The Icelandic Roots Podcast

Reykjavík Composer on Jazz, Sagas, Eiríksstaðir & the Creative Life of an Artist

Hafdís Bjarnadóttir is a Reykjavík-based composer and guitarist known for breaking boundaries between genres - drawing on everything from jazz and folk to avant-garde, poetry, and contemporary classical.
In this conversation, we trace her path from learning jazz guitar to composing award-winning works, reflect on her time reenacting history in costume at the Eiríksstaðir Museum, and dig into the theory, culture, and economics of being an artist in Iceland today.
We also explore how collaboration shapes creativity and where the Icelandic music scene is heading.
Find out more: https://www.hafdisbjarnadottir.com/
Listen to her music: https://hafdisbjarnadottir.bandcamp.com/ 

Weaving Njáls Saga Across the World: The Traveling Tapestry Tour

Claudia Peterson is the driving force behind the North American tour of the crowd-sewn, Icelandic-wool Njáls Saga Tapestry — an extraordinary living artwork born in Hvolsvöllur, Iceland, with the mission of rallying support for a permanent museum to showcase this saga masterpiece in its hometown.
In this episode, we look into the tapestry’s unique place in Icelandic and world history and hear Claudia’s behind-the-scenes stories from the road — sharing how communities across North America, from Calgary to Seattle, are connecting with this epic piece of Viking heritage.
We also explore personal ties to Njáls Saga, the entrepreneurial vision of letting people in on a piece of Iceland’s saga legacy, and how this community-powered effort can help build a world-class museum in southern Iceland for generations to come.
You’ll hear insights on living history, the art of marketing, and the timeless psychology of humanity — all stitched together in this conversation that invites you to be part of the journey.
Discover how you can support, spread the word, and help bring Njáls Saga home — a rich tapestry indeed (pun absolutely intended).
https://www.icelandicroots.com/post/bringing-the-saga-era-to-the-modern-era-understanding-the-nj%C3%A1l-saga-tapestry
Njáls Saga on Tour: Weaving Iceland’s Epic for the World

How Icelandic Roots is Growing with Cousins Across the Ocean | New Books, Festivals & Genealogy Ideas

Sunna Furstenau, President of Icelandic Roots and head of the Genealogy Team, along with Becky Byerly-Adams, the Outreach Director, joined us to explore everything from new books and upcoming webinars to the evolving future of the Icelandic Roots database—and why preserving our stories matters now more than ever.
We talked about how the team is finding new ways to engage the community: through voice and video capture, integrating personal histories directly into the database in ways that make it feel alive and deeply human. Sunna and Becky also shared updates on in-person events like the Deuce of August and Íslendingadagurinn, and gave us a glimpse into the excitement around the next group trip to Iceland.
This conversation dives deeper than names and dates—it’s about connection. Whether online or face-to-face, Icelandic Roots is a collective effort to honour the legacy of our people. Sunna and Becky offer a heartfelt look at how community, storytelling, and technology come together to shape a living archive for future generations.
Fill out the Cousins Across the Ocean form and share with others: https://www.icelandicroots.com/cousins-across-the-ocean
 

A Necessary Distance: Thinking on the Page Across Generations with Julie Salverson

Julie Salverson is a fourth-generation Icelandic-Canadian author whose new memoir, A Necessary Distance: Confessions of a Scriptwriter’s Daughter, braids family memory with global history. In this episode, we explore Julie’s reflections on her father, CBC writer George Salverson, and her grandmother, acclaimed Icelandic-Canadian author Laura Goodman Salverson.
Drawing from her father’s 1963 travel journals and her own journeys—including a meaningful trip to Iceland—Julie shares how the past ripples into the present. We talk about her experience hearing storyteller Karen Gummo recount one of Laura’s tales, and the significance of meeting Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, Iceland’s former president and a trailblazer for women worldwide.
As we dive into Julie’s writing process, we explore how she sees memoir as an act of witness—writing as understanding, thinking on the page, and reckoning with diverse perspectives through time. Our conversation touches on the philosophical nature of history, the weight of inherited stories, and how the act of documenting becomes a thread across generations.
From radio scripts to personal memoir, and from immigrant stories to international travels, this episode weaves together art, ancestry, and the enduring power of writing to carry memory forward.
Find her book here: https://bookstore.wolsakandwynn.ca/products/a-necessary-distance
Or check your local bookstore!