Confessing Animals

Jess Whetsel is a poet, writer, editor, and public speaker based in Toledo, Ohio on Erie, Kickapoo, Seneca, and Odawa land. Her poetry has appeared in many literary journals, including Tulip Tree Review, Discretionary Love, and Sage Cigarettes. Her first collection of poetry, A SOFTER KIND OF AUDACITY, debuts on December 1, 2023. You can learn more about Whetsel and her work on her website, www.jesswhetsel.com, or by following her Instagram, @jesswhetselwrites. A Softer Kind of Audacity BOOK RELEASE: Friday Dec. 1 www.jesswhetsel.com https://substack.com/@jesswhetsel IG @jesswhetselwrites BOOK DESCRIPTION A Softer Kind of Audacity is an unflinching self-examination. Author Jess Whetsel’s poetry debut is “a book is for the little girl with wild curls and a poem in her heart; the teenager who scribbled lyrics in her notebook like her life depended on it; the twenty-something who swallowed her voice and didn’t think she’d ever write again; and the woman who finally came home to her poetry, her voice, herself.” Exploring themes of queerness, mental health, and generational trauma, Whetsel opens the door wide and invites everyone in. From identity falling in ineffable teenage love to mid-life polyamory, Whetsel does not turn away from the truth. Support the show

Kate Mapother is the author of two poetry collections, Tell Me You Hear the Riot and carved. She has been published in the lit mag kerning / a space for words, and the book Signs & Symbols of Our Ancestors. She lives in Tucson, in a little adobe at the bottom of a canyon with her dog Riggins. Books C A R V E D Tell Me You Hear the Riot IG/Threads: https://www.instagram.com/brightenuff/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KateMapother SubStack: https://katemapother.substack.com Episode Mentions: Tricia Hersey The Nap Ministry and Rest is Resistance. Support the show

In 1988, an explosion killed six Kansas City firefighters. Closure Is Not Justice is a public art project drawing attention to the 1988 explosion, and the public campaign that generated false testimony among residents in the Marlborough neighborhood, turning neighbor against neighbor, all for the sake of closure. Closure Is Not Justice Exhibition Opening - Friday, September 1 Vulpes Bastille gallery in the Crossroads, KC. Andrew Johnson is an author, essayist, and artist living in Kansas City, Missouri. His work has appeared in The Sun, Image, Commonweal, Crazyhorse, and elsewhere, and he is the author of two books: The Thread and On Earth As It Is. He is the recipient of a Charlotte Street Foundation residency, a Rocket Grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation, an ArtsKC Inspiration grant, a Vermont Studio Center residency, and a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. Closure Is Not Justice https://www.closureisnotjustice.com/ Andrew’s Substack https://thethread.substack.com/p/closure-is-not-justice?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email Andrew’s website https://www.andrewmichaeljohnson.com/ FB: andrewjohnsonkc / IG: andrew.johnson.kc Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and challenges of adult life. Confessing Animals podcast co-hosts Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco, both working writers, unveil the secrets and struggles of creative living in a rapid fire capitalist society. One guest at a time, Jen + Vanessa ask, How Does Your Life Translate to Art? Intro and music by Ashley Raines https://www.ashleyrainesmusic.com/ Support the show

On endings and new beginnings On disappearing On completely changing your personality, or learning to speak at a lower volume without the word fuck 7 of Cups from Rachel True's True Heart Intuitive Tarot deck High Vibe, Choice, options, dream states, luxury, intuition, reflection, meditation https://truehearttarot.com/ Ram Dass Here and Now Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ram-dass-here-and-now/id518366323 https://open.spotify.com/show/3Dz4DL2ZMvnNQUnDSXqSdm?si=f07d2ea84ab142dc Intro and all music on previous episodes by Ashley Raines https://www.ashleyrainesmusic.com/ Find Jen Harris at the Writing Workshop KC, online and in person https://www.writingworkshopkc.com/ Vanessa's hanging on Substack at Death Bore Beauty https://deathborebeauty.substack.com/ Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and challenges of adult life. Co-hosts Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco, both working writers, unveil the secrets and struggles of creative living in a rapid fire Capitalist society. One guest at a time, Jen + Vanessa ask, How Does Your Life Translate to Art? P.S. I, Vanessa, hate the word "creatives" and I didn't mean to use it so much. Art, artists, writers, people, "creatives" barf, it's a marketing term that doesn't apply to the kind of work we are exploring here. <3 Support the show

