Latest / Austin Signal / Climate scientists have predicted greater flooding in Texas for decades

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Climate scientists have predicted greater flooding in Texas for decades · Austin Signal

0:08
This is the second straight July
0:10
where the Texas Hill Country has
0:11
been impacted by torrential rains
0:13
and devastating flooding.
0:14
Climate scientists have predicted
0:16
this very thing for many years now.
0:18
We're gonna tell you why.
0:19
And the Austin School District over
0:21
the past year has charged thousands
0:22
of dollars in public information
0:23
requests to parents, policy experts,
0:25
and journalists.
0:27
Critics of these costs are worried
0:28
this leaves the community in the
0:29
dark on decision making.
0:31
We've got more coming up on today's
0:33
show.
0:34
The Austin Signal is a production
0:35
of KUT News, hosted by
0:37
Jerry Quijano.
0:39
We are going to talk about mythology
0:40
and media with an Austin author
0:42
who's just published his debut
0:44
novel, plus the World Cup
0:46
in America may be over, but there's
0:48
still plenty of soccer on home soil
0:50
coming over the next year.
0:51
We've got those stories and more
0:53
coming up next.
0:55
It's all right here on Austin
0:57
Signal.
1:07
Howdy out there, this is Austin
1:09
Signal, I'm your host Jerry Quijano.
1:11
It's Monday, July 20th, thank
1:13
you for tuning in.
1:15
The Lower Colorado River Authority
1:17
opened floodgates at Mansfield Dam
1:19
following last week's heavy rainfall
1:20
across the Texas Hill Country that
1:22
filled Lake Travis.
1:23
It's the first time Mansfield
1:25
floodgats opened in years,
1:27
but with two record-breaking floods
1:28
in the area almost exactly a year
1:30
apart, reporters are hearing the
1:32
words climate change from the people
1:34
affected more than before.
1:36
But what link, if any, is
1:38
there between these repeated summer
1:39
storms in our atmosphere?
1:42
Mo's Buchel covers the energy and
1:43
environment for KUT News.
1:45
He is joining us now to explain.
1:46
Hi, Mo's. Hey, Jerry.
1:48
So can we tell if this
1:50
is an example of climate change?
1:52
Is it too early to do that?
1:54
Well, what climate scientists say is
1:56
that it's really tricky to
1:58
attribute a given specific
2:00
storm to this
2:02
broader trend.
2:03
So it is too early to
2:05
point to the floods
2:07
that we saw last week and say this
2:09
is definitely a result
2:11
of climate change.
2:14
But what they can say and
2:15
are saying is that is an example
2:17
of what they've
2:19
been addicting.
2:20
For decades now,
2:22
that there would be increased
2:24
flooding in places like Texas,
2:26
and that atmospheric warming is
2:29
certainly as a matter of science, as
2:31
a manner of physics, contributes
2:33
to greater rainfall.
2:35
We're talking about climate change.
2:36
I feel like a couple of decades ago,
2:38
it used to be more the talk was
2:39
global warming.
2:40
The warming part is what scientists
2:42
attribute more rain.
2:43
That's the reason why they think
2:44
more rain is happening, correct?
2:46
Yeah, that's exactly right, Jerry,
2:47
that the fact is, and again,
2:49
this is just basic science,
2:53
that warmer air holds more
2:55
water. And so as
2:57
the atmosphere warms, which it is
2:59
doing, the air is able to
3:01
hold more water and that translates
3:03
into heavier
3:04
rainfalls when
3:06
the other weather conditions that
3:08
are necessary that create rain, when
3:10
those conditions are met, it will
3:12
increase the amount of rain that
3:14
falls. And that's what we saw.
3:16
Just last week
3:18
Okay so tell us Moe's more about
3:19
what's happening with the warming
3:21
Gulf right now.
3:24
Yeah, and that's another part of it,
3:25
right? So the Gulf Coast is warming
3:26
at about twice the rate of the
3:28
rest of the ocean.
3:30
And that allows more
3:31
water to evaporate into the air.
3:33
Again, just last week we saw
3:35
a warmer Gulf
3:37
pushing humidity into this hot
3:39
summer air as we see every
3:41
summer. So that air is supercharged
3:43
with humidity and it blows
3:45
over Texas.
3:47
And in this case, it encountered
3:49
weather conditions that primed
3:51
it to rain. And so then it rained.
3:53
A lot.
