Growing Up Poor in Rural America
Sarah Smarsh is a journalist and author who grew up poor on a farm in Kansas. She discusses life in rural America, how our culture treats people living in poverty, and the causes she attributes to America’s wage gap.
Maximizing Your Charity Donation’s Impact (2018)
Everyone has different causes that are close to their hearts. We talk to a philanthropy specialist about how we can donate to those causes and ensure that our contribution makes the biggest impact possible.
Author Jack London’s Writings and Social Activism
We discover how Jack London’s own journey informed his writing, and how his books reflect the plight of exploited workers and impoverished women and children.
Education in Somaliland
Jonathan Starr talks about his journey from Wall Street money manager to Somaliland school runner and how he and his school and changing lives where it matters most.
Uniquely Jazz: Sheila Jordan (2017)
With “La La Land” tapping into theaters and a strong contender for this year’s Oscars, we wanted to re-visit one of the quintessential American art forms: jazz.
Closing the Wage Gap
We’re joined by two experts who agree that closing the wage gap should be a priority, but who have very different takes on how that can be achieved.
Servitude and Salvation for Intellectually-Challenged Men (2016)
New York Times reporter Dan Barry discusses his latest book about a tragic situation in 1974 where mentally challenged men were pressed into servitude.
Philanthropy: Finding a fit, making an impact (2016)
We talk to a philanthropy specialist about how to give wisely and make sure your money is used in the way you intend.
Financial Anxiety: What it is and how to alleviate it
A new survey shows that many Americans are suffering from “financial anxiety” and it’s affecting their health and happiness.
Wage Inequality: Why We Have It and How to Narrow It
It’s campaign season, and we’re hearing from politicians about the wage gap between the top 1% of earners in this country and the rest of us. What is the gap? When did it begin to develop and why? And what can we do to narrow it? Our guests offer their opinions on the subject and some solutions.
Jack London: Adventure Author and Social Activist (2015)
Author Jack London is known for his stories of adventure in the Klondike, the Yukon and other far-away places. Our guest, however, says these stories also reflect his desire to bring the plight of poor and exploited workers to the public’s attention. We’ll hear how London’s hardscrabble youth and physically demanding jobs informed his writing, and find out …
Making It in an Unfair Economy: The sociological impact of long-term unemployment
Although unemployment is down across the nation, there are still pockets of workers who have been unemployed for years, with no hope of ever finding a good job. Our guest researched the sociological effects of long-term unemployment on out-of-work autoworkers in Michigan, and found out that the hurt, humiliation and family problems that unemployment brings …
Jazz Child: The Life and Music of Sheila Jordan (2015)
Jazz is the quintessential American music genre, and nobody sings it better than Sheila Jordan. We talk to Jordan and her biographer about Jordan’s rise from poverty to her career singing with some of the most famous jazz musicians of the 20th century, the racism that jazz musicians – both black and white – experienced, and the need to preserve this music …
