Thick in the Throat, Honey Thick in the Throat, Honey

Wendy Chin-Tanner, author of the poetry collections Turn (a finalist for
the Oregon Book Awards) and Anyone Will Tell You (both from Sibling Rivalry
Press), as well as co-author of the graphic novel American Terrorist (A
Wave Blue World), is the mother of two daughters, married to a graphic
novelist, co-founder of A Wave Blue World, and the proud daughter of
immigrants. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and educated at Cambridge, she
talks with us about how racism kept her from writing for a decade and
motherhood brought her back. If ever there was an artist who was able to
talk with deep eloquence and insight about the necessity of a creative life
when you are a mother, it is Wendy.

n this special episode, recorded at the Mineral School Artist Residency in Mineral, Washington during parent-artist week, Grace Campbell (flash fiction and non-fiction writer and mother of 3) and Laura Stanfill (fiction and non-fiction writer and mother of 2) talk with Claudia about how women can take up space and honor their voices, while not buying into cultural myths about motherhood and art-making. You won’t want to miss this crass, revealing, insightful talk that can only happen when three fed up women speak their minds.

Two artists interview two artists--with our children playing in the adjoining room sometimes, sometimes under our feet. Amy Conway is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work utilizes performance, drawing, writing, video, installation, collaboration, and comedy. Her pieces tend toward reflections of the personal. Brandon Conway is a guitarist who primarily focuses on free improvisation. He likes both minimalism and maximalism, spontaneous intuition and nerdy formalism. Amy let’s everything run together and percolate. Brandon compartmentalizes his art, work, and family life. They have two boys, Heywood and Alvah, aged 10 and 8, who love video games and comic books.

































“There are so many people, [who say] ‘I don’t like kids, I mean yours are okay.’ But you know what? You can go fuck yourself.” —Amy







































































































Brandon and Amy taking time to relax.

















“Brandon and I have a long history of arguing over art…”







































































































The Conway family wades in the surf.






























































































The Conway family in their mirror.






























































































Amy

















https://amyconwayart.wordpress.com/
https://www.instagram.com/glacierface/
he moves like the ocean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMkICKJ1pRc&t=2s
this is how i communicate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsycgtycouU&t=17s
twist and shout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIGuujRhOfA&t=7s








































































































Brandon

















https://halfbird.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/halfbird-pdx
https://soundcloud.com/nanrandcowboy
http://nanrandcowboy.com/web/
“I’m pretty adamantly against delay and looping pedals, but if someone uses them I still like them.”

Jacklyn Brickman, visual artist, environmental activist, and mother to
Felix, Sabine, and Reuben renews our trust in change and possibility. An
avid experimenter in both form and subject matter, Jacklyn has produced
work on the competitiveness of birds, the calls of frogs, the housing
crisis, suburban lawns, and Egyptian mother goddesses. A Detroit, Michigan
native, she recently moved her family of 5 to Columbus, Ohio to start a
graduate program and has fallen in love with the black walnut. She is
interested in the dynamic interrelationship between people and their
habitats and her work spans installation, sculpture, drawing, and video
with a special interest in collaboration and social engagement. Take the
time to enter her world online. If you're extra lucky, she'll have an
exhibit near you soon.

Interview with Christopher Luna (poet, educator, community organizer, publisher, and dad)

In Part 2 of our interview with single dad, bassist, and educator Andre St. James, Andre talks relationships, musically and romantically. His hard choices. His brave ones. Get the tissues. We mean it this time.
"She's pregnant... Oh, man, does this mean I have to get a regular job? Working for Maytag or something?"
















































































































Andre and his son, Dreydan

















"Oregon saved my life... before that I had no concept of what a relationship was. It was always that the music was first...having a child was not in my reality, I was going all around the world playing."


























Check out and buy Andre's latest project with the Thollem/DuRoche/StJames Trio."I was on Intercity.... I've done so many recordings I can't keep track. I remember the record labels that I was on.... Idris Ackamoor, the alto player from The Pyramids, was in town and we were all hugging and kissing, it was all beautiful...and, then, he says, 'you were on that one record, that compilation, I'll get you a copy of it.' And, I was like what?"