When we were in New York recently, I dropped by to visit Douglas Rushkoff at his Queens College office. For those who don’t recall Douglas from his previous times on this podcast, he’s a media professor, documentary-maker, host of the Team Human podcast, and best-selling author of 20 books - including the updated edition of Program or Be Programmed, out now, with particular additions around AI. There’s a launch party for that tonight if you happen to be in or near NY. Douglas is also one of the pioneering forces behind the internet. So when he tells me in this conversation that he’s starting to believe that the whole narrative of the internet is bull shit, it feels big.

We actually sat down over lunch initially, but hadn’t talked long before Douglas suggested we press record on it – that others might be interested in this too. So this one’s a little different. Going out on both our podcasts. Less interview, more conversation. On our respective lives and work, their latest surprising turns, magic, perspective and possibility, and yes, this journey of ours across the US this year. Including the light all that might shine on the US elections. It wound up feeling like a fun and profound tonic for the week ahead, and this high stakes time generally.

For those who’ve listened to this on Team Human already, you’ll find a tad lighter edit here, with a little more of the personal stuff left in, in case that’s of interest to you.

This episode has chapter markers and a transcript (available on most apps now too). The transcript is AI generated and imperfect, but hopefully provides greater access for those who need or like to read.

Recorded 9 October 2024 (inc. subway snippets; intro recorded in Baltimore).

Title slide: Douglas & AJ after recording (pic: Josh Chapdelaine).

See more photos on the website, and for more from behind the scenes, become a subscribing member via the links below.

Music:
Green Shoots, by The Nomadics.
Regeneration, by Amelia Barden, from Regenerating Australia.
The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests (thanks to Josie Symons).

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Become a member to connect with your host, other listeners & benefits, via our Patreon page.

Visit The RegenNarration shop to wave the flag. And please keep sharing the podcast with friends. It all helps. Thanks for your support!

This is a bonus extra to episode 228, featuring the Q&A that took place after the film screening of Rural Runners in the Shepherdstown Opera House, West Virginia. That award-winning film is the story of Chloe Maxmin’s incredible community-based electoral wins in Maine from episode 225. By Chloe’s side every step of the way was her best mate, and then campaign manager, Canyon Woodward, with Canyon’s parallel rise as a champion ultra-distance runner woven into the story. After this screening, Canyon hosted a conversation alongside three local candidates at the upcoming elections, who had each been through the program that Chloe and Canyon subsequently founded, called Dirtroad Organising.

You’ll hear from Lucia Valentine and Maria Russo (my 2 guests in the main episode), alongside Canyon, and the other local candidate in the room that day, Troy Miller. And we hear about some of the other candidates and their experiences across the country, too, including in the so-called ‘battleground’ states.

If you’ve come here first, tune into the main episode with Lucia and Maria, ep228 ‘Grassroots Transformation in Rural West Virginia: Breaking the Political Mold with Lucia Valentine & Maria Russo’.

You’ll find a few links in the show notes as usual, along with transcripts, and a few photos on the episode web page, with more for subscribing members.

This episode has chapter markers and a transcript.

Recorded (on the phone in the audience!) 13 October 2024.

Title slide image: Maria Russo, Troy Miller, Lucia Valentine & Canyon Woodward (pic: Anthony James).

See more photos on the website, and for more from behind the scenes, become a subscribing member via the links below.

Music:
By Jeremiah Johnson.

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The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free & freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them by clicking the link above or heading to our website.

Become a member to connect with your host, other listeners & benefits, via our Patreon page.

Visit The RegenNarration shop to wave the flag. And please keep sharing the podcast with friends. It all helps. Thanks for your support!

“I've had several folks share with me that they are voting for Trump. But they're also voting for me.” That’s what Lucia Valentine told me when I spoke with her and another first-time candidate for the State of West Virginia at the coming elections, Maria Russo. This seemed to say so much about the coming elections here. For a start, that they’re far from as simplistic, binary and polarised as is often portrayed. And that what these women are up to is important, hopeful and possibly transformative.

I met Lucia and Maria at the Shepherdstown Opera House, for the last screening of Rural Runners on its latest national tour. That’s the award-winning film on the story of Chloe Maxmin’s incredible community-based electoral wins in Maine from episode 225. By Chloe’s side every step of the way was her best mate, and then campaign manager, Canyon Woodward, with Canyon’s parallel rise as a champion ultra-distance runner woven into the story. After this screening, Canyon hosted a conversation alongside three local candidates at the upcoming elections, who had each been through the program that Chloe and Canyon subsequently founded, called Dirtroad Organising. (Available in a bonus extra out soon.)

Lucia and Maria are two of those local candidates. And they’re both giving it a real shake in a rural area with a Republican ‘supermajority’, upending all sorts of assumptions as they go. And offering this episode a pretty special finale too.

Chapter markers & transcript.

Recorded 13 October 2024 (intro in Baltimore).

Title slide: Maria & Lucia (L-R, from their websites).

