Writing Remix Podcast

117. Inspired Belonging w/ Dr. M. Shadee Malaklou

On this episode of “Inspired Belonging” on Writing Re:mix, hosts Dan Dissinger and Stephanie Renée Payne talk with Dr. M. Shadee Malaklou, the Founder and Director of the bell hooks Center at Berea College. Back in the summer of 2023, Dan & Stephanie had the honor of bringing their “Inspired Belonging” workshop to the first-ever bell hooks Symposium, and ever since then it was their mission to have Dr. Malaklou on the podcast. Dr. Malaklou opens up about her friendship with the late great bell hooks, the role of the bell hooks Center on the Berea campus, and rural living in Kentucky. The conversation also covers the impact of feminism, identity and belonging, the role of theory, and radical vulnerability, which Dr. Malaklou, Dan, and Stephanie courageously practice by sharing personal stories about mental, physical, and emotional health journeys. This is one of those episodes that teaches, invites, and lovingly cracks you open.

Book an Inspired Belonging workshop, speaker events, or podcast guests.

Approximate Show Notes

00:00 Introduction and Excitement for the Episode

00:54 Introducing Dr. M Shadee Malaklou

01:51 bell hooks’ Influence and Legacy

03:50 Personal Stories and Connections with bell hooks

04:37 The bell hooks Symposium and Community Impact

06:58 Reflections on Belonging and Land

08:58 bell hooks’ Radical Vulnerability and Critique

16:26 Navigating Institutional Challenges

18:16 Personal Anecdotes and bell hooks’ Wisdom

19:39 The Intersection of Theory and Personal Experience

24:59 Feminism, Love, and Cancel Culture

26:28 Whiteness, Belonging, and Ancestry

29:24 Experiences of Respect and Judgment

30:34 The Impact of bell hooks’ Work

32:55 Struggles with Mental Health

34:45 Radical Vulnerability and Empathy

40:25 The Role of Educators and Institutions

51:37 Healthcare Challenges and Personal Reflections

57:00 Conclusion and Call to Action

116. Walking with Dan: Podcasting, Creativity, & AI

In this solo episode of Writing Remix, Dan brings the audience along for a reflective stream-of-consciousness evening walk. This is a raw and unedited episode to capture the essence of the environment, his thoughts, and humanity of conversation. Dan reflects on the changing landscape of podcasting and how it’s gone from being an accessible Punk rock modality to its current polished commercialized commodity. He then meanders into his favorite topics: nostalgia, creativity, and artistic freedom, and his growing concerns about AI’s impact on human expression. Then the episode takes swerves into the emotional depth of 90s grunge singers like Layne Staley & Chris Cornell, maintaining that human element in art and writing, and Jack Kerouac.

If you have thoughts & questions about this episode, or an idea for a future “Walking with Dan” episode, email at writingremixpodcast@gmail.com

Approximate Show Notes

00:00 Introduction to the Walking Podcast

00:42 The Evolution of Podcasting

02:20 The Impact of Technology on Creativity

03:46 Nostalgia and the Human Element in Art

05:28 AI and the Future of Creativity

12:20 Reflections on Walking and Community

13:33 Kerouac and the Search for Truth

16:37 Engaging with the Podcast Community

115. Inspired Belonging: Diving into the Work of bell hooks

The second episode of “Inspired Belonging” on Writing Remix, hosts Dan Dissinger and Stephanie Renée Payne reflect on their personal and pedagogical relationships with the work of the late scholar, poet, speaker, & teacher bell hooks. This is a deeply vulnerable conversation on hooks’ impactful work on engaged pedagogy, love, community, and self-actualization, specifically from her books Teaching to Transgress, All About Love, and The Will To Change. Dan and Stephanie unpack specific passages from hooks’ books and reflect on the transformations that have happened and continue to happen which have transformed their classrooms into spaces of vulnerability, healing, and deep engagement. They also reflect on their personal journeys, the intersections of their identities, and the lessons they draw from hooks’ integration of theory and practice. Stephanie tells the audience how bell hooks’ work helped validate, face, and heal the pain that was impacting her everyday existence. Then Dan opens up about how The Will To Change has “cracked him open” and helped him face the hold patriarchy has had on his inability to love himself, his challenges with BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder), and how this might be the most important book for everyone to read.

