Episode 443: Don Martin talks fandom influences, podcasting, and his work as an Author of poetry, Verity Vox and The Curse of Foxfire, and more

New York Times best-selling author Don Martin joins me on the podcast for a wonderful episode full of laughs, learning, and beautiful words.

We kick things off by talking about his podcast, Head on Fire. Don talks about how and why he started it, and what you can expect to find by listening or watching his episodes. He interviews experts in overlooked fields, searching for answers to life's biggest and smallest questions.

From there, we talk about some of his early fandom influences. From the X-Men, to a focus on the Animorphs series by Katherine Applegate. We discuss how his time spent with family in West Virginia and the history and stories that come out of Appalachia formed the foundations for his future work.

Don then talks about how he started writing poetry when he was 10-12. Under the guidance of his uncle as his poetry & writing mentor, Don continued to develop and hone his craft. If you haven't found a poet you like, Don says you just haven't found the right one and recommends a number of poets and poetry to read. Link are at the end of the show notes.

Then we talk about Don's novel, Verity Vox and The Curse of Foxfire. As mentioned previously, Don talks about how the idea for the novel started with a real town and story in West Virginia. From there, Verity Vox can be described as Kiki's Delivery Service meets Old Gods of Appalachia. We talk spoiler free about the book, and Don talks about how he infused the book's town and characters with his personal history with West Virginia and the family that resides there. We also talk about what's coming next for his work, and some projects that we hinted at are out now, including Hexes and Heroes.

You can find Don at:

https://bydonmartin.com/

https://www.instagram.com/bydonmartin/

https://www.threads.com/@bydonmartin

Verity Vox and The Curse of Foxfire - https://amzn.to/4qf4FNL

Don Martin's catalog on Amazon - https://amzn.to/3M1hixS

You can find Hexes and Heroes at:

https://www.youtube.com/@hexesnheroes

You can find Head on Fire Podcast at:

https://www.youtube.com/@HeadOnFirePod

Don's Poetry Recommendations Include:

Clint Smith - Above Ground - https://amzn.to/4t6Tvgx

Andrea Gibson - Lord of the Butterflies - https://amzn.to/3NPX62t

Franny Choi - https://amzn.to/3Ogjzps

Maggie Smith - Good Bones - https://amzn.to/49RmPjI

Maggie Smith - The Well Speaks Of Its Own Poison - https://amzn.to/3M1gmJS

Staceyann Chin - https://amzn.to/49YGVak

Beau Sia - https://amzn.to/4ann5qN

Taylor Mali - https://amzn.to/4ann5qN

Saul Williams - https://amzn.to/4ar4OsD

Danez Smith - https://amzn.to/3NRul5G

Morgan Parker - Other People's Comfort Keeps Me Up At Night - https://amzn.to/4kcF0DX

Maya Popa - Wound Is the Origin of Wonder - https://amzn.to/3LPgj3Q