Neighbors

This episode was produced for the Goethe-Institut's Big Ponder project and edited by William Gilcher. To learn more about neighbors visit www.neighborspodcast.com.Neighbors is a production of Great Feeling Studios. www.greatfeelingstudios.comSupport Neighbors at www.patreon.com/neighbors

This episode was produced for the Goethe-Institut's Big Ponder project and edited by William Gilcher and Rachel Aronoff. To learn more about neighbors visit www.neighborspodcast.com.Neighbors is a production of Great Feeling Studios. www.greatfeelingstudios.comSupport Neighbors at www.patreon.com/neighbors

Today we present a new podcast from WKMS in Murray Kentucky called Middle Of Everywhere—Big stories from the small places we call home. What happens when an atheist stands up for free speech when the government favors Christianity? Many people in this country think that patriotism and Christianity go hand in hand, but can a person be a patriot and non-religious? In this episode, Ariel and Austin hear from one feisty and independent man who has devoted his life to crusading for freedom of expression. His journey became world renowned with his lawsuit against the state of Kentucky for denying him the vanity license plate IM GOD. You can join “The Neighborhood” along with these wonderful, thoughtful, generous people by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/neighbors Who’s in “The Neighborhood”: Allison Sebastian, Adrian Cobb, Nathalie Stewart, Ben Lehman, Caroline Martin, Clark Buckner, Cody Spriggs, Dan Burns, Em Vo, Eric Detweiler, Gina, Griffin Bonham, Heather Price, John Kesling, Landon Rives, Patrick Black,

This episode I do something I have never done in the entire history of the show. I just interview someone. No story. I interview Michael McRay to shed some light and hope on our current political divide. He’s a Nashville-based author of the new book I Am Not Your Enemy: Stories to Transform a Divided World. He’s a story-practitioner using the power of personal stories to heal harm, make meaning, and create connection. He works most often with the global empathy nonprofit organization Narrative 4 and earne his master’s degree in Belfast, Northern Ireland, studying conflict resolution and reconciliation. Our conversation starts with the political divide in America, but ends up in a much more intimate place. We’ll learn about the scale of sectarian danger, a scale to determine the escalation of violence that can occur based on sectarianism, a helpful tool called the PIN model for conflict resolution, and here a couple stories of disparate people connecting in deeply human ways. Scale of Sectarian Danger (from Mo

Coping with the pandemic, the election, really anything in 2020—it can come in waves. Sometimes after a big milestone happens, like getting married, the weight of it all can hit you like a semi truck. Need a good cry to honor the big things in your life that did or didn’t happen in 2020? Guest producer Michelle Dahlenburg brings us the story of Susan and Mark's shift to holding one of the most important days of their lives on zoom and just what it means for their union. You can join “The Neighborhood” along with these wonderful, thoughtful, generous people by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/neighbors Who’s in “The Neighborhood”: Allison Sebastian, Adrian Cobb, Nathalie Stewart, Ben Lehman, Caroline Martin, Clark Buckner, Cody Spriggs, Dan Burns, Em Vo, Eric Detweiler, Gina, Griffin Bonham, Heather Price, John Kesling, Landon Rives, Marc Kochamba, Patrick Black, Patrick Gillis, Ray Ware, Ryan Arnett, Samuel Adams, Tom and Rachel Kraft, Nikki Black, Hunter and Bonnie Moore, Newton Dominey, Bea Troxel, Crai

Cynthia Capers used to be a nurse but she chose to get out of that life and teach herself how to be a farmer. This piece was originally produced as part of the Transom Traveling Workshop in Nashville, TN at WPLN by India Hunter (her very first radio piece ever). If you’d like to make pieces like this check out www.transom.org. You can join “The Neighborhood” along with these wonderful, thoughtful, generous people by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/neighbors Who’s in “The Neighborhood”: Allison Sebastian, Adrian Cobb, Nathalie Stewart, Ben Lehman, Caroline Martin, Clark Buckner, Cody Spriggs, Dan Burns, Em Vo, Eric Detweiler, Gina, Griffin Bonham, Heather Price, John Kesling, Landon Rives, Marc Kochamba, Patrick Black, Patrick Gillis, Ray Ware, Ryan Arnett, Samuel Adams, Tom and Rachel Kraft, Nikki Black, Hunter and Bonnie Moore, Newton Dominey, Bea Troxel, Craig and Brenda Burns, Laurel Dean, Travis Hall, Clark Hill, Tony Gonzalez, Christopher Mastin and my mom Tonya Lewis (thanks mom!) Visit our website

