A Big Sur Podcast

Magnus Toren, host
  • 4.8 (38)
  • Places & Travel

A Big Sur Podcast An ongoing conversation with people from near and far about Big Sur's past, present, and future. A Big Sur Podcast interprets “community” to mean ALL people from around the world who are curious about, and who care about, the preservation and restoration of the wild and rural character of Big Sur. Stories are told by visitors and residents, plumbers and linesmen, musicians and authors, dancers and jugglers and others. Sometimes we drift (way) off-topic into the arts, sciences, personal stories, gossip, politics, philosophy, ornithology, Henry Miller, and our zeitgeist in general. We like that! The opinions expressed here belong to the people who express them. They may or may not line up with yours, mine, or your neighbor’s — and that’s exactly the point. Different perspectives, lived experiences, and even wildly clashing views are what make conversations worth listening to: enriching, infuriating, life-affirming, and sometimes all three at once. If you are planning a visit to Big Sur and you listen to some of the folks on this Podcast talk about their love of the place your visit will probably be a lot more rewarding. Please email magnus@henrymiller.org with any comments, critique & suggestions. Music intro clip courtesy John Holm: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DZ06evO0Rh2QU Sound editing software by Hindenburg: https://hindenburg.com/Please support the podcast by making a donation to the Henry Miller Library, a 501(c)3 nonprofit arts organization. Thank you!

  1. #127 Letting People In on the Secret: Stuart Thornton on Big Sur, Guidebooks & the Crowds They Create

    2d ago

    #127 Letting People In on the Secret: Stuart Thornton on Big Sur, Guidebooks & the Crowds They Create

    Send us Fan Mail Travel writer, guidebook author, former Big Sur ranger, and old friend, Stuart Thornton, returns to Big Sur—at least in spirit—to reflect on a career spent encouraging people to visit the very places he sometimes wishes they would leave alone.  We talk about discovering California's coast, writing guidebooks, the challenge of over tourism, and whether AI will help travelers find deeper experiences or simply send more people to the same beautiful places. Along the way, Stuart shares stories from Big Sur, the road, and a lifetime of chasing the next hidden corner of the map. Stuart traces his path from a Richmond, Virginia upbringing to a campsite at Andrew Molera, a ranger job that came with a phone book and a dorm bed, years living in the old naval housing at Point Sur, and a writing career that runs from the Monterey County Weekly to National Geographic to a shelf of Moon guidebooks.  Along the way: a condor egg airlifted from the backcountry, an interview with James Cameron fresh from the Mariana Trench, a settlement after Anthropic ingested four of his books, and the contradiction he's lived with for years — a man who spends his days off chasing empty beaches while writing the books that fill them.  Plus monks and silence at New Camaldoli, Gary Clark Jr. winning over the Monterey Jazz crowd, and a novel about "Billy the Brewer." LinksStuart Thornton — personal site · Moon author pageJoe Burnett / Ventana Wildlife Society — condor biologist who got Stuart access to the egg storyGary Clark Jr at Albert HallJames Cameron — record Mariana Trench dive (National Geographic)Pico Iyer — author; wrote on New Camaldoli and on Henry MillerWilliam T. Vollmann — The Atlas — Stuart's early influenceRyan Masters — Monterey County Weekly writer; band SuborbitalsEric Johnson — longtime Monterey County Weekly editorKem Nunn — "surf noir" novelist (Tapping the Source, The Dogs of Winter, John from Cincinnati)Martin Gurri — The Revolt of the Public — Magnus's earlier guestHipólito Bouchard — Argentine raid on Monterey, 1818Kayla Anderson — Moon Northern California Road Trips (co-author)"Billy the Brewer" — California's first beer brewer; subject of Stuart's novel-in-progressPlaces Henry Miller Memorial LibraryNew Camaldoli HermitageAndrew Molera State Park (and Pico Blanco above the Big Sur River)Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park / Big Sur StationPoint Sur State Historic Park & Lighthouse — site of the former naval housingPartington Cove (Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park)Monterey State Historic Park — Custom House, Casa Serrano, California's First Theatre"Shipwrecks: Every Broken Piece Tells a Story" — Casa Gutiérrez exhibit (opened June 12; the Natalia, wrecked 1834)Monterey Bay Aquarium — Stuart's tip: Tue–Thu, 2–6 pmHenry Cowell Redwoods State Park (albino redwoods)The Dyerville Giant — Humboldt Redwoods State ParkMusic & events Monterey Jazz FestivalFolk Yeah! (Britt Govea)Pixies — played the Henry Miller LibraryBonnie "Prince" Billy / Will Oldham — the first Folk Yeah show at FernwoodGary Clark Jr. — Stuart wrote an early national profileRelix MagazineTaj Mahal — Magnus's Fiji/Stockholm anecdoteBooks, publishers & other Moon Travel Guides (incl. Moon California Road Trip, IPPY Gold Medal 2016)Monterey County Weekly / Monterey County NOWNational Geographic EducationJohn Steinbeck — The Pastures of Heaven · Sweet Thursday · East of Eden — Netflix series, fall 2026The Anthropic copyright settlement ($1.5B; Bartz v. Anthropic) Support the show _________________________________________________ This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County! Let us know what you think! SEND US AN EMAIL!  😊 magnus@henrymiller.org FaceBook Instagram

