By Sofia Vanoli, Contributing Writer
English professor Peter Hardy discusses his book “Thorn: The All” during his “Heavy Meta” podcast interview. (Photo Courtesy of Google Books)
Mantor Library is currently working in conjunction with WUMF to produce podcasts under the moniker “Heavy Meta,” which feature UMF professors discussing their recent books and publications.
“We discuss current events, interview UMF authors, and talk about what’s happening at the library,” said Bryce Cundick, Manager of Instructional and Research Services. He continued explaining that the shows run about 30 minutes each.
Cundick and Kelly Boivin, Information and User Services at Mantor Library, have been working on the radio live shows since last year, but due to schedule and timing conflicts, they decided to podcast the shows instead.
Some of the topics they’ve already covered are bullying and favorite book series. So far Cundick and Boivin have interviewed professors of mathematics Peter Hardy and Paul Gies, and professors of English, Michael Johnson and Luann Yetter.
Hardy was one of the volunteers to be interviewed. He talked very proudly about the last book of his trilogy, “Thorn: The All.” He said he had a positive experience and commented that, “It is important to spread the word about our publications.”
The shows are meant to inform the audience about what is going on at the library, but they are also meant to entertain with talks and discussions.
“I hope these shows will inspire people to write,” said Hardy.
Professor Johnson has also stepped up and shared his views on his book “Hoo-Doo Cowboys and Bronze Buckaroos: Conceptions of the African American West.”
Andrew Martin, a junior majoring in psychology and the WUMF Station Manager, works together with Cundick and Boivin to carry out this project.
“I meet with Bryce and Kelly on a weekly basis and I record their show, then edit out any mistakes, and edit it to improve sound quality,” said Martin who seemed very passionate about his job at WUMF.
“This has been my favorite project because we get involved with the community and the other staff members here by offering them the chance to come and do an interview on the show,” said Martin. “Also it is a lot of fun to do. Bryce and Kelly are very enthusiastic and love what they do and make it really entertaining.”
The whole team is looking forward to hosting more people who wish to talk about their publications (books, poems, articles) and their writing styles. They revealed that one of the upcoming topics they will be dealing with is the timely issue of fake news.
“Heavy Meta” podcasts are now available on iTunes.