With Good Reason

“Where Did You Come From?” is the title of the first track on Suz Slezak’s upcoming collection of lullabies Watching the Nighttime Come. Slezak and David Wax, both members of Mexo-Americana band David Wax Museum, perform live in the studio—and share some challenges and triumphs of taking their baby on the road. And: In their new book Balancing the Big Stuff: Finding Happiness in Work, Family and Life, Miriam Liss and Holly Schiffrin find that “having it all” isn’t a matter of having more, but achieving a balance in life. They dissect the myths of helicopter parenting and gender issues to give concrete steps toward reaching harmony among our roles in life. Later in the show: With the success of TV shows like Modern Family and Parenthood, it’s clear that the way Americans think of family is starting to change. Yet Linda Seligmann says for trans-racial and trans-national adoptions there are still many cultural barriers. And: Carmen Balogh talks about what it was like growing up in a blended family. Plus: Forgiving others is hard, but forgiving ourselves is harder. Everett Worthington learned this painful lesson after his brother committed suicide in 2005. One of the country’s foremost experts in the study of forgiveness, Worthington tackles the subject in his upcoming book Moving Forward: Six Steps to Forgiving Yourself and Breaking Free from the Past.

What are the biggest challenges facing American society today? And how can we solve them? Bro Adams, the new chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, says that science and technology can’t solve those challenges—but the humanities can. Plus: Most of us know the history of the battle at Gettysburg, but Jennifer Murray tells the story of what happened to the battlefield after the fighting stopped. Later in the show: The author of a book about Herbert Huncke says his unrepentant deviance caught the imagination of Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs. Hilary Holladay writes that Huncke (rhymes with “junky”) often said, “I’m beat, man.” His line gave Kerouac the label for a generation seeking spiritual sustenance and “kicks” in post-war America. Also featured: During the late 1960s, poet Allen Ginsberg bought a farm in New York to serve as “a haven for comrades in distress.” Gordon Ball, who was the farm manager, has written a book about his experience, East Hill Farm: Seasons with Allen Ginsberg.

Since the first case of AIDS was reported in the United States more than 30 years ago, prevention programs have been successful at curbing the number of new cases of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. But those programs are often aimed at young people. Psychologist John Fife (Virginia State University) is working to address what he says is a critical need for HIV interventions that target older Americans, specifically older African Americans. He says religious organizations play a key role. And: Cataracts cause decades of blindness for millions of people, and there aren’t enough surgeons trained in the five-minute procedure to remove them. Glenn Strauss (Help Me See) is working with engineers to design a virtual simulator that will train 30,000 specialists in the surgery in an effort to give developing countries access to the life-changing operation. Later in the show: Today when we vote, we enter a private space, secretly make our choice, and go about our day. Don Debats (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Fellow) explains that early voting wasn’t just public; it was a raucous, drunken community festival. Plus: It’s hard to find a smile in a 19th century photograph—instead, you’ll see stern faces and stiff poses. Historian Richard Straw (Radford University) tells the story of one early photographer who broke the formal rules and took candid shots instead.

Most of the chestnuts roasting on open fires this winter are from Europe or Asia, not America. In the early 1900s, American chestnut trees from Maine to Georgia were largely wiped out by blight. Heather Griscom (James Madison University) is helping to restore American chestnut trees and joins us for a sampling of holiday chestnut treats. Plus: What’s Christmas without a little organ music? With Good Reason producer Kelley Libby visits one of the oldest working organs in America and brings us a private recital by Tom Marshall (William and Mary). Later in the show: Whether it’s a traditional hymn or a holiday song from our childhood, many people say Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without the music that marks this season. The sense of joy, comfort, or spiritual uplift comes in all kinds of music at this time of year. From a Charlie Brown Christmas to Donny Hathaway and carols from the 15th century, Inman Majors (James Madison University), Hermine Pinson (College of William and Mary), and Rob Vaughan (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities) share their favorite holiday music and memories.

