The Ethically Immoral Podcast
The Ethically Immoral Podcast is a program dedicated to long-form conversations with poets, spoken word artists, authors, and creatives who use language as a tool for truth-telling, healing, and resistance. Hosted by Mike Payne, the show travels beyond the typical interview to explore the personal histories, artistic philosophies, and cultural contexts that shape the voice of the Creatives we welcome.
It’s not just about poetry or performance — it’s about the people behind the pen. We talk about identity, healing, joy, frustration, and the journey of becoming. Some moments are deep, others are funny, but all of them are authentic. If you’re someone who values storytelling, vulnerability, and good conversation, this space was created and cultivated for you.
The Ethically Immoral Podcast
Volume Six: Chapter Twenty - Our Conversation with Kathryn MacDonald
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In Volume Six: Chapter Twenty of the Program, we welcome Ontario-based Educator, Writer, Painter, Photographer, Author, and Poet Kathryn MacDonald. Our conversation explores the many ways creativity can intersect—through poetry, visual art, travel, and teaching—and how each discipline shapes the way an artist observes and responds to the world.
Kathryn discusses her reputation as an ekphrastic writer, explaining how her poetry often emerges from an emotional dialogue with visual art and the details she encounters in everyday life. We talk about the role observation plays in her work, her writing process, and how reading and creative community continue to shape her development as a writer.
We also explore her experiences as a sailor and traveler, how those journeys have influenced her imagination, and the relationship between her poetry, painting, and photography.
The conversation concludes with a discussion of her forthcoming poetry collection, The Blue Gate, a lyrical exploration of love, grief, and the shifting emotional landscapes that follow loss.
Contact Kathryn:
Website: kathrynmacdonald.com
Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:
Jae Nichelle – Brown Skin Girl
Instagram: @croptopassassin Website: jaenichelle.com
Emi Mahmoud – Window Games
Instagram: @emibattuta Website: emi-mahmoud.com
Crystal Valentine – I am Black before Woman in February
Instagram: @crystalvalentine94 Website: iamcrystalvalentine.com
Natasha Ria: Shine
Website: natasharia.com Instagram: @natasharia
Javon Johnson: Building
Instagram: @javonism
