Best Raft Collective Podcasts (2026)

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Beyond words: Brian Buckbee writes, dictates ‘We Should All Be Birds’ (with Carol Ann Fitzgerald) 29:15

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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn speaks with Missoula, Montana-based writer Brian Buckbee, author of ‘We Should All Be Birds’ (Tin House Books; Zando Projects), written with Carol Ann Fitzgerald, who joins them for the first half of their conversation.By Lauren Korn

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Episode 516: The Riverskate Collective; Paddling and performance enhancers; BOTE expands its kayak line 1:12:31

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Episode 516 ~ January 8, 2026 Podcast Info / Topics There is a new paddling activity called Riverskate which is a cross between squirt boating and skateboarding There are a lot of products from gummies to powders that can help enhance your paddling workouts, but do we need them? BOTE has added a couple new kayaks to its line of inflatable boats…

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Episode 515: Places to paddle in South Africa; India to only allow certified rafting guides now; A 6800km river expedition in Australia 1:07:08

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Episode 515 ~ January 1, 2026 Podcast Info / Topics It is summer in the southern hemisphere and South Africa has some good paddling spots to check out for all levels India has decided that only technically skilled and certified rafting guides will be allowed to work the rivers now A 6,800km expedition may be one of Australia’s longest inland paddle…

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Interrogating systems of power with raft guide Bridget Crocker, author of ‘The River’s Daughter’ 29:15

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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn speaks with memoirist and renowned whitewater rafting guide Bridget Crocker, author of ‘The River’s Daughter’ (Spiegel & Grau), about her life lived along the Snake River in Wyoming.By Lauren Korn

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Episode 514: Is trip planning losing adventure?; Will GPS replace paper maps?; It starts with a person and an idea 1:06:46

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Episode 514 ~ December 25, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics With the age of online reservations being a must, are we losing the sense of adventure when planning our trips? Many people love the feel of a paper map and the map case in their boat, but are GPS units taking over? Chances are yes. All it takes is a person with an idea and the passion to create…

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Alice Bolin’s ‘Culture Creep,’ a “gut-churning ride” into Millennial girl- and boyhood (Part Two) 29:15

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This is the second part of a two-part conversation with Alice Bolin, author of ‘Culture Creep: Notes on the Pop Apocalypse’ (Mariner Books; HarperCollins).By Lauren Korn

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Episode 513: Denmark’s ancient Hjortspring boat; The Artist and the Spy; Kayak fishing motors for 2026 1:14:31

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Episode 513 ~ December 18, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics Archaeologists have shed some new light on the Hjortspring boat. A large 2,400 year old canoe that was dug up 100 years ago An artist was killed while out kayaking. Was it an accident or something from a real life spy movie? There are a few reasons to have a motor on your kayak and there are 6 y…

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Seductive narratives and Alice Bolin’s ‘Culture Creep: Notes on the Pop Apocalypse’ (Part One) 29:15

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This is the first part of a two-part conversation with Alice Bolin, author of ‘Culture Creep: Notes on the Pop Apocalypse’ (Mariner Books; HarperCollins).By Lauren Korn

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Episode 512: The Vatican returns kayak to the Inuvialuit; Paddling for 251 months in a row; Santa goes to Hawaii 1:04:12

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Episode 512 ~ December 11, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics The Vatican has returned 62 items to the Inuit, First Nations and Metis communities, including a 100 year old kayak One couple has paddled at least once a month for 251 months, just shy of 21 years Apparently Santa loves to relax in Hawaii before the busy season…

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TWQ Mini: Juicy stories, beautiful sentences, and NPR’s 2025 ‘Books We Love’ 17:32

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Host Lauren Korn speaks with Andrew Limbong about NPR’s 2025 interactive book list of staff favorites, “Books We Love.”By Lauren Korn

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Where science meets storytelling: Traveling to ‘To the Moon and Back’ with novelist Eliana Ramage 29:15

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On this episode of ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn speaks with debut novelist Eliana Ramage, author of ‘To the Moon and Back’ (Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster).By Lauren Korn

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Episode 511: Seven easy places to paddle in Nevada; 100 year old mystery solved; Pollution and invasive species stop canoe club 1:08:27

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Episode 511 ~ December 4, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics If you are heading to Nevada there are 7 places to paddle that are good for beginner and seasoned paddlers A canoeing couple solved a 100 year old mystery in Canada’s northern Barren Lands The Khayelitsha Canoeing Club in Cape Town are being hampered by pollution and invasive hyacinth…

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Encore: Christine Wu on a shared language of food and her debut collection, ‘Familial Hungers’ 29:15

