Tag Archives: lifeelsewhere.co

A Compelling Story Explained + A Vulnerable & Insightful Voice

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Nathaniel Popkin, author

In Everything is Borrowed, acclaimed architect Nicholas Moscowitz lands a major commission, but his drive suddenly falters. The site of the new project awakens guilty memories, and when he digs into the place’s history, he uncovers a 19th-century Moskowitz whose life offers strange parallels to his own. As Nicholas grows obsessed with this shadow man, the dual narratives of Moskowitz and Moscowitz, the city’s past and present, blend in unexpected and poignant ways. Ultimately Nicholas must face certain truths that don’t change over time—and use them to rebuild his own life. Nathaniel Popkin, the author of Everything is Borrowed is our guest on the next edition of Life Elsewhere. He answers Norman B’s questions with the same intensity he brings to his latest novel. Popkin wants you to hear his passion. He doesn’t falter, revealing so much of himself, explaining his compelling meditation on cruelty and regret, and taking the reader (listener) on a mesmerizing tour of a city through time, all the while evoking a portrait of radical Jewish life of another age.

Plus, you’ll hear new music from Rosie Peppin, a talented young singer-songwriter, from the south of England. Of her EP, simply titled, EP, Rosie says, almost apologetically, “This is a collection of demo tracks I completed whilst at university.” With demos of this quality, Rosie Peppin is well on her way to well-deserved success. In the two songs, we showcase, When This Comes and Thunder, Rosie displays a beguiling ability to sound in equal parts vulnerable and insightful. Her voice is haunting, almost frail, yet intensely confident. Sheer delight!

Life Elsewhere is available at NPR One, iTunes & Mixcloud

Sundays 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays 5.00pm PT & Wednesdays 2.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio
Thursdays 6.00pm ET at Internet Radio Network
Fridays at 9.00pm GMT on Cornucopia Radio

Another way to listen to past editions of Life Elsewhere: go here then go to the Listen On-Demand panel, choose the date of a show and click play.

Life Elsewhere Music airs:
Mondays at 6.00pm & Wednesdays at 3.00pm Pacific Time on NWCZ Radio
Fridays at 10.00am Eastern Time on IRN
Cornucopia Radio airs Life Elsewhere Music throughout each week
You can hear all the volumes over at Mixcloud
Make a Donation Button

Show #272

The Artful Storyteller Avoids Disclosing The Plot Twist

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It’s 1955, at a party in a lush Roman palazzo. A wealthy American art collector has invited all the expat socialites — plus one of the great painters of modern art, Bear Bavinsky, a brawny, beardy charmer known for his wildly colored (and wildly sexualized) canvases. As Bear regales everyone with tales of his rivals such as Picasso and Pollock, another guest is observing from afar: his wife, Natalie, a superb artist but overlooked. For comfort, she clutches the hand of their son, Pinch, who is 5. This novel is itself a portrait — not depicting the life of the great Bear, nor of Natalie, but of their son, Pinch, who grows up longing to equal his father’s greatness, is sometimes elevated by his old man, sometimes crushed. Until one day, Pinch begins an astonishing plan that’ll change art history forever…This is a tantalizing glimpse into the new must-read novel, The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman. In the next edition of Life Elsewhere, Tom talks spiritedly about his intriguing book, but with his artful storyteller’s skill, he never reveals the crucial plot twist of his entertaining, heartbreaking novel about art, family, loyalty, and authenticity. The conversation between Tom and Life Elsewhere host, Norman B is all the more fascinating because of how they delve into the story and the characters. Makes sure you do not miss an exceptional interview with Tom Rachman, an enormously talented writer, and listen carefully to see if you can decipher the plot twist, he avoids disclosing.

Life Elsewhere is available at NPR One & iTunes

Sundays 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays 5.00pm PT & Wednesdays 2.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio
Thursdays 6.00pm ET at Internet Radio Network
Fridays at 9.00pm GMT on Cornucopia Radio

Another way to listen to past editions of Life Elsewhere: go here then go to the Listen On-Demand panel, choose the date of a show and click play.

Life Elsewhere Music airs:
Mondays at 6.00pm & Wednesdays at 3.00pm Pacific Time on NWCZ Radio
Fridays at 10.00am Eastern Time on IRN
Cornucopia Radio airs Life Elsewhere Music throughout each week
You can hear all the volumes over at Mixcloud
Make a Donation Button

Show #271

The Poet, The Author & The Eccentric Physician

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Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz is a best-selling poet and author, she also happens to be the possessor of an infectious laugh. We’ll get to the eccentric physician part in a moment. Cristin has the remarkable ability to share emotive stories about the death of her mother in poetry while being cleverly funny. She uses the same slight nod to irreverence when talking about the eccentric physician in her compelling non-fiction book, Dr. Mütter’s Marvels: A True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine. The Philadelphia born and raised writer was intrigued by that city’s renowned Mütter Museum and set about writing a biography of its namesake. The result, a mesmerizing biography of the brilliant and eccentric medical innovator who revolutionized American surgery and founded the country’s most famous museum of medical oddities. In her conversation with Norman B, O’Keefe Aptowicz vividly chronicles how Mütter’s efforts helped establish Philadelphia as a global mecca for medical innovation. She uses her keen eye for detail and the slightly absurd to chronicle the death of her mother in her latest book and seventh collection of poems, How To Love The Empty Air. Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz is a fascinating and engaging guest, you’ll chuckle along with her as she describes the pink-silk-suited, Dr. Mütter and recalls the passing of a loud, bossy, broad – her mother.

