Postcards from Gravelly Beach artwork

Postcards from Gravelly Beach

101 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 4 ratings

Featuring spontaneous readings and erstwhile discourse from selected literary – from Russians to beats to contemporaries – plus usually smattering of original works by host Dave, often with eclectic assortment of music, and always recorded at splendid locale.

Books Arts Society & Culture Personal Journals daveolson uncleweed uncle weed daveo dave thorvald literature poetry discourse
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Episodes

“Personal Archeology” – Postcard #88 (+ via audio &/or video)

December 10, 2022 08:22 - 80 MB

Riffs about the glory of journals, diaries, notebooks full of musings and importance of turning off inner-critic and not overthinking while savoring the process of transcription, curation and further creative wonderment from Kura barn in provincial Japan. With evidence with my own process. Plus sorta re-cap how far I got about Circumnavigation poetry book project, … Continue reading “Personal Archeology” – Postcard #88 (+ via audio &/or video) →

Nepal Stupa Choruses – Postcard #87

November 23, 2022 08:10 - 39.2 MB

Washing dishes and busted spectacles lead to rowing a lake in Nepal figuring out deity, enlightenment, peace and power with choruses fresh from diaries – plus Royal hospitals, poetic devices and question mark eyebrows. Your turn Buddha, your turn. Don’t climb the mountain: Nepal Stupa Choruses – Postcard #87(39MB, 21:02, 256kbps mp3, stereo)

Indulge Me, Logistically – Postcard #86

November 09, 2022 07:53

Let’s not lose each other amidst the table cloth being pulled out from under glasses and dishes. Meaning: some technical jibber-jabber about claiming feeds sparks a history of these sporadic, occasional (yet somehow charming, right?) literary dispatches from hand-written XML to various blogs and feeds and meanderings. Plus, about me! My name is Dave Olson … Continue reading Indulge Me, Logistically – Postcard #86 →

Lost the Plot (Finding Home) – Postcard #85

November 10, 2021 05:26

Thinking about “going home in October” or even more, going far away from home via freeverse poetry, read directly from scribbled travel scrapbooks and backed by trains from Moncton to Sri Lanka and tuk tuks from Kerala and Thailand, by a weary fella in an olden barn in provincial Japan. Fondly home.  Be Lost at … Continue reading Lost the Plot (Finding Home) – Postcard #85 →

Simon, Stolen, Shame – Postcard #84

March 12, 2019 00:20 - 9.71 MB

A heart-wrenching poem about an abducted boy called Simon – who lived nearby, was my age and sorta looked like me – in Surrey, BC 1982 – by the “Beast of BC” Clifford Robert Olson (NO relation). Recorded and contributed to Dark Poutine Canadian True Crime podcast – shared here for posterity etc. RIP Simon and the … Continue reading Simon, Stolen, Shame – Postcard #84 →

Upon the Varley Trail – Postcard #83

February 26, 2019 00:20 - 29.4 MB

Along his namesake trail on banks of Lynn Creek comes story of Group of 7 bohemian painter Frederick Varley’s 10 wild years in Vancouver teaching and founding art schools, developing new aesthetics and shacking up in an $8 mountain home with mistress. Bring your own brushes: Upon the Varley Trail – Postcard #83 (30MB, 20:50, mp3, … Continue reading Upon the Varley Trail – Postcard #83 →

Rainy Mystery Alley (with Marty)

February 14, 2019 07:03

Analog loops, guitars, feedback and poetry about impossible alleys, 8 seat bars, villages with book shops, woolen scarves, Fado, Kathmandu mud, and umbrellas thwarting tactility. Made by “Thorvald and Thurston” in a Provo basement, 2018 Read along: Rainy Mystery Alley poem Available via:  iTunes Spotify Soundcloud Ggle Play

What Love Might Be… – Postcard #82

February 04, 2019 11:29

Love in (most) all forms – from self to romance to heartbreak – explored through poems including: mis-quote from (probably not) Jack Kerouac, Khalil Gibran advising his son, Mary Oliver reminding to trust, (Angela) Anaïs (Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira) Nin’s recklessness, Leonard Cohen recalling flowers to a shy lover, Katie Buemann picking up a sword – plus … Continue reading What Love Might Be… – Postcard #82 →

