With Good Reason

The golden age of American comics spanned from the 1930's to the 1950's. Superheroes like Batman, Captain America, and Superman captivated audiences in the US - and in a small island-country only 90 miles off the coast of Florida. Cuba embraced American comics from the very beginning. And artists eventually created their own uniquely Cuban superheroes. Geoffroy de Laforcade charts the rich history of Cuban comics and shares his favorite comic book artists in Cuba today. Later in the show: Sara Reed looks at domestic advice in popular Cuban magazines before and after the 1959 revolution. She says the role of women within the family underwent big changes as Cuba became communist state. Plus: Nestled in the Cuban countryside is a community called La Picadora. It draws tourists from all over the world to learn about sustainable farming. Krystyn Moon says their sustainability practices were born out of economic crisis.

Engineering is often misunderstood as stoic and fixed. But Col. Jim Squire says that it's creative. He's learned from his military service and years of teaching that each student brings their personal experience to how they solve a problem. And AI could never replace lived experience. And: Anthony Fontes served in the Marine Corps for twenty years, and he maintains that transitioning back into civilian life is the hardest thing he's ever done. When he came back home, there were no job skills programs to support him as a veteran. Now, Anthony works to help veterans enroll in programs that connect them to well-paying civilian careers, like the joint program with Norfolk State University to help veterans produce semiconductors. Later in the show: Norfolk, Virginia is home to the largest naval base in the world. A third of Stephanie Richmond's military history students are in ROTC. She knew they'd learned about the military greats. She wanted her students to learn about the everyday men who served in the military and walked the same streets that they walk.

No matter how they served or where or when, for veterans, returning to civilian life is a big transition. Eric Hodges is researching what it was like for African American veterans in his small Virginia community to return home. And: Alicia DeFonzo's grandfather was a big part of her life as a kid. He was charming and jovial and the absolute best storyteller. But his stories always left out the years he spent fighting in WWII. Late in his life, Alicia finally asked her grandfather to tell those stories and their conversations gave rise to her new book The Time Left Between Us. Later in the show: After the Civil War, veterans and their families were able to apply for a pension. But they had to prove they were eligible. Sharon Roger Hepburn's book Private No More compiles almost 60 letters written by John Lovejoy Murray submitted as proof for a pension and kept in his government file since the Civil War. Murray, a Black soldier who died during the war, wrote home about the food, the pay, and racism in the ranks. Plus: Community colleges can offer a particularly welcoming landing spot for veterans transitioning to civilian life. Steve Borden shares some of the ways his college is easing the transition.

During WWII, the government created the National War Labor Board to regulate labor and control inflation. Instead, says Bryant Etheridge, the Southern regional board raised wages for the lowest earners. And: The Black Panther Party famously advocated for Black revolutionaries to arm themselves for self-defence. Edward Onaci explores the long history of Black revolutionary movements for self-defense. Later in the show: For a brief moment in time after Reconstruction, a biracial coalition called The Readjuster Party took power in Virginia. Sheren Sanders tells the story of how Black republicans, white working class Virginians, former Confederates, and Democrats, all came together to readjust Virginia's debt and give those funds back to the people. Plus: For some, Barack Obama's presidency is evidence that the Civil Rights movement succeeded. How did Black voters see him at the time? Athena King explores how Black movement leaders supported Obama and where they challenged him.

Take your flashlight and grab a compass - let's go exploring! Peter Berquist lives and breathes boats. He captains the R/V Investigator, a 24 foot Carolina Skiff. Every semester he takes his students out on the boat for adventures and first-hand research experience. Peter has been named an outstanding faculty member by The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. And: Dave Waldien is a real life explorer. And he has the title to prove it! He's a National Geographic Explorer and travels all over the world protecting endangered bat species. Later in the show: European explorers first made contact with West Africa in the 15th century, and thriving trade relations soon followed. But Neil Norman says the Europeans weren't the ones calling the shots - it was powerful West African kingdoms like Ouida, located in present day Benin.

Dr. Emma Violand-Sanchez has dedicated her life to supporting immigrant and refugee students in the American public education system. Emma immigrated from Bolivia to America without her parents in 1961 as a senior in high school, knowing little English. Her memoir Dreams and Shadows: An Immigrant's Journey is a Virginia story, from the desk of a 16-year-old Emma during the height of desegregation and an adult woman who often had to justify her presence in schools where she was supporting immigrants and refugees. And: Public libraries have a lot to offer. Suzanne Grossman says that public libraries can be doorways into American culture for people who have just immigrated to the U.S. Later in the show: Europe has welcomed an unprecedented amount of immigrants over the past decade. Georg Menz says that many people migrating from places that are culturally unlike Europe. As immigration debates intensify, Georg says that one approach to ensuring better outcomes for hopeful migrants is to send them to countries that are more culturally similar to their home countries. Plus: For all of our differences, Americans do have a sense of what it is to be an American. And an even greater sense of what it is to not be an American. Jennifer Byrne says that there are three key factors that impact how Americans think about immigration.

