/HersWaleska (she/her) is a Venezuelan multidisciplinary artist. Waleska is a cultural promoter, copyeditor, teacher and poet, having performed in Mexico, Venezuela, and Kansas City. Her work explores the limitations of bilingualism, sexuality, culture, and identity. Waleska is currently a board member of No Divide Kansas City and a sponsored artist for Poetry for Personal Power.Instagram @wlskafontNo Divide KChttps://www.nodividekc.org/Queer Narratives Festivalhttps://www.nodividekc.org/queernarrativesfestival“Home” by Warsan ShireSupport the show
Peter Tremain is a retired Lutheran Pastor, who served as Pastor of three congregations over a span of forty years. After retirement and the death of his wife he traveled solo outside the USA at least two months a year for the last ten years with only a backpack, staying in hostels, walking the 500 mile long Camino de Santiago in 2013. He is interested in Contemplative Spirituality as it transcends the arbitrary boundary between the sacred and secular nurturing a non-dualistic view of reality.https://thecalltolive.wordpress.com/FB: https://www.facebook.com/peter.tremain.5IG: https://www.instagram.com/tremainpeter/Show Notes:End of life care Stephen HawkingSam HarrisSimone Weil Contemplative spiritualityMark Rothko Franz Kline Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.comFollow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcastListen, Love & Support Us!Support the show
Season 4 is all about Confession! Our first guest is Peregrine Honig: Artist. Curator. Writer. Wife. CW: Mention of sex trafficking, pedophile, ephebophile, and murderPeregrine Honig (she/her) (born 1976 in San Francisco, CA) is an American artist whose work is concerned with the relationship between pop culture, sexual vulnerability, social anxieties, the ethics of luxury and trends in consumerism. Her work is included in the permanent collections of The New York Public Library, The Whitney Museum, and The Chicago Art Institute. Honig also co-owns a lingerie and swimwear boutique, Birdies, which opened in 2003, and is located in the Crossroads Section of Kansas City, Missouri.She appeared on season one of Bravo’s artist reality television show, Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, which aired from June 9–August 11, 2010, finishing in second place.https://www.peregrinehonig.co/https://www.instagram.com/peregrinehonig/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_Honighttps://projectartaud.org/Show Notes:"Father Gander” Peregrine Honig Fairy Tales Studios Inc. KCLittle Red Riding Hoodsensuality, sexuality Song “Fancy” by Bobbie Gentry When is it a fairy tale and when is it a murder? Erica Michelle Marie Green (May 15, 1997 – April 28, 2001), also known as Precious Doe, was an American three-year-old girl who was murdered in Kansas City.Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.comFollow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcastListen, Love & Support Us!Support the show
Welcome to Season 4 of Confessing Animals Podcast. Jen and Vanessa discuss why this podcast is called Confessing Animals and talk a lot of shit per the us cuz no one's listening! *plz note that Vanessa says "appear" when she meant to say "appeal" A few things we talk about:Michel FoucaultJean BaudrillardSimulacrumConfession CultureWriting Holy Shit Special Guest coming soon Peregrine Honig!Jen Harris Write With Mehttps://www.poetjenharris.com/workshopsVanessa Aricco Tin Can Poetics on Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/6lzsJV7VX0749Yj39tLiHn?si=e69736208f884884Love, Listen & Support Us! Support the show
Happy First Year! Jen calls Vanessa, who's two mimosas deep, on her tin can to wrap up the first year of Confessing Animals. Intro and Outro Poems by Vanessa AriccoDownload poetry albums! We love you <3Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines Follow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcastListen, Love & Support Us!Support the show
Andreas Fleps is a poet based near Chicago. He studied theology and philosophy at Dominican University, and his debut collection of poems entitled, “Well into the Night” (via Energion Publications) was released at the end of 2020. He translates teardrops.Buy the book! Well Into the Night https://www.energiondirect.com/product/well-into-the-night/https://bookshop.org/books/well-into-the-night/9781631997396https://www.facebook.com/andreas.fleps/https://www.instagram.com/andreas.fleps/Philosophers mentioned: NietzscheJacques LacanCamusE.M. CioranKierkegaardPoets/Writers:Oscar WildeWhitmanPete RollinsPadraig Ó TuamaRimbaudBaudelaire Robert FrostSeasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and challenges of adult life. Confessing Animals podcast co-hosts Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco, both working writers, unveil the secrets and struggles of creative living in a rapid fire capitalist society. One guest at a time, Jen + Vanessa ask, How Does Your Life Translate to Art?Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.comFollow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcastListen, Love & Support Us!https://www.patreon.com/confessinganimalspodcastSupport the show
Patrick Grant grew up in Overland Park, KS where he is now a high school Spanish teacher. After graduating from the University of Kansas, Patrick worked with a Christian collegiate ministry in San Antonio, Texas and then the Dominican Republic. In his free time he enjoys playing sports, hanging with friends and family, and being overly-particular about beer and coffee. https://www.facebook.com/patrick.grant.98Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and challenges of adult life. Confessing Animals podcast co-hosts Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco, both working writers, unveil the secrets and struggles of creative living in a rapid fire capitalist society. One guest at a time, Jen + Vanessa ask, How Does Your Life Translate to Art?Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.comFollow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcastListen, Love & Support Us!https://www.patreon.com/confessinganimalspodcastSupport the show
