Stream

Arts Calling is a podcast to celebrate creatives across disciplines and cultural backgrounds, but also a case for the arts as the gateway to empathy, healthy lives, and strong communities.

Hi friends,

Today I’m so excited to be arts calling Raegen Pietrucha!

Raegen Pietrucha is a professional and creative writer, editor, consultant, and educator with two degrees in English and more than 20 years of combined experience. Her chapbook, An Animal I Can’t Name, won the 2015 Two of Cups Press competition; her debut poetry collection, Head of a Gorgon, is forthcoming with Vegetarian Alcoholic Press in 2022; and she has a memoir in progress. She received her MFA from Bowling Green State University, where she was an assistant editor for Mid-American Review. Her creative work has been published in Cimarron Review, Puerto del Sol, and other journals.

Our conversation went so quickly! Yet I learned so much from Raegen that I hope you go check out her website asap: https://raegenmp.wordpress.com.

@freeradicalrp on Twitter and @raegenmp on Instagram!

Thanks so much for taking the time to connect and share your knowledge with us, Raegen!

—

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro at cruzfolio.com. If you like the show, consider reviewing and sharing the podcast, your support truly makes a difference! Check us out for more podcasts about the arts and other stuff too! Make art. Much love,

j

If you make art to better your community or if you believe art heals, I’d love to talk to you! Contact me at https://cruzfolio.com/

https://youtu.be/lLLR1vdoo3k

Creative Drive is an international podcast featuring poetry and short fiction from all walks of life. Working-class storytellers, outsiders, previously published and unpublished too: Submit your work today!

Available wherever you listen to podcasts!

Hello!
Today we bring you the work of Christopher T. Dabrowski:
CLAIRVOYANT’S MISFORTUNE – A short piece by Christopher T. Dabrowski. Translated by: Monika Olasek

Support the author here: https://krzysztoftdabrowsk.wixsite.com/krzysztoftdabrowski

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063614135306

Christopher is an internationally published author from Poland. His work has been featured all over the world:

Books in USA: “Escape” (2019 – Royal Hawaiian Press), “Anomaly” (2020 – Royal Hawaiian Press) Books in Spain:”La fuga” (2019 – Royal Hawaiian Press), “Anomalia” (2019 – Royal Hawaiian Press) Books in Germany: “Die Anomalie” (2020 – Der Romankiosk) Books in Poland: “Deathbirth” (2008 – Armoryka publishing house), “Anima vilis” (2010 – Initium publishing house), “Grobbing” (2012 – Novae Res publishing house), “Deathbirth and other stories” (2012 & 2017 – Agharta & Armoryka publishing house), “Z życia Dr Abble” (2013 – Agharta publishing house), “Orgazmokalipsa” (2016 – Alternatywne publishing house), “Anomalia” (2016 – Forma publishing house), “Ucieczka” (2017 – Dom Horroru publishing house) & “Nie w inność” (2019 – Waspos publishing house) ANTHOLOGY in: USA, England, Australia, Canada, Poland, Russia, Germany & India. And he published his stories in the following magazines: PLAYBOY (Slovak edition), USA, England, Czech Republic, Russia, Brasil, Spain, Argentina, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Mexico.

Make art. Much love,

j

—

Produced by J. Alejandro | Original music by descheveler

Creative Drive is an international podcast produced by J. Alejandro to bring visibility to poets and writers from all walks of life. If you have a sec, please SUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW this labor of love, and don’t forget to tell your writer friends! For more information, visit cruzfolio.com/creative-drive-podcast/

https://youtu.be/P_FOkHANoT4

The Writing Record is about unpacking the creative process, gathering inspiration from around the web, and a reminder that our art matters, no matter where we come from! Produced by J. Alejandro.

Hi there,

Just working on new things here: cruzfolio.com/descheveler. And processing.

Much love.

j

More podcasts and original projects at cruzfolio.com

PS, sign up for our Cruznotes newsletter on Substack and I will send you ONE awesome email a month!

Once the kid’s asleep, Jaime and Maddie sit down to podcast over a glass of wine to tink their glasses to three things: Movies, TV, and/or pop culture nonsense. It’s a mixed bag and we love it. This is Our Kid’s Asleep Podcast!

Hi friends!
If you haven’t seen Ted Lasso, go watch it now! This episode is a spoiler laden conversation and we don’t want to ruin the show for you, go check it out!
Thanks for stopping by!

Thanks for stopping by!
Hey, want to support the show? We got SWAG like a bunch of sellouts!
More designs coming soon! If you want to help the show, we’d appreciate a review and don’t forget to share with your friends!!

Air your grievances at ourkidsasleep@gmail.com

Much love,

J&M

The show lives here: https://cruzfolio.com/our-kids-asleep-podcast/

https://youtu.be/7A4XBWkc03o

Arts Calling is a podcast to celebrate creatives across disciplines and cultural backgrounds, but also a case for the arts as the gateway to empathy, healthy lives, and strong communities.

Hi there,

Today I am arts calling one of my best friends and supremely talented collaborator: Dane Halvorson! We recollect the many lessons of learning our craft together. We also discuss the importance of the sandbox mentality when starting out, his time with Second City, and his creative journey as a performer and composer.

About Dane: Born and raised in Montana, Dane began practicing piano and studying music from a very young age. His career as a piano player took off in Chicago after graduating from the Chicago College of Performing Arts. He toured all over the country as a Musical Director with The Second City and it included long term projects with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Norwegian Cruise Lines, and various corporate events.

Dane is currently based out of Los Angeles and looks forward to working with you on your next project! Stop by danehalvorsonmusic.com for recent samples and more information!

—

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro at cruzfolio.com. If you like the show, review and share the podcast, your support truly makes a difference! Check us out for more podcasts about the arts and other stuff too! Make art. Much love,

j

If you make art to better your community or if you believe art heals, I’d love to talk to you! Contact me at https://cruzfolio.com/

https://youtu.be/wrPI7WCZSEY

Creative Drive is an international podcast featuring poetry and short fiction from all walks of life. Working-class storytellers, outsiders, previously published and unpublished too: Submit your work today!

Available wherever you listen to podcasts!

Hi there,
Creative Drive is back! Today we welcome back Dr. Thomas Davison! Thank you for sharing your work with us!