Transient Cultural Riffs – Postcard #81

December 25, 2018 10:51

Full of mis-spoken words, forgotten names and other sloppiness comes annotated thoughts (squished through time and space) for shut-ins, drifters and sufferers amidst erstwhile festive melancholy times of disruption and tumult, including poems – read alongside mosquito and rooster sounds – by: Sohaib Ahmed Alan Halsey Charles Bukowski David Smalley Kat Code Dave Olson John … Continue reading Transient Cultural Riffs – Postcard #81 →

Sensei Larry’s Wisdom – Postcard #80

November 18, 2018 00:20

Upon turning 70 years old, Dave’s dear sensei (since a teenage Utah community college stint), Larry Harper (among various monikers) curated 70 items of advice (at request of Annie Dandelion). As such, between licks by Grateful Dead and master potter Marty Kendall, he riffs the list – ranging from practical to mystical to almost comical, … Continue reading Sensei Larry’s Wisdom – Postcard #80 →

A Circumnavigation of Sorts – Postcard #79

July 20, 2018 07:18

Float to Istanbul, Muscat and elsewhere, and check in with Cleopatra, Shakespeare, Francis Drake, Shah of Persia, Adam, Cain, Abel, Lawrence, Ataturk, Czars Nicholas and Alexander, Matt Harding, Russia oligarchs, well-fed stray cats, unidentified shortwave broadcasts, Abraham, Norman, Matt Harding, rowers, drummers, a blonde dog and you and me… finding the edges of the globe. … Continue reading A Circumnavigation of Sorts – Postcard #79 →

Disappearing for Invigoration – Postcard #78

June 09, 2018 05:32

Disappearing, invisibility, loneliness, depression, anxiety, being lost, trying to not be found, trying to find white space to invigorate… Sometimes these weave together, other times (perhaps) each remain exclusive. Gord Downie, Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski and me all try to figure out the nuance in different ways atop Turkish street music, trains from Kerala and … Continue reading Disappearing for Invigoration – Postcard #78 →

Hospital Letters and Flames – Postcard #77

May 27, 2018 08:20

In hospital with sedated Grandpa, Dave reads complete “Letters from Russia” epistolary literature project with frequent interruptions from visitors, nurses and medical apparatus. The letters address issues of class, revolutions, monarchy, war, trade, and love in the context of Napoleon’s foray into Russia in 1812 through letters from a cobbler to his fiancé in Paris. … Continue reading Hospital Letters and Flames – Postcard #77 →

Forward Momentum to Florida – Postcard #76

May 13, 2018 12:20

Puffing along a trail recounting leaving cold, miserable London en route to post-hurricane Florida with flashbacks to working in Rheinplatz grade fields, gathering chestnuts to sell for beer and bread money, strange encampments at Oktoberfest, and hitchhiking to Amsterdam with gaggle of pals. To London by ferry and rapid exit via cheap flight Florida, quickly … Continue reading Forward Momentum to Florida – Postcard #76 →

Thunderstorms in the Crash Years – Postcard #75

May 11, 2018 20:00

  Amidst a thunderstorm at 4AM on a balcony in Chiang Mai, Dave discusses – with excessive frankness and emotion – various medical conundrums (Fibromyalgia and CFS-ME) and details the physical feelings of “crash mode” as well as the mental strain in dealing with self de-identification and inter-personal relationships, confusion in seeking help, and various … Continue reading Thunderstorms in the Crash Years – Postcard #75 →

Listening to Sea – Postcard #74

May 06, 2018 12:20

Ship-to-shore transmissions with shortwave broadcasts from elusive listening posts, soundscapes from slow ships, and freeverse poetry about unanswered communiques, transitory conditions, arbitrary citizenships, invented geography, de-identification, and intentional disappearance. Features music: “Dream World” by Matt Harding from NYOSSS (New York, Orem, San Sebastian, & Shanghai), plus various shortwave broadcasts of dubious origin, and sound samples … Continue reading Listening to Sea – Post...

