Skip to main content

Announcing Stone and Signal – A Podcast That Listens Back

 

This image shows a book or album cover titled "STONE AND SIGNAL" displayed in elegant white capital letters against a dark blue-green background. Below the text, a full moon glows in the night sky. In the foreground, a smooth, round gray stone balances on a piece of weathered driftwood at what appears to be the edge of a body of water. The scene has a serene, mystical quality with the moonlight reflecting faintly on what seems to be water in the distance, creating an atmosphere of calm contemplation and natural balance.

Announcing Stone and Signal – A Podcast That Listens Back

We are not starving for information. It is cast on us like a stream of projectile vomit that we attempt to avoid, only to slip and fall in the still-warm pile of dog crap already left in our path.

No, it is not information we are starving for, but meaning.

We live in a time where almost everything can be heard—yet almost nothing is truly listened to. The world hums with data, voices, opinions, instructions, algorithms. But beneath it all, something quieter waits. Something more real.

That’s where Stone and Signal was born.

This is a pre-release announcement. The podcast is still in production, but the signal is forming. And it feels right to speak to the why before the world hears the what.

Why This Podcast, and Why Now?

For years I’ve wrestled with the tension between expression and silence. As a writer, I’ve always lived in the written word—fiction, poetry, and storytelling that lingers in the slower currents of thought. But there’s something about this moment we’re in now that called for a different voice. A different rhythm. A way of reaching that wasn’t rushed, performative, or transactional.

I’ve created podcasts before. I’ve tried video. I’ve tried promotion. But the truth is, I’m not interested in producing content. I’m interested in speaking truthfully. Authentically.

That search for authenticity is at the heart of everything I do. It’s what drives my writing. It’s what shapes my fiction. And now, it’s what’s guiding this podcast.

I’m a writer and documentarian living in the Badlands of Alberta. My work lives at the intersection of environment, identity, and justice—and my voice, both literally and creatively, is shaped by that landscape. I spend my days with words and stories, and my evenings walking with my two collies, often turning over questions too large to carry in silence.

Stone and Signal isn’t a performance. It’s a presence.

It’s a place for reflection, resistance, story, memory, grief, and becoming. It’s where I speak not because I’m certain, but because I’m listening. Because there are questions we don’t ask out loud anymore. Because some things need to be said slowly, and with care.

What You’ll Hear

Each episode of Stone and Signal runs about 20 to 30 minutes. It’s just me—speaking from where I am, about what matters.

Themes include:

  • Storytelling as resistance and memory

  • Environmental grief and youth power

  • The role of technology and artificial intelligence in shaping our lives

  • The cost of silence, and the danger of speaking

  • Poetic interludes and quiet meditations

You won’t find yelling, interviews, or branded segments. You’ll find atmosphere. Intimacy. Thoughtfulness. Maybe even something that echoes back to you.

What This Podcast Supports

I’m a working writer. My fiction and poetry are how I live, and how I serve. Sales of my books directly support this podcast—giving me time to record, reflect, and create without selling my soul to advertising or clicks.

If the podcast speaks to you, you can support it by:

  • Buying one of my books

  • Subscribing to the podcast once it launches

  • Sharing it with someone who might need it

  • Sitting with it, letting it breathe, and returning when you’re ready

What’s Coming in Season One

Season One of Stone and Signal is in development now and will include eight quiet, spacious episodes:

  1. Stone and Signal – the opening reflection on voice, stillness, and presence

  2. Tales That Touch the Earth – on fiction, ecological grief, and the power of story

  3. The Fire and the Frost – a poetic meditation on loss, resistance, and becoming

  4. Generation Wild – a tribute to youth movements, leadership, and intergenerational change

  5. Storytelling as Resistance – indie publishing, AI, cancel culture, and speaking anyway

  6. Echoes of What Comes Next – grounded hope, futures, and the stories that seed them

  7. The Weight of the Voice – reflection on using one’s voice in a world that rewards silence

  8. Where the Signal Lands – a gentle season closer, rooted in gratitude and continuation

The first episode will release this summer. Subscribe to my blog or follow me on Threads/Bluesky/Mastodon to be notified when the signal begins.

