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What happens when the most painful chapter of your life becomes material for comedy — and then grows into a play about love? Playwright and bestselling author Robin Gerber joins Bret to discuss The Best Medicine, her funny and openhearted new solo show starring Caroline Aaron of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The play began in an unlikely place: a ten-week stand-up comedy workshop that Robin and Bret took with comedian Cary Odes. For their final assignment, each participant developed and performed eight minutes of original comedy. Robin drew hers from caring for her husband after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Those eight minutes became the germ — and emotional heart — of a play about marriage, caregiving, loss, purpose and enduring love. Robin also talks about her journey from attorney and labor organizer to bestselling author and playwright, as well as The Shot, her acclaimed play about Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham, starring Sharon Lawrence. The Best Medicine, directed by Jane E. Unger, opens October 10 at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles and runs through November 15, 2026. Tickets and information: https://odysseytheatre.com/whats-on/the-best-medicine/

What does it actually mean to protect democracy at the local level? Will Knox, Kim Bryson and Allison Stillman of Democracy Ojai join us for a conversation about voting, civic participation, election confidence and the responsibilities that come with citizenship. They talk about why Democracy Ojai formed, how a nonpartisan group navigates an intensely polarized moment, what history can teach us about the long American argument over who gets a voice, and why democracy depends on more than simply showing up every few years to cast a ballot. The conversation also turns local: what civic life looks like in a small town, how to engage younger voters, what people misunderstand about elections, and what an ordinary person can realistically do to strengthen democratic participation. We did not talk about the 1794 Festival of the Supreme Being, Ohtani's recovery protocol or Billy Corgan. Ojai: Talk of the Town is hosted by Bret Bradigan. Check out the link below for more information about Democracy Ojai: https://www.facebook.com/p/Democracy-OJAI-61574098970478/

Why, in an age of TikTok, streaming video and infinite distraction, do we still gather in a room to hear one human being tell us a story? Ojai Storytelling Festival executive director Kara Martin joins Bret along with internationally acclaimed storyteller Noa Baum for a conversation about one of humanity’s oldest technologies: the well-told tale. They talk about why stories can reach places that facts and arguments sometimes cannot; the overlooked art of listening; whether shared stories still function as connective tissue in an increasingly fractured culture; and what actually happens between a storyteller and an audience when everything clicks. Noa also tells the remarkable story of how a stalled acting career unexpectedly led her toward storytelling — through an encounter with a group of special-needs children that changed the course of her life. Along the way: unreliable narrators, bad dinner-party storytellers, what children understand about stories that adults forget, and whether Kara now finds herself silently editing everyone she meets. We did not talk about Taylor Swift's covid collaboration with The National, knife-sharpening gadgets or the remarkable Abyssinian Expedition of the mid-Victorian period. The Ojai Storytelling Festival returns October 22–25, 2026, with performances at Libbey Bowl and the Ojai Art Center and a lineup that includes Baum, Kevin Kling, Geraldine Buckley, Sufian Zhemukhov, Lipbone Redding and emcee Mary Hamilton. Turns out “Once upon a time” still has some life in it. Check out the festival and buy tickets at ... https://www.ojaistoryfest.org/

On June 27, 2023, Reed Christy was nearly killed in a motorcycle accident. He survived, but the crash cost him a leg and forced him into the long, difficult work of rebuilding a life he had once taken for granted. What emerged was more than resilience. It was attention. A lifelong athlete and fitness enthusiast, Reed had spent years valuing motion, discipline and performance. Recovery taught him something different: the power of attention. Of slowing down. Of being fully present for the people, moments and ordinary experiences that are easy to miss when life is moving fast. Today, Reed speaks around the country about gratitude, awareness and intentional living — not as abstractions, but as lessons earned the hard way. In this conversation, Reed talks about the accident, the physical and emotional realities of becoming an amputee, the discipline required to rebuild, and the surprising shift in perspective that followed. His story is not simply about surviving catastrophe. It is about waking up to the life that remains. And it raises a question worth asking whether or not you’ve ever faced anything remotely like what Reed has: How much of your own life are you actually noticing? A thoughtful, funny and deeply human conversation about presence, gratitude and what it means to live deliberately. We did not talk about circle hooks, Cy Young or the works of Milan Kundera. You can learn more about Reed and his purpose at https://www.reedchristy.com/

