The ongoing podcast for West Virginia Writers, Inc., the Mountain State's largest organization dedicated to writers. Hosted by Eric Fritzius, from atop a hill in Greenbrier County, each podcast will feature information about WV Writers related events as well as readings and interviews with the writers of West Virginia and Appalachia.

This podcast features music by Pops Walker.

Monday, November 1, 2021

Pops Walker, in memorium

 


Sad news to report for the West Virginia Writers family. WVW co-founder Kirk Judd has reported on Facebook that Pops Walker died on October 29, at his home in Luray, Virginia, surrounded by friends and family. Pops was a dear friend of West Virginia Writers, myself, and of this podcast in particular.
 
Pops was an amazing guy and so very supportive of the music community throughout the region and beyond.  He was also just a downright fantastic musician in his own right.
 
I came to know Pops in 2007 when he attended the West Virginia Writers Summer Conference as the main musical entertainment for Saturday night, as well as participating in a couple of workshops. However, I think Pops was there to hang out with Lee Maynard. Not long before the conference, the audiobook adaptation of Lee's book Crum had been released by Ross Ballard through his Mountain Whispers Audiobooks. Pops provided the music for the project and released a separate album called The Crum Session. For the 2007 conference, Lee, Pops and Ross were in attendance and we got to hear some of that adaptation live, as well as the three of them in a workshop speaking about the collaboration process. Pops concert on Saturday is among my all time favorite musical concerts, conference or no. His performances were so much fun to watch, partly due to the quality of the music, but also for the energy with which Pops attacked his work, seemingly devouring the notes from the air and grinding them in his grinning teeth.

After I told him how much fun I'd had watching him, he replied, "Nobody has as much fun at my show as I do. They might be having as much fun as me, but no one's having more."

That conference also marked the first time that Lee and Pops teamed up for what would become regular reading/music combo concerts for them, with Lee reading from his work accompanied by Pops on guitar. To say it was magical is an understatement. Lee and Pops, who had only just met, quickly became fast friends and remained so until Lee's passing in 2017. (Pops spoke about their friendship in a memorial podcast to Lee, which was the last new episode produced here.)  They would re-team for similar combos in 2011 as well.

Pops was gracious enough to return to the conference on two more occasions, and he always brought friends who quickly became new favorite musicians. In 2008, he brought West Virginia musicians Keith and Joan Pitzer, who were wonderful. And in 2010 he brought musical protégé Kipyn Martin Kae. They joined the West Virginia Writers family of musicians and fit right in.
 
When the idea first occurred to me to produce a podcast for West Virginia Writers, in 2009, I knew whose music I wanted to use as the theme song. I contacted Pops and he gave me permission to use any of his music that I wanted. His only requirement was that I needed to send him copies of the show on CD, because his internet in Luray was too slow for downloading them. It was one of the best deals I ever made, as Pops' music was a large part of making the show sound as good as it did. I chose his instrumental "Southeastern" as the podcast theme. Pops said he wrote that tune to sound like what might happen if Ravi Shankar and Greg Allman were to collide with one another while carrying stringed instruments. An apt description if there ever was one.

In 2012, I was invited to help plan the first Lewisburg Literary Festival. My first proposal was to bring in Lee and Pops for one of their combo concerts, and for Pops to be part of the festival entertainment on his own. They readily agreed, since they always like an excuse to hang out with one another. That summer we had their tag-team magic recreated on the stage of the historic Lewis Theater. Not only that, but Lee did a live reading of the infamous apple slice chapter from Crum, which was a piece he said he had never read live before. Truth be told, he was nervous about it, and had asked me in advance if I thought the audience might rebel. I explained that we were a literary festival first and foremost and the written word was something we celebrated, even if that word might potentially offend. We were pretty sure our audience would be up for it. They absolutely were. And, of course, Pops brought a guest musician to help out in the form of Kipyn Martin Kae, who the audience fell in love with as well. They joined one another for Pops' concert that night. Pops even played "Southeastern" for me.
 
Pops and his wife Bobbi liked to give back to the music community and I was honored to be able to attend two of the Shenandoah River Song Fests which they hosted near their home in Luray. These were tented concerts on the banks of the Shenandoah River itself, during which music lovers from all walks of life gathered to camp for three days punctuated by catered food cooked right there on the riverbank, libations, and, of course, music by an assembly of musicians. My CD collection grew with each festival, and it was always great to see familiar faces take the stage there, from Kipyn to the Pitzer Family, to WVW friends Doug and Telisha Williams' band Wild Ponies, and new faces like Beaucoup Blue. It was so much fun to experience these bands he'd curated, who jammed together as easily as they played their own wonderful tunes, You could also see the love Pops had for them. These were his friends he was showing off to the world, celebrating their talent and joining their with his own brand of what he called Southern Fried Zen Mojo.