Having heard stories about the country he only lived in for the first year of his life, producer Jakob Lewis goes back to Frankfurt to connect with the life his parent's once had. Story produced by Jakob Lewis, edited by Rosie Forrest, special thanks to Bill Gilcher for helping aid me in my quest to find my parent’s neighbor. Produced for the Goethe-Instituts “Big Pond” Project. You can join “The Neighborhood” along with these wonderful, thoughtful, generous people by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/neighbors Who’s in “The Neighborhood”: Allison Sebastian, Adrian Cobb, Nathalie Stewart, Ben Lehman, Caroline Martin, Clark Buckner, Cody Spriggs, Dan Burns, Em Vo, Eric Detweiler, Gina, Griffin Bonham, Heather Price, John Kesling, Landon Rives, Marc Kochamba, Patrick Black, Patrick Gillis, Ray Ware, Ryan Arnett, Samuel Adams, Tom and Rachel Kraft, Nikki Black, Hunter and Bonnie Moore, Newton Dominey, Bea Troxel, Craig and Brenda Burns, Laurel Dean, Travis Hall, Clark Hill, Tony Gonzalez, Christopher Mastin a

One woman searches for a serial panhandler and the answer to what to do when someone asks you for money. Story produced by Tasha A. F. Lemley, edited by Tony Gonzalez, sound designed and mixed by Jakob Lewis. You can join “The Neighborhood” along with these wonderful, thoughtful, generous people by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/neighbors Who’s in “The Neighborhood”: Allison Sebastian, Adrian Cobb, Nathalie Stewart, Ben Lehman, Caroline Martin, Clark Buckner, Cody Spriggs, Dan Burns, Em Vo, Eric Detweiler, Gina, Griffin Bonham, Heather Price, John Kesling, Landon Rives, Marc Kochamba, Patrick Black, Patrick Gillis, Ray Ware, Ryan Arnett, Samuel Adams, Tom and Rachel Kraft, Nikki Black, Hunter and Bonnie Moore, Newton Dominey, Bea Troxel, Craig and Brenda Burns, Laurel Dean, Travis Hall, Clark Hill, Tony Gonzalez, Christopher Mastin and my mom Tonya Lewis (thanks mom!) Visit our website at www.neighborspodcast.com Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts because writing one on the bathroom stall of a Waffle H

In the historic city of Magdeburg, Germany, there is a “Johnny Cash”-themed country music festival called Nashville Days – complete with corn dogs and cowboy hats. This is one of the fruits of the sister city relationship between Nashville and Magdeburg. Host Jakob Lewis, a Nashville citizen, goes to Magdeburg to see where the rubber meets the road for Sister Cities' idealistic vision to “promote peace one individual, one community at a time.” If you’ve been to Germany, Magdeburg probably isn’t the first city that comes to mind when you to think of cosmopolitan cities. Yet for the past 15 years, Magdeburg has developed a great relationship with its sister city Nashville through the Sister Cities International program. For The Big Pond, Jakob Lewis traces the origins of the sister cities back to the aftermath of World War II as a means to (re)connect former adversaries. Or, as Joel Dark, the Nashville chair of the Nashville-Magdeburg partnership puts it: “The concept is to build a local-to-local relationship

According to a July study from the Pew Research Center, around 3% of Americans have moved because of COVID-19, many of them adults who moved back in with their parents. One of those people is Theo Greenly, a writer and radio producer in Los Angeles. When the pandemic hit, both he and his partner lost their jobs. Unsure about when they would start working again, they decided to move in with family to save money. Specifically, to move in with Theo’s mom in the house that he lived in during high school. Theo documented the process, and he produced this story about it. You can find more of Theo’s work at TheoGreenly.com or follow him on Twitter @TheoGreenly. You can join “The Neighborhood” along with these wonderful, thoughtful, generous people by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/neighbors Who’s in “The Neighborhood”: Allison Sebastian, Adrian Cobb, Nathalie Stewart, Ben Lehman, Caroline Martin, Clark Buckner, Cody Spriggs, Dan Burns, Em Vo, Eric Detweiler, Gina, Griffin Bonham, Heather Price, John Kesling,

