Shows
Part of the Practice23: Foundations of a Practice with Alicia GrullónArtist and activist Alicia Grullón (SPCUNY Faculty Fellow 2022-23) joins host Catherine LaSota on this episode to discuss the foundations of her own practice as a socially-engaged artist, including her background in acting and her continued interest in the concept of "backstage." Alicia and Catherine also talk about the ways that our relationships to people and places affect our experience of time, and Alicia shares some information about her Percent for Green project, which addresses climate change and environmental injustices.FULL TRANSCRIPT of Episode 23 available here.A...
2025-10-1540 min
Feed the Art16: ScaffoldingWhat kinds of supports and rules around your practice do you need in order to be your most creative self? When do containers and restraints for your practice help you to take the next step with confidence, and when do they stop you in your tracks? In this solo episode, Catherine LaSota compares your creative project to a construction site and shares some thoughts on how to set up the best scaffolding to get that project built.Thanks for listening to Feed the Art!Learn more about Catherine LaSota's offerings as a creativity coach...
2025-10-0914 min
Part of the Practice22: Being in Our Bodies with Floor GrootenhuisOur second episode of season two brings you a conversation with Floor Grootenhuis, a 2022-23 Social Practice CUNY Faculty Fellow. Floor chats with host Catherine LaSota about blood and breath and embodiment. They discuss her Ask a Parasite project with the Department of Biological Sciences at CUNY's Hunter College, where she partners with biologists to bring science and art closer to the public, and the work she does as a teacher at Hunter College, where she brings movement into the classroom.FULL TRANSCRIPT of Episode 22 available here....
2025-10-0129 min
Feed the Art15: Give Yourself a Medal with Jennifer PastiloffOk, so the guest on today's episode actually says, "Give yourself an f-ing medal," but we kept the title of the episode slightly more PG-rated! Jennifer Pastiloff joins host Catherine LaSota to talk about her new book Proof of Life, as well as her philosophies for living and creating, such as The School of Whatever Works, and ways to talk down your Inner Asshole. This is a conversation to listen to if you could use some reassurance that just being is more important than always doing. You'll catch some handy reminders to drop into your body and...
2025-09-2542 min
City Cast MadisonDairy Drive’s End, Madisonians Bid for Governor, & Raises for the School BoardThe movers and shakers of our hamlet are moving and shaking this week! The Madison City Council voted to close down Dairy Drive, some local politicians are throwing their hat into the race for Governor, plus school board members are considering giving themselves a raise. Host Bianca Martin, producer Jade Iseri-Ramos and newsletter editor Rob Thomas recap it all, plus explain what you need to do to enter to win our True North Music & Food Festival giveaway!
Mentioned on the show:
Madison Common Council Votes On the Future of the Dairy Drive Homeless Campground [WMTV]
2025-09-1928 min
Part of the Practice21: Conversations as Art with Nora AlmeidaIt's our first episode of season two! 2021-22 SPCUNY Faculty Fellow Nora Almeida joins host Catherine LaSota to talk about environmental activism, urban swimming, and the subversion of different spaces in Nora’s practices. They also discuss the many forms of life in the city and ponder the question: "What do we do with all of the stuff that we collect?"FULL TRANSCRIPT of Episode 21 available here.About our guest:Nora Almeida is an urban swimmer, social practice and performance artist, ed...
2025-09-1734 minCity Cast MadisonBig Apartment Proposals, Metro Contract Talks, and West High Swims Into ControversyNine months into the year without a contract the City of Madison and the union that represents Madison Metro Transit workers are closing in on a deal. The City Cast Madison team breaks down that news, along with two proposed 16-story student apartment buildings, and complaints against West High School’s officials over cuts to its swim team. Executive producer Hayley Sperling, newsletter editor Rob Thomas, and producer Jade Iseri-Ramos have all the local news you need this week.
Mentioned on the show:
16-story building proposed for iconic Porta Bella location [Wisconsin State Journal]Stu...
2025-09-1235 min
Feed the Art14: Be Your Own DaddyThis is an episode about becoming the authority in your own creative practice. There are so many stories out there about what it "should" mean to be a creative person. Stop chasing the paths and habits of other writers and artists, and build your own creative practice -- a practice that is built from your values, capacities, and interests...a practice that you can love and stay committed to, and that will support your best and most aligned creative projects!As always, Catherine offers some reflection prompts for your journal so you can continue to...
2025-09-1120 minCity Cast MadisonYour Guide to September 2025 in MadisonCrisp air, Badgers games, and fall vibes have reached Madison, which can only mean one thing: September is here! As we transition from summer into fall, host Bianca Martin, producer Jade Iseri-Ramos, and newsletter editor Rob Thomas are bringing you our top picks for the month. We’re hopping on our bikes, catching some classic cinema, and celebrating Oktoberfest this September. Plus, now’s the perfect time to dive into fiber arts. Check out Bianca’s conversation with Gael Boyd to learn more.
For even more tips on how to make the most of September in Madison, check o...
2025-09-0238 minCity Cast MadisonMinneapolis School Shooting, Police Remove Downtown Encampment, and More Funding for Stray AnimalsThis week, the City Cast Madison team is talking about Madison’s ties to the Minneapolis school shooting, updates to the Dane County Humane Society’s stray animal contract, and the removal of a downtown homeless encampment. Host Bianca Martin talks with producer Jade Iseri-Ramos and newsletter editor Rob Thomas about these heavy news topics, plus the hiring of Madison's new police chief. Wrapping things up on a brighter note, Rob tries to stump the team with a quiz about UW-Madison slang.
Mentioned on the show:
The Clock Is Ticking For the Dane County Humane Soci...
2025-08-2932 min
Feed the Art13: Making Space for Magic with Cody Cook-ParrottThe wonderful, multi-faceted Cody Cook-Parrott joins Catherine LaSota in conversation for this episode of Feed the Art. Cody shares some of the magic of their Landscapes writing group (which you can join!), as well as what it it is like to be a "person of the internet" and a person who holds space for creativity and community. Catherine and Cody get into what it means to trust yourself in your creative practice, the importance of friendships and a support team, and the fact that you absolutely do not have to have monetize everything in your life that...
2025-08-2842 minCity Cast MadisonF-35 Sound Plan on Pause, UW Basketball Lawsuit, and Madison’s Chef of the YearHappy Fri-yay! The City Cast team is rounding up this week’s top stories. Host Bianca Martin talks with executive producer Hayley Sperling and producer Jade Iseri-Ramos about UW women’s basketball players suing their former coach, the airport putting F-35 sound mitigation on hold, and a favorite Willy Street restaurant closing. Plus, Bianca took a turn in the guest seat this week on the radio talk show A Public Affair on WORT 89.9 FM.
Mentioned on the show:
2025 Madison Magazine Chef of the Year Evan Dannells on City Cast Madison [City Cast Madison]U.S. Depar...
2025-08-2229 minCity Cast MadisonTips For Living Your Best Madison LifeWhether you’ve lived here for two years or 20, there’s always something new to learn about living in Madison. From getting the right winter gear to joining a CSA to finding a clean bathroom downtown, we’ve got some serious insider tips for making the most of Madison. Host Bianca Martin sits down with City Cast Madison producer Jade Iseri-Ramos and Madison Minutes newsletter editor Rob Thomas to share their secrets.
