A talk with poet Mark Turcotte about his youth in North Dakota and Michigan, his various jobs, and ending up a professor of literature at DePaul University in Chicago.
How to make a poppyseed roll according to my mother
My mom tells me the recipe for poppyseed roll that her mother-in-law taught her. (in Russian)
Of Burning Books
A few pages from Olga Tokarczuk’s The Books of Jacob.
Matt Grimm
A talk with Matt Grimm about his quarter-life crisis.
Alexander Samarov
A talk in Russian with my father about his childhood, his love of nature, and the roots of his interest in literature.
Nora Samarov
A talk in Russian with my mother about her childhood, work in hospital, and early loves.
Comfort Station
Practice readings for a performance at Comfort Station on 4/20/23 with music by Keefe Jackson, Aram Shelton, and Jeb Bishop.
Background music by The Dwarfs of East Agouza.
EXPO Chicago 2023
Jasmon Drain
A talk with Chicago writer Jasmon Drain. Read my review of his book, which led to our becoming friends.
Wendy Clinard
I talk with artist/dancer/choreographer/human Wendy Clinard about her circuitous route through the creative landscape.
John Salhus/Buena Vista Projects
A talk with painter John Salhus about his new art space, Buena Vista Projects, in the East Side neighborhood of Chicago.
New Year’s Eve without Mama
I read another story from Alla Gorbunova’s It’s the End of the World, My Love in Russian.
Mark Shippy
A long talk with musician/artist Mark Shippy about U.S. Maple and many other things under the sun.
Kevin Hickey
A wide-ranging talk with Chef Kevin Hickey about his long history in the kitchen, his travels, plans to dot Europe with Duck Inn hotdog stands and more.
Sunday @ Archie’s Cafe
A reading/concert by Westley Heine and Dmitry Samarov at Archie’s Cafe in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, 2/26/23.
It’s the end of the world, my love
A reading from Alla Gorbunova’s It’s the End of the World, My Love. I found out about this book from a podcast called Polka. Apologies to any non-Russian-language-speaking listeners. Hope to be back with an episode in my adopted language soon.
Jessi Phillips
Ben Terrall
A talk with writer Ben Terrall about Boston, San Francisco, and the state of the world.
Jason Sanford
A talk with artist/musician Jason Sanford about Boston, Colorado, art, music, and more.
Mike Reed
A talk with Mike Reed about playing music, starting the Pitchfork Music Festival, running Constellation and the Hungry Brain, and lots more.
Don Southard
A long talk with painter and teacher Don Southard.
Damian Rogers
A wide-ranging talk with Toronto-based writer Damian Rogers. Read my review of her great book about her mother here.
Soviet Stamps at Dominican
A talk about Soviet Stamps in Frank Spidale‘s freshman seminar at Dominican University, November 22, 2022.
Dear———
An excerpt from a work in progress.
Chris Brokaw
A talk with Chris Brokaw about his bands past and present, touring, teaching, and more.