Shows
What a Word is WorthIn conversation with writer Nana Ekua Brew-HammondNana Ekua Brew-Hammond has written for AOL, Parenting Magazine, the Village Voice, Metro, and Trace Magazine. Her short story “Bush Girl” was published in the May 2008 issues of African Writing and her poem, “The Whinings of a Seven Sister Cum Laude Graduate Working Board as an Assistant,” was published in 2006’s Growing up Girl Anthology. A cum laude graduate of Vassar College, she attended secondary school in Ghana, Powder Necklace is loosely based on that experience. She is the author of the children's story: Blue: A HISTORY OF THE COLOR AS DEEP AS THE SEA AND AS WIDE AS THE SKY.2022-10-2356 minWhat a Word is WorthIn conversation with professor & writer Stephanie FettaStephanie Fetta holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine. Her monograph Shaming into Brown: Somatic Transactions of Race in Latina/o Literature (The Ohio State University Press, 2018) uncovers a new analytical lens Dr. Fetta identifies as the soma, loosely defined as the gestural body. Portrayer of our momentary and deeper subjectivities, the soma is also a central actor in social relations and a primary communicator of our ideological investments. Professor Fetta argues the soma is a pivotal site for unraveling bodily social technologies we use to create and sustain social subjugation. Specifically, she argues our somas...2022-10-2055 minWhat a Word is WorthIn conversation with spiritual teacher and writer Mark MatousekMark Matousek is an award-winning author of seven books, Sex Death Enlightenment: A True Story, The Boy He Left Behind, When You’re Falling, Dive, Ethical Wisdom: The Search for a Moral Life, Ethical Wisdom for Friends, Mother of the Unseen World, and Writing To Awaken: A Journey of Truth, Transformation, and Self-Discovery. His work has appeared in numerous anthologies and publications, including The New Yorker, O: The Oprah Magazine, Details, Tricycle, Good Housekeeping, and Harper’s Bazaar. He blogs regularly for Psychology Today and offers courses in creativity and spiritual growth around the world using the Writing To Awaken method2022-10-1052 minWhat a Word is WorthIn conversation with poet, healer and founder of the Institute for Poetic Medicine, John FoxJohn Fox, Practioner of Poetic Medicine (PPM), is a poet and author of Finding What You Didn't Lose: Expressing Your Truth and Creativity through Poem-Making and Poetic Medicine: The Healing Art of Poem-Making. He teaches regularly at the collegiate and post-graduate level as an adjunct faculty member of the California Institute of Integral Studies, Sofia University (formerly The Institute of Transpersonal Psychology and Holy Names University, Oakland. He taught for 20 years as an adjunct at John F. Kennedy University-first through the Graduate School of Professional Psychology and then since 1997 in the Arts & Consciousness Department.2022-09-2949 minWhat a Word is WorthIn conversation with poet, writer and educator David EbenbachDavid Ebenbach: A writer. Chronically preoccupied with the human condition.
As a result of all that writing and preoccupation, David is the award-winning author of nine books: novels, short story and poetry collections, and books of non-fiction. He lives in Washington, DC, with his family.
His latest novel, How to Mars, is available now. And his next poetry collection, What’s Left to Us by Evening, due out October 6th, is available for pre-order.2022-09-2253 minWhat a Word is WorthIn conversation with Haitian writer and educator Danielle Legros GeorgesDanielle Legros Georges is a professor in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Lesley University. She is also the former Poet Laureate of the City of Boston, where she was tasked with raising the status of poetry in the everyday consciousness of Bostonians, acting as an advocate for poetry, language and the arts, and creating a unique artistic legacy through public readings and civic events.