👋 Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram!
📧 You can...
2025-08-2025 min
Feed the Art12: Give Yourself CreditDo you feel like all of your time is slipping by, and you can't figure out why you haven't gotten around to finishing that creative project yet? We often forget to acknowledge all of the many things that we are doing in our lives, day after day. In this solo episode, Catherine encourages you to zoom out and take stock of your commitments, as well as honor the things that you do and may discredit as just being "easy." This episode ends with some reflection prompts that you can bring to your journal, to help you remember to give...
2025-08-1418 minCity Cast MadisonICE Fights Sheriff, Housing Woes, and It’s Another Packed Weekend in MadisonHappy Friday, Madison! Executive producer Hayley Sperling is joined by producer Jade Iseri-Ramos and Madison Minutes newsletter editor Rob Thomas to round up the news of the week. Today we’re digging into the rift between the Dane County Sheriff and ICE, how funding troubles might impact Madison’s new permanent men’s shelter, and the details on this weekend’s packed schedule around town. Plus, want to put host Bianca Martin in a dunk tank? Here’s your chance!
Mentioned on the show:
Developer plans more than 200 apartments on old Oscar Mayer parking lot [Wisconsin...
2025-08-0834 minCity Cast MadisonWho’s Running for Governor, Mallards and Night Mares are HOT, and Is Churchkey Open?Happy August, Madison! We’re kicking off the new month with a Friday news roundup to catch you up on what’s happening. City Cast Madison host Bianca Martin is joined by Madison Minutes newsletter editor Rob Thomas and producer Jade Iseri-Ramos to talk about the race for Wisconsin governor, the closure and then re-opening of Madison bar Churchkey, and championship dreams for the Mallards, Night Mares, and Brewers. Plus, do you love the ‘90s and want to be in an upcoming film? Here’s your chance.
Mentioned on the show:
How the Mallards Threw Madison a...
2025-08-0125 min
Feed the Art11: Spinning All the Plates with Tawny LaraTawny Lara is an author, an entrepreneur, a teacher, a podcaster, and so much more. How does she manage all of these creative projects, and what has she learned about balance, self care, and seeking the support she needs over the years? Listen in to this conversation between Tawny and Catherine LaSota for lots of tips and suggestions for anyone who is juggling a lot, plus learn more than you probably ever needed to know about Capricorns...About our guest:Tawny Lara, AKA, The Sober Sexpert, has reported on the sober curious...
2025-07-3132 min
Feed the Art10: CapacityIn this solo episode, Catherine LaSota talks about the ways that we need to be resourced in our lives in addition to having enough time to make art. How are you honoring and supporting your mental capacity, emotional capacity, and physical capacity? This episode offers you the permission to be gentle with yourself when your creative practice seems stalled, and offers some reflection questions for investigating your own capacities and needs, so that you can show up in your creative practice as resourced as possible.Thanks for listening to Feed the Art!Learn more...
2025-07-1720 minCity Cast MadisonDo You Live in A House With A Racial Covenant?If you rent or own a house in the Madison area, your home may have a discriminatory racial covenant in its deed. Dane County officials have identified around 4,000 properties with deeds that have outdated language prohibiting people from certain races and ethnic backgrounds from buying or freely occupying the property. To better understand this issue, host Bianca Martin talks to producer Jade Iseri-Ramos about her recent experience amending her own home’s deed and denouncing its racial covenant. Then Bianca speaks to the executive director of the Dane County Historical Society, Rick Bernstein, about the history of this racist ho...
2025-07-1433 minCity Cast MadisonUW Hikes Tuition (Again), State Board Rips City Clerk, and the Buildings that Made Madison.Hey, ho, let’s go! It’s Friday, which means the City Cast Madison team is rounding up the news of the week. First of all, producer Jade Iseri-Ramos digs into a scathing report from the Wisconsin Elections Commission about the Madison City Clerk’s office. Then, newsletter editor Rob Thomas crunches the numbers on the UW-Madison’s budget and new tuition increase. Finally, host Bianca Martin celebrates an artist and an architect who in their own ways make Madison a beautiful place.
Mentioned on the show:
Missing Madison ballots “unconscionable” and a “profound f...
2025-07-1126 min
Feed the Art09: Mentorship, Jealousy, and Writing an Artist with Lydi ConklinIn this episode, writer Lydi Conklin chats with host Catherine LaSota about their first novel, Song of No Provenance (Catapult, 2025), and the many themes explored in this book: artists in community, teaching, mentorship, jealousy, creative competition, and, ultimately, the relationship of an artist (and the public) to their artwork and the artmaking process. Tune in to learn not only about Lydi's own process in making this book, but also for a wonderful and informative conversation on what it means to grow as an artist and build a creative life!About our guest:Lydi...
2025-07-0337 minCity Cast MadisonReimagining State Street, July 4th Festivities, and Name That Flamingo!Surprise! The City Cast Madison team is here to give you a MIDWEEK round up of the news. Host Bianca Martin chats with producer Jade Iseri-Ramos and Madison Minutes newsletter editor Rob Thomas about a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision regarding UW nurses, potential changes coming to State Street, and Independence Day Celebrations. Plus, we try our hand at naming flamingos. Mentioned on the show:
Wisconsin Supreme Court Expect to Rule Wednesday on 1849 Abortion Ban [WPR]Where to See Fireworks in Madison [Cap Times]
2015 Removal of Philosophers Stones [Isthmus]Wanna talk to us...
2025-07-0232 min
Feed the Art08: Reflecting on Creativity with Astrologer Anthony PerrottaAstrologer and self-described "multi-faceted everything and anything you need me to be" (and absolutely wonderful human) Anthony Perrotta talks with host Catherine LaSota about the relationship between creativity and astrology, and about the power of reflecting back on our creative practice as we move forward. Listen in for some permission on following your creative urges, giving your projects the time, space, and grace they need, and so much more.If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to check out our upcoming online workshop with Anthony!:THE CREATIVE RETROGRADE on July 17, 2025 at 7...
2025-06-1943 min
Feed the Art07: Becoming the Creator You Are with Maria BowlerWhat is the difference between producing and creating? How can we build a creative life for ourselves that pushes back against the demands of society and capitalism that tell us we must always be doing, rather than making? And what does it mean to be an artist when you aren't producing anything at all? Join host Catherine LaSota for a wide-ranging conversation with fellow writer and creativity coach Maria Bowler, about Maria's wonderful book Making Time: A New Vision for Crafting a Life Beyond Productivity. Catherine and Maria discuss a range of topics to help nourish your...
2025-06-0552 minCity Cast MadisonNurses Strike, Missing Boater Recovered, New Building Developments in BloomIt may have been a shortened week but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a newsy one! The City Cast Madison team is here for the Friday news roundup to fill you in on the stories you need to know. Host Bianca Martin has the latest on the historic UnityPoint Health - Meriter nurses strike. Producer Jade Iseri-Ramos gives a sobering update on the search for a missing boater on Lake Monona. And executive producer Hayley Sperling gives the scoop on some new apartments popping up around town.
