Shows
FomentFoment: DIY Artist ResidenciesEpisode Notes
In this episode, Christina and Albert share stories from the time they accidentally created an artist residency program at Mt Caz -- and imagine other ways we can DIY retreats and residencies in more creatives' lives.
Inspiration:
Mt Caz Artist Residencies
Wayward Retreats
Empty House Art Lab
Artist Residency in Motherhood
Jenny Odell Recology residency
Beth Grossman's Block by Block residencies
Piney Wood Atlas
If you want to offer Albert an artist residency, or take them up on beta-testing their dishwashing residency, email us at koanprops at gmail dot com!
If...
2026-01-2248 minFomentFoment: PlayEpisode Notes
In this episode, Albert and Christina talk about the importance of play, and what keeps us from play.
telepoem
katy chen mazzara money coach
LIFT economy life design
hadassah damien on fear and enough
punished by rewards by alfie kohn
teachers in play: elsa menendez / anthony rocco / lea redmond / come out and play festival
more books: pleasure activism by adrienne maree brown, joyful militancy by carla bergman and Nick Montgomery
bread and puppet
youtube video about breaking social media addiction by replacing consumption with creativity
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2025-09-2550 minFomentQuestioning: Philosophical frameworks for anticapitalist artistsShow Notes
In this episode, Christina and Albert toss around questions about patronage for artists and wonder about a philosophical framework for anticapitalists working under capitalism. Christina is uncertain about a lot.
We hope to do more episodes in future with more possibility models.
Some things mentioned:
LIFT's Next Economy Living course
Matthew Desmond's book Poverty, by America
To support Albert, check out their new collective endeavor Many World
To support Christina, subscribe to her Patreon
Support Foment by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar...
2025-07-2737 min
FomentFoment: Yogurt Coops (and Meal Coops and Asparagus Coops too!)Yogurt Coops!
In this episode, Albert and Christina wax poetic about yogurt coops, and other types of microsolidarity coops such as meals coops and asparagus coops.
Shownotes:
Mid-Valley Yogurt Coop (a FAQ doc we used for recruiting)
Yogurt coop zine, including recipe! (print it double-sided, fold it in four)
Somerville Yogurt Coop
Meals Coop zine
If you have questions about cooperative housing or micro-solidarity experiments that you'd like us to answer in future podcast episodes, email them to koanprops@gmail.com!
To support our podcast, give us a tip us per...
2025-06-1342 minFomentFoment: Thinking aloud about why we keep tryingEpisode Notes
In this episode, Albert and Christina discuss why they keep practicing towards liberation, and the role of hope or despair or right-sized power during these times. This one's more a meandering conversation, as we try to figure it out ourselves.
Shownotes: this episode, we mention a lot of books without going deep into them, but here are the ones mentioned in case you want to dive further in!
"We Don't Get There Without the Shared Struggle" -- Mariame Kaba and Kelly Hayes on the podcast Millennials Are Killing Capitalism talking about hope
...
2025-05-1750 minFomentFoment: De-G your Gmail (bonus)Episode Notes
In this bonus mini-episode, Albert shares his experience switching away from Gmail...and chides us about resisting a little bit of friction in our lives. X'D
Show Notes
Email Debt Forgiveness Day
Kill the Newsletter (turn an email newsletter into an RSS feed)
YK Hong's "De-Google Your Life" series
2010-era digital sabbaticals
Support Foment by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/foment
Find out more at https://foment.pinecast.co
2025-04-1907 minFomentFoment: Moving Away from Big TechEpisode Notes
In this episode, Albert and Christina talk about moving away from dependency on corporate tech platforms to more values-aligned alternatives, as a way to build resistance muscles and remember our own agency. We share our personal stories, friction points, and possibilities for de-enshittification.
Show Notes:
Cory Doctorow on 'enshittification' (original article)
Anarchist calisthenics
"The convenience you demanded is now mandatory" (meme)
YK Hong's series on "De-Googling Your Life"
Step-by-step checklist from Opt Out Project to do your own cyber cleanse in a less overwhelming way
Tech platform alternatives from progressivetech.org
"Off...
2025-03-2150 minFomentFoment: Community Land TrustsChristina and Albert answer a friend's question: "I was wondering if you could point me to any good resources for learning about how community land trusts work."
Notes, Links, & Resources:
Jessica Gordon Nembhard's book Collective CourageSustainable Economy Law Center, and their work around Permanent Real Estate Cooperatives (PRECs) Resources to Rethink HomeOnline Legal CafésEBPRECArticle: "Are we diluting the mission of Community Land Trusts?"NASCO (resources for starting coop houses)(not mentioned in episode, but the book Creating a Life Together by Diana Leafe Christian)
If you have questions for us about radical h...
