Arts Calling

Weekly shoutout: Christopher Soriano-Palma (AC23) releases a new poetry collection! -- Hi there, We're back! Today I am delighted to be arts calling musician/producer Mo Milan! (momilan.com) About our guest: Mo Milan is a Las Vegas-based composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, crafting music under two distinct monikers: Cocoa Pastel and Mo Milan. As Cocoa Pastel, she delivers vibrant, synth-driven pop infused with dark wave and electronic influences, centering on resilience, reinvention, and new beginnings. Handling every aspect of production—from songwriting to mixing—she creates dynamic, immersive soundscapes. Under Mo Milan, she explores experimental and introspective realms, blending neo-classical, folktronica, and cinematic elements. A classically trained violinist and skilled multi-instrumentalist, she pairs music with self-directed visuals, amplifying emotional depth. Previously a member of REIGN-A, Atomic Heart Band, Echo Stains, and Angel Groove, Milan is now preparing her debut dual mini-album: two EPs showcasing the energetic pulse of Cocoa Pastel and the cinematic introspection of Mo Milan. Project Premiere March 28th in Las Vegas, NV at SPCKRFT STUDIOS! Instagram: @noitsnotmo LISTEN TO COCOA PASTEL HERE: https://linktr.ee/cocoapastel Thanks for this amazing conversation, Mo! All the best! -- Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro. HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

Weekly shoutout: Read the latest literary releases from Punk Noir Magazine! -- Hi there, We're back! Today I am delighted to be arts calling author Theodora Ziolkowski! (www.theodoraziolkowski.com) ABOUT OUR GUEST: THEODORA ZIOLKOWSKI is the author of the novella, On the Rocks (2018 & 2020, The University Press of SHSU/Texas Review Press) and the short story chapbook, Mother Tongues (2016 & 2018, The Cupboard). On the Rocks, winner of a 2018 Next Generation Indie Book Award, is now available as an audiobook. Ziolkowski's debut collection of poems, Ghostlit (2025), is now available. Ziolkowski’s work has received support from the Vermont Studio Center, the National Alumni Association (University of Alabama), and Inprint (Houston, Texas). Her fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared in The Writer's Chronicle, Short Fiction (England), and Prairie Schooner, among over sixty other literary journals, magazines, anthologies, and exhibits. In the past, Ziolkowski has served as Poetry Editor for Gulf Coast, Fiction Editor for Big Fiction, and Assistant Poetry Editor for Black Warrior Review. She holds an MFA from the University of Alabama, where she was honored as a ‘30 Under 30’ alum, and a PhD in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Houston, where she was the recipient of the Inprint Marion Barthelme Prize in Creative Writing. Currently, she teaches creative writing as an assistant professor of English at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. GHOSTLIT: A new poetry collection, is now available! BOOKSHOP.ORG | BARNES & NOBLE | POWELL'S BOOKS | AMAZON ABOUT GHOSTLIT: Intimate, urgent, and relentlessly inventive, the poems in Ghostlit reflect upon mythology and feminist pop culture and contemporary ideology as they may become embedded in the psyches and even the bodies of their inheritors. Through visceral and sometimes gothic-inspired images, mythological allusions, and the assemblage of strands of narrative, the poems in this collection chart the ways in which manipulative emotional strategies on individual and cultural levels inflict lingering harm upon minds and bodies. Throughout, the poems peel back the layers of what it means for an abuse survivor to reclaim a sense of self—long after the damage has been done. “It turns out that the years I believed myself lucky/were partly responsible for my thinking/there was something deeply wrong with me” could be understood as a refrain for the speaker in Ghostlit or as a shorthand for a cautionary tale about how many survivors may be encouraged to deny the reality of abuse. Thanks for this amazing conversation, Theodora! All the best! -- Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro. HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