Mentioned on the show:
Mad...
2025-05-3031 minCity Cast MadisonNurses Set to Strike, Exciting Local Groundbreakings, and Election Season Already?!Buckle up because it’s time for another Friday news roundup! The City Cast Madison podcast team is here to break down the biggest local stories of the week. Producer Jade Iseri-Ramos has news on some exciting new construction around town, including a new 911 operations center and the Imagination Center. Executive producer Hayley Sperling has the latest on the impending nurses’ strike. And host Bianca Martin brings us into election season with Judge Chris Taylor’s announcement that she’s running for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Mentioned on the show:
Madison Public Library’s 150th Anniversary...
2025-05-2327 min
Feed the Art06: Creative RelationshipIn this solo episode, Catherine shares her thoughts on treating your connection with your creative practice as a relationship. What can we learn from the important, long-term human relationships in our lives, and how can we take these learnings and apply them to how we approach our creative practice? What happens at different stages of our relationship with our creative practice, and how can we set expectations for that relationship? Most importantly, how can we tend to ourselves and our creative practice in ways that will keep our relationship with our art strong, long-lasting, and loving?...
2025-05-2218 minCity Cast MadisonTake a Trip to Another Dimension at Dr. Evermor's Sculpture ParkIt’s Tuesday, and we’re taking Must See Madison on the road! Producer Jade Iseri-Ramos is on a mission to experience some of the best day trips Wisconsin has to offer. Her first stop? Dr. Evermor's Sculpture Park in Sauk County. Host Bianca Martin caught up with Jade after her trip to get the details.
Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We’re also on Instagram!
Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newslet...
2025-05-2028 min
Part of the Practice20: Art and Freedom with Tao Leigh GoffeOn our final episode of season one of Part of the Practice, writer, theorist, and interdisciplinary artist Tao Leigh Goffe is in conversation with host Catherine LaSota about art, freedom, and her project Dark Laboratory, located at Hunter College CUNY. Tao talks about her book Dark Laboratory: On Columbus, the Caribbean, and the Origins of the Climate Crisis, and about the importance of asking questions that you don't have answers to. Tao's brand new human, affectionately referred to as Dragon Baby, joins the conversation, too!FULL TRANSCRIPT of Episode 20 available here
2025-05-1429 min
Feed the Art05: How Friends Save Us with Lilly DancygerThis episode of Feed the Art brings you a conversation that host Catherine LaSota had with writer Lilly Dancyger in the summer of 2024, about Lilly's book First Love: Essays on Friendship (The Dial Press, 2024). Catherine and Lilly talk about the importance of being witnessed by fellow writers, showing up for your identity as an artist, writing into difficult material, and more. They discuss the structure of First Love and its interwoven threads, as well as Lilly's process of moving deeper into the work by questioning her own places of resistance. This is a wide-ranging and heartfelt conversation...
2025-05-0841 min
Part of the Practice19: Citation Needed with Cristina Ferrigno and Ari WolffThis is a special episode about Social Practice CUNY connections and collaborations! Host Catherine LaSota chats with Ari Wolff (SPCUNY Student Fellow 2022-23) and Cristina Ferrigno (SPCUNY Student Fellow 2021-22) about their project Citation Needed, where Ari is Founder and Director, and Cristina is Studio Director. This conversation is about finding the partners and communities that lift you up, the importance of meeting together across experiences and generations, combining your skill sets, and so much more.FULL TRANSCRIPT of Episode 19 available here.About...
2025-04-3038 minCity Cast MadisonUW Pushes Back on Trump, Van Gogh Mystery, and Weekend Road ClosuresTGIF! We made it to the end of another week, which means the City Cast Madison team is here to round up the news. This week, we welcome a special guest, Wisconsin Public Radio Producer Richelle Wilson. Richelle brings a story about a possible long lost Van Gogh painting discovered at a Minnesota garage sale and the UW professor that was tapped to help determine its legitimacy. Executive Producer Hayley Sperling tells us about the letter UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin signed condemning political interference in higher education. And Producer Jade Iseri-Ramos fills us in about the Mifflin Street Block...
2025-04-2537 min
Feed the Art04: Own Your PowerHow can we connect to our creative practice in times that are filled with great challenges? When life and the world seem to be in a state of permacrisis, your connection to your art can be disrupted or interrupted. While this can feel unsettling, it is natural for your art making to go through cycles that look different over time. How can we take care of ourselves and respond to the current moment? Host Catherine LaSota offers this brief solo episode with some ideas and prompts for navigating your relationship with creativity during times of upheaval....
2025-04-2418 min
Part of the Practice18: Being a Disruptor with Emily RaboteauEnvironmental writer, teacher, and parent Emily Raboteau is in conversation with host Catherine LaSota on this episode of Part of the Practice. Emily, who teaches creative writing as a professor in the Black Studies Department at the City College of New York (CUNY), talks about the genesis of her book Lessons for Survival: Mothering Against "The Apocalypse," and how her definition of "environmental writer" evolved after reading an essay by the writer Camille Dungy. Emily also discusses the role of public art in her practice, as well as the importance of speaking up about the things we...
2025-04-1629 min
Feed the Art03: Time, Desire, and the Self as a Character with Tracy O'NeillThis episode of Feed the Art brings you a conversation that host Catherine LaSota had with writer Tracy O'Neill in August 2024, about Tracy's memoir Woman of Interest (HarperOne, 2024). Catherine and Tracy talk about epigraphs, a writer's relationship to time, and the motivations for writing a book, among other topics. They discuss some of the themes of Woman of Interest and the way that Tracy develops characters in her writing, when the characters are herself and her friends. There is a lot to learn here, both about Tracy's creative process and ways to think about the life of a writer!
2025-04-1041 min
Part of the Practice17: Climate Justice and Social Movements with Ashley DawsonAuthor, scholar, and activist Ashley Dawson is in conversation with host Catherine LaSota on this episode of Part of the Practice. Ashley, who is a Distinguished Professor at the City University of New York, talks about how his training in postcolonial studies and as a literary critic led to his work dealing with the struggle against climate injustice and ecological imperialism. Ashley discusses how he developed a relationship with South Bronx Unite, among other groups fighting for climate justice, and he also talks with Catherine about the importance of soil as an intricate ecosystem, and what human...
2025-04-0233 min
Feed the Art02: Tarot as a Creative ToolOn our second episode of Feed the Art, host Catherine LaSota dives into her relationship with tarot and shares some of the ways she uses tarot cards in her creative practice and in support of other artists. Catherine talks about the books, teachers, podcasts, and rituals that have helped her developed a relationship to her tarot decks, and she pulls one card and offers a interpretation on how to interpret this card as a guide for creativity. This episode ends with three prompts that you can take to your own tarot...
