Deviate

Rolf Potts veers off-topic in this unique series of conversations with experts, public figures, and intriguing people.

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Latest Episodes

264

January 08, 2026 00:57:54
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Time is your truest form of wealth (and travel helps you embrace your riches)

“In teaching us to appreciate rather than accumulate – to seek awe rather than outcomes – travel can be an ongoing exercise in gratitude.” ...

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263

December 16, 2025 01:14:11
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Kansas Never Plays Itself: How movies lie when they take us places

In this feature-length video essay that explores the role places play in storytelling, Rolf examines how Kansas -- his home state -- has been...

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262

November 04, 2025 00:41:43
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Traveling as a writer, and awkward book-tour experiences, with Anthony Doerr (from 2012)

“I’m interested in writing because I don’t want to sleepwalk through life. I feel like we have an appallingly brief time on earth, and...

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261

September 30, 2025 00:49:25
Talking with my parents about how to handle it when your parents die (in memory of Alice Potts, 1943-2025)

Talking with my parents about how to handle it when your parents die (in memory of Alice Potts, 1943-2025)

Note: This encore episode is dedicated to the memory of Alice Potts, who died on August 20, 2025, aged 81. “In America aging is...

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260

September 02, 2025 01:11:41
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An audiobook about how (not) to write a travel book: 9 lessons from my failed van-life memoir

“No endeavor to write a travel book is ever lost, since it gives you a useful perspective on (and intensified attention to) the reality...

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259

August 05, 2025 00:52:36
Vagabonding pioneer Ed Buryn on what indie travel was like in the 1960s and 1970s (encore)

Vagabonding pioneer Ed Buryn on what indie travel was like in the 1960s and 1970s (encore)

“Realizing that you will die greatly clarifies your vision of life, and stimulates opportunities for making the vision real.”  –Ed Buryn In this episode...

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