PLUG Gallery Solid Poetry: Andrew McilvaineAndrew Mcilvaine is an interdisciplinary artist originally from Southern Texas and later relocated to Missouri. Mcilvaine makes work that explores notions such as the displacement and replacement of culture through settler colonialism, identity, trauma, memory, and longing. Currently Mcilvaine's practice is based in Kansas City, Missouri and he holds a visiting assistant professor position in the Foundation department at KCAI. https://www.andrewmcilvaine.com/Instagram @andrewmcilvaine Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and challenges of adult life. Confessing Animals podcast co-hosts Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco, both working writers, unveil the secrets and struggles of creative living in a rapid fire capitalist society. One guest at a time, Jen + Vanessa ask, How Does Your Life Translate to Art?Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.comFollow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcastListen, Love & Support Us!https://www.patreon.com/confessinganimalspodcastSupport the show
Leanne Kubicz is an origami artist and tv & film critic based in Kansas City, MO. A person of many talents, she was an official statistician for the New York Red Bulls Major League Soccer team from 2001-2013, was founder of her own company -- 1898 House Nail Lacquer, and was also a reference librarian. Leanne is currently working on multiple origami projects and has a new Substack for capsule film reviews. https://leannek.substack.com/https://thepinksmoke.com/IG @leannekpaperTWITTER @lianemarieKSHOW NOTESFilm Review: Todd Haynes The Velvet Underground Documentary Capsule ReviewReview: Titane by Julia DucournauSuperstar: The Karen Carpenter StoryRainer Werner FassbinderCrash by David CronenbergShoah by Claude LanzmannRachel Getting Married by Jonathan DemmePERIOD Article https://medium.com/periodmovement/the-talk-for-the-middle-aged-2938c0b86ac2Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and challenges of adult life. Confessing Animals podcast co-hosts Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco, both working writers, unveil the secrets and struggles of creative living in a rapid fire capitalist society. One guest at a time, Jen + Vanessa ask, How Does Your Life Translate to Art?Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.comFollow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcastListen, Love & Support Us!https://www.patreon.com/confessinganimalspodcastSupport the show
Rachel Puckett is a lifestyle and wedding photographer residing in Columbus, Ohio, who has dreams bigger than her body can handle at the moment. When her 7th grade Biology teacher enthusiastically insisted the students were all scientists, her eyes lit up and she received the title in earnest and has looked at the world with curiosity and a hunger to understand ever since. Her love of writing and photography take root from the lineage of irreverent storytellers she comes from and she finds inspiration from artists who speak to the whole experience of humanity, rather than the blind sugar-coating that just scratches the surface of living. After spending the first 30 years of her life as a witness to the inner workings and intricacies, she’s now embracing her voice, however shaky and ill-equipped, to embody the richness of life and call to others who are seeking the same, knowing that intuition and communal suffering hold the treasures we seek.Websitehttps://honeyandsmokephotoco.mypixieset.com/Social Media https://www.instagram.com/honeyandsmokephoto/ Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and challenges of adult life. Confessing Animals podcast co-hosts Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco, both working writers, unveil the secrets and struggles of creative living in a rapid fire capitalist society. One guest at a time, Jen + Vanessa ask, How Does Your Life Translate to Art?Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.comFollow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcastListen, Love & Support Us!https://www.patreon.com/confessinganimalspodcastSupport the show
Erin McGrane is a writer; musician; actress; public speaker; and professional development mentor. Notably, Erin appears in the Oscar-nominated film, UP IN THE AIR alongside George Clooney. She has toured the US extensively with her musical group, Victor & Penny, and co-founded an annual performance, creativity, and songwriting event. Erin was honored in KC Magazine’s “The 100: People who make Life Better in KC" and is proud to say she misspent her youth singing in a rock band.Websiteshttps://www.erinjmcgrane.com/Social Mediahttps://www.facebook.com/erin.mcgrane.18www.instagram.com/erinjmcgrane/Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and challenges of adult life. Confessing Animals podcast co-hosts Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco, both working writers, unveil the secrets and struggles of creative living in a rapid fire capitalist society. One guest at a time, Jen + Vanessa ask, How Does Your Life Translate to Art?Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.comFollow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcastListen, Love & Support Us!https://www.patreon.com/confessinganimalspodcastSupport the show
Stephen Hill is a human aboard Spaceship Earth trying to figure things out through writing, shaping, talking, helping, and documenting. His present location is within the Kansas City Metro area with his family, and he helps pay the bills by working for Mid-continent Public Library's Delivery Services. He'd like everyone to know that Truth is at the intersection, so keep on intersecting.Websiteshttps://stephenhillwrites.wordpress.com/Steve Radio! on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0UXeNwX40JT7lUuH6vh5Hl?si=061F5gHFQlK2rsQjTauInQ&dl_branch=1Social MediaNONESupport the show