What happens when you stretch 26 strings more than 60 feet across a room, turn an entire building into an instrument — and then follow the monarch butterfly migration with it? Andrea Brook is the creator of Sonic Butterfly, the enormous immersive long-string harp that has been played in some remarkable places, from Seattle’s Space Needle to Taliesin West and beyond. Its story began during a Day of the Dead performance in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where an encounter with the monarch migration helped transform Andrea’s earlier long-string work into the butterfly-shaped instrument she performs with today. In this episode, Andrea joins Bret to talk about how Sonic Butterfly evolved, how those extraordinarily long strings actually produce sound, what it feels like to play an instrument that literally surrounds its audience, and some of the adventures involved in installing it around the world. And the butterfly story is coming full circle. On Friday, September 18, from 6:30–8:30 p.m., Andrea and Sonic Butterfly host The Return of the Western Monarch Butterfly, a FREE event at Chrysalis in Ojai, presented in collaboration with the Ventura County Resource Conservation District. The evening combines an immersive Sonic Butterfly performance with photographs by Elizabeth Weber, a short film by Ole Schell, a panel discussion and local environmental organizations — all focused on the western monarch and efforts to help bring its population back. Chrysalis is at 850 Baldwin Road in Ojai, adjacent to the Montessori School. The event is free; RSVP by emailing [email protected]. Andrea also shares the bigger idea now taking flight: a Sonic Butterfly Migration Tour following monarch migration routes and using music, spectacle and community gatherings to connect people with the landscapes the butterflies depend upon. We did not talk about how Peter the Great's scientific expeditions to Siberia influenced Thomas Jefferson's Lewis& Clark expedition, the relative greatness of the television show "Patriot," or Brazilian ju-jitsu. It’s a conversation about music, engineering, migration, ecology — and what can happen when one wonderfully strange artistic idea grows wings.

What do the Grateful Dead, punk rock, philosophy, sobriety and a great neighborhood tavern have in common? For Sean Kelly, quite a lot. The Philadelphia-born musician, restaurateur and new steward of Ojai’s historic Deer Lodge, who has also relaunched with Angie Edelsen the legendary Ranch House, joins us for a wide-ranging conversation about the music that shaped him, the philosophers who challenged him, the strange alchemy of live performance, and what decades in the restaurant business have taught him about people. We also explore community, reinvention, what Ojai needs more — and less — of, and the question running beneath it all: What makes for a life well lived? We did not talk about Yo La Tengo, annatto paste or Bowie knives. You can catch up to Sean and his plans for the Deer Lodge and Ranch House at DeerLodgeOjai.com.

Writer, photographer and wilderness guide Chuck Graham returns to Ojai: Talk of the Town to take us into the wild world of Channel Islands National Park — a place he has spent decades exploring by kayak and documenting up close. We talk about some genuinely encouraging conservation victories, from the remarkable recovery of the Channel Island fox and the return of bald eagles to fascinating examples of natural selection unfolding before our eyes. Chuck also shares stories from years of paddling these rugged waters and explains why this extraordinary archipelago — remote, biologically unique and surprisingly close to home — remains one of California’s most magical and underappreciated wild places.

Grammy-winning pianist, composer and arranger Roger Kellaway has spent more than six decades making music alongside some of the greatest names in jazz and American popular music. In this wide-ranging conversation, Roger looks back on the musicians who shaped him, what separates the truly great players from the merely accomplished, and why music education and learning to really listen still matter. Roger talks about the fateful gig when he was hired by Norman Lear and his partner to write the closing song for "All in the Family," which became "Remembering You," one of the most recognizable tunes in television. We also bring the story home to Ojai. Roger talks about meeting his wife, Jorjana Kellaway, how the two eventually found their way to the Ojai Valley, and some of the performances and musical moments at the Ojai Music Festival that have stayed with him. Roger Kellaway is no stranger to the pages of Ojai Quarterly. He was featured for his collaboration with Joe Sohm and Clint Eastwood on "Visions of America." He is also a frequent, distinctive and distinguished audience member at the Ojai Music Festival. We did not talk about Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey's friendship with Ted Williams, marlin fishing in the Sea of Cortez, or Gene Lees. It's a conversation about jazz history, improvisation, teaching, creativity, love, place — and what a lifetime devoted to music teaches you about listening. https://rogerkellaway.com/

