The Imaginary Oklahoma Podcast Episode 7: The Violinist
*** Illustration by Jeremy Luther In this episode of Imaginary Oklahoma, Emily St. John Mandel's "The Violinist"
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The Imaginary Oklahoma Podcast Episode 6: Of All Places
Illustration by Derrick Dent In this episode, writer Lori Ostlund presents a tale about what people think about a
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The Imaginary Oklahoma Podcast Episode 5: Drinking Games
– Illustration by William Godwin In this episode of Imaginary Oklahoma, Carolyn Parkhurst's story
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The Imaginary Oklahoma Podcast Episode 4: Rest Stop
- Photo by Shane Brown In this episode of Imaginary Oklahoma, Liz Blood reads Caitlin Horrocks’ story of a
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The Imaginary Oklahoma Podcast Episode 3: Stillwater
– Illustration by Michelle Duckworth In episode 3 of Imaginary Oklahoma, Matt Bondurant's mystical and
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The Imaginary Oklahoma Podcast Episode 2: Tigers of the Oklahoma Pool Halls
– Photograph by Richard Ortega *** Episode 2 of Imaginary Oklahoma features the lovely
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The Imaginary Oklahoma Podcast Episode 1: Tom Mix
– Illustration by Jane Radstrom. ***Episode 1 of Imaginary Oklahoma features the story Tom Mix by John
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The Imaginary Oklahoma Podcast
What do you think about when you think about Oklahoma? Imaginary Oklahoma is a new podcast from This Land Press,
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This Land Radio: Group Fitness by Roxanne Gay
This story was produced in partnership with The Oxford American. More at
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This Land Radio: Bob Wills Is A Hollering Fool
Folklorist Guy Logsdon tells us about Bob Wills, the Texas cotton picker who came to Tulsa and became the
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This Land Radio: La Donna’s World
LaDonna Osborn spent her childhood traveling around the world with her evangelical parents, T.L. and Daisy.
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This Land Radio: My Baby Left Me
We stopped by the Harmonica Summit at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame and met Brian "Hash Brown" Calloway who
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This Land Radio: David Sedaris on Aging
In 2013, writer and humorist David Sedaris released a book of essays called "Let's Explore Diabetes with
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This Land Radio: Private Manning Speaks
Private First Class Bradley Manning is currently our nation's most notorious whistleblower--the man many
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This Land Radio: Bobby Wants to Get In Touch
Bobby Berryhill served with the Oklahoma National Guard for 16 months in Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s lived on
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This Land Radio: Meet Your Meat
Three friends confront their meat-eating ways. They recount the day they gutted, skinned and ate the first animal
Abby Wendle
This Land Radio: One Banshee and One Sunrise
Caldwell O’Keefe was part-owner of and bartender at Nine of Cups, a restaurant and bar on Tulsa’s Boston
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This Land Radio: Water Birth by Larina Lavergne
Birthing pools are growing in popularity. But this is the tale of a woman who was born in a kiddie pool on
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This Land Radio: Howdy, John Hood
We stopped by the one bar in a one-bar-town and met John Hood. John used to be addicted to gambling. Now he has
Abby Wendle
This Land Radio: A Haircut and a Shave
Mark Clay takes us on a tour of his barber shop and gives us an old fashioned straight razor
Sarah Geis
This Land Radio: An Encounter with Bob Dylan
Jeff Martin, This Land's fiction editor, tells us about the time he met Bob Dylan behind Cain's Ballroom.
Abby Wendle
Poietry To The People: Coming Home by Ken Hada
People around Oklahoma read a poem by Ken Hada. Read more poetry. MusicAutumn Sunset by Jason
Abby Wendle
This Land Radio: Cattle Rustling in God’s Country
Jeff Emerson's ranch was robbed a few summers back. He lost hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cattle.