Selected Publications
Books
Island Heart: The Poems of Ida Faubert, a book of English translations from the French (Subpress Collective, 2021)
City of Notions: An Anthology of C...2022-09-1654 minWhat a Word is WorthEn conversación con el poeta y ensayista dominicano Médar SerrataMédar Serrata (Santo Domingo, 1964) Poeta y ensayista residente en Estados Unidos. Doctor en Literatura Hispánica de la Universidad de Texas en Austin. Profesor de literatura en Grand Valley State University, Michigan, y autor de los poemarios Las piedras del ábaco (Colección Egro de Poesía,1986) y Rapsodia para tontos (LibrUsa 1999). Sus textos han sido recogidos en diversas antologías; su libro La poética del trujillismo: Épica y romance en el discurso de “La Era” (Isla Negra Editores, 2016) recibió el Premio Anual de Ensayo Pedro Henríquez Ureña.2022-09-1251 minWhat a Word is WorthEn conversación con el escritor, investigador y educador Carlos Decena.Carlos Ulises Decena is an interdisciplinary scholar, whose work straddles the humanities and social sciences and whose intellectual projects blur the boundaries among critical ethnic, queer and feminist studies, social justice and public health. His areas of interest include critical theory as well as social and cultural analysis, with a particular emphasis on transnationalism and diaspora in the American continent, US Latinoamerica and the Caribbean. His first book, Tacit Subjects: Belonging and Same-Sex Desire among Dominican Immigrant Men, was published by Duke University Press in 2011. He is currently at work on Circuits of the Sacred, a project that articulates...2022-09-0559 minWhat a Word is WorthIn Conversation with Writer Sandra HunterSandra pivoted from 19+ years as an English and Creative Writing professor to start her business in January 2022, Wild Women Leaders of Color (WWLoC). She is a life coach helping professional women release stress caused by workplace racism and patriarchalism, and centering them in their ancestors’ stories so they can step into their powerful place in the world. She also created The Stealth Auntie Network, part of WWLoC, to pair professional women with young women who are about to enter the workplace so they are supported in this transition and can access professional development and promotion opportunities.
You ca...2022-08-0645 minWhat a Word is WorthIn conversation with beloved poet, writer, educador and coach Reggie Marra.Reggie Marra is the author of Healing America's Narratives: The Feminine, the Masculine, & Our Collective National Shadow (October 2022), and most recently, of Enough with the Talking Points (nonfiction, 2020), Killing America(poetry, 2018), and And Now, Still (poetry, 2016). His first work of nonfiction, The Quality of Effort, was published in 1991 and released in a second edition in 2013. Reggie is a co-founder, along with Kent Frazier, of Fully Human at Work—a 21st-Century Imperative. In addition to writing, he delivers his gifts to the world as a professional coach, a teaching poet, and a workshop facilitator. In the distant past, Reggie spent tw...2022-07-2454 min
What a Word is WorthIn Conversation with Gregg Westwood, founder of Depth IntegrationGregg Westwood is a spiritual risk-taker committed to manifesting the most authentic expression of his soul on this planet and supporting others in discovering their soul’s unique creative expression by transforming their fears and challenges into flow, love, and joy. A former professional dancer, actor, and massage therapist, he honors the wisdom of the body and the healing power of creative expression. Gregg’s practice is called Depth Integration. He has led workshops across the country with "AIDS, Medicine and Miracles'' and the Association for Experiential Education, to name a few. He coaches private clients in Denver, CO and in...2022-06-3047 minWhat a Word is WorthIn Conversation with Dr. Shelly P. Harrell, a healer and mindfulness practitionerDr. Harrell is a licensed psychologist with areas of specialization in multicultural and community psychology. Her research interests include cultural dimensions of wellness and positive well-being, racism-related stress, resilience-oriented stress management interventions, culturally-diverse contemplative practices, humanistic-existential and integrative approaches to psychotherapy, and African American mental health. Her current research focuses on the development of stress management and strengths-based interventions with diverse populations in community and clinical settings. Dr. Harrell has published in the areas of racism and mental health, race and clinical supervision, cultural issues in positive psychology, interventions with African Americans, psychospiritual principles for working with African American...2022-06-2352 minWhat a Word is WorthIn Conversation with Dr. Amy Banks and Isaac Knapper, authors of Fighting TimeListen to my conversation with the authors of Fighting Time. Dr. Amy Banks, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, and founding member of the Relational Cultural Theory (RTC) model, truly walks her talk in this book. Issac Knapper, the head trainer of the Crescent City Boxing Gym in New Orleans, embodies, no doubt, love, and compassion of the purest kind. Take a listen.
