From time-to-time I will post interviews instead of a written blog and they can be found here, as well as recorded versions of each written post.
An interview with writer and anti-racism educator Tim Wise as America decides our next president...
Bassist, producer, and record label owner Bill Laswell is my guest on Our Social Landscape, as we try to make sense of the upcoming election.
Thievery Corporation's Rob Garza joins Our Social Landscape to discuss the pending 2024 presidential election.
Esteemed professor and policy expert Douglas Massey explains our current immigration and segregation landscape.
My guest is Maine author Ron Currie, Jr., who's work covers environmental issues, politics, and some fun, fantastical fictional prose. Surviving comparisons to Kurt Vonnegut, he has received the New York Public Library's Young Lions Award, the Addison M. Metcalf Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Alex Award from the American Library Association, while his short fiction and nonfiction writings have received recognition in the Best American Sportswriting and Best American Essays anthologies. In addition, he's a screen writer, working on series from Apple TV, AMC Studios, and ITV America, among others.
A conversation about the effects of racism on health with journalist, author, and educator Linda Villarosa.
A conversation with political scientist and Carnegie scholar Jennifer McCoy about the increasing political dissension in America.
The recorded version of my latest blogpost, including the song "Distant Land" by Matthew Halsall.
My guest is Dr. Aaron Carroll, health policy expert and chief health officer at Indiana University, who has written and lectured extensively on the U.S. health care system and how it compares to countries around the world.
Physician, professor, and economist Atheendar Vankataramani joins me to discuss the impacts of social class and race the health of Americans.
I'm joined by legendary musician Bruce Cockburn. With over 9 million records sold, and countless lives impacted by his activism and altruism, he has spent over 50 years impacting folks around the globe.
My guest is the journalist and writer Chelsea Conaboy, author of the fantastic book Mother Brain, which challenges the repressive notion of ‘maternal instinct'. As she shows, "humans are designed to develop into cooperative caregivers!"
Wesleyan University President Michael Roth joins me to discuss the intersection between education and our current culture wars. Dr. Roth has been the President of Wesleyan since 2007, and has written extensively about issues related to free speech on college campuses specifically, and larger cultural patterns more broadly. This episode features two Bob Dylan songs, “Visions of Johanna” and “Shelter from the Storm”. Our Social Landscape is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
A discussion on treating transgender youth with pediatric endocrinologist Hussein Abdullatif.
I'm joined by Welsh singer-songwriter Martyn Joseph, a folk artist who has used his platform to campaign for human rights and social justice for over 40 years.
The contemporary American artist Vincent Valdez joins me to talk about the power of paint, brush, and canvas to hold a mirror up to America.
The recorded version of my lastest blog post, including the song Sachi, by Matthew Halsall.
The recorded version of my last blog post, including the song Exuberant Burning, by Earthen Sea.
I'm joined by investigative journalist Jessie Singer to talk about their book There Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster- Who Profits and Who Pays the Price.
Elisabeth Anker is a professor of American Studies and Political Science at George Washington University. Her first book, Orgies of Feeling: Melodrama and the Politics of Freedom lays a groundwork for analyzing freedom-based narratives in popular culture. The theme is extended in her 2022 book Ugly Freedoms, which is the basis for our conversation.
A conversation with Karen Washington, a food justice activist who coined the term "food apartheid" to both describe our current food system in America, as well as to provoke a reckoning in our political consciousness.
Peabody award winning radio producer and writer Scott Carrier is my guest on this episode of Our Social Landscape. His podcast Home of the Brave helped get me through the pandemic and gave me inspiration to expand my blog into a podcast. His stories are outstanding, filled with insight as well as compassion. Enjoy.
Please enjoy a conversation about our social world with legendary musician and producer Bill Laswell!
A conversation with Professor Kathryn Bond Stockton on gender, sex, race, and "confusing the clarity of the system".
A talk with Jeb Loy Nichols, songwriter, visual artist and writer from the deep woods in Wales.
Thievery Corporation's Rob Garza is my guest on Our Social Landscape, where we discuss cultural expression through music.
Jason Williamson of the Sleaford Mods is my guest on this episode of Our Social Landscape. Originally from Grantham and currently of Nottingham, England, Williamson and his musical partner Andrew Fearn make bass-driven punk rock with cutting and insightful social commentary.
I'm joined by Noam Chomsky, the Father of Modern Linguistics, world-renowned political dissident and activist, and one of the world's most respected intellectuals. With appointments at M.I.T. and the University of Arizona, Professor Chomsky remains academically and politically active, well into his 94th trip around the sun.
I'm joined by Robyn James, Gender and Equity Advisor with the Nature Conservancy, to discuss environmental issues, broadly speaking, and gender issues more specifically. With over 25 years' experience working in the Asia Pacific region at the community and national level to address conservation and equity issues, she is at the forefront in the convergence of localized environmental concerns with international environmental politics. Topics of discussion center around the role of women as not just stewards, but knowledge-based experts, in the race to find balance and sustainability in our natural resource utilization. We conclude with a short discussion of the current Russian-Ukrainian war and its potential impacts on the environment and the humans that inhabit it. The podcast features the following songs: “I am woman”, “Wrangled”, and “Milkman of Human Kindness”. Our Social Landscape is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. All episodes of Our Social Landscape can be found on iTunes, simply type oursociallandscape into the search box. If you have any questions or comments, email me at jr@oursociallandscape.com.