Eyes Towards Europe – Postcard #73

April 30, 2018 00:20

On a forgotten forest walk, Dave riffs a story about first trip to Europe – starting with trying not to puke over an Amsterdam bridge after a meeting new temporary coffee shop pals – with flashback to Mexican desert trips with Grandpa, LSD trips with VW bus-fixing pals, and family Grateful Dead road trip to … Continue reading Eyes Towards Europe – Postcard #73 →

(Poetic Farewell to) Ole Dead Gramps – Postcard #72

April 16, 2018 00:20

Paying poetic respects to recently deceased Grandpa in a rainforest with Walt Whitman, Charles Baudelaire, Chief Dan George and original works inspired by the globe rambling, oddly charming, big fish – while official funeral happening elsewhere. Originally recorded: May 13, 2006 Sit on a tree by the river: (Poetic Farewell to) Ole Dead Gramps – Postcard … Continue reading (Poetic Farewell to) Ole Dead Gramps – Postcard #72 →

Friendly Dehli Wanders – Postcard #71

February 17, 2018 00:20

First reflecting on Funiculars, Dave then reads works by poet friends from far-flung points including: Sohaib Ahmed recounting escaped love and lights, Adam Burningham examining towns atop streams, Amber Case on a languid roadtrip, and Robert Scales appreciating a sunrise and oblivion – plus music by guitarist Matt Harding and a rainstorm, crickets and cicadas from … Continue reading Friendly Dehli Wanders – Postcard #71 →

A Return to Nippon – Postcard #70

February 10, 2018 00:20

Returning to Japan for the first time since working as a mushroom farmer in the Tottori-ken mountains decades previous, Dave rambles on about the circumstance – then and now – while wandering near his pal’s goat farm. Riffs include: arriving in the snow and getting settled, bailing on job, hitch-hiking around islands, falling in love(ish), eating … Continue reading A Return to Nippon – Postcard #70 →

Preserving the Wildflower – Postcard #69

February 03, 2018 00:20

What becomes of the seemingly ephemeral creations we leave behind? Especially in the analog-days? Consider these in the context of missing cassette tapes made by a now departed poet/activist/scholar Foster and guitar-ing Mikael, who recorded spontaneous youthful riffs in parent’s basement in Utah. In this postcard, Mikael  Lewis sings “Wildflower (for Foster)” written by Dave in … Continue reading Preserving the Wildflower – Postcard #69 →

Changing Transit Routes – Postcard #68

January 27, 2018 00:20

Changing routes to think about the neighbourhoods – this Postcard is about rolling transit, everyplace and anywhere. Evidence comes in a transit route inspired spoken-word song and a smattering of poems including: odes to drivers, forgotten literary neighbourhoods, angry passengers, observed newspapers around Vancouver… plus a bit of Clayton the busker in the Seabus tunnel … Continue reading Changing Transit Routes – Postcard #68 →

Annapurna’s Holy Donkeys – Postcard #67

January 20, 2018 00:20

Amongst Nepal’s western Himalaya mountains comes poems about donkey trains hauling supplies, buffalos giving milk, porters hauling excess for misguided dreamers, monks with timeless chants, sunrise over mighty peaks, prayer wheels alongside trails to evoke the feeling of clambering along ancient stone paths shared with goats and farmers growing rice, lentils and children taking cold … Continue reading Annapurna’s Holy Donkeys – Postcard #67 →

Lonely Cold Water Flat – Postcard #66

January 13, 2018 00:20

Life in hotels, wandering alone and often blue and then the death of friends all converge in a series of poems including a song by Mikael Lewis about waiting for love in a Victorian hotel. Then, from the streets of Rome with a cappuccino comes a series about departed Rod H. Ash, including “Time Traveller” … Continue reading Lonely Cold Water Flat – Postcard #66 →

Dad’s Malibu Super Sport – Postcard #65

January 06, 2018 00:20

When I was growing up, Dad often spoke of his Chevy Malibu SS – his favourite car.  So, while on his death bed, I asked him to tell the story. He speaks about acquiring the vehicle, the budget, the deal, the financing terms and oh, also about the car and how he enjoyed having a … Continue reading Dad’s Malibu Super Sport – Postcard #65 →