Nights are getting brighter and most of us no longer experience true darkness. Paul Bogard (James Madison University), author of The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in the Age of Artificial Light, says the lack of darkness at night is affecting our physical, mental, and spiritual health. And: Centuries ago, nighttime was a scary and dangerous time. A moonless evening could be filled with perils. In his book, At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past, historian Roger Ekirch (Virginia Tech) sheds light on how pre-Industrial Revolution farmers, tradesmen, and laborers spent their nights. Later in the show: When women compare themselves to other people, they actually lose IQ points. Read Montague (Virginia Tech) completed a study that suggests being in groups can temporarily lower our IQ. Plus: Classical guitar music was a constant in the Renaissance and Baroque eras of England, France, and Italy. Music professor and guitarist Tim Olbrych (The College of William and Mary) offers a brief history of this instrument and plays selections from his CD, 500 Years of the Spanish Guitar.

The spice turmeric may be the spice of life. Aarthi Narayanan (George Mason University) is studying the power of curcumin, a molecule found in turmeric, in stopping the spread of potentially deadly viruses. Narayanan grew up in India, where turmeric has long been used to treat illness and inflammation. Also: A new method of fighting melanoma using electric pulses is proving effective on cancer patients in a trial at the University of South Florida. Richard Heller (Old Dominion University) pioneered the cancer killing treatment. And: Sleep apnea can interfere with the rehabilitation of heart patients, but often the patients don’t realize they have sleep apnea. Adrian Aron (Radford University) has helped devise a simple diagnostic test. Later in the show: In the 1970s, only 3% of patients with pancreatic cancer survived for five years. Today the fatality rates are still high. Todd Bauer and Kimberly Kelley (University of Virginia) hope to begin clinical trials that would allow earlier detection of the cancer, and increase survival rates. Also featured: Latinos share an increased incidence of diabetes. Some, like Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor, have learned to live well with the disease. Exercise physiologist Sheri Colberg-Ochs (Old Dominion University) focuses on this unique segment of the population in her latest book on diabetes Diabetes? No Problema! A Latino’s Guide to Living Well with Diabetes.

January 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the first publication of Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Andrew Kaufman’s (University of Virginia) book Give War and Peace a Chance: Tolstoyan Wisdom for Troubled Times says that Tolstoy’s masterpiece is more relevant to readers now than ever. Plus: Gone With the Wind, The Patriot, Born on the Fourth of July—some of America’s most important historical moments have been shown through film. Historian Jeffrey McClurken (University of Mary Washington) says while these movies often get the facts wrong, there’s history to be learned from the way the stories are told. Later in the show: This Christmas, you might be having some bourbon in your eggnog or a hot buttered rum or two, but biologist Lytton Musselman (Old Dominion University) is making his own cordials and spirits from wild roots, berries, and mushrooms. Musselman says he loves the distinct differences in flavor each plant (or fungus) brings to the liquor because, he says, “we are reminded of the glens, marshes, prairies, lakes, and forests where they live, who they hang out with, and their seasons of life.” Also featured: Delores Phillips (Old Dominion University) researches how multicultural families deal with holiday foods that will be on the table at this time of year. She speaks from personal experience as an African American married into a Vietnamese-American family with in-laws from both cultures.

More than 30 people who spent the last three years immersed in thousands of letters written by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Abigail Adams, and James Madison, are experiencing a sense of loss and sorrow now that the massive project to proofread the letters and make them available online has come to a close. Join us as Bill Kissell, Donna Carty, and Dena Radley share favorite letters that reveal the fascinating inner lives of the founders. Also: Project Director Sue Perdue (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities) and Kathleen Williams (National Historical Publications and Records Commission at the National Archives) describe the scope of this remarkable project of the National Archives called Founders Online. Later in the show: In the age of Facebook, “friend” is now a verb. Dylan Wittkower (Old Dominion University) says the concept of friendship has changed with the advent of social media, but sites like Facebook can expand the ties between people. Also featured: From Al Qaida to Timothy McVeigh, many terrorists are influenced by the radical apocalyptic idea of bringing on “the end of days.” Frances Flannery (James Madison University) argues that we need to think about long-term solutions which involve a kind of “cultural counter-terrorism.”