In light of the impending overturn of Roe v Wade, Vanessa & Jen attended the Planned Parenthood Rally: BANS OFF OUR BODIES on May 14, 2022 at Mill Creek Park in Kansas City, MO. – But before we did, we interviewed Justice Gatson Justice Gatson is the Director at Reale Justice Network. An Intimate Partner Violence Advocate and Motivational Speaker. She works with Black Mama’s Bail Out with National Bailout.org to specifically address the needs of incarcerated black mothers. IG @reale_justice_network https://realejusticenetwork.org/ SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective https://sistersong.nationbuilder.com/donate DONATE NOW! https://abortionfunds.org/ VOTE NO IN KANSAS AUGUST 2 https://kansansforfreedom.com/ Emily Wales CEO Planned Parenthood Great Plains Other organizations @ Bans off Our Bodies KC rally Sunrise Movement Our Revolution KC Poor People’s Campaign Barrier Babes KC Green Party KC Supreme Court Cases mentioned in Intro: Dobbs v, Jackson Women’s Health Roe v. Wade Planned Parenthood v. Casey Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) Lawrence v. Texas (2003) Loving v. Virginia is the 1967 Dred Scott v. Sandford case of 1857 Fuck These Bishes: Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of the Susan B. Anthony List, an American political organization that seeks to advance anti-abortion women in politics Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, Missouri District 097 Republican Correction: Sarah Huckabee Sanders was Trump Press Secretary (duh, Vanessa misspoke per the usual) REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE NOW! SHOW UP, DO THE WORK! Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and challenges of adult life. Confessing Animals podcast co-hosts Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco, both working writers, unveil the secrets and struggles of creative living in a rapid fire capitalist society. One guest at a time, Jen + Vanessa ask, How Does Your Life Translate to Art? Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.com Follow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcast Listen, Love & Support Us! Support the show

Live @ Charlotte Street Foundation w/Vanessa Aricco Reading 1: On the Cusp of Air & Water [Full length poetry manuscript, forthcoming] Read 2: Self Saints of Becoming [WIP] Vanessa Aricco is a multimedia poet exploring conflict and duality, the precarious nature of life and the anxiety that arises from it. She is the co-host of Confessing Animals podcast. Her work includes two poetry albums, The Midnight Rush and Human Animal, Tin Can Poetics and co-lyricist on the album Gutter Mansions with Ashley Raines & The New West Revue. She is a Charlotte Street Foundation 2019-22 Studio Resident in Kansas City, MO. Website: vanessaaricco.com Charlotte Street Foundation Open Studios https://charlottestreet.org/ Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.com Follow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcast Listen, Love & Support Us! Support the show

Ashley Parsons (she/her) is a queer woman who tells true stories about love, mystery, and embodiment through writing, photography, mentoring, and speaking. She is an alumni of the 2019 Thread at Yale program through the Yale Journalism Initiative and the winner of The Moth / Snap Judgment Competition. Her award-winning work as a storyteller has been captured in photographs, films, and multimedia via We Are the Parsons, Huffington Post, American Photo Magazine, and Real Simple Weddings among countless others. In 2013 she was named one of the Best Wedding Photographers in the world. Since the turn of the century, she has taught at workshops, creative retreats, and been a vital part of creative collaborations across the globe. Instagram @fromashparsons https://www.ashleyparsons.com/ Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.com Follow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcast Listen, Love & Support Us! Support the show

Listen to Rev. Dr. Peter Tremain's full episode: Dirt, Water & Grace https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirt-water-grace-rev-dr-peter-tremain/id1544861884?i=1000554058943 https://confessinganimalspodcast.buzzsprout.com/1518877/10250310 Listen, Love, Support Us! J+V Support the show

Waleska Barroeta/Waleska Font She/Her/Hers Waleska (she/her) is a Venezuelan multidisciplinary artist. Waleska is a cultural promoter, copyeditor, teacher and poet, having performed in Mexico, Venezuela, and Kansas City. Her work explores the limitations of bilingualism, sexuality, culture, and identity. Waleska is currently a board member of No Divide Kansas City and a sponsored artist for Poetry for Personal Power. Instagram @wlskafont No Divide KC https://www.nodividekc.org/ Queer Narratives Festival https://www.nodividekc.org/queernarrativesfestival “Home” by Warsan Shire Support the show

Peter Tremain is a retired Lutheran Pastor, who served as Pastor of three congregations over a span of forty years. After retirement and the death of his wife he traveled solo outside the USA at least two months a year for the last ten years with only a backpack, staying in hostels, walking the 500 mile long Camino de Santiago in 2013. He is interested in Contemplative Spirituality as it transcends the arbitrary boundary between the sacred and secular nurturing a non-dualistic view of reality. https://thecalltolive.wordpress.com/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/peter.tremain.5 IG: https://www.instagram.com/tremainpeter/ Show Notes: End of life care Stephen Hawking Sam Harris Simone Weil Contemplative spirituality Mark Rothko Franz Kline Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.com Follow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcast Listen, Love & Support Us! Support the show

