Podcasts about Religion Newswriters Association

Links from the show:* Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Are Creating the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic* Connect with Ben* Ben's substack* Never miss an episode* Rate the showAbout my guest:Ben Westhoff is a best-selling investigative journalist, speaker, and filmmaker focused on drugs, culture, and poverty. His books are taught around the country and have been translated into languages all over the world.Westhoff's Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Created the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic is the bombshell first book about fentanyl, which is causing the worst drug crisis in American history. Westhoff was interviewed about the book for Fresh Air and Joe Rogan, and has written about the fentanyl crisis for The New York Times, The Atlantic, the Los Angeles Times, and many others. Since the book's publication, Westhoff has advised top government officials on the fentanyl crisis, including from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, the U.S. embassy in Beijing, and the U.S. State Department. He now speaks at conferences and summits around the country about the opioid crisis, and is the 2023 Norman E. Zinberg Memorial Lecture awardee from Harvard Medical School.His new book Little Brother: Love, Tragedy, and My Search for the Truth tells the story of his relationship with Jorell Cleveland, his longtime mentee in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. When Jorell was murdered at age 19, and the case went cold, Ben used his skills as an investigative journalist to find the killer. It's a three-year investigation set in the northern suburbs of St. Louis that uncovers a heartbreaking cycle of poverty, poor education, drug trafficking, and violence. The Common Reader calls it “important and a must-read.”Westhoff's 2016 book Original Gangstas: Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and the Birth of West Coast Rap is one of the best-selling hip-hop books of all time. It received raves from Rolling Stone and People, and a starred review in Kirkus. S. Leigh Savidge, Academy Award nominee and co-writer of Straight Outta Compton said it "may be the best book ever written about the hip hop world."Westhoff's work has appeared in The New York Times, the Library of Congress, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, Daily Beast, New York, Forbes, Vice, Oxford American, Pitchfork, and others. He's been honored by the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Entertainment Journalism Awards, Religion Newswriters Association, Best Music Writing, Best of Southern Food Writing, L.A. Press Club, and the Missouri Press Association.He has been interviewed as an expert commentator for CNN, BET, A&E, and ITV, and is the former L.A. Weekly music editor and Voice Media Group Senior music editor. He's a contributor to the Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap, and his 2011 book on southern hip-hop, Dirty South: OutKast, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, and the Southern Rappers Who Reinvented Hip-Hop continues to be a strong backlist title. Get full access to Dispatches from the War Room at dispatchesfromthewarroom.substack.com/subscribe

Yair Rosenberg is staff writer at The Atlantic, where he covers the intersection of politics, culture, and religion, and writes the Deep Shtetl newsletter. Previously a senior writer at Tablet Magazine, he has also written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and The Guardian, and his work has received awards from the Religion Newswriters Association and the Harvard Center for Jewish Studies. He has covered everything from national elections in America and Israel, to observant Jews in baseball, to the translation of Harry Potter into Yiddish, to Muslims and Jews in comic books, and in his spare time, he composes and sings original Jewish music and creates bots that troll anti-Semites on Twitter. Ben Shapiro is an American attorney, businessman, author, columnist, conservative political commentator, and media personality. At age 17, he became the youngest nationally syndicated columnist in the United States. Shapiro writes columns for Creators Syndicate, Newsweek, and Ami Magazine, and serves as editor emeritus for The Daily Wire, which he founded. Shapiro is the host of The Ben Shapiro Show, a daily political podcast and live radio show. He was editor-at-large of Breitbart News between 2012 and 2016. Shapiro has written eleven books.