Life Elsewhere is available at NPR One & iTunes

Sundays 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays 5.00pm PT & Wednesdays 2.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio
Thursdays 6.00pm ET at Internet Radio Network
Fridays at 9.00pm GMT on Cornucopia Radio

Another way to listen to past editions of Life Elsewhere: go here then go to the Listen On-Demand panel, choose the date of a show and click play.

Life Elsewhere Music airs:
Mondays at 6.00pm & Wednesdays at 3.00pm Pacific Time on NWCZ Radio
Fridays at 10.00am Eastern Time on IRN
Cornucopia Radio airs Life Elsewhere Music throughout each week
You can hear all the volumes over at Mixcloud
Make a Donation Button

Show #270

The Science Fiction Special

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Since the last Presidential election, how many times have you said, “This is all too fantastic to be true”? The most unlikely of Presidents and the perpetual bizarre circus surrounding him has perplexed even the most revered, brilliant scholars. Every day, pundits on cable TV chorus the same sentiment,“You couldn’t make this up, it’s hard to separate fantasy from reality!” Fantasy vs. reality is a mainstay of another cultural phenomenon, Science Fiction.  A series of interviews we conducted last year with top writers of the genre, prompted a return visit to examine how they view fantasy vs. reality. Christopher Mari, Jeremy K. Brown, Kameron Hurley, and Meg Elison each have a captivating perspective on our world and the blurred line between fantasy and reality.  

      

Life Elsewhere is available at NPR One & iTunes

Sundays 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays 5.00pm PT & Wednesdays 2.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio
Thursdays 6.00pm ET at Internet Radio Network
Fridays at 9.00pm GMT on Cornucopia Radio

Another way to listen to past editions of Life Elsewhere: go here then go to the Listen On-Demand panel, choose the date of a show and click play.

Life Elsewhere Music airs:
Mondays at 6.00pm & Wednesdays at 3.00pm Pacific Time on NWCZ Radio
Fridays at 10.00am Eastern Time on IRN
Cornucopia Radio airs Life Elsewhere Music throughout each week
You can hear all the volumes over at Mixcloud
Make a Donation Button

Show #269

Image: Ed Emshwiller’s cover for the June 1954 issue of Future Science Fiction, ed. Robert A. W. Lowndes from the website, https://sciencefictionruminations.com/

 

The Language Divide & A Musical Discovery

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How do you say,  aluminum? Go on, say it out loud. If you happen to be an American in Great Britain and say əˈlo͞omənəm you will have managed to cause any Brit in hearing range to contort their face into a disdainful grimace. And, more than likely, you’ll hear a WTF-style sigh. You may even receive a comment along the lines of, “How can you mangle alyəˈminēəm?” Of course, if you happen to be a Brit in the US of A, and say, alyəˈminēəm in the company of Yanks, most likely you’ll be looked at as a curio who speaks Old Timey English. As linguist, Lynne Murphy says in her book, The Prodigal Tongue, “Will Yanks and Brits ever really understand each other?”  This is the premise Lynne explores in her impeccably researched book. With a generous dollop of humor, the linguistic professor looks at the social, political, and yes, the linguistic forces that have driven American and British English in different directions. With a foot in each culture, Lynne Murphy will explain “How we got our knickers in a twist” on the next edition of Life Elsewhere.

Also in the program, a full, unexpurgated interview with one of Norman B’s new musical discoveries, “Every so often new music comes my way that makes my heart beat differently, CADE did just that!” CADE is the recording project of Toronto based Kaiya Cade who creates ethereal and haunting dream-folk, combining acoustic instruments and synthetic sounds with her bewitching and spellbinding vocals. The musical awareness and critical ear Kaiya has developed has evolved into a passion for film composition. Creating ethereal and haunting sonic landscapes, Kaiya combines synthetic sound with the acoustic instrumentation of piano, guitar, strings, sound bowls, and percussion, and finishes the musical environment with her characteristic vocal overlaying. Her passion, enthusiasm, and enchanting storytelling, along with her exceptional music are required listening.

Life Elsewhere is available at NPR One & iTunes

Sundays 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays 5.00pm PT & Wednesdays 2.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio
Thursdays 6.00pm ET at Internet Radio Network
Fridays at 9.00pm GMT on Cornucopia Radio

Another way to listen to past editions of Life Elsewhere: go here then go to the Listen On-Demand panel, choose the date of a show and click play.

Life Elsewhere Music airs:
Mondays at 6.00pm & Wednesdays at 3.00pm Pacific Time on NWCZ Radio
Fridays at 10.00am Eastern Time on IRN
Cornucopia Radio airs Life Elsewhere Music throughout each week
You can hear all the volumes over at Mixcloud
Make a Donation Button

Show #268

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