The patient-doctor relationship is complicated and fraught. Patients often feel confused and talked down to, in part because doctors feel like they need to project authority. As a physician and a poet, Laura Kolbe is trying to make room for uncertainty and humility from both sides in the exam room. Kolbe's new collection of poetry, Little Pharma, explores the messy and human side of doctoring. And: The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed so many vulnerabilities in our healthcare system, from racial inequities to provider burnout. Irène Mathieu is a writer, pediatrician, and medical teacher. She argues that poetry can be a small part of fixing those vulnerabilities. Later in the show: What if the difference between the right diagnosis and the wrong diagnosis is whether or not a doctor thinks you're believable? Cathryn Molloy shares why education, socio-economic status, and especially gender influence how doctors listen to and treat their patients. Plus: What happens when we empower on-the-ground healthcare workers like nurses with the ability to solve problems and make real changes in their workplace? Nursing and design thinking expert Erica Lewis says the lives of both healthcare workers and patients are transformed.

Virginia's Eastern Shore has a distinct way of living–and eating. And looking at the environment and economy of the Eastern Shore, there are some big changes on the horizon. Virginia Folklife Director Katy Clune digs in and asks: What are the cultural values of the region today? Scientists and policy makers talk about climate resilience. What about cultural resilience? Later in the show: Jessica Taylor has been recording oral histories in Eastern Virginia for nearly two decades. She says the people she's spoken to paint a picture of migration in the area. How do some families manage to keep their land and their roots while others are pushed out? And: Tangier Island is the last inhabited island in Virginia that's only reachable by boat. And because of rapid environmental changes, it's becoming an increasingly difficult place to live. Lincoln Lewis first visited Tangier Island to study the crab houses used by fishermen there, but has since moved to the island. He's studying how locals consider long-term planning for the island.

The Clinch River in Southwest Virginia is one of the oldest rivers in the world. And it's home to 50 different mussel species. But many of them are endangered. Bruce Cahoon and his students may have recently found a clue about what's causing the die offs. And: Virginia's marshes are so thick and tough, hardly anything eats them. Except for purple crabs. They eat the grass and the root, leaving behind nothing but a muddy wasteland. David Johnson says armies of these purple crabs are decimating salt marshes up and down the east coast of the United States. Later in the show: Virginia's bay scallops virtually went extinct in the 1930's. The culprit? A disease that killed off their natural habitat of seagrass. But Chris Patrick and Richard Snyder have recently brought them back from the brink of collapse. Plus: Cholera is no joke. It causes extreme diarrhea in humans and can be deadly within hours. Alison Burke studies what she calls the “cousin of cholera.” It's a bacteria like cholera found in warm waters that lives and spreads in oysters. She's looking to use a special kind of virus called a bacteriophage to decontaminate oysters before they wind up on our plates.

We as humans need connection. So we often slip into the chameleon effect. We mimic others' tone and mannerisms in conversation to empathize and connect. Otherwise, we might be perceived as cold. Nicole Guajardo says that in our digital world, using emojis has become a major way to mimic tone and express interest in conversation. And: Owners of social media platforms make a lot of money off of our constant bickering. And the algorithm is hard-wired to keep us clicking on the next thing that will piss us off. Caddie Alford says that some users are migrating to more comforting places like Reddit, where they can connect in niche communities and leave the drama behind. Later in the show: What do Kelly Clarkson and Jay-Z have in common? Their songs have helped Sean Ruday teach his students about subordinate clauses and prepositional phrases. He says that using worksheets to teach grammar is perfect if you only want students to use grammar on worksheets. But using real-world examples of grammar in action helps students in their writing and communication with others. Plus: In 25 years of teaching composition, Diann Baecker had never experienced an 18-year-old saying that something “resonated” with them. Sure, they're using the word correctly. But that's not how they speak. Increasingly she finds that her students are using AI because they're afraid to make mistakes in their writing.

For more than a century, bestseller lists have been full of mysteries, thrillers, and detective stories. Alice Kinder takes us back through the history of detective tales from Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes to Edgar Allen Poe. And: What does it take to write a mystery novel? Polly Stewart, takes us into the creation of The Felons' Ball, her new book about family, moonshining, and murder in the mountains of Virginia. Later in the show: Fictional detectives rely on their wit and intuition to solve crimes–but also the cleverest forensic techniques. From the presence of rare bat droppings to unexpected fingerprints, footprints, or even lip prints–how realistic are fictional forensics? Barbara Spellman talks us through the real science behind forensic clues. Plus: Detective stories sometimes get a reputation as being pulpy or unserious. They're “just-for-fun” reading. But Antonia Delgado-Poust says that the detective fiction written by Spanish women in the 1990s and 2000s was more than just a good story. These writers were grappling with Spain's political legacy of injustice.

Awful memories from war often hang around long after the bullets stop flying. And writing can be a powerful tool to get a handle on past trauma. David Robbins teaches a semester-long writing class called the Mighty Pen Project designed for veterans. And: Laura Bender is a retired chaplain who has taken the Mighty Pen writing class almost every year since 2020. She says it's the community that keeps her coming back. Producer Matt Darroch has the story. Also: In the heat of battle, soldiers might have to do things that violate their moral beliefs. And when they come home, the weight of that trauma can turn into something called moral injury. Michelle Kelley studies how mindfulness can help veterans heal the burden of moral injury. Later in the show: Whether it's juggling classes with a family or navigating the GI Bill, the transition from the military to college life isn't easy. That's where Chequana Boisseau and Elliot Ronan come in. They provide crucial programming to make the military community feel at home at Reynolds Community College. Plus: Military deployments can be long. They can range from a week to a few months to even a year. And as more military women are deploying, more male spouses are staying at home on family duty. Desh Nendze created a support program for non-deployed male spouses to boost camaraderie while their wives were away.

