The Iron John Podcast
The Iron John Podcast is a production of the Minnesota Men’s Conference (MMC).
The Minnesota Men's Conference was founded by poet, author, and storyteller, Robert Bly in 1984. In the past decades, the conference as reached out to men of all ethnicities, orientations, nationalities, backgrounds, life experiences, and ages. Any person who identifies as a man is welcome to participate. We welcome men from all over the country, from large cities to rural communities, and from all over the world. In general, the men who attend our conferences are interested in living the question of what it means to live a mythically-informed life of depth and purpose, a life of soul.
Episodes
18 episodes
Paul Bendix and Two Decades at the MMC in a Wheelchair
In 1996 Paul Bendix attended his first Minnesota Men's Conference. He continued to attend the annual conference for nineteen years and has continued support the conference and its mission. This episode has a number of the memories he carr...
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21:17
The Iron John Podcast: Literacy from Oral Traditions-- A conversation between Ben Dennis and Robert Bringhurst
Mythologist and storyteller, Ben Dennis speaks with the author, poet, and translator Robert Bringhurst, about why oral and written traditions should work together and not displace one another. Both men will participate in the 2025 Minneso...
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51:29
The Iron John Podcast: Replanting Story Seeds—Asher Packman and Walton Stanley Discuss Story and Soul
In this episode, Walton Stanley of the Minnesota Men’s Conference and Asher Packman of the mythopoetic community Fifth Direction discuss stories and the role that story and myth have played and continue to play, in men’s soul work.If thi...
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47:30
The Iron John Podcast: Poetry, Our Companionable Animal
In preparation of the 2025 Minnesota Men's Conference, October 7-12, 2025, Timothy Young spoke with poets, Jonathan Stensland and Jesse Dermody, about the importance and value of poetry at the conferences and how poetry is our "companionable an...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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59:27
The Iron John Podcast: Watering the Ring of the Conference Tree
Since 1984 the Minnesota Men’s Conference has seen its presence and Robert Bly’s influence on men wax and wane a few times in the public eye. That is not necessarily a bad thing. New generations of men are finding Bly’s work and our conference’...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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1:03:41
The Iron John Podcast: Robert Bringhurst Haida Stories
In this episode, we hear from Robert Bringhurst, poet, author, and lifelong student of Native American languages and literature, as he presents two versions of a Haida story involving a young man transforming into an eagle and becoming head of ...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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43:00
The Iron John Podcast: Robert Bringhurst Navajo Story
In this episode, Robert Bringhurst narrates, translates, and discusses a Navajo story that was transcribed in the Navajo language by Edward Sapir from a telling by story carrier Chala-tzo in 1929. Robert discusses oral cultures and the dangers ...
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46:30
The Iron John Podcast: Unktehi's Seventh Spot
In this episode, Ben Dennis and Walton Stanley, carry the story of Unktehi’s Seventh Spot. An American story of the Dakota people. The story contrasts with European tales as it is a story of gaining great power and, in time, surrendering that p...
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39:58
The Iron John Podcast: Robert Bringhurst Creation Stories
In this episode we hear a talk from the 40th Anniversary Minnesota Men's Conference which was held in October 2024. Poet, author, and lifelong student and translator of Native American literature, Robert Bringhurst shares two, very different cr...
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37:14
The Iron John Podcast: The Iron John Story, 2024
At the recent 40th Anniversary Minnesota Men’s Conference, we revisited the story that started it all, the Grimm’s tale, Iron John. Walton Stanley and Ben Dennis carried the tale this time and, just as it was 40 years ago, the story continues t...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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53:03
The Iron John Podcast: Robert Bringhurst Interview
In this episode, we interview Robert Bringhurst, who will be one of the presenters are the upcoming 40th Anniversary Minnesota Men's Conference (October 1 through 6, 2024). Robert Bringhurst is a lifelong student of Native American...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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41:42
The Iron John Podcast: Walking Swiftly
This Episode is a recording from an Elder’s Circle session with our friends at Fifth Direction, a community of soul depth, based in Australia. The Fifth Direction web site can be found at: https:/...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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57:43
The Iron John Podcast: Perfection-free Singing
In this episode, we interview Timothy Frantzich, Nicholas Pawlowski, and Doug von Koss on their experiences leading “Perfection-Free Singing Circles at Men’s Conferences. The singing at conferences involves men singing together and creating bea...
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53:42
The Iron John Podcast: The Tale of Gwion Bach and Ceridwen
The Tale of Gwion Bach and Ceridwen is a Welsh tale that was carried into the 2024 Winter Minnesota Men's Conference. In this episode, Ben Dennis and Walton Stanley comment on and unpack the story. To learm more about the work of t...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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1:19:43
The Iron John Podcast: Poetry from the 2024 Winter Men's Conference—Utter Darkness / Shining Brow
Poets Timothy Young and Jesse Dermody trade poems accompanied by Josh Schmidt on guitar.
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Episode 4
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12:46
The Iron John Podcast: Timothy Young Quotes as Birch Leaves Falling
Like birch leaves falling in Autumn, Timothy Young drops quotes from 39 years of men's soul work, and like the leaves, they land as they might. This was a presentation from the 2024 Winter Minnesota Men's Conference, Utter Darkness...
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31:08
The Iron John Podcast: The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart Discussion
In this episode, Timothy Young interviews poet, author, and long-time assistant to Robert Bly, Thomas R. Smith. They discuss the poetry anthology, The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, which was compiled by Robert Bly, James Hillman, and Michael ...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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31:29
The Iron John Podcast, Episode 1
n this episode, we welcome leaders of the Minnesota Men’s Conference as we discuss the relevance of Men’s Conferences and retreats today and talk about the work of tempering and deepening the male soul. Panelists include: Ben Dennis, Tim...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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48:10