In The Moment podcast

Listen in on the latest Town Hall conversation, wherever you are! In the Moment is a weekly podcast featuring in-depth interviews curated by Town Hall’s Digital Media Manager, Jini Palmer. Senior Correspondent Steve Scher, along with a host of Seattle journalists and thought leaders, take on topics ranging from science and health, civics and culture, to the arts—and beyond! Join us, In the Moment, for expansive talks from Town Hall’s digital stage.

141. Max Holleran with Marcus Harrison Green: Millennials and the Fight for Affordable Housing 06/27/2022

141. Max Holleran with Marcus Harrison Green: Millennials and the Fight for Affordable Housing It’s no secret that housing costs are climbing and income is struggling to keep up. It’s a complex problem with a lot of loud voices. One of the newest voices, however, is the YIMBY (“Yes In My Backyard”) movement. This growing number of influential activists are calling for more construction and denser cities in order to increase affordability. Max Holleran’s book, Yes to the City, offers an in-depth look at the movement and how it fits into the larger debate of how we shape where we live. From YIMBY’s origins in San Francisco to its current group of activists pushing for new apartment towers in places like Boulder, Austin, and London, Holleran explores how changing the way we look at urban density can make an impact. Once blamed for overpopulated slums, urban density has become a rallying cry for millennial activists locked out of housing markets and simultaneously unable to pay high rents. For many, the YIMBY movement has become a way forward. Yet, with many points of view and powers at play in this fast-changing public debate, there is much tension between activists and proponents of other housing movements. , Marcus Harrison Green talks with Holleran about the current state of the housing movement, the history that got us here, and how both might shape the future of where we live. Max Holleran is Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Melbourne. His work focuses on urban development in Europe and the United States, particularly how cities manage tourism. He has written about gentrification, architectural aesthetics, post-socialist urban planning, and European Union integration for anthropology, sociology, geography, and history journals. His work on cities and politics has also appeared in Australian Book Review, Boston Review, Contexts, Dissent, Slate, and many other publications. He is currently an Urban Studies Foundation research fellow. He is the author of Tourism, Urbanization, and the Evolving Periphery of the European Union. Marcus Harrison Green is the publisher of the South Seattle Emerald and a columnist with The Seattle Times. Growing up in South Seattle, he experienced first-hand the impact of one-dimensional stories on marginalized communities, which taught him the value of authentic narratives. After an unfulfilling stint in the investment world during his twenties, Marcus returned to his community with a newfound purpose of telling stories with nuance, complexity, and multidimensionality with the hope of advancing social change. This led him to become a writer and found the South Seattle Emerald. He was awarded the Seattle Human Rights Commissions’ Individual Human Rights Leader Award for 2020. Buy the Book— Presented by . To become a member or make a donation . /episode/index/show/inthemoment/id/23555684

140. R. Douglas Arnold with Sally James: Can Social Security Be Fixed? 06/20/2022

140. R. Douglas Arnold with Sally James: Can Social Security Be Fixed? Since it started, Social Security has been a cornerstone for retirement in America. But Americans are living longer and having fewer children, which means that this popular program now pays more in benefits than it collects in revenue. There’s less going into the pot than there is going out. Without reforms, 83 million Americans will face an immediate benefit cut of 20 percent in 2034, just a dozen years away. What’s more, most future retirees are not participating in employee-sponsored retirement plans outside of Social Security, which could otherwise buffer the impacts of these cuts. Many people are counting on the safety net of Social Security for their future. How did we get here and what is the solution? In Fixing Social Security, R. Douglas Arnold explores how Social Security has played out in American politics, why Congress struggles to fix its problems, and what legislators can do to save it. , Sally James interviews Arnold about whether or not America will be able to fix the future of Social Security and how we might go about doing it. R. Douglas Arnold is the William Church Osborn Professor of Public Affairs Emeritus at Princeton University. His books include Congress, the Press, and Political Accountability (Princeton), The Logic of Congressional Action, and Framing the Social Security Debate. Sally James is a writer and journalist who covers science and medical research. She has written for The Seattle Times, South Seattle Emerald, Seattle and UW Magazines, among others. For the Emerald, she has been focusing during the pandemic on stories about health and access for communities of color. In the past, she has been a leader and volunteer for the nonprofit Northwest Science Writers Association. For many years, she was a reviewer for Health News Review, fact-checking national press reporting for accuracy and fairness. Buy the Book — Presented by . To become a member or make a donation . /episode/index/show/inthemoment/id/23488139