During the last fest I was able to attend, in 2014, we were treated to another Pops/Lee Maynard combo show, as Lee was in attendance as well. It would unfortunately mark the last time I would to see both Lee and Pops in person. 

Pops was not only a musical contributor, but the show's most frequent guest. Unfortunately, two of his three appearances were memorials to friends who had passed. The first was for Keith Pitzer, who had passed in 2010. And his second appearance was the last episode I produced, a tribute by Pops to his friend Lee Maynard, who passed in 2017.

If you've not heard them, I encourage you to listen to the Pops Walker podcasts, or revisit them if you've heard them before. Most of all, though, I encourage you to listen to his music. Two of his albums, Milepost 5, Live `N Drivin On, and The Crum Session can be found at Amazon. You can also find Pops work on the Crum audiobook as well as its sequel Screaming With the Cannibals courtesy of Mountain Whispers, also available via Amazon. You can also find Pops' book of essays, The Existential Redneck as an ebook for Amazon/Kindle.

Pops Walker's like will not be known again, but those of us who got to know him even a little bit are the better for it.

You can read Pops' obituary here. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to Page Alliance for Community Action.


PODCAST EPISODES FEATURING POPS

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Episode 76: Lee Maynard Remembered

The writer Lee Maynard passed away on June 16, 2017, in New Mexico.  He was an infamous son of the Appalachian literary scene due to his less than flattering depiction of growing up in West Virginia in his novel Crum--infamously banned from sale at Tamarack.  What negative publicity it received, however, drew more attention to the book, which is, at its heart, a love letter to the state.
  
For the past 15 years, Lee has been a regular presenter at the WV Writers Summer Conference, often accompanied by his friend and collaborator Pops Walker.  In this episode we talk to Pops himself about Lee and his work.  Also included are Lee's previous podcast appearances, including a recording of one of Lee's readings with Pops Walker, a resonant interview he did with Cat Pleska in 2009, and other recorded material.

TO DOWNLOAD: Right mouse click on the link below and choose Save Link Target As to save the file to your computer. Listen to it at your convenience using Windows Media Player (or whatever product Mac offers for media).
West Virginia Writers Podcast: Episode 76

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Episode 75: interview with author Ed Davis

Ed Davis is the WV-native author of the novels I Was So Much Older Then  and  The Measure of EverythingHis third novel, The Psalms of Israel Jones was recently published by WV University Press.  It tells the story of a legendary hard-living, hard-lovin', hard-drinkin', and hard-druggin' rockstar who, in his later years, develops something of a cult following.  Literally.  His son Thom, a conservative minister with some possible moral issues of his own, is called on to the tour by a mysterious phone call and finds himself once again thrust into his estranged father's chaotic world of tour busses, dive-bar shows, and... snake-handlers?  

In this episode, host Eric Fritzius sits down with Davis for an interview about the novel, as recorded during the Lewisburg Literary Festival on August 8, 2015.


TO DOWNLOAD: Right mouse click on the link below and choose Save Link Target As to save the file to your computer. Listen to it at your convenience using Windows Media Player (or whatever product Mac offers for media).
West Virginia Writers Podcast: Episode 75
 
LINKS TO TOPICS FEATURED IN THE PODCAST

WV Writers Podcast: Bonus 14 - A Consternation of Monsters episode

(The following podcast is presented as a bonus episode featuring a sample episode of host Eric Fritzius's other podcast The Consternation of Monsters Podcast, adapting stories from his new collection, A Consternation of Monsters.)

The Seward Whale Strike Tragedy, they called it. Twenty-five people dead. The worst accident in Alaska’s tourism history since Will Rogers’ plane went down in ‘35. Only one man left alive knows the truth of what really happened — the man everyone agrees caused the tragedy to start with.

And if there’s one thing he’s sure of, the thing they hit that day was no whale.

Presented here is his testimony, as transcribed for an interview with Paranorm Violations Magazine. This podcast adapts the short story “The Ones that Aren’t Crows” found in the collection A Consternation of Monsters.

TO DOWNLOAD: Right mouse click on the link below and choose Save Link Target As to save the file to your computer. Listen to it at your convenience using Windows Media Player (or whatever product Mac offers for media).
WVW Podcast Bonus show #14: The Consternation of Monsters podcast

LINKS TO TOPICS HEARD IN THIS PODCAST

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

ENCORE PODCAST: Episode 41: 2010 Literary Tea Recorded Live Reading with Miles Dean


In honor of the recent passing of poet Miles Dean, we present an encore of Episode 41 in which he and his poetry are featured.

Miles Dean was not only a WV Writers member, and regular contributor to this podcast, but he was a prolific poet and one of the driving forces for the Raleigh County Library Writers Group.  In addition to being a multiple winner of the writers’ wall and people’s choice competitions at the WV Writers Summer Conference, Miles published three collections of his poetry, the most recent of which, New River Reflections, debuted in January.