  The history of witchcraft and witches in American film and television is truly fascinating and goes back to silent films! Patrick has a conversation with writer and journalist, Heather Greene, who wrote the amazing book, Lights, Camera, Witchcraft. Topics include The Craft (1996), the different incarnations of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Hocus Pocus (1993), Satanic Panic, Rosemary's Baby (1968), the “Production Code”, the Wicked Witch of the West, boy witches, SCOTUS and the end of Roe v. Wade, and modern day witchcraft! Visit BigSeance.com/218 for more info. Other Listening Options Direct Download Link   In this episode: Episode Teaser :00 Intro :46 Heather Greene is a freelance writer, journalist, and editor. She received a BA in film at Wesleyan University and an MA in film studies from Emory University. She also studied film and theater at Cornell University and the University of Paris. Heather has written for Religion News Service, Turner Classic Movies, The Wild Hunt, Circle Magazine, Patheos.com, and other outlets. She is a member of Circle Sanctuary, Covenant of the Goddess, and the Religion Newswriters Association. 1:28 Book description for Lights, Camera, Witchcraft: A Critical History of Witches in American Film and Television. 2:18 Patrick did homework as he progressed through the book, and went down several rabbit holes! 3:58 Reclaiming the name. “The witch has been with us since recorded history.” 4:55 Three Sovereigns for Sarah (1985), Rose O' Salem Town (1910), The Cavalier's Dream (1898), The Witch (2015), and The Craft (1996)! 6:53 The Craft was a watershed film for teenagers and witchcraft in general! 7:55 For extra fun, watch the films as you progress through the book. 8:25 The different incarnations of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. 9:50 The main categories of witches in the history of film include the accused woman, the wild woman, the fantasy witch, and the “other”. Also discussed here are vamp witches (the wicked queen, Jennifer from 1942's I Married a Witch), the witch next door (Sabrina, Jillian from 1958's Bell, Book and Candle, Samantha, Morticia), the teenage witch (The Craft, Sabrina, Charmed, Twitches, Harry Potter), satanic witches, and the clown witch (1993's Hocus Pocus). 12:03 Women's power and Hollywood's treatment of witches. 16:19 This episode of the Big Seance is brought to you by Jim Harold's Campfire! Tune in for true and fascinating stories as told by ordinary people who've had extraordinary experiences. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to The Big Seance. 20:51 Satanic panic, Hocus Pocus (1993), and more on girl power films and TV. 23:08 Until Rosemary's Baby (1968), the film industry's Production Code took a lot of the fun and freedom out of witchcraft storylines. 25:18 In 1972, Raymond Buckland was probably the first to consult Hollywood on witchcraft in films. 29:38 Hollywood's affect on modern witchcraft. 31:26 More on satanic panic and the controversy with Margaret Hamilton (the Wicked Witch of the West from 1939's The Wizard of Oz) on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood and Sesame Street. 33:32 Boys can't be witches, can they? 37:54 The Covenant (2009) 41:30 “The witch is always going to be the liminal figure that's pushing the boundaries. She's forever going to be an activist, so to speak. She's always going to be someone who's not at the center of society. So she's going to push the boundaries.” 43:14 “How do you make a thousand witches with one SCOTUS decision?” Final thoughts from Heather Greene! 45:58 A special THANK YOU to Patreon supporters at the Super Paranerd and Parlor Guest level! 48:04 Outro 50:20   For more on Heather Greene HeatherGreene.net Lights, Camera, Witchcraft: A Critical History of Witches in American Film and Television (Amazon)   The Big Seance Podcast can be found right here, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn Radio, Stitcher, Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio. Please subscribe and share with a fellow paranerd! Do you have any comments or feedback? Please contact me at Patrick@BigSeance.com. Consider recording your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! You can also call the show and leave feedback at (775) 583-5563 (or 7755-TELL-ME). I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. The candles are already lit, so come on in and join the séance!  

Heather Greene discusses modern archetypes of the witch and the witch's evolution through the medium of film. Heather Greene is a freelance writer, journalist, and editor. Her book, Lights, Camera, Witchcraft: A Critical History of Witches in American Film and Television (Llewellyn) explores how movies and TV helped influence the public image of the witch and profound effects on how women negotiate their power in a patriarchal society, plus compelling insights into the intersection of entertainment, critical theory, gender studies, and spirituality. Greene received a B.A. in film at Wesleyan University and an M.A. in film studies from Emory University. She also studied film and theater at Cornell University and the University of Paris. She has written for Religion News Service, Turner Classic Movies, The Wild Hunt, Circle Magazine, Patheos.com, and other outlets. She is a member of Circle Sanctuary, Covenant of the Goddess, and the Religion Newswriters Association.www.heathergreene.netHost Bonnie Burkert melds the worlds of media and higher consciousness, sharing tools for transformation to find our highest Truth. www.instagram.com/yogi_bon

