Best Alexander Gonzalez Podcasts (2025)

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Henri Cole Reads Louise Glück 29:11

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21h ago29:11

29:11

Henri Cole joins Kevin Young to read “Vita Nova,” by Louise Glück, and his own poem “Figs.” Cole is the author of many poetry collections, including “The Other Love.” He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the recipient of honors such as the Thom Gunn Award and the Jackson …

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Melanie Kaplan: Lab Dog 40:01

1d ago40:01

40:01

“Maybe when we started doing this with animals, researching on them and studying them for human benefit hundreds of years ago, we didn't know about their sentience. We didn't know that they had emotions and feelings and felt pain. And we know all that now. We can't ignore that.” – Melanie Kaplan When journalist Melanie Kaplan agreed to foster a bea…

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Annick Ireland: The Future is Immaculate 33:53

8d ago33:53

33:53

“All those kinds of brands in food and in fashion helped pave the way for where we are now. So, on the one hand, it's crushing that they no longer exist, but on the other hand, part of the reason they don't exist is because it has also become a bit more mainstream, you know? So, you know where we are right now in East London, there used to be an am…

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Suzanne Lee: Grown, not Extracted 39:39

15d ago39:39

39:39

“You know, you walk through a forest. Every leaf on every tree is unique. And that's what biology does. We are all unique, right? Everything about us that biology does, it's so magical. It's so special. And we now have the ability to harness biology in the way that nature does.” – Suzanne Lee Suzanne Lee is the founder of Biofabricate and for more …

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Alex Woodard: Ordinary Soil 27:17

22d ago27:17

27:17

"Now more than ever, a lot of farmers are caught in between this kind of industrial complex that that is difficult to pay the bills with - so you got to get subsidies, and the very real problem of being exposed to all the chemicals that they have to use to make anything grow in soil that's been hammered and depleted." - Alex Woodard This episode is…

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Bruce Smith Reads Mary Ruefle 40:40

23d ago40:40

40:40

Bruce Smith joins Kevin Young to read “Open Letter To My Ancestors” by Mary Ruefle, and his own poem “The Game.” Smith, the author of eight poetry collections, including the forthcoming “Hungry Ghost,” has received awards from the Academy of American Poets and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, in addition to fellowships from the Guggenheim …

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131: Catalyzing Capital with Alexander Sterling 59:01

29d ago59:01

59:01

https://www.cultivatingself.org/ Alexander "Brave Journey" Sterling is a pioneering financial leader and the CEO/co-founder of Turtle Island Community Capital (TICC), a Native-led Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) dedicated to promoting economic sovereignty, climate justice, and cultural revitalization across Indigenous communities…

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Amber Canavan: The Labels That Lie 30:34

1M ago30:34

30:34

“That is no life for these birds and it is definitely not what the consumer is thinking or assuming. When they see these nice labels and they think, ‘oh, I'm paying so much more for this, that change must be going for the animals, right?’ No, it's lining the pockets and it's keeping that status quo of that factory farm going.” Amber Canavan Most of…

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130: Joyify, Ecologize & Indigenize with José Gonzalez 1:00:41

1M ago1:00:41

1:00:41

Doughnut Disaster Festival Today, we're joined by a distinguished leader in the fields of conservation and community advocacy, José G. González. Since his appointment in late 2023, Mr. González has been serving as the Equity Officer for the East Bay Regional Park District, where he has been instrumental in leading the district's diversity, equity, …

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129: Debunked by Nature with Mollie Engelhart 1:11:49

2M ago1:11:49

1:11:49

https://www.cultivatingself.org/reclaiminghealthcarefellowship https://debunkedbynature.com/pre-order https://www.eatyourhealings.com/ Today, we're joined by Mollie Engelhart, a chef, author, and regenerative rancher who has lived through a profound ideological shift. As a lifelong liberal and celebrated vegan chef, Mollie believed she was doing he…

