Shows
Reliable Sources (Episode 177)Co-hosts Robin Renée and Wendy Sheridan get ready for The Leftscape‘s summer hiatus and share some of their plans for the season. Wendy makes a big announcement about being chosen to create an outdoor fiber arts display for the Rahway Train Station. Robin’s season will be a bit more relaxed; they’ll perform a couple of shows and go to quite a few more, attend a retreat and plan another for the fall, and catch some time in the sun.
Wendy initiates this episode’s featured conversation with her July 4th tarot reading. It may or...
2025-07-0957 minThe LeftscapeReliable Sources (Episode 177)Co-hosts Robin Renée and Wendy Sheridan get ready for The Leftscape‘s summer hiatus and share some of their plans for the season. Wendy makes a big announcement about being chosen to create an outdoor fiber arts display for the Rahway Train Station. Robin’s season will be a bit more relaxed; they’ll perform a couple of shows and go to quite a few more, attend a retreat and plan another for the fall, and catch some time in the sun.
Wendy initiates this episode’s featured conversation with her July 4th tarot reading. It may or...
2025-07-0957 minRedefining “Patriot” (Episode 176)
Isabella Braveheart photo by Dauss Miller
Isabella Braveheart is an evolutionary performance artist and activist, speaker, playwright, director and producer who transmutes the pains of humanity into the voice of truth through bold multimedia transmissions and heart-centered, experiential events in service of bringing our global family back to wholeness and love. She has been called a Deep Water Heart Surgeon and an Urban Priestess and she calls herself a heart-trepreneur. Don’t miss her spoken word performance of “Patriot” and her thoughts on how we might reclaim this fraught term while prioritizing personal, then societal healing.
To s...
2025-06-2748 minThe LeftscapeRedefining “Patriot” (Episode 176)
Isabella Braveheart photo by Dauss Miller
Isabella Braveheart is an evolutionary performance artist and activist, speaker, playwright, director and producer who transmutes the pains of humanity into the voice of truth through bold multimedia transmissions and heart-centered, experiential events in service of bringing our global family back to wholeness and love. She has been called a Deep Water Heart Surgeon and an Urban Priestess and she calls herself a heart-trepreneur. Don’t miss her spoken word performance of “Patriot” and her thoughts on how we might reclaim this fraught term while prioritizing personal, then societal healing.
To s...
2025-06-2748 minMen of Stone (Episode 175)Co-hosts Robin Renée and Wendy Sheridan head back to the Blanket Fort this time to regroup, check in, and hide out. But there’s not much actual hiding to be had from the firehose of news and unrest. They catch up on the intentional ways they each are staying sane through the mayhem — painting, gardening, exercising, immersing in fiction, and curating the news for personal consumption among them. ICE raids, the National Guard, and the chaos stoked in Los Angeles can’t be ignored, nor can thinking about ways to protest in the streets and elsewhere, wishing for the lea...
2025-06-1259 minThe LeftscapeMen of Stone (Episode 175)Co-hosts Robin Renée and Wendy Sheridan head back to the Blanket Fort this time to regroup, check in, and hide out. But there’s not much actual hiding to be had from the firehose of news and unrest. They catch up on the intentional ways they each are staying sane through the mayhem — painting, gardening, exercising, immersing in fiction, and curating the news for personal consumption among them. ICE raids, the National Guard, and the chaos stoked in Los Angeles can’t be ignored, nor can thinking about ways to protest in the streets and elsewhere, wishing for the lea...
2025-06-1259 minToward a Saner World (Episode 170)Featured guest Ray Katz started and currently leads The Saners, a group dedicated to preventing climate collapse and building a better civilization worldwide. He holds a BA in Economics from Stonybrook University as well as an MBA from Fordham University and he co-founded one of the first web development agencies in Philadelphia in 1994. Katz first appeared on The Leftscape in Episode 160, “Saving the Planet With Joy.” He returns to spread the word on the bold ideals and expanded objectives adopted by The Saners, their partnership with General Strike U.S., and to put forth actions and atitudes we can all...
2025-04-031h 06The LeftscapeToward a Saner World (Episode 170)Featured guest Ray Katz started and currently leads The Saners, a group dedicated to preventing climate collapse and building a better civilization worldwide. He holds a BA in Economics from Stonybrook University as well as an MBA from Fordham University and he co-founded one of the first web development agencies in Philadelphia in 1994. Katz first appeared on The Leftscape in Episode 160, “Saving the Planet With Joy.” He returns to spread the word on the bold ideals and expanded objectives adopted by The Saners, their partnership with General Strike U.S., and to put forth actions and atitudes we can all...
2025-04-031h 06Prelude (Episode 169)
The Leftscape is back after an extended holiday hiatus. Co-hosts Robin Renée and Wendy Sheridan have a casual chat and reveal a new direction for the show. Moving forward, expect less news that imitates doom-scrolling and more reporting on ways we as progressives can come together to make an impact and to nurture communities. Expect thoughtful conversations and a couple of new segments to go with old favorites.
Wendy introduces and reads the chapter titles of On Tyrrany by Timothy Snyder, which will be explored more deeply in upcoming episodes. As this minisode is p...
2025-01-2019 minThe LeftscapePrelude (Episode 169)
The Leftscape is back after an extended holiday hiatus. Co-hosts Robin Renée and Wendy Sheridan have a casual chat and reveal a new direction for the show. Moving forward, expect less news that imitates doom-scrolling and more reporting on ways we as progressives can come together to make an impact and to nurture communities. Expect thoughtful conversations and a couple of new segments to go with old favorites.
Wendy introduces and reads the chapter titles of On Tyrrany by Timothy Snyder, which will be explored more deeply in upcoming episodes. As this minisode is p...
2025-01-2019 minThe LeftscapeProject 2025 on Labor and Employment (Episode 166)
Ivo Becica is an attorney who represents businesses and Human Resources professionals in employment disputes, including providing advice and training on staying in compliance with the law, as well as defending against employee claims when necessary. He writes about labor and employment law at his firm’s blog, HR Legalist. Becica joined co-host Robin Renée for an even-tempered conversation on what Project 2025 has to say about labor and employment issues in comparison to what the Harris/Walz platform proposes.
In This Fortnight I Learned, co-host Wendy Sheridan shares a fact about the slowing of the...
2024-10-161h 24The LeftscapeStart Local, Get Vocal, GOTV! (Episode 165)
Lisa Vandever is an organizer and activist with over 30 years of experience in media, communications, arts and events. A lifelong Democrat, she is a co-leader of the progressive group, Indivisible Rahway, and an active member of Fair Ballot Alliance NJ and OneNJ7. An enthusiastic Garden Stater by way of Oregon, Chicago and Brooklyn, she has been happily settled in Rahway, NJ for two decades with husband, Alan, and two ginger tabbies, Clive and Radley. Everyone who is interested in the 2024 U.S. election, getting involved in local politics, and activism will learn a lot from this discussion...
2024-10-021h 15The LeftscapePostcard GOTV with Tom Limoncelli (Episode 164)Tom Limoncelli is an LGBTQ organizer, trainer, and speaker from New Jersey. His speaking and training repertoire includes time management for activists and support group facilitation skills. He is the recipient of several activism awards including the Brenda Howard Award for bisexual activism. Tom spoke about Time Management for Busy Activists on Leftscape Episode 86 almost exactly four years ago in 2020. In this episode he shares about the easy-to-do activism he’s been taking part in to get out the vote as we approach yet another incredibly important presidential election.