This is such a deeply touching episode of “Inspired Belonging” and reflects the type of work Stephanie and Dan do as workshop facilitators. Email to book an Inspired Belonging workshop/event and/or book Inspired Belonging as podcast guests/speakers: writingremixpodcast@gmail.com

Approximate Show Notes

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:26 Diving into Bell Hooks’ Influence

01:23 Personal Connections with Bell Hooks

03:52 Teaching to Transgress: A Transformative Experience

09:06 The Classroom as a Space for Healing and Growth

14:09 Engaged Pedagogy and Self-Actualization

18:44 The Impact of Bell Hooks on Writing and Teaching

30:14 Empowering Students Through Choice and Agency

33:54 The Impact of Agency on Learning

34:11 Bell Hooks on Love and Abuse

36:27 Healing in the Classroom

37:04 Embracing Vulnerability and Humanity

42:11 Patriarchy and Social Structures

57:41 The Importance of Ancestry and Identity

01:03:12 The Legacy of bell hooks

114. Spring 2025 Semester Reflection: Meaningful Teaching, Student Engagement, & Well-being

In this solo episode of Writing Remix, Dan Dissinger reflects on the end of the 2025 Spring semester at USC. He shares what he changed and what worked in his classroom, the impact of creating meaningful and accessible assignments, student reactions to and experiences reading Exile & Pride by Eli Clare and All About Love by bell hooks, and he talks about the impact of these two texts on students and standout moments. After, he shares & reflects on his personal experiences and challenges as an educator, the personal emotional toll of the semester’s end, balancing personal well-being with professional responsibilities, and how fostering a supportive classroom environment is an act of resistance for students and instructors. This is vulnerable deep dive. Please share this episode with the teachers in your life, your fellow faculty members, and prospective teachers.

If you resonate with this episode, please email and share your experiences at writingremixpodcast@gmail.com.

Approximate Show Notes

00:00 Introduction and Podcast Promotion

02:46 Reflecting on the End of the Semester

04:21 Implementing More Reading in the Syllabus

04:56 Book Review: Exile and Pride by Eli Claire

08:42 Book Review: All About Love by bell hooks

13:00 Meaningful Assignments and Student Engagement

19:20 In-Class Reflections and AI Concerns

21:16 End-of-Semester Challenges and Personal Reflections

27:30 Looking Forward to Future Semesters

34:44 Conclusion and Call to Action

113. Creating Joy and Community Through Poetry w/ West Hollywood Poet Laureate Jen Cheng

Dan Dissinger celebrates National Poetry Month with the West Hollywood Poet Laureate, Jen Cheng. They talk about Jen’s multi-hyphenate creative journey, her dedication to blending East-West influences in her writing and workshops, her role as the creator of the Palabras Literary Salon, and the importance of “artist dates.” Dan asks Jen to explain why she believes community is so significant in the creative process and or writers, and how writing a novel is different from writing poetry. Jen reads a tribute poem to West Hollywood for National Poetry Month and performs a persona poem inspired by the Bridgerton narrator. Jen leaves the listeners some practical advice for aspiring poets and writers.