139. Leoma James with Charlie James: Stories of a Black American Woman Living in Africa 06/13/2022

139. Leoma James with Charlie James: Stories of a Black American Woman Living in Africa What is it like to be a young, Black, American woman traveling in Southern and Eastern Africa? In her new novel, No Blame, No Shame, No Guilt, Leoma James explores the profound experience of being surrounded by Africa’s natural beauty and vibrant culture while also realizing the harsh realities of racism and the long-term implications of colonization in Africa. Through short stories and poetry, James exposes readers to the different racial relations present within each story, allowing them to draw their own conclusions about racism and white supremacy. James only has one request: that readers consider what they know about history and current events and reflect on how they have contributed to the racial relations that exist within society today. Who is to be blamed for the gross discrepancies we see and experience? Who should feel shame for the perpetuation of colonial ideals? Who is guilty for the dramatic and disproportionate physical and mental brutality invoked against Black bodies? , Charlie James interviews Leoma James about No Blame, No Shame, No Guilt. Leoma James is a young Black poet, storyteller, activist, and educator from Seattle, Washington. She primarily writes poetry and short stories that focus on the Black experience, from a global standpoint. Leoma is a world traveler who extended her studies at Washington State University through the Knowledge Exchange Institute in Nairobi, Kenya. Leoma also served in Namibia with the U.S Peace Corps from 2017-2019 as a Secondary English teacher and has traveled extensively through Southern and Eastern Africa. Leoma is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Education at the University of Washington and has the desire to support students who are disadvantaged academically and socially due to race, income, immigration status, and language barriers, as well as people with disabilities. Charlie James has been an organizer in the Black American community for most of his life, beginning at age five after he led black kindergartners into the Michigan school system in 1956. A leader for Black students throughout his schooling, Charlie became the founder and First President of the Black Student Federation at Lake Michigan Junior College and was named a Ford Foundation Scholar. After receiving death threats due to his community activism, Charlie left Michigan and came to the University of Washington in Seattle, where he became the President of the Black Student Union and an editor for the UW Daily. Today, Charlie is a well-known editorial writer for every major newspaper in the Pacific Northwest, including his own platform, the African American Business and Employment Journal. He is also the founder of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park in Seattle and one of the founders of Northwest African American Museum. He is currently in the process of writing a book called The Survival of Black America and is a proud father of three daughters. Presented by . To become a member or make a donation . /episode/index/show/inthemoment/id/23415950

138. Kevin G. Bethune with Beverly Aarons: How Reimagining Design Can Transform Lives and Organizations 06/06/2022

138. Kevin G. Bethune with Beverly Aarons: How Reimagining Design Can Transform Lives and Organizations Design is more than an aesthetically pleasing logo or banner – it has the power to solve problems in unique ways, cultivate innovation, and anchor multidisciplinary teamwork. In Reimagining Design, Kevin Bethune describes his journey as a Black professional through corporate America, revealing the power of transformative design, multidisciplinary leaps, and diversity. Bethune, who began as an engineer at Westinghouse, moved on to Nike (where he designed Air Jordans), and now works as a sought-after consultant on design and innovation, shows how design can transform individual lives and organizations. In Bethune’s account, diversity, equity, and inclusion emerge as a recurring theme. He shows how, as we leverage design for innovation, we also need to consider the broader ecological implications of our decisions and acknowledge the threads of systemic injustice in order to realize positive change. He contends that design transformation takes leadership by leaders who do not act as gatekeepers but, with agility and nimbleness, build teams that mirror the marketplace. , as they discuss design in harmony with other disciplines. Design in harmony with other disciplines can be incredibly powerful; multidisciplinary team collaboration is the foundation of future innovation. With insight and compassion, Bethune provides a framework for bringing this about. Kevin G. Bethune is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of dreams • design + life, a think tank for design and innovation. Over a career that spans more than twenty years, he has worked in engineering, business, and design. Beverly Aarons is a writer, artist, and game developer. She works across disciplines exploring the intersections of history, hidden current realities, and imagined future worlds. She specializes in making unseen perspectives visible and aims to infuse all of her creative work with a deep sense of emotionality. She’s won the Guy A. Hanks, Marvin H. Miller Screenwriting Award, Community 4Culture Fellowship, Artist Trust GAP Award, 4Culture Creative Consultancies Award, and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture smART Ventures grant. She’s currently publishing in-depth artist profiles at Artists Up Close on Substack. Buy the Book— Presented by . To become a member or make a donation . /episode/index/show/inthemoment/id/23343731

137. Alexander Monea with Edward Wolcher: How the Internet Became Straight 05/23/2022

136. Joel Simon and Robert Mahoney with Katy Sewall: How Censorship and Lies Made the World Sicker and Less Free 05/16/2022

136. Joel Simon and Robert Mahoney with Katy Sewall: How Censorship and Lies Made the World Sicker and Less Free As COVID-19 began to spread around the world in 2020, so did a steady stream of information — and disinformation. Running parallel to the pandemic was an “infodemic,” a digital and physical deluge of information that resulted in mass confusion and censorship. In their new book, The Infodemic, authors Joel Simon and Robert Mahoney lay bare the mechanisms of a modern brand of “censorship through noise” that moves beyond traditional means of state control (jailing critics and restricting the flow of information, for example) to open the floodgates of misinformation. The result? A public overwhelmed with lies and half-truths. Simon and Mahoney have traveled the world for many years defending press freedom and journalists’ rights as the directors of the Committee to Protect Journalists. They’ve charted COVID censorship beginning in China, through Iran, Russia, India, Egypt, Brazil, and inside the Trump White House. They argue that increased surveillance in the name of public health, the collapse of public trust in institutions, and the demise of local news reporting all contributed to help governments hijack the flow of information and usurp power. Through vivid characters and behind-the-scenes accounts, Simon and Mahoney argue that under the cover of a global pandemic, governments have undermined freedom and taken control — and that this new political order may be the legacy of the disease. Truth may seem like a simple concept, but Simon and Mahoney highlight how complex it really is. What do you consider a fact? How do you know what a fact is? , radio host Katy Sewall interviews Simon and Mahoney about these questions in the context of today’s pandemic and political powers. Joel Simon is a fellow at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia Journalism School and formerly the Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. Before joining CPJ, he worked as a journalist in Latin America and California. He is the author of three books, including We Want to Negotiate: The Secret World of Hostages, Kidnapping, and Ransom, also from Columbia Global Reports. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Robert Mahoney is Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. He was a Reuters correspondent with postings in Southeast Asia, West Africa, India, Israel, France and Germany. This is Robert’s first book. He lives in New York City. Katy Sewall is a back-up announcer/host for KUOW and a feature reporter. She’s a PRINDI award-winning producer who trained with Radiolab and toured with A Prairie Home Companion. Her work has appeared on The Takeaway, Here & Now, the BBC, and more. Katy spent nine years as the Senior Producer of Weekday with Steve Scher and is currently the host and creator of the international podcast . Buy the Book— Presented by . To become a member or make a donation . /episode/index/show/inthemoment/id/23129897