It's our official 300th episode! In May 2020, I set out to interview interesting people. What I didn't realize was that each conversation would leave behind a clue — not just about my guests, but about what makes for a meaningful, creative, and fulfilling life. In this special solo episode, I step out from behind the microphone to reflect on the lessons I've gathered from hundreds of conversations with artists, entrepreneurs, historians, volunteers, scientists, civic leaders, and the wonderfully eccentric personalities who make Ojai unlike anywhere else. Along the way, I share stories from my own journey as a journalist, publisher, novelist, and longtime resident of the valley — touching on curiosity, failure, resilience, community, storytelling, and why it's never too late to reinvent yourself. I do not talk about Orel Hershisher's World Series shutout record, northern anchovy populations or Christopher Nolan films. Whether you've been with me since Episode 1 or you're discovering Ojai: Talk of the Town for the first time, I hope this conversation leaves you seeing Ojai — and perhaps your own life — a little differently.

What happens when an artist follows curiosity so completely that it changes not only her work — but her life? In this episode of Ojai: Talk of the Town, host Bret Bradigan sits down with acclaimed Ojai artist Marie McKenzie, whose breathtaking underwater paintings are inspired by firsthand encounters with California's disappearing kelp forests. After learning of the dramatic decline of these vital marine ecosystems, Marie did something few artists would: she learned to freedive, overcoming her fear of the ocean to immerse herself in the world she wanted to paint. The result is Ocean Garden, a luminous new collection celebrating beauty, abundance and the surprising power of protecting what we love. But this conversation goes far beyond art. Marie shares how she learned to trust her intuition over deadlines, why beauty may be a more powerful force for change than outrage, how she built a career painting one small canvas at a time, and what it means to move from simply surviving as an artist to truly thriving. Whether you're an artist, entrepreneur, conservationist — or anyone searching for more meaning in your work — this episode is an inspiring reminder that your greatest breakthroughs often begin on the other side of curiosity. In this episode you'll discover: Why Marie traded fear of the ocean for the freedom of freediving.How California's disappearing kelp forests transformed her artistic vision.Why she delayed releasing an entire collection until the paintings felt "ready."The surprising relationship between beauty, creativity and conservation.How a daily painting practice became the foundation of a successful artistic career.If you've ever wondered where inspiration comes from — or how to build a life around what you love — this conversation will stay with you long after it ends. Note: we did not talk about the Emily Wilson's Odyssey translation, the Cincinnati Reds or nano-technology. Check out more about Marie at https://www.mariemckenzie.com

From interviewing rock musicians during music's golden era to helping shape the desktop publishing revolution, Kathleen Kaiser has spent a lifetime at the intersection of creativity, technology, and storytelling. After twelve years as president of the Writers & Publishers Network, she's stepping aside — not to slow down, but to finally devote more time to her own writing, including a long-awaited novel, her new Substack Glimpses of a Life, and the Talking Book Publishing podcast. In this wide-ranging conversation, Kathleen reflects on the evolution of publishing, the challenges facing today's authors, AI's growing role in the writing world, why marketing matters just as much as craft, and what she's learned from decades spent helping thousands of writers chase their dreams. We talked about Brian Jones, fan culture and Fillmore. We did not talk about Japan's 400 salt varieties, kelp forests or Milan Kundera's theories of kitsch. It's a thoughtful, funny conversation about reinvention, generosity, and the enduring power of a good story. You can learn more about Kathleen here, and sign up for her Substack ... https://www.kathleenkaiser.com/about-kka.html

Every summer, something extraordinary happens in Ojai. Nearly 1,000 new plays arrive from writers across the country. After months of rigorous evaluation by dramaturgs, directors, and theater professionals, only six or seven are chosen for the Ojai Playwrights Conference — one of America's premier incubators for new theater. Those playwrights spend two intensive weeks rewriting, collaborating with acclaimed directors and dramaturgs, and hearing their words brought to life by professional actors before live audiences. It's where promising scripts become exceptional plays. Readings of these fresh works with professional actors takes place July 30 to August 2 this year on the Thacher School campus. In this episode of Ojai: Talk of the Town, host Bret Bradigan sits down with Jeremy B. Cohen, Producing Artistic Director of the Ojai Playwrights Conference, for a fascinating conversation about what separates good theater from great theater, why live performance remains unlike any other art form, and how the Conference discovers bold new voices whose stories may one day appear on stages across the country. They explore the creative workshop process, the elusive qualities of compelling dramatic writing, the importance of artistic risk, and why Ojai has become one of the nation's most important destinations for playwrights. Whether you're a theater lover, a writer, or simply someone fascinated by the creative process, this conversation offers a rare look inside the making of new American theater — before the curtain ever rises. We talked about the OPC's integral Youth Workshop run by Kim Maxwell and her daughter Lily Brown, Jeremy finding his people in the theater world in western Massachusetts, running the venerable Playwrights' Center in St. Paul, Mn. and Broadway legend George Abbott. We did not talk about Marie Kondo, Komodo dragons, or looksmaxxing. Check out OjaiPlays.org for schedule and much more.