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128: Food & Nature as Medicine RX with Jayda Greco Esq 58:47

2M ago58:47

58:47

https://dianacantureyna.substack.com/podcast https://www.cultivatingself.org/reclaiminghealthcarefellowship Our guest, Jayda Greco, is a partner at McDermott Will & Schulte, where she focuses on the intersection of healthcare and law. With a deep background in digital health, she's an expert in navigating the complex regulatory landscape, including…

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Christine Mott: Free Bird 29:54

2M ago29:54

29:54

“How could this owl, who was born in captivity, lived his whole life in a cage, how could he possibly survive? He's going to be dead in a few days. That's what everybody thought.” – Christine Mott In February 2023, a Eurasian eagle-owl named Flaco made headlines—and captured hearts—when he escaped from his small enclosure at the Central Park Zoo. B…

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Garrett Hongo Reads Charles Wright 42:04

2M ago42:04

42:04

Garrett Hongo joins Kevin Young to read “T’ang Notebook” by Charles Wright, and his own poem “On Emptiness.” Garrett Hongo is the author of several books of poetry and nonfiction, including “Ocean of Clouds” and “The Perfect Sound: A Memoir in Stereo.” He's received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts,…

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Edita Birnkrant and Tracy Winston: The Horse Who Collapsed in the Street 37:03

2M ago37:03

37:03

“I could be walking in Central Park and come up on one of these horse and buggies. I don't think twice about it because I see it as part of the New York attraction. You know, you have the Statue of Liberty, you have Times Square, and you have these romantic horse and buggy things where people get married in the park and they ride these carriages. A…

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Mari Andrew: How To Be A Living Thing 41:18

3M ago41:18

41:18

“It was just this love I developed of life, all life and how much life can be a joy to witness and experience if we're not severing ourselves or severing other lives from our own. And then you start to see all the connectedness and it's like a drug.” - Mari Andrew What if healing wasn’t about fixing yourself—but about remembering what it means to b…

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127: Envisioning A Resilient California with Raji Kaur Brar 1:02:18

3M ago1:02:18

1:02:18

https://www.cultivatingself.org/ ... Today, we're incredibly honored to feature Raji K. Brar, a true trailblazer whose journey from humble beginnings to the highest levels of public service is nothing short of remarkable. Born and raised in Fresno County, Raji's story is rooted in the hard work and determination of her immigrant parents from Punjab…

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Dr. Shirley Strum: The Echoes of Our Origins 39:06

3M ago39:06

39:06

"So I think this whole idea of cumulative culture is a way to make humans exceptional. But it's clear to me that humans are exceptional, and seeing it through baboon glasses, I can understand in a different way why they're exceptional. But many of the things that we think are uniquely human are actually present in other animals." - Dr. Shirley Stru…

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Sasha Debevec-McKenney Reads Gabrielle Calvocoressi 38:47

3M ago38:47

38:47

Sasha Debevec-McKenney joins Kevin Young to read “Hammond B3 Organ Cistern,” by Gabrielle Calvocoressi, and her own poem “Kaepernick.” Debevec-McKenney is the author of the new poetry collection “Joy Is My Middle Name.” She was a Jay C. and Ruth Halls Poetry Fellow at the University of Wisconsin, and a creative-writing fellow at Emory University. H…

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Jeffrey Reed: Cry Wolf: Decoding the Language of the Wild 46:59

3M ago46:59

46:59

“I sit in the camp that is going to defend wildlife, and I will live and die in that space. Even though what I see is in the West, wolves have a bad reputation. It's still there…" -Jeffrey Reed What if we could understand wolves? How they communicate, what they might be saying? Jeffrey Reed, is a computational linguist, naturalist, and technologist…

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126: Debt Jubilee Economics 101 with Allison Pyburn 1:00:54

