Blair Braverman

@blairbraverman

writer and dogsledder

293 Following15,720 Followers1,155 Posts

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New podcast episode is out today at What to Carry, What to Burn! This one's the story of Valerian Albanov, who escapes an icebound ship and ends up the reluctant leader of a trek across the frozen sea. Featuring thieves, lice, kayaks made out of barrels, and polar bear livers.

A blue-tinged artwork of a polar bear looking down off a rock into a gray-blue sea. This is modified from James Audubon's artwork that's in the public domain.

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· 20d

Flame says thank you, you are so kind and she misses you too!

A yellow dog with floppy ears folded back sits with good posture on a wooden bench, looking at the camera and wearing headphones around her neck

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· 20d

Technically, if the sock puppet is a sled dog, it’s a bootie campaign.

Two sled dogs, Willow and Clem, stand in harness in fresh snow. Willow has her ears down and looks at the camera with a little smile. Clem has a big grin and closed eyes and he wears bright orange and pink booties on his feet

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· 20d

My social media manager, Flame, would never allow it.

A yellow dog lifting her nose toward the camera with huge brown eyes, looking slightly worried and very obsessed with you

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· 20d

10000% fine for the podcast to not be someone’s thing (for any reason! not everything is for everyone!) but I PROMISE I am not running a sketchy astroturfing / sock puppet marketing campaign. 😭 But thank you to the people who said so many sweet things that other people decided they must be fake!

A screenshot from Reddit of the following: flava_town_420 • 5h
Really enjoyed the first few episodes of What to Carry, What to Burn!

-8 votes

arb7721 • 4h
Not sure why this podcast is being pushed all over the place, it's meh, I don't understand the hype. It's possible there's a marketing campaign that is blasting it in this sub. The storytelling is meh and, dare to say, boring, especially when she describes stuff like she was there personally when it happened 100 years ago, let alone when the finishes the podcast with some cringy generic "you can do it" cliche. If someone likes this genre, l'd suggest Real Survival Stories, accurate storytelling and the survivor recalls their experience as well.
edit. just noticed that this account is new with low karma, similar to other accounts who push this podcast. It reinforces my impression that it's an orchestrated marketing campaign ran by the podcast creators themselves.

18 votes

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· 21d

Currently available on all podcast platforms. The YouTube video is slightly delayed due to technical difficulties, but should be up in a day or two.

A screenshot of Apple Podcasts headline for the podcast What to Carry, What to Burn, Ep 7: The Painted Ocean

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· 21d

New episode of What to Carry, What to Burn is out today! It tells the story of José Salvador Alvarenga, a shark fisherman who drifted across the sea for over a year in a small open boat after his motor broke. This story, and José’s resilience, absolutely blew my mind.

A digital drawing of a small white boat drifting over a massive spotted whale shark

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Jul 11

I mean 🥹🥺

A closeup of this sweet elder husky with her head pressed against someone’s lap, smiling broadly, so happy to be loved

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Jul 11

Honored to share a name with this sweet elder husky in Georgia who needs a home 🥺

Screenshot of a beautiful white-faced elder husky at the DeKalb County Animal Services in Georgia. Her name is Blair Braverman. She has fluffy feet and sweet blue eyes

Info about how to meet this sweet girl, in Chamblee, Georgia. She’s 10 years old and 39 pounds and has been at the shelter since May 29

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Jun 6

Fb marketplace, why

A screenshot from facebook marketplace showing a picture of a gray hornets' nest, with the label JUST LISTED, along with an asking price of $100 and the description "A gray hornet's nest"

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· May 7

I’m very excited to announce my new podcast! I'll be telling true stories of survival, starting with the story of Ada Blackjack, who was stranded for two years in the high Arctic. If you subscribe now to What to Carry, What to Burn on your fav podcast app, you’ll get the first episodes on May 12!

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Apr 1

Flame needed an emergency bath, which she hated, but this toddler sized bathrobe fits her perfectly, so she’ll allow it 💅

A slim yellow dog with wet fur lies on a couch by a window, head lifted with dignity, big brown eyes wide open, wearing a blue fuzzy bathrobe with the hood up. It’s a perfect fit.

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Mar 29

Thank you!! I haven’t been able to find it but my friend is getting me copies!

