125. Inspired Belonging: Being Unashamed During Mental Health Awareness Month w/ Angela Franklin

Content WarningThis episode deals with discussions of Domestic Violence, PTSD, Depression, Schizophrenia & Suicide Ideation. If you or someone you know is struggling: On this special Mental Health Awareness episode of Inspired Belonging on Writing Remix, Daniel & Stephanie Renee Payne talk to the LA-based poet, essayist, visual artist, and documentarian Angela Franklin. Their openContinue reading “125. Inspired Belonging: Being Unashamed During Mental Health Awareness Month w/ Angela Franklin”

124. LIVE! From The LA Kerouac Festival at Typewriters Anonymous: The Kerouac We Ignore w/ Daniel Dissinger

Daniel Dissinger recorded live from Typewriters Anonymous to give the keynote talk at the LA Kerouac Festival on April 18th, 2026. His talk, “The Kerouac We Ignore,” opens a much-needed conversation into Kerouac’s pre-On the Road work and introduces a nuanced analysis of father-son relationships, masculinity, vocational identity, and Kerouac’s lifelong search for love, bothContinue reading “124. LIVE! From The LA Kerouac Festival at Typewriters Anonymous: The Kerouac We Ignore w/ Daniel Dissinger”

123. A Joyful Poetry Resistance w/ Alexis Jaimes

Writing Remix is kicking off National Poetry Month with poet & educator from Orange County Alexis Jaimes. This episode explores the connection and close affection Alexis has for Santa Ana. He discusses the misrepresentation of Santa Ana and sets the record straight by celebrating and highlighting the depth of its culture, from food to artContinue reading “123. A Joyful Poetry Resistance w/ Alexis Jaimes”

120. Finding the Light w/ Caroline Reddy

Daniel Dissinger dives deep into a conversation on finding the light with poetry in all of the darkness in the world, in ourselves, and from traumas in our pasts with Reiki Master, Librarian, and Poet Caroline Reddy. This is an episode that celebrates the power of poetry and language and how people can be broughtContinue reading “120. Finding the Light w/ Caroline Reddy”

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 PunkContinue reading “116. Walking with Dan: Podcasting, Creativity, & AI”

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 fromContinue reading “115. Inspired Belonging: Diving into the Work of bell hooks”

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

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.

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. TheyContinue reading “110. Introducing Inspired Belonging”

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 fromContinue reading “108. Exploring Civility, Discourse, & Hope w/ Dr. Danielle Lee”