237 - The Canyon (feat. Robert Savino Oventile)
Cultures of Energy
Cymene returns to the pod at long last (yay!) and we discuss recent events and how climate science probably caused wildfires and bears to happen. Then (13:17) Robert Savino Oventile joins the podcast to share his new collection of poems, , the proceeds from which support the rebuilding of the destroyed by the Eaton Fire and which for maximum positive synergy can be purchased from the wonderful Pasadena independent bookstore, Vroman’s (link ). In the conversation, Robert talks about his long relationship to Eaton Canyon and his experience during this January’s devastating Eaton Fire which...
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236 – Ethical Pessimism (feat. Roy Scranton)
Cultures of Energy
Dominic reports from a delayed birthday trip to Los Angeles and we learn about how Mike Brady (of Brady Brunch fame) nearly perished in a helicopter crash. Then (5:55) Roy Scranton returns to the podcast after nearly eight years away. We’re talking about his provocative and important new book, Impasse: Climate Change and the Limits of Progress (Stanford UP, 2025). We begin with the philosophical origins of the concepts of optimism and pessimism in debates over Leibniz and Voltaire and from there explore what Roy means by “ethical pessimism.” Roy explains how pessimism might do more for...
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235 - Forever Chemicals (feat. Rachel Frazin)
Cultures of Energy
Dominic gives a quick update from the frontlines of home repair. Then (3:30) we welcome an energy and environmental reporter from The Hill to the podcast to talk about her new book, together with Sharon Udasin, How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America (Island Press, 2025). We start with the basics: what forever chemicals and PFAS are, where they came from and when it first became clear that they could have devastating health impacts. We move from there to why, even though 97% of Americans have PFAS in their blood, Rachel sees this as a global problem and discuss some of the powerful and...
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234 - Failed States (feat. Imre Szeman)
Cultures of Energy
Dominic reports briefly on how your co-hosts returned home to their own personal Hurricane Harvey. Then (4:20) returns to the podcast to talk about his new book Futures of the Sun: The Struggle Over Renewable Life (University of Minnesota Press, 2024), a marvelous analysis of the narratives that shape how we conceive of, and experience, energy futures. Imre explains how the book is as much about failed states as it is about renewable energy and highlights the struggle over who gets to define “common sense” as a central feature of politics today. Imre talks about the tech barons who have...
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233 - The Abyss (feat. Stacy Alaimo)
Cultures of Energy
Cymene and Dominic report from Berlin, a land of feisty wasps (which are possibly bees) and haunted lakes. Then (16:38) we are so thrilled to welcome Queen of Ecodelia, Stacy Alaimo back to the podcast to discuss her brand new book The Abyss Stares Back: Encounters with Deep-Sea Life (U Minnesota Press, 2025). We talk about the history of the deep sea as a space of military, capitalist and scientific interest as well as a place of wonder and reflection. Stacy explains that the question of what it would take to provoke concern about life at the bottom of the sea inspired the project and why she...
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232 - Lithium (feat. Mark Goodale)
Cultures of Energy
Cymene and Dominic report from the most sus tourist apartment in Barcelona. Then (15:48) we are delighted to welcome to the pod talk about his forthcoming book about the Bolivian lithium boom, : Lithium in an era of Transition (U California Press, 2025). We start with the long history of extractivism in Bolivia, and why he found the concept of assemblage helpful to think with in characterizing the Bolivian lithium project today. We turn from there to Mark’s concept of “flexible extractivism” and how extractivist practices are being reabsorbed into a model of productive sovereignty that...
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231 - Drifting (feat. Rafico Ruiz)
Cultures of Energy
Dominic and Cymene complete their stint in paradise on this week’s podcast. We review some highlights from the final lap including multispecies erotica (snail edition) and Cymene’s first karaoke performance. Then (19:04) we are thrilled to welcome Rafico Ruiz () to the conversation, the author of Slow Disturbance (Duke UP, 2021) who is finalizing a new book project Phase State Earth, which uses the different phase states of water to track the impact of shifting climatological conditions upon the earth. Rafi explains how a chance encounter with a bottle of water got him interested in ice...
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230 - Intermission
Cultures of Energy
Cymene and Dominic check in briefly from Italy on this week's podcast, begging your pardon for the lack of a guest and the double-helping of co-host chat time. But there is an Italian train-to-convent adventure to share as well as an update from this week Undercurrents conference in Venice and thoughts on season 2 of The Rehearsal. Back in two weeks with more excellent guests!
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229 - Abundance (feat. Candace Fujikane)
Cultures of Energy
Cymene and Dominic arrive in Italy just in time for the naming of another Chicagoan as pope and discover the wonders of street to table cuisine. Then (15:41) we welcome the amazing to the podcast to talk about her book Mapping Abundance for a Planetary Future: Kanaka Maoli and Critical Settler Cartographies in Hawai’i (Duke University Press, 2021). We start with the Hawaiian conception of abundance and why capitalism fears it. From there we move to mapping as narrative, how old maps can aid struggles for environmental justice and regeneration and the friction between laws of private...
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228 - Noise (feat. Marina Peterson)
Cultures of Energy
Cymene tells us about her struggles to get a passing grade in art class in this week’s podcast. And then (15:20) we welcome a dear friend, Marina Peterson from UT-Austin, to the podcast. We start with her book Atmospheric Noise: The Indefinite Urbanism of Los Angeles (Duke UP) and its study of the making of atmospheres and noise pollution and how it helps us to attune to less earthbound dimensions of cities. We talk about her idea of using glitches to navigate the boundaries of science, art and ethnography. And we turn from there to new projects on cloud-seeding in LA, how the elements...
info_outlineCymene tries to convince Dominic to join the Freemasons on this episode of the Cultures of Energy podcast. Plus, a shallow dive into Buzkashi, the national sport of Tajikistan, the country that helped convince the UN to designate 2025 the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. Then (13:22) we are thrilled to welcome Siddharth Sareen from U Stavanger, author of The Sun Also Rises in Portugal (Bristol U Press, 2024) and the winner of this year’s Nils Klim Prize in Norway (go Sid!) We start with how Sid’s interests in energy research shifted from India to Portugal, an underappreciated star in solarity. We talk about the struggle between large scale solar and community solar in the context of aspirations toward a just energy transition. We discuss the environmental impact of solar and how it can be improved, and Sid explains why standards matter as solar becomes a more mature industry and how standards of commoning could help to constitute a better future for solar power. Finally, we discuss the need to pursue prefigurative politics as way of bringing more energy utopias into the world and allowing them to flourish.