3:55
It was massive rainstorms, of
3:56
course, which translate into this
3:58
catastrophic flooding.
3:59
Here in Austin in central Texas,
4:02
it feels as though like when
4:03
Memorial Day weekend rolls around
4:05
there's this possibility that if
4:07
it's going to rain things might get
4:09
a little wild.
4:10
Should we expect more flooding like
4:12
this next year around this time?
4:14
What are you hearing from
4:15
scientists?
4:16
Well, you know, again, like July
4:18
floods, heavy rainstorms in July
4:19
have traditionally been unlikely.
4:21
You know, it's rarer to get
4:23
big rainstorm in the
4:26
middle of the summer or approaching
4:27
the middle of the Summer than it is
4:28
in the spring.
4:30
But again, we
4:32
do know that floods are
4:34
increasing and are
4:36
predicted to continue to increase as
4:41
these climate trends continue, as
4:42
the atmosphere continues to warm.
4:44
So... You know, meteorologists
4:46
say it's still unlikely that we get
4:47
another big flood next July,
4:49
but the long-term trends are
4:51
heavier floods into
4:53
the future.
4:54
The City of Austin this weekend
4:56
opened up the Mansfield Dam because
4:58
of all the rainfall it had and
4:59
happened in quite a number of years.
5:01
What is the significance of that?
5:03
Yeah. Um, so, you know, the
5:04
Mansfield dam is a, uh,
5:06
it, it creates Lake Travis, right?
5:08
And part of Lake Travis's
5:10
function is not just to store water
5:12
for water supply, but it
5:14
acts as a flood control reservoir.
5:17
Lake Travis is built with a ton of
5:19
extra capacity.
5:20
This is like empty space that's left
5:22
empty just to capture waters
5:24
in the event of massive floods, like
5:26
we just saw.
5:27
So, uh.
5:28
It floods all around the Colorado
5:29
river basin.
5:30
It rains all that water.
5:32
Eventually...
5:33
As dams further upriver
5:35
are opened, finds its way
5:37
into Lake Travis.
5:38
And once Lake Travis hits a certain
5:40
level, the LCRA, which is
5:42
the agency that controls this
5:43
reservoir system,
5:45
can open up the
5:47
gates at Lake Travis to allow that
5:49
floodwater to start going
5:51
downstream. The idea is that they
5:52
can manage this water flow in
5:54
a way that's safer than if it was,
5:56
of course, just kind of a raging
5:57
river flood.
5:59
And so that's what we saw happen.
6:01
This weekend and we continue to see
6:02
if you go down and look at Lady Bird
6:03
Lake if you look at Lake Austin You
6:05
look at the river down from the
6:07
Longhorn Dam You see you
6:08
see a real fast-flowing river
6:10
people are are not supposed
6:12
to go there right now The city says
6:14
it's dangerous It's off limits to
6:16
get on the water and that
6:17
water is going to make its way all
6:19
the way down To eventually to the
6:20
Gulf of Mexico So
6:22
yes, it is it is significant It does
6:24
not happen every year but it
6:26
is operating as it's supposed to in
6:28
the case of of you know big
6:30
flooding storms.
6:31
All right, that is Mo's Bouchelle.
6:32
He is KUT's energy and environment
6:34
reporter. We're gonna have more of
6:36
his reporting in today's show notes.
6:38
Mo's, thank you.
6:39
Thanks so much, Jerry.
6:47
As Austin ISD considers more
6:49
school closures and further cuts to
6:51
programs to shore up a potential
6:53
budget deficit, one way parents,
6:54
journalists, and policy experts have
6:56
been seeking information about
6:57
decision making is through public
6:59
records requests.
7:01
But according to Austin Current, the
7:03
price tag on those requests has been
7:04
steep. The district charged more
7:06
than $170,000
7:08
in estimated fees for requests made
7:10
between June of last year in
7:12
June of 2026.
7:14
Acacia Coronado is the education
7:16
reporter for Austin Current.
7:17
Acacia, thanks for coming back on
7:18
the show.
7:19
Thanks for having me.
7:20
So Kassia, tell us, was this just
7:22
one total of public records
7:24
charges or is this a total
7:26
charge?
7:28
So it was $172,000
7:31
total between all 80
7:32
invoices that were sent between
7:35
June 10th of last year and June 10
7:36
of this year.
7:37
Okay, we're obviously always talking
7:39
about money when it comes to AISD
7:41
sometimes, and the millions of
7:42
dollars. Is $172,000
7:45
a lot in the grand context of public
7:47
records charges?
