Episode 365
with Mike Pesca, Anya Yurchyshyn, Robby Slowik, Lindsey E. Murphy, and Prom Queen (solo)
Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello talk “do-overs” with real and hypothetical tattoos; author Anya Yurchyshyn discusses her new memoir My Dead Parents, in which she explores aspects of her parents she never knew; journalist and podcaster Mike Pesca dissects the most intriguing “what ifs” in sports history; science vlogger Lindsey Murphy reveals how she engages her young Fab Lab audience; comedian Robby Slowik ruminates on the need for a national anthem; and doom-wop singer-songwriter Prom Queen gives herself a musical makeover with her track “Blonde.”
Anya Yurchyshyn
Author
After serving as a detective for her own family’s story, Anya Yurchyshyn wrote a book that exposes a larger truth about the nature of family love. My Dead Parents started as an anonymous Tumblr blog, where Yurchyshyn posted her parents’ correspondence to try and piece together the mystery of their lives – a father who died in Ukraine in a suspicious accident, and a mother who later succumbed to alcoholism. A tale of curiosity, discovery, and the power of personal history, Yurchyshyn’s complex love letter is a treasure for readers to discover. Website • Insta
Mike Pesca
Journalist
To put it sportingly: Mike Pesca has got a full court press on the world of reporting and podcasting. As the host of the Slate podcast The Gist, he skillfully tackles the news five days a week. As a sports reporter he’s covered Superbowls, Final Fours, World Series, and the big one – The Westminster Dog Show. Pesca has two Edward R. Murrow awards, and his new book Upon Further Review flips the script on history by reimagining the effect that a play trade, injury or call could have had on the wider world of sports. Score one for Mike Pesca, because we can’t wait to read it. Website • Twitter
Lindsey Murphy
Science Blogger
Lindsey Murphy is the award-winning creator + host of The Fab Lab With Crazy Aunt Lindsey, YouTube’s most beloved kids science web series that takes everyday science concepts and turns them into fabulous DIY projects children can do at home with their families. Since launching in 2010, the show has garnered partnerships with the likes of Scientific American Magazine, the New York Academy of Sciences, been published in various national family magazines, and crowdfunded nearly $100,000 for independent production in 2019. Lindsey is a regular guest on television shows, conference stages, and has been invited to speak at places like Harvard University and Google Inc. to give talks on such topics as creative media in science communications, Diversity in STEM, fundraising, entrepreneurship, being brave, having courage, branding and marketing in the digital age. Website • Twitter
Robby Slowik
Comedian
If you like your comedic observations served straight up with an edge, you’re really going to like comedian Robby Slowik. His razor sharp topical jokes have won him fans across the country including John Stewart, who hired him as writer for his HBO project. Slowik recently made his TV comedy debut on Conan, appears in festivals across the country like the Great American Comedy Festival, and can be seen and heard on Hulu, Seeso, Spotify, Pandora, and Sirius/XM. Biting, distinctive, and side-splittingly funny, Robby Slowik’s comedy cocktail goes down smooth. Website • Twitter
Prom Queen
Singer Songwriter
With a style that has been described as “lavish” “larger-than-life” and “uniquely vintage,” Seattle’s Prom Queen has created a sound that contains multitudes, combining timeless pop tropes with the modern flair of visual albums. Their newest album, Doom-Wop, comes out in the fall of 2018 – and true to their throwback nature, it will be all live instruments, live band-takes, and delivered on vinyl. Singer and songwriter Leeni Ramadan describes the band’s sound as “dreamy vintage pop,” and we want the sounds of Prom Queen to play in all of our dreams. Listen