Leaping Beyond Cynicism – Postcard #64

December 29, 2017 04:24

In tumultuous and confusing times, optimism and activism are the powerful antidotes for cynicism and fear. Two Bills share songs to assist in making this point. First B/William Lenker plays a spontaneous Squatters in Zion from his Steamboat Island woodshop, then Dave spiels about courageous – and sadly deceased Olympian – Rachel Corrie, followed by Billy … Continue reading Leaping Beyond Cynicism – Postcard #64 →

Remembrance Day with Vasco’s Bones – Postcard #63

November 11, 2017 19:11

From an olden church and (otherwise vacant) cenotaph at Fort Cochin, Kerala, India, Dave O – acknowledging an extended medical and death related hiatus – discusses the local history of colonization by Portuguese explorers, Dutch traders, then British Raj in the context of the colonization leading to exploitation, conscription and war with no meaning to … Continue reading Remembrance Day with Vasco’s Bones – Postcard #63 →

Poetic Stories about Goalies – Postcard #62

June 10, 2010 09:48 - 33.1 MB

Poet Randall Maggs discusses his book “Night Work” about the troubled soul of legendary hockey goalie Terry Sawchuk plus the nuances of story-telling, conversations with goaltenders, Sawchuk’s Ukrainian heritage and convergence of history and hockey with host Dave Thorvald Olson at the Robson Square covered outdoor rink in Vancouver following a poetry reading promoted by … Continue reading Poetic Stories about Goalies – Postcard #62 →

A Little Bit Better … if not Perfect – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 9/9

December 31, 2009 05:00

In the last narrative from the Clayquot trip in Summer 2006, the water ban is lifted and Uncle Weed discuses the economic costs caused by the shutdown as well as the tensions about tourist based economy and village lifestyle, considers ingredients for positive development, and tries to resolve some conundrums by evoking Henry David Thoreau … Continue reading A Little Bit Better … if not Perfect – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 9/9 →

Field Notes on Bevvies, Birds and Bowls – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 8/9

December 30, 2009 05:00

Sometimes all the bits which don’t fit make the tastiest morsels. With this in mind, Uncle Weed dishes up a smorgasbord of leftover spiels, intros, set-ups, and observations from the Clayoquot trip including narrative about camptime beverages, glass pipe cleaning tips, local sticky nuggets, eagles flying amongst the Broken Islands, historic Pacific lighthouse, skateboard contests at Tough … Continue reading Field Notes on Bevvies, Birds and Bowls – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 8/9 →

Vimy Ridge Diaries on Remembrance Day – Postcard #61

November 26, 2009 06:16

On Remembrance Day in sunny, brisk Vancouver, Ian Bell (fresh from a CBC appearance “On The Coast“) joins Dave to read from Grandpa Mark’s diaries written in the trenches in WW1 as a young Canadian. From the library steps with a flask of scotch, they reflect on the costs and motivations of war, importance of … Continue reading Vimy Ridge Diaries on Remembrance Day – Postcard #61 →

Salmon Swimming Free – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 7/9

November 06, 2009 00:20

Visiting again with friend Kevin, Uncle Weed discusses the negative impact salmon fish farms impart on the local aquaculture. Specifically, Atlantic salmon living in pens attract hazardous sea lice, are unable to spawn, are fed with small fish imported from South America, and are dyed to appear more attractive in the supermarket. Further the politically … Continue reading Salmon Swimming Free – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 7/9 →

Friends of the Sound – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 6/9

October 20, 2009 00:20

At the headquarters of Friends of Clayoqout Sound advocacy organization, Uncle Weed talks with Kevin Bruce, a concerned citizen newly arrived in Tofino to work as the office coordinator for the FOCS. With the sound of passing cars and buses, they discuss the economics of logging, stumpage fees, value of wilderness, conundrums of interconnectedness and … Continue reading Friends of the Sound – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 6/9 →

Conservation and Clearcuts – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 5/9