As India celebrates 76 years of independence - Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has drawn criticism for promoting a kind of hindu nationalism that's rooted in the colonial period. Rohan Kalyan says Modi's vision for India doesn't leave much room for non-hindus and other minorities. And: Neel Amin studies the writings of British hunters in 19th century India. He says a nomadic people called the Banjara threatened the sense of colonial superiority held by the British. Later in the show: In 1765, the ruler of the Indian province of Awadh was defeated in battle by the East India Company. Flush with war debt, he turned to his wife, Bahu Begam, to bail him out. Nick Abbott looks at how Bahu Begam leveraged her wealth to gain political influence during the colonial period. Plus: While Greco-Roman polytheism has long died off, Hinduism remains alive and well. In fact, it's the third largest religion in the world. So what accounts for its staying power? Atin Basu says it's because there's no jealousy among the pantheon of Hindu gods.

For the past nine years, Hans-Peter Plag has taken on the perspective of an alien ecologist coming to Earth. And when he looks at Earth, he sees a crisis of overgrowth. Humans, he says, have become a virus. If we don't learn to do more with less, he fears that we will irreparably disrupt the planetary system that keeps us alive. And: America is one of the largest donors to global humanitarian aid. But the sheer size and red tape involved in the emergency response can inadvertently undermine the goal to help people in need. Daniel Beers says there's a global movement towards working more with local organizations where these humanitarian crises happen because the people closest to the crisis are uniquely aware of how to create efficient solutions. Later in the show: The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights allows states to suspend certain rights during emergencies, but only if necessary. Evan Criddle says that in the past 25 years, American presidents have invoked emergency powers with increasing frequency. And those measures have been deeply controversial. Plus: It's reassuring to know that wherever we are across the country, we can rely on a warm and comforting voice to get us the help we need just by dialing 9-1-1. Liz Ellcessor says that 9-1-1 is an intricate national media network of hyperlocal dispatch centers.

Join With Good Reason for a series of conversations that bring Furious Flower Poetry Lifetime Achievement honorees in conversation with a new generation of Black poets. This episode features Lorna Goodison and Shauna Morgan on time travel, Band-Aids, and how human beings are always capable of surprise. And: Cornelius Eady and Clemonce Heard on jazz solos, memorializing Black death, and whispers that filled the high school hallways after the first poem he ever wrote.

Join With Good Reason for a series of conversations that bring Furious Flower Poetry Lifetime Achievement honorees in conversation with a new generation of Black poets. This episode features Tim Seibles and Ariana Benson on alien life, good grammar, and the dreams of Langston Hughes. And: Elizabeth Alexander and Nicole Sealey on the treasures of archives, the work of a generation, and the resonant truth you feel in your bones.

Grace Flores-Hughes was shattered when her husband passed away after a long illness. She rushed into dating, hoping to fast forward past the grief. But she discovered that grief could not be rushed. And: Can knowing your partner's love language really guarantee a good relationship? Louis Hickman says no. He and his colleagues found that personality traits were a much greater indicator. And those, too, can change as relationships and people change. Later in the show: Valentine's Day can bring a bit of a reckoning for relationships or singledom. But Kimberly Lawrence found that all year round, the search for love and relationship satisfaction is bumming college women out. Plus: Kent Wascom thought he was a Louisiana boy until he got to Louisiana. There, he reckoned with his West Florida roots and started to learn more about the historical significance of his home. His new book The Great State of West Florida is a phantasmagoric love letter to home.

When Nikki Giovanni passed away in December at the age of 81, she left a legacy that will continue to be a beacon of light for generations to come. We first had Nikki on With Good Reason more than 20 years ago when I spoke to her about space travel and her poem, Quilting The Black Eyed Pea. And: Rapper Tupac Shakur famously sported a “thug life” tattoo… and so did Nikki Giovanni. I sat down with her in 2014 to talk about the poem she dedicated to Tupac after he was killed in 1996. Later in the show: The dean of southern cookery, Edna Lewis, penned an essay called “What is Southern?” describing how food is intertwined with the seasons and cultures of the south. Back in 2008 we had Nikki Giovanni read a portion of that essay and talk about her friendship with Edna. This interview was conducted by former producer, Nancy King - who passed away in 2010. Plus: In 2020, Virginia Humanities brought Nikki Giovanni in conversation with Tressie McMillan Cottom. It was part of an online event called “Have A Drink With Nikki and Tressie” - moderated by Irène Mathieu. They talked about everything from their early writing days, to finding their voice, and the future of art and literature in the Black community.

For centuries, we could measure the health of our economy in terms of employed versus unemployed. But that's outdated now. Victor Tan Chen says that the American workforce is precarious for Americans and no one is exempt. And: In the late 90s, students rode bikes naked across Virginia Tech's college campus to protest sweatshop abuses overseas. The students were part of The United Students Against Sweatshops collective. Dale Wimberly says that the group protested labor conditions at overseas sweatshops where people made collegiate apparel. They never made structural changes, but they did expand workers' potential to unionize. Later in the show: Right before World War I, Winston Churchill decided to power the British Navy's ships with oil rather than coal. This made ships faster and enabled them to travel further. This change was thought to have been a reason for the Allies success in World War I. And it made oil more critical to national security. Andrea Wright says that labor strikes at oil production sites were dealt with harshly because they were seen as a threat to national security. Plus: After growing up witnessing child servitude first hand in Ghana, C. Nana Derby dedicated her life's research to finding ways to end it. But what she found is that the laws that international courts pass do not translate to change on the ground.

