With Good Reason

During the holiday season, it feels like more and more consumers are skipping the department stores and opting for handcrafted goods instead. Ben Brewer (James Madison University) says this current “third wave” craft renaissance we’re experiencing is tied to politics. And: We visit mOb, an innovative design studio at Virginia Commonwealth University, where students in the disciplines of Graphic Design, Fashion Design, and Interior Design come together to solve design problems in the city of Richmond. Also: We stop in at the Virginia Center for the Book, where Kristin Keimu Adolfson is printing a collaborative book called Bird Talk using an antique Vandercook printing press. Plus: Craft brewer Gabe Mixon (Blue Ridge Community College in Flatrock, NC) shares a lesson in making beer. Later in the show: Chef and food activist Alice Waters argues that every child in America should be fed free, organic food at schools. Waters speaks candidly about her life before she opened Chez Panisse, her seminal farm-to-table restaurant in Berkeley, California.

During the holiday season, it feels like more and more consumers are skipping the department stores and opting for handcrafted goods instead. Ben Brewer (James Madison University) says this current “third wave” craft renaissance we’re experiencing is tied to politics. And: We visit mOb, an innovative design studio at Virginia Commonwealth University, where students in the disciplines of Graphic Design, Fashion Design, and Interior Design come together to solve design problems in the city of Richmond. Also: We stop in at the Virginia Center for the Book, where Kristin Keimu Adolfson is printing a collaborative book called Bird Talk using an antique Vandercook printing press. Plus: Craft brewer Gabe Mixon (Blue Ridge Community College in Flatrock, NC) shares a lesson in making beer. Later in the show: Chef and food activist Alice Waters argues that every child in America should be fed free, organic food at schools. Waters speaks candidly about her life before she opened Chez Panisse, her seminal farm-to-table restaurant in Berkeley, California.

Dr. Rochanda Mitchell is an expert in fetal medicine. She’s also a black woman pregnant with her first child who understands all too well that even highly education African American women are three and a half times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. She tells us the steps she's taking to protect her life.

Jalane Schmidt (University of Virginia) recently brought a group of Virginia teachers to see Charlottesville’s tiny monument to its enslaved residents. One teacher had a startling personal revelation at that site. And: Elgin Cleckley (University of Virginia) is an architect who studies empathy. He says redesigning public space can help heal racial wounds. Plus: Danville, Virginia was once a Confederate capital. Now, teams of citizens are working together to tell the story of a different Danville: a city that hosted Martin Luther King Jr. and Thurgood Marshall, a city where brave teenagers forced the public library to integrate, and where opportunity for all is on the rise. Karise Luck-Brimmer (History United) recently took students and teachers from Averett University on an eye-opening tour of African American Danville. Later in the show: In this intimate conversation, Chioke I’Anson (Virginia Commonwealth University) and producer Kelley Libby (UnMonumental) share their thoughts on Confederate statues and compare experiences growing up of different races in the deep South.

A yellow-eyed witch who sucks the life from unknowing strangers; fish-obsessed ghosts who lure lone men to a watery death; and ghosts who call out in the voice of a loved-one, sealing a murderous fate. Suchitra Samanta (Virginia Tech) says Bengali culture is filled with stories like these of ghostly women who wield supernatural powers after death. And: Horror films often mirror the anxieties and concerns of the times they were produced in. For example, the “creature films’ of the 50’s mirrored the fears of the post-atomic age. Todd Platts (Piedmont Virginia Community College) says the latest box office horror films like “Get Out” and “It” are a reflection of the political climate of the Trump presidency. Plus: When you think about theater, you might think of Shakespeare or Hamilton--but what about a haunted house? This year, theater professor Ben Mays (University of Virginia College at Wise) is working with his students to build an elaborate haunted house for their community, including all of the set design, costumes, and storytelling of a good stage performance. Later in the show: Despite what many people believe, fall leaf color is remarkably consistent every year. Dendrologist John Seiler (Virginia Tech) has been studying fall leaf color for decades. Also: biologist Dan Cristol (William & Mary) says mercury pollution in waterways is not only bad for fish-eating birds, but for songbirds as well, who are absorbing the toxin through the spiders they eat.