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Racing Around the World
Jack Seehafer grew up bike racing in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He moved to Colorado to coach for Team Type 1. Here, Jack shares
Abby Wendle
To Write with Power
Woody Guthrie was born in Okemah, Oklahoma, on July 14th, 1912. To celebrate his one-hundred-second birthday, we're
Abby Wendle
Warm and Fuzzy, with Some Grit
JD McPherson is a singer and guitarist with a retro sound. He grew up listening to punk music and studied video
Abby Wendle
Growing Up a Poet
Poet John Brehm dives beneath the chit-chat and finds his soul in the river. Read more poems. Music Cattail
Abby Wendle
Dead Deer
A man and his daughter watch a death in progress. Writing by Duncan Murrell, reading by Richard Higgs. This piece
Elliot Rambach
Okie Noodling and Fat-Fried Catfish
Hand fishing, grabbling, or noodling is something that Gary Altizer knows plenty about. After all, he is a proud 4th
Abby Wendle
Giant Bass!
Basses come in varying types including the striped bass, the large mouth bass, the small mouth bass, and the spotted
Abby Wendle
Wal★Mart, I Can’t Quit You
An ode to the superstore and its people. This story was produced in partnership with The Texas Observer.
Abby Wendle
Glossolalia
Glossolalia is an act of speech common in pentecostal and charismatic christian worship. But it's non-linguistic
Elliot Rambach
Bat Watch
Once a year, over a million bats fly to a cave in northwest Oklahoma to give birth. Natasha Ball took a trip to this
Abby Wendle
Being Biker Fox
Biker Fox is an exercise guru, a nature enthusiast, and a public agitator. Here's a look into his life. This podcast
Elliot Rambach
The Blues Big Time
Little Joe Mclerran is a old-fashioned bluesman. He's only 30, but he dresses like someone in a black-and-white movie:
Abby Wendle
The Dancing Demigod of Tulsa
Catherine Margaret "Skilly" Forsman had a beautiful body. She earned it dancing, which she began shortly after popping
Abby Wendle
It Started with a Crush
Ron Padgett is a poet, translator, and memoirist from Tulsa. He left for New York in 1960 to find inspiration from
Abby Wendle
Goodbye Kavek, Polar Bear at the Tulsa Zoo
Today we're republishing an episode of This Land Radio's precursor, Goodbye Tulsa. In this segment, Karen Dunn,
Michael Mason
So Long, Max
Richard Higgs tells the story of his dog Max, who he lost on a shopping trip to Dallas. Music "The Soul Leaves the
Elliot Rambach
From Georgia to Maine
In 1955, Emma "Grandma" Gatewood became the first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. She was 67 years old, and
Elliot Rambach
Cleaning Graves in Calvert
"Cleaning Graves in Calvert" recounts a burial ritual in a small town in Texas. The poem prompts one reader to recall
Abby Wendle
Tulsa’s Slow Integration
John W. Franklin is the grandson of an African American lawyer who survived the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot. He’s been
Abby Wendle
“The Devil is Not Art”
A statue of the Satanic deity Baphomet may be coming to the Oklahoma State Capitol. Here, pedestrians around the
Abby Wendle
Will Rogers Talks to the Bankers
Okie Humorist Will Rogers lambasts the culture of greed on Wall Street in 1922. This speech was most likely his address
Elliot Rambach
Professor B Looney
Early in life, Steve Smith started working as a chaplain in a children’s hospital. But he quickly began transforming
Abby Wendle
THIS LAND RADIO: Hook Echo
