Beastly Lives podcast

Sally Eckhoff is the Emily Hahn of her day—a larger-than-life figure who combines careers as a painter and writer with an on-going critical exploration of the place of animals in our art, literature, religion, and lives.

In a twice-monthly program Eckhoff will touch on the past, present, and future of our intersection with animals.  On any given show you might learn about why the devil is a cat, how mules got drafted, and how working horses might save the modern family.  Eckhoff will tap into her wide acquaintance, which ranges from New Yorker writers to farmers, for good talk; will take us on sense-bending field trips; and will let us know, by proxy, all creatures great and small.  Her partner in this will be her 26-year-old paint horse Spot.

Program elements include interviews; musings, self-contained features; field trips; readings; music; listener engagement.  An engaging sound design will create cohesion among the elements and transport us into the different worlds and contexts of each story, and guests will reflect the scope and diversity of those who intersect with animals.

Why now?

In an unprecedented period of medical, political and emotional uncertainty, our need for connection is stronger than ever.  Animals are a profoundly embedded part of human existence, and have been throughout history our links to religion, art, survival, and companionship.  A sustained, nuanced investigation of the human/animal bond—and ways in which that bond has been reflected, challenged or tested—is especially timely given that many of these stories also contain and contextualize larger narratives relating to the impact of societal change; climate change; species degradation, and the impact of technology.