Karl Denson, composer, band leader, and Rolling Stones saxophonist, joins me on Our Social Landscape to discuss the current state of the union.
Author and journalist Neil deMause joins me on Our Social Landscape to discuss a few current topics in the world of sports. deMause is a Brooklyn-based journalist and author who has written for Baseball Prospectus, Slate, CNN Money, and the Village Voice and is the co-author, along with Joanna Cagan, of the award-winning expose into the public financing of sports stadiums, Field of Schemes. He has also presented his work in Congressional hearings, journalism courses at Columbia, ESPN and Democracy Now!
A discussion with renowned sports economist Andrew Zimbalist on the NCAA, MLB, and pro stadiums.
A discussion of Malcolm X on President's Day...
A discussion of a new Florida law that prohibits the supposed "liberal indoctrination" in public colleges and universities.
A discussion of a new Florida law that prohibits transgirls from athletic completion on girls teams in public schools.
Anti-racism educator and author Tim Wise joins me for this iteration of Our Social Landscape. Author of 9 books on race, and a prolific public speaker and blogger, Tim began his activism as a student at Tulane in the late 1980s and has been involved in the struggle for racial equality and social justice ever since. The conversation starts with a discussion of how he began activism work against South African apartheid and neo-Nazi politician David Duke. We then touch on civil unrest, particularly in the wake of the 1-year anniversary of the January 6th, 2021, insurrection, before moving onto the intersection between race and social class in America. Next comes a discussion of Critical Race Theory, plus the role of racism, individualism, and animosity towards the public good, that has impacted the current Covid-19 pandemic. We conclude with some suggestions moving forward, and Tim finishes with a quick discussion of how he keeps his eyes on the prize, even if the prize continues to appear unreachable. More information about Tim Wise and his work can be found here: https://timjwise.medium.com/ http://www.timwise.org/ The podcast features a live version of “True” by the late New Orleans piano legend James Booker. All episodes of Our Social Landscape can be found on iTunes, simply type oursociallandscape into the search box. If you have any questions or comments, email me at jr@oursociallandscape.com.
I'm joined by political historian and writer Claire Bond Potter. A professor of history at the New School for Social Research in New York City, Claire's writing focuses on the interaction between politics and the media and she's the author of an amazing book on the topic, Political Junkies: From Talk Radio to Twitter, How Alternative Media Hooked Us on Politics and Broke Our Democracy.
A discussion with professional skateboarder and musician Tommy Guerrero about the influence of both on contemporary culture.
Progressive sports writer Dave Zirin joins me on Our Social Landscape to hit on a few hot button topics in the sports world today. Zirin is the sports editor of The Nation magazine, the author of 11 books on the politics and history of sport, and a frequent contributor to television and radio shows nationally.
Welcome to Our Social Landscape! Little Shell Chippewa writer Chris La Tray joins me from Missoula, Montana, to discuss contemporary indigenous issues in America. Chris is the author of the award-winning book/memoir One Sentence Journal, as well as a former professional musician, and is currently writing a history of his tribe. In addition to indigenous sovereignty and land redistribution, we discuss the related issues of environmentalism and capitalism. We finish the conversation with figuring out the role of writers and other artists in social change. The podcast included the following Rage Against the Machine songs: Vietnow Calm Like a Bomb Know Your Enemy Darkness All episodes of Our Social Landscape can be found on iTunes, simply type oursociallandscape into the search box. If you have any questions or comments, email me at jr@oursociallandscape.com.
A discussion of a new Florida law that prohibits the teaching of Critical Race Theory in public schools.
Thoughts on the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
An analysis of America's relationship between gun violence and masculine gender norms.
An interview with Travers, Professor of Sociology at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia. Professor Travers is an expert on transgender issues in society, and most of our talk was focused on trans inclusion/exclusion in sports. Also discussed: intersex athletes, the social construction of both gender and sex, Title IX, and children's lived experiences navigating gendered expectations.
An interview with Jay Coakley, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs on current issues in the world of sports. Professor Coakley has taught about sports in society for almost 50 years, but we limited our focus to three areas in particular- sex/gender, racial issues, and the NCAA anti-trust law suits. “August” by The Lone Bellow leads us in and fades us out… All episodes of Our Social Landscape can be found on iTunes, simply type oursociallandscape into the search box. If you have any questions or comments, email me at jr@oursociallandscape.com.
An interview with New York Times (and now The Atlantic) journalist Elizabeth Bruenig about criminal justice and capital punishment.
Singer-songwriter James McMurtry joins me to share his thoughts on music and current social issues.
An interview with musician and novelist, Willy Vlautin.
I interview a few people to hear their thoughts on the upcoming election.
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