Shelly hangs with Roberta King to talk about Budding Prospects-A Pastoral-by T.C. Boyle. HOLY COW if you have been in the cannabis industry for awhile or ever worked at a grow you have to read this. It is too funny and real. Of course it starts with a charismatic money guy showing up at his friends place talking about big money to be made-And ends with......a very crowded and hot apartment. HA! HA! So much schadenfreude! Much has changed in the world of weed since it was originally published in 1984 but the characters and challenges are so familiar and hilarious. T. C. Boyle knows how to paint the messy messy stuff beautifully. We also talk about upcoming caregiver rallies in Michigan and fun cannabis events Roberta is producing.

Reads and Weeds

Episode 66 Budding Prospects by T.C. Boyle

While listening to the audio version of this magical book which is set on a farm in Mexico during the pandemic 100 years ago, I was working on a farm in Michigan and living through a pandemic in 2021. (AND, AND it originally came out in 2015 but it SEEMS like she MUST HAVE KNOWN that another pandemic was coming, you know.) Anyway I highly recommend experiencing it that way if you can. Medicate and listen to it in a hammock or working in your garden! There is a mysterious wise boy who communicates with bees and knows the future. There is a woman who nurses 3 generations of a family and outlives them all. There is the family that is doing their best with surprises and suffering. There is a dark terrible villain who felt cheated. There is sugar cane giving way to orange trees and old ways giving way to new. This is the magic of reading. This isn't my story but it IS my story. Thanks Amanda and Angie for hanging with me on this one, and for eating the oranges and honey and for smoking all the things. It was so lovely.

Episode 65-The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia

We love the podcast 'My Favorite Murder' with Karen and Georgia. Somehow two friends talking about true crime and being their daring authentic selves has inspired a giant 'Murderino' community that is supportive, honest, humble, bold, and knows when it needs therapy and we are HERE FOR IT. We love this book and want you to read it. Shelly and Angie(Bone Jackies) are joined by Paul Gordon(who recommended the book and edited this episode), Allyson Bobbitt(You Made Me Watch podcast) and Lauren Bridges(who inspired me to be a murderino many years ago).

Episode 64-Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

Wow y'all. We just got to hang out with music biographer Jake Brown and Freddy Powers' widow Catherine Powers to talk about 'Spree of '83-The Life and Times of Freddy Powers.' I had never known about Freddy before and felt like I was riding on a tour bus with a country music legend and he was cracking me up. His story is sometimes in his own words, sometimes in Merle's, or Willie's, or Catherine's. It is rowdy music history. It is about lifelong friendship. It is about musicianship. It is comedic timing. It is a sweet romantic love story. It is about facing the terrible path of Parkinson's disease and deciding to live a fun life anyway. I felt like I made a friend and now am mourning his passage. AND because he wrote #1 hits, of course it comes with a soundtrack. Just wonderful. I hear there is a movie in the works and I can't wait. We are so grateful to Catherine and Jake. It was an honor! And a blast!

Episode 63-The Spree of '83 by Catherine Powers and Jake Brown

Shelly and Myc O Phile are so so excited to talk about his Top 5 Favorite Psychedelic and Spirituality books. It was a real tough choice but if you have been wondering where to start learning on this subject, these should keep you busy for AWHILE. What is manna from heaven? Do you know the Stoned Ape theory? What are those little mushroom things in cave paintings? What is ergotism? What really happened in the sacred ceremonies that continued for thousands of years? Curious people. Explorers. GET. INTO. THESE.

Epoisode 62-The Best of Psychedelics and Spirituality Books with Myc O Phile

Shelly sits down with JRR Tokkin to talk about his debut novel, The Adventures of the Great Neblinski, a New and Improved Hope. Based on characters he cultivated with friends playing D&D decades ago, this fantasy follows the journey of a G'nome that is over 1000 years old who smokes weed and has monster friends and casts spells and it is all kinds of fun. There is a bird on Tokkin's shoulder the whole time we are talking about everything from how he became the most famous antler carver in Canada to how he came to raise dire wolves. If you love epic fantasy like Lord of the Rings AND ridiculousness like Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, you'll enjoy this book.

Episode 61 The Adventures Of The Great Neblinski - A New And Improved Hope - By JRR Tokkin

Shelly hangs with Tawna Dabney-long time friend, kid's dance and preschool teacher, and goshdarn ray of light. In the before times, she led a regular kid's story time at Black Rail Coffee in Hoboken and misses the kiddos terribly. She reads 'Hey Lil One' and 'Superheros are Everywhere!' We are super silly and it has nothing to do with weed. We have been squealy theater geeks for EVAH. Now I wanna have kid's story hours at provisioning centers. Who is open to this? You can WATCH Tawna read on our Reads and Weeds youtube page! Also-please check out www.lastprisonerproject.org and www.mifreedomcoalition.com Get involved!

Episode 60-Tawna reads kid's books!!!

