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 01, 2022•37 min•Ep. 23
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 min•Ep. 22
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 02, 2022•41 min•Ep. 21
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•58 min•Ep. 20
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 03, 2022•40 min•Ep. 19
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 01, 2021•46 min•Ep. 18
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 Bridgitte: h...
Oct 31, 2021•43 min•Ep. 17
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.u...
Oct 01, 2021•39 min•Ep. 16
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 04, 2021•44 min•Ep. 15
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 01, 2021•39 min•Ep. 14
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 platf...
Jul 01, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 13
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 08, 2021•1 hr 1 min
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 02, 2021•57 min•Ep. 12
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 hr 4 min
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 01, 2021•55 min•Ep. 11
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 hr
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 co...
Apr 02, 2021•51 min•Ep. 10
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 f...
Mar 01, 2021•41 min•Ep. 9
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 01, 2021•55 min•Ep. 8
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 av...
Jan 01, 2021•43 min•Ep. 7
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 propos...
Dec 02, 2020•52 min•Ep. 6
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.g...
Nov 01, 2020•43 min•Ep. 5
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 ...
Oct 01, 2020•49 min•Ep. 4
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,...
Sep 01, 2020•46 min•Ep. 3
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 for a...
Aug 01, 2020•39 min•Ep. 2
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 09, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 1
Scott Slovic, editor of ASLE's journal Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment (ISLE) for the past 25 years, joins Jemma and Brandon to discuss his career, environmental studies past and future, and his upcoming retirement from the position. Recorded June 24, 2020. If you have an idea for an episode, please submit your proposal here: https://forms.gle/Y1S1eP9yXxcNkgWHA CC BY-NC-ND 4.0...
Jun 30, 2020•1 hr 7 min