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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn returns to her conversation with poet Christine Wu, author of ‘Familial Hungers’ (Brick Books). This episode first aired June 19, 2025.By Lauren Korn

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Episode 510: Kayak expedition along Oman’s coast; 16 canoes in Lake Mendota bioengineered?; Mom and 7 kids paddling the Mississippi 58:54

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Episode 510 ~ November 27, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics Mark Evan has embarked on a zero carbon emissions kayaking expedition along Oman’s coast The tally of ancient canoes found in Lake Mendota is now 16 and there are questions if some of them were bioengineered What do you do as a mom who wants their kids to live big lives? You take them on a paddl…

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“The only way you can know a person’s gender is [to] ask them”: Abi Maxwell, author of ‘One Day I’ll Grow Up and Be a Beautiful Woman’ 29:15

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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn speaks with novelist and memoirist Abi Maxwell, author of ‘One Day I’ll Grow Up and Be a Beautiful Woman’ (Alfred A. Knopf), now available in paperback.By Lauren Korn

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Episode 509: 42 years as a canoeing volunteer; Know a river, Become a river: A thoughtful and humorous canoe trip down an African river 1:04:45

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Episode 509 ~ November 20, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics How a college canoe trip as a student led a man to more than 42 years of volunteering and teaching on canoe trips Don Pinnock accompanied a group of young scientists in canoes down a river in Africa and ‘Became’ the river. A thoughtful, yet humorous tale of the trip and his transformation…

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On rivers, mouths, and memory: Shobha Rao discusses ‘Indian Country’ in advance of Montana tour 29:15

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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn speaks with novelist Shobha Rao, author of ‘Indian Country’ (Crown Publishing Group). Shobha will be in Bozeman at Country Bookshelf on November 17th (with Shane Doyle); in Hamilton at Chapter One Bookstore on November 19; and in Missoula at Fact & Fiction Books on November 20, 2025.…

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Episode 508: Day paddle in Kawartha Highlands; Try out Ice Canoeing; Boundary Waters may be facing another threat 1:02:48

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Episode 508 ~ November 13, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics Sean went for a day paddling in his new SP3 Nova Craft Prospector 16 in the Kawartha Highlands If you are looking for something new in the off season, head to Quebec and try Ice Canoeing Boundary Waters’ wilderness protection may be facing another threat…

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Live from the Ravalli County Museum: Chris Whitaker, “‘Sliding Doors’ moments,” and ‘All the Colors of the Dark’ (Part Two) 29:14

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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ the second of a two-part conversation with novelist Chris Whitaker, author of ‘All the Colors of the Dark’ (Crown Publishing Group). This conversation was recorded live at the Ravalli County Museum in Hamilton, Montana, in partnership with Chapter One Bookstore.By Lauren Korn

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Episode 507: British slalom canoer suspender; University students on the water; Three items to think about buying 1:01:10

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Episode 507 ~ November 6, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics A British slalom canoer has been suspended because of the way he earned money for his training Students at McMaster University took to the water for some experiential learning Yes Christmas is still quite a ways away, but here are three items you might want to buy for the paddler in the house…

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TWQ Mini with Lorissa Rinehart: Jeannette Rankin, “a North star,” and ‘Winning the Earthquake’ 12:52

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This mini episode of ‘The Write Question’ is actually an excerpt of a much longer conversation with Lorissa Rinehart, author of ‘Winning the Earthquake: How Jeannette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become the First Woman in Congress,’ which publishes this Tuesday, November 4, 2025 (St. Martin’s Press). Absent from this excerpt, but included in the exten…

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Live from the Ravalli County Museum: Chris Whitaker has learned to paint with ‘All the Colors of the Dark’ (Part One) 29:15

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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ the first of a two-part conversation with novelist Chris Whitaker, author of ‘All the Colors of the Dark’ (Crown Publishing Group). This conversation was recorded live at the Ravalli County Museum in Hamilton, Montana, in partnership with Chapter One Bookstore.By Lauren Korn

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Episode 506: The Kayak Trail of the Stockholm Archipelago; Its raining monkeys!!!; Return of the Green Race 1:09:16

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Episode 506 ~ October 30, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics There is a new kayaking water trail amongst the 30,000 islands of the Stockholm Archipelago Kayaking along and its starts to rain monkeys, what fun!!! The Green Race returns after a hiatus due to Helene, and it will be differentBy SR

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Live! Pledge week episode: Chapter One Bookstore’s Marisa Neyenhuis 30:04

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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn speaks with co-owner of Hamilton’s Chapter One Bookstore, Marisa Neyenhuis—about her parents’ pledge parties and about the books she’s loving and recommending this year—for a live pledge week episode.By Lauren Korn