In a new/modified segment, Why Is This No...
2024-09-181h 15The LeftscapeDoing the Work of Democracy (Episode 163)Wendy Sheridan and Robin Renée are back after summer break for the 2024 Season 2 of The Leftscape! Featured guest Jonah Minkoff-Zern (he/him) is the co-director of Public Citizen’s Democracy Campaign. He has organized nationwide mobilizations to challenge ongoing threats to democracy from former President Donald Trump and his allies, coordinated grassroots activities to pass federal voting rights and democracy reforms, and mobilized national action for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. He has led and supported state-based efforts to win voting rights, public financing to protect election officials and prevent artificial intelligence deepfakes in elections, and coo...
2024-09-041h 09The LeftscapeWe Asked Dr. Hal! (Episode 162)Hal Robins is known for his radio broadcasts and public performances, as well as for his participation in the Church of the SubGenius (as Dr. Howland Owll, Master of Church Secrets). He has worked in film and television and is a poet and playwright. Robins is also a fine artist and cartoonist. In this featured conversation with Rev. Andrew Genus, he shares his wit and insight into the world of the SubGenius, the current political state we find ourselves in, and his upcoming appearance at PubeFest in Bethlehem, PA featuring the Ask Dr. Hal Show and other SubGenius shenanigans.
2024-07-031h 18The LeftscapeBreaking Down Project 2025 (Episode 161)Co-hosts Robin Renée and Wendy Sheridan discuss the enormous and detailed Project 2025, a collection of policy proposals created by The Heritage Foundation to reshape the United States government in the image of current-day far right conservativism. It seeks to mandate conservative Christian values, dismantle many social programs and government departments, and to provide ready-made policy positions and personnel for the next Republican president. This description barely begins to do justice to the sweeping, detrimental changes this tome proposes. Wendy and Robin begin to look at its elements broadly and anticipate future conversations about Project 2025 along with discovering and t...
2024-06-211h 21The LeftscapeSaving the Planet With Joy (Episode 160)Ray Katz is a web developer—one of Philadelphia’s first. He has many hobbies including collecting artifacts related to the history of space flight and animation. His passion and most pressing endeavor, however, is to find effective ways of dealing with climate change. To that end, he has created a new and unique movement, The Saners. He is also the host of the 5 Minutes to Save the Earth podcast. Don’t miss his inspired thoughts on how a grassroots environmental movement can learn from past and present brilliance, use a decent dose of humor, and stand up to the st...
2024-06-071h 14The LeftscapeEnough (Episode 159)
When Abby Driscoll, a senior at Fort Defiance High School in Verona, VA had a piece placed in a school art show, she likely didn’t expect the drama that ensued. Listener Tony Rogers of Fairfax, VA sent the story to The Leftscape via X/Twitter to spark conversation between co-hosts Robin Renée and Wendy Sheridan. This featured discussion ranges from thoughts on the artwork, “But Not Enough to Save You,” to serious concerns about censorship, art and book banning, and right-wing influence on school boards, the importance of down-ballot electoral races, and the power of art as a...
2024-05-231h 07The LeftscapeOut Of His Shell (Episode 157)Meet Protest Singer Michael Naphys
Michael Naphys is a singer/songwriter from South Jersey. Music has always been a big part of his life, and he has some musical releases including his first original album, Coming Out of my Shell, that we’ll learn about in this conversation. Michael performs live acoustic sets in Southern New Jersey including at Whims Brewing in Atco where co-host Robin Renée was lucky enough to catch his set not long ago. He finds using music to express his views on political issues to be very rewarding and empowering, and joins us...
2024-04-251h 02The LeftscapeFenceSitter Film Festival (Episode 156)Kyle Schickner has been a bisexual activist for the past 30 years. His company, FenceSitter Films makes films that tell the stories of women, people of color, and the LGBTQ communities. Kyle was our guest back in November 2021 on Leftscape Episode 113 when we talked about his film, A White Man Walks Into a Barbershop, a documentary of his cross country road trip focused on having down-to-earth conversations about race and racism. Now he is the director of the upcoming FenceSitter Film Festival which is coming right up, April 18th through the 21st at Bernardsville Cinema in Bernardsville, NJ.
...
2024-04-131h 16The LeftscapeFactory and Garden (Episode 154)Lieve Monnens was born in Belgium in the 1960s. She had a musical awakening when she was eleven years old through listening to her dad’s records by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys. She became interested in going to live shows, then later took internships with radio and record companies which led to several jobs in the music industry. In 1990, Lieve moved to England and began working at Factory Records in Manchester, only 2 and a half years before the label dissolved. Over thirty years later, she has been featured in the book, I Thought I He...
2024-03-141h 32The LeftscapeWords, Music, Ghosts, Oceans (Episode 152)When Jan Steckel was a guest on The Leftscape back in April of 2019, she read from her book of poetry, Like Flesh Covers Bone (Zeitgeist Press, 2018), which went on to win two Rainbow Awards. Her earlier poetry book, The Horizontal Poet (Zeitgeist Press, 2011), won a 2012 Lambda Literary Award. Jan Steckel’s creative prose and poetry have appeared in Scholastic Magazine, Yale Medicine, Bellevue Literary Review, Canary, Assaracus, and elsewhere. This time in our featured interview, the Oakland, California based writer is back to share from her new debut fiction collection, Ghosts and Oceans (Zeitgeist Press, 2023).
In The Ar...
2023-12-141h 15The LeftscapeNo Art for Art’s Sake (Episode 151)John Oliver Mason is a freelance writer and has written for newspapers in the Philadelphia area for thirty years, covering such community-based events as town watches, school boards, community associations, Labor issues, and demonstrations. He has written for magazines and blogs as well and he is an advocate who specializes in writing about people in the community who are empowering themselves to make their communities better. He is a poet who has broken into fiction with his novel, Soldier of the Cross. He is a media consultant and a longtime community and labor activist. In this interview, he reveals hi...
2023-12-0152 minThe LeftscapeLove Over Money (Episode 150)Over the last five decades Scott Pearson has been a recording artist, a music producer, a TV soundtrack composer, an educator, an entrepreneur, a fine artist and painter, a social media and marketing consultant, and a tour guide for his adopted hometown of Utrecht near Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Leftscape co-host Robin Renée had the opportunity to work with Scott on some musical projects back in the mid 2000s, and was happy to have a chat with him about what the United States looks like from somewhere else. Listen in for thoughts on politics to healthcare to housing, t...
2023-11-161h 10The LeftscapeThe Food We Choose (Episode 148)Missy Singer DuMars has had careers in Theatrical & Entertainment Lighting, Therapeutic Massage, and Business Coaching. She is now a farmer and the owner of Crown Hill Farm in Eden, NY. She is also the hostess of the Women in Food Podcast. With this eclectic life and experience, she has lots to talk about! Hear what she had to say about her journey into farming, empowering women in the food industry, and the habits and conventions we can all use help breaking through to realize better choices around the food we enjoy and are nourished by every day.
...
2023-10-201h 02The LeftscapeIn Conversation Against Fascism (Episode 145)Alice Leibowitz is a longtime activist and facilitator who provides support for progressives and changemakers to find hope and keep their sanity in the face of rising fascism and other global crises. Her coaching and facilitation firm, Conversations Against Fascism, provides love, power, creativity, and focus in response to the question, “How are we going to do what it takes to meet this moment in history?” Hear about her activism journey, the role personal growth can play in social/political movements, and thoughts on finding your own niche in it all.