7:49
So what experts say is that they are
7:51
seeing a trend that public
7:52
records are sometimes costing more
7:55
now, especially with local agencies.
7:57
So I wouldn't say that they're
7:59
isolated, but it is
8:01
definitely a trend amongst local
8:03
agencies, including Austin ISD,
8:05
that these charges are getting
8:06
pretty expensive for some people.
8:09
Okay, well you talked with some
8:10
folks about the amount of money that
8:11
they paid for their public records
8:13
requests, what did they have to say?
8:15
So their main concern
8:16
is that the cost just
8:18
made the records unachievable
8:20
for them.
8:21
It was completely out of reach for
8:24
someone to pay $14,000,
8:26
even if they're requesting it in a
8:28
professional capacity.
8:30
Most agencies don't have $14000
8:32
to spare.
8:34
So the main concern is that
8:36
even if the
8:38
make the request smaller or
8:40
reduce it, it's still changing
8:42
what they have access to based
8:44
on the cost.
8:45
And as a reporter, I'm sure you've
8:47
submitted some of these requests.
8:48
What are you normally asking for?
8:50
And so like, could you give us one
8:51
example?
8:53
It really varies depending
8:55
on what we are looking into,
8:57
but typically we can request
9:00
email communications,
9:01
written communications about
9:03
specific circumstantial
9:05
decisions made.
9:06
In some cases,
9:09
logs or lists of things,
9:11
such as in this case, the log of
9:13
invoices.
9:14
Okay, now is there a set of
9:16
prices approved by the state when it
9:18
comes to state records?
9:19
So the state does have some
9:22
regulations around what
9:24
can be charged and what
9:26
they can charge for.
9:27
And that is all on the attorney
9:29
general's website.
9:31
So the attorney generals office
9:33
kind of controls and
9:35
make sure that records are
9:37
not charged too much for
9:39
and that people are charging for
9:41
what the law allows them to charge
9:43
for
9:43
You said this is part of a bigger
9:45
trend, can you say a little bit more
9:46
about that?
9:47
So experts are concerned
9:49
that because some
9:51
local agencies, not just in
9:53
Austin, but in general across Texas,
9:56
they have seen are charging more
9:58
for records and for
10:00
producing some of these
10:02
requests, it is
10:04
starting to become a factor in
10:06
whether normal people can
10:08
access information about
10:10
local agencies.
10:12
And I did ask them about state
10:14
agencies They did not have too much
10:16
research on that one yet.
10:17
But it is a trend
10:19
that some experts are seeing,
10:21
particularly those who request more
10:23
often.
10:24
As you said, anyone can or should
10:26
be able to obtain public records,
10:28
but when the prices are so high,
10:30
how does that affect public trust?
10:32
When something has a high cost,
10:34
it can become prohibitive to
10:36
somebody being able to pay that.
10:38
And so for example, parents who
10:40
are trying to request communications
10:42
about how schools
10:44
were closed or how
10:47
decisions about boundary changes
10:48
happen might not be able to
10:50
access those if the costs come
10:52
back in the thousands to provide
10:54
that information.
10:56
Those are for example the kinds of
10:58
things that we have requested
10:59
communications on in the past.
11:01
And some of those requests have
11:03
come back in the thousands.
11:04
For us, our current total is
11:06
upwards of $4,500.
11:09
Okay, we have been speaking with
11:10
Acacia Coronado.
11:11
She is the education reporter for
11:13
Austin Current.
11:14
They are our reporting partners
11:15
covering the city of Austin.
11:17
Acacia, thank you for your time.
11:18
Thank you.
11:24
You can always find more from the
11:25
work we're doing here at
11:26
AustinSignal at kut.org
11:28
slash signal.
11:30
And we're going to continue to
11:31
follow the flood and recovery
11:33
situation in the Texas Hill Country.
11:35
And we have more reporting on that
11:36
at k ut.org
11:38
and on the KUT
11:40
app.
11:41
We have more Austin Signal coming up
11:43
after this break.
11:44
Stay with us.
12:00
This is Austin Signal, welcome
12:02
back.
12:02
Well, after 104 mostly
12:05
thrilling matches, World Cup 2026
12:07
came to an end yesterday with the
12:09
throning of a champion.
12:10
Here to tell us more is our champion
12:12
and one of the hosts of the Vamos
12:13
Verde podcast, Jimmy Moss.
