Take five minutes and go see what Ira Glass of This American Life has to say about the creative process and storytelling.  Spot on!!

I somehow failed to mention Kristen Fischer's fabulous Freelance Radio podcasts in my recent interview with her and wanted to let everyone know about this as soon as possible!!  Advice, tips & tricks for all you freelancers out there.  Honestly, the more deeply I dig into the work Kristen Fischer does, the more I am blown away.  Is there anything this woman isn't good at?

"Writing is solitary, obsessive, and prickly, and that makes literary friendships all the sweeter. Here is a new series that celebrates affection and loyalty between solitudes."

Garrison Keillor hosts this series of conversations between American writers whose work shapes their friendships and vice versa.  Get a glimpse of what happens when writers become friends by listening to Literary Friendships.

A friend from the Netherlands has been staying with us, wearing a cool leather bracelet from Buddha to Buddha that I've been admiring all week.  They have a fun collection of chunky silver jewelry as well as some beautiful Buddha images in their painting portfolio.

From there I hopped over to Spirituality & Practice, a website overflowing with tools and resources to help bring a little (or maybe a lot) more mindfulness into our days.  This site is very well organized, enabling visitors to search by topic or medium (books, DVDs, blogs, etc.) and it is updated just about everyday.

Zencast became one of my best friends when I was training for the Breast Cancer 3-Day this past fall.  There was something incredibly peaceful and calming about listening to an uplifting, thought-provoking lecture from my ipod while walking for ten miles or more.  I love these lectures; they always stay with me.  Tara Brach's lecture on Radical Acceptance is one of my favorites.

If you are looking to dig a little deeper, Pema Chodron has created a wealth of books, tapes, lectures and other resources to help us find our way through all the tangles life can throw in our way.  A dear friend who just finished a two year station as a UN human rights worker in Afghanistan used Pema Chodron's tapes to get through a particularly painful period of struggle, and I used a quote of Chodron's - which I tacked to my front door and read everyday for a year - to help me get through the most difficult year of my life.  From the Shambhala Center website:

"Pema Chödrön is a leading exponent of teachings on meditation and how they apply to everyday life. She is widely known for her charming and down-to-earth interpretation of Tibetan Buddhism for Western audiences."

The quote that got me through the muck:

"Only to the extent which we expose ourselves over and over again to annihilation can that which is indestructible be found in us."  -Pema Chodron

I'll know that quote word for word for the rest of my days. 

I have grown totally accustomed to working in a studio alone for most of the day, but I am happy there is such a plethora of inspiring podcasts to choose from when I'm in the mood for the sound of a human voice.  I will be interviewing the lovely and talented Marisa Haedike very soon - and making an exciting announcement with her - but in the meantime, she has a long list of podcasts that are sure to add a little extra spring in your step and twinkle in your eye.  Go here and here for a little Creative Thursday inspiration!

I have been a devoted listener of KCRW for many years.  It has kept me company through many of my days spent working at home alone being an artist and running a business, and one of its regular shows - available as podcasts - also helped me get through day long training walks when I was preparing for the Breast Cancer 3-Day in the fall of 2007.  That show is This American Life, hosted by Ira Glass, pictured above.  Most episodes I only listen to once, but there are a few that I cannot help but replay now and then, and I have listened to my absolute favorite, entitled Fiasco!, at least a half a dozen times, always laughing just as hard the last time as I did the first time. 

There is something calming about listening to an interesting and inspiring radio program.  While it is still a passive activity, for some reason it feels less dulling than television.  Maybe because greater attention is required or maybe because it gives me a small glimpse of what life might have been like before TV sets took over most households, but whatever the reason is I always feel quiet inside after listening to This American Life.  I have stories and experiences to ponder, examine and even giggle about, and these stories tend to stay with me longer than any TV show ever did (I haven't had TV in more than six years), any magazine article and even many books. 

I could try to explain what the show is about myself, but I think the folks at This American Life say it best:

"One of our problems from the start has been that when we try to describe This American Life in a sentence or two, it just sounds awful. For instance: each week we choose a theme and put together different kinds of stories on that theme. That doesn't sound like something we'd want to listen to on the radio, and it's our show.

So usually we just say what we're not. We're not a news show or a talk show or a call-in show. We're not really formatted like other radio shows at all. Instead, we do these stories that are like movies for radio. There are people in dramatic situations. Things happen to them. There are funny moments and emotional moments and—hopefully—moments where the people in the story say interesting, surprising things about it all. It has to be surprising. It has to be fun."

In an alternate universe I am a sociological anthropologist, collecting stories from people all over the world.  I find the range of human experience fascinating, and this program lets me peek into the window of a wide array of passions, struggles, dreams and yes, fiascos.  You can download episodes for free and listen to them on your computer or ipod.  Once you get started, it will be hard not to get hooked.