KJZZ's Word
80 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingKJZZ's "Word" podcast about literature is hosted by Tom Maxedon.
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Episodes
Word S11:S2 – Crime from E.A. Aymar, Gary Sarnoff plays ball, science with NPR’s Nell Greenfieldboyce
February 27, 2024 15:49 - 27 minutes - 38.3 MBOn this episode of KJZZ's Word podcast about literature, we feature stories about a crime, a baseball historian with a century-old tale and science from an NPR correspondent. Plus, we have the winner of this year’s KJZZ Haiku Writing Contest.
Word S11:E1 – Erotica, haikus and HBCUs with Rosemarie Dombrowski and NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe
February 06, 2024 17:00 - 23 minutes - 32.1 MBTo kick off Season 11, this episode of Word features author awards, an NPR host, poetry and the annual KJZZ Haiku Writing Contest.
Word S10.8 – 2023 highlights and 'Tiny Library' winners
December 27, 2023 15:18 - 40 minutes - 55 MBOn this season-ending episode of Word, we highlight some of those who appeared during 2023. It's a "Fest Of Us," celebrating literature and the winners of KJZZ's "Tiny Library" drawing.
Word S10:E7 – Betsy Coffeen, Kelly Barnhill and Theodore Wheeler
December 12, 2023 15:44 - 23 minutes - 31.7 MBOn this episode we catch up with children’s authors who discuss the importance of empathy and interconnectedness as well as a former journalist who has a page-turning new historical novel about an American reporter who turned into a mouthpiece for Nazi propaganda during World War II.
Word S10:E6 – ‘Books We Love’ with Riyon Harding, Craig Santos Perez and NPR’s Andrew Limbong
November 28, 2023 15:49 - 23 minutes - 32.5 MBOn this episode of KJZZ's Word podcast about literature, we feature the winner of the National Book Award for his collection of poetry. Plus, the holiday season means it’s time for NPR’s annual, “Books We Love" feature. Also, a children's author offers two new interactive titles.
Word S10.4 — Magic, Marvel and Lincoln with Roland Lazenby, Gavin Edwards and NPR's Steve Inskeep
October 31, 2023 17:05 - 26 minutes - 36.9 MBIt’s Halloween and on this episode, we explore Magic, Marvel and President Abraham Lincoln.
Word S10:E3 – Carew Papritz on banning books, plus murder with J.A. Jance and Chuck Palahniuk
October 17, 2023 15:28 - 28 minutes - 38.5 MBOn this episode, Word spotlights horror in numerous ways from banned books to a new novel about a murdered Indigenous woman, as well a murder satire of cozy mysteries. Guests include Carew Papritz, J.A. Jance and Chuck Palahniuk.
Word S10:E2 – ‘Tempe’s Got Talent’ with Austin Davis, plus YA lit from Mary Vensel White and J. Elle
September 26, 2023 14:26 - 29 minutes - 40.5 MBPoets and storytellers have an opportunity to perform in the Valley, plus we feature young adult travel and romance set in Arizona, as well as a YA fantasy/romance rooted in dark magic.
Word S10.E1 – Anecdotes: Baseball, biography and Bob Dylan
September 12, 2023 14:17 - 27 minutes - 38.1 MBOn this Season 10 opener of KJZZ's Word podcast hosted by Tom Maxedon, it’s all about anecdotes.In this episode, we feature conversations about minor league baseball, the only Latino governor of Arizona, Raúl Héctor Castro, affectionately known as Raúlito, plus tales on the road about legendary troubadour Bob Dylan.
Word S9:E8 — Travels and travails take us into summer
June 13, 2023 15:06 - 27 minutes - 38 MBOn this episode of Word, it’s the season-ender! We discuss reading events beyond the upcoming Juneteenth holiday that offer a deeper connection to why it’s celebrated. Plus, a literary conversation from Kenya happened while on "vacation," and I returned to the Valley to discuss a debut novel from an ASU professor emerita.
Word S9:E7 — My cousin wasn't a murderer, and other fabulous parameters of this penultimate pod
May 16, 2023 15:11 - 24 minutes - 34.2 MBOn this episode, a Diné writer releases her first novel. Plus, we examine an international true-crime story by a Valley poet-turned sleuth. And, we extend a bow to Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a day at the Kentucky Derby.
Word S9:E6 — Lizzo, language and love usher in May
May 09, 2023 15:40 - 24 minutes - 33.9 MBComing up on this episode, musician Lizzo is the subject of a new graphic short story series.Plus, a linguist argues for bad language … "Like, literally, dude."And, a rapid-fire play examines the search for love and dignity by single Black females.
