In the digital short below (available only to subscribers until 10/26) Joshua talks about how his composition process has evolved since becoming Town Music Artistic Director in 2012. He explores how, sometimes, mistakes or frustration can lead to moments of inspiration and motivation and how being a performer and being a composer stretch different creative muscles.

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In solidarity with the Black and Brown community in the fight for justice against police brutality and the institutionalized racism that enables it, the hosts of the Life On The Margins podcast have released two special edition episodes featuring discussions of police accountability, racism as a public health threat, the search for answers surrounding the death of Manuel Ellis while in police custody.

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Host Jini Palmer talked with Edward Wolcher and Megan Castillo, Town Hall’s Curator of Lectures and Community Engagement Manager, about our upcoming Homecoming festival in September.

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In episode #36 of In The Moment, Correspondent Grace Madigan sits down with Ed Levine (3:33) to explore his journey and the inspirations that led him to create his food blog Serious Eats. Levine names some of his favorite foods and food memories, and delves into the ways his passion for food has always brought him joy.

Chief Correspondent Steve Scher talks with Charles Fishman (12:07) about the unsung heroes of NASA behind our trip to the moon. Although the astronauts got all the coverage at the time, Fishman talks about his fascination with the people involved behind the scenes. Fishman and Steve chat about how people love space—whether it’s the hardware, the equipment, or the museums. They close with a discussion of the ways in which the things we do on earth requires outreach and investment into space in the form of satellites and other infrastructure.

Host Jini Palmer highlights a segment from Lee McIntyre (21:49) in his June 3 program in defense of science. McIntyre contends that scientific evidence can’t be used to convince people who don't believe in evidence. He tells us that in order to sway anti-evidence thinkers, we need to influence their reasoning and establishing trust. McIntyre outlines how people often believe speakers who they think they can trust rather than listening to facts, data, and science. With the rise of the information age, McIntyre asserts that people can go online and find multiple arguments—many of which are conspiratorial and unsupported—that support their views. He closes by arguing that this trend is creating what he calls a “culture of denial.”

Still Curious?

-Charles Fishman appeared on NPR’s Fresh Air to discuss his upcoming book about the 1969 moon landing, One Giant Leap.

-Check out Ed Levine’s blog Serious Eats—just be prepared to get hungry!

-In an interview with CBC Radio, Lee McIntyre expounds on the “culture of denial” facing modern science.

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In episode #33 of In The Moment, Chief Correspondent Steve Scher talks with Sandro Galea (3:55) about reforming America's way of thinking about health. Galea invites us to think beyond just insurance and access to doctors or medicine, instead widening our scope to talk about larger systemic issues: how diseases that are biological, environmental, are also inextricably related to stress, opportunity, and security. He asserts that we need to think about health economically and socially, as an issue related to larger political decisions. Galea says that experiences, opportunities, health are a product of our entire life—much of which we have no direct control over. According to him, it's incorrect and unfair to assume that people have full autonomy over their health; we have to recognize that our collective well-being is a collective responsibility.

Correspondent Minh Nguyen talks with Nancy Fraser and Bhaskar Sunkara (14:02) about how America has been in a political state of neoliberalism roughly 30 years, and how this system is now being widely challenged and questioned. Fraser says that, by coupled terms like “feminism” and “anti-racism” with the progressive neoliberal agenda, neoliberalism led to the election of Donald Trump. She asserts that neoliberalism has contributed to union-breaking, financialisation, and policies that have hollowed the living standards of all working class Americans. Nancy underscores her hope that the public at large can gain a larger understanding that we live in a classist society—one which she hopes we can transform into democratic socialism. Sunkara outlines the idea of what democratic socialism means to them, emphasizing the need for the redistribution of wealth and power. He expresses the importance of the idea that things can change, entreating politicians to lay out clear agendas for reform rooted in real needs.

And host Jini Palmer shares her discussions with Ray Williams (25:08) of Black Farmers’ Collective, as well as other volunteers at our Town Green Day of Service. Jini talks with Ray about the Collective’s plans for creating a model for sustainable urban farming. Their current project is in its beginning stages, and Ray outlines plans for the farm to expand and include a gathering space, an ADA accessible path from the street, and a trench for collecting rainwater. He discusses his hopes for the involvement of local chefs, the gathering of compost and building supplies, and the increased support of local businesses and the community as a whole.