Weekly shoutout: New classes and projects from friend of the show, playwright Sarah Congress! -- Hi there, We're back! Today I am delighted to be arts calling author Em J Parsley! (emjparsley.com) About our guest: Em J Parsley (they/he) is a fiction writer, poet, educator, and environmentalist who received their MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Texas at El Paso and makes their home in rural Kentucky with their beautiful devil-cat, Griffin. He is a 2024 Artist-In-Residence at Wormfarm Institute and Art Farm, and their work has been published or is upcoming in Silk Road Review, Screen Door Review, ANMLY, Birdcoat Quarterly, The New Flash Fiction Review, and various other places in print and around the internet. Their poetry chapbook, the anonym gospels, won the 2023 Apogee Poetry Award and is available through April Gloaming Publishing. You can follow him on instagram @emjparsley. You, From Below: Now available from Split/Lip Press! https://www.splitlippress.com/you-from-below About You, From Below: When an Appalachian holler town is suddenly swallowed into the earth, its sole survivor embarks on a journey up a nearby mountain to get answers. With a mysterious envelope in their pocket that they know they must deliver, the narrator encounters a faceless beekeeper, an undying woman, and a righteous schoolteacher of a town that was raptured overnight while confronting their own past and the death of both the town and people they left behind. Em J Parsley’s You, From Below burrows into the ecological, economic, and emotional state of Central Appalachia to examine its past, present, and the nature of reciprocity through this speculative, introspective, fable-like exploration of collapse and regeneration. Thanks for this amazing conversation, Em J! All the best! -- Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro. HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN.

Weekly shoutout: Check out new indie artists over at Washingtones Records! -- Hi there, Today I am delighted to be arts calling indie folk singer-songwriter Hannah Wyatt! (linktr.ee/hannahwyatt) About our guest: hannah wyatt is an emerging indie folk singer-songwriter. her melancholic sound has blossomed over the years with influence from a score of artists the likes of keaton henson, joe purdy, the civil wars, gregory alan isakov, de-esser, sparklehorse, m. ward, and more. with her roots in upstate new york, hannah began classical violin at eight, and began songwriting around the age of thirteen. she earned her bachelor's degree in music production & recording arts at elon university. her first year at college, hannah was signed as an artist & managed through limelight records. the following year, she redirected her focus as an independent artist & later joined up with NC-based americana/folk band "love & valor" as a violinist, vocalist, graphic designer & recording engineer - touring & performing with the band until 2020. at her core, hannah remains an independent musician, writing, recording & producing all her projects. while her early releases began in 2016 under a former name, she took a step down a new path in 2021 with the release of the album "phantom burn" under the new artist name hannah wyatt, later re-releasing an abridged version of this original album. throughout 2021 in various locations across the country, but mostly central colorado, her ep "iron line" was crafted & later released january of 2022. that following spring, she collaborated remotely with DC-based americana artist eli waltz, the duo released a 5-track EP entitled "waltz & wyatt" & embarked on a west coast tour that summer to promote the release. they have since done a second west coast sprint during the spring of 2024. her following album, "hummingbird" is a 15-track record. with a more experimental, lo-fi tinge, expanding her sound from the somewhat more commercially friendly tracks of her past. the "underground" ep was released in may 2023 and continues along her more lo-fi bedroom sound. this project flirts with being a miniature concept album, dancing around the ideas of human nature during the state of cold war. hannah spends her free time freelancing string arrangements and various recordings for artists both local and far, and collaborates with bellingham label washingtones records. SUNDAY COWBOY: Click here to pre-order a copy of this limited batch run, to secure your record now! Bandcamp: hannahwyatt.bandcamp.com/music | Check out Hannah's music on YouTube! | Instagram @hannahwyattmusic ABOUT SUNDAY COWBOY: full-length album, "sunday cowboy" will be released digitally december 13, and on PET records on december 21, 2024. these recyclable plastic records are an eco-friendly alternative to traditional PVC vinyl, which leaves a harmful and toxic carbon footprint. her album will be pressed by leading PET companies green vinyl records and good neighbor. Thanks for this amazing conversation, Hannah! All the best! -- Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro. HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN. Much love, j artscalling.com/links