Astrology has fascinated humanity for thousands of years, yet it's often misunderstood. Is it a tool for predicting the future, a framework for understanding ourselves, or something else entirely? In this episode of Ojai: Talk of the Town, Bret Bradigan sits down with astrologer, author, and Ojai City Council member Rachel Lang for an engaging conversation about the origins of astrology, why it has endured across civilizations, and why it's experiencing a remarkable resurgence today. Rachel shares her own journey from small-town Missouri with artist parents, college and her career in nonprofit marketing and development, before delving into astrology, where she explains how birth charts are interpreted, explores the balance between fate and free will, and discusses the role intuition can play in both personal growth and public service. They also talk about Ojai's reputation as a haven for artists, healers, and seekers — and whether there's something uniquely inspiring about this valley. Whether you're a lifelong student of astrology, a healthy skeptic, or simply curious about one of humanity's oldest traditions, this conversation offers thoughtful insights into our enduring search for meaning and connection. Topics include:• What astrology is — and what it isn't• The ancient history of astrology• Fate, free will, and timing• Why astrology is more popular than ever• Ojai's unique spiritual and creative culture• Rachel's path from astrologer to public servant

Few experiences shape us more profoundly than love and loss. In this encore episode of Ojai: Talk of the Town, acclaimed author Laurel Braitman reflects on the deeply personal journey behind her memoir, What Looks Like Bravery: A Journey Through Love & Loss. A graduate of Thacher School who grew up just over the hill in Santa Paula, Braitman returns to the landscapes that shaped her life as she recounts her father's battle with cancer, the complexities of family, and the unexpected ways grief can transform us. Today she serves as Writer-in-Residence at Stanford School of Medicine, where she explores the intersection of storytelling, medicine and the human experience. The conversation ranges well beyond the memoir. We discuss her remarkable parents, growing up in Ventura County, the many changes Ojai has experienced over the decades, the craft of writing, and the rapidly evolving world of publishing. We also revisit the fascinating story of Monarch, the California grizzly whose image inspired the state flag — and debate whether the famous bear came from the Sespe Wilderness or the nearby Tehachapi Mountains. Braitman is also the author of the bestselling "Animal Madness: How Anxious Dogs, Compulsive Parrots, and Elephants in Recovery Help Us Understand Ourselves," a groundbreaking exploration of animal behavior and what it reveals about ourselves. It's an intimate, thoughtful conversation about resilience, memory, place, and the stories we tell to make sense of our lives. Originally released as Episode 138.

How does the daughter of Chinese immigrants become one of the most influential figures in Hollywood? In this wide-ranging conversation, Bret Bradigan sits down with Academy Award-winning producer and former Academy President Janet Yang to explore an extraordinary life spent building bridges between cultures. Before producing acclaimed films and working alongside Steven Spielberg on Empire of the Sun, Janet helped introduce Chinese-language and Hong Kong cinema to American audiences, opening doors that would reshape Hollywood's understanding of Asian storytelling. Together they discuss her family's journey from China to America, the regional cuisines of Shanghai and Hainan, why food is often the quickest path to understanding another culture, the enduring legacy of China's Cultural Revolution, the rise of Hong Kong cinema, representation in Hollywood, and the changing relationship between East and West through film. They also reflect on leadership, the future of cinema, what brought Janet to Ojai, and why great stories remain our most powerful tool for building understanding across cultures. This is a conversation about movies—but even more, it's a conversation about identity, history, immigration, curiosity, and the enduring power of storytelling. Topics include: • Janet Yang's family history and immigration story• Shanghai and Hainan food and culture• Hong Kong's cinematic golden age• Working with Steven Spielberg on Empire of the Sun• Producing films that changed Hollywood• Serving as President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences• The Cultural Revolution and modern China• Representation and diversity in film• Why Ojai has become home If you enjoy thoughtful conversations about culture, history, filmmaking and the people who shape our world, you'll enjoy this episode of Ojai: Talk of the Town.