135. David M. Peña-Guzmán with Steve Scher: The Hidden World of Animal Consciousness 05/09/2022

134. Thomas H. Pruiksma with Dr. Ruben Quesada: A New Translation of The Kural 05/02/2022

134. Thomas H. Pruiksma with Dr. Ruben Quesada: A New Translation of The Kural The Tirukkuṟaḷ, or Kural, for short, is considered a masterpiece of universal philosophy, ethics, and morality. Traditionally attributed to Thiruvalluvar, also known as Valluvar, the original text has been dated from 300 BCE to 5th century CE. The classic Tamil work is one of the most cited and translated ancient texts in existence; it has been translated into over 40 Indian and non-Indian languages and has never been out of print since its first publication in 1812. In a new translation of the Kural, Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma brings English readers closer than ever to the brilliant inner and outer music of Tiruvalluvar’s work and ideas. The work consists of 1,330 short philosophical verses, or kurals, that together cover a wide range of personal and cosmic experiences, such as — Politics: Harsh rule that brings idiots together—nothing Burdens the earth more Friendship: Friendship is not a face smiling—friendship Is a heart that smiles Greed: Those who won’t give and enjoy—even with billions They have nothing Drawing on the poetic tradition of W. S. Merwin, Wendell Berry, and William Carlos Williams, and nurtured by two decades of study under Tamil scholar Dr. K. V. Ramakoti, Pruiksma’s translation transforms the barrier of language into a bridge, bringing the fullness of Tiruvalluvar’s poetic intensity to a new generation. , Pruiksma discusses his translation of the Kural with poet, editor, and translator, Dr. Ruben Quesada. Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma is an author, poet, performer, and teacher. His books include The Safety of Edges and Give, Eat, and Live: Poems of Avvaiyar. Pruiksma teaches writing for Cozy Grammar and has received grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, 4Culture, Artist Trust, the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, the US Fulbright Program, the American Literary Translators Association, and Oberlin Shansi. Ruben Quesada, Ph.D. is editor of Latinx Poetics: Essays on the Art of Poetry (University of New Mexico Press, 2022) and author of Revelations (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2018), Next Extinct Mammal (Greenhouse Review Press, 2011), and translator of Selected Translations of Luis Cernuda (Aureole Press, 2008). Dr. Quesada has served as an editor for AGNI, Pleiades, and The Kenyon Review. His writing appears in Best American Poetry, Ploughshares, and Harvard Review. He is an Associate Teaching Fellow at The Attic Institute and teaches for the UCLA Writers’ Program. He lives in Chicago. Buy the Book: Presented by . To become a member or make a donation . /episode/index/show/inthemoment/id/22982219

133. Linda Lee with Shin Yu Pai: Meet Town Hall Seattle’s Curator-in-Residence 04/25/2022

132. Treva B. Lindsey with Leoma James: Violence, Black Women, and the Struggle for Justice 04/18/2022

132. Treva B. Lindsey with Leoma James: Violence, Black Women, and the Struggle for Justice Studies clearly indicate that Black women, girls, and non-binary people face disproportionately high rates of physical and sexual violence, and face a greater risk of death by homicide than women and non-binary people of white, Latinx, and Asian/Pacific Islander descent. What forces have contributed to a legacy of violence, and is justice possible? In America, Goddam, Black feminist historian Dr. Treva B. Lindsey explores the combined force of anti-Blackness, misogyny, patriarchy, and capitalism in the lives of Black women and girls in the United States today. Dr. Lindsey explains that the struggle for justice begins with a reckoning of the pervasiveness of violence against Black women and girls in the United States. Through a combination of history, theory, and memoir, Dr. Lindsey highlights the gender dynamics of anti-Black violence and addresses how the circumstances of this violence remain underreported and understudied. Dr. Lindsey also shows that the sanctity of life and liberty for Black men has been a rallying cry within Black freedom movements – movements that Black women are rarely the focus of despite their lived experiences, frontline participation, and leadership in demanding justice. Across generations and centuries, their refusal to remain silent about violence against them led many to envision and build toward Black liberation through organizing and radical politics. , Dr. Lindsey and Leoma James discuss the collective journey toward just futures for Black women. Dr. Treva B. Lindsey is Associate Professor in the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department at Ohio State University and founder of the Transformative Black Feminism(s) Initiative in Columbus, Ohio. Leoma James is a writer, activist, political science and communication broadcasting Alum at Washington State University and Peace Corps Namibia 2017-2019. Buy the Book— Presented by . To become a member or make a donation . /episode/index/show/inthemoment/id/22830167