See more photos on the website, and for more from behind the scenes, become a subscribing member via the links below.

Music:
Green Shoots, by The Nomadics.
Regeneration, by Amelia Barden, from Regenerating Australia.
The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests.

Find more:
Lucia Valentine’s music.
The community independent elected to the NSW parliament a week after this.
Cathy McGowan on episode 85, Politics that Works: A proven way becoming a powerful movement.

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Support the show

The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free & freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them by clicking the link above or heading to our website.

Become a member to connect with your host, other listeners & benefits, via our Patreon page.

Visit The RegenNarration shop to wave the flag. And please keep sharing the podcast with friends. It all helps. Thanks for your support!

‘The biggest strides in hemp-crete construction are going down on one of the smallest reservations in America.’ That’s how the bill reads on Patagonia Film’s latest production, The Green Buffalo, launching online globally today. It’s referring to the Lower Sioux Indian Community, on the southern bank of the Minnesota River about 100 miles SW of Minneapolis. Turns out we had driven close by after leaving Kelsey Scott’s place on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, where we recorded episode 222. But it took getting to Charleston, South Carolina, to meet filmmaker Joel Caldwell, and learn of this ‘against all odds’ redemptive story – one that holds so much promise for the Lower Sioux, and the rest of us.

Joel is a photographer and writer hailing from rural Washington State. Having turned his hand to film making, he found himself transformed by five years following stories of regeneration, together with wife and project partner Hailey Wist. Then come 2024, he was blown away all over again by this story. It’s ended up becoming Joel’s first production with Patagonia, and as you’ll hear, has an incredibly poignant moment for me personally too.

This episode has chapter markers and a transcript (available on most apps now too). The transcript is AI generated and imperfect, but hopefully provides greater access for those who need or like to read.

Recorded 30 September 2024 (intro recorded in Baltimore).

Title slide: Danny Desjarlais, from the film (supplied).

See more photos on the website, and for more from behind the scenes, become a subscribing member via the links below.

Music:
Green Shoots, by The Nomadics.

Regeneration, by Amelia Barden, from Regenerating Australia.

The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests (thanks to Josie Symons).

Find more:
Trailer & how to host a screening of The Green Buffalo.

Joel on Substack.

Premiere live screening of The Green Buffalo is this Friday 25 October, in Charleston, followed by discussion with Danny Desjarlais from the Lower Sioux, alongside Joel, and April Magill from the local Root Down Building Collective. All welcome.

Send us a text

Support the show

The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free & freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them by clicking the link above or heading to our website.

Become a member to connect with your host, other listeners & benefits, via our Patreon page.

Visit The RegenNarration shop to wave the flag. And please keep sharing the podcast with friends. It all helps. Thanks for your support!

In some ways, the first 150 seconds of this excerpt from episode 226 with Bill Pluecker (alongside partner Chloe Maxmin), say everything that needs to be said about where politics is being done better in the US. They sum with the passage that became the lead-off quote in that episode. And they lead off this powerful last ten minutes or so of my conversation with Bill.

Bill, an independent representative from Maine, invites us into a world where the beauty of rural landscapes and the preservation of traditional ways of life are under threat. He shares his passion for sustaining the farming heritage of his community amidst cultural and political tensions brought on by external influences. His six-year journey, so far, as an independent politician in a predominantly conservative area paints a picture of dedication and authenticity, as he navigates the complex political landscape to bridge the gap between progressive values and pro-farmer policies. Bill's successful approach is a testament to the power of personal relationships in politics, where he strives to be more than just a soundbite, but a relatable figure who listens and acts for the benefit of his community.

We gain insights into the challenges and triumphs of running as an independent candidate without preferential voting systems. Bill provides a candid reflection on how he built trust and rapport with his constituents, emphasising the importance of human connection in an often de-humanised political arena. From preserving the cherished landscapes of Maine to ensuring the viability of local farms, Bill's narrative is a compelling look at the intersection of politics, identity, and community. We draw to a close with law that Chloe sponsored while in the Maine legislature to increase public participation in electoral primaries. And of course we talk music!

If you’ve come here first, you can tune into the full episode 226, ‘An Independent Farmer Wins in Maine: Transcending the ‘battleground’’. You’ll find a few links in the show notes there too, along with a transcript, and a few photos on the episode website, with more on Patreon for subscribing members.

Title slide image: Bill & Chloe at Begin Again Farm, near Warren, Maine (pic: Olivia Cheng).

Music:
Regeneration, by Amelia Barden, from Regenerating Australia.

Send us a text

Support the show

The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free & freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them by clicking the link above or heading to our website.

Become a member to connect with your host, other listeners & benefits, via our Patreon page.

Visit The RegenNarration shop to wave the flag. And please keep sharing the podcast with friends. It all helps. Thanks for your support!

The last 20 minutes or so of my conversation in episode 225 with Maine’s youngest ever female senator, Chloe Maxmin, has stayed with me since its release. And I’ve heard from a few of you saying similar. So in the interest of not letting it be too ephemeral with the passing podcast feed, this excerpt from that episode features that 20 minutes.

