The Book on Fire Podcast

We return! In our new season we are reading The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber & David Wengrow, a fascinating and controversial book of anthropology and social theory. There's enough groundwork laid in Chapter 1 to make this episode a longer one than we're used to releasing. We hope you find it stimulating. The Dawn of Everything at archive.org NEW: We've started a Discord community in case folks are interested in more discussion around the books and ideas we engage with. Join us! Featured music: "Stars Sewn Into Our Skies" by Big Blood. "That Glow in the Morning" by Sarah Louise. Buy us a coffee :: Email us at thebookonfirepodcast@gmail.com [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram ]]

We return to finish chapter 2. Mentioned on the show: The podcast series "Seeing White" from Scene on Radio Dr. Kim Tallbear on For the Wild podcast   Music on this episode by Big Blood and I Love You. Buy us a coffee :: Email us at thebookonfirepodcast@gmail.com -*- our Discord community for further discussion -*- [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram :: Website ]]

We begin discussing the pivotal second chapter. There was too much to fit into one episode, so this conversation will be continued. Mentioned: Q, the novel, by Luther Blissett The World Turned Upside Down, by Christopher Hill   Music on this episode by Big Blood and I Love You. -*- our Discord community for further discussion -*- Buy us a coffee :: Email us at thebookonfirepodcast@gmail.com [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram :: Website ]]

Life during feudalism, popular revolt, heretical resistance: "All the World Needs Jolt: Social Movements and Political Crisis in Medieval Europe". Further reading: Tragedy of the Commons on Wikipedia "First as Tragedy, then as Fascism", article from The Baffler about the legacy of Garrett Hardin, who popularized the "tragedy" in a 1968 essay. The Revolution of Everyday Life by Raoul Vaneigem (PDF) Music on this episode by Big Blood and I Love You. -*- our Discord community for further discussion -*- Buy us a coffee :: Email us at thebookonfirepodcast@gmail.com [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram :: Website ]]

Caliban and the Witch is much more than a book of history. Today we introduce our new book, get oriented to the subject matter, define some terms, and cover highlights from the preface and the introduction. Order the book from AK Press here. It can also be found free online as a scanned PDF here And possibly as an EPUB ebook here. ---------------- Also mentioned: Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture by Arthur Evans Music on this episode by Big Blood and I Love You. -*- our Discord community for further discussion -*- Buy us a coffee :: Email us at thebookonfirepodcast@gmail.com [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram :: Website ]]  

To begin Season 2 we are following threads from last season's discussions of Donna Haraway's Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene before starting our next full book. Next time we will also have new music, so enjoy Reanimator one last time. We discuss articles by two authors, all of which can be found online. First up is a piece by Australian artist Tega Brain, called "The Environment is Not a System" Then we move on to three articles by Stephanie Wakefield on living in the Anthropocene's "Back Loop" find them at these links: https://brooklynrail.org/2017/06/field-notes/Field-Notes-from-the-Anthropocene-Living-in-the-Back-Loop https://www.affidavit.art/articles/dreaming-the-back-loop https://www.academia.edu/37771372/Inhabiting_the_Anthropocene_back_loop Diagram of the adaptive cycle: Also mentioned on the podcast: Dave's article: Sun Medicine / Moon Medicine Next time we will begin discussing Silvia Federici's Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body, and Primitive Accumulation, a historical work about the previous worldwide transition that the planet experienced at the birth of capitalism in the era of European colonization. Order it from AK Press here. It can also be found free online as a scanned PDF here And possibly as an EPUB ebook here? See you next time! -*- our Discord community for further discussion -*- Email us at thebookonfirepodcast@gmail.com [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram :: Website ]]

In the final episode of our first season we revisit highlights from the book, and ask ourselves how we would integrate the lessons and insights into our ongoing work. How could the ideas in book be extended? What does Haraway leave out that we can provide? This is a thoughtful episode, processing and integrating many big ideas that we've been waiting until now to fully unpack. Thanks to all who have stayed with us for the whole ride. We intend to continue this book club experiment with short readings throughout the summer, and begin a full new book in earnest in the fall. Stay tuned. As a bonus, we managed to locate the full documentary "Donna Haraway: Storytelling for Earthly Survival" online. Follow the link to take it in. -*- our Discord community for further discussion -*- [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram :: Website ]]

With some delay, this is our discussion of the last chapter of Staying with the Trouble, a speculative fiction called "The Camille Stories: Children of Compost".  Stay tuned for our for our final thoughts about Haraway's book before we move on to new material. Mentioned in this episode: The trailer for Donna Haraway: Storytelling for Earthly Survival Inhabit: Instructions for Autonomy -*- our Discord community for further discussion -*- [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram :: Website ]]

Apologies! this episode was accidentally deleted and is now being re-posted. Mentioned in this episode: More about Dave & Janet Ursula Le Guin's Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction essay (PDF) Everything Matters: Why This is No Time for Cynicism by Janet The Evolution of Beauty (book) by Richard O. Prum A recent Radiolab episode about The Evolution of Beauty -*- our Discord community for further discussion -*- [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram :: Website ]]  

Two chapters this week: "Making Kin" and "Awash in Urine." Haraway proposes that voluntary non-reproduction may be a solution to ecological crisis. Is she right? Mentioned in this episode: Kim TallBear's lecture "Making Love and Relations Beyond Settler Sexualities" Permaculture and the Myth of Overpopulation and as always.. -*- our Discord community for further discussion -*- Email us at thebookonfirepodcast@gmail.com [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram :: Website ]]

