At a time when no other framework for understanding my mother makes sense, the philosopher Julia Kristeva steps in to help.

Was the Clint Eastwood reference threat of violence real?

Was I the archangel of punk? According to my mom I was, and there was hell to pay. The full audio of my mother appears from 5:05-5:45.

How, as a writer, I kept trying to create in the blast furnace of my Mom's attacks on my work.

An audio clip from a 2009 phone call that shakes the writer's sense of who he is. Plus punk, Billy Graham, and a whispered condemnation.

A screaming lecture a la Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? And why did we continue to take it? Why were we silent?

Wherein a shared family tragedy is weaponized.

Welcome to the Borderline, Ohio podcast! This episode introduces the podcast and plunges you right into the raw audio that forms the basis for the series.