Word S9:E5 — National Poetry Month ‘Goes. So. Fast.’
April 18, 2023 13:33 - 35 minutes - 48.5 MBNational Poetry Month continues on this episode of Word, which also features crime fiction, a novel set in 1940s Harlem, plus a memoir from journalist and NPR's "All Things Considered" co-host Marie Louise Kelly.
Word S9:E4 – Country music in the West and poetry reverberate the sounds of spring
April 04, 2023 15:01 - 24 minutes - 34 MBCountry music in the West and poetry reverberate the sounds of spring in this episode of Word, a podcast about literature in Arizona and the region.
Word S9:E3 — Shakespeare, hiking, poetry on vinyl and a haiku winner share some thematic space
February 28, 2023 16:18 - 32 minutes - 44.2 MBShakespeare, hiking in Arizona, poetry on vinyl and a haiku winner share some thematic space on this KJZZ podcast about literature in Arizona and the region. It's hosted by Tom Maxedon.
Word S9:E2 — From prison to park, a festival of haiku continues anew
February 14, 2023 17:11 - 26 minutes - 36.5 MBA Valley resident turns experience as a former prison inmate into a graphic novel, an addiction to an anti-anxiety drug leads to a debut mystery, the KJZZ Annual Haiku Writing Contest keeps on chugging and Arizona Matsuri returns to Phoenix, in person.
Word S9:E1 — ‘Pay Attention. Be Astonished. Tell About It’: Sci-Fi, Black History and Haiku
February 01, 2023 16:46 - 29 minutes - 40.6 MBComing up on this Season 9 opener of Word, wanna get off this planet? A new sci-fi novel examines the implications of doing so and what it means for sustainability for those of us who choose to stay on it.
Word S8:E8 — 'Fest-of-Us'
December 20, 2022 15:42 - 36 minutes - 49.9 MBComing up on this Season 8-ender of Word, we go on a show bender with highlights spanning the entire run-of-show from where it started on the island of Guam in 2016 until now.
Word S8:E7 — 'Who Do We Owe?'
December 06, 2022 16:12 - 31 minutes - 42.8 MBOn this penultimate episode of Word for 2022, a local creative peppers the episode with perseverance, imagination, elevation and empowerment while asking the question: “Who do we owe?”
Word S8:E6 – What does the NEA Big Read program, NaNoWriMo and Linda Ronstadt have in common?
November 22, 2022 14:30 - 24 minutes - 34.1 MBOn this episode of KJZZ's Word, the application window for the National Endowment for the Arts' Big Read grants is open. Plus, National Novel Writing Month, known as NaNoWriMo, is winding down and writers are feverishly trying to finish 50,000 words by Nov. 30.Finally, music icon and one of Arizona’s beloved daughters, Linda Ronstadt, has a new memoir.
Word S8:E4 — What do an Old West mystery, a transgender firefighter and NaNoWriMo have in common?
November 08, 2022 15:26 - 24 minutes - 34 MBWhat do an Old West mystery/fantasy novel, a former transgender firefighter and NaNoWriMo have in common? Find out on this episode of KJZZ's Word. It's a podcast about literature in Arizona and the region.
Word S8:E4 — What do outlaws, dysfunctional family outings and a Scottish bookstore have in common?
October 25, 2022 14:27 - 24 minutes - 34.2 MBWhat do outlaws, dysfunctional family outings and a Scottish bookstore have in common? Find out on this episode of Word. It's a KJZZ podcasted hosted by Tom Maxedon.
Word S8:E3 — What does kid lit and the courage of a Mexican woman journalist have in common?
October 04, 2022 17:58 - 23 minutes - 32.8 MBWhat does kid lit and the courage of a Mexican woman journalist have in common? Find out in this episode of Word, a podcast hosted by KJZZ's Tom Maxedon about literature in Arizona and the region.
Word S8:E2 — What do vampires, poetry and Agatha Christie have in common?
September 21, 2022 14:15 - 24 minutes - 34 MBWhat do vampires, poetry and Agatha Christie have in common? Find out in this episode of Word, a podcast hosted by KJZZ's Tom Maxedon about literature in Arizona and the region.
Word S8:E1 — What do detectives, mobsters, jazz musicians and fall have in common?