2025-03-2725 min
Part of the Practice16: Space Making with Nic BenacerrafFacilitator, educator, and scholar Nic Benacerraf is in conversation with host Catherine LaSota on this episode of Part of the Practice. Nic, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in the Theatre and Performance program at the Graduate Center, CUNY, talks about their work with multidisciplinary group Edge Effect, as well as their history of facilitation work and identification as a space maker -- and how this impacts their approach to directing. Catherine and Nic discuss the power of thinking and working in diverse communities, and how a collective experience of grief and ritual can actually be a...
2025-03-1927 min
Feed the Art01: JournalingIt's our first episode of Feed the Art! In this episode, host Catherine LaSota shares one of her favorite tools in her creative practice: journaling. Catherine talks about the role that journaling has played in her own life and offers three suggestions to keep in mind when developing your own journaling practice. She also provides two prompts at the end of the episode, to get the words flowing on your journal pages.Thanks for listening to Feed the Art!Learn more about Catherine LaSota's offerings as a creativity...
2025-03-1316 min
Part of the Practice15: Relationality and Intersubjectivity with Jess BalResearcher, educator, and photographer Jess Bal is in conversation with host Catherine LaSota on this episode of Part of the Practice. Jess, who is pursuing her Ph.D. in Art History at the Graduate Center, CUNY, and working on a community memory project about labor organizing in U.S. newsrooms, discusses her work in photojournalism, her thoughts on documentary ethics, and her ongoing relationship to storytelling. We also ask the question, "What is truth?"FULL TRANSCRIPT of Episode 15 available here.About our guest:Jessica...
2025-03-0528 minCity Cast MadisonPrimary Results, Evers’ Budget, and Troubles for Black SeniorsIt’s time for another Friday news roundup! This week, host Bianca Martin is joined by executive producer Hayley Sperling and producer Jade Iseri-Ramos. The team digs into results from this week’s primary election, key takeaways from Gov. Tony Evers’ budget address, progress at the Center for Black Excellence and Culture, and complaints from some of Madison’s Black senior citizens.Mentioned on the show:Madison city council incumbents survive in low turnout primary [Isthmus]Gov. Tony Evers' budget calls for tax cuts, protection against 'needless chaos' of Trump policies [Wisconsin State Journal...
2025-02-2132 min
Part of the Practice14: Field Notes and Spaces of Intelligence with Chloe SmolarskiArtist and educator Chloe Smolarski is in conversation with host Catherine LaSota on this episode of Part of the Practice. Chloe, who teaches at New York City College of Technology CUNY and is a Faculty Fellow at Social Practice CUNY, discusses her use of field notes as a format in her practice, her interests in big tech and climate change, and the conversations that she enjoys in her classrooms. She also gives us the question, "How does social practice change art?"FULL TRANSCRIPT of Episode 14 available here.Ab...
2025-02-1922 min
Part of the Practice13: Vocabulary Across Media with Jaclyn ReyesArtist and researcher Jaclyn Reyes is in conversation with host Catherine LaSota on this episode of Part of the Practice. Jaclyn discusses her relationship with drawing, the Filipino community, her work with the United Nations, and her current role as a Ph.D. student in the Social Welfare program at the CUNY Graduate Center. She talks about what it's like for her to be in artist in the United States and in the Philippines, and about how her background in photography informs her practice. Jaclyn also reflects on her feelings about being an artist of immigrant parents...
2025-02-0525 min
Feed the ArtFeed the Art: trailerWelcome to Feed the Art, hosted by writer, artist, and creativity coach Catherine LaSota. On Feed the Art, you'll find stories, prompts, and conversations to help you build and sustain your own unique creative practice.Sign up for Catherine's newsletter for writings and inspirations for the creative life.More about your host: catherinelasota.comMusic by: Pat IrwinThanks for listening to Feed the Art!Learn more about Catherine LaSota's offerings as a creativity coach and workshop facilitator at catherinelasota.com.Looking for more...
2025-02-0403 minCity Cast MadisonWeathering Sub-Zero Temperatures, Mass Deportation, and DEI Changes at UWHappy Friday, Madison! The City Cast Madison team is here to round up the news of the week. This week host Bianca Martin chats with executive producer Hayley Sperling and producer Jade Iseri-Ramos about the stories you need to know. Jade kicks off the show with an explainer of President Trump’s executive orders regarding citizenship and deportation and how to be prepared for when ICE comes to town. Bianca breaks down the reasons UW Madison removed the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Educational Advancement. And Hayley talks about these frigid temperatures, where people can go to s...
2025-01-2433 min
Part of the Practice12: Models and Processes with Esther Marveta NeffIn this episode of Part of the Practice, host Catherine LaSota is in conversation with SPCUNY Fellow Esther Marveta Neff. Esther talks about their collective/thinktank/entity PPL, and their work in the Ph.D. program in Theatre and Performance Studies at the Graduate Center CUNY. Also covered in this episode: different definitions of models, the concept of logical space, agency and community, the joys of pedagogy, and...vibes!FULL TRANSCRIPT of Episode 12 available here.About our guest:Esther Marveta Neff is the...
2025-01-2226 minCity Cast MadisonMadison Ice Arenas Stay Open, Evers Addresses Gun Violence, and Edgewood College Changes NameIt’s Friday, so the City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Host Bianca Martin sits down with Newsletter Editor Rob Thomas and Producer Jade Iseri-Ramos to chat about the big stories in Madison. Jade gives the update on the city’s decision to forgive $1.6 million to save the two Madison indoor ice rinks, under specific conditions. Bianca explains Governor Evers’ executive order to create a new statewide Office of Violence Prevention following the deadly shooting at Abundant Life Christian School. And Rob lays out the reasons Edgewood College is changing its name to matc...
2025-01-1723 minCity Cast MadisonEssential Rules for Living in Madison in 2025If you’re new in town and looking for some tips, or if you’ve lived here for years and somehow never heard of taking Highway M to avoid traffic — we’re here to give you the essential hacks you need to thrive in Madison in 2025. From getting the right winter gear to joining a CSA to finding a clean bathroom downtown, we have you covered. Host Bianca Martin sits down with City Cast Madison producer Jade Iseri-Ramos and Madison Minutes newsletter editor Rob Thomas to share their secrets. Mentioned on the show: An Angler’s Guide to Ice Fish...
2025-01-1326 min
Part of the Practice11: Queering the Form with brynn asha walkerIn our first episode of 2025, host Catherine LaSota is in conversation with brynn asha walker, an MFA student in the Performance and Interactive Media Arts (PIMA) program at Brooklyn College. brynn discusses her interest in poor images, as well as concepts of poorness and queerness, and the possibilities of stepping into a feeling within the scope of a performance. brynn and Catherine also talk about the nature of interactive technologies and the ways in which art and social practice can be a spiritual experience.FULL TRANSCRIPT of Episode 11 available here.
2025-01-0834 min
A Public AffairJazz on Vinyl: Improvised Music, Birth of the LP, and the Vinyl Reviva...
