The Unruly Muse

What Is Real?

Song 1:   “Lost Soul” (by Dave Merrill) Poem 1: “Rock, Scissors, Paper, the Anniversary Edition, 11 September 2020”        by Sandra Yannone. This poem comes from her recent collection, The Glass Studio. Since March 2020, she's hosted the international online reading series Cultivating Voices LIVE Poetry. Her newest collection is Fire at the Big Top. Visit her at www.sandrayannone.com Fiction: “Another Time, Another Place” a short story by Lynn C. Miller. Her most recent publication is the novel The Surrogate, 2026. www.lynncmiller.com Feed the Cat Break: “Amelia’s Waltz” (by Dave Merrill) Poem 2: “The Horse as the Letter L” by Mark Sanders. A selection from the forthcoming publication in 2027, The Messiah Horse: Poems, 1988-2025, Cornerstone Press Song 2: “Trainman” (composed by John & Larry Modaff, performed by John V. Modaff with  Dave Merrill) Episode artwork by Lynda Miller Theme & Incidental Music by John V. Modaff, BMI Recorded in Albuquerque NM and Morehead KY Produced at The Creek Studio NEXT UP on Episode 61: Holding On         Thank You to our listeners around the world. Please tell your friends about the podcast.  Lynn & John

Peace

Song 1: “Peace” (by Larry Modaff with Good Enough [https://goodenoughmodernamericanamusic.bandcamp.com/album/saturdays-child]) Poem 1: “For a Long Time I Have Wanted to Write a Poem About Happiness” by Susan Aizenberg. This poem, from her second collection, Quiet City (BkMk Press 2015); her newest collection is A Walk With Frank O’Hara (Mary Burritt Christiansen Poetry Series/University of New Mexico Press 2024). Fiction: excerpts from “David’s Harvest: Stories,” a collection in process by Lynn C. Miller. www.lynncmiller.com [http://www.lynncmiller.com/] Feed the Cat Break: “Sea Change” (Christopher B. Geyerman & John V. Modaff) Poem 2: “Before, We Sat Back and Twiddled Our Thumbs as Needles Rose Up from Below and Nails Rained Down from Above” by Mikki Aronoff. Her new book of fairy tales in 2026 is called Neverafters A collection of fairy and folk tales, of hauntings and whispers, of nibbles and notions by her and co-authors Christine H. Chen, and Amy Marques. Song 2: “A Corner of Heaven” (by Dan Modaff with Good Enough [https://goodenoughmodernamericanamusic.bandcamp.com/album/saturdays-child])           Episode artwork by Lynda Miller  Theme & Incidental Music by John V. Modaff, BMI  Recorded in Albuquerque NM and Morehead KY  Produced at The Creek Studio  NEXT UP on Episode 60: Deja Vu Thank You to our listeners around the world. Please tell your friends about the podcast.  Lynn & John

Approach/Avoidance

Song 1: “Before the Magi” (John V. Modaff, sung by The Woman of Mystery) Poem 1: “Occupied” by Scott Wiggerman. His new collection, Beginning and Ending with Emily, came out Spring of 2026 with Casa Urraca Press. Scott lives in Albuquerque and is a painter and a poet. https://scottwiggerman.myportfolio.com/ [http://scottwiggerman.myportfolio.com/] Fiction: excerpt from The Surrogate by Lynn C. Miller, published March 31, 2026 from University of Wisconsin Press. Available on major platforms or order from your local bookstore. www.lynncmiller.com [http://www.lynncmiller.com/] Feed the Cat Break: “Song of the Owl” (by John V. Modaff) Poem 2: “There Was…Pause” by Barbara Rockman whose book NIGHT SAID is in press for fall of 2026 from the University of New Mexico Press. Song 2: “Never Give Up” (John Modaff, with Dan Modaff on guitar leads) Episode artwork by Lynda Miller  Theme & Incidental Music by John V. Modaff, BMI  Recorded in Albuquerque NM and Morehead KY  Produced at The Creek Studio, Morehead, KY  NEXT UP on Episode 59: Peace Thank You to our listeners around the world. Please tell your friends about the podcast.  Lynn & John

Hello, is anyone there?

Song 1: “Say Hello” (composed and performed by John V. Modaff) Poem 1: “Narrative Without People” by Hilda Raz, from Divine Honors. Author of eight collections of poems. The epigraph to this book is by Cynthia Macdonald: “May I see what I have tried not to see.” Hilda’s collected poems are published by the University of Nebraska Press (2021). Fiction: “Hello Hello,” a story by Lynn C. Miller. Her fifth novel, The Surrogate, comes out March 31, 2026 from the University of Wisconsin Press. https://uwpress.wisc.edu/Books/T/The-Surrogate [https://uwpress.wisc.edu/Books/T/The-Surrogate] Feed the Cat Break: “The A Train Home” (Chris Geyerman & John V. Modaff) Poem 2: “Forever,” by poet Jack Cooper, author of Silly Lily’s Rhyming Adventures In Nature (2023) and Across My Silence (2007) World Audience, Inc. https://sillylilysadventures.com/ [https://sillylilysadventures.com/] Song 2: “High Class” (John V. Modaff , with Dan Modaff on guitar/banjo interlude) Episode artwork by Lynda Miller  Show theme and incidental music by John V. Modaff, BMI The Unruly Muse is Recorded in Albuquerque, NM and Morehead, KY  Produced at The Creek Studio, Morehead KY  NEXT UP: April, 2026 Episode 58: “Approach/Avoidance”       Thank You to our listeners around the world. Please tell your friends about the podcast.  Lynn & John

Freedom

Song 1: Ride Downtown (composed & performed by John V Modaff, with Dave Merrill on 2nd & 3rd guitars and harmonica)        Poem 1: “Eleanor Remembers” by Susan Aizenberg, published in 2025 in On the Seawall, a community gallery of new writing, art, and commentary. Susan is a poet living in Iowa City; her latest book is:A Walk With Frank O’Hara (U of New Mexico Press, 2024.) Fiction: “She Always Knew What She Wanted,” a short story by Lynn C. Miller. Her fifth novel, The Surrogate, comes out March 31, 2026 from the University of Wisconsin Press. https://uwpress.wisc.edu/Books/T/The-Surrogate [https://uwpress.wisc.edu/Books/T/The-Surrogate] Feed the Cat Break: “Estranged” (composed & performed by John V. Modaff) Poem 2: “Fireflies,” by Rebecca Aronson, poet, professor and editor. She is the author of three collections of poetry, most recently Anchor, and is a winner of several awards for her poetry. https://www.rebeccaaronsonpoetry.com/ [https://www.rebeccaaronsonpoetry.com/] Song 2: Beyond the Other Side (by David R. Merrill / performed by D.R. Merrill and J.V. Modaff on bass & percussion)                                                                   Episode artwork by Lynda Miller  Show theme and incidental music by John V. Modaff  The Unruly Muse is recorded in Albuquerque, NM and Morehead, KY  Produced at The Creek Studio, Morehead, KY  NEXT UP: Mar/ 2026, Episode 57: “Hello, is anyone there?”    Thank You to our listeners around the world. Please tell your friends about the podcast.  Lynn & John