September 06, 2022 14:17 - 36 minutes - 50.8 MBWhat do detectives, mobsters, jazz musicians, and fall have in common? Those are some of the themes we explore on the Season 8 opener of Word. It’s a podcast about literature in Arizona and the region hosted by KJZZ’s Tom Maxedon.
Word S7:E8 — Birds, murder and swingers cap our season
June 07, 2022 15:19 - 24 minutes - 33.3 MBWhat do a middle-grade novelist, thriller enthusiast and swingers have in common? It’s all fodder for the season ender of Word, a podcast about literature in Arizona and the region hosted by KJZZ’s Tom Maxedon.
Word S7:E7 — An Arizona teen advances in 'Poetry Out Loud' and an anthology raises money for Ukraine
May 24, 2022 14:38 - 26 minutes - 35.9 MBWhat do a Coconino high school student, a novelist and writer for the San Francisco Chronicle as well as a poet from Fountain Hills have in common?
Word S7:E6 — Ghostwriting proves lucrative and the summer reading season kicks off soon
May 03, 2022 15:17 - 29 minutes - 40.4 MBWhat do a children's author with a new release, an action-adventure writer who pivoted during the pandemic to ghostwriting and a librarian have in common?
Word S7:E5 — Explore the fight to organize labor and National Poetry Month
April 19, 2022 16:59 - 39 minutes - 54.5 MBWhat do a labor organizer who fought to unionize industrial laundry workers in the Valley, poets from the state, a teen writer who wrote a book about women poets and a legend of open mic have in common?
Word S7:E4 – People’s best friend and National Poetry Month spring into action
April 05, 2022 14:04 - 24 minutes - 33.8 MBWord returns from spring break with new conversations about kid lit, Valley poets preparing to go geopolitical vs. Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine during National Poetry Month and the upcoming Tucson Poetry Festival.
Word S7:E3 — The mythical Phoenix flies acapella and KJZZ's haiku contest has a winner
February 28, 2022 14:01 - 33 minutes - 46.7 MBWhat do a KJZZ reporter, the former Phoenix poet laureate, a Valley haiku poet with a new haiku trilogy and the winner of this year’s Haiku Writing Contest have in common?
Word S7:E2 — National Haiku Writing Month continues; the Tucson Festival of Books returns in person
February 15, 2022 17:27 - 26 minutes - 35.9 MBWhat do a Scottsdale memoirist, a Tucson coffee shop/bookstore owner — who's also a haiku enthusiast as well as a crime writer — and a Tucson Festival of Books panelist have in common? They’re all part of this episode of KJZZ’s Word. It’s a podcast about literature in Arizona and the region hosted by Tom Maxedon.
Word S7:E1 — It’s National Haiku Writing Month and KJZZ’s annual Haiku Writing Contest
February 01, 2022 17:47 - 25 minutes - 34.7 MBWhat do a debut novelist from Tucson, a Nigerian-American young adult and fantasy writer who just moved to the Valley as well as a teacher who is part of the Arizona Matsuri steering committee in Phoenix have in common? They comprise our Season 7 opener episode of "Word." It’s a podcast about literature in Arizona and the region.
Word S6:E7 — Seasons endings bring reflection and a look forward
January 01, 2022 17:47 - 27 minutes - 38.2 MBWhat do a former hotshot from Arizona, a Valley poet with a new collection about addiction as well as a planetary scientist and creative writer from Tucson have in common? They comprise our season-ending episode of "Word." It’s a podcast about literature in Arizona and the region.
Word S6:E6 — Friends make the holidays memorable
December 07, 2021 15:48 - 30 minutes - 41.6 MBWhat do a poetry library director from Tucson, a Lipan Apache Earth scientist/young adult novelist and a Tempe poet have in common? They are returning friends on this episode of Word. It's a podcast about literature in Arizona and the region.
Word S6:E5 — Exploring the human condition is a past, present and future endeavor
November 22, 2021 23:22 - 30 minutes - 42.4 MBExplore the human condition in the past, present and future with a historical fiction writer, a Phoenix poet and a Valley gaming enthusiast.
Word S6:E4 – Something thrilling comes this way; honoring Black Poetry Day
November 22, 2021 23:19 - 30 minutes - 42.6 MBWhat do a Valley financial advisor/novelist, tireless advocate of the arts and poet in her own right, and a teacher/spoken word artist in Phoenix have in common?