A newspaper rack with an empty shelf that says the New York Times

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Mar 29

Flame cannot believe that Dora is on the cover of today’s new york times magazine instead of her

A sleek yellow dog lies on a couch, surrounded by quilts and blankets, sniffing the cover of the New York Times magazine, which features her friend Dora pulling a sled through the snow in closeup

After inspecting the magazine, the yellow dog, Flame, looks up at the camera with a look of disbelief

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Mar 28

Y’all DORA is the cover star for this weekend’s New York Times Magazine!!!!!!! 😱😱😱🤯🤯🥹🥹🥹

An image of the cover of New York Times magazine, featuring a gorgeous photo by Jasper Doest of sled dog Dora, in harness, running toward the camera in a forest with an exceptionally long tongue swinging out to the side. There’s a slight mist in the middle of the image, from her breath fogging the camera lens.

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Mar 27

Sound on — this is when we were surrounded by wolves, after the closest wolf had been going on like this for quite a while. Very cool. The sled dogs were unbothered.

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Mar 27

Also, this feels a bit awkward to say, but for those of you who have watched and loved the team for years, if we ever cross paths somewhere other than social media, PLEASE introduce yourself. I consider you a friend (even if you're a lurker)! We have shared this adventure together. ❤️

A pale brown sled dog, Clem, gives a "high five" to the camera by pawing the lens. He has pointy ears, big brown eyes, and a little white stripe on his forehead, and he's in a beautiful snowy woods. He would like if you gave him a high five back.

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Mar 27

I say the same about this community online who love dogs and stories and art and adventure, and have showed again+again what is POSSIBLE in this world when people share kindness openly. You inspire me every day and have taught me about human goodness in the most beautiful ways. #uglydogs

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Mar 20

Plus! some Spike snuggles on the trip!

A big yellow dog presses his head so hard into a woman's lap that he is practically upside down. The woman is wearing snow bibs and a pink hat and laughs, facing the camera. Another dog, Willow, pops her head up in the background to see what's up

The same yellow dog, Spike, has his head pressed against the woman's chest, and she rests her cheek on the back of his neck. The woman is smiling, and Spike's eyes are closed. There's a whole lot of love between them.

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Mar 20

For your amusement, as mentioned in the story: Dora eats a hole in the dog truck after being spayed.

A black and white husky sticks her head through a hole in the side of a dog box, which is a white trailer on the back of a flatbed truck wtih cubbies and doors for dogs to travel in. She looks down at the ground, as if determining her next steps. It's snowy in the background and there are some woods in the distance.

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Feb 21

(Also I did not sleep well last night, so excuse my rambling/repetition! Here’s Flame, who wants to give you a hug)

A slim yellow dog leaps up from the snow with her arms out and a smile on her face, ready to give you a hug

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Feb 18

This is still (to me!) the funniest quote I’ve ever gotten in an interview. Said completely seriously, by the way. 😂

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Dec 8

Flame is doing great! At 12, she still has a 5-foot vertical and can jump any fence. She says it’s because she eats a lot of bread.

A yellow-white dog lies on a violet colored bed and looks up at the camera, snoot very close to the lens. She has huge round brown eyes, slightly uneven ears that stick out from her head, and an expression of pure bread hunger.

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Dec 7

Also Flame wants to let you know that she only tried to eat Meatball *twice*

A yellow dog with huge brown eyes presses her face into a woman’s hand, looking innocent and not at all like she’s plotting her third attempt

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Dec 7

The inside of Meatball, made of clay, poly-fil, string, and sphagnum moss. It was definitely the most challenging craft I’ve ever done.

A hand holds a form that’s vaguely rat-shaped, almost like a bust of a rat. It has a clay head with a sewing pin for an eye, moss wrapped in twine near the rib cage, and poly-fil wrapped in more twine for the neck. In the background, very blurry, two people are looking at another rat at a table.

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Oct 21

Leap says thank you all for the kindest words on her pub day!!!

A black husky with a white chest, feet, and snout grins open-mouthed in harness on a grassy trail. She's proud to be dryland mushing and proud to have her first picture book. THE DAY LEAP SOARED, out today!

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Sep 30

Is it illegal to forge your dog's signature? Asking for an author.

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Aug 28

Sarah's post-sensory-deprivation wisdom:

a screenshot of text: “That was great,” she said dreamily. “I was like, ‘I’m a baby! I haven’t even been born yet!’ I secretly believe that’s the best part of human existence. But apparently even when you haven’t been born yet, you’re still confused about some stuff.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“What I mean,” she said, “is that there’s no fall from grace into consciousness as a person. I think you’re just dealing with consciousness the whole time.”
“That’s smart,” I said.
“Yes,” she said. “I’ve gotten a lot smarter in the past hour.”

Blair Braverman@blairbraverman· Aug 13

I agree completely -- she does such an incredible job with dogs as individuals. I mean. GRONCH??!!!