Bound by the Cloak

Sojourner White is a travel blogger who has been featured on Buzzfeed, Travel + Leisure, USA Today, PopSugar and more. Traveling the world may be easy for some, but for others it may be a little more difficult to navigate. Some may or may not take in to account racism, discrimination, sexism or other experiences that they may encounter while traveling. In this episode Sojourner tells us about how...

After we spoke with Karen Boes, we had the chance to chat with John Lentini, an expert in fire science and investigations. We discussed the history of fire science and investigations, as well as the new developments made in fire investigation techniques over the last twenty years. John also talked to us about the types of investigations he's personally worked on throughout his career.

Karen Boes was convicted of arson in the death of her daughter Robin in 2003. We had a chance to speak with Karen directly about the events of that fateful day, the confession, the investigation and how her life has changed since receiving a sentence of life in prison.

No matter what your background is or where you come from, we are a product of our upbringing. The experience of immigrating to a new place as a child has a profound effect on children, their parents, and the family as a whole. In this episode we speak with Kel, a young author who co-wrote a book about this very experience.

It's the holiday season and with all the stress that comes with preparing for any big holiday event, no matter the season, we thought we'd help you relax with some listener stories! We thought we'd share some interesting holiday 911 calls received by dispatchers and operators. Pour yourself some apple cider, or a hot toddy, and relax with some unsettling holiday stories.      **Disclaimer** We, in...

This is part 2 of Shannon and Wayne's personal accounts of their experiences during and after the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting on October 1st of 2017. Be sure to liaten to S2 Episode 3 for the first part of this story.

October 1st of 2017 is a day that changed the lives of so many people. The Las Vegas Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting may have only lasted for around 11 minutes, but it altered the way thousands of people go about their daily lives. In this episode you will hear part 1 of the deeply personal stories of Shannon and Wayne, two amazing people that survived this horrific ordeal as they discuss the e...

Minority representation in film and television is something that has been brought up by many. From #oscarssoehite and even well before it, the representation of minorities of all kinds has been discussed in many ways and from all angles. We caught up with film and television critic Kristen Maldonado to discuss how miniroty representation in the industry has changed, where it's headed and how the i...

In this episode we discuss even more urban legends that you may or may not have heard of and we have a great interview with Tex from Tex's Front Porch and Trinity Para-Cryptid Research. We will release the full interview with Tex as a bonus episode soon! Mini episodes give us a chance to talk personally about things that we don't normally cover in our full episodes or go in to more depth about som...

It only makes sense that our first minisode would come out around Halloween... In this episode we discuss urban legends that you may or may not have heard of, our personal experiences with urban legends and folklore as well as the true stories and events that they may be based on. Mini episodes give us a chance to talk personally about things that we don't normally cover in our full episodes or go...

From booming, industrial meccas to abandoned, desolate, long forgotten spaces, New Jersey's industrial coast has changed a lot over the years. Largely ignored by the majority of those that pass by every single day, the old railroad tracks, abandoned buildings and uninhabited landscapes that lie in ruin from time to time breathe signs of life in many different ways. Attempting to ignore the parts o...

Check out we've got going on for Season 2!

We are pleased to announce Season 2 of Bound by the Cloak!

Sister Helen Prejean has worked tirelessly over the years to abolish the death penalty and has accompanied several death row inmates to their executions. We caught up with Sister Helen to discuss the faults of the justice system, exposing the reality behind capital punishment and much more.

Just a quick announcement about the end of Season 1 and looking forward towards Season 2.

Tracing your family roots and finding distant relatives can be fun and exciting for some and nerve racking for others. Why are some more interested in their family history while others aren't? What happens when your results don't match the family lore that has been passed down for generations? We had a chance to chat with the expert, Anthony Adolph, about genealogy and genetic dna testing.

What makes someone an incel? Are they all violent or is there more to this online community? We caught up with Sarah Daly, a professor of criminology, about her work and research on the incel community. We discuss everything from what makes someone an incel to how the community is portrayed by the media.

How much do you really know about the inner workings of Wall Street? In this episode we talk to Karen Ho, the author of "Liquidated: An Ethnography of Wall Street", about how Wall Street functions and the ways it affects everyday people.

The story of the San Antonio Four is a sad and unnerving truth about the wrongful convictions of four young women in the late 90's. In this episode we had the honor of speaking with Anna Vasquez, one of the San Antonio 4, about the case, her relsease from prison and her fight for justice against wrongful convictions.

Sometimes we get some consumed with work that we don't stop and think about the other important aspects of life. It can be hard to maintain a healthy balance between our professions and occupations and our personal lives. Carol had dreams and aspirations, but they fell by the wayside as she became more and more focused on her job at the MTA.

When they get it wrong, do journalists have an ethical responsibility to make things right? In 1994, Donna Minkowitz wrote a well known article about Brandon Teena after his murder that inspired some and prompted outrage among others. After years of reflecting on how her original article was written and interpreted, Donna wrote a second article. It was an apology and explanation of what she got wr...

Known as the oldest profession in the world, sex work has changed quite a bit over the years. A sex worker shares her story of how she got into the profession and discusses her advocacy to decriminalize sex work.

What do you do when you lose the people closest to you and have no where to go? Can you imagine having to live out of your car? Hear one woman's tale of being homeless and how she survived.

This is the conclusion of our two-part episode with Greg Bucceroni. In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we also discuss sexual assault statistics, the assistance survivors can receive, and we shed light on the amazing work that various organizations do to support survivors of sexual assault. In particular, we spoke with Rachel Copen from WOAR - Philadelphia Center Against Sexual Violence.

The Penn State child sex abuse scandal in 2011 rocked the nation. However, prior to and since the Sandusky case, there have been a number of child sex abuse and trafficking cases. How is it that some of the most powerful people, that have gained the trust of their communities, are able to commit such acts against children? One survivor tells his horrific account of the abuse and trauma he experien...