131. Frank C. Keil with Halli Benasutti: Childhood and the Lifelong Love of Science 04/11/2022

130. Lyric World: Lorna Dee Cervantes with Shin Yu Pai 04/04/2022

129. Laurie Winkless with Steve Scher—Sticky: The Secret Science of Surfaces 03/28/2022

129. Laurie Winkless with Steve Scher—Sticky: The Secret Science of Surfaces You are surrounded by stickiness. With every step you take, air molecules cling to you and slow you down; the effect is harder to ignore in water. When you hit the road, whether powered by pedal or engine, you rely on grip to keep you safe. The Post-it note and glue in your desk drawer. The non-stick pan on your stove. The fingerprints linked to your identity. The rumbling of the Earth deep beneath your feet, and the ice that transforms waterways each winter. All of these things are controlled by tiny forces that operate on and between surfaces, with friction playing the leading role. physicist Laurie Winkless explores some of the ways that friction shapes both the manufactured and natural worlds, and describes how our understanding of surface science has given us an ability to manipulate stickiness, down to the level of a single atom. But this apparent success doesn’t tell the whole story. Each time humanity has pushed the boundaries of science and engineering, we’ve discovered that friction still has a few surprises up its sleeve. Steve Scher and Laurie Winkless discuss sticky situations of all kinds in the . Laurie Winkless is an Irish physicist-turned-science-writer, currently based in New Zealand. After her post-grad, she joined the U.K.’s National Physical Laboratory as a research scientist, where she specialized in functional materials. Since leaving the lab, Laurie has worked with scientific organizations, engineering companies, universities, and astronauts, amongst others. Her writing has featured in outlets including Forbes, Wired, Esquire, and The Economist. Her first book, Science and the City, was published by Bloomsbury Sigma in 2016. Steve Scher is a podcaster and interviewer and has been a teacher at the University of Washington since 2009. He worked in Seattle public radio for almost 30 years and is Senior Correspondent for Town Hall Seattle’s In The Moment podcast. Buy the Book: from Bloomsbury Presented by . To become a member or make a donation . /episode/index/show/inthemoment/id/22599044

128. Michelle Drouin with Dr. Margaret Morris: How Technology Helps and Hinders Intimacy and Connection 03/21/2022

128. Michelle Drouin with Dr. Margaret Morris: How Technology Helps and Hinders Intimacy and Connection Are we all, quite literally, out of touch? According to behavioral scientist Michelle Drouin, millions of people worldwide are not getting the physical, emotional, and intellectual intimacy they crave. Pandemic isolation has undoubtedly played a role, but the wonders of modern technology are connecting us with more people more often than ever before. But are these connections what we long for? Drouin’s new book, Out of Touch, explores what she calls an intimacy famine and considers why relationships carried out on technological platforms may leave us starving for physical connection. Drouin puts it this way: when most of our interactions are through social media, we take tiny hits of dopamine rather than the big shots of oxytocin that an intimate, in-person relationship would typically provide. Covering everything from pandemic puppies and professional cuddlers to the roles of sexual relationships, Drouin discusses the many pathways to intimacy and how technology can be both a help and a hindrance. , Dr. Margaret Morris and Michelle Drouin discuss technology, intimacy, and what it means to find belonging and fulfillment. Michelle Drouin is a behavioral scientist and expert on technology, relationships, couples, and sexuality whose work has been featured or cited in the New York Times, CBS News, CNN, NPR, and other media outlets. She is Professor of Psychology at Purdue University–Fort Wayne and Senior Research Scientist at the Parkview Mirro Center for Research and Innovation. Dr. Margaret Morris is a clinical psychologist focused on how technology can support wellbeing. She is an affiliate faculty member in the Information School at the University of Washington, as well as a research consultant. Morris is the author of Buy the Book — Presented by . To become a member or make a donation . /episode/index/show/inthemoment/id/22520387

127. Kathy Gilsinan with Steve Scher: Stories from the Front Lines of the Pandemic 03/14/2022

126. Vanessa Chakour with Amanda Carter Gomes: How Nature Guides Us Toward Healing 03/07/2022

126. Vanessa Chakour with Amanda Carter Gomes: How Nature Guides Us Toward Healing When Vanessa Chakour was growing up, she experienced a series of physical traumas — chronic asthma, a car accident that fractured her back and neck, and sexual trauma. On her path to recovery, she pursued various approaches to therapeutic movement from martial arts to yoga, exploring the traditions that honor mind-body connection. Now twenty years into her journey to reconcile her daily routines with a yearning for a greater purpose, Chakour shares her learnings in her new book, Awakening Artemis. She combines the story of her own healing journey with practical, plant-based knowledge, and remains rooted in the belief that healing can happen through connection to ourselves and to the natural world. , Vanessa Chakour talks with writer Amanda Carter Gomes about finding self-awareness, confidence, and forging true connections with loved ones. Vanessa Chakour is an herbalist, visual artist, rewilding educator, former pro-boxer, environmental activist, and founder of Sacred Warrior — a multi-disciplinary and experiential “school” offering plant medicine, wildlife conservation, and meditation through courses, workshops, and retreats with a diverse group of teachers. Sacred Warrior’s Rewilding Retreats are in partnership with the Wolf Conservation Center in New York, The Jaguar Rescue Center in Costa Rica, and Alladale Wilderness Reserve in the Scottish Highlands. Vanessa has shared her work as a speaker at the United Nations, Brown University, and the Muhammad Ali Center, and as a visual artist, in galleries from Tribeca to Chelsea. She lives in Western Massachusetts and teaches around the world. Amanda Carter Gomes is an editor, writer, producer and the founder of online publication, . Amanda spent much of her early career working in marketing, event management, video and photo production for clients in the private and non-profit sectors. Buy the Book: Presented by . To become a member or make a donation . /episode/index/show/inthemoment/id/22369493

