Log in

goodpods headphones icon

To access all our features

Open the Goodpods app
Close icon
headphones
A Big Sur Podcast

A Big Sur Podcast

Magnus Toren, host

An ongoing conversation with people from near and far about Big Sur's past, present, and future. A Big Sur Podcast interprets 'community' to mean ALL people from around the world who are curious about, and who care about, the preservation and restoration of the wild and rural character of Big Sur. Stories are told by visitors and residents, plumbers and linesmen, musicians and authors, dancers and jugglers and others. Sometimes we drift (way) off-topic into the arts, sciences, personal stories, gossip, politics, philosophy, ornithology, Henry Miller, and our zeitgeist in general. We like that! If you are planning a visit to Big Sur and you listen to some of the folks on this Podcast talk about their love of the place your visit will probably be a lot more rewarding. Please email [email protected] with any comments, critique & suggestions. Music clips courtesy John Holm: https://www.discogs.com/artist/374084-John-Holm | Sound editing software by Hindenburg | Special thanks to Jim Agius for special support.Please support the podcast by making a donation to the Henry Miller Library, a 501(c)3 nonprofit arts organization. Thank you!
bookmark
Share icon

All episodes

Best episodes

Seasons

Top 10 A Big Sur Podcast Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best A Big Sur Podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to A Big Sur Podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite A Big Sur Podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Email us [email protected] with suggestions and comments.
Support Our Podcast
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Nuclear Arms, Tactical Nuclear Arms, Biological and Chemical Warfare - we discuss it. Thank you to Jeffrey Lewis for talking with us.
Recent podcast also pertaining to the tragedy in the Ukraine:
David Price
Anna Vassilieva
Books we talk about: (you can stop by the Henry Miller Library to buy a copy!๐Ÿ˜Š)
Command And Control by Eric Schlosser
The Plague by Albert Camus
The 2020 Commission by Jeffrey Lewis
On The Beach by Neville Shute

Support the show

_________________________________________________
This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County!
Let us know what you think!
SEND US AN EMAIL! ๐Ÿ˜Š
[email protected]
FaceBookInstagram

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
A Big Sur Podcast - #12 Peter Rosen: Flying with the Hawks!
play

02/06/22 โ€ข 55 min

Peter Rosen is a long time Big Sur resident. He is known for his extraordinary feats of hang gliding far above the Santa Lucia Mountains! In recent years Peter is also known for hauling trash out of Big Sur. We are only touching on a few things in this brief conversation so I hope we'll have a 'chapter 2' soon.
____________
EMAIL US - [email protected] with suggestions and comments.
Support Our Podcast____________

Support the show

_________________________________________________
This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County!
Let us know what you think!
SEND US AN EMAIL! ๐Ÿ˜Š
[email protected]
FaceBookInstagram

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

EMAIL US - [email protected] with suggestions and comments.
Support Our Podcast____________
This episode is an interview from the series presented live at the Henry Miller Library in the past few years known as the Under The Persimmon Tree . Several other interviews from the series will be published here as we move along!
Butch is the Executive director of the Community Association of Big Sur. (CABS) He is here talking about his early childhood and upbringing, meeting Patte, his wife, arriving in Big Sur to build the foundations for the entire Post Ranch Inn, working with Mickey Muennig on several private homes, helping to build our new Health Center, and re-building the baths at Esalen! We also hear about how in more recent years Butch has helped to raise and distribute funds for people in need after floods and fires. Today Butch is working on many community issues including the Destination Management Plan for Big Sur.
Please email [email protected] with any comments, critique and/or suggestions. Thanks!