*Content Warning: Strong language of a sexual nature a few times. Just a heads up. Weekly shoutout: The Originals Bureau Season 3, now available: Outstanding original scripts! -- Hi there, Today I am delighted to be arts calling poet and educator Charles K. Carter! ckcpoetry.com ABOUT OUR GUEST: Charles K. Carter (they/he) is a queer poet and educator from Iowa who currently lives in Oregon. They share their home with their artist husband and their spoiled pets. He enjoys film, yoga, and live music. Melissa Etheridge is their ultimate obsession. Carter has an MFA in writing from Lindenwood University. He is a volunteer video curator for Button Poetry. Their poems have been featured in a variety of literary journals and anthologies. Carter is the author of several chapbooks including Salem Revisited from WordTech Editions. His debut full-length collection, Read My Lips, was released in 2022 by David Robert Books. To coincide with the release of their most recent chapbook, Artificial Sweetness (Finishing Line Press), Carter created the video podcast series #SundaySweetChats, which can be found on YouTube. Kelsay Books released his second full-length, If the World Were a Quilt, in late 2023. Forthcoming books include The God of Loneliness (Rebel Satori Press, 2024) and Follow This Blood to Find a Dead Thing (Fernwood Press, 2025). THE GOD OF LONELINESS, available from Rebel Satori Press! Also available at Bookshop.org! ABOUT: In The God of Loneliness, Charles K. Carter shares their most vulnerable work yet. While using a variety of poetic forms, Carter tackles the tough intersection of isolation, disconnection, and sexuality. “The God of Loneliness is a plaintive exploration of loving and being loved when compassion for oneself isn’t a given. Carter’s poems—particularly the ‘…in Dreamland’ ones—embody an undisguised vulnerability that is deeply sympathetic but not overwrought or maudlin. Their heartstrings are not meant to be tugged per se but are offered to the reader to help us feel what we must. This is a delicate achievement that you know Carter hurt—and perhaps hurt mightily—to pull off, and it makes The God of Loneliness a deftly earnest and an unquestionably worthy read.” —Daniel W.K. Lee, author of Anatomy of Want Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Charles! All the best! -- Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro. HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN. Much love, j artscalling.com/links

Weekly shoutout: New music at Washingtones Records! -- Hi there, Today I am delighted to be arts calling award-winning writer Georgia Jeffries! georgiajeffries.com ABOUT OUR GUEST: Georgia Jeffries is a writer of Emmy Award winning drama and critically acclaimed noir fiction. Honored with multiple Writers Guild Awards, Golden Globes and the Humanitas Prize, her work in film has been praised by the Los Angeles Times as “standing ovation television.” The Los Angeles Review of Books described her short stories in the national anthologies, Odd Partners and The Last Resort, as “firecracker tales” and “domestic tragedy brilliantly segueing into comic farce.” She has also written biographical profiles for HuffPost and UC Press, including “The Last Gun of Tibercio Vasquez,” which can be viewed on the KCET-TV website, Artbound. Born in the Illinois heartland, she worked as a journalist for American Film before writing and producing ground-breaking female-driven dramas, Cagney & Lacey, China Beach and Sisters. Her screenwriting career has been distinguished by extensive field research, from patrolling the mean streets of Rampart with the LAPD to crashing a Vegas bounty hunters’ convention to reporting from a Walter Reed Army Hospital surgical bay, each investigation the basis for one of her many docudramas and series pilots for CBS, ABC, NBC, HBO and Showtime. A cum laude UCLA graduate, Jeffries is a professor at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts where she created the first undergraduate screenwriting thesis program at an American university. THE YOUNGER GIRL, available from Mission Point Press on October 22nd! ABOUT THE YOUNGER GIRL: Based on a true crime, The Younger Girl, (Mission Point Press, October 22, 2024) a debut novel by trailblazing, award-winning writer Georgia Jeffries, combines fiction and supernatural suspense to unravel a thrilling tale of family betrayal and redemption. On March 2, 1933, Chicago tabloids trumpeted the death of 20-year-old "town belle" Aldine Younger: "HEIRESS SLAIN, MARRIED MAN HELD." The son of the mayor of Pontiac, a rich farming community south of Chicago, was convicted of manslaughter. But the dead girl's baby brother, Owen, grew up in a broken family and suspected his beloved sister’s killing was orchestrated by their wealthy uncle. In 1996 Owen is an old man desperate to make peace with the tragedy of Aldine’s death. His daughter, Joanna, takes her still grieving father back home to claim his share of his sister's lost inheritance. Together, they are caught in a dark labyrinth of family betrayal crossing three generations. Owen is found raving during a violent thunderstorm and now believes his daughter is his sister, Aldine, returning to him. Joanna races against time to save her father and unearths damning secrets that threaten her own life. The guilty will be exposed at the psychic bridge linking past, present and future. But at what cost? And who will survive the revelations? “True-crime stories are difficult, and far more so, when the true crime is in your own family. Georgia Jeffries’s triumphant novel tells the story of her aunt Aldine Younger’s killing in 1933—a violent death that has cast a long and complex shadow over the family, the community, and far beyond. Viewing these events through the lens of fiction, Jeffries deploys clear-eyed research and lucid, evocative prose to craft a novel that will haunt long after the book is closed.” —Howard Rodman, novelist/screenwriter Professor, USC School of Cinematic Arts Vice President, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Georgia! All the best! -- Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro at the coalition. HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN. Much love, j