We've all forgotten someone's name at a party or social gathering. It can be a special kind of embarrassment. One that makes you want to disappear and crawl under a rock. Daniel Willingham shares why we're all terrible with names and how we can be better. And: Not only are we humans terrible with names, we're also not great at remembering unfamiliar faces. It's why eyewitness accounts are notoriously unreliable. Mitchell Meltzer is working with his students to crack the code on what makes a good or bad eyewitness. Later in the show: Students rely on learning and memory to absorb and retain information. But the advent of AI has thrown a wrench in that whole process. Kathleen Arnold explains how AI programs like ChatGPT have impacted learning and memory in her classroom. Plus: Jeff Gibbons studies how memory affects the believability of news. He set up an experiment where participants read headlines that ranged from the outrageous to the ordinary. His findings open up a fascinating window into the human condition.

For the last decade or so, more and more Americans have taken part in a new New Year's tradition: dry January. You probably know somebody doing it right now–maybe it's you! Neeral Shah walks us through the benefits of taking a month off of alcohol. Later in the show: If you've got a meditation goal for 2025, you might get unexpected benefits. Daniel Berry says mindfulness training isn't just personal, it also helps the people around us. And: It's no surprise that exercise helps us sleep. But how much do we need to be doing to make a difference? And does the kind of movement matter? Trent Hargens shares his tips.

Growing up in Southwest Virginia, Tyler Hughes has been steeped in the traditions of mountain music and dance from a young age. For him, music is about community. And: Life skills classes for people with exceptional needs often teach things like cooking, money skills, and street safety. Karen Feathers and Jackie Secoy believe that appreciating, listening to, discussing, and even playing music are important life skills, too. Later in the show: Imagine you're looking at a piece of art like a painting or a sculpture. You can probably describe it in some basic ways using math–it's 30 inches long, it's twice as tall as it is deep, that sort of thing. Robert Wells says we can do the same thing with music. Plus: 60 years later, The Beatles still capture our attention–and new audiences, too! Thomas Payne is helping a new generation fall in love with John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

Brian Donaldson is one of the most accomplished pipers in the world - winning many of the major awards and even performing in front of the queen of England. Now he's the pipe band director at Virginia Military institute. He says Queen Elizabeth was a huge fan of bagpipe music. And: Zines and 90's punk culture are intimately linked. Iconic punk bands like Bikini Kill relied on zines to gain a following and spread the word. Christopher Kardamibikis says Washington DC was the spot for zines and the underground punk scene. Later in the show: Being a mom is hard. But it can also be one of the most joyous experiences of life. Jessica Gardner's ceramic artwork explores the good, the bad, and the ugly of motherhood in the modern era. Plus: There's a second arts and crafts movement underway and it's flourishing on social media apps like Instagram and Tiktok. Mary Wright says just like the first one, the second arts and crafts movement is a response against consumerist culture and mass production.

Christmas is really all about the stories we tell. From early classics like A Christmas Carol, The Nutcracker, and The Gift of the Magi to new traditions like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, holiday stories shape our experiences. This year we're joined by Diane Griffiths, Sarah Hillenbrand Varela and Erik Varela, Siân White, Eric Lorentzen, and Laura Kimball as we peek under the surface of some of the most enduring Christmas tales.

The Inthrive Film Festival is a one-of-a-kind event that features films directed by formerly incarcerated people. Kenneth Hunter performed spoken word poetry at the festival on opening night. He sits down with producer, Matt Darroch, to share his experience in the prison system and his thoughts on what the Inthrive movies mean to him. And: We lose so much of what makes us human in prison. Privacy, personal possessions - and most importantly, freedom - all get stripped away. But Zoe Spencer says there's still humanity behind bars. Plus: Gary Cuddeback and Courtney Holmes co-direct Project Belong. Collaborating with the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice, Project Belong helps young people who've been recently released from juvenile corrections facilities reintegrate back into society. Later in the show: In 1994, Kemba Smith Pradia was sentenced to 24 and a half years in prison for drug crimes committed by her ex-boyfriend. She's a survivor of mandatory minimum sentencing, an extension of the war on drugs and mass incarceration. She spoke with my Virginia Humanities colleague, Yahusef Medina, about Kemba - her recently released movie based on her inspiring life, now streaming on BET+.

The biggest migration happens every night in the ocean. Plankton come up from the twilight zone to eat, safe from daytime predators. And then they go back to the deep ocean before dawn. Debbie Steinberg says that these plankton are helping us to manage our carbon output by taking it back to the deep ocean. And: The rustic boardwalk that winds through the marsh carrying visitors down to the water's jagged edge at Ragged Island is getting shorter. Due to erosion, two feet of the boardwalk has been cut back each year for the past twenty years. Rob Atkinson and Gary Whiting say it won't be a generation before homes are threatened and the biodiversity and carbon storage would be lost. They're working with students to try to divert that unfortunate outcome. Later in the show: As sea levels rise, groundwater in coastal areas is getting saltier. This has been a real issue for farmers because many things don't grow well in salty water. But some do -- and that could mean a new specialty crop. Josh Dusci is testing the hypothesis that tomatoes grow sweeter in saltier water. Plus: For years, the United Kingdom and Germany had used Icelandic waters for fishing. But when Iceland became an independent nation, its leaders realized they'd need the economic benefits of their own waterways to sustain themselves. So they claimed exclusive rights of fishing in their waters. Ingo Heidbrink walks us through the three big conflicts of the so-called Cod Wars.