Summary:We talk with Ben Westhoff — award winning reporter and author of Fentanyl, Inc — about LSD on a mountain hike, hip hop artist arrest records, and magic mushrooms at a work conference.Highlights:— NUGGET AND A NOODLE: Toronto votes to decriminalize all drugs; are  transcendent experiences simply a chemical reaction for Darwinian evolution (0:35)— Ben's relationship with East Coast hip-hop (2:38) — Research on the Opioid epidemic (3:09)— Challenging parts of the book writing process (5:47)— What surprised Ben about hip-hop culture (7:02) — Celebrities changing attitudes as they grow older (9:25)— Why LSD is arguably safer than Water (12:05)— How LSD gives Ben profound confidence (14:31)— Why LSD's production should be standardized (21:55)— Teaser from his upcoming book Little Brother: Love Tragedy and My Search for the Truth (22:21)— SOUL SEARCH: Ben's three favorite rappers of all time... (24:55)Ben Westhoff:He is a best-selling, award-winning investigative journalist who writes about culture, drugs, and poverty. His books are taught around the country and have been translated into languages all over the world. His new book Little Brother: Love, Tragedy, and My Search for the Truth (May 24, 2022, Hachette Books) details his search for the man who killed Jorell Cleveland, Westhoff's longtime mentee in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Part memoir, part true crime, it's a three-year investigation set in the northern suburbs of St. Louis that uncovers a heartbreaking cycle of poverty, poor education, drug trafficking, and violence. Westhoff's 2019 work Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Are Creating the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic is the bombshell first book about fentanyl, which is causing the worst drug crisis in American history. Westhoff was interviewed about the book for Fresh Air and Joe Rogan, and published an excerpt in The Atlantic. Since the book's publication, Westhoff has advised top government officials on the fentanyl crisis, including from the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, the U.S. embassy in Beijing, and the U.S. State Department. Westhoff's 2016 book Original Gangstas: Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and the Birth of West Coast Rap is one of the best-selling hip-hop books of all time. It received raves from Rolling Stone and People, and a starred review in Kirkus. S. Leigh Savidge, Academy Award nominee and co-writer of Straight Outta Compton said it "may be the best book ever written about the hip hop world."Westhoff's work has appeared in the Library of Congress, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, New York, Forbes, Playboy, Vice, Oxford American, Pitchfork, and others. He's been honored by the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Entertainment Journalism Awards, Religion Newswriters Association, Best Music Writing, Best of Southern Food Writing, L.A. Press Club, and the Missouri Press Association. He has been interviewed as an expert commentator for CNN, BET, A&E, and ITV, and is the former L.A. Weekly music editor and Voice Media Group Senior music editor. He's a contributor to the Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap, and his 2011 book on southern hip-hop, Dirty South: OutKast, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, and the Southern Rappers Who Reinvented Hip-Hop was a Library Journal best seller.Find Ben here:https://www.benwesthoff.com/

Author Heather Greene joins me to discuss her book, "Lights, Camera, Witchcraft - A Critical History of Witches in American Film and Televsion". From Llewellyn: No industry has been as influential at shaping the popular notion of what it means to be a witch quite as much as Hollywood. This book traces the fascinating history of witchcraft and witches in American film and television. From Joan the Woman and The Wizard of Oz to Carrie and Charmed, author and film scholar Heather Greene explores how these films helped influence the public image of the witch and profoundly influenced how women negotiate their power in a patriarchal society. Lights, Camera, Witchcraft uncovers fascinating insights into the intersection of entertainment, critical theory, gender studies, and spirituality. About the Author: Heather Greene is a freelance writer, journalist, and editor. She received a B.A. in film at Wesleyan University and an M.A. in film studies from Emory University. She also studied film and theater at Cornell University and the University of Paris. She has written for Religion News Service, Turner Classic Movies, The Wild Hunt, Circle Magazine, Patheos.com, and other outlets. She is a member of Circle Sanctuary, Covenant of the Goddess, and the Religion Newswriters Association. For more information, please visit -  http://www.heathergreene.net