Support the show

_________________________________________________
This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County!
Let us know what you think!
SEND US AN EMAIL! ๐Ÿ˜Š
[email protected]
FaceBookInstagram

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
A Big Sur Podcast - # 59 Israeli journalist and writer Yossi Klein Halevi.
play

04/18/23 โ€ข 86 min

I met Yossi Klein Halevi when I was in Jerusalem in early 2020. We have stayed in touch ever since that fateful day. His voice is important in Israel as you will hear.
I hope you take the time to listen to this podcast and then to read all of Yossi's books, and listen to his talks on YouTube, other podcast etc..
By doing so you will get to know a wonderful man.
LINKS:
Yossi Klein Halevi's website.Yossi Klein Halevi's PodcastRecent article in TOIYossi Klein Halevi is the author of several books that explore the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the complexities of Israeli society. Here are some more details about his books:

  1. "Memoirs of a Jewish Extremist" (1995): A memoir of Yossi's own journey from being a member of the far-right Jewish Defense League in the United States to becoming an advocate for Israeli-Palestinian peace.
  2. "At the Entrance to the Garden of Eden: A Jew's Search for God with Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land" (2002): In this book, Yossi explores the religious landscape of Israel and the role that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam play in the country's culture and politics.
  3. "Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation" (2013): This book tells the story of the Israeli paratroopers who fought in the 1967 Six-Day War and their divergent paths in the decades that followed. It explores the complex political, social, and cultural forces that have shaped Israeli society since the war.
  4. "Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor" (2018): In this book, Yossi writes a series of letters to his Palestinian neighbor, seeking to build understa

Support the show

_________________________________________________
This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County!
Let us know what you think!
SEND US AN EMAIL! ๐Ÿ˜Š
[email protected]
FaceBookInstagram

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

Ronna Rio Emmons is well known and loved in the Big Sur community perhaps especially because of her many years being our art teacher. Ronna, and her husband Michael and I, have fun talking and we cover a few good stories. Below are links and comments about some of what we speak of. (Michael, as you will realize, will have to have his own podcast episode!!...so please stay tuned! ๐Ÿ˜Š)
PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS!
Places and artists:
Kokkola, Finland
Giant slide in 1983
The Greatest Story Ever Told (film)
Agnes Lawrence Pelton
Trancendental Painters
Charles Burchfield
The Group of Seven
Big Sur Artists that are mentioned:
Erlinda Montaรฑo
Carolyn Kleefeld
Erin Gafill
Branham Rendlen
Sula Nichols
Jill Woyt
Ruby Dudley
Sunyata
and others...

Support the show

_________________________________________________
This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County!
Let us know what you think!
SEND US AN EMAIL! ๐Ÿ˜Š
[email protected]
FaceBookInstagram

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
A Big Sur Podcast - # 67 The Darkness Manifesto by Johan Eklรถf
play

07/04/23 โ€ข 76 min

A conversation with Johan Eklรถf, author of The Darkness Manifesto.
When I first came to Big Sur I used to drive my motorcycle between Bixby Canyon and Ventana Inn. I drove several days, and some nights, each week. When going north from Ventana at night the part of the ride from River Inn to Bixby was in almost total darkness (especially during new moon), only the lighthouse swung its steady beam out over the sea at its precise intervals. I often used to stop at Little Sur, turn off all my motorcycle lights and wait for the requisite twenty minutes for my eyes to get acclimated to the dark. The reward soon came in the form of a night sky that rivals anything I have ever seen, be it in northern Sweden or out in the middle of the South Atlantic ocean! The Milky Way! Like a huge, indeed milky, cloud in the sky dotted with thousands of stars and galaxies. What an amazing place this is, I remember thinking!

The agreement we have in Big Sur to keep our lights down at night, to at night turn off any light that isnโ€™t absolutely necessary, to not have illuminated driveways and parking spaces, is one of the many wonderful things about our community. The recognition that we live in a place that begs us to together protect and safeguard the wild, rustic and, at night, dark place we are so grateful to call home.
There are however many, and more important, reasons than our personal romance with the night sky to protect the night. For example, I recently found out that the Yucca lives in symbiosis with a Moth, the Yucca Moth (!), and that, no surprise, the Moths are very sensitive to light. In fact if you have a constant light on at night there are hundreds of insects, many of them pollinators, that might get killed each night as they fly into and around the light. If you study flora and fauna in urban areas you will find certain species to be very rare, if not totally gone, due to ubiquitous lighting that kills off the important night pollinators. Fruit growers are aware of this.
Part of Eklรถfโ€™s Darkness Manifesto reads:
Become aware of the darkness | Protect the darkness | Preserve the darkness in your surroundings | Follow your inner rhythm | Discover nocturnal life | Seek out darkness | Learn more about the darkness and its importance for the survival of animals and plants | Talk about darkness with the people around you | Influence your environment and be a role model in the fight against light pollution. ฬˆ'
Carpe noctem!

