The Well

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Major David Hughes serves as Chief of Professional Standards at the Newport News Sheriff’s Office in Virginia. After nearly falling victim to his own local police culture, and then spending years considering its systemic issues, Major Hughes simply was not willing to keep silent after the killing of George Floyd. He sat down and penned a stunning op-ed for the New York Times entitled, “I’m a Black Police Officer. Here’s How to Change the System.” After we read it, we knew we had to speak to him.

You can find Major Hughes’ op-ed here.

Reverend Freakchild‘s cover of Blind Lemon Jefferson‘s “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” is provided courtesy of KBOO Community Radio in Portland, Oregon via a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives International 4.0 licence. For more information about KBOO you can visit their website here.

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LeVar Burton is an actor, producer, director, writer, podcaster, and education advocate. In this segment of WHATRYADOIN’, LeVar shares with us his thoughts on representation in fiction, his memories of his friend and fellow advocate Fred Rogers, and why the Holodeck will one day be realized.

For more information about LeVar and everything he’s doing, check out his website here.

Links to all the authors LeVar mentions in this segment:

Octavia Butler

Samuel R. Delaney

Nnedi Okorafor – Her Binti Series can be found here.

Ken Liu

Lesley Nneka Arimah

Cat Rambo

Amal El-Mohtar

Isaac Asimov – you can find his Foundation Trilogy here.

Extra music for this episode was provided by The Twin Atlas under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-a-Like 3.0 United States License. You can find out more about them and their music at their official website.

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In the wake of murder of George Floyd, and the national outcry that has followed, Branan and Anson discuss the importance of listening and taking accountability. Yes, this is two white guys trying, very clumsily, to talk about racial justice in our nation. We ask for your patience because this is, embarrassingly, a little new for us.

The documentary about James Baldwin entitled “I Am Not Your Negro” is currently streaming on Netflix and Youtube. Here is the official trailer.

You can stream the documentary series “Eyes On the Prize” for free on the Facing History & Ourselves website. It is also available on Youtube, with the first episode here.

Nikole Hannah-Jones’ amazing “1619” podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and on Stitcher, as well as the WNYC website.

The Pulitzer Prize winning “Uncivil” podcast featuring Wellpod guest Jack Hitt and Chenjerai Kumanyika can be found on all podcast platforms as well as the Gimlet Media website.

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American author and journalist Jack Hitt returns for part 2 to speculate upon a post-corona world. Topics include how what we hoard says about us, how nature is enjoying a quiet respite from us noisy humans, what is an essential worker, the end of cruising and the return of outdoor theater. 

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Jack Hitt is an American author. He is a contributing editor to Harper’s, The New York Times Magazine, and This American Life. In this episode Jack sits down with Anson and Branan to look into their crystal balls and speculate upon what a post-corona world may look like, Jack suggests a John Prine song as our new national anthem and Branan is attacked by an animal on air!

Mentioned in this episode:
– A tale of a theatrical production gone horribly wrong, FIASCO!:https://www.thisamericanlife.org/510/fiasco-2013
– The story of the  remote island of Nauru’s involvement in the bankrupting of the Russian economy, global terrorism, and the late 1980s theatrical flop of a London musical based on the life of Leonardo da Vinci called Leonardo, A Portrait of Love. (30 minutes): No Island is an Islandhttps://www.thisamericanlife.org/253/the-middle-of-nowhere/act-one-0
– Jack’s Peabody award-winning podcast, Uncivil:  the time our divisions turned into a war, and bring you stories left out of the official history.https://gimletmedia.com/shows/uncivil

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David Waddell is CEO and Chief Investment Strategist for Waddell & Associates. He also plays a mean guitar and has a knack for distilling the complex maze that is our national economy down to an easily digestible form. Which is a good thing given that Anson was a theater major and Branan studied “Fine Arts”. Dave also explains what he learned about the Chinese economy while spending a year living in Hong Kong, and how robots are now controlling a surprising amount of trade. Yes. Robots.

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Jonathan Meiburg (from TWP004 and TWP005) returns as our first ever return guest. We check in with Jonathan who is staying very productive under lockdown producing two albums for his two bands SHEARWATER and LOMA while editing his first book about the evolution of his favorite South American raptor – the striated caracara. Among other topics discussed: The unsung role of the Antarctic in evolution, working with a legend in modern music, the comfort and nostalgia of a ring tone, and what Texas pastime he shares with George W. Bush. 

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Actor Ryan Robbins tells us what it’s like to battle COVID-19 and why we need to take this seriously.

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We’ve all probably heard one or two good country music stories. Well, Brad Paisley is about to raise the bar.

For more information on Brad’s music, charities and everything else, check out his website.

For more information on Lou Barlow’s music and adventures, make sure to check out his highly entertaining website.

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In our new segment, we’re calling folks to see what they’re doing to stay creative during the coronavirus lockdown. Brad Paisley kicks us off by telling us about how his charitable, free grocery THE STORE was open only two days when the virus took hold in the US. Now he’s figuring out how to get the food TO the people who need it.

You can find out more about Brad’s music and charitable work at his website.