125. Guilaine Kinouani with Anastacia-Reneé: Living While Black 02/28/2022

125. Guilaine Kinouani with Anastacia-Reneé: Living While Black Mental health professionals are in high demand now more than ever. In the U.S. alone, around a third of the population sought therapy services in 2020. But mental health practitioners aren’t immune to issues of deep structural racism and white supremacy; if they aren’t recognized and consciously dismantled, the potential for further harm to Black people persists, and mental, physical, and emotional wellness remain out of reach. Over the past 15 years, radical psychologist Guilaine Kinouani has focused her research, writing, and workshops on how racism affects physical and mental health. Her new book — recently named a Guardian Book of the Year — brings personal stories, case studies, and research together to give voice to the diverse, global experiences of Black people. Kinouani offers expert guidance on how to set boundaries and process micro-aggressions, protect children from racism, handle difficult race-based conversations, navigate the complexities of Black love, and identify and celebrate the wins. , writer and educator Anastacia-Reneé talks to Kinouani about her guide for radical self-care and coping. Guilaine Kinouani is a UK-based French radical and critical psychologist of Congolese descent. She is a feminist, a therapist, and an equality consultant, as well as the founder, leader, and award-nominated writer for . Kinouani is a senior psychologist and an adjunct professor of Black and Africana studies at Syracuse University, London. Kinouani heads Race Reflections and its academy, providing workshops on anti-racism, racial trauma, and self-care. Anastacia-Reneé is an award-winning cross-genre writer, educator, interdisciplinary artist, TEDX speaker, and podcaster. Reneé is the author of (v.), (Black Ocean Press), Forget It (Black Radish Press) and Answer(Me), (Winged City Chapbook Press). She has received fellowships and residencies from Cave Canem, Hedgebrook, VONA, Artist Trust, Jack Straw, Ragdale, Mineral School, Hypatia in the Woods and The New Orleans Writers Residency. Anastacia-Renee’s writing has been included in numerous anthologies, literary journals, and magazines. Buy the Book: Presented by . To become a member or make a donation . /episode/index/show/inthemoment/id/22285859

124. Stanley Shikuma with Jasmine Pulido—Stop Repeating History: Tsuru for Solidarity 02/21/2022

124. Stanley Shikuma with Jasmine Pulido—Stop Repeating History: Tsuru for Solidarity is a nonviolent, direct action project of Japanese American social justice advocates working to end detention sites and support front-line immigrant and refugee communities that are being targeted by racist, inhumane immigration policies. , Jasmine Pulido interviews writer and community activist Stanley Shikuma about Tsuru for Solidarity’s work and advocacy to close all U.S. concentration camps. The release of this episode is close to , a day of commemoration of the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 which gave the U.S. Army the authority to remove and incarcerate approximately 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry from the “military areas” established in West Coast states during WWII. On or around February 19, events are held in numerous U.S. states, especially in California, Oregon, and Washington, to remember the impact of the experience on communities and educate others about civil liberties — and their fragility. Stan Shikuma is a social activist, community organizer, writer, and retired nurse. He grew up in Watsonville, CA, and studied at Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and the University of Washington. He currently serves as Co-President of the Seattle Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League and is actively involved in Tsuru for Solidarity, Tule Lake Pilgrimage, From Hiroshima to Hope, Tech Equity Coalition, and the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance. As a longtime taiko (Japanese drum) player, he also performs, writes, and lectures on the history, teaching, and performance of taiko in North America. Jasmine M. Pulido is a Filipino American writer-activist and community journalist living in Seattle, WA. She is currently pursuing her Master’s of Arts in Social Change with an emphasis on transformative justice. Learn more about Presented by . To become a member or make a donation . /episode/index/show/inthemoment/id/22198439