Prison Philosophy 101 – Originally featured in Teach. Write., Summer/Spring Edition, 2020
About the author: Dr. Davison is teaching at two all-male prison facilities in Northern Ohio. He has been deeply moved by his interactions with incarcerated students and has been motivated to create poems and short stories about these experiences. Thomas has started a non-profit dedicated to providing free one-on-one support services for felons. You can view more of his published work at: https://thomasdavisoncom.wordpress.com

Make art. Much love,

j

Produced by J. Alejandro | Original music by descheveler

Creative Drive is an international podcast produced by J. Alejandro to bring visibility to poets and writers from all walks of life. If you have a sec, please SUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW this labor of love, and don’t forget to tell your writer friends! For more information, visit cruzfolio.com/creative-drive-podcast/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbe9_Z7bFio

A new poem every now and then by Jaime Alejandro.

Jaime’s debut poetry collection now available on Amazon!

A new poem every now and then by Jaime Alejandro

---

can you show me where to look

the monkey wonders

if he lived many lives

prior to this one that

finds him immersed

in a warm meditation

in the water trance steady

and slow blinking

anesthesia of the spirit

that directs those wandering

fearful eyes forward

can you show me where to look?

j

https://youtu.be/yVDwxZIBjwA

Jaime’s debut poetry collection now available on Amazon!

The Writing Record is about unpacking the creative process, gathering inspiration from around the web, and a reminder that our art matters, no matter where we come from! Produced by J. Alejandro.

Hi there,

We made a film a while back. I think it’s time I celebrate my friends’ performances in this project. I am forever grateful they helped bring to life a culminating piece in my Idlewind stories.
That film project is called The Tumble, featuring characters from several of my stage plays, and I’ll be re-releasing it this year with some corrections and sound updates.

I talk about some no budget lessons I learned during shooting the project when my son was 8 months old. Sometimes you need the trust of your loved ones, your ensemble, and a little bit of delusion, to have a learning experience.

Much love,

j

More podcasts and original projects at cruzfolio.com

PS, sign up for our Cruznotes newsletter on Substack and I will send you ONE awesome email a month!

Arts Calling is a podcast to celebrate creatives across disciplines and cultural backgrounds, but also a case for the arts as the gateway to empathy, healthy lives, and strong communities.

—

Hi friends,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling writer/creator/producer Madelyn Dorta! We had an incredibly inspiring conversation about audio narratives, and how Madelyn and her sibling collaborators are creating outstanding work on their own terms at Wrightwood Studios. Hope you join us!

A few words from Madelyn:
At the age of six, I got superpowers. That’s what I thought at the time. I had the ability to pick up a #2 Ticonderoga pencil and create worlds. I could create great kingdoms, giant monsters, and badass heroines who saved the day. I had the power to create. This superpower has evolved many times through the course of my life and morphed into something different, the NEED to create. The annoying itch that can’t be scratched with anything other than storytelling, trust me…I’ve tried.
I created Meteor City in a desperate attempt to get a story out of my mind. A story that was consuming all of my waking thoughts and my dreams sometimes too. A story of afrolatina woman who tries desperately to understand and recognize the world and her community around her. Through this journey, I found my passion for audio storytelling and there is no turning back.

My creations:

Meteor City

Covencast: A Disaster’s Guide to Magic – co-created with Amber Bulinski

Feminist Fairytales: Lina – Coming Soon

Follow Madelyn on Instagram! For more information, check out Wrightwood Studios!

—

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro at cruzfolio.com. If you like the show, review and share the podcast, your support truly makes a difference! Check us out for more podcasts about the arts and other stuff too! Make art. Much love,

j

If you make art to better your community or if you believe art heals, I’d love to talk to you! Contact me at https://cruzfolio.com/

https://youtu.be/v-PHpWDX1JI

Once the kid’s asleep, Jaime and Maddie sit down to podcast over a glass of wine to tink their glasses to three things: Movies, TV, and/or pop culture nonsense. It’s a mixed bag and we love it. This is Our Kid’s Asleep Podcast!

Hi friends, here we go:

• LuLaRich, a documentary about the meteoric rise of a company that sold leggings. But it’s crazy! We have a lot to say on this one…
• We review HBO’s The White Lotus!
• Generation Wealth, a documentary now on Amazon about our culture’s obsession with wealth.

Thanks for stopping by!
Hey, want to support the show? We got SWAG like a bunch of sellouts!
More designs coming soon! If you want to help the show, we’d appreciate a review and don’t forget to share with your friends!!

Air your grievances at ourkidsasleep@gmail.com

Much love,

J&M

The show lives here: https://cruzfolio.com/our-kids-asleep-podcast/

The Writing Record is about unpacking the creative process, gathering inspiration from around the web, and a reminder that our art matters, no matter where we come from! Produced by J. Alejandro.

Hi there,
Here’s a few things on my mind and some links to get the creative brain jumpstarted:

• Norm Macdonald passed this week, and it’s a bummer.
• The joy of watching the Fredward Song, by Cory Mcabee. He’s a true and singular force of art.
• This amazing timelapse had me thinking of patterns and nature and our place in the world we live in.
• This excellent video about why Bible accurate angels are so creepy! Takes me back to my early days learning Bible stories as a child and letting my imagination run wild.
• And this extra one: This NPR article about some folks wanting to bring back the Woolly Mammoth. Let’s give that a shot right? (smirks in Dr. Malcolm).

Come and see us at cruzfolio.com for more podcasts, original content, and other stuff too!
Hope you find some time this weekend to make some art. I will try to do the same.
Much love,
j

PS, sign up for our Cruznotes newsletter on Substack and I will send you ONE awesome email a month!

Arts Calling is a podcast to celebrate creatives across disciplines and cultural backgrounds, but also a case for the arts as the gateway to empathy, healthy lives, and strong communities.

Hi friends,

Today I’m arts calling my friend Daniel Damiano to discuss the many facets of his creativity! He is an actor/writer/inspiring human being and I’m thrilled to have him on the show. Let’s learn from his insights today!

Daniel Damiano is an Award-winning Playwright, Screenwriter, Poet and Novelist based in Brooklyn, NY. His plays have been performed throughout many areas of the U.S., as well as London, England and Sydney & Melbourne, Australia. His acclaimed play DAY OF THE DOG premiered with St. Louis Actors’ Studio in 2013 and subsequently transferred to 59E59 in NYC in 2014. It was a 2013 St. Louis Critics Choice Best Play Nominee, and was published by Broadway Play Publishing in 2018. Other more recent productions of his work include HARMONY PARK (“4 Stars” – Detroit Free Press, with Detroit Repertory Theatre), THE LEPERS (Ensemble Studio Theatre, NYC) and his acclaimed solo play AMERICAN TRANQUILITY (which has been lauded in both NYC and Washington DC). His new play THE WILD BOAR was a 2019 Finalist for both the Woodward/Newman Award and the Janet & Bruce Bunch Award. He was a 2013 Nominee for the Pushcart Poetry Prize and a Finalist for the 2012 Arts & Letters Prize for Drama. He recently completed his first novel, THE WOMAN IN THE SUN HAT, in addition to 104 DAYS OF THE PANDEMIC, a book of poetry. His poetry has been published in Crooked Teeth Literary Magazine, Newtown Literary Journal, New Voices Anthology, Cloudbank and HotMetal Press.
His poetry release, 104 Days of the Pandemic, now available on Amazon!
Also check out Daniel’s novel, released this summer, The Woman in the Sun Hat!
Please visit www.danieldamiano.com for more information.