Tom Krattenmaker is a writer specializing in religion in public life and author of Confessions of a Secular Jesus Follower (Convergent, 2016), honored as one of the top two religion books of the year by the Religion News Association. His first book, Onward Christian Athletes (Rowman & Littlefield, 2009), examined Christianity in professional sports. The book was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and was named a winner in ForeWord Review's 2009 book awards and a finalist in the Oregon Book Awards. Krattenmaker's second book, The Evangelicals You Don't Know (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013), on the “new evangelicals” in post-Christian America, was a winner in the best books competition of the Religion Newswriters Association in 2014. tomkphotoKrattenmaker writes regularly for USA Today's op-ed page as a member of the newspaper's editorial Board of Contributors. His column-writing was honored by the American Academy of Religion in its 2009 Journalism Awards program, receiving praise for challenging popular misconceptions about evangelicals “and showing that something new, something more complex and subtle is going on — a great goal for religion commentary.” His work has also appeared in recent years in the Washington Post, Religion News Service, and Huffington Post, among numerous other media outlets. A onetime reporter for the Orange County Register and Associated Press, Krattenmaker has an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota and a master of liberal arts degree in religion in public life from the University of Pennsylvania. Krattenmaker's numerous media appearances include Fox & Friends, the documentary “Lord Save Us From Your Followers,” National Public Radio, the New York Times “Idea of the Day” website, the Washington Post, ESPN's “Outside the Lines,” the Christian Broadcasting Network, The Nation, Christianity Today, Air America, the Michael Smerconish Show, the Michael Medved Show, Portland Monthly, and radio networks/stations including Fox, the Canadian Broadcasting Company, and numerous regional and local outlets. Krattenmaker was a presenter at the 2010 and 2013 “Q” gatherings, the 2010 and 2013 conferences of the American Humanist Association, and the 2014 Level Ground Film Festival. Named the 2009 Mendenhall Lecturer at DePauw University, Krattenmaker has also spoken at college campuses including Yale, Harvard, Georgetown, Baylor, Lewis & Clark, Willamette University Law School, the University of Portland, Portland State University, Missouri State University, and Springfield, Swarthmore, and Haverford, and Kilns colleges. He was a recipient of the 2009 “Friend of MET” award from the Portland-based Muslim Educational Trust and, in April 2013, was honored by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon with its Hunderup Award for Religious Education.

The media and religion scholars have talked quite a bit about "The Nones," those who report no religious affiliation in religion surveys. A segment of this group includes Secular Humanists, atheists and agnostics. Evangelicals need to understand this growing segment of America's population that is having a strong impact on religion and politics. In this episode, our guest is Tom Krattenmaker, who discusses Secular Humanism and related topics. Tom is a writer specializing in religion in public life and author of Confessions of a Secular Jesus Follower (Convergent, 2016), honored as one of the top two religion books of the year by the Religion News Association. Krattenmaker's second book, The Evangelicals You Don't Know (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013), on the "new evangelicals" in post-Christian America, was a winner in the best books competition of the Religion Newswriters Association in 2014. You can read more about Tom and sign up for his newsletter at https:tomkrattenmaker.com. If you find this helpful, please consider supporting this podcast with your Patronage for just a few dollars a month.

Ben Westhoff is an award-winning investigative journalist who writes about culture, drugs, and poverty. His books are taught around the country and have been translated into languages all over the world.His new book Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Are Creating the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic is the highly-acclaimed, bombshell first book about fentanyl, which is causing the worst drug crisis in American history. It has received glowing reviews and was included on many year-end best lists. Westhoff was interviewed about the book for Fresh Air and Joe Rogan, and published an excerpt in The Atlantic. Since the book’s publication, Westhoff has advised top government officials on the fentanyl crisis, including from the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, the U.S. embassy in Beijing, and the U.S. State Department.His previous book Original Gangstas: Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and the Birth of West Coast Rap is one of the best-selling hip-hop books of all time. It received raves from Rolling Stone and People, and a starred review in Kirkus. S. Leigh Savidge, Academy Award nominee and co-writer of Straight Outta Compton said it "may be the best book ever written about the hip hop world."Westhoff's work has appeared in the Library of Congress, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, Forbes, Playboy, Vice, Oxford American, Pitchfork, and others. He's been honored by the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Entertainment Journalism Awards, Religion Newswriters Association, Best Music Writing, Best of Southern Food Writing, L.A. Press Club, and the Missouri Press Association.He has been interviewed as an expert commentator for CNN, BET, A&E, and ITV, and is the former L.A. Weekly music editor and Voice Media Group Senior music editor. He's a contributor to the Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap, and his 2011 book on southern hip-hop, Dirty South: OutKast, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, and the Southern Rappers Who Reinvented Hip-Hop was a Library Journal best seller.