During this A Public Affair-Madison Book Beat crossover episode, host Andrew Thomas and producer Jade Iseri-Ramos bring you a 2-hour jazz on vinyl special. The show kicks off at Lola’s Hi/Lo Lounge with interviews with Strictly Discs’ general manager and new record buyer Evan Woodward and owner Rick Stoner who offer insight on modern day vinyl buying and the vinyl revival that began in the 2010s.
We then turn to a conversation with Eastman School of Music musicologist Darren Mueller about his recent book, At the Vanguard of Vinyl: A Cultural Hist...
2024-12-301h 44
Part of the Practice10: Public Lives, Community Care with Elvis BakaitisIn our final episode of 2024, host Catherine LaSota is in conversation with Elvis Bakaitis, Head of Reference at the Graduate Center CUNY Library. Elvis discusses their work with the Lesbian Herstory Archives, their experience as a caregiver in different contexts, and the nature of our public lives in New York City and at CUNY in particular, as well as the queer aging studies project they are working on as an SPCUNY Fellow.FULL TRANSCRIPT of Episode 10 available here.About our guest:Elvis Bakaitis...
2024-12-1134 min
Part of the Practice09: Ghosts in the Archive with Kerosene JonesIn this episode of Part of the Practice, host Catherine LaSota is in conversation with Kerosene Jones, an interdisciplinary artist and MFA student in Performance and Interactive Media Arts at Brooklyn College. Jones discusses the role of intuition in his archival work, his relationship with extended vocal technique as a practice, and the ways that he builds community as an editor and a curator. Jones also discusses his practice in relationship to his own experience with opioid addiction, and the power of catalyzing rage and a recalibration of what is possible through communal participation....
2024-11-2726 minA Public AffairThe Racialization of Latinx Students with Laura C. Chávez-Moreno
On today’s show, Dr. Laura C. Chávez-Moreno joins host Jade Iseri-Ramos to discuss her new book How Schools Make Race: Teaching Latinx Racialization in America. The book profiles a bilingual K-12 program and highlights how schools reinforce Latinx as a radicalized group. At the heart of Chávez-Moreno’s argument is the understanding that race is created to Otherize and oppress groups and that the construction of Latinx as a race serves to situate the group in a racial hierarchy. Chávez-Moreno argues that without intentional anti-racist and anti-race teaching, school programs centered around L...
2024-11-2052 min
Part of the Practice08: From Individual to Collective with Ali MotamediIn this episode of Part of the Practice, host Catherine LaSota talks with Hunter College MFA student and SPCUNY Actionist Ali Motamedi, about the development of Ali's work through different media, his relationship to the Farsi language, and thoughts on the possibilities of collective authorship. Ali discusses how his use of materials has changed over time, the project he is working on with SPCUNY, and how the four walls of a studio can create a kind of freedom that fosters exploration as an artist finds their path.FULL TRANSCRIPT of Episode 8 available ...
2024-11-1328 min
Part of the Practice07: Love, Breath, and Humor with Kendall AllisonOn this episode of Part of the Practice, SPCUNY Actionist and Master's Student in the CUNY Liberal Studies Program at the Graduate Center CUNY Kendall Allison talks with Part of the Practice host Catherine LaSota about their approach to breath, community, and building a better future together. Tune in to learn about Kendall's practice as a standup comedian, using humor in their work in organizing toward the solidarity economy. You'll also get a wonderful list of reading recommendations!FULL TRANSCRIPT of Episode 7 available here.About our guest:
2024-10-3031 min
Part of the Practice06: Everyone Is an Artist with E. AdamoOn this episode, we chat with artist and Queens College MFA student E. Adamo. Part of the Practice host Catherine LaSota talks with E. about their frustrations with art and subsequent re-engagement with art via an exhibition that featured John Cage's 4'33", as well as the importance to E. of Joseph Beuys's statement that "Everyone is an artist."FULL TRANSCRIPT of Episode 6 available here.About our guest:E. Adamo is an intradisciplinary artist based in Queens, NY. They wish to only be considered...
2024-10-1629 min
Part of the Practice05: Coming from Queens with Janggo MahmudThis episode features a whole lot of love for a very special borough of NYC: Queens. Self-described "Queens girl" and SPCUNY Actionist Janggo Mahmud talks with host Catherine LaSota about the importance of coalition building, her broad definition of "artist," the inspirational work of organizers in Queens, and her curatorial vision in her work as the Public Programs and Community Engagement Fellow at PS1-MoMA.FULL TRANSCRIPT of Episode 5 available here.About our guest:Janggo Mahmud (she/her) is a creative community organizer...
2024-10-0229 min
Part of the Practice04: Finding the Language with Leanne Tory-MurphyThis episode of Part of the Practice finds us in conversation with 2023-24 SPCUNY Actionist and recent Brooklyn College poetry MFA graduate Leanne Tory-Murphy. We talk about Leanne's movement from journalistic writing to more creative writing, about the importance of sometimes separating our social movement work from our creative practice, and we also have a really powerful and heartfelt conversation about becoming more embodied in our art practice.FULL TRANSCRIPT of Episode 4 available here.About our guest:Leanne Tory-Murphy is a trade unionist...
2024-09-1829 min
Part of the Practice03: Art, Identities, People with Chris Colón and brandon kingOn this episode of Part of the Practice, host Catherine LaSota is in conversation with two students in the Social Practice CUNY network: Student Fellow brandon king, an MFA student at Queens College-CUNY, and Student Actionist Christopher Colón, a Ph.D. candidate in Urban Education at the Graduate Center-CUNY. As the SPCUNY program has spread to more campuses in the CUNY system, we have the gift of scholars meeting across disciplines and finding lots to talk about together, as brandon and Chris do in this episode. Have a listen to hear their thoughts on s...
2024-09-0440 min
Part of the Practice02: Evolution of a Practice in the Public Sphere with Ricardo Miranda ZúñigaOur second episode of Part of the Practice features SPCUNY Faculty Fellow Ricardo Miranda Zúñiga in conversation with host Catherine LaSota. Ricardo is Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies at Hunter College CUNY, as well as Director of the Emerging Media Program. In this discussion, he shares the various steps of his career path that have led him to this point, the ways that he is inspired by CUNY students and by New York City, and his future hopes for his art practice in the public sphere.FULL TRANSCRIPT of Episode 02 available ...
2024-08-2132 min
Part of the Practice01: What is Social Practice CUNY? with Chloë Bass and Gregory SholetteWelcome to Part of the Practice! On our first episode, artists and educators (and SPCUNY co-directors) Chloë Bass and Gregory Sholette talk with host Catherine LaSota about the origins of the Social Practice CUNY initiative, including its beginnings as Social Practice Queens. Chloë and Greg discuss the evolution of art in society, weaving in their own experiences in visual art and performance art, as well as the ways they approach art and social justice in the classroom, and so much more. Tune in for a great introduction for our many conversations to come on Part of the Pr...
2024-08-0741 min
Part of the PracticeTrailer: Part of the PracticeWhat is social practice, and how does it affect the ways we navigate our lives and make change in the world? Join faculty, staff, and students from Social Practice CUNY, with Part of the Practice host Catherine LaSota, as we discuss our individual art practices, our relationships with our communities, and the role of socially engaged art in our work for social justice. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and hear from a new artist, scholar, or collaborator in the Social Practice CUNY network every other Wednesday!Learn more about Social Practice CUNY.Follow us on...