Word S6:E3 — Wanderlust is our theme
October 12, 2021 18:44 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBOn this first October offering of “Word,” wanderlust is our theme. We explore what Valley teacher and writer Marla-Tiye Vieira; southern New Mexico scholar, fiction writer and poet Ana Castillo; as well as longtime producer of Anthony Bourdain’s TV shows, Tom Vitale, have to contribute to our itinerary.
Word S6:E2 — Breaking The Mold — Part 2
September 22, 2021 00:16 - 28 minutes - 39.3 MBWhat do a Tucson rancher, a poet who's lauded by NPR and the new Phoenix youth poet laureate have in common? Find out on "Word" S6:E2 hosted by Tom Maxedon from KJZZ. It's a podcast about literature in Arizona and the region.
Word S6:E1 — Breaking The Mold
September 07, 2021 17:00 - 33 minutes - 46.4 MBIn this Season 6 opener of "Word," we run the gamut from dealing with post-traumatic stress as a veteran and personal migration stories by Black people living in Arizona to a romantic comedy based in Phoenix that deals with the opioid crisis.
Word S5:E8 — Indigenous Detective Literature And Young Adult Fiction
May 26, 2021 16:44 - 30 minutes - 41.8 MBWhat are you reading this summer? We have some suggestions by Arizona writers for adults and youth or those who don’t want to adult for a minute and feel their youth again. Hear their stories on this Season 5 ender of “Word,” a KJZZ podcast about the literary arts in Arizona and the region, hosted by Tom Maxedon.
Word S5 E7: Indigenous Futurisms And Climate Fiction
May 11, 2021 16:50 - 24 minutes - 34.2 MBWhat do indigenous futurism, young adult fantasy literature and climate have in common? Find out on "Word" — a KJZZ podcast about the literary arts in Arizona and the region hosted by Tom Maxedon.
Word S5:E6 – Nat'l Poetry Month Part 3 — PPE — Pandemic Poetry Extravaganza
April 28, 2021 17:05 - 57 minutes - 78.5 MBWhat do the Vietnamese diaspora, Beat/Wagner-inspired poetry, The Diné Reader and Black Lives Matter have in common? We explore those connections in this double-issue of Word as we close out National Poetry Month with PPE: a Pandemic Poetry Extravaganza.
Word S5:E5: National Poetry Month Part 2 — Valley Of The Poet
April 13, 2021 16:59 - 27 minutes - 38.2 MBNational Poetry Month continues and after a virtual trip to Tucson last episode, we come back to the “Valley of the Poet” and explore some intriguing questions.
Word S5:E4: National Poetry Month Part 1 — The Tucson Episode
April 01, 2021 17:00 - 29 minutes - 40.4 MBComing up on “Word," we’re back from spring break and just in time for National Poetry Month. On this episode, we head to the University of Arizona Poetry Center in Tucson — well via Zoom anyway. Plus, we sample some poetry and talk verse with Tucson writers.
Word S5:E3 — NaHaiWriMo Finale, Plus Desert Nights Rising Stars
March 04, 2021 00:14 - 41 minutes - 57.2 MBNational Haiku Writing Month — NaHaiWriMo — concludes. On this episode, we will talk briefly with the randomly selected winner of KJZZ’s third-annual Haiku Writing Contest.
Word S5 E2: National Haiku Writing Month (NaHaiWriMo) — Part 2
February 16, 2021 22:17 - 32 minutes - 44 MBNa Hai Wri Mo — National Haiku Writing Month — continues, and so does KJZZ’s third-annual Haiku Writing Contest. This year’s theme: What's new for you during the pandemic? You can submit up to one original haiku per week. On this episode, we’ll catch up with organizers of this year’s Arizona Matsuri which is going virtual.
Word S5 E1: National Haiku Writing Month (NaHaiWriMo) — Part 1
February 01, 2021 18:31 - 30 minutes - 42 MBWelcome to the Season 5 opener of “Word” and the launch of KJZZ’s third-annual Haiku Writing Contest. This year’s theme: What's new for you during the pandemic?
Word S4 E7: NPR’s Scott Simon On ‘Trying’ — Plus Creative Nonfiction
December 18, 2020 17:01 - 35 minutes - 48.4 MBWelcome to the final episode of “Word” for this season. As we close out the 2020, we’re exploring nonfiction, something we don’t often discuss as a literary art form.
Word S4 E6: NaNoWriMo Part 3 — Crossing The Finish Line
December 08, 2020 20:30 - 32 minutes - 44.2 MBWhat do a retired veteran, a museum archivist and a technical writer have in common? They all finished the challenge of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and wrote at least a 50,000-word novel during November.