—

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro at cruzfolio.com. If you like the show, review and share the podcast, your support truly makes a difference! Check us out for more podcasts about the arts and other stuff too! Make art. Much love,

j

If you make art to better your community or if you believe art heals, I’d love to talk to you! Contact me at https://cruzfolio.com/

https://youtu.be/RZkCps45cJY

No need to write a whole paragraph on this once again but I think I got it this time, so here we go: I struggle with organization. In the last two years, I have bounced from planners, and bullet journaling, as well as checklists. I can’t overstate this enough: I only have successful weeks when I follow a system. Most of the time I use one weekly checklist for everything or schedule tasks on a planner based on areas of my life. Regardless of how I do it that week, I see clear success and more completed work on those specific weeks. The contrast between successful weeks and passive shit weeks is stark and depressing. Experiencing these differences week to week is such a wake-up call, and it led me to discover the most important day of the week for me is Sunday. If I can’t bring myself to spend two hours on Sunday evening to plan my week, I may as well turn the railroad switch of my productivity train straight to a hellmouth.

Last week went well. Wasn’t perfect, wasn’t crap. Just okay in terms of executing on desired goals. I was fortunate to have a four day weekend (thank you unions), which allowed me to take some time last night and try to crack what I need to be more effective. So I went to work:

• I am planning on paper. Regular old college ruled loose leaf paper. My phone doesn’t help me organize. I now accept that I need to see my life on paper, and my obsession with the physical act of writing, allows me to focus my short attention span on what’s in front of me, rather than the whole of the human experience online. Distraction feels good to me, so I have to minimize distraction when I am planning my week. It also makes me feel like crap to see everyone have their shit figured out except me (I dunno about you, but that is the impression social media gives me). The best way for me to do it is to put the phone away when I plot some of my life out.

• Begin with morning pages to clear the brain. Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages is synonymous with productivity and self-development. Brain Koppelman had an outstanding interview with Julia Cameron that finally sold me on trying the practice regularly this summer. From writing a few stream of consciousness pages at the beginning of the day, you foster a facility with your own creativity. This allows you to clear your mind and expel the things that are blocking not just your writing, but your state of mind as a whole. I’m hoping I can continue to write 3-5 pages if I can get up early (and weeping Jesus on the cross, that is the hardest part of this whole thing. I struggle greatly with that alarm clock).

• I know what’s important to me, so I have designed my own weekly planner. At this time, after trying an endless number of planner variations, I have reached the conclusion I need to make my own. And I did! I love planners and stationery. I have tried a variety of journal tools over the last few years, and so I’m borrowing pieces that I like to fashion my own templates. I find I am fond of a weekly spread, but I have made adjustments to include a weekly checklist alongside the days of the week, so that I can incorporate new things that come up, or tasks that haven’t yet been assigned to a day. One of my favorite things to include, are two boxes at the bottom to jot down what worked, and what needs improvement. This will prompt me to assess before moving on to the next week.

• Drafted a Custom Monthly Sheet. This sheet includes bills/expenses section to monitor regularly, a monthly creative project section, assessment section (what works/needs improvement), and notes to write down family goals for the month and family oriented goals. I also printed a  monthly calendar as well so I can visualize the month from a bird’s eye view. This sounds like I’m going overboard, but I need this degree of prompting and cataloguing to remember where my proverbial trail is, so I don’t get turned around in the forest of my absentmindedness.

• Maintain a Future Log. I really love this aspect of bullet journaling and other forms of long term planning. It’s not something I knew about growing up. Coming from a working class family, I find that I have a tendency to live in the now, solve today’s problems, but keep a head down to disregard tomorrow. It’s tough for a lot of us to look forward, and start thinking about what kind of life we want. The only way to change today is to figure out where we want to go. So this will help me in the long-term aspect of things.

• 3 Ring Binder is the only way. For me, it makes sense to go back to using loose leaf paper. I grew up buying ruled paper in bulk and having the flexibility to take my notes with me without lugging around the binder is essential to me. So moving forward, my three ring binder is the archive, but the stuff I need for the month is in a more portable padfolio.

• Tagging each task with a custom system. I designed a few planners last year when I was tinkering with low-content publishing, and found that I needed a tagging system to keep track of the various parts of my life. And all of the tasks in my weekly spread will have this shorthand alongside it. Why? Because we need to remind ourselves of the why. If what you’re doing doesn’t align with your values or who you are, why would you want to keep doing that? I need help remembering that too. The pivotal areas of my life, in my thinking, are as follows:
  • ▲ Build the Self. Personal Development/The Calling
  • ♥ Care for Love. Family and Strengthening our Quality of Life.
  • 🡅 Maintain a Home. The practical aspects of running a home and preparing the future (bills, chores, home maintenance, figuring out how to save for retirement).
  • ▼ Work to Serve. To nourish our support systems of friends and extended family, and serving others through my job and my creative calling.

The various pieces listed in this rant have made a tremendous difference in my life at one point or another. Now that I have fashioned my own templates and made a FRANKENPLANNER™ (this product was in no way inspired by or named after Al Franken, though I can’t stop thinking about calling my planner AL FRANKENPLANNER™). I’m looking forward to this challenge of eliminating all excuses. I’ll check back in a month to let you know how this is going!

Much love,

j

The Writing Record is about unpacking the creative process, gathering inspiration from around the web, and a reminder that our art matters, no matter where we come from! Produced by J. Alejandro.

Hi there,

Here’s a few things that jumpstarted my creativity this week:

• The Matrix Resurrection trailer is here! A few thoughts about it as well as reminiscing about the original Matrix film, and how it informed the way I think about storytelling. Kickass!

• This reddit thread about a courageous bird and its predator in a moment of truce. Something to think about.

• I stumbled upon information about Japanese woodblock artist from the early 1900s, Goyō Hashiguchi. Check out his wonderful work! I was really taken by the color palette of each painting. It blows my mind how they used to create such amazing work. True artists to learn from!

*Quick Correction: I said William Goldman when I meant William GIBSON as the author of the massively influential Neuromancer. I am tired and I don’t edit this podcast because I am working on my public speaking. Sorry about that folks.