In May of 2012, Harvard and MIT announced a partnership to provide free courses to anyone, anywhere, sparking an intense debate about the future of a bricks and mortar education. With Good Reason shares highlights from University of Mary Washington’s Open and Digital Learning Resources Conference, sponsored by the State Council for Higher Education, including a panel moderated by Jeffrey McClurken (University of Mary Washington) where experts weighed in on the future of higher education. Also featured: Gardner Campbell (Virginia Commonwealth University) argues that the pursuit of wisdom should be the teaching aim in all higher education. Colleen Taylor (Virginia State University, John Tyler Community College) is seeing improvements among her chemistry students after adopting the so-called “flipped classroom,” where students watch her recorded lectures online and reserve classroom time for working on problems together in groups. Plus: We’ll talk with author Ron Berler, who spent a year inside an elementary school deemed “failing” by No Child Left Behind. His experience is chronicled in his book Raising the Curve: A Year Inside One of America’s 45,000 Failing Public Schools.

Gathered around the Thanksgiving table, Americans tell stories about colonists and Native Americans coming together. But do Native Americans even celebrate Thanksgiving? And what would Native American heritage food look like? This November, With Good Reason takes a look at the indigenous side of a Thanksgiving table. Karenne Wood (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities) talks about how Native Americans celebrate the holiday. Plus: Minnesota Chef Sean Sherman (the Sioux Chef) gives us a taste of pre-contact American Indian cuisine. And: We take a look at the complicated history of the most well-known reservation food, fry-bread. TraditionalThanksgivingLater in the show: An oldie but goodie from our archives… With Good Reason invites you to a traditional Thanksgiving meal, but nearly everything on the table is grown, made, or brewed within 100 miles of our studios in Charlottesville, Virginia. The dinner host, Tim Beatley (University of Virginia), introduced the 100-mile Thanksgiving idea to his students after reading The 100-mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating. About 95 miles east, in Petersburg, Reza Rafie and Chris Mullins (Virginia State University) train farmers to use greenhouse-like structures called High Tunnels to grow high-profit margin berries and other exotic fruits and vegetables year-round. Sixty miles west, Maria Papadakis (James Madison University) visits an energy-efficient turkey farm in the Shenandoah Valley to showcase ways farmers can save money while doing their part to conserve natural resources.

Fears of an Ebola outbreak in the U.S. have mostly subsided, but in some parts of West Africa, the epidemic is growing faster than ever. Jim Hentz (Virginia Military Institute) studies the nature of war in Africa and says the spread of Ebola in countries like Sierra Leone and Liberia mirrors that of conflict in the region. Plus: Dr. William Petri is Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases & International Health at the University of Virginia. He’s studied diseases in the developing world and shares his expertise on the spread of Ebola. And: Public relations crises are nothing new. Lynn Zoch (Radford University), a national name in the field of PR, gives us a look at the history of the industry in the 20th century—from Rockefeller’s handling of the Ludlow Massacre in his Colorado mines to the 1929 campaign for women to smoke “Torches of Freedom.” Later in the show: Feminists tend to be thought of as “anti-motherhood.” But psychologist (and mom) Miriam Liss (University of Mary Washington) says feminists are actually more likely than non-feminists to be intense mothers who practice parenting techniques like co-sleeping, breastfeeding, and carrying a child in a body sling. Also featured: To some, being funny at work might seem counterproductive. But John Morreall (College of William and Mary), past president of the International Society for Humor Studies, says many industries, including health care, have begun to appreciate the benefits of humor in the workplace.