With tornado season escalating in states from Oklahoma to Arkansas to Mississippi to North Carolina, This Land Radio is
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From the Archives: Speedy West and David Teegarden
Two musicians with Oklahoma connections, pedal steel guitarist Speedy West and drummer David Teegarden, each tell us a
Abby Wendle
Inside Oklahoma’s Death Chamber
Kelly Kurt Brown used to cover Oklahoma's death chamber for the Associated Press. Over the course of a few years, she
Abby Wendle
Harvesting Tomorrow
Dr. Lewis Ziska is a plant ecologist at the United States Department of Agriculture. Ziska's work examines the effects
Abby Wendle
After the Oklahoma City Bombing: A Fresh Look
Andrew Gumbel co-wrote the book Oklahoma City: What the Investigation Missed–and Why it Still Matters (2012,
Abby Wendle
Three Springs Farm
For Earth Day, we bring you a portrait of Three Springs Farm, an organic vegetable farm in Oaks, Oklahoma. Emily
Abby Wendle
These Splendid Things
Blake Bailey writes biographies about writers. He's written about John Cheever, Richard Yates, and Charles Jackson, and
Elliot Rambach
“Cardiology” by Nicklaus Faith: Poetry Circus Edition
People on the street perform Niklaus Faith’s “Cardiology", then discuss one dead bug and the desire to move
Abby Wendle
Buddie’s Pride
In his prime, Dana Livingston's father was an Oklahoma superhero. He lettered in four sports, drilled oil wells, and
Abby Wendle
A Reading of Laurie Notaro’s “Showbiz Folk Hero”
A look back at a very off-Broadway production of "Oklahoma!" Fiction by Laurie Notaro, read by Denali Gillaspie.
Elliot Rambach
This Highway Life
Author Richard Higgs was a long haul trucker for a year and a half. Here, he shares the perils and isolation of the
Abby Wendle
So Long Joe Brainard
John Brainard remembers his brother Joe, a Tulsa-born artist who befriended Frank O' Hara, Andy Warhol, John Ashbery,
Abby Wendle
“Driveway”: A Collaborative Reading of Ron Padgett’s Poem
In "Driveway," poet Ron Padgett wrestles with the city in his skin: Tulsa. We had people on the street read this poem
Abby Wendle
Plane Wreck at Los Gatos: Finding Woody’s Deportees
What do you call someone who breaks the law by crossing the border into the United States? An illegal? An alien?
Abby Wendle
The Queen and the King
Wanda Jackson talks about dating Elvis and becoming the Queen of Rockabilly. Hear more great stories and interviews
Elliot Rambach
Rebroadcast: This Machine Comes Home
Woody Guthrie visits our studio and gets us on his wavelength. Nora Guthrie asks us to dance. Tiffany Colannino reveals
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An Air-Minded City
Tulsa, Oklahoma, has always been an aviation town. In this archival interview, former airport chairman Richard Lloyd
Elliot Rambach
Migration Happens
Tim Hernandez writes about the lives of Mexican immigrants in the United States. Here, he discusses climate change and
Abby Wendle
Oh, Paperboy!
Matt O’Meilia was an aspiring musician and had a neighborhood paper route. Then, a rock star moved in next door: Leon
Abby Wendle
Kate Kline’s Veggies and Wine
In the 1960s, Kate Kline abandoned normal food and an oppressive marriage for long hair and a vegetarian
Abby Wendle
Jazz on a Diamond Needle Hi-Fi
Not a poem about jazz. A poem that is jazz. Deborah J. Hunter's "Jazz on a Diamond-Needle Hi-Fi" performed live in
Abby Wendle
Blues Woman in a Man’s World
Danielle Schnebelen plays bass and sings in the band Trampled Under Foot. Here, she talks about a childhood of 4 a.m.