2022-06-1656 minWhat a Word is WorthEn Conversación con la artista e investigadora Dominicana Irka MateoDurante muchos años, Irka Mateo ha estado investigando las raíces de la música dominicana. Viajó durante diez años (1997-2007) por las zonas rurales de la República Dominicana documentando más de trece géneros de tradiciones musicales folclóricas, desconocidos en la cultura dominicana más amplia y más allá, y creando un archivo de música folclórica dominicana. Durante este tiempo, introdujo el acordeón en la escena alternativa dominicana/latina, sacó a la luz la 'Comarca', un género totalmente desconocido fuera del campo, y fue la primera mujer en tocar percusión t...2022-05-3153 minWhat a Word is WorthIn Conversation with Professor Lorgia García Peña.Prof. García Peña is the author of The Borders of Dominicanidad: Race, Nations and Archives of Contradictions (Duke University Press, 2016) a study of the impact of stories — historical and fictional — on the national and racial identity of a people. Offering the Dominican experience as case study, this book shows how the stories of a nation create marginality through acts of exclusion. These exclusionary acts are linked to the tensions between colonial desire and the aspiration for political independence. The book also shows how these official stories of exclusion, though influential in shaping a country’s identity, are always c...2022-05-2449 minWhat a Word is WorthEn Conversación con la Antropóloga dominicana Fatima Portorreal Liriano.Fatima Portorreal Liriano. Antropóloga, especialista en estudios de género y desarrollo. Profesora de INTEC. 2022-05-1754 minWhat a Word is WorthIn Conversation with Ann Filemyr, poet and President of SouthWestern CollegeAnn Filemyr, Ph.D. is the fourth President of Southwestern College following four and a half years of service as the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean. She also serves as the Director of the Ecotherapy Certificate.2022-05-1754 minWhat a Word is WorthPoeta y Académico Rei Berroa en ConversaciónRei Berroa. Poeta y catedrático (George Mason University). Autor de más de 50 libros (versos, antologías y crítica). Premio Internacional Trieste Poesía por el conjunto de su obra (2010) y Premio Mihai Eminescu (Rumanía, 2012). Le fue dedicada la VIII Feria del Libro de Nueva York. Ha sido traducido a más de 15 lenguas. Coordina anualmente el Maratón de Poesía del Teatro de la Luna, del cual ha publicado 14 antologías. El pasado 21 de marzo co-coordinó el Festival Mundial del Día de la Poesía: 24 horas de lecturas ininterrumpidas de poemas con poetas de todo el mun2022-05-1059 minWhat a Word is WorthIn Conversation with Haitian Singer-Lyricist and activist Laurie AmodeoLaurie Amodeo, MBA, RYT is a singer-lyricist, yoga teacher and activist, founder of the BIPOC Meditation Collective in Boulder, Colorado. 2022-04-1347 minWhat a Word is WorthEn Conversación con el poeta chileno Javier CamposPoeta y narrador chileno residente en los Estados Unidos. 2022-04-0959 minWhat a Word is WorthA Conversation with astrologer Deb McBrideDeb McBride has been practicing astrology for most of her life, in addition to holding degrees in chemistry & mathematics. Astrology has always been a vocation as Deb was first drawn to it as a child in the late 1960’s when it was very much a part of her life and surroundings. As an adult, she began her professional astrological counseling practice in 1986 and has continued to serve clients and deepen her knowledge of psychology through her own profound experiences of healing herself. Deb studied advanced astrological counseling techniques with Michael Lutin using the work of psychiatrist Dr. Robert Langs. Sh...2022-03-1650 minWhat a Word is WorthA Conversation with Anthony Peterson
Anthony Peterson has studied, taught, and written about cultural and racial realities for more than 30 years. I discovered him through one of his Tedtalks and was so impressed by his words that I conquered my shyness and contacted him; my gesture was met with utmost kindness and openness.