Support the show

_________________________________________________
This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County!
Let us know what you think!
SEND US AN EMAIL! ๐Ÿ˜Š
[email protected]
FaceBookInstagram

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

As Principal Ecologist and Designer at RANA, Paul is sought after as a pioneer and innovator of living architectural systems, a thought-leader in ecological design, and a dedicated horticulturalist. He has consulted on many groundbreaking and iconic projects, including large-scale living roofs and living walls, site master plans, and cumulative restoration of many thousands of acres of grassland, wetland and coastal landscapes in the Western U.S.
ALSO THE FOUNDER OF NUTJOBS!Paul has a deep history and love affair with the Big Sur landscape - listen to this episode and you'll find out.
He did a classic 60's drop-out trip and landed in paradise!
LINKS:

RANA: The cohabitat companyShort bio of Paul Kepharthttps://nutjobs.com/
Some of the folks mentioned:Vern Yadon
Also Lepold
David Packard
Vern Yadon
Judith Goodman
Big Sur Historical Society
Connie McCoy
The Harlan family
Linus Pauling
Larry Ford
Don Usner
Jeff Norman
and more...(-:

Support the show

_________________________________________________
This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County!
Let us know what you think!
SEND US AN EMAIL! ๐Ÿ˜Š
[email protected]
FaceBookInstagram

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

Magnus sits down (as a follow-up to the recent episode with Marcus Foster) with David Smiley, a Big Sur local with many years of experience serving on the LUAC (the Big Sur land use advisory committee).
Brief cameo appearance from David's bunk buddy Mary Ann Vasconcellos!
>>>>>
Episode 80 with Marcus Foster
Keep Big Sur Wild
Big Sur Multi Agency CouncilBig Sur Land Use Plan Update (draft)Big Sur Land Use Advisory Committee (LUAC)
It is with gratitude and sadness we remember Mary Trotter who passed on September 7. In this issue of the Carmel Pine Cone you can read about Mary............
SUPPORT THE LIBRARY AND PODCAST AT MONTEREY COUNTY GIVES!
.............
Our discussion takes a deeper look at the enforcement of the Big Sur land use plan. The roles of the Monterey County, the Coastal Commission, and local groups in these preservation efforts.
We touch upon the significance of political engagement, the noticeable absence of a dedicated defender for the plan, and the rise of the group Keep Big Sur Wild.
We conclude our episode with a brief chat about memorable experiences and cultural events in Big Sur. From the BiGSuRCuS event to the Poetry in Motion event.
It's not just about the land; it's about the spirit of Big Sur which is celebrated through events like these.
Join us as we celebrate the unique beauty of Big Sur, the community's efforts to protect it, and our hopes for its future preservation.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in land use, preservation, and the extraordinary character of Big Sur.

Support the show

_________________________________________________
This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County!
Let us know what you think!
SEND US AN EMAIL! ๐Ÿ˜Š
[email protected]
FaceBookInstagram

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

A middle aged couple walks in to the Henry Miller Library sometime in 2019. They come down the path under the redwoods like so many others have done before them. This time however I wonder:
Who is the woman accompanying them!
She looks like sheโ€™s from the island.
Turns out the woman is Sonia Haoa Cardinale from Easter Island/Rapa Nui.