Could our intestinal microbiome be luminescent? In this episode we discuss "Sympoiesis: Symbiogenesis and the Lively Arts of Staying with the Trouble", chapter 3 of our book. -*- our Discord community for further discussion -*- (not Facebook any longer)   Featured in the show: The Hawaiian Bobtail Squid   The Bee Orchid comic from xkcd.com   Website for the Crochet Coral Reef (note:  Dave's excited explanation of the hyperbolic mathematics involved in the crochet reef didn't make the final cut for this episode. But the math is fascinating. Check it out.)   The Indigenous Critique of the Green New Deal   Navajo Churro ram   Email us at thebookonfirepodcast@gmail.com [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram :: Website ]]

Discussion of Chapter 2 of Staying with the Trouble, "Tentacular Thinking: Anthropocene, Capitalocene, Chthulucene" Music by our friends Reanimator, from their album "Special Powers" -*- our Discord community for further discussion -*- Email us at thebookonfirepodcast@gmail.com [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram :: Website ]]

We discuss the Introduction and First Chapter of Donna Haraway's "Staying with the Trouble". Music from our good friends Reanimator, from their 2000 album Special Powers. Mentioned in the episode: Navajo grandma shows her string figures The Songlines, by Bruce Chatwin -*- our Discord community for further discussion -*- Email us at thebookonfirepodcast@gmail.com [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram :: Website ]]

Life updates, book updates, parting thoughts. Mentioned: "On historical materialism and The Dawn of Everything" by David Wengrow Endgame: Economic Nationalism and Global Decline by Jamie Merchant Lifehouse: Taking Care of Ourselves in a World on Fire by Adam Greenfield Organization, Community, Continuity by Peter Gelderloos Mad World: The Politics of Mental Health by Micha Frazer-Carroll The End of Eddy by Edouard Louis Survival is a Promise: The Enternal Life of Audre Lorde by Alexis Pauline Gumbs Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner -*- our Discord community for further discussion -*- Featured music: "Stars Sewn Into Our Skies" by Big Blood and "Open the Gates" by Irreversible Entanglements. (thanks to International Anthem for permission to use the song). Buy us a coffee :: Email us at thebookonfirepodcast@gmail.com [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram ]]

Our SECOND TO LAST episode of the season! We are joined by Nick Smaligo to talk through the major themes of The Dawn of Everything, and of Graeber's work in general. Nick was full of insights. Nick's essay on The Dawn of Everything: "Closing Paradise's Gate" Also mentioned: The Terms of Order by Cedric Robinson -*- our Discord community for further discussion -*- Featured music: "Stars Sewn Into Our Skies" and "Thank You for the Path" by Big Blood. Buy us a coffee :: Email us at thebookonfirepodcast@gmail.com [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram ]]

This is not our last episode on The Dawn of Everything, but here we discuss the concluding chapter of the book, which summarizes the book's project while moving forward on some of its new ideas. Next time we will be joined by a guest to help us think about the book as a whole. Mentioned: Secrets, Lies, and Consequences (about Mircea Eliade) by Bruce Lincoln -*- our Discord community for further discussion -*- Featured music: "Stars Sewn Into Our Skies" by Big Blood. Buy us a coffee :: Email us at thebookonfirepodcast@gmail.com [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram ]]

We are joined by two of our good friends, who deliver a nuanced Indigenous response to The Dawn of Everything, centering on Chapter 11's treatment of Mississippian culture. They also share about an indigenous earthwork that they have recently helped to construct in the city of Bulbancha (a.k.a. New Orleans, Louisiana). Links to further reading, courtesy of our guests: The Great Power of Small Nations by Elizabeth Ellis    [Ellis podcast interview] The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere by Paulette F.C. Steeves    [Steeves podcast interview] Gods of Thunder - Timothy R. Pauketat    [Pauketat podcast interviews here and here] ArchaeoEd: A podcast about ancient civilizations of the Americas A Sacred Path: The Way of the Muscogee Creeks Stolen Anarchy: Playing Indian & The Roots of Collectivism | TwinRabbit Plains Sign & the Myth of Indigenous Illiteracy | TwinRabbit Deciphering Cherokee ritual imagery deep in the caves of the American South nanihbvlbancha.net IG: @nanihbvlbancha _*_*_*_*_*_*_ Book on Fire Discord community for further discussion -*- Featured music: "Stars Sewn Into Our Skies" by Big Blood, Selections from "Disaster Prone" mixtape by Deejay Karo. Cover photo by Joe Darensbourg. Email us at thebookonfirepodcast@gmail.com [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram ]]

In the last full chapter of the book, the Davids return to Turtle Island to argue against the inevitability of domination and to give historical context for the indigenous critique of European society. -*- our Discord community for further discussion -*- Featured music: "Stars Sewn Into Our Skies" by Big Blood. Buy us a coffee :: Email us at thebookonfirepodcast@gmail.com [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram ]]

Hungry ancestors, play kings, and copious cosmetics. The conclusion of our discussion of Chapter 10. Mentioned: One River book by Wade Davis The King Must Die book by Mary Renault Cover image from a fresco at Knossos, on the island of Crete. -*- our Discord community for further discussion -*- Featured music: "Stars Sewn Into Our Skies"  and "Blind Owl I" by Big Blood. Buy us a coffee :: Email us at thebookonfirepodcast@gmail.com [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram ]]

Regarding history, teleology and the state, and the three elementary forms of power. Our discussion of the first half of Chapter 10. Cover image from a detail of the Raimondi Stele from Chavín de Huántar, Peru. -*- our Discord community for further discussion -*- Featured music: "Stars Sewn Into Our Skies" by Big Blood. "That Glow in the Morning" by Sarah Louise. Buy us a coffee :: Email us at thebookonfirepodcast@gmail.com [[ Dave & Janet's Radical Vitalism :: Blog :: Instagram ]]