Since 2004, he has designed and facilitated diversity workshops in corporate, academic, and community settings.Anthony’s diversity discussions took a personal turn in 2014 when he began documenting conversations with his white grandchildren regarding race. He hopes that those conversations serve as an invitation for...2022-03-1154 minWhat a Word is WorthUna Conversación con el escritor colombiano Carlos AguasacoCarlos Aguasaco, Ph.D (1975) Profesor Titular de estudios culturales latinoamericanos y español en el Departamento de Estudios Interdisciplinarios de City College of the City University of New York. Ha editado diez antologías literarias y publicado seis libros de poemas, los más recientes Poemas del metro de Nueva York (2014),Antología de poetas hermafroditas (2014). Diente de plomo (2016) & Piedra del Guadalquivir (2017). También ha publicado una novela corta y un estudio académico del principal superhéroe latinoamericano El Chapulín Colorado: ¡No contaban con mi astucia! México: parodia, nación y sujeto en la serie de El Chapulín...2022-03-0653 min
What a Word is WorthA Conversation with Poetry Therapy Pioneer Dr. Sherry ReiterSherry Reiter, Ph.D., LCSW, PTR-M/S, RDT-BCT, Registered Poetry Therapist/Mentor-Supervisor (PTR-M/S) and Registered Drama Therapist/ Board Certified Trainer (RDT-BCT), is an international speaker and author of Writing Away the Demons: Stories of Creative Coping Through Transformative Writing (North Star Press, 2009). As director of The Creative Righting Center, Dr. Reiter mentors helping professionals here and abroad. She created Poets-Behind Bars. Dr. Reiter is a three-time national award winner for her visionary work in bibliotherapy and was chosen as Teacher of the Year for Touro College in 2009.2022-03-0658 min
What a Word is WorthA Conversation with American Diplomat and Human Rights Advocate Francisco PalmieriIn this conversation Francisco Palmieri, shares his experience advocating for human rights, diplomacy, sovereignty and much more. Francisco (Paco) Palmieri is the Acting Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, where he previously served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary from January 2016 to January 2017. Mr. Palmieri served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central America and the Caribbean from January 2014 to January 2016. From 2012 to 2014, Mr. Palmieri served as Deputy Executive Secretary in the Executive Secretariat. He served as the Director of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs’ Office of Policy, Planning, and Coordination. He also served in the Dominican Rep...2022-02-2556 minWhat a Word is WorthMarianela Medrano en Conversación con Mateo MorrisonMATEO MORRISON FORTUNATO
Escritor dominicano
En la historia de la literatura dominicana corresponde a la Generación de Posguerra. Es el primer dominicano egresado en Administración Cultural. Estudió en el Centro Latinoamericano y del Caribe para el Desarrollo Cultural. Licenciado en Derecho, Magna Cum Laude, con un diplomado en Derecho de Autor y Propiedad Intelectual y otro en Negocios Jurídicos Internacionales. Posee un Máster en Filosofía del Mundo Global por la Universidad del País Vasco.2022-02-1749 minWhat a Word is WorthIn Conversation with Francesca MaximéIn this conversation we discussed somatic language, anti-racism, and other important topics. Francesca Maximé is a Haitian-Dominican Italian-American somatic psychotherapist, life coach, and embodied antiracism educator in New York. She’s also an award-winning poet and author, former television journalist, and host of the ReRooted podcast on the Be Here Now Network. She sees adults, couples, and families virtually around the world to support emergence and wellbeing. You can learn more about Francesca at www.maximeclarity.com2022-02-1356 minWhat a Word is WorthA Conversation with Dr. Maureen WalkerDr. Maureen Walker, is a great mind of our times who has been advocating for anti-racist, feminist rights. We talk about the codified language that sustains racism, about the black and brown body's constriction in white spaces, and about how we code-switch to protect ourselves. She also talks about how we can lean on each other to become fully human.
A necessary conversation. Please help the cause by sharing it.
