
The Compendium
By Emma Alvarez Gibson

The CompendiumDec 05, 2022

Gen Xers of a Certain Age with Deanna Raybourn
I met the author Deanna Raybourn years ago via Twitter, and have been a fan ever since. Her books are deliciously clever, exciting, and feminist treats. (I once described them to a friend as "like candy for brainy girls.") Her latest, Killers of a Certain Age, is all of those things plus a knowing wink to those of us who find ourselves members of the Certain Age Club. In this episode, we discuss the implications of said membership, examining the ways in which Gen X women have taken on the task of making perimenopause and menopause acceptable topics of discussion. Join us for a fascinating discussion!

DIY With Mason Mixx
The veteran musician, singer, and songwriter who writes and records under the name Mason Mixx is an old friend of mine. We met many years ago here in LA, at the scrappy media company where we worked. He was assigned to me as a sales mentor, and then we started talking music, and kind of never stopped. His staunch DIY ethic is present in so many different facets of his life, and he's always inspired and encouraged my own DIY endeavors. Currently he’s a member of noise band Blim Noir, and lives in New York with his wife.
NOTE: You'll notice a definite grittiness in the sound quality of this episode, and that's because originally, it was an interview for a book I was writing, which turned into a website, which grew into this podcast. Mason's insights hold fast against a bit of technical funkiness!

Coming Soon: DIY With Mason Mixx
The veteran musician, singer, and songwriter who writes and records under the name Mason Mixx is an old friend of mine. We met in LA in the early aughts, at the scrappy media company where we worked. He was assigned to me as a sales mentor, but then we started talking music, and we kind of never stopped. His staunch DIY ethic has been and continues to be hugely inspirational to me. Join us on The Compendium, as we talk about that DIY life.

The Supernatural with Jo Anna Dane
"The human mind delights in grand conceptions of supernatural beings."
That’s from Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and it’s something of a truism about us, isn’t it. We love our ghost stories, our vampires, our werewolves. We love a thriller, a haunted house, an outlandish tale that a friend of a friend tells that might just be real.
In this episode—the very first episode of The Compendium!— my guest is oracle, artist, and writer Jo Anna Dane. Together we go deep into the mystery of the supernatural.
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EPISODE NOTES
About Jo Anna
Jo Anna Dane is a writer, healer, oracle, and artist. She creates experiences that guide you to your depths and pull you to your heights. Jo Anna sees into the adventure of your soul and helps you to unravel what is in the way of an amazing human experience. You can find more about Jo Anna and the wonders she creates at JoAnnaDane.com.
Links
- Unveiled: A Journey Through the Underworld
- We Salted Nannie (I mentioned this as something I'd read in The New Yorker when in fact it was in The Bitter Southerner—mea culpa!)
SHOUT-OUTS
To MadCollage, for the platform nudge, and to Tanya Geisler, for the final nudge. I'm lucky to know you both.
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
At A Brief Compendium of Cool, where along with guest interviews and guest writers, I explore what comprises cool. Guests include William Gibson, Elizabeth Hand, Jack Womack, Cindy Gallop, Jim Sclavunos, and others.