We had a wonderful afternoon!
We are now connecting again via Zoom for this podcast.
I am touched by much of what Sonia says.
Please share this episode with anyone you think may enjoy it.
>>>>>>>>
Rapa NuiSonia Haoa CardinaliThor HeyerdahlAnakenaKon TikiMata Ki Te RangiLink to some of Magnus' photos from 1983>>>>>>
Henry Miller
refers to Easter Island many times when he dreams himself away from โ€˜civilization.'โ€œIf you elect to join the herd you are immune. To be accepted and appreciated you must nullify yourself, make yourself indistinguishable from the herd. You may dream, if you dream alike. But if you dream something different, you are not in America, of America American, but a Hottentot in Africa, or a Kalmuck, or a chimpanzee. The moment you have a "different" thought you cease to be an American. And the moment you become something different you find yourself in Alaska or Easter Island or Iceland.โ€

โ€• Henry Miller, Tropic of Capricorn

"Christ will never more come down to earth nor will there be any law- giver, nor will murder cease nor theft, nor rape, and yet... and yet one expects something, something terrifyingly marvellous and absurd, perhaps a cold lobster with mayonnaise served gratis, perhaps an invention, like the electric light, like television, only more devastating, more soul rending, an invention unthinkable that will bring a shattering calm and void, not the calm and void of death but of life such as the monks dreamed, such as is dreamed still in the Himalayas, in Tibet, in Lahore, in the Aleutian Islands, in Polynesia, in Easter Island, the dream of men before the flood, before the word was written, the dream of cave men and anthropophagists, of those with double sex and short tails, of those who are said to be crazy and have no way of defending themselves because they are outnumbered by those who are not crazy."
โ€• Henry Miller, Tropic of Capricorn

"But I have thought often of a place like Easter Island, I can do without c

Support the show

_________________________________________________
This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County!
Let us know what you think!
SEND US AN EMAIL! ๐Ÿ˜Š
[email protected]
FaceBookInstagram

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

A long way from Big Sur!
Reading the book Atomic Steppe: How Kazakhstan Gave Up the Bomb is an amazing adventure of international intrigue, extremely high drama, and a unique history lesson about some very important aspects of the latter part of the twentieth century. I hope you will enjoy hearing some of Dr Kassenova's story in this conversation as well as when you read her book.
Thank you to Margarita Kalinina-Pohl of the Monterey Institute of International Studies for connecting me with Dr. Kassenova and for recommending her important book to me.
Links below to some of what we are talking of.
(including recommendations from Dr. Kassenova)
Togzhan Kassenova website.Roza Rymbayeva - Zaman-ai
The Silent Steppe: The Story of a Kazakh Nomad Under Stalin
Apples Are From Kazakhstan
Dimash KudaibergenOtyrar SazyDombra, the InstrumentSemipalatinsk Test SitePlease let us hear from you. email us with any comments, critique, suggestions, we'd love to hear!

Support the show

_________________________________________________
This podcast is a production of the Henry Miller Memorial Library with support from The Arts Council for Monterey County!
Let us know what you think!
SEND US AN EMAIL! ๐Ÿ˜Š
[email protected]
FaceBookInstagram

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

Show more best episodes

Toggle view more icon

FAQ

How many episodes does A Big Sur Podcast have?

A Big Sur Podcast currently has 106 episodes available.

What topics does A Big Sur Podcast cover?

The podcast is about Places & Travel, Society & Culture, Music, Podcasts and California.

What is the most popular episode on A Big Sur Podcast?

The episode title '#40 Atomic Steppe: How Kazakhstan Gave Up the Bomb. A conversation with author Togzhan Kassenova' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on A Big Sur Podcast?

The average episode length on A Big Sur Podcast is 73 minutes.

How often are episodes of A Big Sur Podcast released?

Episodes of A Big Sur Podcast are typically released every 8 days, 2 hours.

When was the first episode of A Big Sur Podcast?

The first episode of A Big Sur Podcast was released on Mar 6, 2021.

Show more FAQ

Toggle view more icon

Comments