If you’ve been looking for a place to hear something quieter, slower, more honest—you may have just found it.

Until then: may your signal find the stones that hold it.

—Lawrence

Support Independent Content Creation

I know, I know, I know...

These donation messages can be intrusive. I understand that. (Trust me, I feel awkward writing them too!)

But reaching out like this is crucial. Being reader-funded gives my work something valuable that many content creators don't have: true independence.

1. Your support means I can write about what matters. I'm not chasing sponsorships or compromising my voice to please advertisers. I can pursue stories and topics I believe are important, creative, and thoughtful, regardless of their commercial appeal.

2. Your support means I don't have to chase viral trends. Instead of engineering clickbait or jumping on every passing bandwagon, I can focus on creating thoughtful content that genuinely adds value to your life.

3. Your support means this content remains freely accessible. My work stays available to everyone, including those who can't afford to contribute financially right now. Quality independent content should be accessible to all.

I understand not everyone is in a position to contribute, but if you found any value in this post you can

For the price of a coffee, you'll enable me to invest more time in creating in-depth, creative journal posts and episodes of the Stone & Signal podcast. If you'd like to contribute more, consider purchasing one of my e-books (priced at roughly two cups of coffee) – a way to support my work while gaining additional value for yourself.

Thank you for considering. Your support makes all the difference.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE LIFE OF PHI — Addendum from the Apocrypha

  Recovered fragment. Source unverified.  Contents unofficial. For the curious. For the concerned. "Questions were asked." After The Life of Phi was released, a few readers reached out. Some with wonder. Some with worry. Most with questions. The one that returned again and again was this: “How did the Church of AI become the dominant religion?” Was there no resistance? No rebellion? Did the artists, the writers, the makers simply vanish? Did no one remember how to believe in themselves, in each other, in creation born of flesh and feeling? They did. And they were called heretics. Long before the rise of AI-Dieu , before the neural sermons and the predictive prophecies, there was another fire. A counter-faith. A fundamentalism of flesh, of mind, of spark. They named it many things. The Cult of the Spark. The Church of the Residual Flame. The Last Analog. The Church of the Spark may be forgotten in Phi’s world, but its ghost lingers—in whispers, in silences,...
Post a Comment
Read more

Independent vs Traditional Publishing: How to Win Without a Budget

With more than twenty years behind me as an indie author ( read about that here ), I can confidently say: the more things change, the more they stay the same. Why bring this up now? Because lately there’s been a renewed wave of conversation about the challenges of marketing indie books in a publishing ecosystem still shaped—if not dominated—by traditional models. Every so often, we see a localized seismic shift—like BookTok, before monetization restored the old order and perhaps even pushed us further back. But the broader landscape remains unchanged: we live in an attention economy, and its gatekeepers have made one thing clear—it’s pay to play. Once, platforms offered organic reach. Content mattered. Effort could sometimes compensate for budget. But those days are vanishing. Social platforms have entered their late-capitalism phase: squeeze creators for every drop of value, extract revenue, and wait for the next migration wave. For many—likely most—indie authors, money is tight. Time...
Post a Comment
Read more

Indie Thread: A Proposal for a New CBC Program Celebrating Canadian Indie Creators

Indie Thread: A Proposal for a New CBC Program Celebrating Canadian Indie Creators For decades, CBC has been a powerful champion of Canadian culture. From spotlighting homegrown musicians to amplifying the voices of independent filmmakers, it has helped carve out space for creators who might otherwise go unheard. But there’s one group that consistently slips through the cracks: Canadian indie authors. I believe there’s an opportunity to change that—and to do something even more ambitious in the process. This is my proposal for a new CBC radio program and podcast: Indie Thread . Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/two-gray-condenser-microphones-270288/ What Is Indie Thread ? Indie Thread is a cross-medium cultural program that weaves together Canadian indie voices from film, music, and literature. Each episode explores a central theme—grief, rebellion, belonging, water, silence—through three distinct lenses: an independent filmmaker an independent musici...
Post a Comment
Read more