Meet Joann Jones. She's 79 years old, and she loves to dance. So, she helped start a line dancing class for senior citizens at the Hadley Park Community Center in North Nashville. For Joann, the group has become like a family. The community she's found there has helped her overcome loneliness, grief, and serious health issues. But this year, a tornado and a pandemic are testing the group's bond more than ever. special thanks to Joann Jones, Sharon Jarrett, and all of the Hadley Park Line Dancers. Here is a link to The Hadley Line Dancers Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HPLDancers/. David Condos originally recorded the tape of the dance class as part of the Transom workshop. You can join “The Neighborhood” along with these wonderful, thoughtful, generous people by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/neighbors Who’s in “The Neighborhood”: Allison Sebastian, Adrian Cobb, Nathalie Stewart, Ben Lehman, Caroline Martin, Clark Buckner, Cody Spriggs, Dan Burns, Em Vo, Eric Detweiler, Gina, Griffin Bonham, He

For this episode Neighbors is presenting an episode from the show Resettled from VPM: Not a lot of teens are excited about being the “different” kid that stands out in high school. As a Muslim teen from Iraq, Fatimah is learning to navigate that typical experience: striking the balance between fitting in and being your own person. In her senior year at Harrisonburg High, Fatimah decided to try out for the school play, which pushed her boundaries around sexuality and acceptance. Harrisonburg, Virginia is unique as well: there are 51 countries and 57 languages represented in Harrisonburg’s public schools. Not every refugee teen experience is a positive one, but the overwhelming support and pride that the Harrisonburg community takes in its immigrants and refugees means that leaders prioritize their needs in a way that the federal government is not. Resettled is hosted by Ahmed Badr. This story was reported by Maria Parazo Rose. This episode was produced by Gilda Di Carli and edited by Kelly Hardcastle Jones. Le

Nashville, Tenn., aka Music City, has thrown a lot of money at its own tourism industry. But if you walk country music’s famed Broadway Street you will notice that these tourist spaces are overwhelmingly white. But just across the river every 2nd and 4th Sunday night of the month you can reliably find an alternative to the country music scene in town via soul music acts put together by Jason Eskridge. You can also find something else that’s a rarity in Nashville—a racially diverse crowd. This story was produced by Cariad Harmon. Editing and story consulting provided by Andrea Williams with additional editorial help from Mohini Madgavkar. Special thanks to the 5 Spot and everyone at Sunday Night Soul. You can hear Jason’ music here: https://www.facebook.com/jasoneskridgemusic and learn more about Sunday Night Soul here: https://www.facebook.com/sns5spot As always this episode also contains YOUR voices from the Neighbors “Reverse Complaint” Line sharing how you’re doing. This episode we asked people to call in

A list of resources to learn from this moment so it's not just a moment. We recommend this course, the 7 Day Anti Racism Challenge that starts June 15th but possibly will repeat again Podcast recommendations You can find all of this on this Spotify playlist Listening, Learning, Taking Action Reveal The Stoop Seeing White The Ezra Klein Show Intercepted Books: White Fragility How To Be Anti-Racist The Color of Compromise Articles: Reflections From A Token Black Friend Videos: John Oliver This Week Tonight: Police

Today we’re giving you a break from all things Covid and we’re entering into the intriguing and competitive world of pigeon racing. From the pigeons released at the first Olympic Games to the heroic birds of WWI, homing pigeons have been helping humans deliver important messages for thousands of years. These days, however, homing pigeons are bred and sold not to deliver mail, but to compete in avian races. Although pigeon racing is rapidly growing in places like China and India, here in the U.S., organizations like the Rhode Island Racing Pigeon Club are struggling to gain new members. Despite the challenges, pigeon fanciers in the Northeast are dedicated to keeping the sport alive. As always this episode also contains YOUR voices from the Neighbors “Reverse Complaint” Line sharing how you’re doing. If you would like to share the ways you’re staying sane and connected with your community during the COVID-19 crisis, give the Neighbors “Reverse Complaint” Line a call: record a voice memo on your phone and email