2022-02-101h 03
What a Word is WorthIn Conversation with Jamie Figueroa, author of Brother, Sister, Mother, Explorer, a novelJamie Figueroa, a Boricua sister, self-described as Afro-Taína by way of Ohio. She is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Brother, Sister, Mother, Explorer, a powerful statement on recovering from colonialism and other isms, in my view. Jamie is a longtime resident of northern New Mexico. Her writing has appeared in American Short Fiction, Emergence Magazine, Elle, McSweeney's, and Agni, among others. She received a Truman Capote Award and was a Bread Loaf Scholar. Criticism of her work has appeared in the New York Times and other venues. Jamie received an MFA in Creative Writing from the In...2022-02-0652 minWhat a Word is WorthConversation with John EvansJohn F.Evans, MAT, MA, Ed.D is a writing clinician and integrative health coach who works with groups, individuals, and health care professionals, including physicians, nurses, therapists, counselors, psychologists, social workers, educators, personal coaches, and alternative health care practitioners, teaching them how to use writing for better physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Evans is founder and executive director of Wellness & Writing Connections, LLC and provides individual, group, and institutional life course guidance programs. Evans co-authored Expressive Writing:Words that Heal with James Pennebaker. His book, Wellness & Writing Connections: Writing for Better Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Health, is a coll...2022-02-0454 minWhat a Word is WorthPreserving Indigenous Wisdom: A conversation with Monique LangAn episode with Monique Lang, a psychotherapist, teacher, writer and healer. For over 40 years she has worked with and helped individuals, groups and communities to find healing. Trained in Internal Family Systems, Past Life Regression, EMDR, Gestalt, Psychoanalysis, Comprehensive Resource Model, Reiki, mindfulness practices and shamanic techniques, Monique brings a depth of presence and gentleness to her work with people in her counseling practice, her teaching, her writing and as leader of workshops and Journeys to visit and learn from Indigenous Healers.2022-01-3151 minWhat a Word is WorthThe Healing Power of Difficulties: A conversation with Dr. Carly HudsonDr. Carly believes that bringing more movement into your day is just one way to improve your health and well-being. As an infant, Dr. Carly suffered a devastating and life-threatening illness. She was left with “invisible handicaps” including balance disorders, muscle spasticity, and hearing loss. She had to begin again to learn how her body worked and so began her path of life-long learning and healing. With the gift of this injury, Dr. Carly has spent her life exploring how deliberate self-care impacts our mind, body, and spirit.
Dr. Carly attended University of the Western States and is now a...2022-01-2951 min
Mensimah's Round Table: Conversations for Women of Power and GraceSpecial Episode: Unvarnished Truths about Women of Power and Grace.In this episode, I am replaying the answers given by guests at the Round Table to the question "Who is a Woman of Power and Grace?Each guest speaks her own unvarnished truth and the words from these powerful women present opportunities for us to absorb the different expressions, attributes, and understanding into our psyche. From this platform, we would be able to engage, accelerate our growth/transformation and subsequently be a channel of blessings to others. The goal is to allow us the space and freedom to declare confidently that we are women of...2022-01-2847 minWhat a Word is WorthBeing Medicine, a conversation with Dr. David Kopacz Dr. David Kopacz is a psychiatrist at the Seattle Veterans Affairs primary care clinic. He is an education champion with the National VA Office of Patient Centered Care & Cultural Transformation, where he teaches Whole Health to VA Staff across the USA. He is board certified in psychiatry and holistic & Integrative medicine and is an assistant professor at the University of Washington. He has always been interested in whole-person, holistic treatments and delivery systems, and has traveled to different parts of the world in the pursue of knowledge and the offering of services. He worked for three years in New Zea...2022-01-1454 minWhat a Word is WorthConversation with Eden Tull on Relational MindfulnessThis is a conversation on Relational Mindfulness and the healing that can come from it.
DEBORAH EDEN TULL, founder of Mindful Living Revolution, teaches the integration of compassionate awareness in every aspect of our lives. She is a Zen meditation and engaged dharma teacher, public speaker, author, and sustainability educator. She trained for seven years as a Buddhist monk at a silent Zen monastery and has taught engaged meditation for over 20 years. Eden has lived in sustainable communities and as an organic gardener/farmer for decades and celebrates the essential wisdom of nature.
