We close out this season with Sarah Koenig, the host and co-creator of the heaviest hitter of podcasts, Serial. Sure, her reporting helped overturn a murder conviction by revealing how it was based on questionable evidence, she won a Peabody and reinvented the podcast with Serial. But did you know we also palled around while working as rookie repor…

Artist, muralist and educator Ernest Shaw Jr. talks about being inspired by his hometown of Baltimore, documenting the Black/Africanist experience, spending time in Key West as an artist in residence at The Studios of Key West, and works that left me speechless, like Crossing Gods. Comedian Charly Esturilho and I talk shop, South Florida life and w…

This episode features two Key West artists who recently made big art news and who know the daily grind needed to succeed on this expensive island. Tory Mata recently won a prestigious 2022 South Florida Cultural Consortium Visual and Media Artists grant that includes $15,000 and an exhibition at a Miami museum. We talk about how she finds inspirati…

Christa Hunt created Key West Burlesque 17 years ago. She shares about the new season, how to burlesque the Harry Potter franchise and the Gurly Burly Burlesque Show on Sept. 8, which I'm co-hosting btw. Key West is a really small town. Cori Convertito is the curator and historian for the Key West Art and Historical Society. We talk about the Write…

This episode is all about Jordan Peele's latest film Nope. I was knocked out by this spectacle and pronounced it Peele's best work yet. But I have lots of questions about what exactly is going on in Nope. So I invited two guests. Rene Rodriguez, an award-winning writer teaches at the University of Miami and runs the Bill Cosford Cinema for the UM S…

Steve Turtell, a poet in New York whose work includes the collection Heroes and Householders, shares about having more than 50 jobs in 50 years, his career as a baker, LGBTQ+ rights and the time he spent in Key West. Susannah Wells talks about theater work in Key West, the virtues of the board game Clue and we bond about making crafts when we were …

Emma Berquist, author of Devils Unto Dust and Missing, Presumed Dead, shares about why people like true crime, writing dark novels and dealing with Twitter. Erin McKenna, an actor, dancer and founder of Love Cheeky apothecary, talks about her success on Key West theater stages, how she got her start performing and parking legally at the jumping bri…

Katherine Blanford and I talk about her debut comedy album, "Salt Daddy," the perils of bachelorette trips and why Fort Lauderdale is "Miami with love handles." David Sieminski shares about leather, sex stuff, running Leather Master Key West, and why some Key West leaders can calm down about Fantasy Fest nudity. This podcast is presented in partner…

Key West-based musician Jerome Miller shares about his duo, Dogwater, his Billy the Squid days, working as a stuntman and the difference between South and North Dakota. He also agrees to let me shove him off something someday. Sam Jindra is an actor, photographer, promoter, model and musician living in Key West. We talk about Vince Vaughn filming B…

Writer Grady Hendirx, a horror and slasher film scholar, joined me to talk about the "final girl" trope, my allegiance to the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and the relevance of vampires. His latest novel is Final Girl Support Group, and others include Horrorstör, which is about a haunted furniture store, We Sold Our Souls, and Satan Loves You. …

R. Eric Thomas, an award-winning author, journalist and playwright, shared about growing up in Baltimore, writing for young adults and his latest book, "The Kings of B'More." Margaret Killjoy and I talked anarchy, dealing with haters, great titles - A Country of Ghosts and The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion - and she endures my inability to pronounce…

New York City-based comedian Kristina Kelley and I talked standup shop, her days as a public school teacher in the South Bronx and her recent visit to Key West. Key West-based artist Kristyn LaMoia shared about how the island inspires her work and the challenges of preparing costumes for Fantasy Fest. This podcast is presented by The Studios of Key…

Mark Kurlansky shared about this latest book, The Importance of Not Being Ernest: My Life With the Uninvited Hemingway. He also talked about being told he resembles the celebrated author, who left his mark on Key West, where he lived in the 1930s. Hemingway's former mansion is one of the island's most popular tourist attraction. Los Angeles-based c…

Theresa Chiechi, an illustrator and cartoonist whose "Drawn to Key West" book documents the lives of the street performers at Key West's famous Mallory Square, joined me. We talked about making art while paying the bills, why sticker art is awesome, the courage to ask strangers for interviews and a dog named Cooper. Belle Jampol, is a singer born a…

Chloe Gray, a therapist turned dating consultant who created Advice By Chloe, shared an inspiring story about getting her start polishing up dating profiles. She gently suggested I not post gym photos on a profile. People might think I want to talk about arm day for an hour."I probably would," I said. (Taking the advice.) Mant Bares, a poet and wri…

Author and screenwriter Hillary Jordan and I talked about her two novels, When She Woke and Mudbound, and Anonymous Sex, the new anthology of erotica stories she co-edited with Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan. Playwright Catherine Weingarten and I talked about her residency at The Studios of Key West and using humor to comment "upon societal pressures young wom…

Ginny Hogan, a writer and comedian published in the New Yorker and McSweeney's, and I talked standup shop and why she left a career as a data scientist in the tech industry for comedy. Her latest book is, I'm More Dateable Than a Plate of Refried Beans. Kawana Staffney, the executive director of the Bahama Village Music Program, shared the history …

New York Times Bestselling author Kristen Arnett and Key West singer-songwriter Sharese joined me on this episode. Kristen and I talked about her novels, With Teeth and Mostly Dead Things, and about whether Florida is the gayest state. Sharese shared her new single, "Fixer Upper," and we talked about making a living playing music in Key West. Gwen …

Atlanta-based comedian and actor Lace Larrabee and I talked standup shop, her podcast about cheating on partners and whether I can take the place of her bff. She's headlining at Comedy Key West May 19-21. *profanity warning Playwright Neal Ruchman and actor Cassidy Timms and I talked about "The Pickpocket's Daughter," which is at The Studios of Key…

Christiane Escobar is a video creator and photographer who has become a Tik Tok phenom. We talked about Tik Tok success, handling online critics and whether I should move to Austin, Texas, someday. Emily Landis is a singer-songwriter who has become a regular at the Key West Songwriters Festival. We talked about writing big hit songs in Nashville, h…

Country singer-songwriter Bridgette Tatum and I talked about how she discovered her love of music growing up in church, succeeding in the music industry and what true Southern barbecue really is. Tatum is on the schedule of the upcoming Key West Songwriters Festival, set for May 4-8. DJ Sanaris knows how to pack a dance floor and throw a rooftop Ne…

Award-winning author Allegra Hyde joined me to talk about her debut novel, Eleutheria, and teaching writing at Oberlin College. We also compared what we're watching on Netflix. Keys-based artist Kristen Norman and I talked about her stencil/street, feminist-charged art and how the Florida Keys inspire her work. The Studios of Key West is a leading …

San Francisco-based artist William Rhodes recently welcomed Bahama Village residents in Key West to help him craft two quilts to document the historic Key West neighborhood. The sculptor joined me to talk about his work and his new exhibit at The Studios of Key West. I also spoke with Emily Berg, who manages Books and Books at The Studios of Key We…

Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan and Kevin Assam, both writers who find inspiration in Key West, joined me to talk about their latest work. The Studios of Key West is a leading art institution in South Florida. It's in downtown Key West at 533 Eaton St. For a list of events and more programming like this, visit tskw.org http://cheryllulientan.com/bio/ yourecomin…