Happy Hash Bash 2021. Shelly is with Jamie Lowell(and puppies Sherman and Zeta) to discuss Graham Hancock's America Before. What happens to our brains when we imagine that the history of our species might be way different than we have been believing for so long. I know it's a lot. Smoke some weed and open your mind. Any maybe get some notebooks and a book of maps. We had a great food spread! Paul Gordon joins us at the end! We talked about how far freeing cannabis has come and how far we have to go. Let me know where you are listening from and what you are reading. www.micannabisfreedomcoalition.org www.lastprisonerproject.org

Epsiode 59-America Before by Graham Hancock

This is the worldwide live debut reading of an original play by our regular guest Nathan Corliss! Yes something great coming out of quarantine. He assembled an amazing cast and one of them couldn't make it so I got to read along too. CAST: Sarah-Vicki Morgan Carol-Shelly Smith James-Will Jones III April-Abby Rudnicki Bobby-Robby Griswold It's so good. It's funny. It's current. It's sad. It's real. Great dialogue. There is a even a weed smoking scene. There are gardening references. There is a huge reveal at the end that I wish I had remembered before I played Carol. I would have made her more convicted and certain......but it was still such an honor to be in this cast who created so much emotion and chemistry even over Zoom. We dedicate this show to Tori Tomalia, a leader in our improv community who died from cancer a few days before this reading. She brought theater to kids and grownups in this area for the last many years and we are so grateful to have known her. She opened Pointless Brewery and Improv Theater In Ann Arbor with her husband Jason and built a wonderful community. We are all hurting and miss her. Nathan worked there. It felt so good to be together today creating theater and remembering why it is important.

Episode 58-Three Sinners by Nathan Corliss

Shelly is back with Angie Mae! We missed each other. This was recorded on Biden's inauguration day and we needed to talk about ANYTHING else. Happy to report no one has stormed the castle since then. Let's call it a win. If you've ever wanted the basics of Buddhism and have been intimidated by giant texts, this is your start. If you are looking for simple habits to calm your ass down during these crazy times, read this today. We also talk about weed food and other regular food A LOT, so if you want recipes for Biscuit Pot Pie or Brownie Waffle Sundaes, hit me up.

Episode 57-No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners by Noah Rasheta

Welp! we just couldn't stop talking about the Mama's Baby, Daddy's Murder. I SO WANT IT to be a TV Series shot in Detroit. It would be so damn fun. Get on this bandwagon with me so Heather Jay can sell a 5 season show. SHORTY! SHORTY! SHORTY! www.shortybooks.com

ShortyBooks Bonus Track with Heather Jay and Claire

Woo hoo! Shelly and Claire are back with author Heather Jay Harris(see Episode 47)to discuss Mama's Baby, Daddy's Murder, the second book in her series. I AM LOVING THESE. Well thought out human characters, comedy, a crime to solve, a huge twist, a baby on the way, and it is all based in Detroit. Do yourself a favor right now and go to www.shortybooks.com and buy the first two ebooks and tear through them this week. They are so so fun and you are going to love her writing style and you will love getting to know all the characters so just get on board. They are fast easy reads and I can't wait for the next one!

Episode 56-Mama's Baby, Daddy's Murder by Heather Jay Harris

On Jan 2, 2020 Shelly and Paul Gordon(mushroom farmer)took a field trip to the magical Lynx Run Wilderness Retreat in Big Rapids Michigan. We got stuck in the driveway immediately but it was worth it because the nerding out on all things mushrooms was non stop. Our lovely host, artist/forager Rob Vanderzee shoved the car out with his jeep so we could get right to a lovely walk in the forest and a great meal of black eyed peas, collard greens, and cornbread. We were so lucky to have Myc O'Phile(human mushroom encyclopedia)with us too! If you are a forager, YOU GET IT. If not, there is SO MUCH FUN STUFF TO LEARN about fungi! Eugenia Bone shares her journey from just wanting cheaper morels to becoming a full on MYCOPHILE. If you've never explored the magical world of mushrooms, this is where you start! I also made, well STOLE from Myc O Phile a great mushroom themed playlist. Enjoy! Join the mushroom people. Their is way more fungi in the world than people so it just makes strategic sense.

Episode 55-Mycophilia-Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms by Eugenia Bone

Shelly sits down with arguably the biggest 'lamb'(lamb=Mariah fan) of all time, Ghia Parow, to discuss The Meaning of Mariah Carey. It is HER story told HER way. There is drama and overcoming and lots of straight HUSTLE. It is Holiday/Election season 2020, so maybe the weirdest December of all time, but 'All I Want for Christmas is You' is #1 for the 26th December in a row. RESPECT! Shelly learns what 'balayage ombre' means. We smoke some Stage 5 Clinger. We sing a little Mariah, of course. I recommend the audiobook because the queen herself reads it to ya and she is a sassy little hoot. Check it out. You know you need to turn off the news for a minute. AND...oh my this made me feel like a stoner when I listened back......ummmm......OF COURSE I KNOW the 'Ms.Wiggins' line was Tim CONWAY, not 'Conroy', omg the shame. Forgive me. Great clip though. Go look at that one too.

Episode 54-The Meaning of Mariah Carey with Michaela Angela Davis

Shelly sits down with former radio pro Paul Gordon to discuss his favorite book 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' by Douglas Adams. They ponder the most likely eternal constant of the universe, the importance of silliness, prototype robots, and the high probability of the improbable. Stage 5 Clinger was smoked. Highly recommend! Great snacks! #junksmack!(You've all felt it.) Check out the dope Guide related playlist on Spotify by searching Reads and Weeds, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Playlist.

Episode 53-The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

We are mainly Shelly Smith and Kris Walton, lifelong friends who love reading books and smoking weed and talking. We have a rotating book crew of delightful fellow readers and smokers. We may go off on tangents and the sound may not be perfect but we have fun every time. Foul language, rants about the patriarchy and breaks to order Chinese food also happen. Join us, will ya!

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Reads and Weeds

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