12:15
Hello, James.
12:16
Hello.
12:17
So you, as well as your co-host
12:19
Juan Garcia, thought that Spain was
12:20
a top team heading into this
12:21
tournament.
12:22
Did your faith ever get shaken
12:24
before yesterday's game?
12:25
I said they were going to win before
12:27
it all started.
12:28
I think, um, just the, the
12:30
volume of games and the
12:33
age of that team coming
12:35
into peak at the right
12:37
time, they had all the right
12:38
players coming back from injury at
12:40
the, right time. Rodri was given,
12:42
uh, the, uh
12:44
player of the get the tournament.
12:46
He had a terrible professional
12:48
season with his club, but
12:50
you know, he was coming back from
12:52
a ligament tear.
12:53
So. You know that doesn't happen
12:54
overnight. We all are fairly
12:55
familiar with that from all sports.
12:57
So He he peeked at the
12:59
right moment all these other players
13:00
peeked to the right. Moment It's a
13:02
style that allows other
13:04
people to integrate into if you're
13:05
familiar with it So there's not
13:07
a drop when you go from the top
13:09
11 to the 16th 17th
13:11
player on your bench uh, this is
13:13
uh, This is why I thought they were
13:15
going to be a pretty solid
13:17
choice and they did not prove
13:18
me wrong. It's also impossible to
13:21
score if you don't have the ball,
13:22
which they proved yesterday was 70%
13:25
possession.
13:26
Argentina, just 30% of the time had
13:28
the ball and they took no shots.
13:30
Yeah, okay, well European leagues
13:31
are still on a bit of a break, but
13:33
Major League Soccer says thanks
13:35
world We're gonna take it from here
13:36
And it's gonna be a busy year
13:38
between now and next summer for
13:39
Major League soccer Can you remind
13:41
us of the scheduling changes
13:42
happening? It is packed
13:43
And in fact, games start this
13:45
two days from now, Wednesday night.
13:47
So they will they will cram in
13:49
a Leagues Cup tournament.
13:50
The rest of the MLS year, they
13:52
will end that. They will start a
13:54
mini season next spring,
13:57
February, actually.
13:58
If the short sprint, they're calling
13:59
it, I think, and that will go until
14:01
May.
14:02
A mini season will end then that
14:04
will be the official 2027
14:06
year. And then next
14:08
summer, they will take another break
14:09
like they did for the World Cup this
14:11
year. And launch on
14:13
the international calendar,
14:15
more familiar with if you follow
14:16
other leagues, we'll go basically a
14:18
school year for the MLS season.
14:20
Okay okay we have plenty of that
14:22
action here in our backyard uh...
14:24
Tell us about what's going on with
14:25
austin fc if we weren't paying
14:27
attention prior to the world cup and
14:28
they were coming in and we want to
14:30
get involved with the club was going
14:31
on that
14:32
Well, they have been, it's been a,
14:34
a time of change for
14:35
them. They just before the world
14:37
cup, they let go their manager, they
14:38
let go, their sporting director.
14:41
They are under interim management
14:42
right now. They have hired a
14:43
full-time coach.
14:44
However, he will not be coming into
14:46
the fold until at least full time.
14:48
I'm sure he's advising a phone call
14:49
away if you will, but, uh, he
14:51
will not become an end of the fold,
14:52
until the winter time after
14:54
the season ends, so,
14:56
uh they have added
14:58
a player, they have.
15:00
But it's going to be pretty much a
15:02
very similar lineup.
15:02
They do have a lot of players coming
15:04
back from injury.
15:06
Also, Dadi Pereira was
15:08
traded to Montreal.
15:10
So one of the original,
15:12
actually, if you think about it,
15:13
he's the original.
15:14
Because draft pick of
15:17
Austin FC.
15:20
He's now out, he's now in Montreal,
15:22
and so it's kind of a new era for
15:23
Austin FC overall.
15:25
Some threads of continuity there.
15:28
Dave Yarno has been with the team
15:29
from the jump, so there's
15:31
some wispy hairs that we
15:32
can all cling onto and hold onto
15:34
through the rest of the fall.
15:35
Well, if you want to keep up with
15:37
what's going on at the club, make
15:38
sure to subscribe to the Vamo's of
15:40
out of the podcast wherever you get
15:42
your shows.
