The Squirrel Who Stole Solstice was written and directed by Marisa King. Starring Kristi Boulton, Marisa King and Michael Howie. Original holiday carol by Julian Sark.

The Squirrel Who Stole Solstice was written and Directed by Marisa King! Marisa voiced Nutty! Marisa King is an actor, director and long-time animal advocate based in Toronto, Ontario.  You can also hear her on the award-winning Alba Salix podcast as well as improvising her way through the wacky roleplaying world of The End of Time and Other Bothers, all from Fable & Folly production at FableandFolly.com.

Nutzo and Mrs. DeNutzio were played by Kristi Boulton! Kristi Boulton is an actor, improviser, director and podcast producer in Hamilton, Ontario, and can be found at www.kristiboulton.com or on the socials (Twitter: https://twitter.com/kristi_boulton, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristi_boulton/ or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiboulton/).

Kristi can also be heard on Civilized, a dark comedy improvised podcast at CivilizedPod.com. 

The original squirrel solstice carol was written and performed by Julian Sark, with backup squirrel vocals by Marisa King and Kristi Boulton.  Julian Sark is a deeply repressed creative based in Toronto.  Due to the immense internal pressures at play, asking him to do literally anything will likely get you way, way more than you bargained for.  Seriously, like, get ready to screen your calls, people.  He's also recently written a song he thinks would be perfect for Michael Buble, so Michael, if you're listening, find Julian on Facebook.  Yes, he's that old.

And I played Mr. O, and worked with this fabulous team of creative geniuses to put the episode online for all of you. Thank you EVERYONE for listening, and please remember to be kind, be curious, and be patient with each other. Happy Solstice, everyone, and happy solstice Magnanimous Moose!

Defender Radio and The Switch will return with new episodes in 2022.  

Gift giving is wonderful and generous, but around the holidays can generate a lot of waste. Dr. Elisabeth Ormandy (Executive Director of Society for Humane Science, TEDx speaker, UBC Professor and zero waste enthusiast) is making The Switch to zero waste gift giving! 

These tips can make a big impact on local waste during the holiday season, and we'd love to hear from you! Tag @howiemichael on Instagram or email defenderradio@gmail.com with your zero waste gift giving tips and get included in a future episode!

LINKS

Society for Humane Science: https://www.forhumanescience.org/

Dr. Elisabeth Ormandy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisabethormandy/

Dr. Elisabeth Ormandy at TEDx: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfBc2PvVXnU

Want to suggest topics for The Switch? Reach out to us at DefenderRadio@Gmail.com, by visiting DefenderRadio.com or engaging host Michael Howie on social media via Instagram (www.instagram.com/howiemichael), TikTok (www.tiktok.com/@howiemichael) or Facebook (www.Facebook.com/DefenderRadio). 

The Switch is produced by The Fur-Bearers (www.TheFurBearers.com), a charitable non-partisan organization whose mandate is to advocate on behalf of fur-bearing animals in the wild and in confinement, promote coexistence solutions in communities and protect the habitats of fur-bearing animals across Canada. You can follow The Fur-Bearers on Instagram (www.instagram.com/furbearers), Twitter (www.twitter.com/furbearers) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FurFree). 

Frances Backhouse is a well-regarded naturalist and journalist, as well as the author of several books on beavers, including Once They Were Hats. Though known for much of her work on beavers, Frances has also written about several species of bird, women in history, and now is taking on the fascinating and majestic grizzly bear.

Frances joined Defender Radio to have an in-depth conversation about her path from scientist to writer, what she’s learned about beavers and bears along the way, and how others can find their own ways to working on topics they’re passionate about.