In the new This Fortnight I Lear...
2023-09-081h 20The LeftscapeThe Science Fiction Conversation (Episode 134)
David M. Higgins is a Senior Editor for the Los Angeles Review of Books, and they are the Chair of the English Department at Inver Hills College in Minnesota, where they teach classes on science fiction, graphic novels, and American literature. They are the author of Reverse Colonization: Science Fiction, Imperial Fantasy, and Alt-Victimhood, which won the 2021 Science Fiction Research Association Book Award. Leftscape co-hosts Wendy Sheridan and Robin Renée have a lively discussion with Higgins on the meaning of reactionary victimhood, how it is enabled by reverse colonization fantasy by many on the political right, tak...
2022-11-301h 27The LeftscapeMythbusting: Body Facts and Birth Control (Episode 132)
Co-hosts Wendy Sheridan and Robin Renée take a look at a growing issue since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade this past June — a movement to make access to birth control the next to go. Sparked by a recent article from the UC Berkeley Human Rights Center, they look at the lack of information, purposeful disinformation, religious fervor, and social media efforts merging to form this latest threat to choices and autonomy. Wendy gives an apparently much-needed 101 on the menstrual cycle and reminds everyone about the importance of reproductive health. Robin reminds listeners to help guid...
2022-11-021h 15The LeftscapeWorld Citizens (Episode 130)In keeping with this season’s theme of DEMOCRACY, The Leftscape revisits special guest Matt Bird from “Down the Rabbit Hole (Episode 98).” Matt talks about his creative background, current projects as a musician and DJ in Melbourne, and gives an overview of politics in Australia and his thoughts on what it takes to be a good world citizen. Originally posted on March 21, 2021, this interview is also a time capsule view of how someone on the other side of the planet experienced “the former guy” as US president.
Before the featured interview rewind, Robin Renée and Wendy Sheridan he...
2022-09-211h 42The LeftscapeIn the Town, For the Town (Episode 126)Danny Vargas is a freelance graphic designer, musician, activist, and the youngest member of the Rahway Democratic Committee. He’s committed to making the city he grew up in a place where he wants to live his best life and to make the area a destination for music and art. In the first featured interview in The Leftscape season on DEMOCRACY, Vargas recalls joining his local committee, what it does and how it works, talks about the things he finds most important in politics, and also shares some tales of the indie musician life.
After a check-in at...
2022-07-271h 19The LeftscapeBack to the Blanket Fort (Episode 125)Robin Renée and Wendy Sheridan are back from summer vacation and are ready to begin a new season of The Leftscape. This season’s theme will be on DEMOCRACY. Upcoming shows will explore the U.S. democratic system, how we might rescue and preserve it, which systems might work better, democratic approaches in small groups and relationships, what we can learn about democracy from other times and places, and more.
In this episode, Wendy and Robin start off with a check-in about what they did over the break followed by Three Random Facts about boar taint, dol...
2022-07-131h 11The LeftscapeWhy Not Me? (Episode 124)
Casey Probus and Lisa Ferraro Act Locally
Co-hosts Wendy Sheridan and Robin Renée have recently been reminding listeners of the growing importance of local politics. Wendy takes a deep dive into her local political landscape in this episode by way of an interview with candidates Casey Probus and Lisa Ferraro:
Casey Probus was born and raised in Rahway, NJ, where she lives with her daughter who attends a Rahway Elementary School. Casey attended Rahway public schools where she was a part of the 2003 State Championship Girls Basketball team. She currently works as a union m...
2022-05-191h 25The LeftscapeBetter and Better Together (Episode 123)Susan Billmaier’s professional background is in Religion, Ethics, and Philosophy applied to higher education and non-profit management. This coincides with a lifetime of self-education in healing arts, religious ritual, and psychological study of the “big questions” like “Who am I?” and “Why am I here?” Her website, WithPearls.com, focuses on shifting humanity from a consciousness of separation to a consciousness of Oneness. In this interview, Susan speaks about living and working with deep intention around spirituality and the betterment of community, discerning true seeking from spiritual bypass and cultural appropriation, the practices she has come to rely on to uncover...
2022-05-041h 28The LeftscapeHappy 420! Weed or Kink? (Episode 122)This episode is a bit… different. Co-hosts Wendy Sheridan and Robin Renée are celebrating 4/20, so aside from the pre-recorded interview, the banter is a bit loosey-goosey. Join in on the fun in whatever way you choose!
Featured guest Malcolm Underwood describes himself as “born in the south, forged in the north and sharpened by the road and the world.” He is doing what he can to help make his little corner a safer place for everyone. One of his dwelling places is in the world of BDSM (bondage and domination, sadism and masochism). BDSM is often misunde...
2022-04-201h 23The LeftscapeWhere’s the Freedom? (Episode 121)A Primer on Freedom in the Constitution and Beyond With David S. Schwartz
Professor David S. Schwartz first appeared on The Leftscape back on Episode 65 to talk about his then new book, The Spirit of The Constitution: John Marshall and the 200-Year Odyssey of McCulloch v. Maryland published by Oxford University Press in 2019. He teaches and writes in the areas of Constitutional Law, Evidence, and Civil Procedure. His scholarship includes articles published in the Georgetown, Notre Dame, and University of Pennsylvania Law Reviews, and he has co-authored two casebooks. In this episode, he speaks with co-host Wendy S...
2022-04-061h 31The LeftscapeFinding the Words (Episode 120)Tanya Shaffer is an award-winning playwright and author of the acclaimed travel memoir, Somebody’s Heart is Burning: A Woman Wanderer in Africa. Her stories and essays have appeared on Salon.com and in more than a dozen anthologies. She blogs on a range of topics, from parenting to Buddhism to creativity to travel, and hosts the podcast Off-Leash Arts: Conversations on Creativity. Currently based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, she leads writing workshops in a practice she calls Off-Leash Writing. Shaffer reads from a recent essay on women and aging and shares wisdom on freeing the writer within.
...
2022-03-231h 19The LeftscapeBig Questions on Doing Something (Episode 119)Peter Gil-Sheridan on His New Comedy, This Space Between Us
Peter Gil-Sheridan is a playwright and a professor at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY. Peter was a founding member of The Pool, a pop-up theatre company formed with Lynn Rosen and Susan Bernfield and he is a regular writer-in-residence with the Silverton Theatre Mine in Silverton, CO. His new play, This Space Between Us, is running off-Broadway, produced by Keen Company, at Theater Row on 42nd Street. Wendy Sheridan speaks with him about this new comedy, which explores the expanse of cultural and political differences within a...
2022-03-091h 24The LeftscapeNavigating Pay-to-Play Politics (Episode 118)Halina Brooke practices as a therapist in the Phoenix area and can often be found doing advocacy for clients and the therapy professions with like-minded comrades, sometimes while crafting. As a counselor and advocate, she has a passion for supporting clients and clinicians alike in moving past relational ruptures and distressing experiences. We spoke with Halina about a year ago on Episode 97, “Therapy, Activism, and Reclaiming Freedom.” This time she’s back to approach freedom from another angle: How free are we to work within our governmental systems to get bills passed in our legislatures?
In the Ikigai...
