Cam McWhirter is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, and the co-author of American Gun: The True Story of the AR-15. He feels strongly that we all need to know more about James Weldon Johnson. Johnson was a civil rights leader, lawyer, diplomat, writer and musician in the early 20th century. He was at the forefront of the Harlem Renaissance, and served as the first Black Executive Secretary of of the NAACP. He is perhaps best remembered for writing the lyrics to Lift Every Voice and Sing, often referred to as the Black National Anthem.

We discuss Johnson's life and achievements and even hear Johnson's own voice from an old recording of his poem,We To America.

Eric is the founder and Partner of AL Media a political consulting and media company that has managed campaigns and produced effective political ads and media for presidential campaigns, senatorial campaigns, congressional campaigns, gubernatorial campaigns and issue-related efforts all over the country. for 30 years. His firm has worked with Vice President Kamala Harris, Stacey Abrams, Senator Rafael Warnock, Governor Katie Hobbs, and Mayor Michelle Woo among MANY others. So of course, he wants to talk about his lifelong and painful obsession with the Cleveland Browns one of only our teams to have never playted in the Super Bowl.

Reverend Kent Gilbert is an ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ and since 1997 has served as pastor and teacher to Union Church in Berea, Kentucky. Kent has never been much of a sports fan, but having traveled to Japan multiple times, he has developed a passion for Sumo Wrestling. We discuss the rules, the strategy and the cultural significance of this fascinating and ancient sport that has been continuously practiced for more than 1,500 years. We discover that there is a lot more to it than just two very large men crashing into each other.

Murphy Monroe is a non-profit executive and nationally-known advocate for the benefits of float therapy or sensory deprivation. We talk about how floating works and about the profound impact it has had on his own life. Murphy also outlines the physical, mental, and emotional benefits that floating can provide for anyone. Murphy is a knowledgable and truly passionate advocate for this unique form of wellness and also the owner and operator of a float spa himself. We have a great conversation and this episode is perfect for anyone looking for an interesting and fun way to improve their overall health and wellbeing.

For 60 years now the starship Enterprise and all of its enduring characters have been wandering the galaxy in search of new life and new civilizations. John Siuntres has been on that trek since the very beginning. We talk about the enduring popularity of the Star Trek franchise and why John has been hooked ever since Neal Armstrong and his crew landed on the moon. John is a podcast pioneer who is the host of Word Balloon, a long running pop culture podcast where he has done more than 1000 interviews with top creators in comics, TV and film. John had a podcast before anyone knew what a podcast was. We discuss the tv shows, the movies and why Star Trek and sci-fi in general remains relevant.

Denise Vargas is the Executive Director of El Hogar in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. The organization’s mission is to provide children from vulnerable conditions with the opportunity to become future leaders. She was born and raised in Tegucigalpa and has a BA from Dartmouth and an MBA. We talk about the state of wonder that poetry provides her, and how poetry is her way to express things that are hard to say in any another way and a way, as she says "to make the fleeting permanent." She describes her poetic process and reads from her own beautiful work. We discover the deep connection between her poetry and the work she does in Honduras to help children move out of the shadows and shine their own light.

Chad Berry is a husband, a dad and a grandfather. He is the Vice President for Alumni, Communications and Philanthropy at Berea College and holds the Goode Professorship in Appalachian Studies as a Professor of History. We discuss place, placelessness and displacement in America, and the ways the places from which we come give us identity and can also sometime feel burdensome. We focus particular attention on the Appalachian region and how that place carries so much beauty, complexity and significance, and we worry about the loss of unique places in America.

Amy Burkhardt is a successful higher ed fundraiser and the host of her own radio show focused on women artists. Since the age of five when her father brought home a mysterious red cloak that just might have belonged to Prince, she has been smitten. We talk about his boundary crossing music, his lyrics that made it ok to be different, and his status as a cultural icon. Amy also does a deep dive into Purple Rain--the song, the album, the movie, and the new musical which premieres in October in Minneapolis. Of course, Amy already has tickets.