Ruth Nasrullah I have a passion for learning people’s stories: the way we do things, individually and as a society; how we share our values and face our challenges; what motivates our interaction with the world. I have worked as a freelance journalist since 2003, focusing on religion and spirituality, backpacking and hiking, social justice and politics, civil rights, and public speaking. From 2006 to 2015 I wrote The Straight Path blog for the Houston Chronicle. I have also contributed to the paper’s Belief and Gray Matters sections. I have written on politics and civil rights for the MuslimMatters online magazine. I have been a regular contributor to the Religion News Service, Azizah, Islamic Horizons, The Trek, The Lily, and Toastmaster. From 2013 to 2017 (with a break to finish working on my MFA manuscript), I served as Communications Coordinator for the Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. In that position, I was responsible for sharing the chapter’s message, our goals and activities, through print and online media as well as press appearances and interviews. From 2008 to 2011, I managed Light of Islam, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit bookstore and educational center whose mission was to share accurate information about Islam and Muslims. We sold books, CDs and DVDs that covered everything from Qur’anic studies to modern fiction. Light of Islam offered classes in Islam 101, Qur’anic studies, and events and club meetings. In December 2003, I completed a Master of Arts degree in journalism from Emerson College, where I received the school’s Presidential Fellowship. My capstone project profiled drug offenders going through the Roxbury, Massachusetts drug court system. I followed the journalism degree with a Master of Fine Arts in creative nonfiction from Goucher College in 2015. My final manuscript is a combination of reported writing and memoir examining the experience of minority religions in the United States which I am currently developing into a book. I am president of the Society of Professional Journalists Houston Pro chapter and a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors, Writers League of Texas and Religion Newswriters Association. I serve in a volunteer capacity as communications director for Houston Women March On. I also volunteer with Team Brownsville, providing humanitarian aid to asylum seekers on the southern border. I am a New Jersey native based in Houston, where I have lived since 2003.

Cathleen Falsani is an American journalist and author. She specializes in the intersection of religion/spirituality/faith and culture, and has been a staff writer for the Chicago Sun Times, The Chicago Tribune, Sojourners Magazine, and Religion News Service. Cathleen also writes for U2.com. She was the 2005 Religion Writer of the Year, as awarded by the Religion Newswriters Association, and has twice been a finalist for the Templeton Religion Reporter of the Year award. Just before Christmas, Cathleen and Jarrod McKenna and I walked the 200 mile Irish border marking the looming spectre of Brexit and this polarised moment with a pilgrimage of prayer and reconciliation. Cathleen has Irish roots and has travelled here many times. Our conversation traversed the themes of her recent pilgrimage zig-zagging across the Irish border, the current state of this divided world, a past interview with Barack Obama and what we can learn from U2. This is a really interesting and topical conversation and was one of the easiest interviews I’ve ever done. Cathleen is a natural communicator and speaks with wisdom and tenderness. We also spoke about her most recent book The End Of Hunger.