Make art. Much love,

j

PS, sign up for our newsletter so I can send you ONE email a month! Cruznotes Newsletter sign up! Tell me what you’re working on so I can give you a shoutout at writereclab@gmail.com. I’m also on Twitter! @cruzfolio

Much love,

j

—

Visit us at cruzfolio.com for the latest writings and recordings by yours truly and my friends!
Latest poetry collection out now! Amazon.com: Flame to the Watering Hole: A Poetry Collection eBook: Cruz, Jaime Alejandro: Kindle Store

Arts Calling is a podcast to celebrate creatives across disciplines and cultural backgrounds, but also a case for the arts as the gateway to empathy, healthy lives, and strong communities.

Hi there,

This is Jaime Alejandro and today I am arts calling playwright Alvaro Saar Rios to talk about his origin story, creative process, and so much more!!

Alvaro Saar Rios is a Texican playwright living in Chicago. His plays have been performed in New York City, Mexico City, Hawaii, Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee and all over Texas. He has received playwriting commissions from various organizations, including the Kennedy Center, Chicago Children’s Theatre, First Stage, Houston Grand Opera, Honolulu Theatre for Youth, Purple Rose Theatre Company, Houston Community College, Zoological Society of Milwaukee and The Rose Theater. Rios’ award-winning play Luchadora! is published by Dramatic Publishing. Other plays include On the Wings of a Mariposa, The History of Mexicans in 10 Minutes, The Day the Music Came Back and Carmela Full of Wishes. He holds an M.F.A. in writing for the stage and screen from Northwestern University. Rios is a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists and playwright-in-residence at Milwaukee’s First Stage. He is also a proud veteran of the U.S. Army and an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Alvaro is currently adapting Matt de la Peña’s bestseller Carmela Full of Wishes for the stage. It will premiere in Omaha, Nebraska in January 2022 and in Chicago in April 2022. Visit www.alvarosaarrios.com for more information. Follow him on Twitter @realCrazyMex!

—

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro at cruzfolio.com. If you like the show, review and share the podcast, your support truly makes a difference! Check us out for more podcasts about the arts and other stuff too! Make art. Much love,

j

If you make art to better your community or have been healed by art, I’d love to talk to you! Contact me at https://cruzfolio.com/

https://youtu.be/hArAMHXNOxk

The Writing Record is a place to unpack the creative process, sharing links of inspiration from the web, and a reminder that our art matters, no matter where we come from. And some content links to get your started! Produced by J. Alejandro.

Subscribe Today!

Hi there,
Yesterday, when I found out about it, was the one year anniversary of Mervyn McManus’ death. He was a musician I found on myspace long ago. I wanted to share a few words and celebrate the work of someone I never met in person, but whose music made a difference in my life.

Here’s what I could find on Merv:

https://www.mykeeper.com/profile/MervMcmanus/
http://indiemusicpeople.com/songs.aspx?SongID=52587&ArtistID=84269

UPDATE: New Music from Merv will be released post-humously, please consider visiting his youtube channel for the new releases: https://youtu.be/sKs_4tpBmuM

Much love,
j

Tell me what you’re working on so I can give you a shoutout at writereclab@gmail.com. I’m also on Twitter! @cruzfolio

—
Visit us at cruzfolio.com for the latest writings and recordings by yours truly and my friends!
Support the podcast by purchasing my latest poetry collection! Amazon.com: Flame to the Watering Hole: A Poetry Collection eBook: Cruz, Jaime Alejandro: Kindle Store

Creative Drive is an international podcast featuring poetry and short fiction from all walks of life. Submit your work today!

Available wherever you listen to podcasts!

Apple • Stitcher • Google • Overcast • Spotify • RadioPublic • YouTube • PodLink

Hey friends,

Creative Drive is back in action! I wanted to share some music and poetry experiments I have been working on recently. This is the first of a few more to come, and I hope I can keep sharing original work every now and then on the podcast. This is a reading of a poem with original music, from my debut poetry collection, “Flame to the Watering Hole.” I wrote that poem when I worked at the cemetery. Check it out if you can, I would greatly appreciate it:

https://www.amazon.com/Flame-Watering-Hole-Poetry-Collection-ebook/dp/B08PQCMK9H

Looking forward to reading your work, send your rejected works today! Make art. Much love,

j

—

Produced by J. Alejandro

Creative Drive is an international podcast produced by J. Alejandro to bring visibility to poets and writers from all walks of life. If you have a sec, please SUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW this labor of love, and don’t forget to tell your writer friends! For more information, visit https://cruzfolio.com/creative-drive-podcast/

Once the kid’s asleep, Jaime and Maddie sit down to podcast over a glass of wine to tink their glasses to three things: Movies, TV, and/or pop culture nonsense. It’s a mixed bag and we love it. This is Our Kid’s Asleep Podcast!

Apple • RadioPublic • Google • Stitcher • Castbox • Spotify • Podcast Addict • Podlink

Hi friends,
Summer is ending, but not to worry, we’re still tinking our wine glasses so bring your drinks!

• We went to Maine to celebrate our ten year anniversary! It was kind of an amazing experience and we wanted to recap a few highlights from the trip!
• As of this week, the U.S. has officially left Afghanistan. Some things to unpack and process…
• Madd and I discuss the ridiculousness of the Woodstock ’99 events as told by the new documentary on HBOMax. Click to see the trailer.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hey, want to support the show? We got SWAG like a bunch of sellouts! More designs coming soon! If you want to help other ways, review and share this recorded program! …And yes, our eight year old son created our theme music on Bandlab and we love it.

Air your grievances at ourkidsasleep@gmail.com

Much love,

J&M

The show lives here: https://cruzfolio.com/our-kids-asleep-podcast/

The Writing Record is a place to unpack the creative process, sharing links of inspiration from the web, and a reminder that our art matters, no matter where we come from. And some content links to get your started! Produced by J. Alejandro.

Subscribe Today!

Hi friends,
Here we go!
Let’s talk about the following 3 links, because they inspired me plenty.

• Teslabot announced.
• Celebrating portraitist Hung Liu.
• This poem by Kahlil Gibran.

Also, I want to talk to you about making the very difficult choice to do nothing. Also also, I would like to talk to you about a particular moment I had recently that made me reach for religion, and has me thinking about the spirituality of my work. I thought art was my religion, is that enough?
PS, sign up for our newsletter so I can send you ONE email a month! https://tinyletter.com/cruznotes
Lots of stuff happening, come and see us at cruzfolio.com for more podcasts and other stuff too!
Much love,
j

Hope this helps, make art, much love!

j

Tell me what you’re working on so I can give you a shoutout at writereclab@gmail.com. I’m also on Twitter! @cruzfolio

—
Visit us at cruzfolio.com for the latest writings and recordings by yours truly and my friends!
Support the podcast by purchasing my latest poetry collection! Amazon.com: Flame to the Watering Hole: A Poetry Collection eBook: Cruz, Jaime Alejandro: Kindle Store

Arts Calling is a podcast to celebrate creatives across disciplines and cultural backgrounds, but also a case for the arts as the gateway to empathy, healthy lives, and strong communities.

