Victoria Zurkan, licensed marriage and family therapist and painter based in Portland, Maine, joins Dr. Lisa Belisle on Radio Maine to explore how the impulse to understand people and the impulse to make art are, at their core, the same. With roots in animation studios in San Francisco and Budapest and graduate training in psychology in London, Zurkan reflects on the winding path that brought her to Maine and to a body of work entirely her own. Now painting with a clearer sense of intention, she shares how her latest series was born from a simple question: what would happen if something unexpected appeared in a quiet winter landscape? From the ways drawing can serve as a portal into the unconscious to her plans for teaching portrait painting at the South Portland Community Center, Zurkan reveals how curiosity about the human experience continues to guide both her clinical work and her art. This conversation invites listeners to consider how creativity can be a form of healing, and how the act of making something is a gift worth giving yourself. Join our conversation with Victoria Zurkan today on Radio Maine—and be sure to subscribe to the channel.

Annie Kloppenberg, professor of performance, theater, and dance at Colby College and director of the Lyons Arts Lab, joins Dr. Lisa Belisle on Radio Maine to explore how movement, curiosity, and collaboration shape contemporary artistic expression. With roots in New England and a career spanning performance, teaching, and choreography, Kloppenberg reflects on her early influences in dance and the moment that transformed her understanding of what movement could communicate.

Now working at the intersection of dance, visual art, and music, she shares how her creative process embraces ambiguity, non-linear storytelling, and deep collaboration with performers and artists across disciplines. From inspiring new work through visual art to fostering student creativity through the Lyons Arts Lab, Kloppenberg reveals how curiosity continues to guide her work.

This conversation invites listeners to reconsider how we experience art—not just intellectually, but physically and emotionally.

Join our conversation with Annie Kloppenberg today on Radio Maine—and be sure to subscribe to the channel.

Jennifer Acker, author, founder and editor-in-chief of The Common and director of the Amherst College LitFest, joins Dr. Lisa Belisle on Radio Maine to explore how place, storytelling, and personal transformation shape both literature and life. Raised in rural Maine, Acker reflects on how her early experiences—family reading traditions, small-town culture, and global travel—deeply informed her commitment to place-based writing. She shares the origin story of The Common, a literary magazine dedicated to capturing the nuances of place across the world, and discusses her upcoming novel Surrender, inspired in part by her family farm and the emotional complexities of midlife change.

From goats and farming to identity, aging, and unexpected love, Acker offers a thoughtful perspective on how stories help us understand ourselves and others.

Join our conversation with Jennifer Acker today on Radio Maine—and be sure to subscribe to the channel.