3M ago1:00:54

1:00:54

https://www.butterflyonbooks.com/book-package/ben Allison Pyburn is a consultant and writer specializing in global economics, monetary policy, environmental stewardship, and complex securities. She is the founder of Victoria Aelius, an advisory firm dedicated to assisting individuals and organizations in smoothly transitioning to emerging new econo…

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125: Sufi Politics for California with Butch Ware 1:08:39

4M ago1:08:39

1:08:39

https://www.cosmiclabyrinth.world/ Our guest is Dr. Rudolph "Butch" Ware, the California Green Party candidate. A distinguished Associate Professor of History at UC Santa Barbara, specializing in African and Islamic intellectual history, Dr. Ware brings a unique blend of academic rigor and lifelong activism to his campaign. He's also a prolific wri…

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Megan Fernandes Reads Hala Alyan 31:25

4M ago31:25

31:25

Megan Fernandes joins Kevin Young to read “Half-Life in Exile,” by Hala Alyan, and her own poem “On Your Departure to California.” Fernandes’s books include “I Do Everything I’m Told” and “Good Boys.” Her poems have been published widely, and she’s received fellowships from the Yaddo Foundation, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and the Hawthornden …

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Trevor Ritland: The Golden Toad 34:01

4M ago34:01

34:01

I think you could probably go back and track the stages of grief, probably that is what I went through. But I think if you do it right, you end up at acceptance. And that's where I ended up. And that's not to say that I've fully accepted the idea that the golden toad is extinct. Personally, I do still hold out hope that it could still be out there …

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124: Make Taxes Great Again with Erica Payne 1:05:39

4M ago1:05:39

1:05:39

https://caldec.org/ca-dougnut-snapshot/ ... Erica Payne is the founder and president of Patriotic Millionaires. She is a seasoned strategist, an author, and a fearless advocate for economic justice. She's appeared on countless media outlets, always pushing for policies that promote a more stable, prosperous, and equitable nation. https://costoflivi…

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123: Engineering Civic Possibilities with Tatheer Adnan 55:58

4M ago55:58

55:58

https://www.cosmiclabyrinth.world/ Tatheer Adnan worked as a data scientist for two years before transitioning into public service at LA County. Her roles have ranged from managing data and systems for nonprofits receiving the federal ARPA grants to leading operations at Housing for Health. A strong advocate for bringing engineering and systems-thi…

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Reuven Bank and Andrew Kim: When the Ocean Lost Its Stars 30:54

4M ago30:54

30:54

By Species Unite

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122: Regenerating Generosity with Ruth Andrade 1:06:01

5M ago1:06:01

1:06:01

https://www.cultivatingself.org/ x https://bioticship.com/ x https://www.cosmiclabyrinth.world/ Ruth Andrade is an embodiment of the feminine divine operating in a way that empowers all beings, in the modern world, with actual funding and organizational support. Her work with Lush Cosmetics has transformed the landscape of ecological and sustainabl…

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Delcianna Winders: The Beginning of the End of Animal Testing 40:08

5M ago40:08

40:08

“We don't actually know how many animals we're testing on in this country, because most of them are not protected by any laws. There's not even a requirement that you track their numbers.” – Delcianna Winders Today, I have the pleasure of sharing some genuinely promising news. For decades, the FDA and NIH have required or relied on animal testing a…

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Jeff Kerr: Our First Amendment Right to Receive Communications (from Monkeys) 30:14

5M ago30:14

30:14

"It is a scientific fact that these macaques, like all other primates, including humans, are communicating. They communicate in much the same way we do - facial expressions, vocalizations, body postures, those kinds of things." - Jeff Kerr Jeff Kerr is PETA foundations Chief Legal Officer. I asked him to come on the show to talk about one of PETA’s…

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Erika Meitner Reads Philip Levine 36:27