2025-02-1840 minFomentFoment: Mutual Aid + Revolutionary CongregationsIn this episode, Albert and Christina discuss revolutionary congregations, mutual aid in the aftermath of the LA wildfires in Jan 2025, and other spaces where people can show up as their whole selves.Shownote LinksCrimethinc's call for Festivals of Resistance in the lead-up to Trump's inauguration"Revolutionary Congregation" by Jeremy Souza (email albert for the PDF lol)Mutual Aid LA NetworkThe Lavender Collective (their 1-pager bottom liner basics)Buddhist Peace Fellowship's Block-Build-Be framework (an inspiring adaptation from Wildseed Society)Ayni Institute's Movement Ecology frameworkAuthors we reference: Kropotkin, David Graeber, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, and Mariame Kaba
2025-02-1643 min
FomentEpisode 17: Amateur HourIn this episode, Albert, Christina, and Aranea discuss the beginner's mindset and the value of approaching things with passion and curiosity.
2020-02-0544 min
FomentGet Back in the RiverThis week, an experiment: an audio essay for whenever you may be feeling adrift in your creative process.
2020-01-1506 min
FomentEpisode 16: Artists AdriftIn this episode, Christina, Aranea, and artist-in-residence Lulu look for anything to help us when we are feeling adrift in our creative process.
2020-01-0146 min
2019-12-0201 min
FomentEpisode 15: Question-driven and Learner-DirectedIn this episode, four non-masters question the conundrum of power, equity, and education through stores over tea.
2019-11-151h 01
FomentEpisode 14: Art for HealingIn this episode, Christina talks with resident artists Donna and Kaori about the process and challenges of making art for healing trauma.
2019-11-011h 01
FomentEpisode 13: Plenitude and AbundanceIn this episode, Albert, Christina and Aranea discuss abundance and how practicing and attitude of plenty is necessary for creating community.
2019-10-1654 min
FomentEpisode 12: Grassroots Event Production - An Open DebriefIn this episode Aranea, Albert and Christina do a debrief of the Public Domain Variety Show, a recent event hosted at Mt. Caz. They share lessons they've learned about grassroots and amateur event production.
2019-09-1958 min
FomentEpisode 11: Randomly Stumbling into Unexpected Conversations"Trust me: I’m going to send you to a random place." In this episode, Aranea, Albert, Christina, and visiting artist Danielle Baskin talk about the value of random encounters and pranks in the creative process -- with surprise guest Dori!
2019-09-021h 04
FomentEpisode 10: Quotidian PoetryIn this episode Albert, Christina, Aranea and artist-in-residence Will Rogers discuss poetry and the value of paying attention and finding pleasure in the quotidian (everyday things).
2019-08-1651 min
FomentEpisode 9: Is it Real? Does it Matter?In this episode, Aranea, Albert, Christina, and artist-in-residence Matteo sit down for a conversation about the ethics of sharing information when creating fictional realities, and the responsibilities that designers have to their audiences.
2019-08-011h 07
FomentEpisode 8: "Lil Roleplay Bag"Hop into the lil roleplay bag with us. In this episode, Laura, Brian, Albert, Michael, and Aranea discuss the spectrum of roleplaying games and the creativity involved in playing and designing them.
2019-07-0148 min
FomentEpisode 7: "Sharing Art is Integral to Being Human"In this episode Nathan, Albert, Christina and Aranea talk about the "I did a thing!" feeling. That feeling of satisfaction that comes from sharing a thing in person.
2019-06-0244 min
FomentEpisode 6: "Finding Inspiration is a Practice"In this episode Brian, Albert, Aranea and artist-in-residence Ahran discuss the relationship between motivation and inspiration, and the tribulations therein.
2019-05-1641 min
FomentEpisode 5: Delicate LinesFollow our "book club" conversation, responding to our viewing of Meow Wolf: Origin Story, from grungy art outsiders to powerhouse installation producers.
2019-05-0239 min
FomentEpisode 4: "Don't Forget the Joy"In this episode, Aranea, Christina, and artist-in-residence Ahran discuss their creative processes and the growing pains of building new ones.
2019-04-1648 min
FomentEpisode 3: "Your mileage may vary"In episode 3, Alisha, Aranea, Albert, Christina, and Mt Caz artist-in-residence Alex Roberts discuss rhythms of being and escaping the cult of productivity.
2019-03-0454 min
FomentEpisode 2: "The Power of Naming Something Makes It Real"In this episode, Albert, Aranea, Alisha, and Christina talk about the origins of the name 'Dispatches from Mt. Caz' and the power of language to manifest realities.
2019-02-1657 min
FomentEpisode 1: IntroductionsIn our introductory episode, we introduce ourselves and Mt. Caz. We discuss making stuff for the sake of making stuff, the catalyzing energy of creative community, and the seasons of an artist's life.
2019-02-0152 min