The most important architectural thinker of the young American republic was Thomas Jefferson. He also held captive more than 600 enslaved men, women, and children in his lifetime. Architects Mabel O. Wilson (Columbia University) and Louis Nelson (University of Virginia) discuss Jefferson’s conflicting ideals. Also featured: Erik Neil (Chrysler Museum of Art) takes us through the new Chrysler exhibit that explores the inherent conflict between Jefferson’s pursuit of liberty and democracy and his use of enslaved laborers to construct his monuments. Later in the show: Phillip Herrington (James Madison University) says the white-columned plantation house is one of the most enduring and divisive icons of American architecture. Also: The history of segregation is not just in our architecture, but in other public arts. John Ott (James Madison University) is studying how artists in the early 20th century represented integration in their works, particularly in public murals and sculptures.

What is a Hogzilla Chuck Norris Duck Ape? It’s the creation of a special education class in St. Louis and winner of the 2014 Global Monster Project. Terry Smith (Radford University) explains how creating monsters can help kids learn and grow. Plus: After a viral video raised new concerns about how teachers should be disciplining young children Kevin Sutherland (Virginia Commonwealth University) talks about training teachers to address bad behavior before it happens, not after. And: Rhonda Brock-Servais (Longwood University) says that gothic or horror literature for young kids is more popular than ever. She explores why and shares some of her favorites.

From all-African American sports teams to pioneering black opera singer Camilla Williams, many people thrived while living parallel lives during segregation.

Blown glass is one of the most beautiful and versatile mediums in art. Today, the art of glass blowing may involve up to date technology, but the essence of working with glass remains an ancient art. Jutta Page is an internationally acclaimed glass curator and the executive director of the Barry Art Museum at Old Dominion University. And: 3D printmaking gets a lot of attention these days as technology advances. But UVA Wise art professor Ray Stratton has been a 3d printmaker his entire career--and it doesn’t involve a fancy printer. Later in the show: Sam Blanchard (Virginia Tech) is a digital artist who uses technology to interweave everyday objects into extended metaphors of experience. He says his relationship between his art and his life flows through stages of inspiration, anticipation, and frustration. Also: Artist Marcia Neblett (Norfolk State University) talks about the physically intense process of woodblock printmaking and how she finds inspiration in fairy tales.

Imagine if Beyonce had a secret recording of her singing Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton, from before they were both famous. It would be epic! Music professor Brooks Kuykendall (University of Mary Washington) has worked with a graduate student to uncover the epic musical crossover of the 19th century--a John Philip Sousa arrangement of Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore. And: Stephen Vitiello (Virginia Commonwealth University) works with some unusual musicians: insects! Along with his collaborator, University of St. Louis biologist Kasey Fowler-Finn, Vitiello makes sound art out of the calls of insects, bringing these tiny songs to big galleries. And: Greg Howard (University of Virginia) remembers his friend Paul Koors, a physician and gifted songwriter, by encouraging others to play the songs that Koors left behind. Later in the show: In 2013, Caroline Shaw’s composition “Partita for 8 Voices” made her the youngest recipient ever of the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Today, Shaw’s compositions range from traditional quartets and solo piano pieces to a cappella and hip-hop collaborations.

The best defense against conspiracy theories and fake news is robust journalism--but only if people trust their sources. Mallory Perryman (Virginia Commonwealth University) studies why people distrust their news sources and what we should do to change their minds. And: Why do people believe weird things? That’s what Jason Hart (Christopher Newport University) wants to find out. He delves into the psychology behind ghost encounters, anti-vaccine hoaxes, conspiracy theories, and more. Later in the show: Lieutenant General George Crocker says that when he was first introduced to Rick Atkinson he was told, “If you like the truth, you’ll love Rick.” Over his long career as a journalist and historian, Atkinson has won three Pulitzer Prizes for works that he has written and edited. As part of the Pulitzer Centennial Campfire Initiative, we honor Rick Atkinson’s career, from Vietnam Veterans, WWII, and the Persian Gulf War to DC police shootings and the War in Iraq.