2022-02-231h 30The LeftscapePoetry and Politics With Eliot Katz (Episode 116)
Eliot Katz is the author of seven books of poetry including Unlocking the Exits and Love, War, Fire, Wind. His most recent books include a readable, scholarly volume, entitled The Poetry and Politics of Allen Ginsberg, and the free, downloadable President Predator — poems to help make america trump-free again. Called “another classic New Jersey bard” by the late, great poet, Allen Ginsberg, Katz has been a longtime activist for a wide range of peace and social justice causes, including many years spent as an advocate for Central Jersey homeless individuals and families. In this interview, Katz discusses Frankli...
2022-01-271h 27The LeftscapeFinding Freedom (Episode 115)Welcome to the first show of 2022! Over the course of this new season, co-hosts Robin Renée and Wendy Sheridan and their guests will explore aspects of FREEDOM. The season’s featured interviews begin with Robin’s conversation with Brian Loebig.
Brian Loebig is an enthusiastic small business owner, entrepreneur, teacher, and speaker who loves to share his knowledge with groups large and small. He has extensive expertise in social media marketing, search engine optimization, and online advertising and is a sought after speaker and presenter on those topics. Brian comes from a large, eclectic, and diverse family...
2022-01-121h 17The LeftscapePedro Serrano on Being the Stranger (Episode 114)
Pedro Serrano was born in Newark, NJ and grew up in the Columbus Homes Housing Projects. His childhood memories include “riots, cockroaches big enough to ride to school, and cherry blossoms in the spring.” He is a spoken word artist, was the producer and host of Generation Q, a gay community affairs program on WRSU 88.7 FM, and is a longtime member of the NJ punk rock scene. In his bio for The Good Men Project, he says, “… consider me a product of public housing, food stamps and PBS.” In this last featured interview in this season’s Acceptance se...
2021-12-011h 25The LeftscapeTalking Race on a Road Trip (Episode 113)Kyle Schickner is a writer, director, filmmaker, and activist. He is the driving force behind Fencesitter Films, a film company that focuses on telling stories about people of color, women, and BLGTQ communities. Kyle’s latest film is A White Man Walks Into a Barbershop, a documentary of his cross country road trip focused on having down-to-earth conversations about race and racism. In the featured interview, Kyle speaks with co-hosts Wendy Sheridan and Robin Renée about his journey through Washington, DC, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and other towns and cities across the US. He shares what he learned and why w...
2021-11-171h 25The LeftscapeFood Stories (Episode 112)Emma is a writer, editor, and multimedia storyteller based in the Washington, DC metro area. She is the person behind Plate Less Ordinary, where she shares stories about food, culture, and technology. In a world that prioritizes quantity — see social media algorithms and food porn — Emma chooses quality. She believes everyone owes it to themselves to eat well and hopes those who visit her website will learn something and come away with a new perspective. In this featured interview, Emma brings to light some of the ways food can be an offering or collaboration to connect people of differing life...
2021-11-031h 24The LeftscapeThe Four Cards of Acceptance (Episode 111)Christiana Gaudet began reading tarot professionally in Putnam, Connecticut in 1994. She now offers private readings from her office in Palm City, Florida and serves a worldwide clientele remotely. She is the author of Fortune Stellar: What Every Professional Tarot Reader Needs to Know and Tarot Tour Guide: Tarot, The Four Elements, and Your Spiritual Journey. Christiana was our featured guest way back on Leftscape Episode 31 when she talked about the difference between thinking magically and magical thinking. This time she’s back to talk about what we can learn from what she has come to know as the Four Cards...
2021-10-201h 46The LeftscapeJust Figuring Things Out (Episode 109)Caroline Vahrenkamp has been fighting Stage IV thymoma since 2015, but she is more than her cancer diagnosis. In her free time, Caroline likes to cook and to travel with her kids and she creates a compelling travel and history podcast, Wonders of the World. While undertaking her cancer journey, she navigated and accepted her identity as a transgender woman. In the featured interview, she outlines the experience of the diagnosis, the very interesting Harry Potter-related story of awakening to her gender, and the hope and joy that has come to the fore after “just figuring things out” and coming to l...
2021-09-221h 15The LeftscapeAs I Fell in Love With the World (Episode 108)Beth Anne Yeager is recovering from practicing law, and is now seeking wisdom through studying Ecopsychology, training in Somatic Experiencing, and practicing and teaching yoga and meditation. Her passion is Nature, dancing in the snow, and loving all things wild. In the featured interview, she interweaves the desperate seriousness of climate change with American exceptionalism, white supremacy, and denial, as well as our human potential to mitigate the damage with prosocial behaviors, empathy, and learning from other species with which we share the planet.
Co-hosts Wendy Sheridan and Robin Renée start off the show with a “water...
2021-09-081h 28The LeftscapeYour Body is Beautiful (Episode 107)Serell Brown is the mother of two teens. She describes herself as a fun-loving hard worker with old school morals. She is the founder and creator of Nubian Nudist, an organization for black nudists and naturists that is based in New Jersey and has members across the US as well as some abroad. Serell talks candidly about the origins of her nudism, creating social spaces for body-positive acceptance, and releasing shame to begin loving all of yourself.
Before the featured interview in The Blanket Fort, Wendy Sheridan and Robin Renée take a personal look at the im...
2021-08-241h 22The LeftscapeDaniel Kaye: Making Life Better (Episode 105)After a short summer hiatus, The Leftscape is back with a new theme for the second half of 2021. This is the season of ACCEPTANCE. What does acceptance mean to you? When is it passive and when is it powerful? What things ought we accept? What must we never accept? Let’s see how this theme weaves in and out of the conversations through the rest of the year. The first featured guest of the season is Daniel Kaye.
Daniel Kaye has been a writer and artist for over 25 years, working as a journalist, editor, columnist, editorial cartoonist, an...
2021-07-281h 29The LeftscapeAsk Us Anything! 100th Episode Celebration, Part 2On Friday, April 23, 2021, The Leftscape celebrated having just posted the 100th episode. Here’s the second half of the Zoom celebration where Wendy Sheridan and Robin Renée field questions from their first Ask Us Anything. Hear how Robin and Wendy met and their thoughts on the fun and challenging parts of producing a podcast. Who are their fantasy guests and favorite toons? What do they think about negotiating sex in pandemic times? The wide-ranging and light-hearted conversation features previous show guests Cedric Maurice, JD Stillwater, and John Tod, plus patrons and questions from the Facebook page.
The...
2021-07-1442 minThe LeftscapeListening Party! 100th Episode Celebration, Part 1On Friday, April 23, 2021, The Leftscape celebrated having just posted the 100th episode. Listen in to the Zoom party where Wendy Sheridan and Robin Renée caught up with previous show guests. Cedric Maurice (Mo Love) speaks about co-creating the new podcast, Black Fluidity: Bi Black Men Talk, JD Stillwater shares insights from his forthcoming book, Implications: The Interfaith Promise of Science, and John Tod gives an update on the growth and current process of the men’s group he founded and facilitates. Leftscape listeners Johnny Hallelujah and Laurence Peters join the conversation.
Don’t miss the next post...
2021-06-301h 07The LeftscapeArt and Inspiration (Episode 104)Dr. Edward Vessel is a Senior Research Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (MPIEA) in Frankfurt, Germany. His research group, the Visual Neuroaesthetics Lab, uses behavioral and brain imaging techniques to study the psychological and neural basis of aesthetic experiences, such as when a person is aesthetically “moved” by visual art, poetry, architecture, music, or natural landscapes. Through his work and service, Dr. Vessel aims to elevate the international profile of neuroaesthetics research: he is a board member of the International Association of Empirical Aesthetics, and hosts events focused on neuroaesthetics both at MPIEA and international conf...