Weekly shoutout: Do Not Wish for Any Other Life: A Musical Sequence from the poetry of Richard Jeffrey Newman (AC128) -- Hi there, Today I am so excited to be arts calling singer/songwriter Nathalie Miranda! (https://linktr.ee/nathaliemirandamusic) About our Guest: With an arsenal of genre-bending singles under her belt, London-based powerhouse popstar Nathalie Miranda performs straight from the heart. Blending soul, blues and classic rock into high-energy retro pop, Nathalie rocks out with unbridled passion, showcases a stellar octave range, and leaves it all on the stage. Influenced by artists such as Freddie Mercury, Prince, Madonna, Tina Turner, Christina Aguilera and Whitney Houston, as well as music from her Greek-Cypriot roots, Nathalie’s powerful belts and playful lyrics make her distinctive sound even more electrifying. Nathalie’s star continues to rise in 2024. With her smash hits ‘Catch-22’ and ‘Soul on Fire’ hitting 250,000 Spotify streams each, with more than 200,000 YouTube views combined, her unique artistry and shimmering vocals prove she’s the UK’s answer to the US powerhouse divas. She was featured in Wonderland Magazine, Rolling Stone India, previously performed on BBC’s ‘Later... with Jools Holland’ as a backing vocalist, and has headlined iconic London venues like The Troubadour. Born in London to Greek-Cypriot parents, Nathalie speaks fluent Greek and is fiercely proud of her roots - something she loves to incorporate into her music. Authentically homegrown, with a superstar polish, her dramatic 2022 single ‘Χίλια Σημάδια (1000 Scars)’ follows a classic Greek folk rhythm called Zeibekiko and was produced by Greek smash hit producer Harry K. Beyond her spotlight as a solo pop artist, Nathalie has written lyrics and melodies across dance and house music since 2017. Working with international producers who crave her 90s diva vocals, Nathalie has built her reputation as a multi-hyphenate artist free from creative boundaries. She credits her childhood classical piano studies for laying the foundations for her songwriting career - and a hotel karaoke night for unlocking her vocal abilities while on holiday with her family. Nathalie’s dazzling sound is ever-evolving, full of passion, heart, and Greek-Cypriot spirit. Follow Nathalie Miranda for updates and new music: https://linktr.ee/nathaliemirandamusic Nathalie's latest single, U GOT SOUL, is now available! Listen here: https://ditto.fm/u-got-soul Instagram: @nathaliemirandamusic | Threads: @nathaliemirandamusic | YouTube: @nathaliemirandamusic Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Nathalie! All the best! -- Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com). HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN. Much love, j

Weekly shoutout: FORGET I TOLD YOU THIS, an award-winning novel by Hilary Zaid, now available! -- Hi there, Today I am so excited to be arts calling singer/songwriter Ciara Lawless! https://linktr.ee/ciaralawless About our Guest: From arranging flowers to arranging music, Irish singer and florist Ciara Lawless, goes from working in her flower shop by day to arranging music by night where she writes and records her own music. The Celtic songbird made her mark on the music industry with her debut single, ‘Half The Man’, in May of 2023. Since then, Ciara has been sharpening her stage skills performing at various festivals including The Mná Festival at Dun na Sí, Co. Westmeath, The Lovestock Festival in Tuamgraney, Co Clare and The Healing Spirit Festival in Co. Cavan. Ciara's music journey began at a young age when she started taking classes in acting and singing. She later developed an interest in classical and opera, training at the Academy of Music in Tullamore, where she also competed in national and international competitions. While some singers cut their chops while climbing the music ladder, Ciara earned her singing stripes as a funeral singer, something that she is very proud and honoured to do. With her debut album out now, Ciara Lawless is poised to become one of the most exciting new artists of 2024 and beyond. Her music deals with deep and meaningful themes while remaining uplifting, leaving a positive impact on the listener. PAINT MY SOUL, Ciara's debut album, is now available! https://linktr.ee/ciaralawless Instagram: @ciaralawlesshq | Twitter: @CiaraLawlessHQ Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Ciara! All the best! -- Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com). HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN. Much love, j