In August of 2017 Neighbors co-host Jakob and his wife Catherine got to witness a total solar eclipse from inside an orchard owned by a living saint—Hector Black. Hector is 95 and has lived a storied life, most notably he did the hard work of forgiving the man who murdered his adopted daughter Patricia. Through Hector’s ominous question “how long is the dark?” we explore our current circumstance amidst this pandemic and the wisdom that Hector’s story might have for us. You can visit Hector’s family’s plant nursery website here: http://www.hiddenspringsnursery.com/ As has become our custom this episode also contains YOUR voices from the Neighbors “Reverse Complaint” Line sharing one thing that’s difficult right now and one things that you’re grateful for. If you would like to share the ways you’re staying sane and connected with your community during the COVID-19 crisis, give the Neighbors “Reverse Complaint” Line a call: record a voice memo on your phone and email it to **neighborspodcast@gmail.com **or call

When a Nashville man named Robert was young, no one seemed to care that he didn’t know how to read. As he got older, lack of literacy affected his life in devastating ways no one could have predicted. Now at Age 55, he’s learning a new skill and awakening the poet within. You can find out more about the Nashville Adult Literacy Council here: http://nashvilleliteracy.org/ As has become our custom this episode also contains YOUR voices from the Neighbors “Reverse Complaint” Line sharing one thing that’s difficult right now and one things that you’re grateful for—for some that’s getting a moment to brush their teeth. If you would like to share the ways you’re staying sane and connected with your community during the COVID-19 crisis, give the Neighbors “Reverse Complaint” Line a call: record a voice memo on your phone and email it to **neighborspodcast@gmail.com **or call 615-601-1411 and leave us a message. You can join “The Neighborhood” along with these wonderful, thoughtful, generous people by becoming a patr

"The Stuttering Paradox" is the story of a Nashville musician who saw stuttering as his greatest flaw. After trying to "fix" it his entire childhood, he was confronted with the "subway challenge”. By facing his fear JP Ruggieri learned to authentically accept himself just the way he was...and turns out that also dramatically helped his stutter. This story was produced by Cariad Harmon and edited by Jakob Lewis. You can hear JP’s music HERE. You can find out more about the American Institute for Stuttering here: https://stutteringtreatment.org/ This episode also contains YOUR voices from the Neighbors “Reverse Complaint” Line and a remembrance of legendary Nashville singer-songwriter John Prine. If you would like to share the ways you’re staying sane and connected with your community during the COVID-19 crisis, give the Neighbors “Reverse Complaint” Line a call: 615-601-1411 or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to neighborspodcast@gmail.com You can join “The Neighborhood” along with these wonderfu

This episode is an artful exploration of Neighbors' year of hiatus in which host Jakob Lewis had a son and put on a performance art piece about preparing for his birth. Utilizing old interview tapes from Neighbors over the years Jakob creates a meditative exploration of what it means to attend to the things that matter in life. If you would like to share the ways you’re staying sane and connected with your community during the COVID-19 crisis, give the Neighbors “Reverse Complaint” Line a call: **615-601-1411 **or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to neighborspodcast@gmail.com You can join “The Neighborhood” along with these wonderful, thoughtful, generous people by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/neighbors Who’s in “The Neighborhood”: Allison Sebastian, Adrian Cobb, Nathalie Stewart, Ben Lehman, Caroline Martin, Clark Buckner, Cody Spriggs, Dan Burns, Em Vo, Eric Detweiler, Gina, Griffin Bonham, Heather Price, John Kesling, Landon Rives, Marc Kochamba, Patrick Black, Patrick Gillis, Ray War

We put out a call last week to listeners and friends across the globe who are in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked you to share the ways in which you’re managing to stay connected while we’re all so far apart. In this season of social distancing, solidarity and kindness flooded our voicemail, and we have put several of those calls together for a special episode to lift our spirits ahead of this Friday’s season release. All music in this episode was live streamed or recorded on social media by musicians during the past 2 weeks of social distancing. Musicians included in this episode are:  Johnny Duke www.johnnydukemusic.com Dave Madden www.facebook.com/davemaddenmusic Tim Easton http://www.timeaston.com Rachel Baiman http://www.rachelbaiman.com If you would like to share the way’s you’re connecting with your community during the COVID-19 crisis, give the Neighbors “Reverse Complaint” Line a call: 615-601-1411 Special thanks to our Patrons: Allison Sebastian, Adrian Cobb, Nathalie Stewart,