Hi there!

Today I am arts calling my friend Becca Diamond. We discuss what life is like for a working voice actor, a creative’s work ethic, an origin story of Disney movies, and much more!

Becca Diamond is a voice actor living in Los Angeles. Becca has a BFA in theatre performance and can be heard on the Off-Broadway soundtrack Puffs: Or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic. Since moving to LA she has been fortunate enough to work on all sorts of shows and projects some of which include: Animal Actors, a stage show working with live animals at Universal Studios Hollywood, two different podcasts on the Parcast Network and most recently she has done four shows on Club House. Other credits include VO for companies such as Netflix, WebMD, Plus Products, United Healthcare and most recently as Shirai in the anime TAMAYOMI: The Baseball Girls on Funimation!

Becca’s sharing her voice work adventures on IG and TikTok, so stop by!

Instagram @shinebrightbeccadiamond/

TikTok @becca_vo

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro at cruzfolio.com. Check us out for more podcasts about creativity and other stuff too!

Make art. Much love,

j

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro at cruzfolio.com. Check us out for more podcasts about creativity and other stuff too!

Make art. Much love,

j

If you make art to better your community or have been healed by art, I’d love to talk to you! Contact me at https://cruzfolio.com/

https://youtu.be/xRPloy-7Mq0

The Writing Record is an accountability journal, a place to unpack the creative process, and a reminder that our art matters, no matter where we come from or how we pay the bills. And some content links to get your started! Produced by J. Alejandro.

Subscribe Today!

Hi there, here’s a rant for creatives!

• I talk about my love and hesitation to collaborate with technology. I wonder if the Storybot Writing Prompt App is any good, and I also talk about making poetry with Google Translate.

• During this, I discussed how I use the CLOSAT system to catalog all of the ideas and details I gather from life and everything else.

• Also had a dream about repressing creativity.

• This hard times article about a bag in a bag of bags.

• I wrote a poem about this snail because I had to, inspired by this picture.

• And here’s the poem: https://www.instagram.com/p/CScbxbsLx-Y/

• Macbeth at the Folger Theater, free on YouTube!

• Check out this amazing list of bilingual children’s books!

• The Nowhere Inn, a mockumentary+weird thing starring St. Vincent and Carrie Brownstein, looks amazing!

Hope this helps, make art, much love!

j

Tell me what you’re working on, I’m on Twitter! @cruzfolio
Join us at cruzfolio.com for more arts podcasts and ways to share your work!

—
Visit us at cruzfolio.com for the latest writings and recordings by yours truly and my friends!
Support the podcast by purchasing my latest poetry collection! Amazon.com: Flame to the Watering Hole: A Poetry Collection eBook: Cruz, Jaime Alejandro: Kindle Store

Hey there!

Today I am Arts Calling an outstanding creative and one of my best friends: Ahren Buhmann. Ahren is a theatre maker, video designer, and musician based in Seattle. He is currently a Level 3 Deep Gnome Artificer.

Ahren and I discuss the challenges of becoming creatives in a small Wyoming town, Ahren’s path into professional theatre, and why we every person and every community needs the arts in their life. Yes, we do talk about why rules in creativity are a lie. Also, if you can, go see a local theatre production.

Find him on IG @b.human.design

Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro at cruzfolio.com. Check us out for more podcasts about creativity and other stuff too!

Make art. Much love,

j

If you make art to better your community or have been healed by art, I’d love to talk to you! Contact me at https://cruzfolio.com/

https://youtu.be/ligSdI9jJNg

The Writing Record is an accountability journal, a place to unpack the creative process, and a reminder that our art matters, no matter where we come from or how we pay the bills. And some content links to get your started! Produced by J. Alejandro.

Subscribe Today!

Hey everyone!

Welcome to the new and improved Writing Record! I feel there is purpose in the air. Check it out!
I’d like to share a lesson about not deleting your super important files. Unless you’re looking to have an existential sense of atonement for that which is gone for good.

Also, along with project updates and observations about craft, the new thing I’ll be doing on this show is sharing content I have found online that resonates with me and could potentially make a difference in your storytelling. So enjoy a few links and a couple of rants about Marriage Story.

Here’s what I found this week:

• An Sundress Blog interview with poet Alina Stefanescu. She writes outstanding poetry.
• The Portland Cello Project has some good writing music for you.
• American Theater Magazine article about an old controversy that left me thinking.
• This Paris Review episode.
• Excellent read about dancers saying goodbye to their craft. Something to think about.
• This article about Rod Serling. What a boss.

Make art, and much love!

j

Tell me what you’re working on, I’m on Twitter! @cruzfolio
Join us at cruzfolio.com for more arts podcasts and ways to share your work!

—
Visit us at cruzfolio.com for the latest writings and recordings by yours truly and my friends!
Support the podcast by purchasing my latest poetry collection! Amazon.com: Flame to the Watering Hole: A Poetry Collection eBook: Cruz, Jaime Alejandro: Kindle Store

Content recommendations, project updates, and inspiration for working class creatives by Jaime Alejandro.

There are times when you just cannot get the writing done. A few weeks ago, I made the decision to scrap my rough draft of the Lava House commission and started over. Something felt wrong about the draft: the tone, the pace, the wordiness of it? It felt bloated. I picked up writing again shortly thereafter and now I’m back to where I started, with leaner scenes and I can already feel more balance in the narrative. It reads faster for sure. But this summer has had its share of distractions and unforeseen circumstances. I realize I only get my writing done when the entire day is scheduled, and now that my life plans and creative plans are in order, I can organize my days accordingly to include that writing once again.

I have several bullet journal templates I have designed and continue to tinker with, in order to find a balanced way to track and document progress in the areas of my life. 

Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are the enemy. I want to belong to these social spheres and the only way to attract momentum is by constantly sharing and updating. It’s exhausting. So I am forbidding myself from using social media at certain points in the day. Getting online can fluster or derail a day of productivity, so we must use it as a tool: only when needed.

Madd and I are going on our ten year wedding anniversary vacation this month. So here’s what I have to contend with before that (I have to write it all down so I can process what’s actually happening):

• I have eight scenes to write in order to complete the script. Cutting out social media consumption may help me get over the line in August. Eight short scenes in ten days? Got it.