    1h 47m
  2. # 126 What Are We Really Protecting? Carol Olson, Wilderness, and the Future of Big Sur

    Jun 1

    # 126 What Are We Really Protecting? Carol Olson, Wilderness, and the Future of Big Sur

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode Magnus has a conversation with Carol Olson, Executive Director of the Ventana Wilderness Alliance, about wilderness, responsibility, and the increasingly difficult art of protecting a place people love. GOOD LINKS: Big Sur Wilderness and Conservation Act Full text — Congress.govPublic Law details — GovInfoSummary — Ventana Wilderness AllianceVentana Wilderness Alliance Official websiteWikipediaBig Sur LUP Download Big Sur LCP Defense Committee — download pageCounty of Monterey — LUP Tables & FiguresBig Sur Coast LUP Update project pageAdler Ranch / Esselen Land Transfer KQED — California Tribe Regains Ancestral LandsWestern Rivers ConservancyEsselen Tribe official newsThe Wilderness Act / Definition of Wilderness The Wilderness SocietyU.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceFull text PDF — USDALand Back Movement LANDBACK.org — the movement's own siteNPR overview (2024)Sierra Club featureYale Environment 360It's time to rethink the idea of the "Indigenous"Shelley Alden Brooks Monterey County Weekly profileBook — UC PressBook — Amazon Support the show _________________________________________________ This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County! Let us know what you think! SEND US AN EMAIL!  😊 magnus@henrymiller.org FaceBook Instagram

    1h 10m
  3. # 125 OUT OF THE SKY by Matti Friedman

    May 16

    # 125 OUT OF THE SKY by Matti Friedman

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of A Big Sur Podcast, I speak with the writer and journalist Matti Friedman about his remarkable book Out of the Sky — a work that begins with four words from the Bible, “Out of the sky,” and unfolds into a meditation on fear, memory, survival, aviation, mythology, Jewish history, and the strange psychological atmosphere that has surrounded Israel since October 7, 2023. We carry Matti Friedman's books at the Henry Miller Library. Important links: Matti Friedman's Website Matti Friedman with Dan Senor Nicholas Kristof in NYT Magnus Substack about some of this. Support the show _________________________________________________ This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County! Let us know what you think! SEND US AN EMAIL!  😊 magnus@henrymiller.org FaceBook Instagram

    1h 5m
  4. # 124 The Language of Trees — and the World We’ve Forgotten How to Read

    Apr 26

    # 124 The Language of Trees — and the World We’ve Forgotten How to Read

    Send us Fan Mail A conversation with artist Katie Holten about life and art, climate and action, walking and inaction! Katie's website Announcement for her new book! Support the show _________________________________________________ This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County! Let us know what you think! SEND US AN EMAIL!  😊 magnus@henrymiller.org FaceBook Instagram

    1h 35m
  5. # 123 "Condors: Guardians of the Wild" with Joe Burnett

    Apr 1

    # 123 "Condors: Guardians of the Wild" with Joe Burnett

    Send us Fan Mail "At intervals the condor passed, huge as an ocean liner.” Henry Miller in Big Sur and the Oranges Besides marveling at the exceptional beauty and almost mysterious power of these amazing birds Joe Burnett and I discuss work in Big Sur and Monterey.  We talk about the rebuilding of the Ventana Wildlife Sanctuary after the 2020 Dolan Fire, how the sanctuary supports releasing, feeding, monitoring and recapturing condors to test for lead poisoning—the leading mortality threat—using radio and GPS transmitters to track a flock of 113 birds, including wild-born untagged chicks.  VWS outreach now centers on getting ranchers and hunters to switch to non-lead ammunition, which the program helps by providing free ammo, though non-lead .22 availability is a major hurdle.  Joe describes vaccinating about 90% of the population against highly pathogenic avian influenza, ongoing disease and blood-lead testing, wildfire impacts, public engagement while tracking birds, and resources and documentaries available through the organization’s website. Thanks for listening! Magnus  Ventana Wildlife Society The beautiful documentary Condor Canyon Support the show _________________________________________________ This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County! Let us know what you think! SEND US AN EMAIL!  😊 magnus@henrymiller.org FaceBook Instagram