5M ago36:27

36:27

Erika Meitner joins Kevin Young to read “What Work Is,” by Philip Levine, and her own poem “To Gather Together.” Meitner’s books include “Useful Junk” and “Holy Moly Carry Me,” which won the 2018 National Jewish Book Award in Poetry. She is currently a Mandel Institute Cultural Leadership Program Fellow, and she’s the director of the M.F.A. program…

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Isabella La Rocca Gonzalez: Censored Landscapes 31:41

5M ago31:41

31:41

"The one that really surprised me was the organic humane Certified Egg Farm. I thought Humane Certified would at least mean that I would see some chickens running around somewhere, but it looked exactly the [00:00:30] same as any other egg facility. They were just big warehouses. You don't see a chicken anywhere in sight. And then I learned, of cou…

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John Kinder: World War Zoos 42:33

5M ago42:33

42:33

John Kinder is the director of American studies and a professor of history at Oklahoma State University. And he is an author. His most recent book is called World War Zoos: Humans and Other Animals in the Deadliest Conflict of the Modern Age. John’s book tells a story most of us have never heard: what happened to the world’s zoos—and the animals in…

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121: Intersectional Justice with Lamisa Chowdhury 53:30

5M ago53:30

53:30

https://www.cultivatingself.org/ Lamisa Chowdhury is a leader in creating systemic evolution. She is currently the Program Officer at Patagonia, and leads the Thriving Communities program. She has deep roots with agriculture, both from growing up in Kansas to supporting rural communities across the country and the world. https://bioticship.com/…

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Richard (Kudo) Couto: The Hidden Horror Behind a Billion-Dollar Brand 42:18

6M ago42:18

42:18

“I used to be the largest dairy consumer on the planet. I used to eat so much dairy and meat. The more that I looked into the dairy industry, the more that I saw that it was the singular, most inhumane industry on the planet, that we've all been lied to, including myself, for years. I always believed that the picture on the milk carton, the cow sta…

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David St. John Reads Larry Levis 41:30

6M ago41:30

41:30

David St. John joins Kevin Young to read “Picking Grapes in an Abandoned Vineyard,” by Larry Levis, and his own poem “The Shore.” St. John is the author of many poetry collections and the recipient of honors including the Rome Fellowship and an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the O. B. Hardison Prize from the Folg…

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Meredith Blanchard: We’ve Cured Cancer in Mice for Decades 54:41

6M ago54:41

54:41

“There's a drug called vioxx that was found to be safe and effective in animal trials, so they moved it on to preclinical trials in humans. Once on the market, that drug caused 88,000 people to have heart attacks and killed 38,000 people.” Meredith Blanchard We have some big news at Species Unite. In January and February, our team traveled to Bainb…

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Rob Read: When the Ocean Bleeds 48:55

6M ago48:55

48:55

“One year, we actually offered the Faroe Islanders One million pounds to stop the hunts. 1 million pounds, which would go to promoting whale and dolphin tourism to the islands and marine conservation education to Faroese kids in schools. And the Faroese response to our offer was the most emphatic no you've ever had in your life. They actually held …

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Andrew Stein: Living with Lions 46:39

7M ago46:39

46:39

“If we march into that village and we start trying to persecute people for using poison, something that's very illegal, nobody's going to talk to us. We're not going to find out where the poison came from. We're not going to be able to shut anything down. We should take the approach that people are using poison because they're desperate, because th…

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Jaap de Roode: Doctors by Nature 43:08

7M ago43:08

43:08

"But it makes a lot of sense especially when you think about how traditional healers and shamans have worked, they haven't felt that separation from nature like Western medics do. And so to rely on the knowledge of other species actually makes a lot of sense. It's probably a lot more than we know at the moment." - Jaap de Roode Jaap de Roode is a b…

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Edward Hirsch Reads Gerald Stern 31:05

7M ago31:05

31:05

Edward Hirsch joins Kevin Young to read, “96 Vandam,” by Gerald Stern, and his own poem “Man on a Fire Escape.” Hirsch's honors include a MacArthur Fellowship, a National Book Critics Circle Award, the Pablo Neruda International Presidential Medal of Honor, and a National Jewish Book Award. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