123. Hilda Lloréns with Lola E. Peters: Afro-Puerto Rican Women Building Environmental Justice 02/07/2022

123. Hilda Lloréns with Lola E. Peters: Afro-Puerto Rican Women Building Environmental Justice Puerto Rico has faced challenge after challenge in recent years, from economic crises and political upheaval to the aftermath of two consecutive and powerful hurricanes — Irma and María — in 2017. The devastation caused by the storms was widespread, destroying the already-fragile power grid, making most roads impassable, and costing thousands of people their lives. Years later, as rebuilding continues with ongoing struggles, an often-overlooked population of Afro-Puerto Rican women are drawing from a well of cultural knowledge to enable their communities to survive and thrive. In her new book, , anthropology professor Hilda Lloréns describes the everyday acts of resistance maintained and passed on through generations of Black Puerto Rican women. Despite oppressive narratives that attempt to erase them, Lloréns contends that these women are the central agents of social change in their communities. The restorative changemakers. The true heartbeats. Llorens brings the histories of these marginalized women to life in their continued fight against exploitation, further environmental destruction, and deepening capitalistic roots. , Lola E. Peters and Hilda Lloréns discuss how Afro-Puerto Rican woman are producing good, meaningful lives for their communities through solidarity, reciprocity, and an ethics of care. Hilda Lloréns is associate professor of anthropology and marine affairs at the University of Rhode Island and author of Imaging the Great Puerto Rican Family: Framing Nation, Race, and Gender during the American Century. Her latest book, Making Livable Worlds: Afro-Puerto Rican Women Building Environmental Justice, is available now. Lola E. Peters is an essayist and poet living in Seattle, WA. She serves as Editor-at-large for the South Seattle Emerald and has written articles for several publications including The Seattle Star and Crosscut. Her poems have been published in multiple anthologies as well as her own two collections, Taboos (2013) and The Book of David: A Coming of Age Tale (2015). In addition to her published poems, she has written commentary for and edited several online journals and newsletters and served as managing editor of a national newsletter for social justice activists. She is the author of a book of essays, The Truth About White People (2015). Buy the Book: from University of Washington Press Presented by . To become a member or make a donation . /episode/index/show/inthemoment/id/22053761

122. Aaron Poochigian with Steve Scher: Baudelaire’s Flowers of Evil 01/31/2022

121. Lyric World: Robert Lashley with Shin Yu Pai 01/24/2022

121. Lyric World: Robert Lashley with Shin Yu Pai Tacoma local Robert Lashley is known for crafting poems that build a vivid sense of place, rooted in deep, beautiful, yet often haunting memories. In his recently published third collection of poetry, Green River Valley, Lashley shares an unapologetic and harrowing look at gentrification, racism, and personal and collective loss in his hometown. With each poem, Lashley asks readers to bear witness to his lived experiences in Tacoma and to honor the people, places, and memories that shaped him — and the city we know today. Green River Valley showcases his signature rhythmic eloquence and acuity, building narrative threads that expose hidden intimacies amid trauma and ambivalence in the face of institutionalized racism. Abby E. Murray, Tacoma Poet Laureate (2019-2021) and author of Hail and Farewell, describes Lashley’s work, “A nation, a myth, a beat, and a revolution walk into a bar. What happens next is extraordinary. Seriously, Green River Valley is a confrontation of powers and the result is a poet on real terms with what it means to love in times of violence and loss, what it means to write in times of silence. These poems aren’t read so much as thumped into the chest, and its truths are unhidden, unmasked. When Lashley writes, ‘To see is too much. / To not see is much more’ I feel like the past and future of any city, but especially Tacoma, make sense.” In this installment of , Town Hall Program Director Shin Yu Pai interviews Robert Lashley about his newest collection of poetry and the legacy of his city. Robert Lashley is a writer and activist. He was a 2016 Jack Straw Fellow, Artist Trust Fellow, and a nominee for a Stranger Genius Award. He has had work published in The Seattle Review of Books, NAILED, Poetry Northwest, McSweeney’s, and The Cascadia Review. His poetry was also featured in such anthologies as Many Trails to the Summit, Foot Bridge Above the Falls, Get Lit, Make It True, and It Was Written. His previous books include The Homeboy Songs (Small Doggies Press, 2014), and Up South (Small Doggies Press, 2017). In 2019, Entropy magazine named The Homeboy Songs one of the 25 most essential books to come out of the Seattle area. Shin Yu Pai is Program Director for Town Hall. She is the author of eleven books of poetry. From 2015 to 2017, she served as the fourth poet laureate of the City of Redmond. Her work has appeared in publications throughout the U.S., Japan, China, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Buy the Book: Presented by . To become a member or make a donation . /episode/index/show/inthemoment/id/21878069

