57. Mesha Maren

Poet and musician Lou Turner is in to talk about their new collection TWIN LEAD LINES, which explores the life and music of Turner's distant cousin country music legend Little Jimmy Dickens, and her own life as a Nashville musician, working in a different genre/world as Dickens. we talk about developing the idea for poems about Dickens into a full book, the research that went into it which including a road trip into West Virginia, and how writing poems and writing songs are similar but different practices.

This week on Commonplace, we're joined by Darrin Hacquard whose new album "Weights & Measures” is out today.  In our conversation we talk about touring the world as part of the Berea College Music Ensemble, his songwriting process and the influence of John Prine and the Nelsonville Music Festival on his art.

This week on Commonplace, we're joined by the new director of FestivALL, and friend of the podcast Zack Harold. In our conversation, we talk about his transition into running the beloved arts and culture festival, and how his experience as a journalist has prepared him for the role. He also shares stories from his time as a newspaper reporter in an era where Charleston had two daily newspapers.

This week on Commonplace is concert photographer Star Shoults (@nightmare.nightbird). In our conversation we talk about conveying the emotion of a musician through the photograph, the importance of having a community like the Huntington Photo Club for support, and her multimedia lyric video projects.Support Jillian Carney Howell's documentary "Almost Ghost Town" here.

This week on Commonplace, we're joined by techno / hard groove / house DJ Baedizzle. On August 23rd, she, alongside Arcana will be at the Indie Sleaze Rave at The Loud in Huntington, W.Va. In our conversation we talk about how she got into DJing, what it’s like learning and performing alongside her partner Arcana, and how the work and attitude and Tyler the Creator has driven her work. 

Em Marshall is the lyricist for Ligature, an alt/shoegaze band based out of Huntington, W.Va. Ligature's second single, "Stained," comes out Sunday, July 27th, with a music video that Em also directed. In addition to being in Ligature, Em Marshall is an accomplished tattoo artist. In our conversation, we talk about the intersection of the two, how Ligature formed, and their future plans.

This week on Commonplace, we're joined by poet Kyrsten Hodge, author of the zines Missladyma’amwoman  and Appalachian Transsexual. She has spent most of her adult life in Huntington, but this summer (this weekend, even) she is making a major move to Chicago. In our conversation, we talk about the search for a place she can feel safe in as a transwoman, how she thinks living in Chicago will transform or influence her poems, and how great it will be to have better access to concerts and arthouse movies. We also talk about how Huntington and DIY community has shaped her creative work, and how the live performance of a poem could influence her process in the writing stage. You can add her on BlueSky or Instagram.

T.. Sandella and Jad Adkins are the creative duo behind 'Battersea,' a film about two siblings meeting in their childhood home for one last weekend before it gets put on the market. The movie won the Best in Fest Award at the 2025 Appalachian Film Festival and will be screening at the MTN Craft Film Festival this October. Follow 'Battersea' on Instagram here.

Computers and the internet aren't fun anymore, but Mesha Maren is trying to change that. Alongside Juliet Escoria, she's launched the new site Zona Motel, a place for the literary community to share what excites them and makes them curious. She's also the author of the novels Shae, Perpetual West, and Sugar Run.Sign up to recieve Zona Motel in your email inbox here.COLUMN: The Projectionist #2 Middle Eastern Miracle Films

Summer time is here, the days are warmer, school is letting out, and Commonplace is back. 'Gone The Sun' author Joel Peckham takes us to Camp Manitou, a place he's returned to at multiple points in his life, first as a camper, then as an adult navigating an incredible loss, then later on in life, navigating his father's memory loss. Buy 'Gone the Sun' from Joel's website here.Listen to episode 41 with Rachael Peckham here.The return of Commonplace is all because of the generosity of others, the producers of the show pledge to return this generosity by continuing to work towards strengthening an incredible artistic community made up of artists of all walks of life. Thank you.