2021-06-171h 07The LeftscapeWarning: Triggers (Episode 103)Genea Barnes is committed to the elevation of humanity. Her work as an Elevation Guide focuses on helping individuals and groups to create greater effectiveness and ease in their lives. Neuro Linguistic Programming and hypnosis are among the tools she uses to neutralize self-sabotaging behavior, unwanted patterns, and emotional triggers with the aim of increasing self-worth and self-esteem. Genea speaks with Wendy Sheridan about elevation, the challenges/opportunities most of us find ourselves in, and what it looks like to apply the healing methods she uses in everyday life.
Happy Pride Month and African American Music Appreciation...
2021-06-021h 19The LeftscapeA Radical Expression of Love (Episdoe 102)Sharice Richardson is a nonbinary, queer, Pagan healer and proprietor of Sun Crow Hands-On Healing. They are a Cuddle Sanctuary trained Professional Cuddler and Level II – Usui Reiki Practitioner, who trained under Reiki Master Sea. Sharice is deeply committed to utilizing the spiritual power of love and compassion to liberate, heal, and energetically transform lives. Having first met years ago in the Rutgers University LGBT activist community, Sharice and Robin catch up on their respective spiritual paths, gender evolution, both/and identities, and muse about political histories and the ultimate importance of love.
The 3 Random Facts co-hosts Rob...
2021-05-191h 33The LeftscapeNJ Assembly Candidate Elizabeth Graner (Episode 99)
Elizabeth Graner is an educator, a mom, and a Democratic candidate for New Jersey’s 21st Legislative District. She grew up just outside Pittsburgh as the oldest child of five siblings in a first-generation Irish American home. She moved to New Jersey after college and worked in New York City in corporate human resources and immigration law before realizing her true calling as a teacher. Elizabeth wants to further that calling to advocate for her students and their families in state government. Wendy Sheridan talks with the candidate about how she found her way to politics, what it’s like to b...
2021-04-071h 21The LeftscapeDown the Rabbit Hole (Episode 98)A Chat About Great Sounds and Politics With Musician Matt Bird
Matt Bird is a musician and DJ in Melbourne, Australia. He grew up in a small country town in Central Victoria, then learned saxophone improvisation and played in a Commitments cover band as a teen. After several years of travelling and living in England, he returned to Melbourne to a record company job, a graveyard shift on a local radio station, and gigging with various bands around town. He is now a partner at a business management firm specializing in royalty accounting, licensing, and data analysis...
2021-03-241h 33The LeftscapeBreaking Free (Episode 96)
Mrs. Shay Cook on Financial Freedom and How Conspirituality Keeps an Eye on Cult Thinking
Mrs. Shay Cook is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Crusaders for Change, LLC, which she began in May 2016. C4C is focused on empowering and equipping the broader community with tools they need to become financially free through counseling, coaching, and classes. Shay is a certified Accredited Financial Counselor® and Financial Fitness Coach®. She also holds a Bachelor’s & Master’s degree in psychology. Mrs. Shay Cook lives in Odenton, MD with her husband and English Bulldog. In this fe...
2021-02-231h 18The LeftscapePolitiCALM in the Chaos (Episode 95)Christina Romelus is the founder of PolitiCALM, a new organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals entering, engaging in, and exiting public life. She was elected to public office as a Boynton Beach, FL City Commissioner at the age of 27 in 2016. Through her years in public service, she strived to be a voice for those not normally represented in government. Romelus launched PolitiCALM on Inauguration Day, January 20th, the same day this featured interview was recorded. She shares her thoughts about that historic day plus how PolitiCALM aims to provide coaching, mental health support, and campaign guidance to...
2021-02-101h 10The LeftscapeThe Quest for Sisterhood (Episode 93)Dr. Stephanie Brown on Black Women Post-Election, Creating Community, and Self-Care for All
Dr. Stephanie Brown is a family physician who has been practicing for over 20 years. Over the past few years, she decided to expand her wellness focus to include emotional, spiritual, and relational healing as well as physical. She became a life coach because of her desire to create a safe space for women to overcome anything that may be holding them back. In May of 2020 she launched S.O.A.R. (Sisters Overcoming and Rising). It is a platform that includes a radio show...
2020-12-161h 14The LeftscapeAsexuality. Animaniacs. (Episode 92)Samantha Poole has been a member of the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) since it began in 2002. She was recently credited by members of AVEN as being the first person to coin the now frequently-used terms describing romantic attraction apart from sexual attraction. She defines herself as heteroromantic asexual. Samantha is a psychiatrist with a special interest in the LGBTQ+ population. In her spare time she likes to bellydance, play the banjo, attend cosplay cons, as well as DEVOtional, the annual Devo fan gathering, where she met co-host Robin Renée in 2005. Listen in to Samantha’s conversation wit...
2020-12-021h 04The LeftscapeA Socially-Distanced Samhain (Episode 90)Wendy Sheridan, Mary McGinley, and Robin Renée discuss the U.S. presidential election and try to manage their stress as votes are counted. They have some fun with random facts, speculate about what could be happening in voting trends, and contemplate the challenges to making the best case for liberal and progressive candidates. Robin and Mary report on The Leftscape Election Night Hangout, which included previous show guests, John C. Tod, Anne Sabagh, Elisebeth VanderWeil, and Analysis. Then the co-hosts recount their recent socially-distanced Samhain gathering and spend some time remembering loved ones and other notable people who h...
2020-11-041h 01The LeftscapeAnji Marth’s Paintings From Quarantine (Episode 89)Anji Marth been a professional tattoo artist and painter since 1999. Her published books include Tar and Gravel, Knuckle Sandwich, the resonant eyes series, and The Horrors coloring book for adults. Her current project is a series of abstract paintings, Paintings From Quarantine. She also works in taxidermy as assemblage art as well as illustration. Anji grew up in coal country, Pennsylvania and has lived in the Pacific Inland Northwest for 24 years. She and Wendy share a wide-ranging conversation on the left/liberal/conservative/right political spectrum, what it is to be a prepper, and her painfully beautiful paintings in response...
2020-10-221h 19The LeftscapeYolandaNanda! (Episode 87)Rev. Yolanda is a singer/songwriter/trans-femme genderqueer performance artist and interfaith minister, originally from Muscle Shoals, Alabama — the hit recording capital of the world. Rev. Yolanda has been honored with induction into the GLBT Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame, and also with two MAC Awards from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs. A brand new recording, YolandaNanda, is based on her love for mantras of the Buddhist, Hindu, and Sikh traditions. She shares her story of journeying from a Christian background to growing to understand her sexuality and gender to life and spirituality through Th...
2020-09-231h 18The LeftscapeBlack Masculinity and the She-Ra Finale (Episode 84)Dillon Carmichael is the founder of Redefining Black Masculinity. The Redefining Black Masculinity project works to document and express the black masculine identity in all of its facets, with the intention of providing insight and helping to expand the culture through deeper understanding. In this interview, Carmichael, who hails from Irvington, NJ, shares the family story that helped spark the project, he explains a bit about how black masculinity is traditionally policed with “no homo” assertions and more, and he talks about what he learned about masculinity and race while attending an all boys’ school in Pennsylvania. He discusses his qu...