2024-07-1003 min
Part of the PracticeComing Soon!: Part of the PracticeLaunching in Summer 2024: Part of the Practice, a new podcast brought to you by Social Practice CUNY and hosted by SPCUNY Associate Director Catherine LaSota. What is social practice, and how does socially engaged art play a role in our work for social justice? Subscribe to hear from new voices in the SPCUNY network every other Wednesday!Learn more about Social Practice CUNY.Follow us on Instagram.Thank you to our podcast editor Jade Iseri-Ramos, and thank you to Gaius LaSota for our Part of the Practice music.Part of the...
2024-07-1000 minA Public AffairGet to know WORT’s Summer News Collaborative Storytelling Fellows!
WORT’s Summer News Collaborative trains underrepresented journalists to become creators of and leaders in local media. The fellows in this first cohort will learn the basics of journalism, storytelling, and audio production, participate in field trips and workshops with guest speakers, and be introduced to a network of mentors in local media.
On today’s show, host Douglas Haynes interviews all of the Fellows about their backgrounds and what stories they want to tell on the radio.
WORT’s Storytelling Fellows:
Shyelle Aikens is...
2024-06-2454 min
Cabana ChatsCabana Chats LIVE, pt 2: What's Community Got to Do with It? - part 2 of 2In this special between-seasons episode of Cabana Chats, we bring you PART TWO of the recording of a live event held on September 26, 2023, with writers Greg Mania, Denne Michele Norris, and Matt Ortile in conversation with Resort founder Catherine LaSota.
This episode is part two of the event "What's Community Got to Do With It?", which was an Official 2023 Brooklyn Book Festival Bookend event held at LIC Bar in Queens, NYC. Listen in to hear Greg, Denne Michele, and Matt in a panel conversation with host Catherine LaSota, on the topic of how community has played a...
2023-11-0138 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats LIVE: What's Community Got to Do with It? - part 1 of 2In this special between-seasons episode of Cabana Chats, we bring you the recording of a live event held on September 26, 2023, with writers Greg Mania, Denne Michele Norris, and Matt Ortile in conversation with Resort founder Catherine LaSota.
This episode is part one of the event "What's Community Got to Do With It?", which was an Official 2023 Brooklyn Book Festival Bookend event held at LIC Bar in Queens, NYC. Listen in to hear Greg, Denne Michele, and Matt each share an anecdote about the role that community has played in their writing lives, and then...
2023-10-3151 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Recent Writing Lessons + Fall at The Resort!On this final episode of season three, Resort founder Catherine LaSota shares five things she has learned and re-learned about the process of writing over the past several months, via group programs at the Resort and her 1-on-1 work with writers.
Catherine also shares information about some exciting things coming up at the Resort this Fall! You can find out more about these below:
Sep 18-Oct 6, 2023 online: Commit to Your Practice coaching project -- sign up for one of 20 one-hour, individual coaching sessions that Catherine is gifting to writers...
2023-08-2216 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Feminists Reclaim Mentorship, with Nancy K. Miller and Tahneer OksmanIt's our first (non-live event) episode with TWO guests! Nancy K. Miller and Tahneer Oksman, co-editors of Feminists Reclaim Mentorship: An Anthology (SUNY Press, 2023), are in conversation with Catherine LaSota about what we mean we identify as a mentor or a mentee, and how the nature of mentorship is changing -- and what that means as we build communities together.
Nancy K. Miller is a feminist author, memoirist, and teacher who has authored or edited over a dozen books. She is Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at The Graduate Center, CUNY.
2023-08-1545 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: How Are You Doing?2023 has been kind of a strange year energetically, and this summer alone has been...a bit of a doozy at times.
On this near-season-end episode of the Cabana Chats, host Catherine LaSota checks in to ask: How are you doing?
If you've been feeling out of sorts, a calendar review and some intentional future planning can be super helpful. Catherine walks you through this process using her own exhausting 2023 calendar as an example!
Cabana Chats is brought to you by The Resort: https://www.theresortlic.com/
Hosted by C...
2023-08-0815 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Randy WinstonThis episode features the wonderful Randy Winston, lover of milkshakes and Director of Writing Programs at the Center for Fiction, in conversation with Resort founder Catherine LaSota.
Randy and Catherine talk about the importance of demystifying literary ecosystems, the ways that building relationships form the cornerstones of a writing life, and New York City diner portions (especially the Lumberjack Special).
Find out more about the Center for Fiction here: https://centerforfiction.org/
Follow Randy Winston on social media:
Twitter: @_rwinstonsworld
Threads: @_rwinstonsworld
Instagram: @_rwinstonsworld
2023-08-0137 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Ariel GoreIt's a conversation with the one and only Ariel Gore!
In this episode of the Cabana Chats podcast, Resort founder Catherine LaSota is thrilled to be in conversation with a writer she admires not only for the various zines and books she's put out into the world, but also for the ways she helps other writers to find their path by integrating their creative practice with the fullness of life and forging a way that works for them.
Ariel and Catherine talk about the helpful permissions we give ourselves, the ways that life impacts writing...
2023-07-2534 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Prompts for the SeasonWe just had a new moon (new beginnings!), and it's Cancer season (lots of emotions!). How can we combine the theme of new beginnings, plus a mid-summer season that can be full of big feelings, into some helpful writing prompts for our journal? Resort founder Catherine LaSota shares some thoughts about the season and encourages a reinvigorated journal practice, including writing prompt suggestions.
Cabana Chats is brought to you by The Resort: https://www.theresortlic.com/
Our podcast editor is Jade Iseri-Ramos.
Our music is by Pat Irw...
2023-07-1816 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Brian Gresko and Writing Co-LabIt's our first episode with a second-time guest! Cabana Chats is thrilled to welcome back Brian Gresko, who sits down to chat with Catherine LaSota about the lessons and labor of parenthood and writing, the ways that we define community, and the exciting things that are happening at Writing Co-Lab, the teaching cooperative he helped to organize and launch in January 2023.
More about Brian Gresko: https://www.briangresko.com/
Learn more about Writing Co-Lab: https://www.writingco-lab.com/
Follow Writing Co-Lab on social media:
Instagram: @writing.colab
Twitter: @thewritingcolab...
2023-07-1138 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Are You Feeling Stuck?All writers feel stuck sometimes. What can you do when you feel like you are hitting a wall in your writing, or when you are simply feeling low about the whole process and practice of being a writer? Resort founder and Cabana Chats host Catherine LaSota offers some suggestions for things to try when you hit those inevitable sticky seasons in your writing.
Cabana Chats is brought to you by The Resort: https://www.theresortlic.com/
Our podcast editor is Jade Iseri-Ramos.
Our music is by Pat I...
