Its the first episode of Et in Arcadia Ego since Andrew moved to Alabama.  In this episode, Andrew talks to Aaron Traywick, a junior at the University of Montevallo, about ValloCycle, perhaps the first bike-share program that is a collaboration between a university and a community.  Listen to the episode here, or download on iTunes.

(L-R) Aaron Traywick, Ken Jones, and Hollie Cost pose for a photo at the public announcement of the ValloCycle program

Aaron talks about the program’s origins, the speed of our lives, and the convenience of cars.

Production credits:  The theme music is “Invisible Walls,” by Resolution Void (released under a Creative Commons license).

At long, at last, the final episode from the University of Kentucky version of Et in Arcadia Ego is released. 

Andrew sits down to talk with Nathan Estes and Chris Barlow about the production of nature, Kentucky Tourism videos, and hiking in the Red River Gorge.  Download the link above or on any of the other services you use.

The Arcadians are back, ready to go with a new episode.  Today, Andrew sits down to talk with Nneka Udechukwu about mountaintop removal in Eastern Kentucky.  Nneka, who moved to Kentucky from Nigeria a couple years ago, shares her learning experiences at UK and her experience of protest and politics in Eastern Kentucky’s mining culture.  They talk about Wendell Berry’s recent sit-in at Frankfort and the connections between mountaintop removal and Shakespeare’s The Tempest. You can listen to the episode here or download it on iTunes.

Nneka recommends Erik Reece’s Lost Mountain.  Andrew gives a shout-out to Kathy Mattea and her album Coal.

The podcast is back!  After a nearly two-year break, we’ve got a slate of episodes about pastoral lined up.  I’ve recorded episodes with several students from my summer literature class on pastoral.  The first one to be released is about the problem of Asian carp.  In the latest episode, which you can download here, Tim Hanner sits down to talk about the threat to freshwater fisheries in his home state of Illinois.

Who can fish or enjoy the lake in these conditions?

Like many invasive species, Asian carp are supremely evolved and take over ecosystems at the expense of other life forms.  A recent ESPN Outside the Lines report illustrates the problem.  You might also want to take a look at the efforts of the Peoria Carp Hunters to get a sense of how prolific these fish are.

Tim recommends several pastoral items, including Philip Roth’s American Pastoral.  Andrew suggests that those interested in invasive species take a look at Robert Sullivan’s Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City’s most Unwanted Inhabitants.  He also suggests John Leland’s Aliens in the Backyard.

Download today!

A python eats an alligator and explodes.

*Music credit:  “Redneck Yacht Club” by Craig Morgan.

Lately, we’ve been inundated with stories about the death of newspapers.  It would seem that print journalism is an increasingly obsolete aspect of our culture, especially since people tend to read online information sources and seek out news aggregators that reduce complexity into a blurb.  Outlets like NPR’s On the Media explore the reasons why we’ve moved away from printed newspapers, and even the Arcadians are talking about how attitudes toward our new media landscape may evoke pastoral nostalgia.

To hear the fifth episode of Et in Arcadia Ego, click here:  Basil Newspapers.  This episode is an hour long, and it’s truly a pastoral conversation about the quality of journalism today.  We begin by discussing an article by Richard Rodriguez called “Final Edition,” and then we focus on Lexington’s newest paper, North of Center. By the way, if you don’t know what a mimeograph is, click here!

Pastoral Recommendations

The graveyard of newspapers - tombstones for a bygone era of information.

Danny pitches a Rolling Stone article by Hunter S. Thompson entitled “The Battle of Aspen” (October 1, 1970).  In the early 1970s, Thompson ran for sheriff in Aspen and challenged the status quo.  He also mentions Rob Morris’s blog on construction in Lexington.  Visit and take him up on his offer for a free oil change from now until the end of 2009.

Hunter S. Thompson in 1981

Beth wants us all to consider the novel Wickerby:  An Urban Pastoral, by Charles Seibert.  She couldn’t remember the author’s name while on the air, unfortunately, but I guess that’s why we have post-production research.

Andrew suggests that listeners pick up a copy of North of Center and read James Agee’s Let us Now Praise Famous Men. It’s a classic expression of the journalist’s dilemma, and it’s supplemented with a series of famous photographs by Walker Evans.

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Clearly, the hosts at Et in Arcadia Ego are more about leading a life of otium than producing good media.  But we’re back!  On this episode of the podcast, Andrew talks to Leah about the supermarket pastoral.  A form identified by Michael Pollan in his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma:  A Natural History of Four Meals, the supermarket pastoral is a vision quest for pure foods and authentic experiences with nature.  Don’t miss this leisurely discussion, that covers the organic food industry, community gardening, the Obama’s White House, lead-infested garden, and more.

Leah recommends two novels by Ruth Ozeki, a Japanese American writer.

Andrew recommends a photo essay by James D. Griffioen.

In today’s episode, Andrew talks with Anne Mareck, University of Kentucky postdoctoral fellow and Assistant Director of Writing Program, about environmental activism and its place in the pastoral tradition.

Anne invites us all to attend An Evening with the Mountainkeepers on April 9, 2009.  The Arcadians hope to see you there.

Et in Arcadia Ego is back!  After a long break, the Arcadians are back in business.  In this episode, we wonder whether or not we can blame Bill Clinton on our economic woes.

An article in Time Magazine recently ranked Clinton as the 13th most culpable person in creating our current financial disaster.  Hannah and Andrew wonder if this is even the right question to ask.  Listen to the Arcadians hash this out.

Also, don’t miss the pastoral recommendations!

Andrew suggests that everyone read Jay Griffiths’ article “Art v. Pastoral,” which is in the current issue of Orion.

Hannah wants everyone to gear up for our coming episode on the pastoral tradition and the job market in higher education humanities disciplines.  See her link to a recent article in the New York Times that has been getting a lot of buzz.

And if you haven’t already, subscribe to the podcast via one of the services listed on our website.

Well, it’s a bit rough, the dialogue seems contrived at times, but we’re off.  Et in Arcadia Ego:  The Pastoral Podcast is born!

Click here for the first episode

Welcome to Et in Arcadia Ego, the podcast about pastoral and culture.  Please take a few minutes to look around on our site.  And do subscribe to our podcast.

Our first test episode leaves a little to be desired.