6.4: Christina Ward: Punk Rock Publishing, Outsider Literature & the Secret Revolutionary History of Food

I love Christina Ward. And I love the work she does.

I am lucky enough to know some really brilliant and wonderful women. Christina? She is absolutely top shelf.

As an author, she does outrageously cool writing on food and food history. Canning and food preservation? She’s got you. The relationship between food, cults and class? Read her work. It will blow your mind.

Christina also has another gig: she is one of the primary folks at a publishing company known as Feral House. Around since 1989, FH has certainly courted controversy, being one of the very first publishers to release texts on such taboo subjects as black metal, punk, death culture, conspiracies and cults. But FH does not center itself on shock; it works on examining outsider perspectives and the work that Christina and the team there do is vital to our thorough understanding of the world.

I invite you to listen to my conversation with Christina Ward in which we discuss all these things and more. The books and writing that they platform place them solidly against misogyny, colonialism, capitalism and classism, making them an incredibly valuable publisher in this day and age.

As usual, bio is below the podcast link. Links to various subjects from our conversation are embedded in the bio so be sure to click on those and check’em out!!

Christina Ward is an author, editor, and seeker. She had the distinct pleasure of riding around town in the Wienermobile with Padma Lakshmi on the hottest day in July of 2019 for “Taste the Nation.” Her newest book, Holy Food: Recipes and Foodways from Cults, Communes, and New Religious Movements, will be published in early spring of 2023. Her previous book, American Advertising Cookbooks-How Corporations Taught Us To Love Spam, Bananas, and Jell-O, earned positive notice from Florence Fabricant in the New York Times, Christopher Kimball of Milk Street Radio, and numerous other journalists and readers.

Christina makes regular guest expert on Milwaukee television programs and public radio stations across the United States, delighting in ‘working blue’ before 8 am. She is also the Vice President of Feral House, a publisher noted for their books on outré topics. She contributed to and edited the 2021 book Bawdy Tales & Trifles of Devilries for Ladies and Gentlemen of Experience under her nom d’amour, Lady Fanny Woodcock. She has guided, edited, contributed to, and in a few (unnamed) instances, rewritten, over fifty books.

She has an interest in the lives of forgotten “difficult women” and bringing their stories to readers. Christina regularly contributes to academic and educational conferences on the topic of transgressive art. In her spare time, she is the certified Master Food Preserver for South East Wisconsin and always picks up the phone to answer pressing questions about jelly that won’t set and soft pickles.

Christina’s book on food preservation: Preservation The Art and Science of Canning, Fermentation and Dehydration

Book on Maila Nurmi aka Vampyra!

As mentioned, Four White Horses and a Brass Band – the story of Violet McNeal!!!

Definitely check out Dirty Helen Cromwell in Good Time Party Girl

Great book- You Can’t Win by Jack Black (no, not THAT Jack Black)

As mentioned, Roving Bill Aspinwall

Also- for those punks out there like me who are interested in punk crime lore and thorough about their history…I think this looks interesting and it’s got Raymond Pettibon art… Disco’s Out…Murder’s in!

S6.3: Shelley Stamp: Cinema Preservation, Access and Renegotiating Women’s Representation in Silent Film

While this episode was recorded over a year ago, it is just as relevant now (if not moreso). I am honored to welcome the brilliant and wonderful Professor Shelley Stamp to Archivist’s Alley. A former professor of mine at UC Santa Cruz, she has been a major inspiration and she remains one of my mentors. Please join us as we discuss the intricacies of silent film restoration, the history of women in film, media access and much more!

As usual, bio is below the podcast link. Links to various subjects from our conversation are embedded in the bio so be sure to click on those and check’em out!!

Shelley Stamp is author of the award-winning books Lois Weber in Early
Hollywood
and Movie Struck Girls, and curator of the award-winning disc set Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers.  She is Founding Editor of the journal Feminist Media Histories and editor of the Feminist Media Histories book series published by the University of California Press. Stamp is Professor of Film + Digital Media at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she has twice won the Excellence in Teaching Award and currently holds the Presidential Chair.