Her books i...2022-01-1447 minWhat a Word is WorthA Conversation with Patricia DunnPatricia Dunn is the author of Last Stop on the 6 (Bordighera Press, 2021) a novel that depicts the lives of Italian-Americans in the Bronx in the 1980s. Patricia Dunn is the author of the young adult novel Rebels by Accident (Sourcebooks Fire). Her writing has appeared on Salon, in The Village Voice, The Nation, LA Weekly, The Christian Science Monitor; in the anthology Love, InshAllah: The Secret Love Lives of American Muslim Women (Soft Skull); and elsewhere.
To learn more about her work, please visit her site:
https://www.patriciadunnauthor.com2022-01-0159 minWhat a Word is WorthMindful Writing: a conversation with Alexandria PearyThis episode is a lively conversation with poet and professor Dr. Alexandria Peary. Here is more about our guest:
Alexandria Peary (MFA, MFA, PhD) serves as New Hampshire Poet Laureate. She is the author of nine books, including Control Bird Alt Delete, Prolific Moment: Theory and Practice of Mindfulness for Writing, and Battle of Silicon Valley at Daybreak. The recipient of a 2020 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship, her work has received the Iowa Poetry Prize; Best of NH (for inspiring artist); several Pushcart and Best of the Net nominations; and Notable Essay in Best American Nonfiction. She speci...2021-12-0544 minWhat a Word is WorthWhat a Word is Worth: An introductionThis is a brief introduction to our podcast series on collective healing through creative means.2021-11-1406 min
Mensimah's Round Table: Conversations for Women of Power and GraceConversation with Dr. Marianela Medrano on Promoting Healing through Language, Poetry, and StoryDr. Marianela Medrano was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and has lived in Connecticut since 1990. A poet and a writer of nonfiction and fiction, she holds a PhD in psychology. Her literary work has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines in Latin America, Europe and the United States. Her poetry has been translated into Italian and French. She is President of The National Association for Poetry Therapy, NAPT. She directs Palabra Counseling & Training Center, LLC, with offices in Stanford, New Haven and Middlebury in CT.Her individual publications include: Oficio de Vivir (Buho,1986), Los Alegres Ojos...2021-09-2436 min
MonstrasLa CiguapaTales have persisted for over a century of a mysterious creature that lurks in the forests of the Dominican Republic. Both beautiful and deadly, her backwards feet lead men astray. But was her story created by one man, or was it a tale created before colonization...
Music by Patrick Mullens
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Show Notes:
Poem - From "La Ciguapa Speaks" by Marianela Medrano-Marra, PhD
2021-06-2156 min
Healing Ground MovementGuys, Mental Health Matters | Season 1 RewindThroughout January, we’re wrapping up Season 1 of the Healing Ground Movement Podcast with a rewind back to some of our favorite episodes. This week’s focus is mental health. In this episode, you’ll hear from guests featured in Season 1, as they discuss mental health. Featured guests include: Dr. Courtney Klein, Dr. Pepe Santana, Dr. Marianela Medrano, Dr. Gillian Kaag and Bridgit Dengel Gaspard. If you like what you hear, and want to learn more, check out their full episodes!2021-01-041h 21
Healing Ground MovementA Healing ThanksgivingIn our first ever Thanksgiving episode, Dr. Carly is joined by Dr. Marianela Medrano, Dr. Montserrat Andreys and Kent Frazier. The group gathers around the virtual table for a deep, intentional discussion around gratitude, compassion and coming together during tumultuous times. Pull up a seat, and join us for this very special edition of the Healing Ground Movement Podcast. You can find Dr. Carly here: Healing Ground Chiropractic Care You can find the guest’s previous episodes here: Dr. Marianela Medrano • Dr. Montserrat Andreys • Kent Frazier 2020-11-231h 34
Healing Ground MovementHealing Generations of Trauma and Personal ResponsibilityThis week, Dr. Carly is joined by, Dr. Marianela Medrano, a Dominican writer and psychotherapist with more than 15 years of experience working for diverse populations. She is passionate about using literature as a healing tool. In this episode, Dr. Medrano opens a dialog on trauma, resilience, and social and racial justice. The two also discuss mindfulness, inner work and the importance of slowing down. Dr. Medrano elaborates on the two types of silence, and how to differentiate between them. You can find Dr. Carly here: Healing Ground Chiropractic Care You can find Dr. Marianela...2020-07-201h 04