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Episode 505: John Van Barriger and the Winter Camping Symposium; Sean & Derek went to Nova Craft Canoe 1:03:39

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Episode 505 ~ October 23, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics John Van Barriger talks about the Winter Camping Symposium in Minnesota Sean & Derek paid a visit to Nova Craft Canoe to check out some canoesBy SR

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River River poets Corrie Williamson and Joe Wilkins discuss landscape, safety, form, and history 29:15

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This week on ‘The Write Question, host Lauren Korn speaks with poets Corrie Williamson, author of ‘My Mother’s Bear Gun,’ and Joe Wilkins, author of ‘Pastoral, 1994,’ both published by River River Books.By Lauren Korn

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Episode 504: Sean paddles Nogies Creek; Nova Craft Prospector 16′ SP3; BMW’s new electric SUP 1:12:01

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Episode 504 ~ October 16, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics Sean took a day trip to paddle Nogies Creek and his furry paddling companion Athena had fun too There seems to be more pro’s than con’s when it comes to the Nova Craft Prospector 16′ SP3 as your first whitewater canoe BMW has joined the standup paddleboard market with its new electric SUP…

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“I’ve always loved a love story”: Sally Blakely on her debut romance, ‘Friends to Lovers’ 29:15

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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn speaks with Helena, Montana-based novelist Sally Blakely, author of ‘Friends to Lovers’ (Canary Street Press).By Lauren Korn

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Episode 503: The new global meeting place RallyCrew; Elephant plus tourists equals near disaster; Kayaking to get back to a happy place 1:16:54

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Episode 503 ~ October 9, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics We take a peek at the new global online whitewater meeting place for paddlers, RallyCrew When guides paddle canoes filled with tourists too close to a mother elephant, it does no go well, and it could have been a whole lot worse After a hard year, one couple returns to the water in a place where t…

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Kevin Barry on his novel, ‘The Heart in Winter,’ “a western with County Cork accents” 29:09

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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn speaks with Irish author Kevin Barry, author of ‘The Heart in Winter’ (Doubleday Books; Penguin Random House) and the featured speaker at the inaugural Festival of Irish Writing in Butte, Montana: October 3-4, 2025.By Lauren Korn

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Episode 502: Listener Mike Nichols talks paddling the Yukon River, the Bowron Circuit, and Temagami 2:11:35

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Episode 502 ~ October 2, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics Long time listener Mike Nichols jumped in his car, then drove from British Columbia to Ontario to check out Temagami and see if it is everything we said it was. Then he made the trip down to join us for a chat about paddling the Yukon River, the Bowron Circuit in the Rockies and his adventure in T…

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Encore: Laura Marris on absence and archive 29:00

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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn returns to her conversation with writer and translator Laura Marris, author of ‘The Age of Loneliness’ (Graywolf Press). This episode originally aired February 27, 2025.By Lauren Korn

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Episode 501: Ontario Parks adding 300 new campsites; Tips for paddling near cetaceans; Rutabaga Paddlesports is closing 1:00:48

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Episode 501 ~ September 25, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics Ontario Parks will be adding 300 new campsites plus upgrading 800 existing sites Tips for paddling near cetaceans (a fancy word for whales, dolphins, and porpoises) Rutabaga Paddlesports of Wisconsin is closing its doorsBy SR

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Encore: Keetje Kuipers on her poetics of humility, the danger in love poems about marriage, and bumping around in the dark 29:00

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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn returns to her conversation with poet Keetje Kuipers, author of ‘Lonely Women Make Good Lovers’ (BOA Editions). This conversation originally aired on May 1, 2025.By Lauren Korn

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Episode 500: Alan Drummond, Fat Bear Week, Paddlepalooza, Kayak camping on Georgian Bay 1:30:14

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Episode 500 ~ September 18, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics Alan Drummond of Kingdom Outdoor Products joins us to chat about Fat Bear Week, Paddlepalooza, kayak camping on Georgian Bay, paddling to Mohawk Island on Lake Erie, and a man that circumnavigated Vancouver Island on a standup paddleboard (and a few other topics)…

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Encore: Wildlife biologist Diane K. Boyd is ‘A Woman Among Wolves’ (Part Two) 29:00

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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn returns to the second and final part of a two-part conversation with world-renowned wildlife biologist Diane K. Boyd, author of ‘A Woman Among Wolves: My Journey Through Forty Years of Wolf Recovery’ (Greystone Books). This conversation originally aired January 9, 2025.…