• The [Poor Prometheus] animated project with Dane and Ahren slowed down a bit as everyone went back to work mid-year. It seemed like we hit a good pace of creativity only to be crushed down when the world decided to start back up. It’s been four months. Last week, I spent an hour recording vocals for the song that will underscore the animation. I am so so proud of Dane and Ahren. The orchestration is insanely moving and Ahren’s animation is so touching and heartbreaking. We’re working on something special, so I wanted the quality of the vocals to match the standard we’ve set for ourselves. I think I did a great job with them. I was very proud. And in a fit of stupidity, I decided to delete a few old files off the SD card when I accidentally deleted my entire recording session. Like an imbecile, I searched for hope to potentially recover my tracks, but nothing worked. I am at peace with it now, and look forward to recording the vocals again sometime this week.

https://i.imgur.com/Rtlm7K8.mp4

• Hoping to write a few lyrics for Dust while I’m on vacation. We’ll see how distracted I get…

• I’m planning to have a reading of my friend Gabe’s short play. (check out my interview with Gabe about the screenwriting life and other ridiculous rants). Click here to listen!

• Speaking of Arts Calling, my new podcast is now underway! I’m going to be doing an episode a week, which will be a beast of a task, but I have a list of wonderful creatives I am contacting to discuss hardships of being an artist, how to overcome, and why the arts are the gateway to understanding ourselves better and healthier communities too. Sounds cool! But a few changes: Creative Drive is twice a month now. OKA is twice a month. And the Writing Record will still be my solo show, which is ready for its next iteration. There is definitely a realignment happening right now, and I can’t wait to see how these projects start operating toward the same mission of serving working class creatives.

• Current pending projects: Short collab with Craig, Erin’s audio monologue, Madd’s audiobook, Brenda’s audio monologue. I’m hoping to follow up in September about these. 

Whew, that’s a bit. But it reads like a good way to tackle August. Stay sharp, full speed ahead, and make art!

j

The Writing Record is an accountability journal, a place to unpack the creative process, and a reminder that our art matters, no matter where we come from or how we pay the bills. Sometimes we dial our friends for insights on being an artist during the Arts Calling Interviews. Produced by J. Alejandro.

Subscribe Today!

Hi there,

I am pleased to announce Arts Calling is now available! A new podcast to celebrate creatives across disciplines and cultural backgrounds, but also a case for the arts as the gateway to empathy, healthy lives, and strong communities. https://cruzfolio.com/arts-calling-podcast/

I’m processing some of the changes this will cause in my podcasting output as well as the reason behind this podcast.
Much love,
j

—
Visit us at cruzfolio.com for the latest writings and recordings by yours truly and my friends!
Support the podcast by purchasing my latest poetry collection! Amazon.com: Flame to the Watering Hole: A Poetry Collection eBook: Cruz, Jaime Alejandro: Kindle Store

Welcome to Arts Calling!

We begin by starting at the very beginning. I asked Brenda Zamora (my actress sister) to help me even slightly unpack some of the things we experienced growing up that made us into the creatives we are today.

About Brenda:

Brenda Zamora is a Mexican actress; she was born in Jalisco, Mexico, and raised in the United States in Wyoming. While attending Clark Elementary School, Brenda performed in her first theatrical play, followed by many more. Later on, she participated in the middle school choir at Davis Middle School, where she was fortunate to perform at the annual Wyoming State Choir Festival for three years. Brenda graduated from Evanston High School with Honors in Theatre and Performance Arts; she was a devout member of the Drama Society Club and became a member of The International Thespian Society. After moving to Los Angeles, Brenda has continued to study at the Groundlings Theatre, Castaway Studios, and The Complex Theatre. More information: https://brendazzamora.com/

If you make art to better your community or have been healed by art, I’d love to talk to you! Contact me at https://cruzfolio.com/

Once the kid’s asleep, Jaime and Maddie sit down to podcast over a glass of wine to tink their glasses to three things: Movies, TV, and/or pop culture nonsense. It’s a mixed bag and we love it. This is Our Kid’s Asleep Podcast!

Apple • RadioPublic • Google • Stitcher • Castbox • Spotify • Podcast Addict • Podlink

Hi friends,
Sorry about last week, we had an awful cold and we couldn’t talk.

• Have you hear about these Olympics they have going on in Tokyo? Madd and I discuss the problematic things we confront while embracing the spectacle. It’s a weird thing.

• John Mayer has a new album called Sob Rock, let’s talk about it!

• Also, is Tik Tok like descending into madness? Come along and find out! At least there’s sick beats and cool duets!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hey, want to support the show? We got SWAG like a bunch of sellouts! More designs coming soon! If you want to help other ways, review and share this recorded program! …And yes, our eight year old son created our theme music on Bandlab and we love it.

Air your grievances at ourkidsasleep@gmail.com

Much love,

J&M

The show lives here: https://cruzfolio.com/our-kids-asleep-podcast/

Creative Drive is an international podcast featuring poetry and short fiction from all walks of life. Submit your work today!

Available wherever you listen to podcasts!

Apple • Stitcher • Google • Overcast • Spotify • RadioPublic • YouTube • PodLink

Hello friends,

We are thrilled to present the work of MJ Fievre!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, M.J. Fievre moved to the United States in 2002. She currently writes from Winter Garden, FL. M.J.’s publishing career began as a teenager in Haiti. At nineteen years-old, she signed her first book contract with Hachette-Deschamps, in Haiti, for the publication of a Young Adult book titled La Statuette Maléfique. Since then, M.J. has authored nine books in French that are widely read in Europe and the French Antilles. In 2013, One Moore Book released M.J.’s first children’s book, I Am Riding, written in three languages: English, French, and Haitian Creole. In 2015, Beating Windward Press published M.J.’s memoir, A Sky the Color of Chaos, about her childhood in Haiti during the brutal regime of Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
M.J. Fievre is the author of the Badass Black Girl series. She helps others write their way through trauma, build community and create social change. She works with veterans, disenfranchised youth, cancer patients and survivors, victims of domestic and sexual violence, minorities, the elderly, those with chronic illness or going through transition and any underserved population in need of writing as a form of therapy—even if they don’t realize that they need writing or therapy.
A long-time educator and frequent keynote speaker (Tufts University, Massachusetts; Howard University, Washington, D.C.; the University of Miami, Florida; and Michael College, Vermont; and a panelist at the Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference, AWP), M.J. is available for book club meetings, podcast presentations, interviews and other author events.