Abby Wendle
Consider the Jellyfish
What is this jellyfish doing in Oklahoma? Music "Napoleon Pulls Kip"- John Swihart "Bus Rider"- John
Elliot Rambach
He that Works with Soil
Rufus Newsome grew up poor and hungry in Sunflower County, Mississippi. His family couldn't afford food from the
Abby Wendle
Poetry from Prison
Mary McAnally once led a poetry workshop for inmates at Stringtown Prison in Stringtown, Oklahoma. Here, she discusses
Abby Wendle
John Moreland is Nervous
Singer-songwriter John Moreland talks about panic attacks, getting upstaged by midget wrestling, and opening for Jason
Abby Wendle
In the Negro Leagues
Porter Reed is one of two former Negro League baseball players still alive today in Oklahoma. Here, he talks about
Elliot Rambach
Gordy Ryan Says Play a Drum
Gordy Ryan has been passing through Tulsa since the mid-80's, when one of TU's African student groups invited him to
Abby Wendle
Gorilla, Guerilla
An Okie travels to the African mountains to see Dian Fossey's gorillas, but forgets to turn off her
Abby Wendle
Love at the Jamboree
A senior citizen finds new love at the Poteau jamboree, an old-time country, bluegrass, and gospel sing-a-long. Hear
Abby Wendle
Sam I Ham
Broadway star and Sand Springs native Sam Harris comes to terms with his four-year-old's messes, boo-boos, monster
Abby Wendle
Body Language
American women's fear of body hair, and the pains they take to be rid of it, reveals much about our attitude toward
Abby Wendle
The Green Tree Dervish
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. For photographer Gaylord Herron, there's "something about
Abby Wendle
Holy Ghost All Over You
Bishop Carlton Pearson once led one of the largest megachurches in the country. But when he stopped preaching about
Abby Wendle
Hello, Country Life!
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Jon Mooneyham hosts a post-punk radio show and was once a
Abby Wendle
In Good Company with King
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Mary McAnally organized the only Freedom Bus from
Abby Wendle
Under the Sea
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Is the octopus a genius? A shapeshifter? An entreè?
Abby Wendle
Let It Go
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. For ten years Hugh Foley attended services at Hutche
Abby Wendle
The First American Music: Sterlin Harjo on “This May Be the Last Time”
Sterlin Harjo is the director and producer of a new documentary called "This May Be the Last Time." The film tells the
Abby Wendle
A Reading of Jennie Lloyd’s “Asylum”
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Jennie Lloyd descends into Oklahoma's state-run mental
Jennie Lloyd
Like Water for Soup
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Janis Cramer grew up listening to her father's stories
Abby Wendle
Soul of a Man
One of This Land Radio's best podcasts of 2013. While in Tulsa for the opening of the Woody Guthrie Center,
Abby Wendle
Jon Mooneyham’s Best Albums of 2013
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Quick: what were your favorite albums of 2013? Can't
Elliot Rambach
[beautiful noise]
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. A knife slicing a carrot. The toilet flushing. Bubbles.
Abby Wendle
Jimmy LaFave: American Troubadour
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Singer-songwriter Jimmy LaFave talks with Michael Mason
Elliot Rambach
The Pinball King of Stillwater
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Unemployed, broke, and hungry, radio DJ Larry Hoefling
Abby Wendle
Not Flesh, but Felt
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Micah Fitzerman-Blue is an up-and-coming Hollywood
Abby Wendle
A Reading of Russell Cobb’s “Where the Buffalo Drift”
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Russell Cobb drifts toward downtown Tulsa, and the
Russell Cobb
God Doesn’t Need My Child
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Judge Kurt Glassco tells the story of his daughter Abby,
Abby Wendle
Woody is a Punk Rocker
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Mitch Gilliam traces the pioneering influence of Woody
Mitch Gilliam
This Land Podcast: Punished Into Enlightenment
Gordon Todd Skinner claimed to be one with the universe. He also engaged in kidnapping, manipulation, and torture.
Abby Wendle
You Will Eat Dust
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Adam and Eve preside at the 52nd Annual Rattlesnake Hunt
Sarah Geis
To Be Normal
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Elliott Heyne returned from war with permanent hearing
Abby Wendle
A Reading of Carol Johnson’s “Poet Issues”
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Carol Johnson overcomes her fear of poets, then helps one
Carol Johnson
“thrtthr whthrrthms” by Maria Damon
Hear it first. Subscribe to This Land Radio in iTunes. Poetry is transforming this space. friendly
Abby Wendle