Ode to Sheep - Part One

Country Queers

In this episode, we'll hear sounds of sheep and some queer and trans humans who love them. Host Rae Garringer shares memories of growing up on a sheep farm in West Virginia, Maja Black shares an audio diary of lambing season in Iowa, then we'll hear an interview with Grayson Crane who raises a flock of Icelandic sheep in western Washington, and finally we'll meet Wesley Godden who grew up in Singapore and now shepherds a flock of Katahdin hair sheep with his partner of 20 years in Ontario Canada.

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This is part one of two episodes dedicated to sheep and the queer and trans humans who love them! Learn more about this project at www.countryqueers.com and sign up to become a sustaining supporter of Country Queers on Patreon to help us produce our 2nd Season (coming Fall 2021!)

Find the farmers you heard in this episode on instagram and at their websites: Maja and her sister farm in Iowa at Local Harvest CSA, Grayson farms in Washington at Pink Moon Farm, and Wesley Godden farms with his partner in Ontario at Fairside Farm.

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This week, in light of the horrific white supremacist attacks on the Asian American community in Atlanta, we’re asking folks to donate to Asian Americans Advancing Justice - a nonprofit based in Atlanta that released "A Community-Centered Response to Violence Against Asian American Communities" after the shootings on March 16th that left 8 people killed in the Atlanta area, including 6 Asian women. We're encouraging listeners to sign on to their collective statement decrying systemic violence against Asian American communities, and to donate in support of the victims and their families here.

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Host & Producer: Rae Garringer

Editorial Advisory Dream Team: Hermelinda Cortés, Lewis Raven Wallace, and Sharon P. Holland

Theme Song: Composed and performed on banjo by Sam Gleaves, pedal steel versions by Rebecca Branson Jones

Additional music: Composed and performed on acoustic and electric guitar by Tommie Anderson

Special thanks to Dan and his sheep in Jacox, WV for ambient farm sounds heard throughout this episode.