SUPPORT THE AUTHOR HERE:

Check out her books and additional content at: https://www.badassblackgirl.com/

Badass Black Girl: https://mango.bz/books/badass-black-girl-by-mj-fievre-799-b

Empowered Black Girl: https://mango.bz/books/empowered-black-girl-by-mj-fievre-1600-b

Pre-order MJ’s upcoming book, Resilient Black Girl: https://mango.bz/books/resilient-black-girl-by-mj-fievre-1873-b

—

Read by Brenda Zamora | Produced by J. Alejandro

Creative Drive is an international podcast produced by J. Alejandro to bring visibility to poets and writers from all walks of life. If you have a sec, please SUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW this labor of love, and don’t forget to tell your writer friends! For more information, visit https://cruzfolio.com/creative-drive-podcast/

https://youtu.be/GBpfIm5Ifgc

Once the kid’s asleep, J. and Maddie sit down to podcast over a glass of wine to tink their glasses to three things: Movies, TV, and/or endless popular debacles!

Apple • RadioPublic • Google • Stitcher • Castbox • Spotify • Podcast Addict • Podlink

Hello friends,

• We have traveled many a weary mile to Devil’s Tower. We have wonderful experiences and memories, and we were on the lookout for aliens too.
• Have you seen Workin’ Moms on Netflix? (click for the trailer) We review the heck out of this series today!
• Have you ever wondered what it takes to rescue a toad? We have a great plan of attack for you.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hey, want to support the show? We got SWAG like a bunch of sellouts! More designs coming soon! If you want to help other ways, review and share this recorded program! …And yes, our eight year old son created our theme music on Bandlab and we love it.

Air your grievances at ourkidsasleep@gmail.com

Much love,

J&M

The show lives here: https://cruzfolio.com/our-kids-asleep-podcast/

Content recommendations, project updates, and observations from a working class creative.

Hi there. Check this out:

• How awesome is this? How Two Filmmakers Used Unreal Engine to Create a Gritty Sci-Fi Thriller (nofilmschool.com)

• Found this on Facebook. I don’t know if you need a facebook account to access it. Today from our Millennium Stage archives: Today from our Millennium Stage archives: Directed by D.C. choreographer Emily Oleson, this work features Urban Artistry, An International Culture and Education Project with Good Foot Dance Company and Baakari Wilder. The piece investigates the origins behind the term “buck dance,” which in tap dance history is used to describe an early American percussive dance style. https://fb.watch/6BwW-bimFG/

• Playwright Tom Moran, who I had the pleasure of meeting at the Last Frontier Conference, is a wonderful soul and a great writer, check out his latest 10 minute play on this podcast! https://soundcloud.com/glyka-stoiou/bytommoran

• I shouldn’t be shocked anymore to hear these stories of rampant abuse in the entertainment industry. What is our responsibility as an audience, when we listen to works created by abused people and their abusers? How can we foster awareness, as a society, to consider where our music comes from, rather than being a passive listener? Doja Cat, Dr. Luke, and the Murky Ethics of Pop – The Atlantic

• A relic of a bygone era. Creepy Fotomat Still Occupied

• I don’t know what documentary this is from, but here is Chris Martin from Coldplay talking about how the song Yellow came to be. Say what you will about Coldplay, but their earlier albums were the soundtrack to my college years. Great song: https://youtu.be/gbdzhmgSxiQ

• Found this awesome poetry podcast! Can’t wait to listen! Pen and Poet Podcast

• A short film experiment. Well done! Everything Is As It Should Be on Vimeo

• Found a new creativity podcast to check out: Thought Row Podcast

• I always thought Shelley Duvall was amazing in The Shining. I really want to watch her work with Robert Altman, maybe this weekend? Great piece about this wonderful artist in her twilight years: Searching for Shelley Duvall, the Reclusive ‘The Shining’ Icon – The Hollywood Reporter

• Found this call for submissions at FlowerSong Press to check out later: FlowerSong Press & Juventud Press

• As always, meditate with Zen Monkey. When this video goes down due to copyright, I am seriously screwed. https://youtu.be/yVDwxZIBjwA

Make art. Make haste. Much love,

j

The Writing Record is an accountability journal, a place to unpack the creative process, and a reminder that our art matters, no matter where we come from or how we pay the bills. Sometimes we dial our friends for insights on being an artist during the Arts Calling Interviews. Produced by J. Alejandro.

Subscribe Today!

Okay, here’s a long overdue Writing Record about where I’ve been the last month. My sincere apologies for the delays on the current projects. I hope you’re well and much love,

j

—
Visit us at cruzfolio.com for the latest writings and recordings by yours truly and my friends!
Support the podcast by purchasing my latest poetry collection! Amazon.com: Flame to the Watering Hole: A Poetry Collection eBook: Cruz, Jaime Alejandro: Kindle Store

Apple • RadioPublic • Google • Stitcher • Castbox • Spotify • Podcast Addict • Podlink

Hello friends!

We are joined by Catty G on this episode and we discuss the following:

• Bo Burnham’s pandemic nightmare special “Inside.”
• Scott Pilgrim vs the World
• Jeffrey Bezos a whole bunch as well as Beck.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hey, want to support the show? We got SWAG like a bunch of sellouts! More designs coming soon! If you want to help other ways, review and share this recorded program!

Air your grievances at ourkidsasleep@gmail.com

Much love,

J&M

The show lives here: https://cruzfolio.com/our-kids-asleep-podcast/

An assortment of content recommendations, project updates, and observations from a working class creative.

Check out this stuff I found on the internet to inspire myself:

• This excellent write up on environmental music, my go to for meditation and writing music: Music That Lives With You: Japanese Environmental Music on Bandcamp | Bandcamp Daily

• Saving this for later, Pedro Pascal interviewing Willem Defoe! Two actors I admire very much. I look forward to watching this exchange when I get a chance, probably this weekend.

• A write up about Stevie Wonder’s masterpiece: Songs in the Key of Life. Must go back to the well.

• Found this cool initiative to amplify Latinx voices. Thinking of submitting the Inherited pilot, which I feel may be better than the script.

• Otherwise, I have been sifting the pan across this wide river called internet, hoping to find good soccer drills to use during soccer practice. Yes. I am coaching my son’s soccer team once again and it is one of the most joyous, rewarding things I get to do as a dad.

Make art. Make haste. Much love,

j

Creative Drive is an international podcast featuring poetry and flash fiction from all walks of life. Submit your work today!

Available wherever you listen to podcasts!

Apple • Stitcher • Google • Overcast • Spotify • RadioPublic • YouTube • PodLink

Hello all!

On this special episode of Creative Drive we are thrilled to bring you a short piece by Lee Anderson!