2023-07-0419 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Happy Half Hour LIVE with Tajja Isen and Matt OrtileIt's another live event episode of the Cabana Chats podcast! On May 31, 2023, we hosted a Happy Half Hour event via Zoom at the Resort, bringing together the wonderful writers and editors Tajja Isen and Matt Ortile to talk about writing and community. Tajja and Matt are friends and former colleagues of the wonderful Catapult magazine (which shuttered its doors unexpectedly in mid-February 2023, to much sadness amongst writers), as editor-in-chief and executive editor, respectively. On this episode of the Cabana Chats podcast, they have a wide-ranging discussion about the transition of their primary public identity from editor to writer, and wha...
2023-06-2732 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Sometimes You Need a Good CryWe've just had a new moon, and the solstice is upon us. It's a great time for new projects, big energy, and joyful romping. But what if you feel like a good cry instead? On this episode, Resort founder Catherine LaSota shares some things about her past couple of wobbly weeks, and she offers a reminder that just letting go - with some tears or screams or yells - can not only be part of the natural cycles of life but also necessary to a healthy writing process.
Cabana Chats is brought to you...
2023-06-2010 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Lexi Beach, owner of Astoria BookshopHappy Pride! We are thrilled to bring you a conversation with the owner/founder of a beloved, queer woman owned bookstore in New York City.
Resort founder Catherine LaSota sits down for a chat with friend and literary event collaborator Lexi Beach, owner of the Astoria Bookshop in Queens, NYC. They talk about loving books, following new career paths, and how special bookstore communities are.
The Astoria Bookshop recently celebrated ten years and a move into a new space -- bigger and better and beautiful! If you are in New York City...
2023-06-1327 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Happy Half Hour LIVE with Greg Mania and Denne Michele NorrisIt's a live event episode of the Cabana Chats podcast! On May 30, 2023, we hosted a Happy Half Hour event via Zoom at the Resort, bringing writers and friends Greg Mania and Denne Michele Norris in conversation together around writing and community. Greg and Denne Michele talk about what's going on in their professional lives, the importance of meeting up with other writers in real life, and much more.
Join the Resort online community to check out more of our Happy Half Hour events!: https://community.theresortlic.com/
Greg Mania...
2023-06-0632 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Where's Your Inspiration?Sometimes writing inspiration comes from the most unexpected places. Resort founder and Cabana Chats host Catherine LaSota shares a story about a recent experience that led to some writing inspiration, and then she challenges you to attune to your senses that are most evocative for you. How can you build a relationship with your receptors for the world around you, to pay attention in a way that feeds your writing practice?
Season Three has just begun! Get ready for a bunch of interviews with awesome guests, alongside solo episodes offering inspiration, prompts, tips, and e...
2023-05-3009 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Celebrate YourselfIt's another solo episode from Resort founder and Cabana Chats host Catherine LaSota! In this episode, Catherine gives you an assignment: what is one thing in your writing practice over the last six months that you are proud of? And how can you celebrate this accomplishment?
It's too easy to stay on the treadmill of always looking to the next goal on your list -- don't forget to take a moment to take stock of how far you've come! And celebrate yourself.
Season Three has just begun! Get ready f...
2023-05-2311 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Permission SlipsWe are kicking off Season Three of Cabana Chats with a solo episode from Resort founder and Cabana Chats host Catherine LaSota. In this episode, Catherine offers a series of permission slips for writers and encourages you to treat yourself well when you are working on a big project. And, as always, community is essential to the writing process!
Season Three has just begun! Get ready for a bunch of interviews with awesome guests, alongside solo episodes offering inspiration, prompts, tips, and encouragement for writers.
Are you looking to...
2023-05-1619 minCabana ChatsBONUS: Coming up in 2023!We may be between seasons, but Resort founder Catherine LaSota misses you and wants to say hi. Hello!
Have a listen to this short bonus episode to remember some highlights from seasons 1 and 2 of Cabana Chats, and get excited for season 3, plus more great stuff coming your way in 2023 from the Resort writing community!
Need some ideas for a great book to pick up? Check out the Resort's Bookshop storefront, where you can purchase books from all of our Cabana Chats guests, plus books by Resort writing teachers and even some special recommendations from Catherine...
2022-12-2004 min
Cabana ChatsCabana Chats: Lydia ConklinIn this last episode of season two of Cabana Chats, writer Lydia Conklin talks with Resort founder Catherine LaSota about fostering dogs, writing a story versus making a comic, and the places we can't bring our cell phones (thank goodness), among many other fascinating topics.
Lydia Conklin is an Assistant Professor of Fiction at Vanderbilt University. Previously they were the Helen Zell Visiting Professor in Fiction at the University of Michigan. They’ve received a Stegner Fellowship in Fiction at Stanford University, a Rona Jaffe Writer’s Award, three Pushcart Prizes, a grant from the Elizabeth George Found...
2022-06-2833 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Leslie ShipmanIn our next to last episode for season two of Cabana Chats, Leslie Shipman, founder of the The Shipman Agency, talks with Resort founder Catherine LaSota about her long career in the literary world, how her love of poetry has guided her, and her latest adventures as the founder of a speaking agency for writers that has turned into a full-service organization for writers, offering classes, editing services, and more, in just a few short years.
Leslie Shipman has spent 30 years promoting writers, and creating and managing literary events in New York City. She spent over a...
2022-06-2140 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: On Motherhood & Writing, with Molly Caro May & Meaghan O'ConnellThis episode of Cabana Chats is a throwback to 2018, when Resort founder Catherine LaSota had a Skype conversation with writers Molly Caro May and Meaghan O'Connell to discuss the intersection of motherhood and writing. This conversation was recorded for a special episode of the LIC Reading Series podcast that never aired, and this is the first time it is reaching an audience!
Molly Caro May is an author of two books, a teacher, and a holder of space. For 12+ years, she has facilitated personal story workshops for more than hundreds of people across the globe. She is...
2022-06-1451 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Greg ManiaIn this episode, writer and comedian Greg Mania talks with Resort founder Catherine LaSota about how the growth of those closest to us can inspire our own growth, and also about how soothing Coca-Cola can be. We also trip on several words in the English language, including accountability, palatability, and more! And: how does a person pronounce LaCroix? Listen and find out!
Greg Mania is a writer, comedian, and award-winning screenwriter based in New York City. His words have been published in The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, HuffPost, Oprah Daily, and PAPER, among other international online and...
2022-06-0741 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: K-Ming ChangIn this episode, writer K-Ming Chang talks with Resort founder Catherine LaSota about birding, writing's relationship to oral storytelling, and the audience she's writing for. We also hear a story of magic and dog poop. This episode is amazing, trust.
K-Ming Chang is a Kundiman fellow, a Lambda Literary Award finalist, and a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree. She is the author of the New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice novel BESTIARY(One World/Random House, 2020), which was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award. In 2021, her chapbook BONE HO...
2022-05-3132 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: One Story live event w/Hannah Tinti & Maribeth BatchaIn this special live event episode, One Story co-founders Hannah Tinti and Maribeth Batcha talk with Resort founder Catherine LaSota about the first twenty years of One Story, its community-based mission, and the most fun party of the year, the One Story Deb Ball (coming up on June 3, 2022!).
