Writing Remix Podcast

87. Disarming the 2nd Amendment w/ Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Content warning for discussion of guns, genocide, violence, and mass shootings.

Dan is joined by guest host Stephanie Renée Payne to talk to the author of Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz about the constitutional history of the Second Amendment, the rise of white nationalism in the NRA, the role of the Second Amendment in creating well-regulated colonialism & genocide, Reconstruction, finding a path forward, and so much more.

The Writing Remix stands against all acts of violence, racially motivated terrorism, and white supremacy. Gun violence must be stopped. Mass shootings must be stopped. 2nd Amendment extremism & worship must be stopped. These are not political issues, they are issues of HUMANITY.

86. Embodying Vulnerability w/ Nat Garcia

Dan invites Nat Garcia-Hammon (pronouns: they/them), a faculty member at Nova Southeastern University to discuss the challenges of teaching in Florida, practicing & embodying vulnerability in the classroom and beyond, the relationship between learning/knowledge creation and full-embodiment, Nat’s journey from Law School to Rhetorician, their Freirean classroom pedagogy, how Doctoral programs can better prepare students for the emotional realities of academic life & work, and so much more!

85. Being Drawn to Teaching w/ Cristina Migliaccio

Dan invites fellow Saint John’s University alum, Dr. Cristina Migliaccio, from CUNY Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, NY to discuss culturally & linguistically inclusive digital pedagogy, the professional depth & dedication of the Medgar Evers College Adjunct Faculty, loving the craft of teaching, their graduate school experiences, the coded messaging of the phrase, “Oh, you’re one of those,” Cristina’s work with the Calandra Italian American Institute, and so much more.

84. Embodying Your Digital Self w/ Dr. Regina Duthely

Dan invites fellow Saint John’s University alum Dr. Regina Duthely from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA to talk about the possibilities of digital teaching & digital rhetorics away from current Zoom-emergency pedagogy, the digital space being a place to fully embody the self, the burden of extra labor/service that scholars of color, particularly women of color, take on in academia, how students thrive when we expand past “just the essay,” what Regina is excited about coming up in her career, and so much more.

83. Writing From the Velvet Ditch w/ Up and Coming Writer Elz

To celebrate National Poetry Month, Dan invites Elz on to discuss the release of their debut book did I tell You What Happened? a fragmented memoir, living & writing in Oxford, MS, the role writing plays to communicate and navigate Bipolar Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder, why we still have the need for genres, and so much more.

82. Scratching Beyond Kerouac’s Surface w/ Saloni Srivastava & David O’Connor

In the final special episode celebrating American author Jack Kerouac’s centennial birthday, Dan invites Advanced PhD scholar of American Literature Saloni Srivastava & Poet David O’Connor to talk about the all-consuming meditative power of driving on the road, living at The Kerouac house in Orlando, FL, the spiritual depth of Kerouac’s writing, seeking one’s lineage, and a whole lot more. This is an episode that virtually traversed many timezones to happen.

Listen to the first Kerouac episode: 80. Celebrating Jack Kerouac’s 100th Birthday w/ Tim Hernandez & Nate Jordan

Listen to the second Kerouac episode: 81. Honoring Kerouac’s Impact on American Poetry w/ S.A. Griffin & Richard Modiano

81. Honoring Jack Kerouac’s Impact on American Poetry w/ S.A. Griffin & Richard Modiano

In the second of three special episodes celebrating Kerouac’s 100th birthday, Dan invited S.A. Griffin & Richard Modiano to talk about Kerouac’s contribution to American poetry, his haiku mastery, spiritual questing, the challenge of adapting Kerouac’s novels on film, and so much more.

Listen to the first Kerouac episode: 80. Celebrating Jack Kerouac’s 100th Birthday w/ Tim Hernandez & Nate Jordan

80. Celebrating Jack Kerouac’s 100th Birthday w/ Tim Hernandez & Nate Jordan

In honor of Jack Kerouac’s 100th birthday, Dan invited writers and fellow Naropa alumni Tim Hernandez & Nate Jordan to talk about how Kerouac influenced their writing & personal journeys. They discuss Tim’s 2013 novel about Bea Franco (Terry/”The Mexican Girl” from On the Road) Mañana Means Heaven, understanding the influence of the published Joan Anderson Letter (2020) on Kerouac’s writing style, the importance of Neal Cassady, Kerouac the spiritual and knowledge seeker, and so much more.

This is the first of three special Kerouac episodes being released this month.

79. Being in Isolation with Tara Bradway

In Episode 79, Dan Dissinger is joined by Guest Host Danielle Lee to talk to Saint John’s University alum Tara Bradway about life after the PhD, the complex issues facing contingent faculty, the challenges of being the artistic director of the Adirondack Shakespeare Company during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact of isolation on mental health.

78. Writing Movie Trailers with Brandon Martin

In Episode 78, we talk to screenwriter Brandon Martin about transitioning from working as a touring musician to writing movie trailers, creating a comic strip during quarantine, finding inspiration in life experiences and other artistic pursuits, and selling his first movie script for -$100.

We share a couple of announcements at the beginning of the episode, including the news that Writing Remix was awarded the 2021 John Lovas Award by Kairos for Outstanding Online Project in Writing Studies! If you want to jump straight to the episode, skip to 4:55.

Brandon Martin is an award-winning copywriter and screenwriter and an American Music Award-nominated musician. His hobbies include double-neck guitars, bingeing Vulfpeck videos on Youtube, (fitness) boxing, and watching any movie or TV series involving three-or-more ninjas. He is represented by Leyla Kader Dahm at Zero Gravity Entertainment.

Learn more at Brandon’s website and be sure to check out his animated web series, Gnat & Tina: Episode 1, Episode 2, and Episode 3.

People and Texts Mentioned in the Episode

Some links may be affiliate links, which at no additional cost to you help to fund The Writing Remix. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

“I decided that writing was really what I wanted to do because I loved the idea of depending on myself for my future, as opposed to depending on a drummer.” -Brandon Martin
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“When you make decisions that are in line with who you are, these doors open that you would never have even imagined.” -Brandon Martin
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“[Making movie trailers] is more involved than anyone would imagine.” -Brandon Martin
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“We work the hardest on bad movies or TV shows.” -Brandon Martin
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“[Writing trailer scripts] is a really great job for someone who wants to be a screenwriter.” -Brandon Martin
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“Writing is like a muscle that you learn to flex.” -Brandon Martin
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“You want to learn and learn and learn so you can then forget.” -Brandon Martin
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“For me, [writing] is just a stepwise journey of internalizing.” -Brandon Martin
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“Everything informs everything, so I try to just keep being creative always.” -Brandon Martin
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“It’s the tiny little moments that really inspire me more than the big ones.” -Brandon Martin
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“Chase your dreams. Lose $100.” -Brandon Martin
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“This city is filled with jobs you never knew existed.” -Brandon Martin
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This episode was recorded on January 10, 2022. Because we recorded via Zoom, there may be occasional audio hiccups. Our theme song is “4 am” by Makaih Beats. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher and follow us on Twitter @WritingRemixPod.