We unpack the inspiring and transformative journey behind "Dirt Road Revival," a book that has sparked change in rural organising across the U.S. Chloe shares her experience in turning years of voice memos into a powerful narrative that has not only resonated deeply with rural communities but also paved the way for Dirtroad Organizing, a non-profit dedicated to training and empowering rural candidates. Already, 38 alumni are running at this coming election.

We go on to compare notes on some of my impressions while travelling the country (is it so divided after all?), wonder if there might be a Dirtroad Media, and imagine this election and beyond.

If you’ve come here first, tune into the full episode 225, ‘Democracy on the Rise – in the US?’. You’ll find a few links in the show notes there too, along with a transcript, and a few photos on the episode website, with more on Patreon for subscribing members.

Title slide image: Chloe during the Dirtroad Organising program (pic: from their website).

Music:
Regeneration, by Amelia Barden, from Regenerating Australia.

Send us a text

Support the show

The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free & freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them by clicking the link above or heading to our website.

Become a member to connect with your host, other listeners & benefits, via our Patreon page.

Visit The RegenNarration shop to wave the flag. And please keep sharing the podcast with friends. It all helps. Thanks for your support!

After recording with Bill and Chloe at Begin Again Farm for last week’s episode, Bill happened to drop word of an upcoming festival. And not just any festival, but the 48th annual running of the Common Ground Country Fair. It happened on 20-22 September this year, in the aptly named Unity, Maine, about 40 miles north of Bill and Chloe’s place. The Fair draws 60,000 people, features all kinds of programs, food and arts, and even makes money for its host the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) - the oldest and largest state organic association in the US (founded in 1971). That’s who Bill works for when he’s not farming himself, or representing constituents as an Independent in the Maine legislature.

So I had to ask him if he’d put the microphone back on and tell us about it.

If you’ve come here first, tune into the main episodes with Bill and Chloe respectively, ep226 ‘An Independent Farmer Wins in Maine: Transcending the ‘battleground’ with Bill Pluecker’. And ep225 ‘Democracy on the Rise – in the US? With Maine’s youngest ever female senator, Chloe Maxmin’. You’ll find a few links in the show notes as usual, along with transcripts, and a few photos on the episode websites, with more on Patreon for subscribing members.

For more on the Fair, watch their excellent 5 minute video.

And for more on the Real Organic Conference, which ran the week after the Fair, back at Churchtown Dairy (which we visited in August), you can now watch videos of that on their website.

This episode has a transcript too.

Recorded 8 September 2024.

Title slide image: from the Fair’s website.

For more from behind the scenes, become a member via the Patreon page.

Music:
By Jeremiah Johnson.

Send us a text

Support the show

The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free & freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them by clicking the link above or heading to our website.

Become a member to connect with your host, other listeners & benefits, via our Patreon page.

Visit The RegenNarration shop to wave the flag. And please keep sharing the podcast with friends. It all helps. Thanks for your support!

There’s a ‘so-called’ battle for rural America at the heart of the coming federal election. But what if it needn’t be a battle? And in fact, what if heart is what’s really at stake? People who love their places – places, by the way, that constitute 20% of the vote, and 97% of the land in this country. After the recent Vice-Presidential debate here in the US, featuring two men speaking to their roots in rural America, it is still reported that people are not seeing themselves well represented in either major party’s characterisations of them. Enter, this week’s story.

One of my favourite episodes on the podcast featured a woman I learned about back in Australia – Maine’s youngest ever female state senator, Chloe Maxmin. On arrival at Begin Again Farm, we also met her partner Bill Pluecker. And as he and Chloe showed us around the farm, we learned of his incredible journey as co-owner and farmer here, former manager of a successful Community Supported Agriculture program, and subject of a Maine state legislature love story. For that’s how Chloe and Bill met, when they were both elected to the House of Reps in 2018.

But while Chloe’s sights were on bringing the Democratic Party back to rural people, Bill stood as an Independent in his conservative district, and won - despite an electoral system not designed to enable that. Six years on, he’s still there and is now running for a fourth term.

Bill was also named in the Grist 50 for 2024.

Chapter markers & transcript.

Recorded 8 September 2024 (intro in Baltimore).

Bonus 5 minute episode on the Common Ground Fair.

Title slide: AJ & Bill (pic: Olivia Cheng).

For more behind the scenes, become a member via the Patreon page.

Music:
Green Shoots, by The Nomadics.
Regeneration, by Amelia Barden, from Regenerating Australia.
The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests.

Get tickets:
Rural Runners screenings on US west coast & West Virginia.

Send us a text

Support the show

The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free & freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. If you too value what you hear, please consider joining them by clicking the link above or heading to our website.

Become a member to connect with your host, other listeners & benefits, via our Patreon page.

Visit The RegenNarration shop to wave the flag. And please keep sharing the podcast with friends. It all helps. Thanks for your support!