Episode 3: Lidia Yuknavitch on Reading the Waves and Riding the Currents: A Recto/Verso Artist Interview with Liz Asch

Lidia Yuknavitch is the author of 12 books including The Chronology of Water, Reading the Waves, which is her latest book, the Misfits Manifesto, Thrust, Verge, The Small Backs of Children, Joan of Dirt, and Dora: A Headcase. Lidia is the founder of Portland’s cherished school of Corporeal Writing. She has decades of experience teaching, has won awards up the wazoo, and is one of the most beloved members of the literary community where we live here in Portland, Oregon, and her reach extends so far, into the hearts of countless readers, friends, and admirers. Lidia is outrageously talented, perceptive and thoughtful, and she is also one of the most generous people I’ve ever known. I consider myself extremely lucky to walk on this planet at the same time as Lidia Yuknavitch and am so grateful to call her a dear friend.

Episode 2: Jon Raymond on God and Sex: A Recto/Verso Artist Interview with Liz Asch

Jon Raymond is a novelist, screen writer, and art critic, author of the novels Denial, Freebird, The Half-Life, and Rain Dragon – and one of my favorite short story collections, Livability (which one a Ken Kesey award). Jon wrote the screenplays for Showing Up, Old Joy, Wendy and Lucy, Meek's Cutoff, Night Moves, and First Cow, with Kelly Reichardt, who directed the films. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for his work on the HBO miniseries, Mildred Pierce, which he co-wrote with director Todd Haynes, and we are here today to talk about his latest novel, God and Sex, which comes out this August.

Over the years, Jon and I have crossed paths in Portland as both writers and parents. I always enjoy our conversations and I’m thrilled to welcome him as a guest to the podcast. We are here today in my living room to talk about the process of writing God and Sex, the deep-rooted questions the novel raises, and how to make a meaningful life amidst the challenges and gifts of being an artist in today’s world.

I try to steer away from spoilers, as we talk about this exciting novel which takes place in Ashland, Oregon, amidst personal crises and natural disasters. We follow a cast of three characters, who each have a different relationship to the two themes named in the title: God and Sex, as they endure life changes, betrayals, and tragedy.

Thanks to Ezra Greenhill for our theme song and to Alix Grande for production support.

Episode 1: Anna Diem on Songwriting, Singing, and Producing: A Recto/Verso Artist Interview with Liz Asch

Anna Diem is a Portland, Oregon based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. Her album Hello Oregon came out in 2022, Small Victories in 2019, and Gay Love Songs is her 2018 EP.  Anna has a wide range of singles as well. Her lyrics are poetic and intimate, and she sings about love and queerness, culture, nostalgia, and yearning, mostly in the alt-pop genre. You can find her music on Spotify, Apple, Youtube, and Bandcamp.

Thanks to Ezra Greenhill for our theme song and to Alix Grande for production support.