Matthew Felix On Air: People Who Create. People Who Make a Difference.

In this, the final episode of Matthew Félix on Air, recorded live on September 25, 2019 at LitWings at Book Passage in Corte Madera (San Francisco Bay Area), I trace the trajectory of the video podcast from its inception to this last episode. Thanks to all of you who have watched and listened over the past year and a half! I’ll be back in 2020 with new podcasts! Meanwhile, keep up on the latest on matthewfelix.com!

The show is on hiatus for the summer, so I’m digging into the archives for some great episodes from the recent past. On this episode, which aired in July of last year, Dandelion Chocolate’s Greg D’Alesandre tells us what it’s like to travel the world eating chocolate. He also talks about the craft-chocolate movement, why relationships with producers matter, and much more about the story behind both Dandelion itself and the beans behind the bars!

The show is on hiatus for the summer, so I’m digging into the archives for some great episodes from the recent past. On today’s show, which aired in June of last year, Anne Devereux-Mills, founder of Parlay House, Executive Director of the Emmy-nominated The Return, and Chairwoman of the Board of Marchex, Inc. shares how starting over led her to look at how we—and women, in particular—can not only have deeper, more meaningful interactions but how they can have an inspiring, empowering cascade effect on others.

The show is on hiatus for the summer, so I’m digging into the archives for some great episodes from the recent past. On this episode, which aired in July of last year and is also included in my Words and Images podcast, award-winning artist and writer Paul Madonna talks about the joys and lingering challenges of a trip to France, how his All Over Coffee series and novel Close Enough for the Angels deconstructed then rethought the relationship between words and images, and his series in the Nob Hill Gazette, Quotable City.

The show is on hiatus for the summer, so I’m digging into the archives for some great episodes from the recent past. On this episode, which aired in June of last year, I talk with Jamison Watts, Executive Director of the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT), about MALT’s history and mission, their recent successes and current goals, and how agricultural land is preserved—and why it matters. MALT has worked with 85 farming families to preserve over 52,000 acres!

The show is on hiatus for the summer, so I’m digging into the archives for some great episodes from the recent past. On this episode, which aired in March of last year, my friend Susan Violante shares how in her 20s she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a chronic autoimmune-system-related disorder. Her diagnosis, however, was a long-time coming—and is an unbelievable story. We talked about Susan's experiences, as well as how she managed the disease into remission and now leads a happy, healthy life.

The show is on hiatus for the summer, so I’m digging into the archives for some great episodes from the recent past. On this episode, which aired in March of last year, I talk with San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s Communications Director, Chris Cassidy. We discuss the Coalition’s history, mission, and initiatives. Chris also clues us into the the state of biking in San Francisco, including issues facing bikers and progress being made toward not only an increasingly bikable city—but an increasingly bikable world.

The show is on hiatus for the summer, so I’m digging into the archives for some great episodes from the recent past. This episode, which aired in July of last year, is the first of two episodes I did with Litquake co-founders Jane Ganahl and Jack Boulware; this being the one with Jane. Litquake is a literary festival based in San Francisco. In 2017 Litquake featured 850 authors, had 14,300 attendees, and held 180 events, 86% of which were free. And that’s not even including the many Litquake spinoff events held in cities throughout the United States and abroad. I specifically dug this episode out of the archives now because Litquake is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, and while the main festival doesn’t happen until October, festivities are already underway. In this episode, I talk with co-founder Jane Ganahl about the organization’s origins, its incredibly successful namesake festival, its year-round initiatives, and much more.

For this, my last live show until fall, my guest was Guide Dogs for the Blind CEO and President, Chris Benninger. We talked about GDB's mission and programs, including how puppies become guide dogs (from breeding to socializing to puppy raising to training) and how people with visual impairments connect with guide dogs. We also talked about what happens to career-change dogs (i.e., those deemed better suited to other life paths), when and what happens in retirement, and how people can adopt career-change or retired guide dogs. All Guide Dogs for the Blind programs and services are free of charge, so I asked Chris about ways people can help, from contributing financially to volunteering and more. A great conversation with a delightful, inspiring guest about a wonderful organization making a difference for so many throughout North America. Christine Benninger joined Guide Dogs for the Blind in April of 2014. Prior to joining GDB, she spent 17 years leading the Humane Society Silicon Valley, during which she and her team helped save the lives of tens of thousands of animals and greatly reduce pet overpopulation problems in Santa Clara County. Chris honed her business skills as an auditor with Arthur Andersen, as well as in her 15 years at Hewlett Packard, where she held managerial positions in the U.S., as well as in Europe. Chris holds an MBA from Stanford University, and she gives back to the community through her role on the board for non-profit Wildlife Impact, which is committed to protecting the diversity of wildlife and natural habitats throughout the world.

Rachel Howard’s gripping, moving debut novel, The Risk of Us, is just out, the story of a woman who longs to be a mother and the captivating yet troubled child she and her husband take in. In this second of two episodes, Rachel and I discuss the fears the adoptive couple has, as well as the incredible challenges they face when interacting with the system. Matthew asks Rachel about how she created and sustained the tension felt throughout the novel, issues the couple faces with the potential adoptive child, and how our pasts affect our abilities to give and receive unconditional love - and whether it’s even possible. Rachel Howard earned her MFA in fiction from Warren Wilson College and is the author of a memoir, The Lost Night, featured on This American Life. Rachel is the recipient of a MacDowell Colony fellowship, and her fiction, essays, and dance criticism have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and elsewhere.

