Episode 355

with Ken Jennings, John Roderick, Emmy Favilla, Anastacia-Reneé, and Laura Gibson

Luke Burbank shares a story from his unicycling days of yore; Omnibus podcast hosts Ken Jennings and John Roderick give a glimpse of what stories are inside their audio time capsule for future generations (and/or alien invaders); BuzzFeed grammar wiz Emmy Favilla breaks down the problem with punctuation; Seattle’s Civic Poet Anastacia-Reneé shares what it’s like to have an identity that encapsulates everything the president hates; and singer-songwriter Laura Gibson utilizes her newly acquired MFA to improvise musical CliffsNotes about literary classics.

Ken Jennings & John Roderick
Podcasters

Ken Jennings was working as a software engineer for a Salt Lake City health care staffing company in 2004 when he got the phone call telling him that his contestant audition had been successful and he would appear on Jeopardy! that June. He spent a month making flash cards and cramming on familiar Jeopardy! subjects like U.S. presidents, world capitals, and "potent potables" (Ken doesn't drink). Much to his surprise, Ken's Jeopardy! appearance extended far beyond a single game: he took advantage of a recent rule change allowing returning champs to appear on the show indefinitely, and spent the next six months hogging America's TV screens. Website • Twitter

John Roderick is an American musician, singer, songwriter, podcaster, and politician. He is the lead singer and guitarist of the rock band The Long Winters, was a touring member of the rock band Harvey Danger, and co-hosts the podcasts Roderick On The Line, Road Work, and Omnibus. Website • Twitter

Anastacia-Reneé
Poet

Anastacia-Renee is an award-winning cross-genre writer, educator, interdisciplinary artist, TEDX speaker and podcaster. Renee is the author of (v.), (Black Ocean Press), Forget It (Black Radish Press) and Answer(Me), (Winged City Chapbook Press). She has received fellowships and residencies from Cave Canem, Hedgebrook, VONA, Artist Trust, Jack Straw, Ragdale, Mineral School, Hypatia in the Woods and The New Orleans Writers Residency. Anastacia-Renee's work has been anthologized in, Furious Flower: Seeding the Future of African American Poetry, Spirited Stone, Lessons from Kubotas Garden, Seismic, Seattle City of Literature, and her poetry, fiction and non-fiction has been in Foglifter, Cascadia Magazine, Pinwheel, The Fight and the Fiddle, Glow, The A-Line, Ms. Magazine, Spark, Obsidian Literature and Arts in the African Diaspora, Crab Creek Review, Alta, Catapult and many more. Website • Insta

Emmy Favilla
Grammar Wiz

Emmy Favilla is BuzzFeed's global copy chief and the author of the forthcoming book A World Without 'Whom'. Twitter

Laura Gibson
Singer Songwriter

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Laura Gibson has succeeded at a seemingly impossible task: making her grief beautiful and her hope radical. In her latest album, Goners, the multi-instrumentalist artist has created an album for thinkers and feelers, for the fierce and for the weary. The album is rife with hauntings and transformations, harbingers and sharp objects, and of course, Gibson’s signature evocative vocals and innovative arrangements. As the first album since receiving her MFA in Writing, Goners features vivid imagination, sharp storytelling, and language that feels truly alive. With Goners, Gibson has created a cathartic album for those who dare to hope in the darkness. Listen • Insta