2020-07-081h 25The LeftscapeLove Is All We Have (Episode 83)Talking With Songwriter, Composer, and Producer Drew Yowell
Drew Yowell is a producer, songwriter and artist who has worked with legends like Phoebe Snow, David Lasley, Desmond Child, David Benoit, Dae Bennett, and Herb Alpert. He has played guitar for Sophie B. Hawkins and Kristin Hoffmann, among many others. He was recently nominated for his original composition on an MTV prosocial promo campaign. In addition to composing for MTV, he composes and produces music for VH1, LOGO, and Centric. In this conversation with Robin Renée, Drew offers some much-needed inspiration. He shares stories about working from h...
2020-06-241h 12The LeftscapeWhen the World is On Fire (Episode 82)
It is not a time for business as usual. This episode of The Leftscape has no featured guest, light-hearted second segment, or messages from mock sponsors. After only a few Random Facts regarding Superman’s flight, the founding of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Possum Drop, the conversation turns to the seriousness at hand. The world is on fire in protest against the murder of George Floyd on May 25th, 2020. And there is a pandemic. And there is an anti-racist tide that can make one dare to be hopeful.
Robin Renée, Wen...
2020-06-1054 minThe LeftscapeTalk Like L.O.V.E.R.S. (Episode 81)Dwayne Smith on Communication in Relationships and Lessons from Polyamory
Dwayne Smith, a PhD student in computational social science at George Mason University researches criminal justice policy reform, restorative justice initiatives, and the impacts of public policy on black communities. He works in cyber security. He is a pilot and a fitness competitor. When he’s not working on all those things and more, he finds the time to work on a book on communications with Life Coach Lori Carpenter and to tell The Leftscape all about it. Check out what Dwayne has to say about what he...
2020-05-271h 13The LeftscapeThe End of Certainty (Episode 79)
JD Stillwater is a science educator, writer, and musician. He is a Cornell University graduate and a full-time staff member at The Circle School in Harrisburg, PA. His inspiring presentation, Seven Candles, brings to the global conversation an entrance into making difficult science concepts graspable for non-scientists, and then takes listeners into the deeper mysteries those concepts engender. In this conversation with longtime friend Robin Renée, JD illuminates the main points of reference for Seven Candles, shares some moving, topical poems, and speaks to the potential that lies in exploring science to inspire a shift from d...
2020-04-291h 19The LeftscapeNeon Blessings, Beautiful Wounds (Episode 78)Rich Orloff on Psychedelics, Writing, and New York City in the Time of COVID-19
Playwright Rich Orloff is the author of 18 full-length plays (most comedies, mostly award-winning) and over 80 short plays, which have received 2,000 productions on six continents – and a staged reading on Antarctica. His lifelong journey of inquiry, growth, and humor is reflected in his work, but an exploration of psychedelic-assisted underground therapy in recent years led to a deepening of perception and unexpected spirituality as well as to his autobiographical monologue, It’s A Beautiful Wound. In this conversation with Robin Renée, Orloff reads an ex...
2020-04-151h 17The LeftscapeA Very Useful Sword (Episode 77)Daryle Lamont Jenkins on Documenting Hate in Charlottesville and Beyond
Daryle Lamont Jenkins believes “the pen is mightier than the sword” and has been writing about, filming, and otherwise getting the word out about neo-Nazi and other hate organizations for decades. He has appeared on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show and AM Joy with Joy Reid, ABC’s 20/20, and in countless articles and documentaries (Alt-Right: Age of Rage, Erasing Hate) focusing on antifa’s fight against the so-called “alt-right.” Daryle co-produced the short film, Skin, which won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short. He firs...
2020-03-301h 24The LeftscapeA Balance of Intensity (Episode 76)Health Coach Julio Cortés With Tips on Staying Well — Just When We Need Them Most
Julio Cortés, of Mind and Body 360, is a health coach and consultant who helps clients create the life they desire by evaluating and balancing key areas including stress levels, fuel, sleep, movement, and recovery. He draws from having studied with numerous health and wellness experts, extensive martial arts training, and his time spent training others in a corporate environment in Japan. As a longtime activist, he is particularly interested in helping others engaged in activism to maintain their energy and well...
2020-03-181h 00The LeftscapeWhat Women Really Care About (Episode 75)
Jennifer Reitman on DAME Magazine and its Mission
Jennifer Reitman is the Founder and Publisher of DAME Magazine, an online news and commentary site that looks at the social, political, and cultural trends of our time through women’s perspectives. By creating DAME, Reitman set out to fill the void she experienced in traditional media for women – think health & beauty and fashion – with what she and the women in her world really care about like politics, reproductive rights, and social justice. Wendy Sheridan‘s January 22nd conversation with Jennifer Reitman explores DAME’s focus on long-form...
2020-03-041h 04The LeftscapeThis is a Super Sexy Show (Episode 74)Rachel Green has been called a shaman and proudly calls herself a sexy, slutty comedian. She came to standup comedy when she realized her sex and dating stories were too interesting not to share with the world. In this super sexy episode, Rachel talks about enjoying sex and her comfort with speaking of it without shame, learning to turn everyday life into funny stories and observations for the stage, the purpose of comedy, and creating great shows without the typical comedy bro pitfalls. Also an actor, singer, violinist and voiceover artist, Rachel Green was featured in the New York...
2020-02-191h 03The LeftscapeWiccan Ethics, Activate! (Episode 73)Author Susan R. Kagan on Wiccan Ethics, Writing, Decluttering, Politics, Activism, and Why NOT to Be a Puritopian
Susan R. Kagan was born and raised in a small town in Indiana, from which she fled for more cosmopolitan environments as soon as she could. She is the author of Ruxandra, a supernatural historical fiction novel about the granddaughter of Vlad the Impaler and the nonfiction book Basic Wiccan Ethics: Avoiding a Perilous Path. Susan is a Third Degree High Priestess associated with Bee Hive Coven. From her home in New Orleans, she speaks with Wendy Sheridan on...
2020-02-121h 06The LeftscapeDavid Bowie Was (Episode 1 Redux)While The Leftscape is on a brief hiatus, please enjoy this throwback to the very first episode. Today (January 8th) is the birthday of David Bowie, so what better time to listen back to an excerpt of “Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes (Episode 1)” from May 30, 2018. Wendy Sheridan, Mary McGinley, and Robin Renée talk about their first Bowie experiences, Robin and Wendy share their impressions of the David Bowie is exhibit, and Robin unboxes the David Bowie Tarot.
Things to do:
Read about the David Bowie is exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum
Read about the David Bowie Tarot...
2020-01-0820 minThe LeftscapeOral Sex with Reid Mihalko (Episode 69)Sex and relationship geek Reid Mihalko teaches internationally, running workshops and speaking on communication skills, alternative relationship styles, and shame-free sexuality. He helps adults and college students create more self-esteem, self-confidence, and greater health and accountability in their relationships and sex lives with a mixture of humor, personal stories, insight, and comprehensive sexual health information. Listen in for what Reid has to say to longtime friend Robin Renée on dispelling sexual myths, mental and physical arousal, what “counts” as a 69, and the two most important things you need to know about genitals.
The winter holiday season is up...