Rachel Howard’s gripping, moving debut novel, The Risk of Us, is just out, the story of a woman who longs to be a mother and the captivating yet troubled child she and her husband take in. In this first of two episodes, Rachel and I discuss how she got started writing, an unlikely job that had a major influence on her work, and an overview of the novel. We also talked about the main characters in the novel and how trauma is a significant trait of two of them - and why it matters. Matthew also shares some foster care and adoption facts. Rachel Howard earned her MFA in fiction from Warren Wilson College and is the author of a memoir, The Lost Night, featured on This American Life. Rachel is the recipient of a MacDowell Colony fellowship, and her fiction, essays, and dance criticism have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and elsewhere.

Ernest White II is producer and host of the upcoming public television travel show Fly Brother. In this second of two episodes, we discussed what’s involved in getting a show onto and collaborating with public television; the first season of Fly Brother, including listening to a sneak peak from the first episode; and what’s involved in producing each episode. Ernest also shared the time he ate fire for an episode and we discussed the effect of overtourism on some travel destinations.

TAKING OFF SOON ON PUBLIC TELEVISION! ✈️ (Part 1 of 2) Ernest White II is producer and host of the upcoming public television travel show Fly Brother. In this first of two episodes, we discussed his recent experience at the Cannes Film Festival, his love of travel and how it led to Fly Brother, and the challenges and advantages of independently producing a TV show.

Bees have been in the news a lot the past few years, both for the critical problems they’ve been facing and our increasing awareness of how important they are not only intrinsically, but to our own survival. I talked all things bees with urban beekeeper Derek Garnier. We discussed why we need our fuzzy friends, the challenges they face, and how you can help. We also talked the how-tos of beekeeping, making honey, and much more!

“She upended a 1000-year old Sicilian tradition.” In 1966 a young girl in Sicily upended 1000 years of Sicilian custom by refusing to marry the man who raped her. I talked with author Natalie Galli about her new book, which recounts her quest - over twenty years later - to try to find The Girl Who Said No. Natalie Galli has written two illustrated children’s books, and her writing has been anthologized in Italy, A Love Story. She has worked as an editor and proofreader for Burning Books, as a columnist for The Berkeley Monthly, and as a freelance contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Mia Funk not only paints and writes, but she interviews accomplished creators as part of her Creative Process Exhibition, founded at the Sorbonne and traveling to 40 leading universities worldwide. I talked with Mia about her own work, the exhibition, and interviewing. We also discussed the Notre Dame catastrophe - which we witnessed firsthand together - her own creative process, both as it relates to her writing and to her painting, and much more.

Happy Easter! Author, filmmaker, and LitWings founder Erin Byrne has had - and continues to have - a long love affair with Paris. She’s written and edited books about it, and is currently working on another. She’s made a film here. She holds an annual event here. I talked with Erin about how it all began, the books and film, and, of course, her recent LitWings event, which was the impetus for my own trip. We also talked magical guides, past and present; writing; Erin’s time at a Paris institution, Shakespeare & Company bookstore; travel; and much more. We went deep, we had a lot of laughs. Erin even decided to hijack my close! :o Erin Byrne is the author of Wings: Gifts of Art, Life, and Travel in France, editor of two Vignettes & Postcards anthologies—one for Paris and one for Morocco—and she is writer of The Storykeeper film. Erin’s travel essays, poetry, fiction, and screenplays have won many awards including three Grand Prize Solas Awards, the Foreword Indies Book of the Year, an Accolade Award for film, and the Pinnacle Achievement Award. Erin is Travel Writing curator for The Creative Process Exhibition, which was launched at the Sorbonne and travels to the world’s leading universities. Her screenplay, Siesta, is in pre-production in Spain, and she is working on a novel set in the Paris Ritz during the occupation. Next show Artist, author, and Creative Process Exhibition founder Mia Funk.

Bonjour de Paris! Are you interested in Paris? Do you like suspenseful literary novels? Two unrelated questions, except that on this episode I talked about both with author David Downie. David is a San Francisco native who has lived in Paris for over thirty years and has written a new novel that takes place in the Pacific Northwest. We talked about Paris, his new novel, and much more. David Downie has written for over 50 publications worldwide including Bon Appétit, The Los Angeles Times, Town & Country Travel, The San Francisco Chronicle, epicurious.com, and Salon.com. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Paris, Paris: Journey into the City of Light, three Terroir guides, as well as several cookbooks and crime novels.

SF Weekly said that “Grover is funny as hell.” And I agree. Author, poet, and artist Martha Grover and I had a great chat about writing and visual art, her zine, Somnambulist, and her memoirs, including The End of My Career - a finalist for the 2017 Oregon Book Awards in creative nonfiction. We also discussed process, some of the main themes in her work (work, illness, sex and relationships, humor), and her current project, a graphic memoir. Through it all, we also had a lot of laughs! A fun, inspiring conversation. Next show Writer, filmmaker, and LitWings founder Erin Byrne and I chat in Paris, France!

It was great having fellow Marsh-ian, stage performer, and podcast producer Natacha Ruck in the studio! We compared our recent experiences developing and performing our solo stages shows at San Francisco’s The Marsh theater, talked about Natacha’s other stage work, and much more! Natacha Ruck's documentary work has appeared at the MoMA, the Whitney Museum of American Art, as well as on National Geographic, NBC NY, and Link TV. Her podcasting work has appeared on NPR affiliates nationally and locally. She teaches multimedia storytelling at the University of San Francisco (USF), is workshopping a solo performance, and runs DoTellDo.com, a storytelling service company.