Michael Carter Jr left America looking for home in Ghana. Now, on his fifth generation farm, he's growing farmers through what he calls Africulture. And: How Virginia's maritime climate enhances its fruit, according to celebrated sommelier Lee Campell. Later in the show: In Richmond, Virginia, you can walk up to one of 13 community refrigerators and get what you need. No questions asked. It all started because Taylor Scott had some extra tomatoes to spare. Plus: Leni Sorenson uses colonial era cookbooks to bring to life the stories and stick-to-it-iveness of the enslaved women and men who really threw down in the kitchen.

The distinctive foodways of the Eastern Shore of Virginia bring together influences from Indigenous peoples, European migrants, enslaved and free West Africans, and more recent newcomers. We dine at folklorist Bernard Herman's table to learn about the flavors of local ingredients and the stories of cooks who have prepared them. And: Along with the craft beer renaissance has been a resurgence of hard cider. Greg Hansard says cider has been in a fixture on Virginia tables and farms for more than four hundred years. Plus: Some food safety tips from Melissa Wright for the big feast. Later in the show: Sure, stuffing and sweet potato casserole are delicious–but how much do you think about the science behind those dishes? Kenneth Pestka and Doug Young unpacks the physics and chemistry of turkey, celery, carrots, marshmallows, and more.

The FDA recently approved a number of medications to treat Alzheimer's disease. But while these new drugs are far from a cure, Lana Sargent says they're certainly a step in the right direction. And: Fruit flies can be such a nuisance. But those tiny little buggers hovering around your old bananas might actually help treat Alzheimer's. Anna Salazar's found a link between gut health and dementia in fruit flies that may apply to humans as well. Later in the show: Close to 7 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease. And as the country continues to age, the search for a cure has never been so pressing. Timothy Jarome works with elderly lab rats to understand what happens to the brain as we grow older. He was named an Outstanding Faculty member by The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Plus: When we're young, a slip or trip might result in a bruise or skinned knee. But as we grow old, falls can be dangerous - even life threatening. Michael Madigan helps elderly folks practice falling in harnesses so they can better navigate obstacles in the real world.

For twenty years, Jason Moulenbelt has asked his students to go back in time and decide whether to do something differently. Most of them say that despite the painful lessons, they wouldn't change a thing. And: In the infamous Stanford rape case, a member of Stanford's men's swimming team was caught behind a dumpster in the act of raping an unconscious woman–Chanel Miller. Chanel was known only as the “unconscious female victim” until her powerful victim impact statement went viral. Mercedes Corredor says that Miller's impact statement and memoir, Know My Name, are examples of the moral power of vindictive anger. Later in the show: Life's big changes often leave us grappling for meaning. As a philosophical counselor, Kevin Cales works with people to understand their values as a way forward. Plus: Do you ever catch yourself speaking about plants as though they have human senses? Well they just might. And if they do, Kate A. Brelje says that we've got to re-evaluate our care ethics towards plants.

On this episode of With Good Reason, Technical Director Jamal Millner hosts and we explore how some musicians interact with the communities they inhabit. The inspiration, support and motivation these artist's receive from their families, friends and fans. CJ Colston is a millennial Evangelical Preacher and Singer that performs proselytizes in Southwestern Virginia area churches regardless of the race of the congregations. And: Filmmaker and VH Fellow Alicia Aroche discusses her upcoming documentary 32 Blocks. We discuss her film about a few of the great and internationally recognized musicians that grew up in the Church Hill area of Richmond VA. Lonnie Liston Smith and Wah Wah Watson are just a couple of the musicians featured in the film. Later in the show: Alternative Hip Hop artist geonova from Big Stone Gap tells us about the struggles and triumphs of being an LGBT artist in rural Virginia. Plus: Jazz Trumpeter and Composer John D'earth is the final guest on this episode. We discuss his upcoming retirement as Director of Jazz Studies at UVA, stories of his interactions with some of jazz histories masters and his latest projects.

NASA recently announced they're preparing to send humans to Mars as early as 2035. It'll be a huge undertaking that will require a big budget and massive collective effort. But Joel Levine is focused more on the small stuff. He's working with NASA on sterilization methods to prevent the cross-contamination of microbes between Earth and Mars. And: It's around a 7 month trip to go from Earth to Mars. That's a long time to be in outer space. And we're just now learning how it'll affect the body. Hank Donahue says extended space travel can cause serious bone density loss and other health issues. Later in the show: Stargazers rejoice! Any day now the night sky will welcome a new star. Justin Mason says it's a NOVA called the T-Corona Borealis, and when it explodes it's brightness will rival the North Star. Plus: What's rubber, a must-have at every birthday party, and can fly to the highest reaches of the atmosphere? Why, balloons of course! Wendy Hinton launches high-altitude balloons with her students to get them hands-on experience outside the classroom.