Warning: This tale features violence and language.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lee has written short stories and essays for a multitude of small and large press publications, including “Fiction International” and “The Miami Herald.” He also wrote and staged two one-act plays in New York City, “Supper’s Ready” and “Little America.” He’s the author of the shocking horror novel “What Happened at Sisters Creek” and the critically-acclaimed short story collection “Dark Lords of the Trailer Park. Lee lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife and calico.

SUPPORT THE AUTHOR HERE: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lee.anderson.writes/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theleeanderson Website: https://www.palmcirclepress.net

—
Read and Produced by J. Alejandro
Creative Drive is an international podcast produced by J. Alejandro to bring visibility to poets and writers from all walks of life. If you have a sec, please SUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW this labor of love, and don’t forget to tell your writer friends! For more information, visit https://cruzfolio.com/creative-drive-podcast/

https://youtu.be/o1NxaqnzfQo

An assortment of content recommendations, project updates, and observations from a working class creative.

• How to stay productive: Close them extra tabs on the browser. Turn off social media. Keep one email open. If you have a smidge of an idea, a plot device, or observation, you write it in the email. As the day progresses, you amass a cluster of ideas and impressions that you send to yourself at the end of the day. When you write an email to yourself with all the ideas you’ve had that day, it reminds you of how good it feels to receive correspondence.

Check out this stuff I found on the internet to inspire myself:

• I Tested Out the Writing Routines of 5 Famous Authors (ampproject.org)

• I’ll never not share the Vulfpeck Madison Square Garden concert. https://youtu.be/rv4wf7bzfFE

• A Beginner’s Guide to Ingmar Bergman // Thomas Flight – Field Notes #7 – Thomas Flight – Field Notes (substack.com)

• If you can read Spanish, check out this story: LA PUERTA – Claudia Soto (alasdecuervo.com)

• I think I’m going to submit here: Submissions — MudRoom (mudroommag.com)

• Madd and I watched this excellent excellent work by Bo Burnham. Loved this take on the special: Can I Interest You in a Dark Carnival? Bo Burnham, Ray Bradbury, and Our Modern Hall of Mirrors | Tor.com

• This was a breathtaking image that could be transformed into something else for a story. A ship coming down? The Messiah returning? A fallout? Maybe Zeus ripped ass? I dunno, you figure it out. Amateur Photographer Shares the Story of Her Viral Storm Cloud Photo (mymodernmet.com)

Make art. Make haste. Much love,

j

An assortment of content recommendations, project updates, and observations from a working class creative.

• I have signed out of social media on my computers and my phone. I am struggling. I am out of the loop. An interesting realization that most of our time is spent on consumption, not useful observation. Be strong. You got this. I have signed out of my personal google drives to refrain from writing or focusing on extensive poetry endeavors in the middle of the day. I just have an email to send myself notes. This way the writing can be sharper. Under specific parameters, we can bloom.
• I find that I give in to indulgence often. This morning, I stumbled on some videos that provided some clarity. I had no clue allergies could be exacerbated by an unhealthy liver. It’s making me rethink my diet and life choices up until this point. I’m not an alcoholic or anything, I just eat a lot of sweets. Nothing a healthy diet can’t improve. But alas, I am motivated to get in shape because my health should be a major priority in my life. I am not in my 20s anymore. I am reminding myself to be rid of everyday indulgences by finding anchors in the beautiful self-help resources online. Here’s this great video I am listening to right now to help me with this matter: https://youtu.be/ewXqVUVY9vs
• What takes away my quality time? Social media consumption. Indulging my food cravings. Sloth. The more I sit, the less energy I have.
• Rethinking the title to the script I want to undertake once my commission is done. The American Workweek sounds like such an industrial, unappealing title, but it’s a banner that sits atop the idea and has been there for years now. This is my working-class quirky love story, with many twists and turns set over Thanksgiving week. It’s a long time dream I can’t wait to complete. It’s time I get this shit done. I got a white board outlining my creative calendar and it’s helped in the last two weeks. We’ll see if I can sustain this long term, because it feels like I am adding more and more to the pile of projects. Here’s a song that helped me go back to this story, whose characters I love so much: https://youtu.be/x0vgMl6n7m0
• On Saturday, the fireworks raced upward and I saw them from my backyard. The light show thundered in my bones and it was a wide feeling that created gaps around my heart, just for a moment. Is there a way to bottle this magic to use at will?
• Listening to the entire Bill Evans discography on YouTube. Stay chill, go listen to jazz: https://youtu.be/JW6znI_W3H8
• This anecdote Bill Murray shared about a painting saving his life: Bill Murray Admits A Painting Saved His Life – YouTube
• This article about imagery found in Japan, pretty beautiful. What a beautiful starting point for a project! Do you think we could set a ten minute play here? Photographer Captures the Magical Firefly Season in Japan (mymodernmet.com)

Much love,

j

Apple • RadioPublic • Google • Stitcher • Castbox • Spotify • Podcast Addict • Podlink

Hi friends! Here’s what we got today:

• World on fire
• Mortal Kombat movie
• Summer Plans

Hey, want to support the show? We got SWAG like a bunch of sellouts! More designs coming soon! If you want to help other ways, review and share this recorded program!

Air your grievances at ourkidsasleep@gmail.com

Much love,

J&M

The show lives here: https://cruzfolio.com/our-kids-asleep-podcast/

Creative Drive is an international podcast featuring poetry and flash fiction from all walks of life. Submit your work today!

Available wherever you listen to podcasts!

Apple • Stitcher • Google • Overcast • Spotify • RadioPublic • YouTube • PodLink

Hi there,
This week, we bring you the first of several special episodes in the coming days to showcase the single pieces we have received recently: Today we feature the work of G.X. Jupitter-Larsen. Additional details on the writer coming soon!
—
Read and Produced by J. Alejandro

Creative Drive is an international podcast produced by J. Alejandro to bring visibility to poets and writers from all walks of life. If you have a moment, please support this labor of love by SUBSCRIBING! And don’t forget to tell your writer friends! For more information, visit https://cruzfolio.com/creative-drive-podcast/

The Writing Record is an accountability journal, a place to unpack the creative process, and a reminder that our art matters, no matter where we come from or how we pay the bills. Produced by J. Alejandro.

Subscribe Today!

Hello there,

• Today I’m talking to myself about my first #pitmad event on Twitter.
• This leads me to wonder whether what publication means to me now.
• And I was also reminded that the best way to connect with others is by being genuine and eager to serve in a positive way. All we can do is try to get ourselves out there to make connections with other creatives!

Much love and have a great weekend!
j

—
Visit us at cruzfolio.com for the latest writings and recordings by yours truly and my friends!
Support the podcast by purchasing my latest poetry collection! Amazon.com: Flame to the Watering Hole: A Poetry Collection eBook: Cruz, Jaime Alejandro: Kindle Store