Cultural Controversy and Our Lives with Shannon Fisher

Shannon interviews award-winning, legendary Artistic Director Carol Piersol, who is embarking upon an exciting new chapter in her theatre career. She has recently launched a new company, 5th Wall Theatre .  The name of the company is a play on the concept of the audience being the "fourth wall" of the stage. The company aims to add the dynamic of “fifth wall” to the audien...

Tonight's guests are from the performance series, Beyond Barbie, that originated in conjunction with Susan Singer’s provocative 2011 art show, Not Barbie, a series of paintings of female nudes of every size, shape, age, and race intended to help improve women’s body image.  Beyond Barbie shows are performed by women, about women, for everyone. The intention behind the...

This week on The Authentic Woman, Shannon’s guest is Laura Pedersen. The two will discuss Pedersen’s memoir, Life in New York, about three decades of living in New York City. Her life in NYC began when neighborhoods that now feature chai bars, Pilates, and Gymboree were drug dens, ganglands, and shantytowns.  Pedersen has experienced NYC in the best and worst of times. We will discu...

This podcast re-posted with permission from the National Press Club. To see the original podcast page for this episode, please go to the NPC website:    https://www.press.org/news-multimedia/audio/new-npc-president-thomas-burr-discusses-his-goals-club-and-journalism-industry   Shannon talks to National Press Club President Tommy Burr talks to Broadcast Committee member Shannon Fishe...

Democratic Party of Virginia Chairwoman Susan Swecker talks to Shannon about the importance of down ticket elections, highlighting several key races in the Commonwealth of Virginia. They discuss the relationship between state and local campaigns and the manner in which that coordination affects candidates up and down the ticket.    The Authentic Woman with Shannon Fisher e...

Harold Lefty Williams, famous for being the first left-handed Harlem Globetrotter in history, has started the Harold Lefty Williams DARE 2 DREAM Foundation, Inc. The foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life for youth and young adults through the development of sports, educational and character development programs. Through DARE 2 DREAM, Lefty and his wife seek to strengthen our commu...

Shannon talks to Jill Brooke, founder and Editor-in-Chief of Flower Power with Jill , the first daily news site about flowers.  Jill talks about the power flowers can have in our daily lives and the surprising effect they have on humans in all aspects of life and society. "Whenever I’ve needed a breath of beauty or a break from the ugliness of the world," said Jill, "Flowers have been my sola...

Shannon Fisher interviews the Chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. They talk about what it is like being a delegate at the national convention and the special role the Commonwealth of Virginia is playing at the convention with the nomination of Senator Tim Kaine as the Democrats' Vice Presidential candidate. Our Lives with Shannon Fisher...

Shannon talks to Reiki Master, Katie McCall , to discuss healing modalities, the movement of energy, brain training, and the power of forgiveness.  Our Lives with Shannon Fisher explores personal, political, and societal perspectives of the American experience. The show delves deeply into the worlds of writers, artists, celebrities, and community leaders and offers listeners food for tho...

This week's Special Guest is Christy Birmingham. We will discuss her book, Pathways to Illumination, as well as her popular poetry blog, Poetic Parfait. A message from Christy: "I use my writing to help people who have struggled with issues such as depression and anxiety. When I published my book, Pathways to Illumination, it was a major turning point for me, as it gave me an opportunity to reach...

Shannon welcomes Author and Theatre Scholar, Jennifer-Scott Mobley. Mobley is the Immediate Past President of the Women and Theatre Program of the Association of Theatre in Higher Education. Holding a PhD in Theatre Studies from The City University of New York Graduate Center, an MFA in Dramaturgy and Theatre Criticism from Brooklyn College, and a BA in Theatre from the College of William and Mary...

 This week on The Authentic Woma n , Guest Host  Susan Singer  will interview author and journalist, Pythia Peay . Peay writes about spirituality, psychology, and the American psyche. Over the past thirty years, she has covered such topics as the soul of the city, prayer circles, near death experiences, the rebirth of “feminine spirituality,” post-traumatic stress syn...

Shannon welcomes Angela Peabody, President and Founder of the  Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation , a 501(c)(3) organization that was formed to eradicate gender based violence and empower women and girls worldwide through education. Female Genital Mutilation is internationally recognized as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. An estimated 230,000 women and...

