My friend Dave Bonta is involved with all sorts of literary projects. He's one of the founders and managing editors of the literary journal Qarrtsiluni; he used to co-edit Postal Poetry, and he's also the guy behind The Morning Porch (daily micropoetry), The Woodrat Photoblog (photos and haiku), and of course his terrific personal blog Via Negativa.

Dave's latest project is a weekly 30-minute podcast called The Woodrat Podcast, which debuted two weeks ago. I've listened to the first two editions while nursing Drew. They've been thoughtful, eclectic, and interesting -- not surprising to anyone who knows Dave or reads his work.

Recently I strapped young master Drew to my chest in a Didymos wrap, walked around the house to lull him to sleep, and then stood in front of my computer (swaying gently from side to side to keep Drew dozing) and chatted with Dave via Skype. We talked about poetry, liturgy, the intersection of MFA and rabbinic school, beginner's mind, names for God, liturgical creativity, good religious poetry, writing habits, and more -- and now you can listen in, because our conversation has been excerpted in the Woodrat Podcast, episode 3:

(That link goes to Dave's blog, where you can stream the episode or download it; you can also opt to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes.)

Thanks for including me, Dave; it was a real treat to spend some time talking about a few of my favorite things. Maybe especially now, two months in to this parenting adventure, when it has become a delicious novelty to go an hour without discussing sleep or crying or bodily effluvia. And to everyone else: if you listen, let us know what you think!