Emerging Form

Christie Aschwanden
  • 4.9 (67)
  • BOOKS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Emerging Form is a podcast about the creative process in which a journalist (Christie Aschwanden) and a poet (Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer) discuss creative conundrums over wine. Each episode concludes with a game of two questions in which a guest joins in to help answer questions about the week's topic. Season one guests include poets, novelists, journalists, a song writer, a circus performer, a sketch artist and a winemaker. emergingform.substack.com

  1. 3D AGO

    Episode 156: Chris Duffy Wrote a Book, and Guess What? It's Hilarious and Awesome

    “The least dangerous humor is to make fun of yourself and your foibles,” says comedian Chris Duffy. How might such a sense of humor help jumpstart and nourish your creative life? In this episode of Emerging Form, we talk with Chris about * what is a sense humor and why is it essential for our creative lives * why noticing specific details is an essential to both creativity and our humanity * the joy in heckling ourselves * how the feedback loop of a stage differs from the feedback loop of a reading audience * ways to laugh at yourself and why this is so important Both silly and sincere, this is an episode for linking your sense of humor to the rest of your life in a generous, creative way. Chris Duffy is an award-winning comedian, television writer, and radio/podcast host. Chris currently hosts the hit podcast How to Be a Better Human. He wrote for both seasons of Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas on HBO, executive produced by John Oliver. His new book Humor Me: How Laughing More Can Make You Present, Creative, Connected, and Happy is out now. Image: Chris launching his book on the Staten Island Ferry on his book launch day. He’s the real deal, folks. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe

    32 min

  2. JAN 8

    Episode 155: Emerging Form Guests Share Their Words for 2026

    After our end of the year episode, in which we talked about the words we had chosen as our theme for the year, we asked a bunch of Emerging Form guests to tell us their word. We were overwhemed by the response! We had so many great submissions that we decided to make them into a stand alone episode. Here are the contributors, in order of appearance. Andrea BarrettBonnie TsuiMaria KelsonAlison LutermanAlex HutchinsonAdam BeckerBil LeppChris DuffyDavid BaronDavid EpsteinDiana HillKristin Pedemonti Lisa GardinierMichael Kleber DiggsSherry Richert BelulStarre VartanTodd Mitchell Kyra Kopestonsky with us at KOTO radio recording the theme music for Emerging Form. We’re so grateful that we will continue to have a little piece of her on every show. Litby Rosemerry for Kyra Tonight when I light the candle and say your name, I notice how you have lit me— with your words, your voice, the way you clap your hands at the smallest of joys. Because you’ve given me light you’ve gathered from the darkest of places, I will never be the same. Again and again, you have lit me as if my life is beeswax and love is the wick and your courageous life is flame. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe

    33 min

  3. 12/25/2025

    Episode 154: Christie & Rosemerry Look Back on 2025

    It’s the sixth annual epiphany episode! Join Rosemerry and Christie as we look back on the highs and lows of their own creative practices in 2025, and reflect on the intentions we set a year ago. Did Christie “Create the Space?” How did Rosemerry explore “Spaciousness?” What did we learn about failure? About collaboration? Join us for laughter and teasing and good old-fashioned vulnerability. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe

    30 min

  4. 12/11/2025

    Episode 153: Todd Mitchell on How a Breakdown Led to a Breakthrough

    “I had to reassess how I approached creativity and life in general,” says author Todd Mitchell. In this episode of Emerging Form, we speak with the award-winning author about how to re-envision our creative practice, how to re-think our definition of success and what makes a creative practice sustainable. We also talk about why jelly beans might be an essential item in any creative’s toolbox, habits that help us return to the page another day, and practices that help us identify where our ego is getting in the way. Todd Mitchell is the American Fiction Award-winning author of several novels for young readers and adults including The Namer of Spirits (Owl Hollow Press), The Last Panther (Penguin Random House), The Traitor King (Scholastic), Backwards (Candlewick), and The Secret to Lying (Candlewick). In addition to writing books and comics, Todd works with artists, teachers, and writers on ways to enhance creativity. His newest non-fiction book, Breakthrough: How to Overcome Doubt, Fear, and Resistance to Be Your Ultimate Creative Self, is the culmination of decades of research into creative practices. Currently, Todd directs the Beginning Creative Writing Teaching Program at Colorado State University. You can visit him (and learn about his squirrel obsession) at www.ToddMitchellBooks.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe

    32 min

  5. 11/27/2025

    Episode 152: Julia Belluz on How to Have A Happy Collaboration

    “There are enough talented people out there,” says Julia Belluz, “but only collaborate with people you really like.” This was the advice the writer followed when deciding to work with scientist Kevin Hall on their new book, Food Intelligence. The resulting book weaves his narrative and evolution as a scientist with her narrative as a patient and journalist. In this episode, we explore what makes a successful collaboration, how to define roles—and why to do this right up front, the importance of trust, and how to communicate throughout the process. Julia Belluz is a Paris-based journalist and co-author of the new book, Food Intelligence. A contributing opinion writer to the New York Times, she has reported extensively on medicine, nutrition, and global public health from Canada, the US, and Europe. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe

    31 min

  6. 11/13/2025

    Episode 151: Alison Luterman on Striving

    “I’m a striver,” poet Alison Luterman, “still striving to grow.” In this interview with the beloved poet, we follow up on our conversation from episode 64 “It’s Okay to Not Feel Talented, Keep Going Anyway, Alison tells us about her ongoing singing lessons and how they have changed the way she listens, not only to music but to conversations and the rest of the world. This practice is at the heart of her new collection, Hard Listening. Not only does she read from the book, but she shares about what she learned about creativity from studying the lives of her singing heroes, the interweaving of politics and creative practice, and how to explore and share pleasure in the midst of difficult times. Alison Luterman’s four books of poems include The Largest Possible Life; See How We Almost Fly; Desire Zoo; and In the Time of Great Fires. She has published poems in The New York Times Magazine, The Sun Magazine, Prairie Schooner, Nimrod, and many other journals and anthologies. She lives in Oakland, California, where she walks her neighborhood daily, stopping at all the yards where there’s a sweet-smelling bush or tree. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe

    31 min

  7. 11/06/2025

    Episode 150 Bonus: The Medicine of Surrender, Poetry, and Metaphor With Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

    Can poetry be a form of medicine? In this week’s bonus episode, we share a guest podcast, the Wise Effort Show, hosted by our recent guest Dr. Diana Hill. In the bonus episode she did with Emerging Form, Diana shared a poem that was inspired by this interview with Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. They discuss the role of poetry in emotional processing, grief, love, and connection. Diana shares how Rosemerry’s poetry has personally influenced her life and work. Rosemerry reads some of her poems, discusses her daily practice of writing a poem everyday, and offers insights into how poetry can help us be present with our pain and transform it. Drawing from her own experiences, especially the tragic loss of her son, Rosemerry explains how metaphors and a daily writing habit can serve as healing practices. Join this insightful conversation to discover the therapeutic potential of poetry and how it can guide us through life’s most challenging moments. In This Episode, We Explore: * The Power of Poetry in Therapy * Rosemerry’s Personal Journey with Poetry * Daily Writing Practice and Its Benefits * Embracing Imperfection and Truth * Sharing Personal Grief Publicly This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe

    57 min

  8. 10/30/2025

    Updated Episode 150: Filling the Well

    How do we take care of our creative selves? How do we step off the wheel of production and find ourselves in the wide-open moment with room to wonder and wander? In this episode, hosts Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer and Christie Aschwanden have a conversation about where they are at now in their well-filling cycle, the importance of creative self-care and the consequences of not doing so. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe

    32 min
See All (190)

4.9
out of 5
67 Ratings

About

Emerging Form is a podcast about the creative process in which a journalist (Christie Aschwanden) and a poet (Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer) discuss creative conundrums over wine. Each episode concludes with a game of two questions in which a guest joins in to help answer questions about the week's topic. Season one guests include poets, novelists, journalists, a song writer, a circus performer, a sketch artist and a winemaker. emergingform.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Christie Aschwanden
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    190
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Christie Aschwanden & Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
  • Show Website
    Emerging Form

You Might Also Like