Aside John Miyazawa (the co-host of this show), Derek was one of the first potters I met and instantly became friends with as a graduate student at Kent State University in 2009. This conversation takes John and I back to a moment where the three of us first worked together during a wood firing of the Anagama (Kirk-a-gama) kiln at KSU in 2011. Moving forward, Derek shares the story of where life has taken him since his graduate studies, into the present where we discuss the present covid-19 pandemic and talk about how that is transforming all of our lives as makers and artists. Find out more about Derek Thomas on Instagram @poeticwax