Approximate Show Notes

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction
00:15 Jen Cheng’s Background and Achievements
01:35 The Importance of Libraries and Artist Dates
06:23 Community Building and Poetry Scrabble
14:30 Personal Journey and Storytelling
21:53 Writing Process and Inspirations
25:23 Poem Recital and Musical Accompaniment
34:58 Reflecting on the Power of Music and Poetry
35:29 Ukulele Stories and Inspirations
37:33 Life in New York and San Francisco
41:18 Writing a Novel vs. Writing Poetry
44:42 The Creative Process and Inspirations
57:06 The Role of Poetry in Today’s World
01:03:36 Concluding Thoughts and Inspirations

112. Sailing Without Ahab w/ Dr. Steve Mentz

Dan Dissinger welcomes back his former professor Dr. Steve Mentz, chair of the Saint John’s University English Department, to discuss his latest book of poems Sailing Without Ahab and the Blue Humanities. They dive into (no pun intended) Dr. Mentz’s writing journey in and out of the poems in Sailing Without Ahab, the interconnected writing process and relationship between the creative space of poetry and academic scholarship when it came to creating Sailing Without Ahab, his personal and scholastic history with water, teaching Moby-Dick, and the challenges of writing in the voice of Ishmael. Steve also reads several poems from Sailing Without Ahab and discusses some of the more intricate details about these pieces.

This is such a rich episode both for writers and scholars alike, and being on the precipice of National Poetry Month, this is a great way to start it off.

Approximate Show Notes

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
01:58 Guest Background and Academic Interests
03:38 Exploring the Blue Humanities
06:31 Personal Connections to Water
07:38 Creative and Scholarly Writing
24:23 Teaching and Engaging with Moby Dick
32:20 Exploring Kerouac’s Sense of Home
33:22 Connections Between Moby Dick and The Sea is My Brother
35:18 Writing in Ishmael’s Voice
37:10 The Physicality of Labor in Literature
38:51 Poetic Forms and Inspirations
41:40 Emily Dickinson’s Sea Poetry
42:45 Writing During the Pandemic
44:44 Reading and Discussing Poems
47:23 The Relationship Between Humans and Whales
53:58 Collaborative Projects and Future Works
56:50 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

111. Embracing Authentic Writing w/ Medium’s CEO Tony Stubblebine

Dan Dissinger welcomes Tony Stubblebine, CEO of Medium.com, to talk about the power of authenticity in writing online and how Medium’s platform helps to create a space where authors of all levels can find and cultivate an audience. Tony dives into how he went from software engineer to the CEO of Medium.com. He shares his goals for Medium to create an online community where people create and share meaningful content and how Medium is a place where all people get to be teachers and students. The conversation touches on the transformative power of writing, the challenges posed by AI-generated content, and the importance of human connection in the digital age. This is the type of episode Writing Remix is all about, so sit back, take notes, and get inspired to put pen to paper (so to say). Share this episode with someone in your life that is an aspiring writer.

Approximate Show Notes

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
01:09 Tony Stubblebine’s Journey to Medium
02:58 The Magic of Writing
05:14 Medium’s Unique Value
06:28 Authenticity in Online Writing
10:08 Subscription Model vs. Ad-Based Model
17:45 Writing as a Portfolio
21:42 The Importance of Continuous Writing
26:01 Navigating Online Spaces: Medium vs. Social Media
27:33 The Importance of Trust and Safety Rules
28:54 Encouraging Deep and Personal Writing
31:40 The Human Connection in Writing
33:33 Medium’s Role in the AI Era
35:38 Personal Reading Preferences and Inspirations
41:33 The Value of Personal Expertise
43:41 The Call to Be Authentic
47:44 Medium’s Social Publishing Experience
48:55 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

110. Introducing Inspired Belonging

Dan & Stephanie Renée Payne start a series of podcast episodes called “Inspired Belonging” on Writing Remix. On this inaugural episode, Dan & Stephanie explore their thoughts and understandings of belonging, it’s connection to writing, and how the late great bell hooks plays such a deep role in Inspired Belonging workshops, presentations, and pedagogy. They discuss their experiences co-running Inspired Belonging workshops and how they’ve been impacted by how people come together in these shared spaces, how the actionable nature of love works collaboratively with belonging, and the role of deep listening in Inspired Belonging writing workshops. They end the episode with their goals for the “Inspired Belonging” series, how they can’t wait to have more contemplative, community-building conversations with people, and they invite people to reach out to to Inspired Belonging for writing workshops.