120. Bryan R. Johnston with Steve Scher: The Notorious Kidnapping of Young George Weyerhaeuser 01/17/2022

119. Lucy Antek Johnson with Gretchen Yanover: Behind the scenes with Toscanini 01/10/2022

119. Lucy Antek Johnson with Gretchen Yanover: Behind the scenes with Toscanini From 1937 to 1954, renowned Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini led weekly radio performances of the NBC Symphony Orchestra, broadcasting the music of legendary composers across the airwaves. Violinist Samuel Antek played in the orchestra during its 17-year lifespan, experiencing Toscanini’s relentless dedication to music firsthand. In This Was Toscanini: The Maestro, My Father, and Me, Samuel’s daughter Lucy Antek Johnson shares personal stories of Toscanini’s impact on her father and her family. Town Hall’s Artist-in-Residence, cellist Gretchen Yanover, talks about the book with Johnson in the . About the book A Musician’s Insight, a Daughter’s Reflections, and a New Perspective on the Legendary Conductor. Arturo Toscanini, widely considered the great est conductor of the modern age, remains a towering figure in the world of classical music. His explosive passions, dynamic music making, and legendary leadership continue to inspire and influence today’s musicians while still captivating new generations of enthusiastic fans as well. is an intimate, firsthand, behind-the-scenes portrait of the Maestro, told from the unique perspective of conductor and first violinist Samuel Antek, who was fortunate to play under Toscanini’s baton for seventeen years in the famed NBC Symphony Orchestra. In this expanded second edition, Samuel Antek’s reflections on playing with the Maestro gain sparkling new facets of insight from his daughter, Lucy Antek Johnson, as she enlightens readers with vivid recollections about her father and his most memorable musical partnership. With a foreword from acclaimed author and music historian Harvey Sachs and featuring Robert Hupka’s iconic photographs throughout, this shining new edition will bring back the wonder of Toscanini’s powerful style and his singular pursuit to make beautiful music. Lucy Antek Johnson, Samuel Antek’s daughter, was born and raised in New York City. After studying music, fine art, and ballet, she was drawn to the world of television production and spent her entire career in the entertainment industry, working with such producers as Martin Charnin, Harry Belafonte, David Susskind, and Roone Arledge. When she moved to Los Angeles in 1978, she produced movies for television, then joined the ranks of NBC as a network executive. She soon worked her way up to senior vice president of daytime and children’s programs for CBS, a position she held for fourteen years. Lucy and her husband, Bill Klein, live in Connecticut, where she has served on the Westport Library’s board of trustees and continues to work with the library on special programming projects. She paints, writes, and-every so often-gets up the nerve to sit at the piano and play a favorite Bach or Chopin prelude. Gretchen Yanover is a Seattle cellist who performs as a soloist on electric cello and looping pedal — a tool that changed her musical life and inspired her to improvise and compose — in addition to her acoustic cello performance and recording work. Yanover has performed for Earshot Jazz Festival and TEDx Seattle, has had compositions commissioned by Seattle Pacific University and University of Oregon, and has created music for and performed with LeVar Burton for LeVar Burton Reads live. She is a member of Northwest Sinfonietta orchestra and serves on their DEI task force. In addition to being the Town Hall Seattle 2021 Fall Artist-in-Residence, Yanover was the recipient of a Shunpike Artist residency. She has four solo albums to date. Buy the Book: Presented by . To become a member or make a donation . /episode/index/show/inthemoment/id/21733580

118. Ashley Jean Yeager with Dr. Anand Thirumalai: The Life of Astronomer Vera Rubin 12/20/2021

118. Ashley Jean Yeager with Dr. Anand Thirumalai: The Life of Astronomer Vera Rubin All the observable stuff of the universe — the stars, planets, and other bits of so-called “normal matter” that we can see with various instruments — make up less than 5% of the universe. What about all the other…stuff? The remainder, a mix of dark energy and dark matter, is undetectable by even the most powerful telescopes. The acceptance of the possible existence of dark matter and dark energy in the early 1980s signaled an astronomical revolution, one that wouldn’t have been possible without the work and findings of Astronomer Vera Rubin (1928–2016). In , author Ashley Jean Yeager explores the life and work of Vera Rubin as a woman scientist in the middle of the 20th century. In the 1960s, Rubin encountered widespread sexism and dismissal of her work; at the time, women were not even permitted to enter some American observatories, much less use the large telescopes housed there. Rubin herself couldn’t collect data until earning her Ph.D., and even then, her research wasn’t taken seriously. With perseverance, her work continued and ultimately showed that some astronomical objects seem to defy the grip of gravity, critical findings that lead to eventual acceptance that dark matter could exist. Where would we be without her? No doubt, fumbling around in the dark. , Dr. Anand Thirumalai and Yeager discuss Vera Rubin and her contributions to our understanding of the universe. Ashley Yeager is the associate news editor at Science News. Previously, she worked at The Scientist, where she was an associate editor for nearly three years. She has also worked as a freelance editor and writer, and as a writer at the Simons Foundation, Duke University, and the W.M. Keck Observatory. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a master’s degree in science writing from MIT. Anand Thirumalai, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of physics at DigiPen Institute of Technology. He is a computational astrophysicist and his research interests are in the late stages of stellar evolution. He has developed a model that helps explain the mass-loss process of certain late-type stars at the end of their lives. He also studies the structure of atoms in the strongest magnetic fields in the observable universe;, i.e, in compact objects. His research focuses on the development of fast and accurate computational quantum mechanical methods for atoms in intense magnetic fields. Buy the Book: from MIT Press. Support Town Hall Seattle's year-end campaign: Presented by . /episode/index/show/inthemoment/id/21551360

117. Dr. Nicole Piemonte with Steve Scher: Taking a Different Approach to Death and Dying 12/13/2021

117. Dr. Nicole Piemonte with Steve Scher: Taking a Different Approach to Death and Dying Humans navigate death in very different ways. Dying is a natural and inevitable part of the cycle of life; however, the process looks very different depending on geographic location, cultural traditions, access to and type of medical care, and myriad other factors. Dr. Nicole Piemonte argues that Western Medicine often views death as a medical failure or something biologically wrong that needs fixing. Is doing everything possible to “fix” death the correct approach, or might we start to look at death differently? Dr. Piemonte addresses this and other questions in her new book, — part of The MIT Press Essential Knowledge series. Somewhere along the way, has dying become a business? Does a cascade of medical interventions temporarily prevent death but ultimately prolong suffering? t, Dr. Piemonte joins Senior Correspondent Steve Scher to discuss how we might shift from an attitude focused on biological dysfunction to one that embraces personal values and respects the emotional realities of death. Nicole M. Piemonte, Ph.D., is the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and a faculty member in the Department of Medical Humanities at Creighton University School of Medicine, Phoenix Regional Campus. She also holds the Peekie Nash Carpenter Endowed Chair in Medicine at Creighton University. At Creighton, she designed and leads the medical humanities curriculum in the School of Medicine, and she also co-directs and teaches in the Masters of Medical Humanities program. In addition to Death and Dying, she is the author of  Afflicted: How Vulnerability Can Heal Medical Education and Practice, was published in January 2018 with The MIT Press. Steve Scher is a podcaster and interviewer and has been a teacher at the University of Washington since 2009. He worked in Seattle public radio for almost 30 years and is Senior Correspondent for Town Hall Seattle’s In The Moment podcast. Buy the Book: from The MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series Presented by . To become a member or make a donation . /episode/index/show/inthemoment/id/21470693