The borders of Jordan have changed over and over in the last century. And each time they shift, Jordanian immigration policy–officially or unofficially–shifts as well. Lillian Frost takes us deep into the history of the region to understand how Jordanian officials have interpreted the same immigration laws differently depending on what's going on in the nations around them. And: In the US, more than 80% of survey respondents say they want to see immigration reduced. Researchers find similar numbers in Europe. Megan Roosevelt explores what drives these anti-immigrant attitudes. Later in the show: Applying for a spousal visa to the U.S. means navigating a whole system of unwritten rules. Gina Longo explores how informal online communities navigate this U.S. immigration system. Plus: When Sophia Sexton first came to the United States as an immigrant from Afghanistan, she recognized the importance of language and communication. Today, she teaches students at Northern Virginia Community College, many of whom are immigrants themselves, how to share their own stories through writing.

Could a centuries-old curse be to blame for Will Smith's infamous slap of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards? Amanda Kellogg uncovers the long history of a superstition known as Macbeth's curse. And: Anna Beecher first encountered the Brothers Grimm's fairy tale, The Boy Who Went Forth to Learn to Shudder, as a young kid and was thoroughly frightened. She based her play, Skin of the Teeth, on that same Grimm's fairy tale. Later in the show: Halloween and Scream are two of the goriest slasher movies. But they're more than just jump-scares and frights. Jennifer McLawhorn says slasher movies actually open a window into important social anxieties around gender. Plus: The first horror movies like Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari came out in the 1920's, during the silent film era. Jenny Taylor says the roots of the horror movie genre can be traced back to Germany's Weimar Republic.

In America, presidential primaries don't officially begin until February of the election year. But we all know that presidential campaigns go on for years before that. In mid-August, the Democratic Party announced Vice President Kamala Harris as their nominee after incumbent President Joe Biden stepped down. Voters didn't choose this. The party did. Caitlin Jewitt wonders how this will impact the way that political elites nominate future presidential hopefuls. Plus: Presidents have to know how to take a joke. And how to tell one about themselves. Steve Farnsworth says that many young people are finding their way into understanding the political landscape one joke at a time. Later in the show: Gen Z is exceptionally active in protests and rallying people around causes that matter to them. But surveys show that they're not quite as active at the polls. Xiaowen Xu says this might be because they don't feel heard or represented by current presidential candidates. And: Political party identification is the unmoved mover. It rarely changes. Except when it does. Daniel Reed says that some things can affect how we show up at the polls.

We usually reserve the word “wicked” for the worst things in life. But at Radford University, being a wicked student is a badge of honor. Every year, Paige Tan and Meg Konkel help students come up with creative solutions to life's messiest problems for the Wicked Festival. And: What if you could get 500 dollars for free? Only catch is, you have put it toward something that does good - something that leaves a positive impact. How would you spend the money? That's the challenge Chris Tweedt brought to his business ethics students. Later in the Show: From the long list of expenses to endless paperwork, starting a business can be a headache. That's where Norfolk State's Innovation Center comes in. Established in 2019, Akosua Acheamponmaa says the Innovation Center is all about helping early entrepreneurs in underserved communities make their business dreams come true. Plus: When Meg Michelsen was a kid, she used to collect fragrance samples from department stores and magazines. Now she studies sensory marketing, focusing on how brand names and product scents influence our buying habits.

There's an AI arms race. And anyone can compete. But AI doesn't have moral judgment; it only sees patterns. Atin Basu says that military education needs to emphasize the humanities to ensure that the people behind the machines have moral center and judgment that the machines will never have. And: For one reason or another, doctors and nurses don't have a lot of time to talk to patients. The AI chatbot Florence is here to help. Haipeng Chen hopes to train Florence to be as smart as a human nurse. Later in the show: Water is essential to life. And hackers know that. Floridian and Hawaiian water systems have been hacked in the past year. Some of that damage cannot be undone. Feras Batarseh and his colleagues are working to ensure that water in the nation's capital is not hacked. Plus: Sachin Setty says that the future of work requires us to coexist with AI. So we have to learn how to trust it.

If you're looking for new music, you might turn to youtube, spotify, social media–basically, the internet. In Cuba, internet access is so limited that music is passed through a USB network called Sneakernet. Mike Levine explains how Sneakernet helps spread the rhythms–and politics–of reparto music. And: What does it sound like when trees sing? Or rocks? Or a city waterworks? Sara Bouchard is a sound artist who often works with data from objects and nature to make music. Later in the show: As a young kid, music brought meaning to Donald Sorah's life–and it kept him in school. Now as a teacher, he brings the joy of music making to students, particularly the ones who don't think of themselves as musicians. Plus: There's nothing quite like sharing your favorite songs with the people you love. But Kevin Caffrey says that kind of shared musical experience can also be a way to connect with strangers.

In the early 20th century, terrapins–a kind of turtle–were a culinary delicacy. Then humans nearly hunted them to extinction. While Americans don't eat much turtle these days, terrapin populations are still in danger–from crab traps. Randy Chambers is working to perfect a device for crab traps that will help protect terrapins. And: Learning about learning is a lot easier if you've got hands on practice. That's what inspired the first ever Wise-minster Dog Show at the University of Virginia College at Wise. Robert Arrowood's psychology of learning class put theory to practice by training shelter dogs. Through the project, UVA Wise students helped dozens of dogs find their forever homes. Later in the show: Lab rats have a pretty cushy life. And if you measure their stress levels compared to wild city rats, it shows. But what about wild country rats? Molly Kent's research asks questions about stress in rats, but along the way she's learning about human stress, too. Plus: Are undiscovered animals lurking in plain sight? Tara Pelletier says that even if animals look the same to our human eyes, they can have genetic differences that make them different species.