Approximate Show Notes

00:00 Introduction to the New Series
01:00 Meet the Co-Host: Stephanie Renée Payne
02:05 The Concept of Inspired Belonging
03:06 The Role of Love and Acceptance in Writing
04:04 Experiences and Reflections on Belonging
09:04 Writing as a Tool for Self-Discovery
11:08 Building Community Through Writing
17:49 Conclusion and Future Directions

109. Reimagining Assessments: Exploring the Untapped Benefits of Contract Grading w/ Dr. Leah Pate, Dr. Tamara Black, & Dr. Rory Lukins

Dan welcomed his colleagues in the USC Writing Program Dr. Leah Pate, Dr. Tamara Black, & Dr. Rory Lukins to do a deep dive into their project “Reimagining Assessments: Contract Grading’s Untapped Benefits for Learning, Teaching, and Well-Being.” This conversation covers the results of their research and the impact contract grading has on student writing and motivation, the shift from product driven writing to meaningful writing, how contract grading helps to highlight the emotional toll of grading on faculty and the emotional toll of writing for the students, the challenges and ethical considerations associated with grading contracts, adjustments made for upper versus lower division students, the inclusion of DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging) principles, and so much more. Get ready to take notes and definitely post your opinions and questions, in the comments.

Approximate Show Notes

00:00 Introduction to Writing Remix and Guests
00:49 Introducing the Concept of Contract Grading
01:48 Faculty Experiences and Initial Reactions
04:06 The Evolution and Implementation of Contract Grading
07:53 Student Perspectives on Grading Contracts
10:13 Comparing Contract Grading with Traditional Grading
14:21 Faculty and Student Feedback on Contract Grading
20:03 Challenges and Adjustments in Contract Grading
40:45 Grading Contracts and Student Motivation
41:34 Challenges Faced by Instructors During COVID
42:53 Bias and Judgment in Grading
43:40 Impact on Non-Traditional Students
44:00 Critiques of Labor-Based Grading
47:00 Faculty Mental Health and Emotional Labor
53:58 Equity Benefits of Grading Contracts
57:01 Adoption and Adaptation of Grading Contracts
01:05:49 AI and the Future of Grading
01:14:34 Next Steps and Future Directions

108. Exploring Civility, Discourse, & Hope w/ Dr. Danielle Lee

Dan welcomed back Dr. Danielle Lee to Writing Remix last year for the fifth annual Big Rhetorical Podcast Carnival, which was focused on ‘Politics and Rhetorics, Navigating Civility, Culture, and Crisis.’ Their conversation went deep into the need for a civility in the current political landscape, how the lack of civility is escalating dehumanization from everyone, the failures of institutions like higher education, the role of education going forward, intergenerational trauma, and Dr. Lee even gets into the Kendrick Lamar vs Drake beef. This conversation is even more imperative as we all attempt to navigate political extremes from every direction.

Approximate Show Notes

00:00 Introduction to the Big Rhetorical Podcast Carnival
01:54 Introducing Dr. Danielle Lee
02:58 The Crisis of Civility in Modern Society
04:29 The Role of Education in Shaping Civility
08:54 Media Influence and Dehumanization
10:31 Teaching Love and Dialogue in Education
20:06 Challenges in Higher Education
39:25 The Impact of COVID-19 on Society
39:59 Personal Space and Societal Healing
41:54 Crisis Culture and Civility in Rhetoric
42:44 Teaching in a Changing Classroom
45:06 Exploring Complex Literary Themes
49:29 Intergenerational Trauma and Student Reactions
50:47 The Role of Hope in Education
51:50 Addressing Hurt and Humanity
01:00:53 Reflections on Teaching and Hope
01:09:42 Final Thoughts and Recommendations