Season 4 is all about Confession! Our first guest is Peregrine Honig: Artist. Curator. Writer. Wife. CW: Mention of sex trafficking, pedophile, ephebophile, and murder Peregrine Honig (she/her) (born 1976 in San Francisco, CA) is an American artist whose work is concerned with the relationship between pop culture, sexual vulnerability, social anxieties, the ethics of luxury and trends in consumerism. Her work is included in the permanent collections of The New York Public Library, The Whitney Museum, and The Chicago Art Institute. Honig also co-owns a lingerie and swimwear boutique, Birdies, which opened in 2003, and is located in the Crossroads Section of Kansas City, Missouri. She appeared on season one of Bravo’s artist reality television show, Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, which aired from June 9–August 11, 2010, finishing in second place. https://www.peregrinehonig.co/ https://www.instagram.com/peregrinehonig/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_Honig https://projectartaud.org/ Show Notes: "Father Gander” Peregrine Honig Fairy Tales Studios Inc. KC Little Red Riding Hood sensuality, sexuality Song “Fancy” by Bobbie Gentry When is it a fairy tale and when is it a murder? Erica Michelle Marie Green (May 15, 1997 – April 28, 2001), also known as Precious Doe, was an American three-year-old girl who was murdered in Kansas City. Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.com Follow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcast Listen, Love & Support Us! Support the show

Welcome to Season 4 of Confessing Animals Podcast. Jen and Vanessa discuss why this podcast is called Confessing Animals and talk a lot of shit per the us cuz no one's listening! *plz note that Vanessa says "appear" when she meant to say "appeal" A few things we talk about: Michel Foucault Jean Baudrillard Simulacrum Confession Culture Writing Holy Shit Special Guest coming soon Peregrine Honig! Jen Harris Write With Me https://www.poetjenharris.com/workshops Vanessa Aricco Tin Can Poetics on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/6lzsJV7VX0749Yj39tLiHn?si=e69736208f884884 Love, Listen & Support Us! Support the show

Happy First Year! Jen calls Vanessa, who's two mimosas deep, on her tin can to wrap up the first year of Confessing Animals. Intro and Outro Poems by Vanessa Aricco Download poetry albums! We love you <3 Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines Follow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcast Listen, Love & Support Us! Support the show

Andreas Fleps is a poet based near Chicago. He studied theology and philosophy at Dominican University, and his debut collection of poems entitled, “Well into the Night” (via Energion Publications) was released at the end of 2020. He translates teardrops. Buy the book! Well Into the Night https://www.energiondirect.com/product/well-into-the-night/ https://bookshop.org/books/well-into-the-night/9781631997396 https://www.facebook.com/andreas.fleps/ https://www.instagram.com/andreas.fleps/ Philosophers mentioned: Nietzsche Jacques Lacan Camus E.M. Cioran Kierkegaard Poets/Writers: Oscar Wilde Whitman Pete Rollins Padraig Ó Tuama Rimbaud Baudelaire Robert Frost Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and challenges of adult life. Confessing Animals podcast co-hosts Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco, both working writers, unveil the secrets and struggles of creative living in a rapid fire capitalist society. One guest at a time, Jen + Vanessa ask, How Does Your Life Translate to Art? Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.com Follow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcast Listen, Love & Support Us! https://www.patreon.com/confessinganimalspodcast Support the show

Patrick Grant grew up in Overland Park, KS where he is now a high school Spanish teacher. After graduating from the University of Kansas, Patrick worked with a Christian collegiate ministry in San Antonio, Texas and then the Dominican Republic. In his free time he enjoys playing sports, hanging with friends and family, and being overly-particular about beer and coffee. https://www.facebook.com/patrick.grant.98 Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and challenges of adult life. Confessing Animals podcast co-hosts Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco, both working writers, unveil the secrets and struggles of creative living in a rapid fire capitalist society. One guest at a time, Jen + Vanessa ask, How Does Your Life Translate to Art? Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.com Follow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcast Listen, Love & Support Us! https://www.patreon.com/confessinganimalspodcast Support the show