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Jonathan Birch: The Edge of Sentience 31:21

7M ago31:21

31:21

“I mean, organoids in general are very exciting replacements for animal research because you could model a kidney or a liver or a or a heart without taking them from a real animal, which it’s very important to support that kind of thing. But yes, when it's the brain, there's this fear that you might end up creating another sentient being. And then …

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Elizabeth MeLampy: Forget the Camel 39:33

8M ago39:33

39:33

"The basic premise of the event is that hunters hunt rattlesnakes from the surrounding environment all across West Texas, and bring them into the roundup for the weekend. And during the roundup, these snakes are kept in a pit and then, one by one, beheaded and skinned in front of in front of audiences." - Elizabeth MeLampy Elizabeth MeLampy is a la…

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Tom Sciolla: Free the Animals 51:23

8M ago51:23

51:23

"When we arrived, we had no records, we had nothing. We had no documentation. And one of one of the first things that you have to actually prove to all of these international government parties and so on, you need to you need to say, where did you get this elephant? And we had no idea. We were actually government officials, and we had this elephant…

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120: Indigenous Rights of Nature & Currency with Drea Burbank 56:03

8M ago56:03

56:03

https://www.cultivatingself.org/reclaiminghealthcarefellowship Drea Burbank is a brilliant delinquent savant. She is an MD, technologist, and serial entrepreneur. Her work with Savimbo is changing the future of the Amazon by empowering farmers and communities with resources to thrive while they steward the Amazon. Drea is also passionate about prev…

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Jericho Brown Reads Elizabeth Alexander 36:29

8M ago36:29

36:29

Jericho Brown joins Kevin Young to read, “When,” by Elizabeth Alexander, and his own poem, “Colosseum.” Jericho Brown, who received the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in poetry for his collection “The Tradition.” He’s a 2024 MacArthur Fellow and a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

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Andrianna Natsoulas: Don't Cage Our Oceans 40:50

8M ago40:50

40:50

“That's taxpayer’s money that is going to support research and development and pilot projects to develop a food system that is based on environmental destruction and greed and disregard for animals, fish, and any of the other marine mammals that might be around it.” - Andrianna Natsoulas Andrianna Natsoulas is the campaign director for Don't Cage O…

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119: Poverty to Prosperity with Danya Pastuszek 1:04:54

8M ago1:04:54

1:04:54

https://www.butterflyonbooks.com/book-package/ben ... Danya Pastuszek is a leader in the movement to eradicate poverty. She is the President and CEO of the Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement and has been an executive with the United Way of Salt Lake. Danya is committed to serving the community and reimagining ways for all peoples to have a…

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Jeff Sebo: The Moral Circle 46:04

8M ago46:04

46:04

“It is a little bit terrifying, because it means that AI systems are going to be entering this uncanny valley where we are not sure how to experience them in five or ten years. You might be talking to Siri on your phone, or ChatGPT on your laptop, or your Roomba, vacuuming your floor. You might be talking to these beings and genuinely be unsure whe…

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John Jurko: Rhino Man 24:31

8M ago24:31

24:31

“I think it's really the amounts of money that they're able to offer people paired with the violence that they're willing to put on people. It's very much like the drug cartels in Mexico, just more focused on poaching of wildlife.” – John Jurko John Jurko is a director and producer of the film, Rhino Man, an award winning documentary which highligh…

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Jason Edwards: From Icebergs to Iguanas 30:42

9M ago30:42

30:42

“I know that one day for me in Antarctica, one morning for me in Antarctica is a dream for someone who will never get there. Because it's hard to get to. So, I don't waste those opportunities. I don't sit there and go, ‘I'm in Antarctica again.’ No, my brain will not go to that space because I know that people would kill [to be there]. I am the por…