Hoorf! Radical Care in a Late-Capitalist Heckscape
Exhausted, burned out, and isolated in your chaotic life? Self-care isn’t enough. Hoorf! Podcast host Elle Billing is a disabled artist and caregiver on the other side of burnout. In each episode, Elle and her guests discuss the challenges of living compassionately with honesty and humor. Honoring Angela Davis’ definition of the word radical – that “grasping at the root” – we are digging at the roots of systemic problems in a conversational format, getting to know our neighbors, and using creative expression to heal ourselves and our world. Find out more at www.hoorfpodcast.com
Episodes
In this episode, Elle interviews her 12-year-old niece, Ari. Ari shares a little about her art-making and how she shares her work with friends and family. She gushes about being an Anime Geek Girl and her love for "My Hero Academia.” The ultimate hype-friend, Ari spends a lot of time talking about how much each of her friends means to her. With a mix of middle school wit and sharp insight, Ari dials in on the imp...
Elle Billing hosts long-time friend Marcus Heerdt, an adventurer, photographer, and award-winning newspaper reporter from Hot Springs, South Dakota. Marcus shares his experience with brucellosis, a rare foodborne illness he contracted in Spain in 2008, which led to chronic pain and damage to his joints and digestive system. He discusses his writing, landscape photography, and hiking adventures, and how he uses his con...
Elle Billing hosts Serena JV Elston, a transdisciplinary sculptor and fellow recipient of the 2024 Midwest Award for Artists with Disabilities. They dig into Serena’s curatorial project, SPACORE, which interrogates wellness capitalism within the horror genre. She mentions her upcoming solo show at Andrew Rafacz Gallery in Chicago, set to open July 2025, which explores the body's relationship to power structures t...
Content note: this episode contains brief discussions of high-control religious abuse
Elle hosts poet and artist Erika Goveia, who discusses her upbringing in a conservative evangelical church and her deconstruction, and her creative process which involves processing her past. Elle and Erika emphasize the importance of self-acceptance and breaking the cycle of harmful parenting practices, and the healing power of artis...
Content note: this episode contains swearing and discussions of sex
Elle hosts Andrew Gurza, three-time guest and disability awareness consultant. Andrew discusses his new book, Notes from a Queer Cripple, set to release on April 21, which explores queer and disabled joy. He shares his journey of writing the book, the challenges of balancing academic and community-based tone, and his hopes for its impact. The conversat...
Elle Billing interviews Dr. Damien P. Williams, an assistant professor in philosophy and data science at UNC Charlotte, about the philosophy of contemporary (and future!) technologies. Dr. Williams discusses the Super Crip narrative,the importance of centering marginalized experiences in tech development, and the implications of accessible technology, highlighting the need for genuine engagement and ethical considerat...
Elle sits down to talk with artist Ryan Barnes, whom she knows from the Spoonie Studio virtual gatherings. They dig into Ryan’s art practice, and he shares the ongoing development of the "void" series, which explores themes of disconnection and change. Ryan also talks about balancing his art with his role as a parent and student, and the impact of his service dog, BlackBerry, on his work.
In this Bizarro Backwards Opposite-Day episode, Ricki and Elle switch places, and Elle is in the hot seat, answering the questions they usually ask their guests. Despite coming down off a multiday migraine and the word salad that accompanies it, Elle shares how her disability shapes her art practice, why she cherishes her community of Spoonie artists, and why she’s so focused on asking everyone about their One True Th...
Elle Billing and Ricki Cummings discuss their recent experiences and creative work, using this episode to announce their collaborative project: Ricki talks about her new book-length poem, "The Failure Experiment," and Elle reveals her new series of paintings inspired by Ricki’s queer cyberpunk poetry and her own personal experiences of chronic illness. As they grapple with the current political climate, putt...
Content note: this episode contains swearing, and discussion of medical trauma
Elle Billing hosts Jordan Thornquest, a musician and game developer on the first episode of 2025. They exchange memories of Jordan's 2020 car accident in Twin Falls, which aside from being an insurance nightmare, left him with a spinal injury and a long recovery. Jordan reflects on how the accident changed his perspective on d...
In their annual "let's just chat" episode of Hoorf, Elle Billing and Ricki Cummings weave together stories about navigating life with chronic illness, from the profound to the ridiculous. Between tales of Winkie the dog's adventures and updates from her dad's community Christmas concert, the conversation takes a more serious turn as they discuss food allergies, with Elle processing her emotion...
On this episode of Hoorf, host Elle Billing welcomes Ivan Hardcastle, an occupational therapist whose 15-year journey led him to make a radical choice - stepping away from a high-stress, high-volume clinical partnership to create a private practice centered on quality care. These days, Ivan runs an innovative online coaching program helping parents and school staff support children with emotional regulation and sensor...
Content note: this episode discusses experiences with mental illness
On this episode, we meet Virginia Townsend, the artist behind the vibrant creations of Bunnie Rabbitte, whose story illustrates how support and success are not mutually exclusive. In a wide-ranging conversation about art and mental health, Virginia opened up about the daily reality of creating while living with PTSD. Like many artists naviga...
Content note: this episode contains swearing, discussions of death and grief
On this episode, Elle welcomes Joris Grey, a leadership coach working with queer entrepreneurs to build businesses that align with their values. Joris shares his perspective on unlearning toxic masculinity, and how that journey shapes his approach to authentic leadership. We explore the wisdom of listening to our bodies (even when capitalism t...
Content note: brief discussion of mental illness and suicide
After six months of planning, Elle is thrilled to welcome this episode’s guest to the podcast! Teisha Gillespie is a marketing director and podcast host. Teisha's podcast, "Not Your Average GOAT," highlights diverse stories of adversity and diversity, aiming to dismantle stigma. She emphasizes the power of relatable, authentic stories in changi...
Content note: discussions of homophobia, sexual violence, military service
Guess who's back and ready to dive into the beautiful mess of life and art? It's your favorite chronically ill queer femme, Elle Billing, kicking off Season 3 of Hoorf! Podcast. This time, they're chatting with Charlie Reynolds, a conceptual artist and MFA candidate at the University of Michigan. Charlie, a recipient of the 2024 M...
We did it again! Sixteen more episodes, new and returning guests. It’s time for a summer recess. Hoorf! editor and co-producer Ricki Cummings caps off Season 2 with The State of Hoorf: a behind the scenes audio essay offering a peek at all the moving parts that come together in each episode. This episode has a bit of everything, from how we select guests to the type of equipment we use, it should be gratifying for tho...
Chronically ill and dynamically disabled business owner and copywriter Darci Ellenberger joins us this episode for a conversation about running a solo-business while disabled. The thing is, managing a chronic illness or a dynamic disability is already full-time job. With at least 25% of the U.S. population self-reporting some kind of disability, and millions more reporting some level of new disability as a result of L...
Nat Cummings has been doing cosplay for half their life. From appearing at C2E2 as Fiona from Adventure Time in 2016, to creating a themed mini-collection for their fashion class at Whitney Young Magnet High School, Nat has taken their love for costumes and clothing to bold new realms. In this episode, Nat joins Elle to talk about their internship at the Chicago Public Library Teen Gamer’s Guild, their excitement for ...
Our personal and brand stories are powerful tools to connect with others, and marketing in the last several years has exploded with story-based strategies for everyone from solopreneurs to huge corporations. Max Kringen, the founder of a Fargo-based story-driven creative studio, joins Elle to talk about the power of story not just for a marketing edge, but for its ability to foster community, build empathy, and share ...
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