Jesus' command is clear: we are called to feed all of God's children. But is that possible? Twenty-five years ago, 23.3 percent of the world's population lived in hunger. Today, that number has dropped to 12.9 percent—giving rise to the renewed hope that what once seemed unthinkable is now within reach. The challenges are great, but the fight to eliminate malnutrition and hunger is one we can win. The End of Hunger brings together activists, politicians, scientists, pastors, theologians, and artists on this urgent topic. Here is a comprehensive picture of the current situation—the latest facts and figures are presented alongside compelling stories, both from those engaged in the fight against hunger and from the hungry themselves. Here too are clear steps for action by individuals, families, churches, and communities. This book is designed to inform and inspire you to get involved in the gospel work of eradicating global malnutrition and feeding the hungry. It is Jesus' command—and together, with God's help, we can do it. Our guest Cathleen Falsani is an award-winning religion journalist and author, specializing in the intersection of faith and culture. Her books include the critically acclaimed The God Factor, Sin Boldly, The Dude Abides, BELIEBER, and Disquiet Time (coedited with Jennifer Grant). Falsani is a longtime correspondent for Religion News Service and a featured writer for Sojourners, where she was the director of new media from 2010 to 2012. She was the religion writer and columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times from 2000 to 2010, and also was the Faith & Values Columnist for the Orange County Register. Falsani's work has appeared in myriad print, broadcast, and digital media, including the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, the Toronto Star, Christianity Today, Christian Century, Rolling Stone, The Harvard Divinity School Bulletin, CNN, The Atlantic, NPR, and the BBC World Service, among many others. In addition to her work covering religion in the United States and abroad, Falsani has written extensively about global poverty, AIDS and HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, and other issues affecting the developing world. Her reporting in this arena has taken her to Nepal, Ethiopia, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zanzibar, Kenya, Tanzania, Haiti, Mexico, and the West Indies. In 2005, Falsani received the James O. Supple Religion Writer of the Year award from Religion Newswriters Association, and she twice has been a finalist for the Templeton Religion Reporter of the Year award. She serves as a member of the advisory board for Girls and Women at the ONE Campaign. A graduate of Wheaton College, Falsani holds a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a master's degree in theological studies from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. She lives in Southern California with her husband, the journalist and author Maurice Possley, and their son.

Dovetales is excited to have this Thanksgiving Day Weekend, the overcomer Kimberly Holmes Wiggins whose an accomplished broadcast journalist who has built her career upon experiences anchoring, reporting, and producing news content. She currently helps viewers on the Eastern Shore wake up as a morning anchor for WBOC-TV in Salisbury, MD. She covered countless stories during her time at WOFL-TV in Central Florida and WXIX-TV in Cincinnati, OH. Her work has been recognized by the Emmy ® Awards, Associated Press, Religion Newswriters Association, and the National Association of Black Journalists. Kimberly graduated from Duke University and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. She is a member of the Sanford Alumni Council of the Sanford School for Public Policy at Duke University.She firmly believes in encouraging young people. Kimberly is an adjunct instructor at Salisbury University. Throughout the years, she has been a mentor, volunteered with Big Brothers, Big Sisters, and even been the leader of a Girl Scout Troop.Kimberly runs a faith-based, retail and grief outreach organization called Still His®. The organization strives to help widows navigate the waters of significant loss and grief. She also had the honor of working with a talented group of women for their groundbreaking book, Widowed, But Not Wounded: The Hustle & Flow of 13 Resilient Black Widowed Women. She recently published a Graceful Guide to Helping a Grieving Friend for those who are not sure how to help a grieving loved one in the first few days, weeks, and months following their loss. To weigh in on our topic call 646-668-8485 press 1 to be live on the air. Download the stitcher app on your mobile device. Or, click on link here.