S6.2: Raphael Rashid: Human Rights Journalism, Twitter Activism & “Agendas”

My friend Raphael is remarkable.

It’s hard for me to properly describe what he does except to say that he writes wonderfully about all the truly problematic areas in Korea.

You should just listen to the episode. It’s a really great conversation.

Do I love Korea and living in Korea? Sure. There’s a lot to love. But no country is without its problems. And what I know is that what Raphael is doing is critical to my survival here. He keeps me updated and informed.

I know that I’m not alone in this. While (as we discussed) some (a “vocal minority”) may think that his twitter feed has an “agenda,” his only agenda is providing real, honest journalism. It’s mostly human rights-related information but his work spans all kinds of topics in Korea and that’s why reading him is really great.

No one is doing what Raphael Rashid is doing and I feel so lucky to know him.

Please enjoy our conversation and follow him on Twitter. And if you don’t have Twitter, just go there every so often to see his posts!!!

And if you read Korean….he’s got a new book out!! Let’s hope that it gets translated into English *crosses fingers*

As usual, links and bio under the episode….

Bio: Raphael Rashid is a freelance journalist in Seoul and has been based in South Korea for over a decade. His writings have appeared in publications including The Guardian, The New York Times, and Nikkei Asia, with a focus on societal issues. He is the author of a recently published book examining conformity and unhappiness within South Korean society.

Raphael’s recent book can be found here: http://kyobo.link/vaZR

AND HIS AMAZING TWITTER CAN BE LOCATED HERE: https://twitter.com/koryodynasty

We’re Back: Thank You For Being a Friend!

Hey.

It’s been a while.

I’ve been here in Seoul. Trying to figure things out. So that’s what this is…

The one thing I know is that this podcast is one of the best things I have ever done and I don’t want to lose that. So regardless of what is happening to me, I’m not going to let it just die.

Yes, it has been over a year. But sometimes time passes. Let’s pretend we are old friends who haven’t seen each other in a while but can pick up right where we left off. I believe we can.

My show isn’t, after all, about me (even though this particular shortie episode TOTALLY is). It’s about the guests. And I have some really exceptional ones lined up for this go around. I’ve got the eps already waiting in the wings.

And…this is a call to all my listeners/readers- if you or anyone you know might want to be on Archivist’s Alley and might qualify…Please email me at archivistsalley@gmail.com.

I want to hear from you.

LET’S DO THIS.

S5.1: Walter Chaw: Memory Kingdoms, the Terror of Anti-Asian Violence & Strength in Struggling

I wish I could properly tell you how much I enjoyed doing this episode.

I say that about every episode and I’m never lying.

It seems like no matter what, it just gets better.

This episode with my dear wonderful friend Walter Chaw is a little longer than usual but I don’t think you’ll feel it. And it officially marks the 4th year that Archivist’s Alley has been “on the air.” So I think that’s pretty cool.

I plan on having Walter on again. We barely touched the surface of so many things. But I hope that you enjoyed this episode and that you look out and read his work as it is published.

There are very few critics that I read anymore (some of the reasons we talk about in this podcast). But I will always read Walter’s work and highly recommend you do the same. Whether you agree with him or not, the writing is solid and brilliant and that’s about as rare as jackalopes.

As usual, bio and links under the episode. AND THERE ARE SOME REALLY AWESOME LINKS, y’all!!!


Bio:

Walter Chaw is senior film critic for FilmFreakCentral.net. He has various bylines, a brilliant and beautiful wife, two amazing kids, a helper dog and a simple dog, and has a book about the films of Walter Hill due in Spring of 2022.

Twitter: @mangiotto

www.filmfreakcentral.net


I’m also just going to PR him a bit because you all should check him out.

Bruce Lee & Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Judas and the Black Messiah

Walter does INCREDIBLE Saturday Matinee Film Discussions with the Denver Public Library. This one is with the always wonderful Edgar Wright!!! Check it out!!!

Here’s another one with Alex Winter (yep, Bill from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure) for a film I absolutely looooooove!