PANgea, Daniel Christian, Kenji Bunch and Tim Moran

·1 hr 2 min·5 clips

Daniel Christian performs his song 'Vanish Land' live from a Lincoln church, exploring forgiveness and memory archaeology.

The room is live. Genevieve Randall opens from St. Paul United Methodist Church in downtown Lincoln with music, artists, and conversation in front of an audience. Daniel Christian plays first. Known for solo work and The String Beans, he brings Vanish Land into the room, and the song leans gently into memory. Its images of sanctuary, old places, and rediscovery stay close enough to touch. Then Tim Moran gets the focus. He describes poetry as staying alert, keeping an antenna up for an odd word, phrase, or event. His Nebraska roots are not background noise here. Moran remembers seeing a mostly sky-filled landscape at Sheldon Art Gallery and recognizing his own western Nebraska in it. That memory lands plainly: a place can carry meaning that outsiders miss. Randall catches the line, and every place is a place if you are from there becomes the segment's quiet anchor. Moran also makes the case for simplicity. He pushes back on poetry that feels intentionally difficult, quiz-like, or too roundabout for ordinary readers and listeners. Bill Clefkorn, Ted Koozer, Twyla Hanson, and others give him models for writing directly without shrinking the work. Randall keeps the pace warm and practical, then turns back toward more live music and the rest of the morning. The close feels like a real broadcast room, with thanks for radio staff, the audience, church hosts, the production team, and Nebraska Public Media supporters.

As heard by us

A Nebraska arts hour where live music and Tim Moran's plainspoken poetics meet around the meaning of place.

Friday Live takes Nebraska Public Media's arts coverage into St. Paul United Methodist Church in downtown Lincoln, where a live audience gives the hour a warm public setting.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Press play for a live Lincoln hour with Daniel Christian's "Vanish Land" and poet Tim Moran noticing how every place becomes a place when it is yours.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Friday LIVE