15:43
We have been speaking with Jimmy
15:44
Moss. He is one of the hosts of the
15:46
show and he and Juan have been
15:48
doing a great job keeping folks
15:49
across the country updated on the
15:51
tournament. Jimmy, thanks for your
15:52
work. Thank you.
16:00
The Odyssey hit theaters over the
16:02
weekend, and while Christopher Nolan
16:03
is considered a visionary in his
16:05
medium, the story of the Odyssey and
16:07
its Greek mythology is pretty
16:09
universally known.
16:10
For lesser-known mythology of other
16:12
cultures to rise in popularity into
16:14
the Zeitgeist, it's often championed
16:16
by a person who felt the need for
16:18
more representation.
16:20
Think K-Pop Demon Hunters as one
16:21
example.
16:23
Now one Austin-based author is
16:24
hoping to share African culture and
16:26
Yoruba mythology with readers.
16:28
His debut novel is called Ayamo
16:31
Ibere, and joining us
16:33
in studio is the author Panle
16:35
Oluwale.
16:36
Panle, thank you for being with us.
16:38
Thank you so much for having me.
16:39
Tell us a little bit about the
16:40
inspiration. Where did this idea
16:41
come from?
16:42
Awesome, so it's based on
16:44
Yoruba mythology.
16:45
I grew up in Nigeria and
16:47
it's essentially about this girl
16:50
who has to journey
16:52
to find the meaning of
16:54
her life while her memories are
16:56
sealed.
16:57
So she's thrust into this world
16:58
that's very dangerous, very brutal.
17:01
There's an insane war going on and
17:03
she has to kind of fight in this war
17:05
because the more she explores,
17:07
the more thrust herself into
17:08
dangerous situations, the more she
17:10
uncovers her identity.
17:12
So it's just a journey about
17:14
self-discovery, about what people
17:16
really do when they're faced with
17:17
insurmountable odds.
17:19
So one thing that caught my
17:20
attention is the book starts with
17:22
the main character being chased and
17:24
there's an animal there's
17:26
a hunter that using the blood and
17:27
it's like very is it really
17:29
grabs your attention but my
17:30
attention was also grab because the
17:32
prolog starts about six hundred
17:34
years before why did you
17:35
want to choose fantasy as a genre.
17:38
I think from when I was young, I've
17:40
always been someone who was drawn
17:42
into magical worlds and I found
17:43
myself lost in these worlds.
17:46
You know, I grew up reading Harry
17:47
Potter, Percy Jackson and Lightning
17:49
Thief, all these amazing stories by
17:51
incredible authors.
17:52
And I wanted to write
17:54
something from my younger self to be
17:56
able to read and feel connected
17:58
with the characters, connected with
18:00
the world and the culture of
18:02
the book. So that was the
18:03
inspiration for Ayumu.
18:05
So, your book draws from your book,
18:07
Culture, and even features a
18:08
glossary at the front to help people
18:10
sounding out names and words and
18:12
things like that. Why was that so
18:13
important to include?
18:14
So one of the things I wanted to
18:16
ensure was that the book was
18:18
authentically representing my
18:20
people and the
18:22
names and the pronunciation of
18:24
certain words are a very important
18:25
factor to that.
18:26
So the names in the book are all
18:28
spelled out using the Yoruba
18:30
alphabet.
18:31
And it's obviously something that
18:32
can be confusing or new
18:34
for people who aren't familiar with
18:36
it. So I think it was important to
18:37
just have that at the beginning,
18:39
that as a way of people realize
18:40
like, okay, this is how
18:42
O like oh with a dot below
18:44
it is different from like a regular
18:46
oh um we have
18:48
the kind of like accents
18:50
on top of vowels too because Yoruba
18:51
is a tonal language so the
18:54
actual like meanings of words even
18:56
though you're spelled the same can
18:57
be different because of the tones
18:58
that are put on it so that's why
19:00
those things are important to kind
19:02
of share with people before they
19:03
dove into the story.
19:05
For us the listening audience can
19:06
you
19:06
Can you say the character's name as
19:08
it should be said appropriately?
19:10
So the name of the protagonist is
19:12
Eniola, and it
19:14
means a person of great fortune.
19:16
Authentic representation is really
19:18
important to us especially on the
19:19
radio. You know, there are lots of
19:21
here in Texas There are lots or
19:22
Spanish or German or words from all
19:24
over Yeah, and I noticed that
19:26
there is already an audiobook
19:27
version of your novel as well
19:29
Yeah, how did that how is that
19:31
sounding and how important was it to
19:32
have that real representation and
19:34
that voice?
