Hear-Tell Podcast - James Murdock, "Orange is the New Peach"
Howdy, super stackers,
At the end of last year, I was lucky enough to be featured on Hear-Tell Podcast, which is based out of the University of Georgia’s journalism school. I was invited there by my friend Diana Keough, a fellow MFA classmate and wonderful podcast host, to talk about an article I wrote a few years ago for the Bitter Southerner about the emergence of the citrus industry in South Georgia. The article was featured earlier last year in the Bitter Southerner’s latest anthology, Food Stories: Writing That Stirs the Pot.
Though Diana and I intended to focus on the citrus story, and we did to some degree, we ended up having a broader conversation about how poetry translates to journalism, about the importance of place in shaping identity, and about the purpose one finds in a writing life. This was my first experience being on a podcast and thanks to Diana’s brilliant prompts and welcoming demeanor, I think it turned out well. If you’re interested in nature writing at all, or in the intersection of poetry, prose, and place, please check out the episode and let me know what you think. It is a mere 32 minutes in length.
Much love to anyone reading and/or listening. I am enjoying my time here on Substack, trying to expand what I read and comment on, and trying to contribute regularly to this vast and marvelous web of stories. I’ve been moved by many of your words and appreciate your showing support for the bird, which is insane.
Until soon, friends.
Interesting podcast! I like that idea of going from poetry to reporting/journalism. Agreed that there is artistry to writing journalism.
I find a clarity in the Zen Buddhist poetry and koans as well. There is a directness that hits home and allows the reader to fill in much with their own imagination, yet never covering the original message.
Mentioning of being absorbed by screens is what got me to realize how much I was missing on my Nature hikes. I would get so absorbed with my camera app or ebird app that I was not truly appreciating all around. Took me a little while to wean myself off of the apps, but my Nature hikes are much more focused on what I see and hear that moment.
Great interview and thanks for sharing.