PLUG Gallery Solid Poetry: Andrew Mcilvaine Andrew Mcilvaine is an interdisciplinary artist originally from Southern Texas and later relocated to Missouri. Mcilvaine makes work that explores notions such as the displacement and replacement of culture through settler colonialism, identity, trauma, memory, and longing. Currently Mcilvaine's practice is based in Kansas City, Missouri and he holds a visiting assistant professor position in the Foundation department at KCAI. https://www.andrewmcilvaine.com/ Instagram @andrewmcilvaine Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and challenges of adult life. Confessing Animals podcast co-hosts Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco, both working writers, unveil the secrets and struggles of creative living in a rapid fire capitalist society. One guest at a time, Jen + Vanessa ask, How Does Your Life Translate to Art? Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.com Follow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcast Listen, Love & Support Us! https://www.patreon.com/confessinganimalspodcast Support the show

Leanne Kubicz is an origami artist and tv & film critic based in Kansas City, MO. A person of many talents, she was an official statistician for the New York Red Bulls Major League Soccer team from 2001-2013, was founder of her own company -- 1898 House Nail Lacquer, and was also a reference librarian. Leanne is currently working on multiple origami projects and has a new Substack for capsule film reviews. https://leannek.substack.com/ https://thepinksmoke.com/ IG @leannekpaper TWITTER @lianemarieK SHOW NOTES Film Review: Todd Haynes The Velvet Underground Documentary Capsule Review Review: Titane by Julia Ducournau Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story Rainer Werner Fassbinder Crash by David Cronenberg Shoah by Claude Lanzmann Rachel Getting Married by Jonathan Demme PERIOD Article https://medium.com/periodmovement/the-talk-for-the-middle-aged-2938c0b86ac2 Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and challenges of adult life. Confessing Animals podcast co-hosts Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco, both working writers, unveil the secrets and struggles of creative living in a rapid fire capitalist society. One guest at a time, Jen + Vanessa ask, How Does Your Life Translate to Art? Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.com Follow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcast Listen, Love & Support Us! https://www.patreon.com/confessinganimalspodcast Support the show

Rachel Puckett is a lifestyle and wedding photographer residing in Columbus, Ohio, who has dreams bigger than her body can handle at the moment. When her 7th grade Biology teacher enthusiastically insisted the students were all scientists, her eyes lit up and she received the title in earnest and has looked at the world with curiosity and a hunger to understand ever since. Her love of writing and photography take root from the lineage of irreverent storytellers she comes from and she finds inspiration from artists who speak to the whole experience of humanity, rather than the blind sugar-coating that just scratches the surface of living. After spending the first 30 years of her life as a witness to the inner workings and intricacies, she’s now embracing her voice, however shaky and ill-equipped, to embody the richness of life and call to others who are seeking the same, knowing that intuition and communal suffering hold the treasures we seek. Website https://honeyandsmokephotoco.mypixieset.com/ Social Media https://www.instagram.com/honeyandsmokephoto/ Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and challenges of adult life. Confessing Animals podcast co-hosts Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco, both working writers, unveil the secrets and struggles of creative living in a rapid fire capitalist society. One guest at a time, Jen + Vanessa ask, How Does Your Life Translate to Art? Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.com Follow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcast Listen, Love & Support Us! https://www.patreon.com/confessinganimalspodcast Support the show

Erin McGrane is a writer; musician; actress; public speaker; and professional development mentor. Notably, Erin appears in the Oscar-nominated film, UP IN THE AIR alongside George Clooney. She has toured the US extensively with her musical group, Victor & Penny, and co-founded an annual performance, creativity, and songwriting event. Erin was honored in KC Magazine’s “The 100: People who make Life Better in KC" and is proud to say she misspent her youth singing in a rock band. Websites https://www.erinjmcgrane.com/ Social Media https://www.facebook.com/erin.mcgrane.18 www.instagram.com/erinjmcgrane/ Seasoned and fresh-faced artists (of every genre) discuss how to make creativity work within the complexities and challenges of adult life. Confessing Animals podcast co-hosts Jen Harris + Vanessa Aricco, both working writers, unveil the secrets and struggles of creative living in a rapid fire capitalist society. One guest at a time, Jen + Vanessa ask, How Does Your Life Translate to Art? Intro & music provided by Ashley Raines www.ashleyrainesmusic.com Follow us on Instagram @confessinganimalspodcast Listen, Love & Support Us! https://www.patreon.com/confessinganimalspodcast Support the show

Stephen Hill is a human aboard Spaceship Earth trying to figure things out through writing, shaping, talking, helping, and documenting. His present location is within the Kansas City Metro area with his family, and he helps pay the bills by working for Mid-continent Public Library's Delivery Services. He'd like everyone to know that Truth is at the intersection, so keep on intersecting. Websites https://stephenhillwrites.wordpress.com/ Steve Radio! on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0UXeNwX40JT7lUuH6vh5Hl?si=061F5gHFQlK2rsQjTauInQ&dl_branch=1 Social Media NONE Support the show