19:35
So I love the narrator
19:37
for the book, Delia Ogunira.
19:38
She is incredible voice actress
19:40
and a talented actress.
19:42
She's been on actually like NCIS,
19:44
Black Panther, a bunch of really
19:45
cool shows. I didn't know that until
19:47
I saw her Instagram.
19:48
I was like, whoa, I know who this
19:49
person is.
19:50
Yeah. So like when I
19:52
got reached out by the publisher for
19:54
the audiobook deal, I was, like,
19:56
I need, you know, final approval on
19:58
whoever you get for the because, you
20:00
know, I've heard a couple books
20:01
reading by...
20:02
Whether it's like African or
20:04
Nigerian authors.
20:04
And I felt the narrator wasn't
20:07
really doing the best job
20:09
of accurately representing
20:11
the tone of the story.
20:13
So I felt that was something that
20:14
was extremely important to the work
20:16
I was putting out.
20:17
And they were like, yeah, we love
20:18
that. We love the idea of
20:20
it. And they went and they found the
20:22
perfect person for it.
20:23
It's been lovely to literally
20:25
listen to something I spent
20:27
years writing just come
20:29
to fruition. And I can just express
20:31
how just...
20:33
Privilege and blessed I am.
20:35
Well, it's a very well written book
20:37
and I look forward to listening to
20:38
the audio version as well, but
20:40
there's a striking cover to
20:42
your book. And in fact, you actually
20:44
invite people to judge your book
20:46
by its cover.
20:47
Tell us more about that cover.
20:49
Who did it and why was it so
20:50
important to have that striking
20:51
image at the front?
20:52
Yeah, so just the way the
20:55
storytelling is important, the
20:56
visual element of every book,
20:58
the art is also extremely
21:01
important.
21:02
For that, I met this photographer.
21:04
It's actually like a real model on
21:06
the cover, Maiwa
21:07
Lawa. He does African maximalism.
21:10
And the first time I came across
21:12
his, like the algorithm just led me
21:13
to his page one day.
21:14
And I actually had saved his page,
21:16
like I am gonna work with him.
21:17
One day. And then when I was getting
21:19
to the point where I was like
21:20
creating a book and getting all the
21:21
art and everything ready for it, I
21:22
reached out to him. I was, like, I
21:23
have this idea and I think you're
21:25
going to be perfect for it.
21:26
And he just went to town.
21:28
He created that, you know, the
21:29
striking red cover with the ax on
21:31
it. And I think just it really,
21:33
like you said, invites people to
21:35
the world and the story.
21:36
It draws you in, but it scares you a
21:38
little bit.
21:38
Too because you mentioned that big
21:40
war accident feature.
21:41
Can you tell us about the
21:42
significance of that weapon?
21:44
So I don't know how much I want to
21:46
spoil of the story.
21:48
Just tease it then use it out for
21:49
us. So I would say that weapon
21:51
has a very significant
21:53
role on the actual
21:55
inception of humans in the
21:57
story
21:59
and it's personal significance to
22:01
the character is sort of an heirloom
22:03
and it is a boon that really
22:05
aids the protagonist Inyala on
22:07
her journey. As I said, the world is
22:09
very brutal.
22:11
The representation of this teenage
22:13
girl wielding that giant
22:15
ax really
22:17
juxtaposes her innocence
22:19
with the brutality of
22:21
the situation she finds herself
22:23
in and how she just has to
22:25
wield that to kind of
22:27
cleave her way through every
22:28
obstacle. So I just love
22:30
the visual nature
22:32
of that message.
22:33
Absolutely. It's very striking.
22:35
We'll have a link to that in the
22:36
show notes so you can check it out
22:37
When I was in school at least here
22:39
in Texas Greek mythology is what we
22:41
were taught And even now
22:43
when someone talks about mythology
22:44
it tends to be the first thing that
22:45
comes to mind There's big
22:47
Christopher Nolan movie, but the
22:49
mythology of other cultures is just
22:50
as intricate and interesting yet
22:52
It's not as well known.
22:53
I would say like a Mesoamerican for
22:55
example your novel highlights
22:57
Yoruba mythology this
22:59
is a big question, but What
23:01
are you hoping folks take away from
23:03
your story so that it's top of mind
23:05
when they think of mythology?
23:08
I think one of the important things
23:09
about mythology is opening
23:11
people's minds to different
23:13
ways of thinking.