2019-12-181h 19The LeftscapeHistory and Hope (Episode 68)An Oral History of Race from the 1940s – Today
by Arretta Cuff
Mrs. Arretta Cuff grew up in Bridgeton, New Jersey and graduated from Bridgeton High School in 1954. She has owned a cleaning business, worked in sales, and has gathered abundant life experience along the way with stories to tell. Listen as she shares her personal account of being black and navigating a world imbued with racism in the early-mid 20th century, thoughts on how people of color may fare differently today, and her hopes for the future. Share the link, tag a friend, and help ot...
2019-12-111h 14The LeftscapeTables, Bins, & Books: The Camden County Pop Up Library (Episode 66)Tom Martin of Haddon Township, NJ has a passion for books. His dream of having a bookmobile grew into the creation of the Camden County Pop Up Library, through which he promotes literacy and community by giving away books four to five times a week. His regular stops include underserved areas in Camden and nearby locations such as outside a methadone clinic, transportation center, and soup kitchen. Listen in as he shares his inspired and inspiring thoughts on the project with co-host Robin Renée.
In All the News We Can Handle, Robin, Mary McGinley, and Wendy S...
2019-11-271h 07The LeftscapeDavid S. Schwartz on The Spirit of the Constitution (Episode 65)Professor David S. Schwartz teaches and writes in the areas of Constitutional Law, Evidence and Civil Procedure. His scholarship includes articles published in the Georgetown, Notre Dame, and University of Pennsylvania law reviews, and he has co-authored two casebooks. His most recent book, The Spirit of The Constitution: John Marshall and the 200-Year Odyssey of McCulloch v. Maryland was published by Oxford University Press in September 2019. He speaks with Wendy Sheridan about how the centuries-old McCulloch v. Maryland case has reverberated through the decades with the continual tension between where U.S. federal powers end and states rights begin...
2019-11-201h 02The LeftscapeA Revolution in Acceptance (Episode 64)
Laura Peters on Finding our Political Voices and Loving our Genders Out Loud
Laura Peters is the Maryland Legislative Coordinator for Amnesty International. She has worked in politics and education for most of her career, first as a counsel to an education subcommittee for the U.S. House of Representatives and then as a political appointee for the Clinton administration. Listen to her conversation with Robin Renée on creating a more welcoming environment for immigrants, small acts that can make a big positive impact, and the importance of giving back. Laura then shares candidly a...
2019-11-131h 05The LeftscapeGreen Paper Ballots (Episode 54)Mary McGinley, Wendy Sheridan, and Robin Renée get together this time around to chat about ways we can all vote with our dollars. Whether electronic, plastic, or old-fashioned green “paper ballots,” we have the power to choose to spend or not spend our money in each potential transaction. Do you choose Costco over Walmart? Do you avoid Hobby Lobby, Chik-fil-A, or Wendy’s? How much effort do you put into supporting businesses you think are a net positive in the world? Listen to this conversation as Mary, Wendy, and Robin weave through the questions and complications. Scroll down to expl...
2019-08-2157 minThe LeftscapeGary Wilson: Full Interview, June 3, 2019, San Diego, CA (Episode 51 Bonus)Bonus post! Listen to the full conversation Gary Wilson had with Robin Renée on June 3, 2019 in San Diego. In addition to the thoughts shared in the edited version in “The Endicott Dreams of Gary Wilson (Episode 51),” hear Gary on gigging with Todd Rundgren, working in Woodstock, NY, his concerns about life on the road, and more. Enjoy!
Read Robin Renée’s interviews and articles on Gary Wilson:
“From out of an Endicott, New York basement in 1977 came a brilliantly insane record almost no one heard. A short run self-released LP, Gary Wilson’s You Think Yo...
2019-07-1042 minThe LeftscapeThe Endicott Dreams of Gary Wilson (Episode 51)Gary Wilson, the rightfully self-declared “King of Endicott” is an off-the-beaten-path musician who in his own outsider way is living the dream. About a month before heading out on his July-August U.S. tour, Gary took the time to chat with superfan Robin Renée about his career from its beginnings with the band Lord Fuzz to being rediscovered in the 1990s and re-rediscovered at the start of the new millennium. He flows through stories of his childhood in Endicott, NY, adventures in hippie/post-hippie/pre-punk New York City of the late 60s and early 70s, and his current colla...
2019-07-1057 minThe LeftscapeLaughter Matters: Jaleesa Johnson of Mueller, She Wrote (Episode 49)To kick off the second year of The Leftscape in style, Robin Renée speaks with Jaleesa Johnson, comedian and co-host of the Webby Award-winning podcast, Mueller, She Wrote. Jaleesa shares about the ordeal of living through Hurricane Katrina in her home city of New Orleans, the development of her passion for politics, the humor, bawdiness, and serious mission of MSW, and the importance of “uncomfortable” comedy. She gives insight into her newest podcast project, The Racial Maddow Show, finding constructive ways to confront racism, sadness, and anger, and she gives props to some of her heroes and influences includ...
2019-06-121h 04The LeftscapeOur First Year! (Episode 48)Happy Birthday to us! The Leftscape premiered on May 30, 2018, so in this episode the co-hosts celebrate a year of exploring “the shape of progressive conversation” and podcasting together. From fun with mythbusting, being introduced to the new She-Ra, and memorable conversations with guests, Mary McGinley, Wendy Sheridan, and Robin Renée run down some of their favorite episodes. What have been some of your favorite moments from the first year of The Leftscape? Listen to some back episodes and get in touch with your appreciations, comments, and ideas for the future.
June is Pride Month, and events will ab...
2019-05-2959 minThe LeftscapeRidiculous! Tales from the Mind of D.L. Carter (Episode 45)Mary McGinley meets up with prolific author D.L. Carter this week on The Leftscape. D.L. Carter, who hails from the Australian Outback, has been telling stories before she could even write. Her fanciful tales grew nonstop from a child’s imagination through Doctor Who and Star Trek fan fiction and into her many titles including Ridiculous!, Obstreperous, The Use of Changing Magic, and First Destroy All Giant Monsters. She speaks with Mary about her works in Regency romance, fantasy, mystery, and science fiction, as well as misogyny in history, humor, the creative process, and the very demanding voi...
2019-04-241h 02The LeftscapeBig & Scary (Episode 42)aka Politics, the Universe, and Everything
In this episode, Robin Renée speaks about policing and intolerance that can show up in our left-leaning communities and begins to confront the long-held fear she has had of doing so. Having hit an emotional wall around responses to major social justice issues that seem to have become sacrosanct, it is a big and scary thing to express ideas that may not always fall in line. With a particular interest in communicating with others of blended backgrounds, more conversations – perhaps eventually taking the form of a book – are on the horiz...
2019-04-031h 05The LeftscapeHello, Ostara! (Episode 40)Robin Renée, Mary McGinley, and Wendy Sheridan are happy to welcome springtime! This episode’s conversation centers around the spring equinox and the various ways of celebrating the corresponding Pagan holiday of Ostara. For some, it is a time of clearing out and making room for the new. For some, it is a time for planting literal or figurative seeds.
A new segment, The Blanket Fort, is introduced later in the show. The Blanket Fort will feature things that foster comfort, healing, and relaxation – ways of finding peace in a chaotic world. In keeping with the week’...
2019-03-2049 minThe LeftscapeSex… & Death (Episode 38)Wendy Sheridan, Mary McGinley, and Robin Renée talk women’s sexuality on this week’s episode – from Freud’s miscasting of the female orgasm to the liberation of pleasure by pro-sex feminists, personal discoveries of pleasure-enhancing household objects, and much more. Wendy shares a list of reasons women could be institutionalized in the late 1800s and Mary recommends The Birth of Pleasure by Carol Gilligan. Robin tries to talk about Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus and gets the title ass backwards before singing the praises of Betty Dodson.
