Welcome to the latest compilation of Agency podcast reviews! We hope you find our recent highlights from the Channel Zero Podcast Network as fascinating and educational as we have. We are deeply inspired by the amazing breadth of reporting, interviews and analysis happening through the network!
IT’S GOING DOWN
From the Whiteaker to the Woods: The Rise of the Eugene Anarchists Part 1 (Jan 16)
Long-time anarchist John Zerzan is interviewed about the growth of a vibrant anarchist community in Eugene, Oregon (and the woods nearby) in the 1990’s. This is a fascinating look at how a radical community developed organically, largely centered around the tree-sitting forest defense movement. This community engaged in a wide range of activities and organizing endeavors, from running a cable access Television Program, Cascadia Alive, to fighting militant pitched battles against the destruction of green space in the town. From community gardens to supporting tree sits to a growing print culture, the Eugene scene was just as much about building as it was fighting. Of particular interest is the way in which anarcho-punks who moved to Eugene from larger cities worked closely with a new generation of forest activists, and ultimately radicalized each other.
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FROM EMBERS
“Shut Down Canada – Solidarity with Unist’ot’en and Gidumt’en” (Jan 17)
This podcast on solidarity actions with the Wet’suwet’en people currently under attack for defending their sovereignty and their natural resources was produced by our comrades at From Embers. With the Unist’ot’en camp at the site of multiple proposed pipelines, an injunction was issued earlier this year attempting to stifle resistance to Coastal Gas Link (owned by TransCanada), and its $40 billion pipeline being built to transport fracked natural gas to the west coast. Thus far, fourteen people have been arrested and CGL has destroyed traplines and other Indigenous property on unceded First Nations territory.
The first interview is with an urban Indigenous organizer who, with a coalition of groups, pulled together several different solidarity actions on unceded Coast Salish territories in Vancouver. The second interview is with two Mi’kmaq land and water protectors in Unama’ki (so-called Cape Breton) about a solidarity action that shut down a major Causeway, related struggles against resource extraction throughout Mi’kma’ki, and some of the broader context and motivations behind those struggles.
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FROM EMBERS
Talking subMedia with JR (Jan 30)
Here’s an interview with JR of subMedia.tv, the grassroots, independent media collective whose material we regularly feature. From satirical news coverage to easily-understandable explanations of anarchist concepts, the Montreal-based anarchist collective has been producing high-quality video for 25 years. JR speaks to the recent and future trajectory of subMedia with their latest project Trouble, which has allowed the collective to reach wider audiences through more in-depth and less satirical coverage. The collective is also focused on sharing skills so as not to concentrate knowledge and power in the hands of the few. JR describes subMedia’s recent efforts to highlight struggles between the Wet’suwet’en people and Coastal Gas Link, which is trying to build a pipeline through Wet’suwet’en territory in order to transport fracked natural gas to the coast.
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SOLECAST
Carla Bergman and Nick Montgomery on Joyful Militancy (Feb 8)
Sole interviews Carla Bergman and Nick Montgomery, the authors of the recently published book “Joyful Militancy”. This is a fascinating conversation about the toxicity that seems to be so common within activist subcultures. Of particular interest is the discussion around “rigid radicalism” and how the socialized impacts of schooling, religion, hierarchy and empire can have deep impacts on the way we organize. They talk about how militant joy, art, and practices that empower us all to thrive can make our movements stronger and healthier.
This podcast is a fascinating and refreshing listen, and the book being discussed has a huge amount to offer radical individuals, communities and movements. A must listen!
Listen here