September 23, 2009 01:40

After a few days of frustration and confusion, Uncle Weed sits down on the trail and digs into a variety of essays from Beloved of the Sky by Gary Snyder, Howie Wolk, and Michael Frome plus riffs on painter Emily Carr, love/hate with the commercialized Wild Pacific trail, shore pines, lighthouses, volcanic outcroppings, leaning trees, … Continue reading Conservation and Clearcuts – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 5/9 →

Spieling from Whiskey Dock – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 4/9

September 18, 2009 23:20

While watching fishing boats ply the inlet, Uncle Weed checks in from Ucluelet to describe the cultural and municipal differences between neighboring villages of Tofino and Ucluelet after a thwarted drive towards Kennedy Lake bridge – the scene of the blockades – and examines Ucluelet’s ballyhooed reaction to Tofino’s shortage through the eyes of locals … Continue reading Spieling from Whiskey Dock – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 4/9 →

Tofino Dries up – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 3/9

September 18, 2009 18:10

After recalling beach camp-outs, rainy days and salmon feasts, Uncle Weed finds out commercial water usage is banned in Tofino and closing down for the tourist operations for the busy weekend ~ thusly he sets out on the trail from Half Moon Bay to Wickaninnish Bay to discover what’s up. Includes riffs and spiels about … Continue reading Tofino Dries up – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 3/9 →

Meditations from the Blockades – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 2/9

September 14, 2009 19:00

Out on a trail, Uncle Weed shares a few lessons learned bearing witness to the blockade lines including thoughts about non-violence and pacifism, importance of respecting others, and the common desire for trees which the ecologists and workers unwittingly share. Plus discourse on ways to replace economic gains from industrial logging with value-added finished products … Continue reading Meditations from the Blockades – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 2/9 →

Musings from Clayoquot Sound – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 1/9

September 12, 2009 20:00

Arriving at a campground between the towns of Tofino and Ucluelet, Uncle Weed sets out to explore the west coast’s unique environment and offer discourse on natural resource-based and tourism-based economies starting with recollections from the noted logging protests in the early 1990s with comments about blockade logistics from early morning pick-up trucks rides to … Continue reading Musings from Clayoquot Sound – Rainforest Dispatches, chapter 1/9 →

Observations about Ecology and Economy – Rainforest Dispatches, Introduction

September 12, 2009 06:23 - 6.9 MB

Introducing a series of explorations and soliloquies from the Clayoquot Sound area on the west coast of Vancouver Island during a summertime water outage in the midst of a temperate rainforest. While figuring out what happened, Uncle Weed recollects the tense logging blockades in early 1990s and compares current conditions through lens of deep ecology … Continue reading Observations about Ecology and Economy – Rainforest Dispatches, Introduction →

Forests and Oceans Without End – Postcard #60

July 18, 2009 13:56

From a forested pathway along the open Pacific between Tofino and Ucluelet, DaveO reads poetry from Gary Snyder’s Myths + Texts and Rip Rap plus essays about Wobblies, timber-jacks, logging camp culture, and giant trees from Beloved of the Sky then the words Siddhartha the Buddha spoke upon achieving enlightenment. Strap on your boots for: Forests … Continue reading Forests and Oceans Without End – Postcard #60 →

Owl Creek Limnology and Exploration – Postcard #59

April 04, 2009 15:47

Dave O spiels forth about the exploration of rivers and lakes, the impetus for ventures and motivations for trade ~ augmented by autoharp songs by Larry Harper dreaming of floating the Colorado River down Glen Canyon ~ then freeverse – mostly from stumbling around Europa in 1992 – thinking about connectedness, lifespans of mysteries and … Continue reading Owl Creek Limnology and Exploration – Postcard #59 →

Three Days and Eleven Dollars, Nov. 1991 – Postcard #58

March 01, 2009 14:30

By a campfire on Owl Creek, Dave reads an instructional guide to hitch-hiking about a November trip from South Carolina to Rhode Island with a series of tips including smiling, signs, watches, and going with the flow while Dan Funboy noodles on guitar. Stick your thumb out for: Three Days and Eleven Dollars, Nov. 1991 – … Continue reading Three Days and Eleven Dollars, Nov. 1991 – Postcard #58 →