Been a while since we've been with you, lovelies. The world continues to end. Or is it just continuing to transform itself? This show has always been about borders. About intersections. About the boundaries out on the edges of the Self where subject and object, self and other, start to blend. Now, it seems more than ever, we need to engage the great, maligned and feared "other" rather than succumbing to the constant barrage of media that seeks to make us minimize and simply dismiss that which isn't "Us." Our guest this episode is a person that seeks to change that orientation. Tom Krattenmaker is a writer specializing in religion in public life and author of the new book Confessions of a Secular Jesus Follower (Convergent, 2016). His first book, Onward Christian Athletes (Rowman & Littlefield, 2009), examined Christianity in professional sports. The book was a winner in ForeWord Review’s 2009 book awards and a finalist in the Oregon Book Awards. Krattenmaker’s second book, The Evangelicals You Don’t Know (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013), on the “new evangelicals” in post-Christian America, was a winner in the best books competition of the Religion Newswriters Association in 2014. Krattenmaker writes regularly for USA Today’s op-ed page as a member of the newspaper’s editorial Board of Contributors. His column-writing was honored by the American Academy of Religion in its 2009 Journalism Awards program, receiving praise for challenging popular misconceptions about evangelicals “and showing that something new, something more complex and subtle is going on — a great goal for religion commentary.” His work has also appeared in recent years in the Washington Post, Religion News Service, and Huffington Post, among numerous other media outlets. Krattenmaker’s numerous media appearances include Fox & Friends, the documentary “Lord Save Us From Your Followers,” National Public Radio, the New York Times “Idea of the Day” website, ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” the Christian Broadcasting Network, The Nation, Christianity Today, Air America, the Michael Smerconish Show, the Michael Medved Show, Portland Monthly, and radio networks/stations including Fox, the Canadian Broadcasting Company, and numerous regional and local outlets. Named the 2009 Mendenhall Lecturer at DePauw University, Krattenmaker has also spoken at college campuses including Yale, Harvard, Georgetown, Baylor, Lewis & Clark, Willamette University Law School, the University of Portland, Portland State University, Missouri State University, and Springfield, Swarthmore, and Haverford, and Kilns colleges. He was a recipient of the 2009 “Friend of MET” award from the Portland-based Muslim Educational Trust and, in April 2013, was honored by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon with its Hunderup Award for Religious Education. He resides with his wife in New Haven, Connecticut, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Yale Humanist Community. We recorded this episode a few months ago. Before the Trump era had fully taken hold. It is interesting to listen to the perspective of a cultural critic sitting on the front end of what was to come. We tend to avoid the overtly political here at OTBR. But in these times, even the exploration of consciousness seems to be a political enterprise (in that it involves people coming together to build consensus and mutual understanding). Tom is a great example of what a version of this understanding and mutuality might look like going forward. We were delighted to speak with him.

Welcome to Flex Your Heart Radio! This podcast is about body, fat and gender positivity, fitness, feminism, recovery, risk, and crushing it at life.  On this episode, we talk to Kulsoom Abdullah of Lifting Covered! Kulsoom Abdullah is a Pakistani-American competitive Olympic Weightlifter and was Crossfit Level I certified.  She attended the University of Central Florida and received her doctorate in electrical/computer engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.     Her website, LiftingCovered.com and Facebook page documents her experiences weightlifting in an effort to compete at U.S. national competitions.  She advocated to compete in clothing that adheres to religious codes, opening the door for women from cultures around the world to compete and move beyond preconceived notions of gender, race, and religion.  Her athletic feats and determination culminated in an invitation to deliver remarks following Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the U.S. State Department’s Eid ul Fitr reception 2011.  She represented Pakistan as the first female at the international level to compete wearing hijab at the 2011 World Weightlifting Championships.  She resides in Atlanta, GA and is currently taking a break from major competitions but continues to train.  She continues the cycle of empowerment by helping others and supporting relevant causes. In 2014 she was one of four women in The Pakistan Four short documentary - redefining what it means to be a Pakistani Muslim female, one of the recipients of the Georgia Influential Muslim Award and spoke on a panel at the Religion Newswriters Association.  In 2015, she was also presented in a 2015 calendar of female South Asian American role models, “Saris to Suits Empowered”, and she is on Team Shirzanan  (Persian for "female heroes") as a spokesperson and role model.  The team recently participated at RAGBRAI 2015 (The Register’s Annual Bike Ride Across Iowa) to celebrate our Right to Ride. Currently, she works for ADP as a data scientist.    In this podcast we discuss: - What it's like to go into the male dominated space of weightlifting and take up space as a woman - Effective ways to lobby monolithic governing bodies - Why she felt it was so important for those who want to weightlift competitively without the standard singlet uniform - How she modifies her lifting to continue training during Ramadan - Busting through stereotypes  and so much more!   ---   You can find Kulsoom on her website and Facebook Page, on twitter, and on Instagram.    --- A very special thank you to our 10$ and 25$ level Patreon Patrons: Jordan Faulds, Andi Olsen, Aja Vines, Bianca Phillips, Sky Chari and Kelly Knight! I love you all. If you like the podcast: Support our Patreon! Leave us an iTunes review! Join our facebook group! Email us at flexyourheartradio@gmail.com!    ----   And now for me!   I wrote a graphic novel with my partner and it's on pre-order NOW. If you've ever wanted to read about my recovery from anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive overexercise, this is your chance. Buy today, get stoked, share with your friends!  You can follow me on Instagram You can visit my blog You can check out my amazing body, fat, and gender positive gym, soon to be open in Portland, Oregon  You can email me with podcast questions or inquiries about coaching (olympic lifting, power lifting, interval training, etc.) at Lacy@liberationbarbell.com. I currently have space for private, semi-private and group class clients.     ----   Intro/outro song: outta me by Bikini Kill 