116. David Bosco with Steve Scher: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans 12/06/2021

Beasts of Seattle: Crows 11/24/2021

115. Britni de la Cretaz & Lyndsey D’Arcangelo with Maggie Mertens Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League 11/22/2021

115. Britni de la Cretaz & Lyndsey D’Arcangelo with Maggie Mertens Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League American football emerged in the last decades of the 19th century; today it is the most popular sport in the country, watched and played by millions of people — and at the professional level, generating billions of dollars in revenue — each year. While women’s involvement in football has grown in more recent years, it is historically a sport played almost exclusively by men. But in 1967, a Cleveland businessman had an idea to start an American football league for women. Was it a publicity stunt to garner attention and entertain folks, much in the vein of the Harlem Globetrotters? Or was it something more? In their book Hail Mary, authors Britni de la Cretaz & Lyndsey D’Arcangelo share the little-known story of the players behind the National Women’s Football League that had a brief but bright life in the early 1970s. Hail Mary introduces us to the hard-playing, passionate women athletes who comprised teams like the L.A. Dandelions and the Toledo Troopers, names that most of us have never heard before. , Maggie Mertens interviews de la Cretaz and D’Arcangelo about the players who transcended a gimmick with grit, tenacity, and pure athleticism. Britni de la Cretaz is a freelance writer who focuses on the intersection of sports and gender. They are the former sports columnist for Longreads and for Bitch Media. Their work has appeared in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, espnW, Vogue, The Washington Post, Teen Vogue, The Ringer, Bleacher Report, The Atlantic, and more. Their work on racism in Boston sports media received the 2017 Nellie Bly Award for Investigative Journalism from the Transformative Culture Project, and that story was also a Notable Story in the 2018 Best American Sports Writing. Their writing on the queer history of women’s baseball for Narratively was nominated for a prestigious baseball writing award, the 2019 SABR Analytics Research Award. Lyndsey D’Arcangelo writes about women’s college basketball and the WNBA forThe Athletic. Her articles, columns, and profiles on female/LGBTQ+ athletes have previously appeared in The Ringer, Deadspin, espnW/ESPN, TeenVogue, The Buffalo News, The Huffington Post, NBC OUT, and more. She received a Notable Mention in the 2018 Best American Sports Writing anthology for her story, “My Father, Trump and The Buffalo Bills.” Maggie Mertens is a writer, journalist, and editor located in Seattle. Her essays and reporting have appeared in The Atlantic, NPR, ESPNw, The Guardian, Deadspin, VICE, Glamour, and others. Her work has been anthologized in Women and Sports in the United States, and is forthcoming in The Year’s Best Sportswriting 2021. She edits and writes a regular column on sports and gender for The South Seattle Emerald. Buy the Book— from Bold Type Books Presented by . To become a member or make a donation . /episode/index/show/inthemoment/id/21218261

114. Tina Campt with Elisheba Johnson: Contemporary Black artists who are changing the way we see 11/15/2021

114. Tina Campt with Elisheba Johnson: Contemporary Black artists who are changing the way we see Visual art holds the extraordinary power to connect the dots between ideas or emotions, the person thinking or feeling them, and the outside viewer; but how might the viewer go beyond simply looking to experiencing art, in all its joys and especially in its challenges and discomforts? , Elisheba Johnson interviews Tina Campt about her latest book,. In the book, Campt explores the work of eight contemporary Black artists who are shifting the nature of visual interactions with art and demanding that Blackness be seen anew. She considers, “Rather than looking at Black people, rather than simply multiplying the representation of Black folks, what would it mean to see oneself through the complex positionality that is Blackness — and work through its implications on and for oneself?” The featured artists’ work includes the portraiture of Deana Lawson, the video of Arthur Jafa, the film of Khalil Joseph, the photography of Dawoud Bey, and the multimedia practices of Okwui Okpokwasili, Simone Leigh, and Luke Willis Thompson. Through their work, Campt discusses how seeing — especially seeing Blackness — cannot be the passive act of simply looking; it must be actively felt with, through, and alongside the experiences of the Black artist. Tina M. Campt, a Black feminist theorist of visual culture and contemporary art, is Owen F. Walker Professor of Humanities and Modern Culture and Media at Brown University and a Research Associate at the VIAD (Visual Identities in Art and Design Research Centre) at the University of Johannesburg. She is the author of Image Matters: Archive, Photography, and the African Diaspora in Europe, Listening to Images, and other books. Elisheba Johnson Elisheba Johnson is a multimedia artist, curator, and organizer based in Seattle. Along with her father, Charles Johnson, she created the young adult science-fiction series, The Adventures of Emery Jones, Boy Science Wonder. She is also one of the co-founders of a Black arts center in Seattle’s Central District that uses art to fight displacement. Buy the Book: Presented by . To become a member or make a donation . /episode/index/show/inthemoment/id/21173087

Beasts of Seattle: Bigfoot 11/10/2021

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