Maribeth Batcha is the publisher and Co-Founder of One Story. She has worked in magazine circulation for over 25 years for titles including Diabetes Self-Management, Lingua Franca, University Business, the New York Review of Books, Working Mother, and The Progressive. In addition to circulation consulting, she currently does marketing and develo...
2022-05-2443 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Sarah PerryIn this episode, writer Sarah Perry talks with Resort founder Catherine LaSota about her identity as a writer, our needs to prove things to ourselves as writers, and the benefits of learning to observe across different media.
Sarah Perry (she/they) is a memoirist and essayist who writes about love, trauma, gender-based violence, queerness, and the power dynamics that influence those concerns. She is the author of the memoir After the Eclipse, which was named a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, a Poets & Writers Notable Nonfiction Debut, and a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Wr...
2022-05-1730 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Cinelle BarnesIn this episode, writer and teacher Cinelle Barnes talks with Resort founder Catherine LaSota about her background as a visual artist, her allegiances to particular NBA teams, and the through lines in her creative work.
Cinelle Barnes is a formerly undocumented memoirist, essayist, and educator from Manila, Philippines, and is the author of MONSOON MANSION: A MEMOIR (Little A, 2018, Booklist starred review) and MALAYA: ESSAYS ON FREEDOM (Little A, 2019), and the editor of the New York Times New & Noteworthy book, A MEASURE OF BELONGING: 21 WRITERS OF COLOR ON THE NEW AMERICAN SOUTH (Hub City Press, 2020).
...
2022-05-1033 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Rachel KhongIn this episode, writer Rachel Khong talks with Resort founder Catherine LaSota about the joy of a good San Francisco walk, the community of the Ruby, and Rachel's awesome system for marking progress in her writing (it involves a ruler and coloring inside the lines).
Rachel Khong is a writer living in San Francisco. Her debut novel, Goodbye, Vitamin, won the 2017 California Book Award for First Fiction, and was a Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist for First Fiction. From 2011 to 2016, she was the managing editor then executive editor of Lucky Peach magazine. With Lucky Peach, she a...
2022-05-0339 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Matt OrtileIn this episode, writer and editor Matt Ortile talks with Resort founder Catherine LaSota about cooking, video games, and the pressure to monetize anything you are good at. They also talk about how Matt’s knowledge of the publishing process via his work as an editor is both a privilege and a challenge in his own writing process.
Matt Ortile is the author of the essay collection The Groom Will Keep His Name. He is also the executive editor of Catapult magazine, and writes regularly for Condé Nast Traveler. Previously, he was the founding editor of BuzzFeed Phi...
2022-04-2642 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Emily StoneIn this episode, writer and teacher Emily Stone talks with Resort founder Catherine LaSota about her life in Los Angeles, the ways her teaching practice has grown and developed during the pandemic, and how there are some things we simply cannot do alone as writers. Emily and Catherine also talk about astrology, aging, and raccoons.
Born in New Orleans and raised in Brooklyn, Emily Stone is a writer, teacher, and content alchemist with over 25 years of experience working with authors of all ages to distill the power and impact of every story. She has been awarded residencies...
2022-04-1941 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Jason TougawOn episode four of our second season, we bring you a conversation with writer and professor Jason Tougaw.
In this episode, Jason Tougaw, author of The One You Get: Portrait of a Family Organism, and Professor of English and Creative Writing at Queens College, CUNY, talks with Resort founder Catherine LaSota about his journey from California to New York, the unexpected encounters that follow writing a memoir, and his approach to balancing a writing and academic life.
Jason Tougaw’s memoir The One You Get: Portrait of a Family Organism (Dzanc) is the winner of th...
2022-04-1234 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Amy Jo BurnsOn episode three of our second season, we bring you a conversation with writer, and Resort teacher, Amy Jo Burns.
In this episode, Amy Jo Burns, author of Shiner and Cinderland, talks with Resort founder Catherine LaSota about her process of note-taking and working with tone in her writing, and the importance of community in a writer's life. Amy Jo and Catherine also talk about baths, old shoes, dancing, and Twitter.
Amy Jo Burns is the author of the memoir Cinderland and the novel Shiner, which was a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick, NPR Best Book of...
2022-04-0532 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Lisa LucasIt's season two, episode two of Cabana Chats! In this episode, the amazing Lisa Lucas, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Pantheon and Schocken Books, chats with Resort founder Catherine LaSota about the importance of maintaining a whole life outside of one's work, what she reads for pleasure, and their love for the physical objects of books (as well as Lisa's ability to always be giving away books, yet still have a home that is very full of books).
Lisa Lucas is Senior Vice President and Publisher of Pantheon and Schocken Books. Prior to her current position...
2022-03-2937 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Halimah MarcusWelcome to season two of Cabana Chats! We are thrilled to bring you a conversation with writer, editor, and literary organization professional Halimah Marcus in this first episode of the season.
In this episode, Halimah Marcus, Executive Director of Electric Literature, talks with Resort founder Catherine LaSota about city life and country life, leaning on your community for support with big new projects, and the opportunities that working together online has created for building an even greater community. Halimah discusses the relationship between her editing and writing, the way she has structured her time during the pandemic...
2022-03-2229 min
Cabana ChatsBONUS: Resort Fellows Reading & DiscussionJoin us for a special, between-seasons Bonus Episode of the Cabana Chats podcast! This episode features a recording of a January 29, 2022 event that we held on Zoom: our four Fall 2021 Resort Fellows (Mai Tran, Lourdes Dolores Follins, Jaysen Henderson-Greenbey, and Dasia Moore) all read briefly from their amazing work, and then Resort founder Catherine LaSota is in conversation with the fellows for the second half of the episode.
Listen in for some powerful flash non/fiction, memoir, novel excerpt, and poetry -- there is something for everyone!
More about our Fall 2021 Fellows:
Lourdes...
2022-02-2254 minCabana ChatsCabana Chats: Spotlight on Resort members!For our final episode of season one of Cabana Chats, podcast host and Resort founder Catherine LaSota turns the spotlight on five members of the Resort community who are also wonderful writers in our Cabana Club membership program for writers! Victoria, Nicole, Ian, Jules, and Devin reflect on what community has meant to them and their writing over the past year, and their goals for the year ahead.
About this episode's guests:
Victoria Melendez is a writer based in Washington, DC. She writes at the intersection of spirituality, identity and current events. She recently won...
2021-12-2121 min
CollegelandS2 Episode 1: Accommodations DeniedAs campuses across the country have returned to in-person education this fall, requests by faculty for accommodations have been routinely ignored or denied. So for our first episode for Season 2, we reached out to three members of the Accessible Campus Action Alliance (ACAA), an organization of disability studies scholars and activists that has called on universities to do better with their statement “Beyond High Risk,” first released back in June of 2020 and updated in July of 2021.Aimi Hamraie, Jonathan Sterne & Bess Williamson challenge the celebration of being “back to normal” and the failing accommodations systems that have put fina...
2021-10-1535 min