Opening conversations take on a more somber...
2019-03-061h 03The LeftscapeMagic & Media (Episode 31)Robin Renée, Mary McGinley, and Wendy Sheridan are back from their short winter break and wish everyone a very happy 2019! This week, Robin spoke with Christiana Gaudet, one of the most recognizable talents in tarot and the intuitive arts today. She is the author of Fortune Stellar: What Every Professional Tarot Reader Needs to Know and Tarot Tour Guide: Tarot, The Four Elements, and Your Spiritual Journey. Christiana says, “… we are at our best when we think magically, but at our worst when we fall into magical thinking.” Listen in to the conversation to learn the differences between the two c...
2019-01-161h 06The LeftscapeFree to be HSP (Episode 27)
Anne Sabagh is a life coach in Fairfax, VA with a special calling. Though she works with all types of clients, she has particular insight into working with Highly Sensitive People. Highly Sensitive People experience sound, light, crowds, or other stimuli more intensely than others, and so have a need to navigate the world with a bit more intention. Anne took some time out last week to speak with Robin Renée about what it is to be HSP and ways it may bear similarities to introversion or being on the autism spectrum. As an HSP herself, An...
2018-12-051h 00The LeftscapeRevoked! (Episode 24)
In Episode 24, Wendy Sheridan talks about a renewed sense of vulnerability and feeling that as a Jewish person her “provisional white card has been revoked” after the recent massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. It is a newly deepening awareness of a very old danger at work in the world. Wendy along with Robin Renée and Mary McGinley think out loud about the ingrained white supremacy and patriarchy in American society and how we might work to create change. They challenge themselves and others to find ways to erode anti-Semitism, racism, patria...
2018-11-1455 minThe LeftscapeLight at the End of the Election (Episode 23)November is off to an intense start. Wendy Sheridan, Mary McGinley, and Robin Renée welcome listeners to the new month by wishing everyone a Happy NaNoWriMo, Happy National STEM/STEAM Day (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math), Happy (or Hairy) No Shave Month, and introduce some info on other celebrations and awareness days. But the main topic on everyone’s mind is the U.S. midterm election. After what seemed endless campaigning and ratcheted-up anxiety about the importance of outcomes, voters had their say on Tuesday, November 6th. Political and social activism can hardly afford a break for long...
2018-11-081h 13The LeftscapeThe Stirred Up Demons (Episode 19)When the Blanket Fort Can’t Protect Us
Content Warning: Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, Emotional Pain
“The Monthiest Month” of October continues. Though the news has been all Kavanaugh all the time, Wendy Sheridan, Robin Renée, and Mary McGinley find a little lightness in reasons to celebrate such as Global Diversity Awareness Month, National Apple Month, and American Cheese Month (Wendy wants to believe that Cheez Whiz is actually cheese.). It’s also Work from Home Week, Midwifery Week (aka “Don’t Correct My Pronunciation Week”), Mystery Series Week, World Mental Health Day on October 10...
2018-10-1041 minThe LeftscapeStowin’ Away with a Solar Suitcase (Episode 16)Ahoy ye landlubbers! An’ has Th’ Leftscape ever got a show fer ye! Lend us yer ears as Dread Pirate Wendy, Bloody Mary, an’ Robin El Terrible tell ye a tale. . .
September 19th is Talk Like a Pirate Day, and Wendy Sheridan, Mary McGinley, and Robin Renée give it their best shot in introducing this week’s show. We hear about their favorite pirates Batt and Galen (featured image), Adam Ant, and Errol Flynn as Captain Blood, plus a jolly, bawdy pirate tune by Moss Stern called “Pirates of the Rim.”
Robin speaks with engineer Linda...
2018-09-1951 minThe LeftscapeThe “F” Word (Episode 12)Finding a Feminism for All Ages
This week, Mary McGinley, Wendy Sheridan, and Robin Renée discuss the state of present-day feminism. Can feminists of differing ages and cultures understand one another? Where are the disconnects? What can we learn from each other? Who tends to shy away from identifying with the “f” word, and who embraces it? Mary begins the conversation by expressing dismay about a meeting she attended where older feminists waxed poetic about having marched with Dr. King while younger feminists griped about the group’s website and branding. Wendy remembers being raised by a femin...
2018-08-151h 04The LeftscapeActivism Online and Elsewhere (Episode 11)Despite the audio issues that gave Robin Renée and Mary McGinley a bit of an echo effect, this episode of The Leftscape is well worth an attentive listen. A listener letter from visual artist Melanie Sinclair (a longtime friend of Robin’s) called out middle-class privilege in assumptions made about online activism in Episode 1. Wendy Sheridan takes the lead in acknowledging the work that is needed to recognize privilege and to make space to understand the circumstances of those who have less. Mary offers a glimpse of balancing life and political organizing time from her perspective. The discussion weave...
2018-08-0856 minThe LeftscapeCaptive on a Carousel (Episode 9)With credit due to Joni Mitchell for the lyric “captive on a carousel of time,” the title of today’s episode refers to two topics that come up in conversation for Wendy Sheridan, Mary McGinley, and Robin Renée this week, plus the sense of overwhelm that in times like these, can pervade the experience of current events. July 25th is an occasion for several remembrances and celebrations, including National Merry-Go-Round Day. Robin spotted a “Permit Pete” at the beach, and Wendy reveals her decision about running for political office.
Later, we learn that it is Captive Nations Week...
2018-07-2544 minThe LeftscapePagans, Prison, and Propaganda (Episode 4)A Season for Learning and Action
Summer Solstice is a time of celebration. Robin Renée, Mary McGinley, and Wendy Sheridan take a moment to savor the warmth of the season before diving into the chilling political news of the week. They share their reactions to the alienation of U.S. allies at the G7 summit and the movie trailer-like “inspirational” video Trump had in tow for Kim Jong-un to watch during their meeting in Singapore. In the And Then They Came for… segment, Robin, Mary, and Wendy scratch the surface of a devastating issue that has not affected...
2018-06-2034 minThe LeftscapeJersey Pride LIVE (Episode 2)A Celebration in Any Weather
And was there ever weather! Take a journey through a magazine of recorded clips as Wendy Sheridan, Robin Renée, and Mary McGinley brave the wind and the rain to check out Jersey Pride in Asbury Park on Sunday, June 3rd, 2018. Dawn, a festival attendee, talks about how she feels freer to be her pansexual self there rather than where she lives in the Atlantic City area. Mary views the AIDS Quilt and Wendy and Robin speak with Scott Rudder of the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association. Robin catches up with her old f...
2018-06-0647 minThe LeftscapeCh-Ch-Ch-Changes(Episode 1)Welcome to The Leftscape!
In this first episode, co-hosts Wendy Sheridan, Mary McGinley, and Robin Renée introduce themselves and talk about how their lives have changed since November 2016. Through the stress, trauma, coping, and stages of healing, they coalesce around an inspiration toward greater activism. Robin and Wendy share their impressions of the David Bowie is exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. They each share their first Bowie experiences, and Robin unboxes the David Bowie Tarot.
Tune in next week for “Live from NJ Pride!” If you’re going to be at New Jersey’s 27th Annual...
2018-05-3046 min