Failure is a key part of the scientific process. But Gertrude Fraser says women in STEM aren't often given the same leeway to fail as their male colleagues. Plus: Ken Ono applied his mathematics research to help swimmer, Kate Douglass, shave 4 tenths of a second off her breastroke. He says it took countless failures to save just a tiny fraction of time, but it ultimately proved to be the difference between winning and losing. Kate won gold at the Paris Olympics in the women's 200 meter breaststroke. Later in the show: When Mona Danner was a kid, her father used to say: if you don't A-S-K you won't G-E-T. Now she's paying that wisdom forward. She teaches seminars on the art of negotiation to help women in STEM break through the gender pay gap. And: Josephine Rodriguez says talent alone isn't always enough for students to succeed in STEM. They need outstanding teachers and opportunities to develop. She's dedicated much of her career to broadening participation in STEM.

There's a parasite inhabiting the bodies of crabs and making them infertile. Amy Fowler says that if that parasite entered the Chesapeake Bay, 90% of our crabs would be inedible. America is littered with battlefields, and abandoned forts. They're often some of the most pristine sites of Virginia ecosystems. Plus: Todd Lookingbill is a SCHEV winner for his research on the ecological value of battlefields. Later in the show: Scientists first noticed coral reefs disappearing in the late nineties. Now, it's getting worse as underwater temperatures continue to rise. Researchers Nastassja Lewinski and Liza Rogers are busy testing and developing solutions to coral bleaching. And: Deer enjoy forest edges. They're away from the predators in the heart of the forest, and there's less competition for food. But Matthias Leiu says that the lone star ticks love the forest edge, too.

Sitting in a doctor's office, trying to understand medicalese, is familiar for most of us. And really frustrating. Suzanne Makarem found forty women who pursue nontraditional medical professionals after years of feeling unheard by traditional care providers. Many of these women now only see their traditional doctors for blood tests, vaccines and annual check ups. Plus: The United States and New Zealand are the only countries that allow pharmaceutical companies to advertise directly to consumers. So ever since the late 90s, American cable stations are littered with direct-to-consumer drug ads that urge people to ask their doctor today if a certain drug is right for them. Staci Defibaugh says that these ads are not just promoting drugs to patients. They're showing people how to be an “activated patient.” Later in the show: It's baffling to think that by and large, African-American men have a shorter life expectancy than most other groups of people in America. There are many factors involved in that. But Alton Coleman says that being perceived as a threat in public spaces plays a huge role. And: There are many barriers to accessing good healthcare in Appalachia. Troy Makal was shocked to find that the greatest barrier wasn't transportation, money or insurance, but a fundamental distrust in medical providers.

Babies come into the world ready to learn and all those coos and grunts that they make–and that their parents make at them–are stepping stones to fluency. Rory DePeolis and Shiree Harbick are studying baby babble to better understand how babies learn language. And: Too often when it comes to helping minority kids succeed in school, families are seen as part of the problem to solve. Instead, Melissa Wells recognizes the strengths that families bring. She shares her favorite kids books that help invite families into schools and celebrate their cultural strengths. Melissa was named an Outstanding Faculty member by The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Plus: There's a lot of discussion of teachers who are worried about how ChatGPT and other AI tools will affect their classrooms. But some teachers, like Jinhee Kim, are embracing ChatGPT as a lesson-planner, a discussion coordinator, and even a sympathetic ear for stressed out students. Later in the show: In the early months of Covid, kids were sent home with packets for Zoom school. This was tough on all parents, but for parents with limited English language skills, it was particularly hard. Katherine Barko-Alva and her students started holding bilingual office hours for parents to call for help in Zoom-schooling. Today, the community that came from that meets monthly for Spanish-language parenting support. And: The relationships young children have with their teachers early in school make a big difference in later years. Kathleen Rudasill says that a child's individual temperament can really affect how that relationship forms.

Many pipelines have been protested, but few have been defeated. Jonathan Mingle says the cancellation of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in 2020 is a story of collaboration between local activists and the Southern Environmental Law Center. And: Oil was first discovered in Louisiana at the turn of the 20th century. Suddenly, even the most unassuming plots of land could be worth millions. But Henry Wiencek says not everyone with oil on their property got rich. Later in the show: In the 1970's, Rae Ely fought tooth and nail to protect her bucolic hometown from developers. Brian Balogh says Rae wasn't well versed in politics, but she stood up to powerful politicians and business leaders to stop plans for a prison facility and vermiculite mine in her community. Plus: Palm oil is the distinct flavor of Afro-Brazilian cooking. It's used in all kinds of traditional dishes and even as an offering to religious deities. Case Watkins says the Afro-Brazilian relationship to palm oil has a lot to teach us about environmental and climate justice.

In the '80s and '90s, many Puerto Rican poets who lived in the contiguous United States wrote within a fixed aya and aca/mainland vs. island story. The island was home. Jane Alberdeston Coralin and other contemporary Puerto Rican poets approach their selves, memories and bodies as home. And: Latin American literature of the 60's was complex and required active readers. By the 70s and 80s, the literature had conformed to the demands of the marketplace: it was localist, exotic and saturated with magical realism. Tomás Regalado-López says that the 1996 Crack Movement transformed the marketplace for Latin American writers. It shifted things from a narrow stereotype to a land of endless possibilities. Plus: In the 1950s, a Californian poet named Jack Spicer did something wonky. He wrote the introduction to his book in the voice of long deceased poet Federico Garcia Lorca. And he took liberty to translate Lorca's work as he wished. Scott Challener says that this inspired a generation of poets to approach translation as correspondence.