This recorded live reading comes from the September 16th Literary Tea session at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Lewisburg. WV Writers' featured reader is Miles Dean, won honorable mention in the Humor Category of the 2010 WVW Annual Writing Contest as well as voted the 1st place winner in poetry for the Writers Wall at the 2010 Summer Conference.

Find other podcasts featuring Miles Dean at this label link.


If you're a member or extended friend of WV Writers, Inc. we invite you to submit your own recorded live readings to wvwpodcast@gmail.com.

TO DOWNLOAD: Right mouse click on the link below and choose Save Link Target As to save the file to your computer. Listen to it at your convenience using Windows Media Player (or whatever product Mac offers for media).

West Virginia Writers Podcast Episode 41

Links mentioned in Podcast:


Episode 74: Literary Tea Recorded Live Reading with Rachel Garringer

Only a month late in posting this episode, this is the final prose recording from the 2014 Literary Tea series at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Lewisburg.  It features Rachel Garringer, the 2nd place winner of our 2014 Emerging Writers Prose category.  

This recorded live reading comes from the October 13, 2014 Literary Tea session at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Lewisburg.

(If you're a member or extended friend of WV Writers, Inc. we invite you to submit your own recorded live readings to wvwpodcast@gmail.com.)

TO DOWNLOAD: Right mouse click on the link below and choose Save Link Target As to save the file to your computer. Listen to it at your convenience using Windows Media Player (or whatever product Mac offers for media).
West Virginia Writers Podcast: Episode 74
 
LINKS TO TOPICS FEATURED IN THE PODCAST

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Episode 73: Literary Tea Recorded Live Reading with Janet Lilly

To help promote our annual writing contest, this year's Literary Tea readings featured winners from the 2014 WVW Annual Writing Contest.  The featured reader for this Tea is Janet Lilly, who won third place in the Writers Wall competition at the 2014 WV Writers Summer Conference.  This recorded live reading comes from the October 6, 2014 Literary Tea session at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Lewisburg.

(If you're a member or extended friend of WV Writers, Inc. we invite you to submit your own recorded live readings to wvwpodcast@gmail.com.)

TO DOWNLOAD: Right mouse click on the link below and choose Save Link Target As to save the file to your computer. Listen to it at your convenience using Windows Media Player (or whatever product Mac offers for media).
West Virginia Writers Podcast: Episode 73
 
LINKS TO TOPICS FEATURED IN THE PODCAST

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Episode 72: Literary Tea Recorded Live Reading with Audrey Stanton Smith


To help promote our annual writing contest, this year's Literary Tea readings featured winners from the 2014 WVW Annual Writing Contest.  The featured reader for this Tea is Audrey Stanton Smith, who placed in the Humor, Stageplay and Children's Book categories.  This recorded live reading comes from the September 29, 2014 Literary Tea session at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Lewisburg.

(If you're a member or extended friend of WV Writers, Inc. we invite you to submit your own recorded live readings to wvwpodcast@gmail.com.)
 
TO DOWNLOAD: Right mouse click on the link below and choose Save Link Target As to save the file to your computer. Listen to it at your convenience using Windows Media Player (or whatever product Mac offers for media).
West Virginia Writers Podcast: Episode 72
 
LINKS TO TOPICS FEATURED IN THE PODCAST

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Episode 71: Literary Tea Recorded Live Reading with Dawn A. Baldwin


This recorded live reading comes from the September 22 Literary Tea session at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Lewisburg.

To help promote our annual writing contest, this year's Literary Tea readings featured winners from the 2014 WVW Annual Writing Contest.  The featured reader for this first reading is Dawn A. Baldwin, who placed both honorable mention and 1st place in the Pearl S. Buck Award for Writing for Social Change category of the 2014 contest.

(If you're a member or extended friend of WV Writers, Inc. we invite you to submit your own recorded live readings to wvwpodcast@gmail.com.)


TO DOWNLOAD: Right mouse click on the link below and choose Save Link Target As to save the file to your computer. Listen to it at your convenience using Windows Media Player (or whatever product Mac offers for media).
West Virginia Writers Podcast: Episode 71
 
LINKS TO TOPICS FEATURED IN THE PODCAST

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Episode 70: ContestCAST 2015

ContestCAST 2015 is your one-stop primer for all information about the 2015 West Virginia Writers Annual Writing contests.  

Joining host Eric Fritzius for the third year in a row is 2015 Contest Coordinator... Eric Fritzius.

(By the way, to get the maximum effect of this "interview" it's probably best to listen to this episode using a good pair of stereo headphones.)

TO DOWNLOAD: Right mouse click on the link below and choose Save Link Target As to save the file to your computer. Listen to it at your convenience using Windows Media Player (or whatever product Mac offers for media).
West Virginia Writers Podcast: Episode 70


WV Writers Contest Entry Form 2015     New Mountain Voices contest entry form

LINKS TO TOPICS FEATURED IN THE PODCAST