Join us for a sampler of Norfolk State University’s 1619:The Making of America conference, including the myths and truths behind the lives of two native women—Pocahontas and Tituba—by Page Laws (Norfolk State University), a brief history of human slavery by Paul Finkelman (University of Pennsylvania), and three remarkable enslaved women in Canada who fought back by Maureen Elgersman Lee (Hampton University). Later in the show: The story of Pocahontas has been told and retold for 400 years, from Captain John Smith’s early letters, to director Terrence Malick’s film, The New World. In a lively discussion, historians Helen Rountree (Old Dominion University) and Camilla Townsend (Colgate University) demystify the legend of Pocahontas and, in doing so, paint an engrossing picture of Indian life in the early 1600s.

In 1853, Eyre Crowe, a British artist, visited a slave auction in Richmond, Virginia. His painting of the scene was later exhibited at the Royal Gallery in London in 1861. In her new book Slaves Waiting for Sale: Abolitionist Art and the American Slave Trade, Maurie McInnis (University of Virginia) describes the impact this pivotal painting had on the British Public at the outbreak of the American Civil War. Greg Kimball (Library of Virginia) talks about a new exhibition of art dealing with the American slave trade. Also: Jonathan White (Christopher Newport University) says many Union soldiers were not for re-election of Abraham Lincoln in 1864, and were in fact pressured to vote for him. Later in the show: 1619 was the year the first Africans arrived on the North American continent. There were at least 20 of them and they came as slaves from Angola. But what’s often overlooked is the culture they brought with them. Many were Christians with European names like Jean Pedro and Angela, and some came from cities. Scholars Linda Heywood and John Thornton recently discussed the lives of these first Africans at Norfolk State University’s 1619: The Making of America conference. Also featured: When we think of colonial American essayists, New Englanders like Cotton Mather and Ben Franklin come to mind. But recently discovered essays by an anonymous writer who called himself “The Humourist” are now being hailed as some of the best in America’s colonial period. Brent Kendrick (Lord Fairfax Community College) *thinks he’s discovered the real identity of their author.

“Duping Delight” and Who’s Likely to Lie? (October 25, 2014) People who get a kick out of lying are said to have “duping delight.” Randy Boyle (Longwood University) studies human deception at the Longwood Center for Cyber Security. He has devised a questionnaire that measures a person’s propensity to lie. Also: Each year there are many food recall or contamination alerts, but not everyone heeds the warnings. Christopher Brady (Virginia State University) looks at the psychological factors that determine which of us will act on the alerts. And: A researcher (Andrew Neilson, Virginia Tech) has found that certain flavanols in cocoa can reduce weight gain. His study identified one particular compound in cocoa prevented laboratory mice from gaining excess weight when fed a high-fat diet. Later in the show: The trade in human beings—for sex and labor—is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world today, and it’s happening just below the surface of our everyday lives. Author Corban Addison (University of Virginia Law School 2004) confronts human trafficking in his novel A Walk Across the Sun. Also featured: Since World War II, the American “H2” program has brought hundreds of thousands of Jamaican men to the United States to do difficult and dangerous work for some of the nation’s largest agricultural corporations. Cindy Hahamovitch (College of William and Mary) tells the story of these workers in her book No Man’s Land.

Horror in the Hills (October 18, 2014) Early struggles between Native Americans and the U.S. government centered on gold claims. But Jaime Allison (Christopher Newport University) says the tension now centers on the new black gold-coal. Plus: Emily Satterwhite (Virginia Tech) talks about two very different images of Appalachia: the pastoral, small towns of literature and the often violent cannibals of horror films. And: In the mid-90s, Latino immigrants started to migrate to smaller towns in the South. Barbara Ellen Smith (Virginia Tech) says the new Appalachia includes chicken enchiladas and tamales. Later in the show: Great American composer Aaron Copland wrote the opera The Tender Land after seeing the Depression-era photographs of Walker Evans in Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. In this show from our archives, With Good Reason visits Southwest Virginia for a 2012 performance of that famous work under the direction of Dr. David Volk and Amber Burke (University of Virginia's College at Wise). Also featured: Weldon Hill (Virginia State University) is a jazz pianist who has played with some of the greats in the field. He takes us on a musical tour of his own music and also plays recordings of some of the giants of jazz piano like Oscar Peterson and Nat King Cole, discussing the influence they had on American jazz.