Something (rather than nothing‪)‬ Ken Volante

The Ill-Fitting Skin [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-ill-fitting-skin-shannon-robinson/21168757?aid=5819&ean=9781950413751&listref=2024-clients&] is layered with surreal storytelling but remains an extraordinarily realistic read, in the sense that even the most solid realities of life—and death—tend to blur and shimmer at their raw edges. The talkative bird that nests in a woman's womb is as real as the "previous tenant." The love of a mother for her uncontrollable son is as real as the wildness that is in her too. The women of The Ill-Fitting Skin are real women—who work and grieve and create and destroy, who love and do not love, whether at the roll of the dice or because "the pages are paths, and you will have to choose among them."

Shannon Robinson's debut short story collection, The Ill-Fitting Skin, is winner of the Press 53 Award for Short Fiction (forthcoming with Press 53 in May 2024). Her writing has appeared in The Gettysburg Review, The Iowa Review, Joyland, Water-Stone Review, Nimrod, failbetter, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA in fiction from Washington University in St. Louis, and in 2011 she was the Writer-in-Residence at Interlochen Center for the Arts. Other honors include Nimrod's Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction, grants from the Elizabeth George Foundation and the Canada Council for the Arts, a Hedgebrook Fellowship, a Sewanee Scholarship, and an Independent Artist Award from the Maryland Arts Council. She teaches creative writing at Johns Hopkins University and lives in Baltimore with her husband and son. www.shannonrobinson.org [http://www.shannonrobinson.org/]

Morgan Parker is a poet, essayist, and novelist. She is the author of the young adult novel Who Put This Song On? [https://www.getunderlined.com/books/592224/who-put-this-song-on-by-morgan-parker/]; and the poetry collections Other People's Comfort Keeps Me Up At Night [https://www.amazon.com/Other-Peoples-Comfort-Keeps-Night/dp/0986187615/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1483403242&sr=1-1&keywords=other+people%27s+comfort+keeps+me+up+at+night], There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé [https://tinhouse.com/product/there-are-more-beautiful-things-than-beyonce-morgan-parker/], and Magical Negro [https://tinhouse.com/product/magical-negro/], which won the 2019 National Book Critics Circle Award. She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship, winner of a Pushcart Prize, and has been hailed by The New York Times as "a dynamic craftsperson" of "considerable consequence to American poetry."

Parker's debut book of nonfiction, You Get What You Pay For   [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/576870/you-get-what-you-pay-for-by-morgan-parker/9780525511441/] is available at your favorite bookstore.

Ruby Roth [https://www.rubyroth.art/work]'s work is defined by the female form and depicts the inner lives of women through emotionally visceral representations of the bodies they inhabit.

For the past several years, amidst a radical transition from a decade of familial life as a best-selling children's book author-illustrator to self-determined independence as a single female artist, Roth has explored the deep end of the feminine spectrum and its archetypes.

Roth's work often features solitary women navigating inner and outer wildernesses. In vast emptiness, surrounded by hints of nature, her wild women and "girl gods" find their way through physical and spiritual dimensions of darkness and light, bondage and freedom, apocalypse and utopia, life and death, transmuting nourishing or toxic forces into usable means.

Roth has been a keen observer of the body since childhood, having been diagnosed with scoliosis, which required 13 years of aggressive and painful treatment. Rooted in academic anatomy and pop surrealism, her artwork——often created in live-model sessions——exaggerates and distorts female forms to reflect them as vessels of powerful, feminine processing.

Roth is based in Los Angeles, CA.

SRTN Website [https://www.somethingratherthannothing.com/]

Mark Ostler joins the show to kick around comic books - specifically his work Ivar the Boxer and Waltzing Carpet Juliette [https://www.etsy.com/hk-en/listing/870231142/ivar-the-boxer-waltzing-carpet-juliette?dd_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bing.com%2F]

We also talked about Warning: Danger!  [https://warningdanger.net/about.php]

Mark Ostler is a comic book writer and publisher.  In 2023, he wrapped up a 4 issue mini-series titled, "Waltzing Carpet Juliette" about the dangers of consumerism.  In 2024, he began a new self-published comic book series titled, "Ivar The Boxer".

Mark Ostler can't draw comics.  Thankfully, he's got talented friends who are skilled artists.  Thus far, 37 different illustrators have contributed artwork to these collaborative comic books.  What began as a creative daydream has blossomed into an incredible comic book community.  Together, we're creating "Waltzing Carpet Juliette" and "Ivar The Boxer".

Mark is also the lead singer of "WARNING: DANGER!" – a Seattle based punk band.  They have released 7 different albums, embarked on 3 West Coast tours, produced 4 different videos, featured on 2 compilation albums and 1 movie soundtrack.  Check out WARNING: DANGER!'s music on all major streaming platforms.

Sometime soon, a major publishing house might pick up Mark's comics or music.  

Check out Episode 265!!!

SRTN [https://www.somethingratherthannothing.com/]

This episode is very different than others. Jim LaBelle, this episode's featured guest, passed away recently. I wish, hope and pray that our conversation gives tribute to Jim's contributions and advocacy. Thank you and farewell Jim. 

Host Ken Volante

"There are certain individuals that go under the radar their entire lives despite being one of the most resilient people in the room, and that is without question Jim LaBelle. A father, world traveler, lawyer, disability advocate and professor, Jim's story isn't well known to many, but we hope to change that. A quadriplegic since 1969 and passing on April 21st, 2024, he was paralyzed for nearly 55 years and showed a life can be well lived in spite of paralysis." 

Spinalpedia Blog

"For over fifty years, I have been pushing my chair. I graduated from law school and passed the bar exam in three states. My travels took me to twenty-three countries. My story is not an inspirational anecdote; it's about finding love, losing love, grief, joy, and single parenthood.

Don't call me 'bound' or 'confined' to my wheelchair. My chair gives me freedom.

A wheelchair user today has more rights than one did fifty years ago. Yet there are still many obstacles in finding housing, transportation, employment, and medical care.

I am not trying to be a role model, just a possibility. There are obstacles, and people may not always treat you properly, but there is progress."

Jim LaBelle

Blend a background in fast-paced PR, political campaigns, and a lot of roll-up-your-sleeves energy, and you've Stuart Collective founder and CEO Kathleen Stuart.

Kathleen founded Stuart Collective in 2017. With a crystal-clear mission to support changemakers in securing progressive wins, Kathleen works every day to win campaigns, pass high-profile legislation, and influence public opinion.

Kathleen brings over a decade of on-the-ground political work in campaigns and leading PR strategies. As a result, she advises leading progressive organizations that impact all the spaces — from healthcare to housing to infrastructure and more — that Stuart Collective shares with its clients.

Stuart Collective  [https://www.stuartcollective.co/who]