Still Curious?

-Sandro Galea expounds on his collective approach to health in an interview with WBUR.

-Town Hall’s event with Nancy Fraser and Bhaskar Sunkara is part of Red May, Seattle’s month-long festival of radical art and thought. We’re hosting two more of the festival’s events, one on May 17 and one on May 23.

-Want to get to know the work of the Black Farmers’ Collective? Check out their website!

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In episode #31 of In The Moment, Chief Correspondent Steve Scher talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Hedrick Smith (3:45) about the incredible groundswell of community movements that took place around the time of the 2018 election. Smith comments on the remarkable strides made in just one year, with states adopting gerrymandering reform to combat election rigging, restoring voting rights for felons, and securing public funding for campaigns. Smith shares the hope he felt from these election results and real moments of democratic change—and the broader movements they inspired.

Then, correspondent Reagan Jackson talks with renowned Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (17:36) about his proudest memory. Thiong’o responds with a story of his mother, who put him through school and instilled in him the value of always doing his best, even though she couldn't read or write. Thiong’o also discusses the time he spent in exile and the reason he was incarcerated by the Kenyan regime for over a year after the release of his landmark play Ngaahika Ndeenda. Thiong’o and Jackson talk about the current political climate, Thiong’o’s hopes for the future of his own legacy, and the importance of authors writing in their native tongue to preserve the philosophy and culture each language contributes to the world.

And host Jini Palmer shares recordings from the Town Hall community, who provided questions for therapy columnist Lori Gottlieb (25:22) in preparation for her arrival on Town Hall’s stage on April 10, 2019. Jini presents Gottlieb’s insightful responses to each of these intriguing and personal questions.

Still Curious?

-Hedrick Smith appears in numerous video discussions of democracy, including this video exploration of the material in his book Who Stole The American Dream?

-In this video interview, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o shares his thoughts on memories and how they make us who we are.

-Lori Gottlieb writes the column Dear Therapist for The Atlantic, where she addresses many of the same kinds of questions that the Town Hall community asked.

-Town Hall’s Jonathan Shipley interviewed Lori Gottlieb for our blog. Check out their conversation on the Town Crier!

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In episode #29 of In The Moment, correspondent Katy Sewall talks with John Lanchester (3:58) about his book The Wall. They delve into Lanchester's inspiration for the book—a recurring dream. Lanchester recounts the prescient nature of his dream, which took place before discussions of Brexit and Trump’s border wall. The dream took place in the future of our world impacted by global climate change and a rising sea level, and followed a lone figure standing on a dark, cold wall. Scher and Lanchester explore the notion that walls such, though typically made for security and safety, often create exclusion and othering for those on the opposite side. Lanchester says that those who participate in othering must make constantly make excuses and seek justifications, and must train themselves to see the others as people wholly unlike themselves. In order to change how people see the world, says Lanchester, we need imaginative works of fiction.

Chief Correspondent Steve Scher interviews renowned biologist Frans de Waal (12:20) about our assumptions about animals. They discuss the common perception that animals only have instincts or minimal associative learning. De Waal recalls how in the 1990s his contemporaries laughed off his proposed theories of animal empathy and sympathy—yet he continued his research undaunted, inspired by the close relationships and knowledge he had developed about the primates he worked with. He discusses the process of measuring the physiological effects of emotions in animals, as opposed to feelings which are individual experiences. De Waal also reports that he’s just as happy to work with animals while relying solely on observations.

And host Jini Palmer sits down with Town Hall’s Marketing Manager Jonathan Shipley (21:44) to discuss the Town Crier blog and his interview with translator Michael Straus. Shipley discusses how he learned that the process of translation is not verbatim, but a more complex consideration of finding the "spirit” of the text. Jini and Jonathan delve into the importance of the translator as a part of the finished work, and of the ways which audiences interpret or receive that work.

Still Curious?

-Frans da Waal gave an enlightening TED talk on the moral behavior of animals.

-NPR offers a fascinating recorded interview with John Lanchester about one of his previous books How To Speak Money.

-You can read Jonathan’s interview with Michael Straus on the Town Crier.

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