The Iron John Podcast

Jul 12 2024
The Iron John Podcast artwork

The Iron John Podcast is a production of the Minnesota Men’s Conference (MMC). 

The Minnesota Men's Conference was founded by poet, author, and storyteller, Robert Bly in 1984. In the past decades, the conference as  reached out to men of all ethnicities, orientations, nationalities, backgrounds, life experiences, and ages. Any person who identifies as a man is welcome to participate.  We welcome men from all over the country, from large cities to rural communities, and from all over the world.  In general, the men who attend our conferences are interested in living the question of what it means to live a mythically-informed life of depth and purpose, a life of soul. 

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The Iron John Podcast, Episode 8 - Robert Bringhurst Interview

Jul 12 2024 41 mins  
In this episode, we interview Robert Bringhurst, who will be one of the presenters are the upcoming 40th Anniversary Minnesota Men's Conference (October 1 through 6, 2024). Robert Bringhurst is a lifelong student of Native American languages and literatures. His major work in this field is a three-volume study of Haida oral literature: two volumes of translation of the works of the

Episode 7: Walking Swiftly

May 16 2024 57 mins  
This Episode is a recording from an Elder’s Circle session with our friends at Fifth Direction, a community of soul depth, based in Australia. The Fifth Direction web site can be found at: https://thefifthdirection.com/. The session is facilitated by Asher Packman. Timothy Young interviews poet and author Thomas R. Smith on his memories of editing the festschrift, Walking Swiftly

The Iron John Podcast, Episode 6—Perfection-free Singing

May 08 2024 53 mins  
In this episode, we interview Timothy Frantzich, Nicholas Pawlowski, and Doug von Koss on their experiences leading “Perfection-Free Singing Circles at Men’s Conferences. The singing at conferences involves men singing together and creating beauty without expectation, without judgement, and with an emphasis on expression over perfection. Such singing is based on the raw beauty

Episode 5: The Tale of Gwion Bach and Ceridwen

Apr 23 2024 79 mins  
The Tale of Gwion Bach and Ceridwen is a Welsh tale that was carried into the 2024 Winter Minnesota Men's Conference. In this episode, Ben Dennis and Walton Stanley comment on and unpack the story. To learm more about the work of the Minnesota Men's Conference, go to: https://minnesotamensconference.com/

The Iron John Podcast, Episode 4; Poetry from the 2024 Winter Men's Conference—Utter Darkness / Shining Brow

Apr 07 2024 12 mins  
Poets Timothy Young and Jesse Dermody trade poems accompanied by Josh Schmidt on guitar.

The Iron John Podcast, Episode 3: Timothy Young Quotes as Birch Leaves Falling

Mar 28 2024 31 mins  
Like birch leaves falling in Autumn, Timothy Young drops quotes from 39 years of men's soul work, and like the leaves, they land as they might. This was a presentation from the 2024 Winter Minnesota Men's Conference, Utter Darkness / Shining Brow.

The Iron John Podcast, Episode 2, The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart Discussion

Mar 23 2024 31 mins  
In this episode, Timothy Young interviews poet, author, and long-time assistant to Robert Bly, Thomas R. Smith. They discuss the poetry anthology, The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, which was compiled by Robert Bly, James Hillman, and Michael Meade.

The Iron John Podcast, Episode 1

Dec 29 2023 48 mins  
n this episode, we welcome leaders of the Minnesota Men’s Conference as we discuss the relevance of Men’s Conferences and retreats today and talk about the work of tempering and deepening the male soul. Panelists include: Ben Dennis, Timothy Young, Miguel Rivera, Peter Hutter, Jonathan Stensland, and Walton Stanley