On Sept. 27th and 28th, the most notable poets of our time will gather in the nation’s capital to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Furious Flower Poetry Center, the first academic center devoted to African American poetry in the United States. The founder of Furious Flower, Joanne Gabbin (James Madison University), along with Lauren Alleyne (James Madison University) join us in studio to celebrate this anniversary and hear the voices of Furious Flower poets like Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Rita Dove and others who have appeared on With Good Reason. Later in the show: Widely known for his poetry about the Vietnam War, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa’s writing has also explored themes of home, black resilience, and jazz and blues music. Komunyakaa was a guest of honor at a week-long seminar at James Madison University’s Furious Flower Poetry Center, called “Facing It,” titled after his most famous poem. And the recent book, Sargent’s Women tells the fascinating stories behind four of John Sargent’s portraits. From English manor houses to New Hampshire artist colonies, Donna M. Lucey (Virginia Humanities) ushers us into the scandalous and heartbreaking lives of Gilded Age high society.

In late August 1619, twenty or more enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia at what’s now called Fort Monroe. They were the first Africans documented in British North America. We speak with Terry Brown, Fort Monroe’s park superintendent about how the park--and America--are commemorating their arrival. We hear from the Tuckers, the descendants of the very first African-American baby, and learn about their work to uncover the stories of their ancestors. Hear more from the Tuckers on our sister show, BackStory. Poet Synnika Lofton (Norfolk State University) reflects on 1619 and shares how he channels his political thoughts into art. When Ana Edwards (Virginia Commonwealth University) first heard the story of Gabriel, an enslaved blacksmith who attempted a rebellion in Richmond, Virginia, she knew she needed to share it. She explains how new efforts to commemorate the lives and rebellions of enslaved Virginians in this Confederate capital are reshaping Richmond today. Richmond poet Joshua Poteat shares how he has been inspired by Gabriel’s story.

In the early 19th century, Americans began to journey away from home simply for the sake of traveling. Will Mackintosh(University of Mary Washington) is the author of a new book Selling the Sights: The Invention of the Tourist in American Culture. And: In the past couple of decades, a lot has changed for rural American tourism. Nancy McGehee (Virginia Tech) says that from public artworks to popular foodie trails, small towns and rural areas are finding ways to enrich their communities through tourism. Plus: City-dwellers escape to national and state parks for the beautiful sights and the fresh air. Chris Zajchowski (Old Dominion University) says that, unfortunately, when those tourists travel for clean air, they bring polluted air with them. Later in the show: Within seconds of hearing someone speak, we make judgments about that person and their background, just based on their accent. Linguistics professor Steven Weinberger (George Mason University) explains how and when we develop accents and how these accents affect our identity. Also: Written in early English, Geoffrey Chaucer’s fourteenth century writings may seem impenetrable, with strange pronunciation and incomprehensible phrases. English professor Alan Baragona (James Madison University) says the best way to approach Chaucer is to read it out loud and hear the musicality of the words.

Dr. Fern Hauck (University of Virginia Medical System) and Farah Ibrahim (CHIP) work to connect refugees and asylum seekers with high-quality healthcare, no matter what language they speak or what trauma they’ve suffered. Al Fuertes (George Mason University) is also dedicated to improving outcomes for refugees and displaced peoples. He draws on his personal experience growing up under martial law to inform his transformative approach to healing. Later in the show: In Border Odyssey Charles Thompson Jr. (Virginia Humanities) tells the story of his journey from a small organic farm in North Carolina to the nearly 2,000 mile long border between the United States and Mexico. And: Gregory Smithers (Virginia Commonwealth University) describes the Cherokee evolution from one community into a people of multiple communities in his book, The Cherokee Diaspora: An Indigenous History of Migration, Resettlement and Identity.