Special Guest Host, Michele J. Rolle, is a Chief Mammography Technologist at a prominent Obstetrics and Gynecology practice, which she has represented in television, radio and print interviews. She has been compassionately educating women about breast health for more than 25 years. Michele has recently debuted her memoir,  Invisible Warrior , an inspiring narrative that lays ba...

N ARAL Pro-Choice Virginia Executive Director Tarina Keene talks to Shannon about the TRAP (Targeted Regulations of Abortion Providers) legislation that has been debated in Virginia for the last four years. The fight against these TRAP laws has been the focus of much media attention, including being featured in the film Political Bodies, which won "Best Documentary" at the Austin Fi...

Shannon is proud to welcome 17-year-old author Hope Bolinger as her guest this week to discuss her newly released novel, Unmasked . Hope has written everything from poems to short stories to scripts - and now has published a full-length novel (the first in a series). Hope wrote Unmasked when she was 16, during her junior year in High School in Hudson, Ohio. The book is filled w...

Guest Host Leslie Salzillo is a political activist, writer, and artist. She advocates for women, minorities, LGBT, and students. She runs the largest  Rush Limbaugh Boycott Page on Facebook.  Tonight, Leslie will interview fellow activists, Kimberley A. Johnson and Madison Kimrey, to discuss the  We Are Women Rally  and social media activism. Kimberley A. Johnson is a...

Shannon examines the groundbreaking art exhibit, "Women's Rights: An Artist's Perspective," with Karen Teegarden and Karen Gutfreund of UniteWomen.org.  The Authentic Woman with Shannon Fisher explores personal, political, and societal perspectives of the female experience in America. The show delves deeply into the worlds of women writers, artists, celebrities, and community l...

  This week on The Authentic Woman, Guest Host Susan Singer  interviews a gifted, talented, self-taught photographer and storyteller,  Sylvia DeVoss . Sylvia began life as a Jehovah’s Witness, was kicked out for heresy at age 13, went off the deep end, married, had a child, divorced, spent five months in a mental institution due to a case of mistaken identit...

This week on The Authentic Woman, Guest Host  Susan Singer  interviews  Gaye Adegbalola , Blues Music Award winner and a founding member of Saffire - The Uppity Blues Women. Gaye composes, plays guitar and harmonica, and has recorded 10 CDs on Alligator Records and has toured widely throughout the U.S. and internationally. Gaye has also released four CDs on her own Hot Tod...

Shannon welcomes guests Karen Teegarden,  President & CEO of UniteWomen.org, and Karen Gutfreund, Curator and National Director of Exhibitions for the organization. They discuss  UniteWomen.org 's nationally juried art exhibit, "Women's Voices: An Artist's Perspective"  and explore the themes in the groundbreaking "Voices" exhibit, includi...

Shannon welcomes three women spearheading an effort to raise awareness of the dangers of the permanent birth control device Essure. Her guests are Angie Firmalino, founder the Essure Problems group; Amanda Dykeman, an administrator of the group; and Amanda Rusmisell, the group’s legislative liaison. The Essure Problems group has connected nearly 25,000 women who have had adverse reactions to the d...

Shannon welcomes social and political advocate Kate Noon to discuss the path she took to turn an idea into a bill, and then into a law, by working with her local legislators. We explore the legislative process and the debate around the country regarding public breast feeding. Kate is a member of the Virginia Breastfeeding Task Force and serves on the Virginia Breastfeeding Advisory Committee...

Shannon welcomes Michele J. Rolle to the show to discuss her memoir,  Invisible Warrior , an inspiring narrative that lays bare the struggles of her youth in a New York City housing project. The story follows her from bleak social and economic prospects for the future into a joyous and triumphant adulthood worlds away from her childhood home in the Bronx.  Michele has been a prominent Ma...

Shannon welcomes  Heather Powell , an NYC-based actress, singer & songwriter. Heather discovered her love of Musical Theatre at an early age, while traveling the world as an "Army Brat" during her father's career in the U.S. Army. She received a B.A. in Theatre & English from The College of William and Mary, and then embarked upon world tra...