What makes a court a court? Most people might answer something like this: there's a judge with legal training, who makes a judgment, and if you don't follow their judgment, you get punished. David Law says that, actually, none of that is required for a court. That's how the American courts work, but all over the world there are courts that operate very differently. And: Five years after getting federal recognition, the Upper Mattaponi tribe in Virginia has started operating their own courts. Chief Frank Adams and Savannah Baber explore what tribal justice looks like in Virginia. Plus: Building a court system is difficult under any circumstances. There's a lot to decide. In communities that have suffered intense violent conflicts–like Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, or Kosovo after the war of the 1990s–creating a court system is both essential and particularly fraught. Christie Warren has worked all over the world as a facilitator helping post-conflict zones design legal and justice systems.

In 1979, the US government commissioned a fictional account of the aftermath of nuclear war…set in Charlottesville, Virginia. George Perkovich says the report inspired The Day After - one of the most popular made for TV movies of all time. And: Remember when fears of the Y2K computer bug sent everyone into a frenzy at the turn of the year 2000? Matthew Gabriele (Virginia Tech) says a similar apocalyptic panic took place at the end of the first millenia. He studies how early Christians thought about the end of the world. Also: Matt Pryal watched live as NASA successfully completed the DART mission back in 2022. DART stands for Double Asteroid Redirection Test. He says it was a massive undertaking that may help save humanity in the distant future. Later in the show: During the Cold War, tensions between the US and Russia were at an all time high. A kind of existential fear seeped into many aspects of society - including the silver screen. Todd Sechser charts the shifting anxieties over nuclear war reflected in movies from the 1960's to the 80's. Plus: Heat waves, flooding, drought and other extreme weather have become the norm. It sometimes feels like we're in the throes of a climate apocalypse. But Frances Flannery says we should avoid using that word - apocalypse - when we talk about the climate crisis.

The Soulmasters was a 1960's interracial soul band from Danville, VA. Jerry Wilson and John Irby were the two African-American lead singers and the other band members were white. Jerry reflects on what it was like touring the South during the height of segregation. And: We all have that one song that soothes our soul. This ability to escape through music was a lifeline for American troops during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Later in the show: Meet Folklorist Katy Clune! Her passion for diverse folklife traditions stems from growing up all over the world as the child of a parent in the foreign service. Plus: Back in the early 1980's, Grace Toney Edwards developed Radford University's first Appalachian Folklore class and when she retired, Ricky Cox took over the class. They reflect on some of their favorite student projects - which have all been digitized at Radford's Appalachian Folklife Archive.

Much has been said about the golden age of gospel music in the 1940s and 50s. But what about the gospel music that came later when hip-hop and soul were dominant? Claudrena Harold's in her book, When Sunday Comes, takes us to the Black record shops, churches, and businesses that transformed gospel after the Civil Rights era and nurtured the music that was an essential cultural and political expression for African Americans. Later in the show: Historian Lauranett Lee shares the history of the Juneteenth holiday. She says in this country we have parallel histories, with Black and white Americans knowing about and acknowledging different pasts. But local historians are elevating the stories of African Americans so that those parallel histories are brought together. One of those is Wilma Jones, who grew up in the mostly Black community of Halls Hill in Arlington, Virginia. Now the neighborhood is rapidly gentrifying and Black families like hers have been pushed out. Jones says it's too late to save Grandma's house, but it's not too late to save her history.

Citizens quickly took Fidel Castro up on his offer to leave Cuba from the Port of Mariel if they had someone to pick them up. From Spring to early Autumn of 1980, over one hundred thousand Cubans emigrated to America by boat. They arrived raw and tender-hearted, trying to reconnect with family members. Terry Marsh recalls the great attempts FEMA made to reconnect families and determine who was going to go where. And: People who live in hurricane and flood prone areas are often unreceptive to advice about evacuation or even flood insurance. Dan Richards has learned that trust and transparency are central to communicating flood risk. Later in the show: There's not much tree canopy in formerly redlined neighborhoods. People often seek medical attention for heat related illnesses. Steve Woolf and his colleagues found that this heat costs the United States approximately $1 billion in health care costs every summer. Plus: In 1973, The Endangered Species Act was created to protect animals and plants and their habitats. Matthias Leu says that species have always competed with human interests to make the list.

Dog breeds get stereotypes. There's the well-heeled, intelligent border collie or the good-natured, but not-so-bright golden retriever. Jennifer Holland's new book, Dog Smart digs into what we actually know about dog intelligence. And: In recent years, honeybee-keeping has seen an impressive increase in the U.S. The rising numbers means more beekeepers are concerned with viruses that threaten hives. Wei-Fone Huang is studying honey bee pathogens and hopes to find novel solutions to fight them. Later in the show: If you grew up with pets, you probably had a local vet who saw every pet in town. Vets offices used to be pretty mom and pop. Lisa Scott says that these days, they're way more specialized and operate a lot closer to the way human medicine does, with vet techs–like nurses–doing a lot of the work. Plus: Pet ownership is up and it's getting harder and harder to find medical care for beloved animal friends. Megan Taliaferro explains why there's a shortage in veterinary care and how she's working to address it. Megan Taliaferro was named an Outstanding Faculty member by The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.