Arizona with Ole Gramps – Postcard #57

February 27, 2009 18:47

While summertime camping alongside Owl Creek and charging the recorder with the rays of the sun, Dave reads a short story written while on the road with ole dead Grandpa called “So the Legends Go” – a portrait of life one morning in Navajo Nation in 1987 – accompanied by adolescent observations and musings. Accompanied … Continue reading Arizona with Ole Gramps – Postcard #57 →

Hitch a Thousand Miles to See a Friend – Postcard #56

February 15, 2009 02:05

From Halfmoon Bay on Vancouver Island, Dave gives it up for zen poet hero Gary Snyder and recounts beat history from The Old Ways and logging culture from Myths and Texts plus poems about hitchhiking, girls, baths, clearcuts and the Buddha plus original freeverse poetry.

Chronicling Interesting Boulders – Postcard #55

August 28, 2008 04:50

Alongside raging Lynn Creek, Dave remarks about boulders which are indeed interesting as the sign pointed out, then reads a haibun about books and statues on a curly maple shelf, and poems about buying hardware and fruit in Bucerias, mysterious curves and clouds, and solace for weary delirious travellers, while Wm. Lenker sings the traditional … Continue reading Chronicling Interesting Boulders – Postcard #55 →

Post-apocalyptic Skunks and Fevers – Postcard #54

July 25, 2008 02:48

From a skunk-scented perch along Mosquito Creek, Dave spiels about feverish dreams in a Mexican clinic, personal archeology, mirages about the Wonder Hotel, and reads verse about late trains, dammed rivers, watching ships, and men in white coats walking past. Take your vitamins for: Post-apocalyptic Skunks and Fevers – Postcard #54 (128k mp3, 16:35, 15MB) Read … Continue reading Post-apocalyptic Skunks and Fevers – Postcard #54 →

Howling at Land and Sea – Postcards #53

July 21, 2008 10:22

Visiting the Woodshop on Steamboat Island amidst hayfever and national holidays, Dave and Wm. Lenker exchange spontaneous musical freeverse tales of Pennsylvania, Agana Harbour (Guam), Jericho Beach (Vancouver), and Lake Crescent (Washington) while wounded Samson howls along. Weigh anchor for: Howling at Land and Sea – Postcard #53 (128k mp3, 17:51, 16MB) Note: Photo by DaveO on … Continue reading Howling at Land and Sea – Postcards #53 →

Taxi Flashbacks Towards Gatwick – Postcard bonus

February 13, 2008 05:44 - 25.1 MB

In a collection of transitory reminiscences, Dave O rolls on from rainy North Van by taxi down venerable Granville St. down the spine of to YVR with indigenous dioramas. Then travels by plane to Gatwick Airport, continuing via train to Victoria Station, then by another taxi to Piccadilly Circus passing notable London sites along the … Continue reading Taxi Flashbacks Towards Gatwick – Postcard bonus →

Skyscraper Stories about Oceans and Forests – Postcard #52

January 31, 2008 05:56

From a Lougheed skyscraper comes an improvisational reading with guitars – first more ocean-inspired works from Tristan Corbière, Victor Hugo and Dave Olson into a freeform spoken word account of trip down the Pacific Coast highway to a haunted roadhouse with sequoias growing an inch a day. Roust yerself for: Skyscraper Stories about Oceans and Forests … Continue reading Skyscraper Stories about Oceans and Forests – Postcard #52 →

Letters from Russia on “Write Now!” show – Santa Cruz Free Radio (2007)

January 19, 2008 09:06 - 26.2 MB

Stamp your envelope for: Letters from Russia on Santa Cruz Free Radio (.mp3, 57:07, 26MB) Blurb DJ Snailmail and DJ Anon discuss Letters from Russia with writer Dave Thorvald Olson on the “WriteNow! The Art & Action of Letterwriting” show, Dec. 2007 on Santa Cruz Free Radio – low-power unlicensed station – also streaming live. … Continue reading Letters from Russia on “Write Now!” show – Santa Cruz Free Radio (2007) →