Gustav Niebuhr is the senior religion writer at The New York Times, reporting on major trends in religion and news-breaking stories throughout the United States. Before joining The New York Times, he wrote for The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and the Atlanta Journal Constitution. He has covered the mass suicide of members of the Heaven's Gate cult, the growth of mega-churches in American cities, the development of Islam as a major American religious presence, and the rise of religious conservatives as a national political force. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Religion Newswriters Association prize, the Templeton Religion Reporter of the Year Award, and the Supple Memorial Award.

Tracy Simmons serves as the editor and community manager of SpokaneFAVS. She holds a bachelor’s degree in print journalism and master’s degrees in communication and has reported on religion for about a decade, writing for newspapers across New Mexico, Texas and Connecticut. Over the years Tracy has won several journalism awards including the 2009 American Academy of Religion’s first place award for best in-depth reporting on religion, and the 2011 Religion Newswriters Association’s Schachern Award for Online Religion Section of the Year. SpokaneFAVS bills itself as the online source for religion news in the Spokane area. It is the inaugural hub site for Religion News LLC's three-year community religion news project, funded through the Lilly Endowment. First debuting as a "construction blog" in August 2011, the site later officially launched in spring 2012 as a gathering place for non-sectarian coverage of faith and values news from the Spokane area. Religion News LLC is a nonprofit affiliated with the Religion Newswriters Foundation. Its mission is to provide in-depth, non-sectarian coverage of religion, spirituality and ideas. The mission is advanced through the online Religion News Service, its partnering regional hubs, and a diverse group of subscribers who distribute our work. Contact Information: 509-240-1830 or tracy.simmons@religionnews.com or visithttp://www.spokaneFAVS.com or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SpokaneFAVS

Patrick Cooke, is the editor and author of The Bible UFO Connection. He is an independent researcher residing in Berkeley, California. He is an author, publisher, eschatologist, an autonomous theologian, and is recognized by the Religion Newswriters Association as a non-traditional scholar. His work is not associated with any religious organization or movement. He is the author of The Greatest … Read more about this episode...

Patrick Cooke is an author, publisher, autonomous theologian, eschatologist, and independent researcher residing in Berkeley, California. His main work, the Bible UFO Connection website, is one of the most comprehensive databases on UFO research, exotheology, the paranormal, human destiny, end-times prophecy, doctrinal theology, and world conditions on the internet. Patrick has been a consultant to the History Channel Production "UFOs in the Bible", is a video producer, and is a regular guest on the paranormal talk show circuit. Extended Intro: After a long association with fundamentalist religion, Patrick embarked on a decades-long research project into the true destiny of mankind, and began publishing his research in 1997. His work now includes several books, websites, videos, regular talk show appearances, and articles. As an autonomous theologian, his work is not associated with any religious organization or movement, he is recognized by the Religion Newswriters Association as a nontraditional scholar, and is a member of the American Academy of Religion. Patrick is also, a contributing writer to UFO Digest and Alien Seeker News, and his articles are carried by hundreds of websites and news sources worldwide. Patrick Cooke's articles are carried by hundreds of websites throughout the world including: About.com, Alien Seeker News, The Anomalist, The Book Of THoTH, Coast to Coast AM, The Debris Field, Digg.com, Myspace, National UFO Center, Nexus of Science, Paranews, Questions Of The Universe, Space and Mystery, Surfingtheapocalypse, UFO Casebook, UFO Digest, UFO Review, UFO Seek, Unexplained Mysteries, and The X Zone, to name just a few.