    1h 27m
  6. # 122 Help Kelp: The Mysterious World of the Bull Kelp Forest with Josie Iselin

    Mar 23

    # 122 Help Kelp: The Mysterious World of the Bull Kelp Forest with Josie Iselin

    Send us Fan Mail The Mysterious World of the Bull Kelp Foresta New Heyday Book The Mysterious World of the Bull Kelp Website I sit down with artist, photographer, and author Josie Iselin, and what begins as a conversation about kelp opens into an exploration of the intricate world in the waters just off our coast. Josie traces her own path into that world—from artist to something closer to a naturalist of the shoreline—guided by curiosity, attention, and a willingness to look closely at what most of us walk past. Kelp, in her telling, is not just seaweed but a kind of language: a way of reading the ocean’s health, its rhythms, and its disturbances. We talk about the fragile balance of the kelp forests—about urchin barrens and restoration efforts, including diver-led removal and the promise (and limits) of lab-grown kelp. We touch on kelp’s often overstated role as a carbon sink, I learned the meaning of the “wrack line” as a living archive of the sea, and the ongoing tensions around sea otter reintroduction. Threaded through it all is Josie’s project Above Below: The Mysterious World of Bull Kelp, created with illustrator Ellen Litwiller—first as a digital exploration, now as a beautifully realized book available where books are sold and at the Henry Miller Library. It’s a conversation about paying attention and what the edge of the ocean might still teach us if we take the time to walk down to the shoreline and slow down long enough to see it. /Magnus Support the show _________________________________________________ This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County! Let us know what you think! SEND US AN EMAIL!  😊 magnus@henrymiller.org FaceBook Instagram

    1h 12m
  7. # 121 Love, Love, Love: Alison van Diggelen on 'The Love Project.'

    Mar 11

    # 121 Love, Love, Love: Alison van Diggelen on 'The Love Project.'

    Send us Fan Mail Alison van Diggelen – Journalist, interviewer, and author of The Love Project: A Journey of Intimate Conversations. Photo is of Alison and her Mom. Alison's website. Buy "The Love Project" at your local bookstore. May we suggest the Henry Miller Library. >>>>>>>>>>>>> Topics in This Episode The origins of The Love ProjectLove across generationsThe power of listeningStorytelling as connectionLove as a verb (and noun)A Quote from the Episode “Love isn’t something we possess. It’s something we practice.”Final Thought We often speak about love as if it were a feeling that descends upon us like weather, it does, but there's more... Perhaps love encompasses much more—  a choice, repeated in small acts, day after day. Support the show _________________________________________________ This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County! Let us know what you think! SEND US AN EMAIL!  😊 magnus@henrymiller.org FaceBook Instagram

    1h 23m
  8. # 120 Shamergence by Rob Somers

    Mar 7

    # 120 Shamergence by Rob Somers

    Send us Fan Mail Shamergence The skeptic asks, “Is it real?”  The shaman asks, “Did it help?” COME MEET ROB SOMERS ON SATURDAY, MARCH 21 >>>>>>>>>> Carlos Castaneda Joseph Campbell The Samples Ozymandias >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Shaman, Skeptic, and the Voice in the Belly Support the show _________________________________________________ This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County! Let us know what you think! SEND US AN EMAIL!  😊 magnus@henrymiller.org FaceBook Instagram

    1h 42m
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Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
38 Ratings

About

A Big Sur Podcast An ongoing conversation with people from near and far about Big Sur's past, present, and future. A Big Sur Podcast interprets “community” to mean ALL people from around the world who are curious about, and who care about, the preservation and restoration of the wild and rural character of Big Sur. Stories are told by visitors and residents, plumbers and linesmen, musicians and authors, dancers and jugglers and others. Sometimes we drift (way) off-topic into the arts, sciences, personal stories, gossip, politics, philosophy, ornithology, Henry Miller, and our zeitgeist in general. We like that! The opinions expressed here belong to the people who express them. They may or may not line up with yours, mine, or your neighbor’s — and that’s exactly the point. Different perspectives, lived experiences, and even wildly clashing views are what make conversations worth listening to: enriching, infuriating, life-affirming, and sometimes all three at once. If you are planning a visit to Big Sur and you listen to some of the folks on this Podcast talk about their love of the place your visit will probably be a lot more rewarding. Please email magnus@henrymiller.org with any comments, critique & suggestions. Music intro clip courtesy John Holm: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DZ06evO0Rh2QU Sound editing software by Hindenburg: https://hindenburg.com/Please support the podcast by making a donation to the Henry Miller Library, a 501(c)3 nonprofit arts organization. Thank you!

Information

  • Creator
    Magnus Toren, host
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    125
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 A Big Sur Podcast
  • Show Website
    A Big Sur Podcast

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