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Episode 499: 2000 campsites in the Boundary Waters; One family’s extended expedition; Power boats vs paddle craft 1:13:38

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Episode 499 ~ September 11, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics One man has spent years visiting all the paddle in camp sites in the Boundary Waters and logging them with GPS coordinates How one family threw out the book on adventure and spent nine years completing their extended expedition What do you do when you see the power boats coming but they don’t s…

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Encore: Wildlife biologist Diane K. Boyd is ‘A Woman Among Wolves’ (Part One) 29:00

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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn returns to the first part of a two-part conversation with world-renowned wildlife biologist Diane K. Boyd, author of ‘A Woman Among Wolves: My Journey Through Forty Years of Wolf Recovery’ (Greystone Books). This episode originally aired January 2, 2025.…

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Episode 498: Sean is back from Japan and talks about log rafting, canoeing, day camping and more 1:20:40

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Episode 498~ September 4, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics Sean spent three weeks in Japan and now he is back to talk about his log rafting and canoeing adventures. He also explains what day camping is and much more.By SR

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Encore: Amy Gamerman’s ‘The Crazies’ (Part Two) 29:00

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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn returns to her conversation with journalist Amy Gamerman, author of ‘The Crazies: The Cattleman, the Wind Prospector, and a War Out West’ (Simon & Schuster). This is the second part of a two-part conversation and originally aired April 3, 2025.By Lauren Korn

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Episode 497: Group dynamics on paddling trip; Questions to ask new paddling partners; Can paddling bring couples closer together 1:05:47

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Episode 497~ August 28, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics How important are group dynamics when out on a paddling trip? Some questions you should ask potential new paddling partners 11 ways paddling can bring couples closer togetherBy SR

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Encore: Amy Gamerman’s ‘The Crazies’ (Part One) 29:00

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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn returns to her conversation with journalist Amy Gamerman, author of ‘The Crazies: The Cattleman, the Wind Prospector, and a War Out West’ (Simon & Schuster). This is the first part of a two-part conversation and originally aired March 27, 2025.By Lauren Korn

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Episode 496: Shedding light on some paddling myths; The haunting of Lake Lanier 1:06:22

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Episode 496~ August 21, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics Shedding some light on some paddling myths that have been around a while Americas most haunted lake: Lake LanierBy SR

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Encore: Ben Goldfarb’s interspecies imagination in ‘Crossings’ 29:00

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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn returns to her conversation with conservation journalist Ben Goldfarb, author of ‘Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet’ (W. W. Norton & Company).By Lauren Korn

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Episode 495: Kevin Callan recounts his recent trips to Denison Falls on Lake Superior and Aiguebelle in Quebec 1:37:54

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Episode 495~ August 14, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics Kevin Callan talks about his recent Lake Superior Denison Falls voyageur canoe trip and as well as the trip that saw him heading to Parc National d’Aiguebelle in QuebecBy SR

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Encore: Hanif Abdurraqib’s urgent meditations on time, success, and witness in ‘There’s Always This Year’ 29:00

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Host Lauren Korn returns to her conversation with poet, essayist, and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib, author of ‘There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension’ (Penguin Random House).By Lauren Korn

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Episode 494: Derek & Family back from the backcountry; Dragon boat world record; 7 best places to SUP in Toronto 1:06:31

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Episode 494~ August 7, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics Derek and his family went into the backcountry to try something new A grueling world record in a dragon boat on the Missouri River 7 of the best places to go standup paddleboarding in TorontoBy SR

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Encore: Sarah Capdeville on her debut, ‘Aligning the Glacier’s Ghost: Essays on Solitude and Landscape’ 29:00

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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn returns to her conversation with Sarah Capdeville, author of ‘Aligning the Glacier’s Ghost: Essays on Solitude and Landscape’ (University of Mexico Press). This conversation originally aired February 6, 2025.By Lauren Korn

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Episode 493: Toxic Algae blooms; Bear bells or no bear bells; Alberta’s potential new watercraft pass 1:10:04

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Episode 493~ July 31, 2025 Podcast Info / Topics Toxic algae blooms are popping up everywhere and they are nothing new and can be deadly When in the back country do you wear bear bells or have some other sort of bear protection? Alberta is considering a new watercraft pass and want public inputBy SR

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Encore: Julia Phillips discusses womanhood, trust, and miraculous animals in her sophomore novel, ‘Bear’ 29:00

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This week on ‘The Write Question,’ host Lauren Korn returns to her conversation with novelist Julia Phillips, author of ‘Bear’ (Hogarth Press), her second novel centering sisterhood—this time on an island off the coast of Washington. This episode originally aired December 26, 2024.By Lauren Korn