23:16
And cultures very strongly represent
23:18
how they think by
23:20
their creation, like ethos,
23:22
like how they feel the world was
23:24
made, how they felt the elements
23:25
and nature plays a
23:27
role with people's relationship with
23:29
the world around them.
23:30
And I think having
23:32
Yoruba mythology is something that
23:33
is very different from like a Greek
23:36
mythology from a Chinese or Japanese
23:38
mythology is a
23:40
way to invite people into the
23:41
continent of Africa, to invite
23:42
people into Nigeria.
23:44
So they themselves can be drawn into
23:46
this world. And then when they meet
23:47
people, when they encounter art,
23:49
when they encounter different
23:51
cultures and individuals, there's a
23:53
more open mindedness to
23:55
embrace that difference between
23:56
individuals.
23:57
I mean your your novel is very
23:59
inviting and I noticed in the
24:01
glossary page This
24:03
is the first book in a trilogy.
24:05
So where is the story going next?
24:07
Have you started working on book two
24:08
is this kind of a huge idea that
24:10
you're breaking down into smaller
24:11
parts So how is that going?
24:13
So it is like a very long
24:15
journey. So I actually had the idea
24:16
for this when I was like 13.
24:20
It took a few years before
24:22
I actually put pen to paper,
24:24
but it is a very large story.
24:26
It's an epic fantasy, so there's a
24:28
lot that's involved.
24:31
And yes, so the first book
24:33
starts in one continent, and the
24:34
next book explores other parts of
24:36
the world. So I am halfway through
24:38
the second book at this point.
24:40
It's been, I think I'm writing it
24:41
much quicker than I wrote the first
24:43
one.
24:44
But it's just been really
24:45
fun to like
24:47
create this world and build it
24:49
out. And I actually enjoy
24:51
it, right? Like I laugh sometimes
24:52
when I'm reading things, like I feel
24:55
the emotions of the character.
24:56
I think it's one of my favorite
24:57
things about writing.
24:58
So yeah, it's this, there's a lot
25:00
that is going into the story.
25:01
And I really hope that when people
25:03
will read it and when people.
25:04
Interact with it, they enjoy that
25:06
and they feel that well-roundedness
25:08
of the world that I've created.
25:10
Yeah, well, we're lucky right now to
25:11
be being watched by your wife and
25:13
your daughter.
25:14
Your daughter is just a few weeks
25:15
old right now joining us, has she
25:17
made you write quicker?
25:18
Oh, definitely.
25:21
I need to finish
25:23
this book so when she's old enough
25:24
to read,
25:26
she's like, okay, I can read the
25:27
books my dad has written.
25:29
So I think it's really important for
25:31
her to have, because
25:33
I think a lot of people have been
25:34
doing really well to, like you said,
25:36
promote different cultures.
25:37
Like there's Black Panther, there's
25:39
like Tomi Adeyama, she wrote
25:40
Children of Blood and Bone.
25:41
There's like really a lot authors
25:43
are just putting great work out
25:44
there. And it's important that
25:46
everyone is able to add to the
25:48
conversation because like you said,
25:50
Christopher Nolan has obviously
25:51
coming out this Percy Jackson and
25:53
the Lightning Thief. There's like
25:53
all these different variations of
25:56
stories and the more people like
25:58
put into the conversation, the more
26:00
it's able to really impact
26:01
people's lives and just
26:03
enrich the cultural fabric of
26:05
our society.
26:07
Fantastic. Well, we have been
26:08
speaking with Ponle Oluwale.
26:09
His debut novel is Ayanmo
26:11
Ibere.
26:12
It's out now.
26:13
We're gonna have a link to the novel
26:15
in today's show notes.
26:16
Thank you, Ponle.
26:16
Thank you, Jerry.
26:18
And we had a much longer version
26:20
of that conversation in
26:23
the podcast version of our show.
26:25
You can find that at kut.org
26:27
slash Signal and wherever
26:29
you listen to your shows.
26:31
That is it for us today.
26:33
Thank you for tuning in.
26:34
Thank you to Reyna Sevilla.
26:36
She is our technical director.
26:38
Alexandra Hart is our producer.
26:40
Kristen Cabrera is our managing
26:41
producer and I'm your host,
26:43
Jerry Keconnell.
26:45
Austin Signal is gonna be back at
26:46
the same time tomorrow.
26:48
We'll talk to you then.
26:49
Have a great day.