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Burn Your Draft

Burn Your Draft

By: Burn Your Draft
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 “Burn Your Draft” is a podcast exploring the year-long senior thesis experience at Reed College, an independent liberal arts and sciences college in Portland, Oregon. Each episode showcases a senior or recent graduate and interviews them about their thesis: what is it, why did they do it, and what comes next. This podcast is a joint production of Reed students, staff, and alumni, and was made possible by a gift from Seth Paskin '90. New episodes released every other week during the academic year. Episodes may contain explicit language and may deal with sensitive topics. The views, information, or opinions expressed on this podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of Reed College.All rights reserved
Episodes
  • #75: Aquaculture Adaptations with Hannah Goodman ’24, Sociology

    #75: Aquaculture Adaptations with Hannah Goodman ’24, Sociology
    Dec 11 2025
    In this episode, we hear from Hannah, a sociology major whose thesis journey crossed disciplines but always circled back to climate change. Her project draws on eighteen interviews with oyster farmers working along Maine's coastline—one of the fastest-warming in the world. Starting with a question about gender divides between different fishing methods, Hannah found herself pulled toward climate justice and the ways aquaculture communities adapt through strong networks, shared knowledge, and community-driven problem-solving. Tune in for insights into interdisciplinary research, the behind-the-scenes of an interview-heavy project, the tangible impacts a Reed thesis can have, and of course what Hannah really thinks about oysters. Reed community members can read Hannah's thesis, “Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in Maine Oyster Aquaculture” online in the Electronic Thesis Archive: https://rdc.reed.edu/i/9e08adc0-f53b-489e-bd35-12cb21d7dae1 Explore more interviews with Reed College alumni on our website: reed.edu/burnyourdraft
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    31 mins
  • #74: Writing the Weird with Claire Navratil ‘25, English

    #74: Writing the Weird with Claire Navratil ‘25, English
    Nov 26 2025
    In today’s episode, our producer Ace sits down with Claire, an English major with a creative writing concentration, to discuss weird fiction, the Reed library—and what may or may not lie beneath it—and the complexities of being a college student in the modern era. The elevator pitch of Claire’s creative writing thesis? Imagine a college that eats people, complete with a student reporter chasing the truth, a dash of ritual sacrifice, and a healthy helping of moral ambiguity. You won’t want to miss Ace and Claire’s conversation about how literary subgenres can critique capitalism, the difficulty of self-imposed deadlines, the importance of romanticizing one’s life, and the idea that sometimes you have to be the one to go looking for the answers that they don’t want you to find. Reed community members can read Claire’s thesis, “To Reap What is Sown” online in the Electronic Thesis Archive: https://rdc.reed.edu/i/38514f29-e0e5-4d9e-b436-2f8b007d4665 Explore more interviews with Reed College alumni on our website: reed.edu/burnyourdraft
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    34 mins
  • #73: Afterlives of the American Frontier Myth with Henry Kendrick '24, English

    #73: Afterlives of the American Frontier Myth with Henry Kendrick '24, English
    Oct 16 2025
    In this episode, we hear from Henry, an English major whose thesis journey took a few unexpected turns: from exploring Pacific Northwest regionalism to diving deep into the world of literary naturalism. Henry unpacks how authors Jack London and Frank Norris challenged historian Frederick Jackson Turner’s “frontier myth,” reimagining the American frontier not as a vanished landscape but as an evolving cultural, economic, and imaginative force. Tune in to hear about survival narratives, Social Darwinist ideas, and what happens when you have to scrap half your thesis to start again (spoiler: it’s not fun, but it’s worth it). Henry reflects on the highs and frustrations of the Reed thesis process, the art of negotiating with an advisor, and the unexpected joy of discovering how to make seemingly unrelated ideas work together. Reed community members can read Henry’s thesis, “Naturalist Afterlives of the Frontier Myth” online in the Electronic Thesis Archive: https://rdc.reed.edu/i/917eb624-f94d-453a-9638-4975c6123d5f Explore more interviews with Reed College alumni on our website: reed.edu/burnyourdraft
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    31 mins
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