Welcome, each and every drongo, to The Drongo's first interview since our summer hiatus. We've got a real rock star for our guest today!
The Drongo: Our guest for this round of The Drongo is Jacob Hall. He's provided us the following third-person biography.
Jacob Hall: "You'd likely recognize Jacob Hall pretty quickly if you ran into him on the street: he's always barefoot, he's either wearing his pants or either of his two shorts, and his hair keeps changing colors.
He currently lives in Williamsburg, VA, studying geology at William & Mary, producing educational media for the on-campus Studio for Teaching and Learning Innovation, and co-managing a student-run house/venue/coffee shop called The Meridian. In his free time (read: procrastinatory sprees) he develops websites for himself and friends, cooks for anyone in earshot, and goes on very long walks."
The Drongo: Our eleventh interview guest is Hayley VanderJagt.
Hayley VanderJagt: Oh shit, I'm talking about myself! My name is Bloo, and I'm currently passing the time in my hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, fittingly called "The Land of Entrapment." The prodigal daughter has returned to her old stomping grounds to start graduate school after seven years in the Pacific Northwest.
Hayley's pit bull, with blanket headdress.
Hayley VanderJagt: Folks have called me multifaceted, offbeat, and maybe even mercurial, but these days I mainly just do a lot of schoolwork grinding. When I'm not cosplaying as a professional, you'll probably find me yelling at video games, ripping bongs, or wrestling with my pit bull. Social isolation has unexpectedly been pretty great!
The Drongo: Today, our guest on The Drongo is Eyal Herling.
Before we begin in earnest, I must mention that Eyal is Israeli, and that we conducted this interview before the recent conflict triggered by the Sheikh Jarrah ruling. Readers, whatever your opinions on Israel-Palestine affairs, please make certain that your comments are respectful toward Eyal.
Take it away, Eyal.
Eyal Herling: First of all, let me start with a great thank you for having me here, and for conducting this interview. It is a unique experience for me.
The Drongo: You're welcome, and thanks for being here. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
That's right, drongos: a new interview awaits your hungry eyes and brains.
The Drongo: Our guest today on The Drongo is Alexi Caracotsios, a man of countless talents. Readers, prepare yourselves: here he comes.
What are you all about, Alexi?
Alexi Caracotsios: I have spent the last eight years of my life trying to obtain the knowledge (un?)inherent to books, experience, and life.
I have delved deep into the linguistic treasure pool of foreign languages, achieving fluency in five, and being able to dabble around in another three or so. I always thought of myself as a rogue scholar on the quest for truth; now, I am in the depths of an existential crisis as to what the hell any of that could possibly mean.
I'm so happy to announce that The Drongo's circulation has grown to 44 subscribers. No paltry number, that. We're nearly at the big Five-Oh!
The Drongo: This issue's interview guest is Larry Drui, a multi-talented performer and playwright who always has something intriguing to say. Tell us about yourself, Larry.
Larry Drui: Originally born and raised in Hawai'i, in 2012 I moved to Portland, OR, to pursue a theater degree at Reed College. I am hapa (half-Japanese, half-white.) I tend to make spreadsheets about craft beer, and I also have a penchant for wordplay.
I am the one who eats the bagels. If you, too, are the one who eats the bagels, then I think we will have many pleasant exchanges.
The Drongo: Today on The Drongo, we're speaking with Ryan Wright on game studies, game development, love and relationships, and more.
Ryan Wright: Hi drongos, I'm Ryan! I've lived in Los Angeles, Portland (Oregon), the California Bay Area, and Copenhagen. I like partner dancing (when not in a pandemic), tai chi, and my tripod dog named Lincoln.
I'm an independent videogame developer who also does academic research on games. I write about the aesthetics of interaction and play using phenomenological theory and existentialist philosophy. If you want to know how the hell those things fit together, check out my Google Scholar page.
Howdy-ho, wild and wandering drongos! Here comes another issue of the newsletter named for the most fearless freewheelers known to exist.
The Drongo:
Today's interview guest is Drew Jackson, an old friend from college who's as tall (6'7", ladies!) as he is taken (sorry, ladies!) I've convinced him to spill vast torrents of beans on everything from working in academic libraries to early modern nation-states. Listen carefully: here comes Drew!
Drew Jackson:
Hi, I'm Drew! I currently live in Portland, OR, where I work as a manager in the access services department of a university library. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to Portland to attend Reed College, where I majored in History.
Welcome once again to The Drongo, available wherever Internet connections are found.
The Drongo: Our guest today is Nick LeFlohic, a biomedical researcher who, outside of work, has cultivated an appreciation for the arts, including film. Here's how he describes himself; ever the modest man, he's chosen to use the third person rather than appear egotistical.
Nick LeFlohic: Nicholas LeFlohic is a twenty-something wandering through days and ideas. He studied Biomedical Engineering in his native Southern California, and now works in a biological laboratory. Being intrigued by the historical, random, and unusual, he can often be found reading articles which are of no practical importance, but are intellectually stimulating (or so he hopes.) He is also perennially drawn to film, whether classic or contemporary, foreign or domestic, avant-garde or conventional, fictional or documentary. In short, he is amused by and interested in everything around.
Hello again, all you drongos. The Drongo continues to drong-grow: 18 subscribers received the first interview, but now there are 34 of you.
Our lineup of interviewees stretches all the way to June. Thank you so much for reading -- keep doing it!
The Drongo: Today on The Drongo, our guest is Lyla Boyajian. She's one of the most energetic people I know, and if she's not a drongo, nobody is. You'll see.
Who exactly are you, Lyla?
Lyla Boyajian: I'm from Chichester, New Hampshire, and I studied Spanish at Reed College. I moved back home and spent a year recruiting for the 2020 Census. I'm currently working for the NH Bar’s Pro Bono Program before I start a delayed Fulbright in Armenia next spring. After that, law school. I've also been studying Russian for the past 4 years.
If you've been thinking, "It's been far too longo since I read The Drongo," you are in luck.
At Carla's request, I've temporarily taken down this interview (for reasons not related to the interview itself.) You may enjoy one of the other entries in this series.
From Drong Beach, California comes another interview with The Drongo.
Subscribers are up 20% since the first issue! Thank you all for such positive feedback. If you're not signed up, subscribe to The Drongo (it's free!), and you'll get these interviews by email twice a month.
The Drongo: Chris Stasse and I have been friends since we met as college sophomores taking Second Year Chinese. Today's interview guest is a supreme shenaniganeer, one who acts with vigor and learns with rigor.
The day has come! Welcome, one and all, to the first interview with The Drongo.
Before I introduce our guest, a celebratory note: delightful drongos have completed enough interviews for me to release one every two weeks through late February March. Even more are under way!
The Drongo: Please join me in welcoming Karthik to the stage. For being the first interview guest, his courage is matched only by his drongitude. I can also vouch for his sense of humor. Karthik, please introduce yourself to the audience.
